{Catalog Countdown: Day Five} All Sara

Welcome to another day of our Catalog Countdown! This card was created for a recent challenge in which we were to make a card that truly represented who we were as stampers. So here's what would be "All Sara":

• I *LOVE*, *LOVE*, *LOVE* blue,


• I am a big fan of sweet little song birds,


• I'm not a fussy person,


• Sometimes I'm pretty rumpled, and


• My style is pretty casual. If I could decorate in any manner (other than Fischer-Price), it would be English country (with a little French flair thrown in).

This is another card for which I wanted to use my retiring items: Spring Song stamp set and Bordering Blue (sniff!) card stock and Classic ink. The Kraft card stock that makes up the base of this card will be doing a bit of "The Artist Formerly Known As...", as its new name will be Crumb Cake. The exciting tidbit associated with the name change is that Crumb Cake now comes with coordinating ink and accessories! Happy dance! The Twill Tape will also be repackaged and will only be offered in a 3/8-inch width.

The songbird pops up from the card, as it's been heat-embossed, giving it a simple, sharp emphasis...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Spring Song, Tiny Tags

Paper: Kraft, Night of Navy, Bordering Blue and Very Vanilla card stocks

Inks: Night of Navy and Bordering Blue Classics and VersaMark

Accessories: Clear Detail Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Twill Tape, Linen Thread, Jewelry Tag Medium and 1/16-inch Circle Punches
Retirees: Spring Song, Bordering Blue card stock and inks

Thanks for your visit to the Studio today! Stay with me all week for more Retirees! June 30 is the last day on which to order (and it's a busy day for my family). Get your last order to me as soon as possible so that we can assure inventory of your items!

Contact me to preorder your new catty, too! I'm lovin' my advance copy!

Stop! Thief! Scraplifted...

Hello and Happy Saturday! Today's project was created for the final week of 365 Cards' first year's challenges. All week long, we've been focussing on each 365 Card designer, examining her style and then scraplifting an element of a card she's shared. This card was created by scraplifting a bit of Gloria's vintage style.

Here's her card:

Here are the elements of Gloria's style that I chose to include in my project:

• ephemera,
• lots of layers and
• a more masculine color palette.

I love Gloria's use of ephemera! I love to include items like ticket stubs, newspaper or other media in my scrapbook pages. I found it a bit of a challenge to find items that meshed together for a card, however. I searched through my stamp sets and decided that I'd start with the Sense of Time set (I used the clock face and the gears). I also love the look of the oak tree (or is that an elm?) from Lovely as a Tree. To mimic Gloria's ephemeral look, I masked the clock face and sponged So Saffron Classic ink around the outside. I also crumpled the piece of card stock stamped with the gears (I stamped the gears in So Saffron Classic ink).

**Studio Suggestion: Creamy Caramel Classic Ink is among my go-to tools when I'm looking for a vintage look. After stamping the gears in So Saffron, I crumpled the piece of Whisper White card stock and then sponged over it with the Creamy Caramel. That color brings out the wrinkles in a subtle, worn way.**

Gloria's included lots of fun touches and I sought to mimic that with my Build-a-Brad. I stamped the gear image in Not Quite Navy on Sage Shadow card stock and punched a gear out using my 1/2-inch Circle Punch.

I also used a bit of Very Vanilla Wide Grosgrain ribbon (which I colored using my Creamy Caramel and Bordering Blue Classic Inks) and a paper clip to add to the ephemeral feel.

Finally, since I am Color Challenged, I relied on my Color Coach to help me pick a palette of colors that would support my fave for vintage projects, Bordering Blue. In the end, I think the palette is one for both men and women. I used Sage Shadow, So Saffron and Not Quite Navy to complement the Bordering Blue. I also used Whisper White (for a "clean", crisp look) and paired it with the Very Vanilla grosgrain to further stress the idea of vintage...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Sense of Time and Lovely as a Tree

Papers: Sage Shadow, Whisper White, Bordering Blue, So Saffron and Not Quite Navy

Inks: Not Quite Navy, So Saffron and Creamy Caramel Classics

Accessories: 1/2-inch Circle, 1/16-inch Handheld and Corner Rounder Punch, Build-a-Brad, and Very Vanilla Wide Grosgrain Ribbon

Thanks so much for visiting me today! I hope you have a restful and fun weekend!

