Three for One Today – Happy Birthday, Congrats and Welcome

And I’m trying to use our beautiful Sale-A-Bration products every day, since there are only a few days left of the best Stampin’ Up! sale of the year!  My sentiment comes from Perfect Pairings, a wonderful sentiment stamp set that you’ll be able to use time and time again.  Here’s another card I made using this great stamp set – click HERE.

My Stampin’ Up! team, the From the Heart Stampers, does a sketch challenge twice a month.  It’s a really fun way to see what everyone’s working on and to get some inspiration for a new design.  I always start my card designs with a sketch layout, so this is especially fun for me.  This is just one of the many perks for being a part of my team.  Here’s the sketch I was working from for my card design:

See how easy it is to create a fabulous card with a great sketch and some beautiful Stampin’ Up! supplies!

• I cut the It’s My Party designer paper into different widths from 1/4″ to 3/4″.  It killed me to not keep them straight – I’m such a perfectionist – but I thought it actually looked better to be a little “off”.
• The large flower is created using the Floral Frames Framelits with the Big Shot.  Circles are cut using the Circle Framelits.  Leaves and tiny Crushed Curry flower are cut using Flower Fair Framelits.  Yes, I do use my Framelits a lot!
• There’s a little nest of Silver Thread between the flower and the Crushed Curry circle.  Just add some SNAIL Adhesive to the center of the flower, wad up a nice long piece of thread and stick it down into the adhesive.  Use Dimensionals to hold the circles on top.  Yes, this thread looks better “messy” too!  At first I wound it around my hand making it into nice, even loops, but it looked too forced.

And why stop there with this great layout!  I went on to create some congratulations and welcome cards for my team members.  First up is a fabulous “way to go” card, complete with stars and glimmer paper.

• The big star is cut with – you guessed it – the Stars Framelits.
• The tiny silver star is a handheld punch in the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack and Silver Glimmer Paper.
• “Way to Go” is one of the many celebratory stamps in the Bravo stamp set, found in the main Annual Catalog.  I stamped it once in Black Memento Ink then again on scrap paper in Melon Mambo ink and cut out the “to” banner, adhering it over the black stamping with Dimensionals.
• Check out the sweet little Melon Mambo enamel dot from the It’s My Party collection!  Love that they have a self-adhesive backing.

And my last version of this card went out to brand new team members who have joined my team this month.  In all, we’ve added quite a number of demonstrators, both hobbyists and business-builders, during Sale-A-Bration!  There are a few days left – won’t you consider joining our team?  During Sale-A-Bration, choose $155 of products and pay only $99 – an extra $30 in products during this sale only.  And your starter kit ships free, giving you an additional 10% savings!

Consider taking Stampin’ Up! for a test drive!  You have absolutely nothing to lose, and you may gain a great deal – demonstrator discounts, earning extra money and the community of stampers found with my team.  Click HERE to check out all the reasons to consider joining the From the Heart Stampers!

Don’t Forget!

Get free card kits from me each and every time you place an order in my online store!  They’re my gift to you.  Simply use Host Code J32QV2J3 when checking out to receive your free card kits. Place your order in my online store HERE.  You can also just pay for your card kits if you don’t want to order.  You’ll find more info on my free card kit program HERE.
Product List

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Have A Cuppa is Tea-riffic

Today I have two versions of the same card and I need your help – which do you like best?  Leave me a comment and vote for “tea-riffic” or “it’s your day”.   It’s all about the Have A Cuppa product suite in the Stampin’ Up! 2016 Occasions Catalog.  This is one set that I’ll never part with, even when it retires.  I absolutely love the coordination between the stamped images in A Nice Cuppa stamp set and the Cups & Kettle Framelits Dies.  And right now you can bundle the two together and save 15%.

• Color scheme is Basic Gray, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo, Pool Party and Whisper White – lots of the most popular Stampin’ Up! colors!
• The Have A Cuppa Designer Paper is 48 sheets, 4 each of 12 double-sided designs in a 6″ x 6″ stack and has a wonderful mix of bolder prints and prints that are more tone-on-tone.
• Take a snip of Melon Mambo Cardstock and the heart punch from Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack to create the little heart motif.   A Rhinestone Jewel is the perfect accent for the heart.  And this week, Rhinestones are a part of the Weekly Deals – marked down to just $3.75!

• This version features the Fabulous Four stamp set – perfect to send this card as a birthday card.
• For both cards, I stamped the cup in Bermuda Bay ink and the lemon in Crushed Curry ink.  The cup has a framelit that works nicely to cut it out and I used my Paper Snips for cutting out the lemon.  I also added a slice in the center so that it can look like it’s sitting on the cup’s rim.  A Dimensional on the front piece of the lemon really makes it come to life.
• Wisteria Wonder Seam Binding Ribbon is the perfect accent for my card.  It matches the designer paper perfectly and ties beautifully around the cup handle.

