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)

{12 Weeks of Christmas}: Week 11 -- Smeby Family Christmas Card

I thought I'd show some photos of how I put together my family's Christmas card...  I make a ton of them, so I need to piece it apart and do it assembly line-style.

I started with a 5.25 x 4-inch piece of Wild Wasabi.  Above, you see it with a piece of Chocolate Chip, run through my Big Shot with the Perfect Pennants Die.  I laced the Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon through the holes of the die cut...

This is a picture of the pieces of Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper that I've punched using the Scallop Edge Border Punch.  I've done the same thing below with a piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock before I ran it through the Big Shot in the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

The sentiment is from the Petite Pairs set.

The chickadee is stamped again on Very Vanilla, punched with the 1-1/4-inch Circle Punch and then mounted on a circle of Cherry Cobbler, punched with a 1-3/8-inch Circle Punch.  To make it stand out, I colored the holly berries with my Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write Marker.  If I weren't making 150+ of these, I'd probably color the "highlighted" image in it's entirety with Watercolor Pencils.

All in all, this was a manageable card to make.  The optimum way to do this is in phases, like this (just wish I hadn't made them as close to Christmas--I was really cranking them out toward the end!).

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  Beautiful Season (#122680W, #122682C), Petite Pairs (#122495W, #122497C)

Paper:  Wild Wasabi (108641), Cherry Cobbler (119685), Chocolate Chip (102128), and Very Vanilla (101650) card stocks, and Jolly Holiday DSP

Inks:  Cherry Cobbler Classic (119669), Jet Black StazOn (101406), Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write Marker (#119681)

Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (117335), Perfect Pennants Bigz L die (123126), 1-1/4" Circle (#119861), 1-3/8" Circle (#119860), Large Oval (#119855), and Scallop Edge Border (#119882) punches, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding (#112920)

{Stamp Set Spotlight} Big on Christmas

Merry Christmas! I hope this finds you well! We'll be busy baking at my house today, which is one of my favorite ways to celebrate the season... Thought I'd share two of my favorite quick and easy cards using Big on Christmas... Enjoy!

In both designs, I used my Blender Pen to pick up a bit of color to fill in the image with a bit of watercolor. In the Noel card, I used my Real Red Stampin' Write Marker to fill in the letters...
The scalloped edge is easily achieved using my Scallop Edge Border Punch... I used the scoring blade on my paper trimmer to make the scores on the Noel card and textured Real Red card stock gives it an added flair.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Big on Christmas

Papers: Woodland Walk Designer Series Paper, Garden Green, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Bashful Blue and Whisper White smooth card stocks, Real Red textured card stock

Inks: Staz-On Jet Black, Real Red, Bashful Blue, Garden Green, and Early Espresso Classics and Real Red Stampin' Write Marker

Accessories: Scallop Edge Border Punch, Scoring Blade, Paper Trimmer, Whisper White narrow grosgrain ribbon, paper snips

I wish you the very best this Christmas and for many blessings in 2011. Thank you for your visit today!

{Stamp Set Spotlight} Snow Swirled: Day 4

Care for a cuppa? This is one of my all-time favorite projects to make.

I'm a fan of all kinds of tea (except those which are licorice-flavored, but Mom gets those, so we're both happy)! What a fun thing to make several of and to keep on-hand for quick gifts. They're not only appropriate for Christmas time, though... How about one for a sick friend? Nothing beats a cold better than a steamy cup of lemon tea (or mint). Got a friend or family member far away whom you'd love to hug? Send a cup of tea instead! I'm thinking of Mom again (she's in the Rockies and I'm in the Pacific NW)...
Here's the inside, with sleeves for two bags of tea...

I don't have any Old Olive ribbon thin enough to thread this button, so I used a sliver of Old Olive card stock. With a gentle touch, you can sew your button right on (with the help of a Mini Glue Dot, of course)...

A little sponging around the "Merry Christmas" sentiment gives more depth to that piece of Very Vanilla. Stretch those supplies, Stampers!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Snow Swirled, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Papers: Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper ("DSP"), Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler and Very Vanilla card stocks

Inks: Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler Classics

Accessories: Snowflake, Modern Label, 1 3/4-inch Circle, Scallop Edge and Medium Oval Punches, Button, Very Vanilla narrow grosgrain, Stampin' Sponge, Mini Glue Dot, vanilla embroidery floss

I'll show you step-by-step how to make this beauty in tomorrow's post...

