Spring Hummingbird Note Cards for a Colour Me, Stampin' Royalty and Mojo Challenge

Welcome, Spring! It's been a gorgeous spring in the PNW (Pacific Northwest) so far and I've seen a lot of our sweet resident hummingbirds.  We've got one sweet fellow (a year-round Anna's Hummingbird I've written about before {HERE}) who dips at feeders both here and at my neighbor's house and is always fun to watch.  He came RIGHT. UP. TO. ME. the other day when I was working on the deck and had (next to me) my water bottle with the bright pink lid.  He thought it was a flower! I don't know who was more surprised that it wasn't...

This card was created for the Colour Me Card Challenge (#64).  We were to use Coastal Cabana (my base), Cherry Cobbler (circular frame), Early Espresso, Real Red (strips on right) and Bermuda Bay (ink color of sentiment).

The layout was also entered in and inspired by the Mojo Monday MOJO390 sketch. So fun to make!

You're not seeing double; I had almost the same colors with which to work for the Stampin' Royalty Challenge (#272), so I created the same card, but with fewer colors than the Colour Me entry. We were to use Coastal Cabana, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso and Crumb Cake.

Fun Fact:  This challenge is hosted by another Stampin' Up! demonstrator whom I met at my very first Stampin' Up! convention.  I went all by myself and she took me under her wing, introducing me to her friends and making me feel like we'd been old friends.  Super kind!

The only other notable difference between these two cards was the way in which I colored in the hummer.  In the first card, I used my Blender Pen with my ink pads (aforementioned colors) and in the second one, I used my Aqua Painter (which I prefer). Both images were first inked in Memento Ink to insure colorfastness.

Burlap Ribbon tied with Linen Thread finish out the layout. Burlap is on-trend and makes for an easy way to add real texture to your project!

This sweet hummer (available in the set, A Happy Thing,) is only available through tomorrow, as I received him for *FREE* with a $50 merchandise order during Sale-a-Bration.  Click {HERE} and {HERE} to read more.

Click {HERE} to shop!

So nice to see you here!

New Ways to Save with Stampin' Up!

 There are lots of ways to save on your Stampin' Up! purchases...  For example, new items have just landed on the Clearance Rack! Click {HERE} to shop!

There have even been new goodies added to the benefits for Sale-A-Bration! Purchase $50 or more in merchandise and choose from a bunch of fun products (including the new ones)! Click {HERE} for more.

And of course, there are the Weekly Deals, released each Tuesday.  Click {HERE} to see them!

If you see deals you like in the Weekly Deals or on the Clearance Rack, jump on them.  They're available while supplies last.  The Sale-a-Bration goodies (some of them) are also while supplies last (esp. as a result of the Blendabilities snafu). The deadline to receive {ANY} Sale-a-Bration goodies is March 31 (Tuesday!).  Contact me if you have {ANY} questions!

CAS Thank You Note for Sketch and Color Challenges

I made this CAS Thank You note for a couple of challenges this week and it's a design that I will replicate for gift sets.  

I'll be entering this in the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge and in honor of its very own new blog, the good folks at SSSC have given us the freedom to choose our favorite sketch for SSSC259.  I chose Sketch #154 to use for this layout:

My color palette was guided by a new challenge for me, the Color Throwdown Challenge. For CT332, I chose Tempting Turquoise, Strawberry Slush, Night of Navy and Sahara Sand.

The stamp in this project is a Sale-a-Bration *freebie*.  Read more about Sale-a-Bration {HERE}. The set is called Simply Wonderful and it has a set of seven different sentiments in a variety of fun formats and fonts.  Click on the Sale-a-Bration catalog on the right side of your screen to see more (it's on page 16).

To achieve multiple colors, I used my trusty Stampin' Write Markers to ink the stamp in Strawberry Slush and Tempting Turquoise.  After coloring all of it, I give it a huff of air before stamping.

I love the stripes in the "Thanks" of this sentiment, so I echoed those with the Stylish Stripes TIEF. I put the pieces of card stock in the folder together and ran them through my Big Shot.  Simple and yet it really adds to the card (I started without the stripes and found I needed more oomph -- I freely reserve the right to revise my projects!).

The sentiment punches perfectly with the Decorative Label Punch and I made a quickie flagged end in my Night of Navy card stock using my Paper Snips.

