How lucky am I!

I received two thank you cards in the mail last week!  It's so fun to get hand stamped cards and I was so thrilled, that I had to share.

The first is a card from my very talented team member, Lena Thompson, of Waterloo, NY.  I love the effect Lena got with the Upsy Daisy stamp set by stamping the main image twice.  It give the flowers a 3D quality.  And I love the color combo Lena used!  So pretty!

This card is from a Stamper's 10 Club member, Marge Ellis, of Naples, NY.  Marge used Pocket Silhouette stamp set as well as a circle punch to create the big scalloped edge on her card.  Simple yet effective — great card!

Thanks, ladies for making me smile!  So nice of you to think of me.

Caution: New Toys

I got some new toys the other day, and I've just gotta show you what Stampin' Up! is putting on the outside of their boxes — ain't that the truth!  Too funny!

Both of the cards I made use the Welcome Neighbor Designer Series Paper Pad and Happy Moments stamp set, both FREE with a purchase of $50 or more during Sale-A-Bration.  And both of these cards use the same layout!  I wanted to show you how different a card can look using the same layout with different colors.

The first one uses a base of So Saffron card stock.  I ran a piece of the same color through the Big Shot with the Textured Impressions Folder Perfect Polka Dots and adhered it in place.  Next came a piece of Melon Mambo card stock with Melon Mambo 1/2" Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon knotted then wrapped around it.  The Bermuda Bay designer paper is from the Welcome Neighbors Sale-A-Bration designer paper pack.  The image is from Happy Moments and is stamped with Staz-On ink on Watercolor Paper and colored in with an Aqua Painter, then punched out with the 1-3/4" Circle Punch and adhered with Dimensionals.  The "thank you" is also from Happy Moments and is stamped in Staz-On Ink.  I really prefer this type of ink over our Basic Black Classic Ink for two reasons.  On any image you're going to use watercoloring, the ink doesn't run, and with sentiments, you get  fine, crisp lettering.

This card starts with a base of Rich Razzleberry card stock and is stamped tone-on-tone with the Pretty Petals background stamp.  Next comes a piece of Crushed Curry Textured card stock wrapped with a knotted piece of Crushed Curry 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon.  I added a 1/2" piece of Pumpkin Pie card stock because it just looked like it needed a bit more color.  The designer paper is again from the Welcome Neighbors Sale-A-Bration paper pack.  I haven't used this terrific sentiment set in a long time — it's Heard from the Heart — but it was exactly the right size and the right saying for my birthday card.  It's stamped in Whisper White Craft ink and heat embossed with White Embossing Powder.  I stamped the image from Happy Moments on Watercolor Paper with Staz-On ink, but this time, I colored in the image with various stamp pads and a Blender Pen. 

Using Watercolor Paper really makes a difference!  It's a little pricey, but when you're using just a bit for an image, it's still economical.  And the results are fabulous!  I wanted to show you the images up close and also to show you the difference between using the Aqua Painter and the Blender Pen.

Here are the flowers colored in with an Aqua Painter.

And here's the birthday cake colored in with a Blender Pen.  Both use the ink from the Classic Stamp Pads.  There isn't a big difference, but people seem to definitely prefer one over the other.

Leave me a comment and let me know which tool you like to use!  It'll be fun to see the results!

Butterflies for Baby

Welcome to the world, Josie Lorraine Kuhn!  Such a tiny little thing at 6 lbs. 8 oz. and a full head of luscious black hair!  Proud parents are Lynda and Andrew of Hall, New York.

Here's a special card for the Kuhn family:

This was an extremely unusual card for me to make.  There's almost no stamping, and the card gets its "wow" from a simple piece of designer paper.  This happened for two reasons.  First, I only own one baby stamp!  You're aghast, I know.  But it's true.  I have Nursery Necessities stamp set and while it's a very nice set, I've used it as my only baby stamp set for nigh on three years!  Can't I have another, please?  The second reason is that I just got the Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Pack from the Occasions Mini Catalog, and I'm smitten with every single sheet of paper in it!  I added some glitter to the paper with my 2-Way Glue Pen and some Dazzling Diamonds glitter, but that's it — it's just that gorgeous!  I did use Nursery Necessities to stamp the sentiment on Sahara Sand card stock and framed it nicely with a Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware piece.  Instead of using the brads given me that matched, I chose Pretty in Pink brads to add a bit more color.  Did you know that the Designer Label Punch punches out the exact size and shape for this nifty little metal accent?  Pretty handy, huh?  My final little touch is a couple of "stray" butterflies from So Saffron and Pumpkin Pie card stock run through the Big Shot using the new Embosslits Die Beautiful Wings.  When I first saw this die, I thought the butterflies were so tiny that I wouldn't use them.  But now I'm constantly picking out the teeniest butterfly in the lot!