Here are both of my cards up close.  Remember, leave a comment and let me know which card you like best.  It’s fun to hear from you and sometimes my favorite isn’t always your favorite!

And be sure to take advantage of my FREE monthly card kits – Sweet Easter and Sale-A-Bration Take 2 will be ready to send out soon!  Click HERE for more information about this month’s card kits.  Here’s a sneak peek at what I have in store for you this month:

Get free card kits from me each and every time you place an order in my online store!  They’re my gift to you.  Simply use Host Code J32QV2J3 when checking out to receive your free card kits. Place your order in my online store HERE.  You can also just pay for your card kits if you don’t want to order.  You’ll find more info on my free card kit program HERE.

Product List

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Wonderful Wreath and Happy Birthday Everyone

This card came from an idea I had about the Wonderful Wreath Framelits by Stampin’ Up!  I wanted to use the pieces to this framelits set to create a summer wreath for a special birthday card.

• The colors I chose are Melon Mambo, Hello Honey, Night of Navy and Old Olive.  They’re the colors in the English Garden Designer Paper, minus a couple, but worked really well for the wreath.
• I started by cutting out the wreath base using Old Olive Cardstock with the two wreath framelits – both the inside and the outside pieces.  This allows some of the green to peek through so that you don’t have to cut out extra leaves.  Here’s a photo of how the wreath begins:

• Cutting out all of the flowers is a breeze with the Framelits.  I doubled the cardstock, cutting two at a time, and the framelits cut through both layers nicely.  “Scrunching” the cardstock flowers made them a bit more three dimensional.
• The centers of the flowers are created with the 1/4″ Circle Handheld Punch; use a 2-Way Glue Pen to adhere them all.
• A pretty Night of Navy 1/2″ Seam Binding Ribbon is the perfect accent to the wreath, held in place with a Glue Dot.

• My sentiment comes from a host-exclusive stamp set called Happy Birthday, Everyone.  Here’s another card using this great set.  Choose this stamp set as a free gift when you order a minimum of $150 in products in my Online Store (before tax/shipping).

• And inside the card, I used the “happy birthday” sentiment from the same set stamped in Night of Navy Ink – such a pretty combination of fonts!

And coming your way soon – 201-16 Holiday Catalog shares!  I know how much everyone loves to get shares for designer papers, ribbons and accessories once a new catalog begins.  The Holiday Catalog is just around the corner – due to launch to my customers on September 1st!  I’ll be taking reservations soon for all three types of shares – or get an “I want it all” share with all three.

Don’t Forget!

August Card Shop card samples aren’t ready until mid-month, but you can begin earning your free cards right now!  Get your card kits free from me each and every time you place an order in my online store!  They’re my gift to you.  Simply use Host Code MXJ2MAMV when checking out to receive your free card kits. Place your order in my online store HERE.  You can also just pay for your card kits if you don’t want to order.  You’ll find more info on my free card kit program HERE.
Product List

Wonderful Wreath Framelits Dies [135851] $25.00	Big Shot [113439] $110.00	Happy Birthday, Everyone Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139958] $9.00	Happy Birthday, Everyone Wood-Mount Stamp Set [139171] $12.00
Night Of Navy 1/2″ Seam Binding Ribbon [134571] $7.00	1/4″ Circle Handheld Punch [134364] $9.00	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin’ Pad [126970] $6.50	Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [100730] $8.50
Melon Mambo 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [115320] $7.00	Night Of Navy 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [100867] $7.00	Hello Honey 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [133678] $7.00	Old Olive 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [100702] $7.00
Stampin’ Dimensionals [104430] $4.00	Glue Dots [103683] $5.25	2-Way Glue Pen [100425] $4.50

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Creative Convention display projects

This past weekend was our team weekend-long Creative Convention, and it was a blast!  There was so much inspiration to take in!  There were displays where people could share what they've been working on, and althought the lighting wasn't so good, today I want to show you just a few of the amazing projects created by my team members. 

Use Core'dinations card stock with an embossing folder, then lightly sand the top for this pretty tone-on-tone look.

This is an adorable baby train showing off the In Colors as well as Zoo Babies stamp set.

Here's another project showing off the In Colors, this time in a birthday card using Sketched Birthday stamp set.

This is a pretty framed piece using Season of Style Designer Series Paper and the Color Me Christmas stamp set.

Here's a beautiful card using the coordinating products Truly Grateful stamp set, Sweater Weather Designer paper and 1-1/4" Burlap Ribbon.

Another card showing lovely coordinating products in the Holiday Catalog – Festive Flurry stamp set, Festive Flurry Framelits Dies and Winter Frost Specialty Designer Paper. 