Sale-a-Bration lasts for three more weeks, so take stock of what you need and for every $50 in merchandise ordered, you can earn some terrific freebies! Combine your order with friends and you can earn even more! Contact me for no-pressure, high-yield strategies to maximize your Sale-a-Bration freebies!

Shabby Girly Lotus Blossom and the View from Today's Studio

Today's feminine project was made using the Retrosketches #156 sketch and will be entered at The Shabby Tea Room, for "Pop of Pink," TSTR247.  The color palette was inspired by the gorgeous gown seen here, at the Oscars:

Photo: oscar.go.com

The good people at Runway Inspired Challenge (RIC#79) invited us to use a variety of Oscars looks as our inspiration.  I loved the softness and the sparkle in this gown, so I used Blush Blossom and gold sequins from my Gold Sequin Trim to echo that.

I used the Lotus Blossom stamp (a freebie available with Sale-a-Bration) and inked it in Blush Blossom over Pink Pirouette. Soft and subtle!

To add a bit of texture, I used the soft Gold Satin Ribbon as well as some Pearl Basic Jewels.  Finally, I added scrunched strips of Pink Pirouette card stock that I'd cut using my Stampin' Trimmer. These little touches make it eligible for the Friday Mashup Challenge #200 (FM200), in which we're to pick two favorite Challenges from before (to celebrate the big 2-0-0!). I chose #7 (Feminine) and #14 (Flowers).

The Ornate Tag Topper Punch and White Baker's Twine add touches of class to the tag.

This sweet sentiment comes from the And Many More stamp set and was inked in Perfect Plum.  I also used it to sponge the edges of the punched piece (using the Modern Label Punch). A pearl ties it to the rest of the project. 

And here is the view from my Studio today:

What they say about Seattle is true.  It rains here.  A.  Lot.  Thing is, when the sun comes out, it's hard not to drop everything and head out to enjoy it.  

We've had *unseasonably* lovely weather for the last few weeks.  I have daffodils and hyacinth peeking up and blooming in the yard. My lilacs, blueberries and hydrangea are budding and some leaves are even beginning to unfurl. It's magic.  

For a mom whose kids play baseball and softball, this weather is sublime.  The kids have had so much fun practicing in this weather (let's hope we have some games on days like this).

As you can see, the sky is robin's egg blue right now, all over, with NO clouds in sight.  A PNW rarity, to be sure!

This is our deck, which we've waited forever to build.  It took all summer to be completed and I've been gazing longingly out the windows at it since October, but I've finally been able to enjoy some morning coffee and blogging out here.    

On the right side of this picture is our grill, where I've temporarily set the hummingbird feeder.  Anna's Hummingbirds (we love that name) are native, year-round residents here and I've got one who's been visiting the entire time I've been out here working.  

I hope Mother Nature lets up on you snowbound folks and gives you some respite from the cold and that the thaw is gentle and uneventful. We'll be back in the rain and gray soon, I'm sure, so I'm going to enjoy this sun and clear weather while I can!

Stop by tomorrow for my latest Mojo Monday entry (a masculine birthday card)...

Mason Jars for Mojo and Shabby Challenges

Today's project I enjoyed creating for the challenge provided by The Shabby Tea Room.  We were to be inspired by this photo:

I used the stamp set, About the Label and inked it in Coastal Cabana and Calypso Coral.  I used the Bordering Blooms set for the white flowers, which were inked in Versamark and heat embossed with Stampin' Emboss White Powder.

For a bit more flair, I've added the Natural Cotton Ribbon, Linen Thread, punched blooms from the Boho Blossoms punch and Pearl Basic Jewels.

This fun DSP is a Sale-a-Bration freebie called Best Year Ever. You can earn it for free with any $50 merchandise purchase!

A Crabby End to 2014 Plus an Exciting Invitation I Received!

When I wrote "crabby," I meant it!

In our state, the crabbing season ends at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day. As such, our friends must pull their crab pots one final time.  Last year was our first year accompanying them and this is what we were treated to:

A whole pod.  No lie.  Spyhopping, flapping their tails, swimming under our boat, etc.  We were motoring home (we live just north of this guy, up beyond his dorsal fin there) and came upon the pod.  We cut the engine and bobbed for 30 minutes or more, pointing and shouting at what we were seeing.  An added bonus was that my little sister and her children were visiting from Wyoming and this was a once-in-a-lifetime treat for anyone, especially the landlocked.