Time to Write Thank You notes

This weekend marked the end of Christmas Break and at our house, that's the deadline for writing Thank You notes for Christmas gifts. As is often the case with making all of those Christmas cards, I'm left with bits of this and that (each step was made in mass quantities to make the process more efficient). I always seem to miscount and end up with extras of some of the pieces (and just enough of others -- go figure!). I hate to waste, so I incorporated them into my design... I also wanted to use my "From Our House" set.

The scalloped design from that set really stands out (in real person -- trust me!) when it's inked in Night of Navy and then embossed using Clear Detail Embossing Powder.

**STUDIO SUGGESTION: I use my VersaMark ink, followed by my choice of color in Classic Ink to ink my image (Craft Ink works here, as well, minus the VersaMark step). Once the image is stamped, I dump Stampin' Up! Clear Detail Embossing Powder all over it (in a Powder Pal or over a piece of scratch computer paper to catch the unused powder). Using my Heat Tool, I heat-set the image. The particles in the Detail Embossing Powders are so fine that they work well in small or detailed images really well. Another benefit of using the Clear Detail Embossing Powder is that it allows you to use it with *EVERY* one of Stampin' Up!'s great exclusive colors...**

I used my I'm-Cheaper-than-$4!! tool (Paper Piercing Tool) to pierce each dot in the scalloped image to add more texture.

You'll recognize the snowflake/scalloped circle/vellum circle piece from my family Christmas card. I also had the die-cut and embossed vellum circles, Bravo Burgundy circles, and polka-dot embossed Night of Navy pieces left-over to use in this card.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Berry Christmas (from 2009 Holiday Mini)

Papers: Bordering Blue, Night of Navy and Bravo Burgundy card stocks and Vellum Paper

Ink: Whisper White Craft

Accessories: Big Shot, Finial Press and Petals-A-Plenty Textured Impressions Folders, Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I Texturz Plates (Small Polka Dots), Scallop Circle #2 Bigz Die, Merry Details Sizzlit, Scallop Circle, Modern Label, Small Oval and 1/16-inch punches, Circle Scissor Plus, Silver Brads, and Stampin' Dimensionals

**THANK YOU!!** for visiting today! ;)

O, Christmas Card...

Happy New Year!


As I was tidying up from Christmas, I realized that I never posted the card that our family sent out this year. I love Bordering Blue and Night of Navy (they're among my favorite color combos). This year I included Bravo Burgundy, as well.
This was the first year that I utilized my Big Shot in our Christmas card. What a fun way to add some delicious texture (and I could feed multiple layers of Vellum Paper through to make the card-making more efficient).


I embossed the Night of Navy piece with the Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I Texturz Plate (small polka dots).


The large Vellum Paper Scalloped Circle (made with the Scallop Circle #2 Bigz Die), Vellum Paper (Modern Label Punch) and Bordering Blue Scalloped Circle (Scallop Circle Punch) were fed through the Big Shot with the Finial Press Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

The vellum circle over the Bravo Burgundy piece was embossed using the Petals-A-Plenty Textured Impressions Folder, but that is in the Holiday Mini, which is only available until January 4, 2010. Same goes for the snowflake, which was punched out, using the Merry Details Sizzlit and the "Merry!" from the Berry Christmas set, which was inked in Whisper White Craft Ink on a Small Oval Punch of Night of Navy card stock. I'm hopeful that the Petals-A-Plenty, Merry Details, and Berry Christmas set will show up in the 2010-11 Idea Book and Catalog...

