Paris: Artistic Etchings {à la français}

 Here's a French twist on a Mojo Monday entry...  I also entered it in the 365 Cards Color Combo challenge last week (Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip, Cherry Cobbler and Not Quite Navy).

The Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon is so simple to work with; it's very compliant ribbon! 

The 1-3/4" Circle and 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punches work well together...   

I *love* my Modern Label Punch...  I simply punched a scrap of Chocolate Chip with it and adhered it behind the stamped Sahara Sand.  Attaching the two just left of the edge of Not Quite Navy makes the tag stand out a bit more.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  Artistic Etchings (W118517, C120573), Fabulous Phrases (W117002, C120501)

Papers:  Sahara Sand (121043), Chocolate Chip (102128), Cherry Cobbler (119685), Not Quite Navy (101722)

Inks:  Chocolate Chip (102128), Cherry Cobbler (126966), Not Quite Navy (126971)

Accessories:  2-3/8" Scallop Circle (118874), 1-3/4" Circle (119850), Modern Label (119849) and Scallop Edge Border (119882) Punches, Cherry Cobbler 1/2-inch Seam Binding Ribbon (120992), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430) and Paper Snips (103579)

A Spot of Tea for a Friend's Birthday

Hello, Studio Sara Visitor!  Welcome back...  For today's project, I started with a card for a good friend for her birthday (she is my BFF I made through stamping).   

Once the 365 Cards challenges were published last week, I realized that with a little tweaking, I could enter my friend's birthday card.  The challenge was "The 3 Cs" and we were asked to make it colorful, classy and add coffee.  

My friend once told me how much she liked how (on my Christmas card) I had threaded the Cherry Cobbler seam binding through the circle (cut with my Perfect Pennants Bigz L die).  I wanted to replicate that for her here.  

The teacup is from the A la Carte stamp, Tiny Teacup, which retires at the end of May.  It includes "hello" underneath, but I just inked the teacup.  

Since I was going to use my Cherry Cobbler again, I needed to find colors that would coordinate, but still *POP*.  I used my Color Coach and came up with the palette of Cherry Cobbler, Baja Breeze, Soft Suede and Chocolate Chip.  Colorful without being glaring...

Finally, I used the Scallop Edge Border punch and a sliver of card stock to make the border along the opening of the card.  Simple, but I think it finishes the card while drawing your eye back to the main elements.  

That sweet sentiment?  From the retiring hostess set, Happiest Birthday Wishes.  Place a merchandise order of $150 and you can choose this set with your shopping spree $$!  It'll also earn you the new Stampin' Up! 2012-2013 Annual Catalog!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:


Stamps:  Happiest Birthday Wishes (W122615, C122617), Tiny Teacup (W118086)

Papers:  Baja Breeze (111352), Chocolate Chip (102128), Soft Suede (115318) and Whisper White (100730) card stocks

Inks:  Baja Breeze (111833) and Cherry Cobbler (119669) Classics

Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (117335), Perfect Pennants Bigz L die (123126), Scallop Edge Border (119882), 1-3/8" Circle (119860) and Modern Label (119849) punches, and Cherry Cobbler 1/2-inch Seam Binding Ribbon (120992)

Feeling an Ode Coming On...

No, I'm not feeling snuffly; I really do feel an ode coming on!  This time, I'm pining away about the Stampin' Up! sets, Have a Seat and Sincere Salutations.  These beauties retire at the end of this month.

This project was created for a Color Scheme Challenge by the good folks at 365 Cards.  This was my color palette:

I chose to use Crumb Cake, Basic Gray, Chocolate Chip and More Mustard to approximate the palette.

Here, you can see that I used the soon-to-retire Paper Crimper (remember that accessories/tools are only available while supplies last).

I think my favorite thing to do with Have a Seat has been to create pillows from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack.  I used Basic Gray card stock and added a knotted snippet of Linen Thread...

