Pop of Paradise!

Good afternoon!

Happy Tuesday! I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend. I wasn’t feeling my best this weekend, so I laid low. My husband worked outside all weekend though, and busted his butt trimming bushes, trees, power washing, etc. I love that he works so hard to make sure we have a home to be proud of 🙂

I started the below card last Thursday, but didn’t pick up it up again until yesterday. I used the new Pop of Paradise stamp set and had fun with it!

I die cut 3 squares using our new Layering Squares Framelit dies, then stamped the flamingo onto one square using Flirty Flamingo ink, and the leaves on the other two using Emerald Envy.

I put those aside, then grabbed my Flirty Flamingo ink, a piece of Whisper White cardstock, and some 2 inch wide Post It Tape (Amazon). I ripped off two pieces of tape, each a bit longer than my cardstock, and placed one lengthwise on my cardstock. Moving down a bit, I put the other piece of tape down, leaving a small bit of Whisper White between them. Using my dauber, I applied some Flirty Flamingo ink to the exposed cardstock. When the color was to my liking, I removed both pieces of Post It tape, then reapplied them, moving down the card a bit. I purposely varied how big the stripes were, as well as varied how even they were. I kept applying the tape, inking up the exposed cardstock, removing the tape, reapplying it a bit further down, and repeating. It took maybe 10 minutes to make my own patterned background!!

The striped background was then adhered to a piece of Emerald Envy cardstock. The 3 squares were applied using dimensionals for some extra visual interest.

I stamped Hello from the Thoughtful Banners set onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock, flag trimmed the end, then adhered it down. I gave it a bit of movement by bending it a bit before adhering the right end under the bottom square.

Everything was mounted on a top folding A2 card. Fun right?

Now, later I did go and add a bit of something extra, but didn’t grab pictures since it was still wet. I will update this post tonight with those pictures.

Yesterday wasn’t all craft time though! In the morning I did get out for a bit and took our dog to the park. He loves the dog park!!! I love taking him too. There is a great area that is perfect for good walks, about a mile around. The middle is all tall grasses and flowers. The dogs love running through it, chasing each other, the mice that live in there, digging, etc. So we did two quick laps, then back into the smaller area. There is a windmill in there that pumps water from an underground spring, into a trough for the dog to drink from, then into a pool for them! Opie LOVES the pool!

He is an odd one though. Most dogs shake off as soon as they get out. Not Opie! I guess he prefers to drip dry? I snapped this picture about 10 minutes after he got out of the pool yesterday.

10 minutes later and still puddles! I think he does it on purpose since I won’t put a soaking wet dog in my car to go home 😉 I am still hoping to get started with Project Life, so I have been snapping a lot of little photos like this one lately and getting them printed out once a month. Hopefully soon things will calm down enough for me to be able to start playing!

Now… tomorrow! The new catalog goes live!!!!! I don’t know about any of you, but I am excited!

I will be sharing my very favorites from the new catalog tomorrow, so look for that! I will also be sharing the .pdf of the catalog for anyone that still need it. Exciting day!
Have a great day!

 

Sitting here…

Good morning and happy Friday!

I hope that everyone has had a great week, and has something good planned for the Holiday weekend. My husband has been out of town all week, but returns tonight. I can’t wait! He was horribly missed this week!! I had my friend from Minnesota here all week to keep me company though and I am SO grateful to her! 🙂 I dropped her off this morning so she can head back home.

We were up early to get her to the bus terminal almost 2 hours away. My alarm went off at 5. Opie is not a fan of getting up in the mornings, at all. I nudged him, did my best to make the bed around him, then got up to get dressed and brush my teeth. I came out of the washroom to see this…

He stuck his head under the blankets and went back to sleep. It reminds me of trying to get my son up before school when he was a teenager lol

Anyway, onto Sitting here! This is a fantastic set, that I can’t wait to use more of. It will be available June 1st! People! That is next Wednesday!!!!!

Wednesday night my mom came over for dinner with my friend and I, and for some crafting time. We had a great time over dinner, so much that we didn’t have much time left for crafting!

I was able to get this card together though, and am so happy with the way that it turned out. I think that this is one of my recent favorites.

Card ingredients listed below

Just some quick stamping, that I colored in using a various Stampin’ Write markers. Bad Tyra though… don’t ask me what colors, I don’t remember! I was just grabbing and coloring. I do know that the pot was colored with Bermuda Bay though!

All of the patterned paper is Bermuda Bay from the Brights Designer Series Paper Stack. The Candy Dots are also Bermuda Bay from the Brights pack.