THINGS YOU'LL NEED:
Item No. 117161 Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Stack   $24.95
Item No. 118138 Embosslits Die Beautiful Wings   $11.95
Item No. 107590 Designer Label Punch   $15.95
Item No. 112454 Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware   $29.95
Item No. 100425 2-Way Glue Pen   $3.50
Item No. 102023 Dazzling Diamonds Glitter   $4.50

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Let’s Sale-A-Brate! Class

Saturday, February 20th, 10AM to 1PM at 5225 Knapp Rd., Middlesex
                                  OR  6PM to 9PM at 67 Covington Rd., Rochester

The cost of this class is $15 and includes all of the supplies you'll need including adhesive and envelopes.

To Register for this Class Online, click below (please specify which time session in the "notes to sender" box or via e-mail):

Life’s Natural Rhythm

A couple of days ago, I got sad news that a good friend and fellow stamper had lost her mother-in-law.  On that very same day, I received the joyous news that another friend and stamper had given birth to her very first child–a little girl.  I'm reminded again of the rhythm of life – one life gone, a new life begins.

Today I'm honoring a life well lived by Kathleen “Peg” Christensen, who had a remarkable 93 years with her friends and family.  Here's a special card for her son Alan and daughter-in-law Judy.

Because it was Alan's mom, I wanted a decidedly masculine card and Splitcoast's color challenge offered just the right pallette.  I used Bravo Burgundy, Basic Gray and Whisper White, with just a touch of Crushed Curry.  Lovely as a Tree stamp set seems my "go-to" stamp set for masculine cards.  I never get tired of it!  The sentiment is from Thoughts and Prayers stamp set; it's stamped in Basic Gray Classic Ink, as are the trees, and punched out with the Large Oval Punch, layered with Bravo Burgundy card stock punched with a Scallop Oval Punch.  A piece of Bravo Burgundy 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon knotted and wrapped around the Basic Gray card stock completes this simple card.

I'll get to work on a special card for that darling baby girl and share it with you soon!

THINGS YOU'LL NEED:

Item No. 115026 Lovely as a Tree   $27.95
Item No. 113252 Thoughts & Prayers   $25.95
Item No. 114889 Scallop Oval Punch   $15.95
Item No. 107305 Large Oval Punch   $15.95
Item No. 109053 Bravo Burgundy 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon   $7.95

New Digital Downloads for My Digital Studio

Get ready to accessorize your digital projects with two new digital downloads for My Digital Studio! The Sending Love epoxy brads and the Corduroy Buttons digital downloads are perfect for adding depth and dimension to your digital projects and will coordinate perfectly with other exclusive Stampin′ Up! papers, designs, and colors.

For the LOVE of Scrapbooking Class

Friday February 19th
6:30 – 9:30 pm
at 67 Covington, West Irondequoit, NY

Non-Refundable Pre-Pay Deadline: February 11th

At Leadership Conference this past month, Shannon West gave a fabulous presentation that included this adorable OnBoard Brag Book:

"Our version" will be posted it in the next few days!

For those of you who don't want to create 12"x12" scrapbook pages, here's an alternative for a one-time scrapbooking project.  Keep it yourself or give it as a gift!

This Heart Board Book does not have a separate class time; it is an option for the February 19th "For the LOVE of Scrapbooking" class. February 11th is also the Pre-Pay Deadline for this class.  Choose either the 12×12 pages OR the Heart Board Book.

Mail a check or money order made payable to Kriss Huels, 5225 Knapp Rd., Middlesex NY  14507 or pay online now using a safe and secure checkout with your credit/debit card using the link below ($1 transaction fee applied):

 

 

Don't Forget!