Interested in the new 2012-2013 Annual Catalog?  Click here to learn how to earn yours for *FREE*!




Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  Have a Seat (W116696, C120447) and Sincere Salutations (W115068) **Both are retiring!**

Papers:  Crumb Cake (120953), Basic Gray (121044), More Mustard (100946) and Chocolate Chip (102128) card stocks

Inks:  Basic Gray (109120) and Chocolate Chip (100908) Classics

Accessories:  Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (118309), Crimper (101618 **Retiring**), Linen Thread (104199) and Natural Hemp Twine (100982)

{12 Weeks of Christmas}: Week 10 -- My Digital Studio Christmas Picture

One portion of our family Christmas card is the picture.  These beautiful shots were taken by Yuen Lui, a local photography studio which has photographed everything from our engagement photos to our wedding, to countless pictures of our children.  We've had sittings in their studio, at our home and on-location.  They're terrific!

I like to create a collage with captions in My Digital Studio, have it printed in 4 X 6-format and then trim it to fit into my Christmas card (which is 4 1/4 X 5 1/2-inches).  The images are from the Pines and Poinsettias brush set.  I fiddled with the opacity of my rectangular punches to make them translucent (you'll see that again in our Christmas Thank You note).  I left the big Chocolate Chip bottom border because I'll trim an inch from it.  So simple!

My next post shows you part of my process in creating our family Christmas card.  It's a big job, but it's manageable because I do it assembly line-style...

Celebrating Designer Series Papers... Part Trois

With tomorrow being the Occasions Mini Catalog's last day, I thought I'd share some projects using the Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper... I'm off to the city today to show my aunt and uncle around (who are visiting from Toronto). Enjoy!

The card above was made for a DIY Challenge in which I was to glitter some flowers. I chose the Sending Love Designer Series Paper, as it's a Specialty Paper, which includes pieces with glittered designs. There's a delicate shimmer on the pink design of this Designer Series Paper and I just used my VersaMark ink and embossed a little Iridescent Ice embossing powder on the edges of the flowers I punched in Real Red card stock using my Trio Flower punch...

Next, this pretty card was made using the Petal Card die and my Big Shot. I adhered it to the Chocolate Chip card stock and used a little Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon to hold it shut. It's a perfect little hiding place for a secret sentiment, photo, or embellishment. You choose! Shhhh... The stamp set I used with it is also an Occasions item: With All My Heart.
Nothin' like a White Space Challenge to force me to KISS (Keep It Simple, Stamper!) I just cut a piece from a scrap, used my With All My Heart set for the sentiment and mounted it all on some coordinating card stock (Real Red, Pretty in Pink and Chocolate Chip). The punches I used are the Scallop Edge, Word Slot and Modern Label. Wanna know how I got just the "thank you" sentiment, even though there's more to that stamp? Check last week's {Technique Video}. Voila! Simple!
Finally, I made use of my Extra Large Fancy Flower punch (which will be available after April 30, even though it's an Occasions item), Scallop Edge, Word Slot and Scallop Oval punches for this card. Tote-ally Tess is the stamp set I used for this little gal. I used the Paper Piecing technique to make her little tote bag and apron; I just stamped the tote and apron on pieces of the Sending Love Designer Series Paper and cut them out. A quick and easy way to add visual interest with a stamp!
Thanks for your visit today! I got my Summer Mini preorder in the mail and will be showcasing some of those items next week along with some Mom-worthy items. Take care!

{Technique Video: Masked Inking}

Here's another video for your viewing pleasure! I hope you find it useful!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: With All My Heart

Papers: Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip and So Saffron card stocks

Inks: Chocolate Chip Classic

Accessories: Large Oval, Scalloped Oval and Scallop Edge punches, Rose Red Double-Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Paper Snips

Thanks for your visit!

{Challenge! "Taggies"}: A Little Birdie Told Me...

