Pocket Silhouette Thanks

Here's another thank you card I had fun creating for one of my February hostesses.

I started with a base of Bashful Blue card stock, then added some Old Olive card stock that I put through the Big Shot with the Stampin' Up! Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plate.  It doesn't show up very will in the photo, but "texturizing" the card stock really adds a lot of dimension.  Then came Melon Mambo card stock punched along both edges with the Scallop Trim Border Punch free with a purchase of $50 during Sale-A-Bration.  Next — time for some stamping with Pocket Silhouettes stamp set with three different stamps and three different colors.  I punched each one out with a 1-3/8" Square Punch then adhered them with Dimensionals.  The sentiment is stamped from the same stamp set with an added bit of an image stamp in the corner.  I placed this behind a square frame from the Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware kit and tacked it into place with Bashful Blue Brads from the Soft Subtles Brads collection.

THINGS YOU'LL NEED:
Item No. 111672 Pocket Silhouette stamp set   $18.95
Item No. 114512 Stampin' Up! Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plates   $11.95
Item No. 103375 1-3/8" Square Punch   $15.95
Item No. 118402 Scallop Trim Border Punch   FREE with $50 purchase
Item No. 111325 Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware   $29.95
Item No. 106954 Soft Subtles Brads   $8.95

Don't Forget!

• To sign up for our Spring Stamping Retreat Weekend! Click HERE for more details and to register!
  
• To sign up for the Spring Card Class!  Click HERE for more details and to register.
  
• To sign up for the March Card Kit!  Click HERE for more details and to purchase!

A Special Thanks

I've had such terrific workshop hostesses this past month!  I've had incredible workshop totals, as high as over $700!  I've been so busy getting all of the orders  in and product delivered, and now that it's done, I want to work today on some special cards to say thank you!

Here's the first one:

Sometimes I'm happier with my cards than other days, and today, I'm just feeling really good about this card!  I began with a Splitcoast Sketch Challenge of the day which is always a great place to start.  I noticed that the main focal image was just the right size for a stamp set I haven't had a chance to use yet — it's a Level 2 Hostess Exclusive stamp set called Wings of Friendship.  You can earn this stamp set FREE when you host a workshop totaling at least $400.  AND if you were to host a workshop with a $400 total, you'd also earn an additional product from the Sale-A-Bration catalog FREE.  Check out the Sale-A-Bration promotion HERE.

I began with Basic Gray as the base of my card, then added blocks in Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive and Pale Plum.  The stamp set offered several choices of images that I could incorporate in the first two blocks, and the sentiment comes from Thank You Kindly, which you can earn FREE with a $50 purchase.

I stamped the main image on Very Vanilla card stock 4 different times — the first on the piece of card stock I used for the card, and the next three times on scrap card stock in three different colors.  I cut out the two flowers and bird, added a Gold Brad to one of the flowers, and adhered them with Dimensionals.  I paper pierced across the top with my Mat Pack and Paper Piercing Tool and added a piece of Rich Razzleberry 1/2" Polka Dot Gosgrain Ribbon.  Underneath the main image is a strip of Basic Gray punched with the Scallop Trim Border Punch, another item you can earn FREE with a $50 purchase.

Here's a close-up of all the dimension I was able to achieve on this card with one simple, inexpensive product — Stampin' Dimensionals.

Doesn't it sound like you should book a workshop with me this month?  Contact me today–there are still dates available!

THINGS YOU'LL NEED:
Item No. 114308 Wings of Friendship Level 2 Hostess stamp set
Item No. 111700 Thank You Kindly   $$13.95 or
Item No. 120248 Thank You Kindly   FREE with $50 purchase
Item No. 105826 Mat Pack   $9.95
Item No. 116631 Paper Piercing Tool   $3.50
Item No. 118402 Scallop Trim Border Punch   FREE with $50 purchase
Item No. 115613 Rich Razzleberry 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon   $9.95
Item No. 104337 Gold Brads   $6.95

Don't Forget!

• To sign up for our Spring Stamping Retreat Weekend! Click HERE for more details and to register!
  
• To sign up for the Spring Card Class!  Click HERE for more details and to register.
  
• To sign up for the Sweet Pea Scrapbooking Class!  Click HERE for more details and to register — only TWO days left!
  
• To sign up for the March Card Kit!  Click HERE for more details and to purchase!
  

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!