Using one core color family (or just one color!) is a great way of making sure your card is cohesive and matches without having to think about it too much.

The panel with the writing on it is raised with Dimensionals. For the panel with the flowers and sweet little bird, I used liquid adhesive along the top 2/3 of it, then two dimensionals along the bottom half. That way the panel would rest flush against the one behind it, but would still have some support along the bottom of it where it would be raised up.

You can see that a bit in the goofy photo above.

As I mentioned above, this set will be available June 1st. That is the day Stampin’ Up’s new catalog will be available and you can purchase anything from it! I’m excited!!!! I have a wish list a mile long!

I will be sharing the .PDF of the catalog here on Wednesday. If you want a hard copy of your very own to love on, and you are a customer, let me know! I either hand delivered or mailed out all that were already requested, but I have some left to share!

See you next week! Have a wonderful weekend!

**Please note! In the product list below I listed the white ribbon I used as Whisper White organza. That is not what was actually used, I used 5/8 Satin Ribbon. BUT… the satin ribbon was retired and is now sold out. I wanted to give you a good alternative that I think would look good as well (and is one of my favorite ribbons to use!). 

Product List

Sitting Here Photopolymer Stamp Set [141589] $17.00	Brights Designer Series Paper Stack [138434] $22.00	Brights Stampin’ Write Markers [131259] $29.00
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $6.00	Whisper White 5/8″ Organza Ribbon [114319] $6.00	Brights Candy Dots [130931] $6.00

Layering Love… take 2!

Good morning!!

Last night I took some time to play with Layering Love again. The more I use this set, the more I love it. The sentiments can be used for a wide variety of things. I have a feeling this will be my go to set!

This is another simple one, but it makes me smile.

I used Stampin Up’s new framelits, Layering Squares. I love these!! In addition to standard squares, there are also scalloped edge squares in the same set. Perfect for layering!!

The sentiment was stamped on Whisper White cardstock, with the scalloped layer done in Dapper Denim. Have I mentioned how much I adore this new InColor??

The patterned paper is from the Neutrals Designer Series Paper Stack, in Smokey Slate. These two colors go together so well!!

The Smokey slate Candy Dots are from the Neutrals collection as well. Fun little accent!

That pretty ribbon? It’s Stampin Up’s new ruched ribbon in Dapper Denim. Trust me, this ribbon is even more beautiful in person and a dream to work with.

The panel was mounted on a top folding A2 card also in Dapper Denim. The sentiment panel is mounted with dimensionals for a bit of extra interest.

That’s it for now!!

If you have any questions, let me know. Have a great day!!!

Layering Love

Good morning!

I hope everyone made it through another Monday and made it a wonderful day!

A very dear friend is in town and staying with me for the week. I’m so excited to have her here! She is a fellow crafter and we have so much fun together on the rare occasions that we can see each other!

Last night we were playing in my craft room and I came up with the below card. I wanted something simple but still fun. I love CAS cards (Clean And Simple) and have been trying to do more of them lately.

So how did I do?

I used one of our new inks, Sweet Sugarplum, for the matting as well as the ink “splotches”. The sentiment is one from the Layering Love set. Perfect for a Just Because card I think! The ink splotches are from our new Swirly Bird set.

Oh… I also heat embossed the sentiment using black embossing powder. Sometimes doing that little bit can give your CAS card that little extra punch it needs.

Hope you enjoyed! I’ll be back in a day or two with a fun new project!

Have a great day!

 

Swirly Bird… take 3 (and a bonus!)

Happy Friday!

Wow… has this week seemed impossibly long for anyone else? I swear, it was going to slow at times I thought it would start going backward!

I came up with one more card from the Swirly Bird set last night. Completely simple, but I think it turned out kinda cute!

Ingredients for both cards listed at the end…

I die cut the large swirl from the Swirly Scribbles from Soft Suede cardstock and adhered it to an A1 top folding card in Whisper White.

I then stamped 3 small swirls in Peekaboo Peach and the three larger ones in Flirty Flamingo. Stamped a couple of each size of the leaves in the new Emerald Envy as well. Everything was then fussy cut out. Only took about 10 minutes tops to cut them out so it was easy.

I then just arranged them on the Swirl that I die cut (and now using as a wreath!) and adhered them down.

Seriously people, EASY!

The “Thanks” is from the same set I used yesterday, Endless Thanks. It was already out on my table 😉 Inside it says “… For Being You”.

