Bidding Adieu to the 2012 Holiday Catalog

Hello, Studio Visitors!  This weekend's projects mostly came from the Holiday Catalog, which expires on January 2...  Please contact me soon if there's something you need (or click on the {Shop} button to shop 24/7)!

The centers of these flowers are from the Snow Flurries Bigz Die.  The inspiration for this card came from one of my favorite linen catalogs...

These elliptical shapes are from the Ornament Keepsakes set (and coordinating Framelits):

In an earlier post, you've seen me tuck some starlight mints inside this canning jar (aside from the fruit that the set comes with).  Here's another way to use it to make it a versatile set for your stash:

I loved using this Merry Minis set and its coordinating Punch Pack this season.  Here's a quick and simple New Years' card:

Thinking ahead to Valentine's Day, here's a card made with two sets.  First, the sweet Hostess set, Mixed Medley (lots of cute scalloped circle images and smaller 3/4-inch images to fit inside!) can be found on the ribbon.  I used the sentiment from the Seasonal Sayings set on the Melon Mambo piece that I then fed through my Big Shot for the polka dot embossing...

The cupcake liner on this sweet and simple card comes from the Festival of Prints Designer Series Paper stack (which I'll sorely miss)...  The Cupcake Builder punch makes for such a quick and easy project!

This "Thank You" project is actually a gift box; I've got a video that I'll post this week to show you how quick and easy it is.  

Wishing you a healthy and happy 2013!

Sketch-Inspired Christmas Card

I know fall is just barely in the air, but there have been a lot of Christmas-themed challenges out there and I couldn't resist!

This card was inspired by the great sketch provided by Pam and the gals at 365 Cards for the Super Sketchy Sunday challenge.  

The fun challenge blog, Cute Card Thursday, challenged us to make this week's project Christmas-themed, so here we are!

I used my Scallop Trim Border punch to mimic the scalloped sides in the sketch.

**STUDIO SUGGESTION**:  I added a quarter-sheet of Very Vanilla Card stock to the inside of this card to make the scalloped border of the front half stand out more.  With darker card stocks (or recipients who might have trouble reading), it's often a good idea to use a lighter card stock inside on which to write your message.

Ribbon scraps are kept in a glass candy jar at my work station and I was thrilled to find this combination (I especially love the texture).

The pretty medallion in the upper right corner was created using the Hostess Set found in the 2012 Holiday Catalog, Mixed Medley. I stamped tone-on-tone with Cherry Cobbler for the big circle and again on Very Vanilla.

Paper Snips make cutting the flagged edges on my ribbon scraps super-easy.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  Mixed Medley (W128054, C128057)

Papers:  Soft Suede (115318), Very Vanilla (101650), and Cherry Cobbler (119685)

Inks:  Cherry Cobbler Classic (126966)

Accessories:  Scallop Trim Border (118402), Crochet Trim (118481), So Saffron 3/8-inch Taffeta (122982), and Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding (120992), 1-1/4 (119861) and 3/4-inch (119873) Circle Punches, and Stampin' Dimensionals (104430).

Feeling the Card Challenge Love...

The kind folks at 365 Cards have granted me two honors this week that I thought I'd share.  First, I was selected as a Spotlight Designer for this card, which I entered in the DIY challenge *here*.  Our assignment was to make a card that used a straight pin, safety pin or paper clip accent.

I *LOVE* tying a snippet of ribbon on to a paper clip.  That's one of my favorite embellies!

The second honor I received this week was to be called a Weekly Challenge All-Star, which means I completed all of the week's challenges.  I often strive to achieve this honor, because the challenges are so imaginative, inspiring and fun.  The only times when I don't try to complete all seven challenges for a week are when we're out-of-town (or CrazyBusy with soccer or sports over the weekend).

If you've never participated in one of the 365 Cards challenges, I heartily suggest you do so...  It's a terrific community of designers and participants and I'm always inspired by what I see there (and by what we're asked to create)!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  Mixed Medley (W128054, C128057) *From the 2012 Holiday Catalog*

Papers:  Early Espresso (119686), Whisper White (100730), Pretty in Pink (100459), and Rich Razzleberry (115316) card stocks

Inks:  Early Espresso (126974) and Rich Razzleberry (126950) Classics

Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (119976), 1-1/4" Circle (119861) and 3/4" Circle (119873) punches, Whisper White Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon (126877) and Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Back to School and Back on Track!

Patient Readers!  I return triumphant to the Studio!  I'm thrilled that we're back in school, I'm getting caught up on housey projects and I've had some time to stamp (and post!)!

Here's what I was up to this weekend:

Day of Gratitude:

It's a Wrap Occasions (for the teachers):

My daughter's Thank You notes for her birthday: 

 For the Birds:

 Storybook Friends (these guys live in the Hundred Acre Wood, I'm sure of it):

Perfectly Preserved (I bought the Bundle from the Holiday Catalog):

 Mixed Medley (Hostess set from the aforementioned Holiday Catalog):

Now that I've got some time to post, I'll be writing about these projects in more detail...  Make yourself a cuppa and enjoy!

Where in the World is Studio Sara?

Hello, patient and neglected readers!  I'm so sorry to have been so absent in the last several weeks.  We've been on the road, driving from the Pacific Northwest to Colorado and Wyoming to visit family.  We had a great visit with everyone and spent lots of time enjoying the Rocky Mountains and Tetons.

In the weeks since, I was lucky to travel back one weekend to Chicago for a cousin's wedding (super fun!) and spend time with more family.  My sister and I haven't been together like that with all of our cousins in over 20 years.  We can't let that much time pass again!

While I was gone, I did place an order from the new Holiday Catalog (the link is available to the right of this post).  I am wading through laundry and First-Days-of-School prep, but I will be in the Studio this weekend (I have a slew of Thank You notes to make).  In the meantime, I'll leave you with a pictorial list of my latest order (I can't wait to dive into these goodies this weekend!):

Perfectly Preserved Bundle (stamps and Framelits) (131022):

Autumn Accents Bigz Die (127812):

Woodgrain Textured Impressions Folder (127821):

Googly Ghouls stamp set (128063):

Frightening Feline stamp (128105):

Tweet Leaves stamp (128111):

And with my Hostess Benefits, among other things, I purchased the Mixed Medley stamp set (128057):

Like I said, I've got a lot of Thank You notes (and September is a busy birthday month for me), so I'll be cranking them out in the Studio.  Check back for new projects!  Happy Friday!