It's hard to see in the photo, but the snowflake is attached to the Bordering Blue Scalloped Circle and Vellum Paper circle with a silver brad and adhered to the Bravo Burgundy piece with a Stampin' Dimensional.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Berry Christmas (from 2009 Holiday Mini)

Papers: Bordering Blue, Night of Navy and Bravo Burgundy card stocks and Vellum Paper

Ink: Whisper White Craft

Accessories: Big Shot, Finial Press and Petals-A-Plenty Textured Impressions Folders, Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I Texturz Plates (Small Polka Dots), Scallop Circle #2 Bigz Die, Merry Details Sizzlit, Scallop Circle, Modern Label, Small Oval and 1/16-inch punches, Circle Scissor Plus, Silver Brads, and Stampin' Dimensionals

Since I make a slew of these (I won't tell you how many), I can't use bows or knots because they can sometimes result in extra postage. Take a lesson from my dear friend, Lori... If you make a card (or several) with a knot or bow, take it to the post office and have someone at the counter feed your card through their plastic template. If it gets hung up (because of thickness), the card will require more postage. Dear Lori didn't know her card was over 1/4-inch (I think that's the limit -- I'll verify that) and she got ALL of her LOVINGLY HANDMADE Christmas cards back in the mail due to insufficient postage...

Even without a bow or knot, I still take mine to the post office to make sure that they're not too heavy (due to photos) or thick (even this year, I wasn't 100% sure with the brad+Stampin' Dimensional combo).

I hope 2010 brings you good health and much joy. Thank you for your visit!

Tied up in Knots over Christmas

*LOVE* the 365 Cards Challenges! They are always just what I need for inspiration. For this challenge, we were to use knots... Once again, I fed card stock through my Big Shot to add texture. I did this with both the Brushed Silver and Night of Navy pieces.

On Whisper White, I stamped the tree from the Snow Swirled set (inked in Night of Navy). Using Mini Glue Dots, I adhered knots of Night of Navy and Whisper White grosgrain with Silver Elastic Cord threaded through and knotted. The body of the card is Bordering Blue. The sentiment comes from the Sincere Salutations set was inked in Encore Silver and stamped on Whisper White.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Snow Swirled, Sincere Salutations

Papers: Brushed Silver, Night of Navy, Bordering Blue, and Whisper White card stocks

Inks: Night of Navy Classic and Encore Silver

Accessories: Night of Navy and Whisper White grosgrain, Silver Elastic Cord, Mini Glue Dots, Big Shot, Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I Texturz Plate

Thanks so much for visiting!

Quick and Easy Christmas Ornament

The folks at 365 Cards have prompted me to consider Christmas ornaments, so here's what I've created. The challenge was to make any type of ornament, and I opted for a quickie:

This simple ornament was created using the Jumbo Snowflake Punch and Night of Navy, Bordering Blue and Brushed Silver card stocks. I adhered it using Two-Way Glue (I like the precision of the tip) and I added a bow and a length of Elastic Silver Cord with which to hang it.

This makes a simple addition to a card, a fun take on a gift tag or an easy stand-alone gift for a hostess, mail carrier (Hi, Aunt Linda!), hairdresser, teacher, etc!

Cat and Mouse

Over the summer, I had the pleasure of teaching some basic technology classes for the district in which I started teaching (before DD#1 was born). I had some overdue "Thank You" notes to send and the technology challenge at 365 Cards came at just the right time. The challenge was to be inspired by technology in your card. My additional challenge was to create cards suitable for men and women, as I had both to thank...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Computer Quips, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Papers: Night of Navy, Baroque Burgundy, More Mustard, Bordering Blue and Very Vanilla card stocks

Inks: Night of Navy, Baroque Burgundy, and More Mustard Classics

Accessories: Blender Pens, Twill Tape, Linen Thread, 1/16-inch punch, Word Slot Punch, Paper Piercing Tool

Thanks for visiting! It feels good to be stamping again!

P.S. Oh, and what do you think of my header at the top of my blog? I'm trying to make one on my own that stands out and gives something interesting to look at... Thoughts? Suggestions? Tutorials to make it rock? :) Thanks!