Now, while I was cleaning up from this card, I looked at the clock, saw it was almost 9. Eeek! Time for the season finale of one of my new favorite shows, 60 Days In. Have you seen it? Wow… so good! Check it out here 60 Days In- Review. Go watch it. Really. My mom and I are both hooked, and my husband just caught the bug yesterday. It is available on OnDemand as well as on the A&E website.

Anyway, since 60 Days In was coming on, I figured that I would keep my butt where it was, watch, and come up with one more card.

I used one of the new Hostess sets, Pun Intended, that will be available June 1st. Again, simple but fun card, my favorite!

Now, let me take you with me on my thought process here. It was originally going to be a LOT more simple, with only one bee, the only one that is fully stamped on the card. After I got it stamped, along with the “Just beecause” sentiment, and the ribbon on it, it looked too plain. So I grabbed the bee again and stamped a few more onto the panel.

I think that it looks MUCH better, but I am really not happy with the empty space above the bow. But since the card was pretty much completed, I had to leave it. Just not enough room to add another bee there. I might grab this card again later and see what I can do with it. But for now, I do really like it! 🙂

That is all for today! Have a wonderful weekend!!!!!!

Thanks Card

Product List

Swirly Bird Photopolymer Stamp Set [141749] $25.00	Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies [141497] $27.00	Endless Thanks Photopolymer Stamp Set [138796] $16.00	Peekaboo Peach Classic Stampin’ Pad [141398] $6.50
Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin’ Pad [141397] $6.50	Emerald Envy Classic Stampin’ Pad [141396] $6.50	Soft Suede Classic Stampin’ Pad [126978] $6.50	Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [100730] $8.50
Soft Suede 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [115318] $7.00	Stampin’ Trimmer [126889] $30.00	Paper Snips Scissors [103579] $10.00	Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755] $4.00

 

Just Beecause Card

Product List

Pun Intended Photopolymer Stamp Set [141804] $16.00	Brights Designer Series Paper Stack [138434] $22.00	Daffodil Delight 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [119683] $7.00	Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [100730] $8.50
Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad [140931] $7.00	Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker [100082] $3.50	Daffodil Delight Stampin’ Write Marker [119677] $3.50	Daffodil Delight 1/4″ Cotton Ribbon [134559] $6.00
Stampin’ Trimmer [126889] $30.00	Glue Dots [103683] $5.25	Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755] $4.00

Swirly Bird… take 2!

Good morning!

I have another fun card to share with you today using the Swirly Bird set. It is completely different from the card I shared yesterday!

Fun right?

This time I used one of the dies from the Swirly Scribbles Thinlets set (Available June 1sr!) to create the waves. I die cut first from a piece of Tempting Turquoise, then again from a piece of Dapper Denim. I used the negatives from the Dapper Denim to fill in the negative spaces on the Tempting Turquoise die cut, creating some fun waves.

The boat is stamped using Dapper Denim and Soft Suede (It took 3 stamps from the set to make the sailboat!), then trimmed out.

I punched a 2 1/2in circle from a scratch piece of paper, and using the piece with the hole cut out of it, used it as a mask so I could create the sun. Daffodil Delight was sponged in the center of the mask, then I used a bit of Tangerine Tango towards the bottom of the sun for a bit of depth.

The masks were switched out then, I used just the circle that I previously punched and placed it over the sun. The entire background was then very lightly sponged with Tempting Turquoise. It is so hard to see in the photos, I was trying to keep it light. But trust me, it IS there!

Everything was mounted onto the panel, then adhered onto a piece of Whisper White trimmed to A2 size.

The sentiment is from Endless Thanks (a new favorite!). The ‘Grateful’ and ‘for you’ are actually two stamps, but because the set is Photopolymer, it was a breeze to line up! It was stamped onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock that I had used the Banner Triple Punch on, as well as a piece of Dapper Denim that I punched also. Wrap with a bit of linen thread and there ya go!

Hope you enjoyed!

Have a great day!

Product List

Swirly Bird Photopolymer Stamp Set [141749] $25.00	Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies [141497] $27.00	Endless Thanks Photopolymer Stamp Set [138796] $16.00	Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [100730] $8.50
Dapper Denim 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [141414] $8.00	Tempting Turquoise 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [102067] $7.00	Dapper Denim Classic Stampin’ Pad [141394] $6.50	Soft Suede Classic Stampin’ Pad [126978] $6.50
Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin’ Pad [126944] $6.50	Tangerine Tango Classic Stampin’ Pad [126946] $6.50	2-1/2″ Circle Punch [120906] $18.00	Sponge Daubers [133773] $5.00
Linen Thread [104199] $4.50	Stampin’ Trimmer [126889] $30.00	Paper Snips Scissors [103579] $10.00	Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755] $4.00

Swirly Birds!