{Stamp Set Spotlight} Snow Swirled: Day 3

What drew me first to this set was the snowflakes... I love the detail!

This quick and simple card allowed me to haul out some punches, use my Big Shot and use up some scraps. First, let's talk punches. I see five punches that were used; the Scallop Edge Border, 1-3/4" Circle, 1-1/4" Circle, Boho Blossoms, and Scallop Oval Punches.

For my color palette, I consulted my Color Coach and used Marina Mist, Old Olive, Real Red and Bashful Blue.

I also used the Top Note Bigz Die and the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder for the Bashful Blue piece at the top. Finally, a knot tied in Marina Mist grosgrain (adhered with a Mini Glue Dot) finishes it off!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Snow Swirled !

Inks: Real Red and Old Olive Classics

Papers: Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Real Red, Old Olive, and Whisper White card stocks

Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note Bigz Die, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Marina Mist grosgrain, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Scallop Edge Border, 1-3/4" Circle, 1-1/4" Circle, Boho Blossoms, and Scallop Oval Punches

Thanks for your visit! Hope your day's a great one!

{Stamp Set Spotlight} Snow Swirled: Day 1

This is a simple gift box that was made from one sheet of card stock. It's called a 2-5-7-10 Box and it's super-easy to make! Here are the instructions. The first thing to do is stamp all over your card stock (I used the snowflakes from Snow Swirled in Old Olive for some tone-on-tone detail). Once you're done stamping, just follow the instructions for cutting and folding and you're set! If you're new to the 2-5-7-10 Box, may I suggest that you try it first with a piece of scratch paper, so that you don't wreck something precious...

Some details that I added to this box to give it extra interest include:

• Basic Rhinestones (119246, page 188, $4.95 for 150!)
• Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper (117159, page 174, $9.95 for 12 double-sided sheets)
• Distressed Edge (on the Cherry Cobbler piece), using the Cutter Kit, 106958, page 199, $16.95)
• Scallop Edge Border Punch along top (119882, page 200, $15.95)

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Snow Swirled (111690), Teeny Tiny Wishes (115370)

Papers: Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, and Very Vanilla card stocks

Inks: Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler Classics

Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Cutter Kit, Basic Rhinestones, Paper Trimmer (with Scoring Blade), Modern Label Punch, Designer Label Punch, Stampin' Sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals, Narrow Vanilla Grosgrain ribbon

Thanks for visiting!

{Monday: Mise en Place (Organization)} -- Getting Scrappy

And we're back... After a necessary hiatus from the studio, I'm back! We're finished with school for the year, my daughter's Girl Scout troop is on summer break and I completed my teaching job. Phew! Now it's time to get back on-track!


To start, I thought I'd use up some of my scraps of soon-to-be retired Designer Series Paper (DSP). For this card, I chose to use Kaleidoscope. Doesn't take much DSP to make a "chic" statement, does it? I love this set, Chic Boutique. Most of what I've created lately has used a retiring set, but I'm happy to report that I broke from that trend to make this card. Chic Boutique is in the next catalog!

Speaking of the next catalog, mine arrived last week and woo-wee! What fun! I'm lovin' it!



Now for the deets on this project:

--Get scrappy with your DSP, ribbon and card stock! I used little strips of
DSP, two-inch pieces of ribbon and a morsel of card stock for the flower (under
the pearl). I didn't even have to use a piece large enough for the entire Modern
Label Punch (with "merci!")!

--Retiring items = "graduating". Our "graduates" are: Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper, Pretties Kit (pearls), and Pixie Pink card stock.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Chic Boutique


Paper: Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper (graduating!), Tempting Turquoise, Very Vanilla and Pixie Pink (graduating!) card stock


Ink: Tempting Turquoise Classic


Accessories: Scallop Edge Border, Modern Label, Word Slot and Itty Bitty Shapes Punch, Pretties Kit pearl (graduating!), Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink 1/4-inch Grosgrain and Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, Mini Glue Dot
Graduating Class: Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper, Pixie Pink card stock (ink, and etc), Pretties Kit

"Merci!" for joining me today! It's SO good to be back!

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

Happy Dance! 365 Cards Top Trio Winner!

Hooray! What a way to start a week! The card I made for the 365 Cards "Terrific Ten" Challenge won me a place in the Top Trio!