Hello and welcome to the Studio! Before I go any farther, I would like to wish my dear mom "Happy Birthday!". I love you, Mom, and I hope your day is great!

Today's card is one I submitted for a challenge last week at 365 Cards. The challenge was inspired by those baby toys that have the ribbon tags along the edge.

I have been really enjoying using my Extra Large Two-Step Bird Punch. I am *LOVING* the new punch design! I can't get over how easy they are to store...

Anyhoo, I simply punched my bird's wing on the flipside of the floral of the Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper so that I'd get the houndstooth design. The houndstooth design is opposite the floral, but one has to punch the bird's wing on the side you want, or else the wing points up when it's flipped over to show the other pattern.

Next, I punched the branch using the Old Olive piece (it's the flipside of the striped piece I used in last week's Technique Video). Then I punched it again in the Sahara Sand part of that same piece to get the leaves. I used a little Two Way Glue and the tweezers from my Crafters Tool Kit to put it all together (it did feel like a little neurosurgery, I gotta say, but it's worth it).

The ribbons are (in order of appearance) Rose Red 1" Double-Stitched Grosgrain, Bashful Blue 1/4-inch Grosgrain, Chocolate Chip 5/8-inch Grosgrain and Whisper White 1/4-inch Grosgrain.

I also used my Scallop Edge Punch to make the little borders at the bottom.

This was a very easy card to make, aside from the gluing and will be a versatile design I'll replicate for lots of purposes. We've only got a couple of weeks left for the Occasions Mini Catalog, which brought us a lot of these materials. I'm lovin' the Sweet Pea Paper and since it contains Taken with Teal (one of the Retiring Colors), I'm not expecting it to appear in the new 2010-11 Idea Book and Catalog in July. I'll be purchasing more before the Occasions Mini ordering deadline, which is April 30. Refer to my earlier post about the Color Renovation for more info on the exciting new changes with the colors...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: None this time!

Papers: Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper (Occasions Mini Catalog, available until April 30), and So Saffron and Chocolate Chip Card Stocks

Inks: None this time!

Accessories: Extra Large Two-Step Bird Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Rose Red 1-inch Double-Stitched, 5/8-inch Chocolate Chip and 1/4-inch Whisper White and Bashful Blue Grosgrain Ribbons, Paper Snips, Two-Way Glue

{Challenge! Card Recipe}: Easter Bunny

Happy April!


April is one of my favorite months (my mom and eldest daughter are April Babies). Add to it that Easter's in April this year, and I'm egg-specially enjoying the fact that it's April today! Tulips are ready to bloom (daffies are already blooming around here) and the trees are leafing out...


For a card recipe challenge last week over at 365 Cards, I created this simple one... I chose the Easter Bunny image from Eight Great Greetings. The stamp comes with "Happy Easter" on the bottom, but I cut the image apart from the sentiment and mounted them on separate sides of the wood block. This is a simple adaptation you can make as you mount your stamps to make them that much more versatile. I did this with my Fun and Fast Notes set, too.


The image was colored with watercolor pencils and a Blender Pen and the bunny's circle was sponged with So Saffron Classic Ink to make it stand out.


Stampin' Up! Supplies:


Stamps: Eight Great Greetings and Teeny Tiny Wishes

Papers: Brocade Blue, So Saffron and Very Vanilla card stocks

Inks: Chocolate Chip, Brocade Blue and So Saffron Classics

Accessories: Watercolor Pencils, Blender Pen, 1 3/4-inch Circle Punch, Brocade Blue and Very Vanilla wide grosgrain ribbon, Stampin' Sponge

Happy Easter, Stampers! Thanks for your visit!

{Tuesday: Technique Video (New Camera!)}

Hey, there! I've shot a new video (a tutorial on ribbon-tying), but the camera is giving me fits when it comes to uploading my video. As I type this, I'm downloading software updates and new drivers, so hopefully (today?!), I'll have something to show you!