Rustic Dreams du Jour

I was enjoying a quiet moment (kids were napping), listening to "Lake Woebegone" from Garrison Keillor. The "country" feel of his stories (esp. the one where he beams his sister with a rotten tomato) inspired this card...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamp Set: Dreams du Jour

Papers: Very Vanilla, Sage Shadow, Bordering Blue and Night of Navy card stocks

Inks: Creamy Caramel, Bordering Blue, and Night of Navy Classics

Accessories: Distressing Tool, Very Vanilla 5/8-inch Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Sponges

I started with a sponge and inked over the Very Vanilla card stock with the Creamy Caramel (to give it the aged look). The butterflies were stamped in Creamy Caramel and Bordering Blue, but I stamped the ink off each time first. Finally, the ribbon was colored using my Creamy Caramel and Bordering Blue ink pads (Classic). I drug the ribbon between the pad and a Stampin' Sponge (to keep my hands clean). It gives the ribbon an uneven color, which was the effect I was trying to achieve.

Thanks so much for the visit!

Look Who's Turning...

This is a new set in the 2009-10 Idea Book and Catalog and I thought it would be perfect for the ad-inspired challenge this week at 365 Cards.

Here's the ad we were inspired by:

and the card I created:This card will be perfect for my nephew's birthday next month... I might change it a wee bit to make the "3" stand out more, though. Red ink? Layer a smaller circle beneath the "3" on top of the Yoyo Yellow? Hmmm...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Look Who's Turning

Papers: Whisper White, Brocade Blue, Bordering Blue and Yoyo Yellow card stocks

Inks: Whisper White Craft and Brocade Blue and Basic Black Classics

Accessories: Real Red Wide and Narrow Grosgrain Ribbons, Whisper White Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon, 1-inch Circle Punch, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig (to make the numbers straight; I wasn't trusting myself)

Thank you so much for looking!

Father's Day card!

Father's Day is Sunday and we're having everyone out to the house to celebrate (and show off the yard).

Here is the card I made for the dads... Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamp Set: Holiday Blitz

Papers: Bordering Blue, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa and Very Vanilla card stocks; So Saffron Designer Series Paper (from a retired Patterns Pack Hostess Item)

Inks: Old Olive and Close to Cocoa Classics

Accessories: Big Shot, Backgrounds I (for Stampin' Up!) Texturz Plate (Harlequin), Crafters' Tool Kit (for piercing), Linen Thread

Happy Father's Day, Daddy, Grandpa, Papa, Uncle B (Geo's takin' you down!), Great-Grandpa, Uncle Coot, Uncle Matt and Uncle David!

Bella Birds and Pretties

Here's a card I made recently for a friend. I've been really focussed on the Designer Series Paper this month because of the promotion.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamp set: Fresh Cuts

Paper: Chocolate Chip and Bordering Blue card stock and Bella Birds Designer Series Paper

Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic and Versamark

Stampin’ Up! Accessories: 5-Petal and Boho Blossoms punches, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Chocolate Chip 5/8-inch grosgrain ribbon, glue dot, pearl from Pretties Kit

Birthday Card for Mom

My mom's birthday was in April and I made this card back in mid-March. That's saying something, as I'm usually racing around at the last minute, sweating bullets because I can hear the postman's truck coming... The punchline is that *I LOST THE CARD* in my slovenly stamping area (I've been drooling over the pics of people's stamping areas, but that's another post). Back to Mom...

Here's the card I made (actually, re-made) to send for her birthday. Love you, Mom!Stampin' Up! Supplies:

• Stamp Sets: Fresh Cuts; Holiday Blitz
• Inks: Chocolate Chip; Bordering Blue; VersaMark
• Papers: Bordering Blue, So Saffron and Very Vanilla Card Stock; Bella Birds DSP
• Accessories: Chocolate chip 5/8-inch grosgrain; Linen Thread; Natural Hemp; Sizzix Big Shot; Petal Card Bigz Die; Distressing Tool from Cutter Kit; Scallop Edge punch; Button Latte

**A cute photo of my Crazy3 are inside of the Petal Card at the upper left**