The trick this time was to create a card in which ten different pieces of patterned papers were used. Here's my take, using the Welcome Home Designer Series Paper (available through tomorrow as a Sale-A-Bration freebie).
I stamped images of the trees, houses and roofs from one of the Sale-A-Bration freebie sets on the backside of the Designer Series Paper I wanted to use (and then cut them out).

I also used my Scallop Trim Border Punch (another SAB freebie) on the top piece with the grosgrain ribbon.

Speaking of the grosgrain ribbon, refer to my step-to-step video tutorial about tying a simple grosgrain knot!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Warm Words, Good Neighbors (Sale-A-Bration freebie stamp set)

Papers: Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Whisper White and Kraft card stocks, Welcome Neighbor Designer Series Paper

Inks: Old Olive Classic

Accessories: Scallop Trim Border Punch, Paper Snips, Scallop Edge Border, Word Window, and Modern Label Punch, Melon Mambo Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thank you so much for your visit! Please be sure to visit the gals at www.365cards.blogspot.com. The challenges are always fantastic and the people who contribute are very inspiring!

Please remember that Sale-A-Bration ends tomorrow! We're on Spring Break around here, but I'll be posting another technique video before long...

Happy Valentine's Day, George!

Oops! I made this valentine for my sweet son, George, who is forever schooling me at tic-tac-toe. I forgot to post it!

Here we go:

I used the set, A Happy Heart, to make this card and chose Pink Passion, Gable Green, and Brocade Blue as my colors. My Scallop Edge punch made a fun border along the top and bottom of the tic-tac-toe board. I also used my 1/2-inch Circle Punch to pop out some circles to add dimension. Finally, I used the heart from You & Moi (one of my Sale-A-Bration freebies) with VersaMark ink to make the background on the right side. I love the subtlety of VersaMark!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: A Happy Heart and You & Moi

Papers: Pink Passion, Brocade Blue, Gable Green and Whisper White card stocks

Inks: Pink Passion, Brocade Blue, and Gable Green Classics and VersaMark

Accessories: Scallop Edge and 1/2-inch Circle Punches, Brocade Blue Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thanks for visiting the Studio!

For My Dear Friend...

Good morning and happy Monday! Despite the fact that we had a rare rain-free weekend here in the Pacific Northwest, I spent a ton of time in the studio stamping. Stay tuned! I've got a lot to show you over the next coupla days...

One of my dearest friends celebrates her birthday soon and so this was the card I cooked up to give her.

I love the richness of the colors found in Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper.

The body of the card is Very Vanilla and I've dry embossed the large piece of Elegant Eggplant using the "Flourish" Texturz Plate from the Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I set. That set of Texturz Plates, used with the Big Shot, is a bargain at $11.95. The set comes with four plates and each side has a different texture. That's eight textures for $11.95!

I dry embossed the Orchid Opulence flower that I created using the 5-Petal Flower punch with that same "Flourish" Texturz Plate. It's adhered to the Very Vanilla piece with a Stampin' Dimensional. I also used a Dimensional to attach the punched flower from the "With All My Heart" set that I inked on Elegant Eggplant on the same color card stock. I punched it out with the Trio Flower Punch, which fit it exactly! Using the Distressing Tool from the Cutter Kit, I roughed up the piece of Very Vanilla.

The Scallop Edge Punch finishes the bottom edge of the Elegant Eggplant piece onto which the Very Vanilla is layered.

The flowers and sentiment are both from the new "With All My Heart" set from the Occasions Mini. Given the option, I chose to purchase the clear-mount stamps (though wood-mount are still available). I'm thrilled with them -- that's a whole different post, though!

Other details in the card include Very Vanilla 5/8-inch Grosgrain Ribbon and a layer of Old Olive card stock. Since each package of Designer Series Paper comes with so many designs, it's easy and quick to design a card with eye-catching detail and interest! Once again, I'm turning to my

Big Shot to add touchable texture (dry embossing).

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: With All My Heart (from the new Occasions Mini -- email me for your own hard copy or refer to the right side bar of this post for a PDF version)

Paper: Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Orchid Opulence and Very Vanilla card stocks

Ink: Elegant Eggplant and Old Olive Classics

Accessories: Big Shot, Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I Texturz Plates, Trio Flower, 5-Petal Flower, and Scallop Edge punches, 5/8-inch Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon, Distressing Tool, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thanks so much for looking! I really appreciate your visit and hope you have a great start to the week!