• To contact me about registering for the Syracuse, NY Regional Seminar – details are HERE!
  
• To Sign Up for our Spring Stamping Retreat Weekend! Click HERE for more details!
• To order your February Card Kit of the Month, click HERE!

Splitcoast Challenge and Dooney & Bourke

Normally, I'm with my grandson on Mondays, but since I have a wicked cold, I'm home today.  There's just so much laying around on the couch one can do!  So I checked out Splitcoast Stampers for a bit of inspiration and found out that today's challenge is "Clean and Simple Cards".  There was a layout challenge to make a simple card with 3 repeated objects across the front.  I needed a bit more inspiration (maybe it's the headcold!) so I decided to check out Nordstrom's website and look for cool purses.  Here's a Dooney & Bourke purse I found that I thought was fun:

Now here's my card combining these two ideas:

I decided to turn the ducks on the Dooney bag into hearts for a Valentine's Day card.  I looked around for an outline heart stamp and didn't have one — but I did have the Full Heart Punch!  I punched out a template and used Stampin' Write Markers in the colors they showed in the bag to trace around the heart, creating the background.  Then a quick punch of three of the colors for the solid images.  The clear mount Well Scripted stamp set came in very handy again, since there wasn't any room to spare as I stamped on the Yoyo Yellow heart with Brilliant Blue.  I was able to get it lined up perfectly!  I popped that heart up on Dimensionals, added a piece of Tempting Turquoise 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, and layered it on a background of Sahara Sand to replicate the handles and trim of the bag.

THINGS YOU'LL NEED:
Item No. 118601 Well Scripted stamp set   $14.95
Item No. 113693 Full Heart punch   $15.95
Item No. 105541 Many Marvelous Markers   $125.95, or individual markers at $3.25 each
Item No. 109038 Tempting Turquoise 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon

Don't Forget!

• To contact me about registering for the Syracuse, NY Regional Seminar – details are HERE!
  
• To Sign Up for our Spring Stamping Retreat Weekend! Click HERE for more details!

U Pick 2 – Quilted Bird

Apologies to anyone who tried to join me between 10PM last evening and 6AM this morning.  I exceeded my bandwith on my site and had to be upgraded to a larger one.  Amy Celona hosts my blog, and she does an incredible job keeping everything running smoothly.  With the Catty Cruise, so many were stopping by that it pushed me over the top!  Which is actually a good thing, but something that needed correcting.  Thanks for your patience!

It's time for the eighth and final U Pick 2 Card for January through April! This card features the brand new Extra Large Two-Step Bird Punch and paper quilting with Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Stack, new Satin Ribbon, Scallop Trim Border Punch and the Big Shot!

The U Pick 2 Menu is now complete!  Be sure to check out the full offering by selecting "U Pick 2" in the Navigation Bar above.

Once you've checked out all the possibilities for your Private Stamping Class, contact me to get yours on the calendar.   

One of the punches that we're using on this card, the Scallop Trim Border Punch, is a product that you can earn for FREE during Sale-A-Bration by spending just $50! Here's a look at the punch:

Don't Forget!

• To contact me about registering for the Syracuse, NY Regional Seminar – details are HERE!
  
• To Sign Up for our Spring Stamping Retreat Weekend! Click HERE for more details!

My Big Shot Rag Purse

I'm on a roll with sewing, and I'm just LOVING the ease of cutting out all of the fabric with the Big Shot.  Did you know that the Big Shot will cut 8 layers of fabric at a time?  It made cutting for this purse a breeze!  All of the squares for both the outside and the inside lining were cut with the Stampin' Up! Scallop Square Bigz Clear Die.

Here's a close-up:

And here's the purse and flower purse charm that Missy Shipman shared at our All-Day Fabric Class.

The possibilities are endless with the Big Shot die cutting machine and Stampin' Up! dies!  Contact me today to get yours!

Don't Forget!

• To contact me about registering for the Syracuse, NY Regional Seminar – details are HERE!
  
• To Sign Up for our Spring Stamping Retreat Weekend! Click HERE for more details!
• To order your February Card Kit.  Click HERE.