In the meantime, I'll show you the card I'll be discussing:

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Short and Sweet

Papers: Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper, Taken with Teal, Chocolate Chip

Inks: Chocolate Chip and Rose Red Classics

Accessories: Chocolate Chip Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, Word Slot and Modern Label Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Sweet Treats

Hello, Studio Visitors! It's so nice to be back (in the studio and online)! Whew! What a week!

The good ladies over at 365 Cards posted a challenge in which we're to create a card that is inspired by this ad:

I have just received a fun order of things from the Occasions Mini Catalog and by ordering after January 5, I got to pick from the Sale-a-Bration Catalog (the sentiment here is from among my freebies!)... Among the order was the Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper, which is what I used along with the card stocks to mimic the patchwork feel of this treat basket.

One of the things I find most appealing about this picture is the texture. While the Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper has glittered designs on one side of each page (which added lovely texture to a couple of "patches"), I sueded and crumpled card stocks to add more texture.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Vintage Labels (Sale-A-Bration)


Papers: Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper and Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel and Whisper White card stocks


Ink: Real Red Classic


Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note Bigz Die, Wide Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon


Hope your Valentine's Day is sweet! Our family looks forward to celebrating our "Gotcha! Day", which is the celebration of the day we officially took custody of Dear Anna...


Thanks for your visit!

Super Sketchy Sunday Entry

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone! I hope you've all had a lovely weekend and that your travels will be or were safe. I've enjoyed all sorts of family this weekend. My beloved sister and her family are here visiting from out-of-state and so is my husband's brother and his new fiancee! Hooray! Congrats, guys! We've been stuffed to the gills with all sorts of Thanksgiving treats and we're getting ready to gear up for Christmas! Look out, December, here we come!

In that vein, I've gotten to steal away for a few minutes to create some Christmas-themed cards. The first was for the 365 Cards Super Sketchy Sunday challenge. Here's the sketch:

This is the card I designed:

I turned the sketch on its side, as you can see. The ornaments are cut out from the Merry Moments Designer Series Paper. I've just used snips of grosgain for the remaining lengths in the design. To add a little texture, I fed my Very Vanilla piece of card stock through my Big Shot with the Backgrounds I Texturz Plate. I like the subtle background these Texturz Plates afford. The word, "noel" comes from the Many Merry Messages set. It was inked in Chocolate Chip and then Real Red was sponged around the outside. The Ticket Corner Punch adds a little detail to the Very Vanilla and Old Olive pieces for the tag. They're adhered to the body of the card with Stampin' Dimensionals, as are the ornaments. I cut out one too many ornaments, but opted to place my extra inside the card for a fun surprise (you can see a red bit just inside the card)...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Many Merry Messages

Papers: Merry Moments Designer Series Paper; Very Vanilla, Real Red and Old Olive card stocks

Inks: Chocolate Chip and Real Red Classics

Accessories: Big Shot, Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I Texturz Plate, paper snips, Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain ribbon, Real Red narrow grosgrain, Ticket Corner punch and Stampin' Dimensionals

Medallion as Sunflower

"Every friend is to the other a sun, and a sunflower also. He attracts and follows." Jean Paul Richter, Humorist and Novelist

One of the challenges this week at 365 Cards is to include a sunflower. I only have one stamp that includes a sunflower, but I thought I'd see what else I could come up with. One of my favorite new stamps from the 2009-10 Idea Book and Catalog (aka, "The New One") is Medallion. It's one of those stamps that, at first blush, seemed pretty limited in its potential. The more I play with it, though, the more I find I can do with it…

--First, ink the entire stamp surface with Summer Sun Classic Ink. Use a Stampin' Sponge to add Ruby Red Classic Ink to the "middle" and Chocolate Chip Classic Ink in the very center. The sponges allow the ink to be more gradual and less precise, much like the coloring of the sunflower's petals. Give the entire stamp surface a few good huffs (heavy-breathing on the stamp) and stamp on a piece of Very Vanilla card stock.