This year, we got to repeat the adventure (sadly, no whales), but we did get plenty of yummy crab and got to see sea lions, seals, a porpoise and lots of cormorants!

I created this card for my first Creative Crew challenge (that's the exciting invitation I mentioned above).  I'll be creating projects for the fun challenges released monthly at Splitcoast Stampers.  Check it out {HERE}!

I also entered this card in the Mojo Monday MOJO378 and Colour Me Card #52 Challenges.

Our charge in the Creative Crew challenge for this month was to create masculine projects.  This will serve as a Thank You note for our esteemed skipper!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  By the Seashore

Papers:  Soft Sky, Baked Brown Sugar, and Whisper White card stocks and All Abloom DSP Stack

Inks:  Baked Brown Sugar Classic

Artist's Flair:  Woodgrain TIEF, Stampin' Sponges, 2-inch Circle Punch, Burlap Ribbon

Check out the {Creative Crew Gallery}!

Don't forget:

Click {HERE} to shop!

Bonus! The All Abloom DSP Stack is a Weekly Deal through Monday, January 12! Click {HERE} to see the deals!

They're *HERE!* Sale-a-Bration 2015 and the Occasions Catalog Begin *TODAY*!

{View the Occasions PDF}

The new catalogs have arrived! Stampers, start your Wish Lists!

{View the Sale-a-Bration *freebies* PDF}

Would you like to place an order with me and need the catalogs? Drop me a line and I'll get them on their way to you, STAT!

Click {HERE} to shop!

The Sale-a-Bration freebies are available (with no limit) for every $50 in product you purchase (before shipping and tax).  I can't get over the fun things in this year's offering.  I'm also swooning over all of the inspiration in this little catalog! *LOVE*!

Happy New Year! Once things calmed down from the holidays (and we got over the yuck that was going around), I got to have some fun in the Studio.  Stay tuned for peeks at that!

Starburst and a Sale-A-Bration Sunshine for a Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge

I made this card for the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #211.  I love those sketches and sometimes my schedule is just right to allow me to participate and enter.  

I've been looking forward to making a sun shape with my Starburst Sayings (OC, page 34, W133182, C133185) and Framelits (#132967) and my Banner Punch (SAB, page 13, #133519). The Banner Punch is a 2014 Sale-A-Bration freebie that I earned with a $50 merchandise purchase.  

Studio Suggestions:

• I used my Color Coach (AC, page 139, #130118, with 2012-14 In Color Cards #130120) for guidance in my color scheme;  Real Red, Summer Starfruit and Marina Mist are crisp and clean together. 

• I love the Candy Dots (AC, page 143, #130931), too, which I placed on the right. Glue Dots (AC, page 174, #103683) are hidden beneath, adhering the Vellum card stock down (AC, page 156, #101856).  I used a Stampin' Dimensional (AC, page 175, #104430) on the left, hidden beneath the smaller Marina Mist starburst.

Sale-a-Bration runs through March 31.  Click {HERE} to check out the fun freebies!

Final Day of Sale-a-Bration! {Project Retrospective}

On this, the last day to receive Sale-a-Bration freebies with each $50 merchandise order, I thought I'd post a retrospective of a collection of projects made with my fun *free* things...

{Petite Curly Label Punch and Pretty Petites stamp set}

{Sycamore Street Ribbon and Buttons Pack}

{Madison Avenue stamp set and Vine Street TIEF}

{Sycamore Street DSP, Sycamore Street Ribbon and Buttons Pack and Madison Avenue stamp set}

{Madison Avenue stamp set and Vine Street TIEF}

{Bloomin' Marvelous stamp set}

{Madison Avenue stamp set and Sycamore Street DSP}

{MOJO279 Winner!}

{Bloomin' Marvelous stamp set and Sycamore Street Ribbon and Buttons Pack}

{365 Cards Spotlight Designer for Day 69!}

{Bloomin' Marvelous stamp set}

 {Vintage Verses stamp set}

 {Vine Street TIEF and Sycamore Street DSP}

{Madison Avenue stamp set and Sycamore Street DSP}

{Sycamore Street DSP}

{Sycamore Street DSP and Sycamore Street Ribbon and Buttons Pack}

{Sycamore Street DSP, Vintage Verses stamp set}

{Sycamore Street DSP, Patterned Occasions stamp set}

Your last opportunity to order is *TODAY* by 11:50 PM.  Please contact me and I can guide you through the quick and easy process...