How beautiful is this tablesetting, all created with the components in Christmas Banner Simply Created Accessory Kit and Winter Frost Specialty Designer Paper.

Love this punch art idea with Mosaic Madness stamp set and coordinating Mosaic Punch.  So pretty!

BRAND NEW:  November's "Best of 25 Years" stamp set has just been released.  It's called "Best of Snow" and I am in love with the "Let it Snow image – it's a "must have"!  Here are the images.  You can also click here to view the full flyer:  Best of Snow Flyer

Item No. 134387 Best of Snow in clear $14.95

Don't Forget!
There's always free card kits to be had for your online orders!  It's so simple – just grab the code for the current card kit (you'll find them HERE), enter the code in your shopping cart along with a qualifying order and I'll send you the card kit completely free – there's not even any shipping cost!  Start your order now!

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Sign up Now for the Birthday Card Class

Back in THIS POST, I announced my Birthday Card Class coming up on January 2nd! Complete details for this class have been posted on my Classes & Events Page HERE.

I'm pleased to share with you just one more of the five cards that you'll be completing at this class.

This class is being held in both Canandaigua, NY (10:00 AM) and Rochester, NY (6:00 PM) — so you have TWO locations and times to choose from!  Don't forget to sign up — while the registration deadline isn't until December 27th, space is limited and we're almost SOLD OUT!

Special Note: The "Perfect Setting" Die featured on this card is included in the 12 Days of Christmas Sale going on NOW through December 22nd!  Find the details about this sale HERE.

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Stamping 101 Library Class

I've had so much fun teaching two sessions of a beginner rubber stamping class at both the Naples Library in Naples, NY, and the Wood Library in Canandaigua, NY.  Thought I'd share the projects from these classes with you.

This card got its "wow" from cutting the frame and oval from the Big Shot using the Scallop Frame Die.  We stamped a beautiful tree from the Thought & Prayers stamp set in Old Olive Classic Ink and added a sentiment from that same set.  We punched a few flowers using the 3 Flower Punch and Perfect Plum card stock and attached them to the card with some Gold Brads.  A piece of Old Olive 1/2" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon completes this easy yet effective card.

The next card is a bright, fun birthday card showcasing several of the In Colors — Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry and a bit of Soft Suede.  We used the Crazy for Cupcakes stamp set and colored in the main image with Blender Pens and Stamp Pads.  A dash of Bermuda Bay 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon coordinates so beautifully!

It's the middle of November, so no card class this time of year would be complete without making a Christmas card.  We used several products from the Holiday Mini Catalog to create this card — Delightful Decorations stamp set and coordinating Ornament Punch, Four the Holidays sentiments stamp set and Silver Elastic Cord.  Colors used are Bordering Blue and Rose Red.  An extra bit of glitz comes from the 2-Way Glue Pen and Dazzling Diamonds glitter on both of the ornaments.  The Eyelet Border Punch was used to complete this elegant card.

I like to show my students that stamping isn't just for card making and scrapbooking, but you can make wonderful gift-giving items as well.  And 80% of the students voted this their favorite project out of the four the completed!  Here's a simple pouch with topper using our Small Cellophane Bags.  I showed how to ink up the rubber stamp from Holiday Best (Level 1 hostess exclusive stamp set) with markers to get a multi-colored image and brought in the colors from the Autumn Traditions Designer Series Paper that's wrapped around the chocolates.  A bit of Elegant Eggplant Rick-Rack from the Ribbon Originals Orchard packet gives an added bit of interest.

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Nouveau Chic Birthday

I spent some time yesterday making a special birthday card for a very special son-in-law.  I discovered I didn't have many masculine stamp sets to choose from, but Brad's the "outdoors-y" kinda guy, and I thought this beautiful tree image from Branch Out stamp set might make him smile.

I absolutely love the new designer series paper called Nouveau Chic.  It's a very unusual paper with an interesting color scheme — Basic Black, Basic Gray, Sage Shadow and Apricot Appeal.  For some added interest, I paper pierced the edges of the Apricot Appeal card stock and added a couple of black brads to the corners of the triangles that overlap the main image.

Here's a close-up.  After stamping the tree in Basic Gray, I discovered it needed a little "grounding".  I used my Aqua Painter and some Sage Shadow Classic Ink to paint in a little "grass".  The final touch was to stamp "happy birthday" from Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set in basic black ink, then punch it out with the Curly Label Punch and tuck about 2/3 of the tag up under the main image.

Hope he likes his birthday card this year!

THINGS YOU'LL NEED:
Item No. 113200 Branch Out stamp set (on dormant list; not in catalog)   $22.95
Item No. 115370 Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set   $36.95
Item No. 115670 Nouveau Chic Designer Series Paper   $9.95
Item No. 112208 Curly Label Punch   $15.95
Item No. 103954 Aqua Painter   2/$16.95

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