--To add the effect of sunflower seeds, I placed a layer of Sticky Strip on the center of the sunflower and pressed it into the container of Microbeads.

--I used the Distressing Tool from the Cutter Kit to rough up the edges of the Very Vanilla card stock. Adhere it to a piece of Basic Black card stock (which has been cut just wide enough to allow for the Natural Hemp Twine).

--Wrap enough Natural Hemp Twine to go around the Basic Black piece three times and knot. Adhere this to the half sheet of Elegant Eggplant card stock, which has been folded in half.

--The sentiment is made with the "for you" stamp from the Fresh Cuts set. Ink it first in Ruby Red Classic Ink and then in the Chocolate Chip Classic Ink to mirror the colors of the sunflower. Stamp on Very Vanilla card stock. Use the 1-inch Circle Punch to punch it out.
**Studio Suggestion: Stamp the image first and then punch it out. It's easier to flip the punch upside-down to view your card stock and punch out the precise image, rather than trying to line up and stamp the image on your punched piece.**

--Use the Stampin' Sponge and Summer Sun Classic Ink to add a bit of color around the circle. Punch a circle of Basic Black card stock using the 1 ¼-inch Circle Punch. Punch a piece of Ruby Red card stock using the Designer Label Punch and assemble the three pieces.

--To add interest to the inside of the card, I used the remaining bit of card stock with the stamped sunflower as the writing surface.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Medallion and Fresh Cuts

Inks: Summer Sun, Ruby Red, and Chocolate Chip Classic Inks

Papers: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Ruby Red and Elegant Eggplant card stocks

Accessories: Sticky Strip, Microbeads, Designer Label, 1-inch and 1 1/4-inch Punches, Stampin' Sponges, Natural Hemp Twine and Distressing Tool.

What a fun challenge! Thanks so much for your visit! Hope you're having a lovely summer!

Baroque Motifs in a Slew of Layers

I designed this card for the card class I donated to my son's preschool. The lucky bidder actually bought the class for her sister as a birthday gift and it was fun to be with them (they made me miss my sister, who lives out-of-state!).

I CASEd the awesome layout of this card from Wendy Weixler. I really loved the layers (especially the one on the top right -- love how it's flush at the top with the body of the card!). I used my own color scheme, stamp set and embellishments. I can't wait to see what else I can do to this terrific layout. I made a few of this card to give to graduates in my life...Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Baroque Motifs and Short and Sweet sets

Papers: Chocolate Chip Patterns Designer Series Paper, Elegant Eggplant, Barely Banana, Very Vanilla, Rose Red

Inks: Elegant Eggplant

Accessories: Big Shot, Backgrounds I Texturz Plate, Very Vanilla Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon, Very Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware, and Designer Label and 1/16-inch handheld punches

**Note** It's hard to see in my picture, but I fed the Chocolate Chip Patterns Designer Series Paper through the Sizzix Big Shot, using the Texturz Plate (Flourish) to give it an embossed look that coordinates with the flourish stamped on the Very Vanilla piece in the middle. I also crumpled my poor Barely Banana card stock until it started to peel apart (one piece will come apart into two "sueded" pieces).

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**

Happy Birthday, Uncle Brian!

Here's a birthday card I made for Uncle Brian for his birthday. I CASEd the design from Mary Ellen Scheiber. I'm going to be futzing (sp?) with this one to see what else I can do with the base of this card...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

• Stamp Sets: Lovely as a Tree; Fundamental Phrases


• Inks: Chocolate Chip


• CS: Certainly Celery; Chocolate Chip; Very Vanilla


• Accessories: Vanilla grosgrain; Linen Thread; Sizzix Big Shot; Top Note Bigz Die; Handheld rectangle and 1/16-inch punches; Word Slot punch

Happy Birthday, Unc!

Thanks for looking, everyone!