Good morning!

Please forgive the radio silence lately. We have some things going on at home that is taking a lot of my attention and energy. Something has to give sometimes, and unfortunately it is the blog and crafting time lately. I will still be hit or miss for another week or two, but I promise to be back on schedule very soon!

On that note, I did get to play last night 🙂 I used the new Swirly Bird set, along with Flirty Flamingo and Sweet Sugarplum InColor inks.

Full disclosure, I have actually been playing with this set since Sat on and off. Ever have a set that you love, you had to have, but when you got it you were stumped? That was the issue for me with that set. I think it is because there are so many abstract shapes, my mind had a hard time putting things together in a cohesive way.

But I seem to have broken through and have the following to share with you as well as another card to share with you tomorrow (that I LOVE!).

Pretty right? I am loving these flowers, both big and small. Notice that there are two sizes/shapes of large flowers as well as two of the smaller ones? When I finally figured out what I wanted to do, this card came together SO quickly!

I do have to admit, that I used some Pinterest inspiration here 😉

Oh… the little dots? Those were done by hand with a Crushed Curry marker. I think they finished the card off perfectly!

See my Minion saying hi?? lol

You can see that the top panel is adhered with dimensionals, giving a little extra something to the card.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a completely different card, using the same set. Check back if you are interested in a more masculine card!

Have a great day!

Product List

Swirly Bird Photopolymer Stamp Set [141749] $25.00	Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin’ Pad [141397] $6.50	Sweet Sugarplum Classic Stampin’ Pad [141395] $6.50	Garden Green Classic Stampin’ Pad [126973] $6.50
Sweet Sugarplum 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [141418] $8.00	Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [100730] $8.50	Gold Foil Sheets [132622] $4.00	Metallics Sequin Assortment [138390] $5.00
Crushed Curry Stampin’ Write Marker [131901] $3.50	Twine Baker’s Whisper White [124262] $3.00	Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755] $4.00	Stampin’ Dimensionals [104430] $4.00

Sneak Peek! New Catalog Items!

Happy Thursday!!

Hope everyone has had a great week. It has flown by for me!

So, yesterday I received my presale order, all items from the brand new 2016/2017 catalog.

A word of warning, I took these with my cell phone quickly last night, so the pictures aren’t as perfect as they could have been (or should be… Bad Tyra).

The box doesn’t look like much, but trust me, it held some GOOD STUFF!

Everything will be available June 1st!!!!

I didn’t go crazy with this order. Just ordered the things that were available that were already on my wish list.

Start off with the new InColor ink pads and paper

Beautiful right??

I also picked up two of the NEW ruched ribbons, in Dapper Denim and Sweet Sugarplum.

These ribbons are beautiful! I can’t wait to get the other 3 new InColor ribbons!

I bought 2 hostess sets, I couldn’t pass them up. These are available anytime you host a party with sales over $150 OR your own personal order is over $150.

I love them both, the Pun Intended set is adorably dorky, perfect for me lol

Love You Lots has some sweet images that I will be using a lot!!! Check out those adorable hedgehogs!

Next are two new Framelit sets, Layering Squares as well as Sweet & Sassy

I love that the square (and circle!) Framelits now come  with two different types of styles, plain as well as scalloped.

The hearts are great, again, two different styles of hearts!

The next ones I am SO excited about!

Swirly Scribbles is GREAT for adding a bit of dimension to your project, when you don’t want or need a specific shape. These will be so much fun!

Sitting Here is a great new set, totally different from what Stampin’ Up has offered in the past. This is a great set to practice your masking skills!

Swirly Bird, the set on the right, comes either on its own, or as a bundle with the Swirly Scribbles thinlits. Again, great random, fun shapes!

Pop of Paradise has a flamingo. For that alone I couldn’t pass it up! Add in the pineapple and I was sold! FUN!

Layering Love has some wonderful sentiments, that are different from a lot of what we are seeing out there. I am particular to the “I am much more me when I’m with you” one 🙂

Finally, the Thoughtful Banners bundle. I LOVE this one. This set is so crazy versatile!!!! I love that the punch will do two different shapes of banners!

So what do you think? See anything that is screaming your name? Trust me, when you see the catalog, there will be a lot that will fly onto your wish list!

If you have any questions, let me know!

Have a great day!

 

 

New InColors!

Good morning!

I am SO sorry that I don’t have a project for you today. I totally slacked last night. My evening= Let the dog out, shower, eat dinner, let the dog out again, blow dry my hair, let the dog out, work on some InColor groups (below), go to sleep.

I am very rarely in bed before 10, much less at 8! But I needed it, and feel bright eyed and bushy tailed today!

I wanted to give you all a closer look at the brand new 2016-2018 InColors today, along with some color combinations that will work perfectly with them 🙂

Peekaboo Peach

Flirty Flamingo

Sweet Sugarplum

Emerald Envy

Dapper Denim

I have to admit, I love them all. No, seriously! Not just saying that! The past few releases of InColors have had a few colors that I thought were so-so, with only one or two that I loved. (I am one of the few that loves loves loves Mint Macaron!!).

This release though? They are all heaven to me, and fit in perfectly with our current color collections, filling spaces where we needed something new and fun.

Now, Dapper Denim? I have a feeling I will be using a LOT of it. Anyone that knows me knows that I adore all shades of blue 🙂

I will be getting my pre-order tomorrow,including the new catalogs, and I can NOT wait to start playing. The first thing that I will be doing is putting together a little sampler of the new InColors for the wonderful ladies that preordered a catalog from me. If you did, expect to have your catalogs either in your hands on Thursday evening if you are local, otherwise they will be popped in the mail first thing Thursday morning!

I will share a few sneak peeks on Thursday of what I received in my order.

Then check the blog on Friday for my very first creations with the items from the new catalog. EXCITED! (Me… I hope you are too!)

There is always some talk when new InColors are released, about what to pair the colors with, what works, what doesn’t, etc.

A few different fantastic demonstrators have put together lists on what colors coordinate, helping all of us out. Last night, before I passed out, I compiled my own list to share with you all.

I hope it helps you out! Click on each image (there are 2) to enlarge them, then print this out onto Whisper White cardstock, keep it handy, and you can quickly and easily come up with color combinations using the new InColors!

Have a great day everyone!!!!

Happy Mother’s Day!!

Good morning!

I hope everyone has had a fantastic week. It flew by for me!!!

Last night I worked on a sweet card for Mother’s Day. I was surprised at how quickly it came together. When I finally had an idea (which took me about an hour to get there…), it only took about an hour for it to come together. I love quick and easy projects like that!

All products used are listed at the end of the post

I used our Mini Treat Bag die to make a little envelope out of Crumb Cake cardstock, with a pull out card inside. This treat bag die makes it SO EASY to create something impressive and fun. Win in my book!

Inside is a Emboss Resist simple panel. I stamped the swirls using Versamark, then heat embossed with clear embossing powder. Then using a sponge, I applied Pink Pirouette ink over the whole thing. So simple! I love the crisp white here.

I used the Curvy Corner Trio punch to punch a slit at the top to thread my ribbon through.

The back of the card is blank, to write a note on.

Notice the rounded corners? That was done with my envelope punch board! 

The envelope is stamped with the same image as I used on the card panel, but with Soft Suede ink. The heart is a piece of Pink Pirouette cardstock, stamped with Soft Suede ink, then punched out. With Love is also stamped using Soft Suede. Add some ribbon and some gold thread, adhere the heart with a few dimensionals, and done!

I ended up going back and adding a few sequins (I can’t help myself! I love them!) from a past Paper Pumpkin kit that I had left over.

One more view at an angle so you can see the dimension of the heart…

I LOVE IT! 🙂

For the moms, I hope you have an amazing Mother’s Day!!!! My husbands parents and my mom are coming over for dinner on Sunday, along with my son. It will be a great day!!!!

See you Monday!

Product List

Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [100730] $8.50	Crumb Cake 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [120953] $7.00	Pink Pirouette 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [111351] $7.00	Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Dies [137547] $40.00
First Sight Clear-Mount Stamp Set [140688] $18.00	You’re So Sweet Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139440] $19.00	Versamark Pad [102283] $7.50	Pink Pirouette Classic Stampin’ Pad [126956] $6.50
Soft Suede Classic Stampin’ Pad [126978] $6.50	Sponge Daubers [133773] $5.00	Whisper White 3/8 Inch Taffeta Ribbon [109070] $6.95	Gold Metallic Thread [138401] $3.00
Sweetheart Punch [133786] $16.00	Curvy Corner Trio Punch [139683] $20.00