Spooky Fun

When I saw the Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalogue I decided that one of my preorder items had to be the bundle that included the Spooky Fun stamp set and coordinating Halloween Scenes Edgelits.  I probably didn't need a new Halloween set - I have a few in my stash - but just couldn't resist.

Earlier this week I started looking on Pinterest for cards using this bundle and found one I really liked but I didn't have all of the supplies.  You can see it HERE.  I hadn't bought the Halloween themed Designer Series Paper or the other stamp sets used in the sample (Ghoulish Grunge and Suite Seasons).  The sample used a brick wall background that reminded me of one I had purchased as a download for My Digital Studio.  I opened the program, found the paper I wanted and then recoloured it to shades of grey.  After printing it onto photo paper I started creating my card.

The original used the "mesh" stamp from the Ghoulish Grunge set for the background on the centre panel.  I used one of the stamps from Timeless Textures and thought it worked out pretty well.

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Spooky Fun, Timeless Textures
Ink - Basic Black, Crushed Curry, Smoky Slate
Card Stock - Whisper White, Basic Black, Smoky Slate, Pumpkin Pie
Other - Halloween Scenes Edgelits, Mini Glue Dots, Fine Tip Glue Pen

Inky Divas Challenge - Week of August 15

This week's challenge was a colour challenge.  We had to use Early Espresso, Tip Top Taupe and Mint Macaron as our colours.  Black and/or white could also be used.  Only current Stampin' Up! products could be used.  My card is CASEd from one I had seen on Pinterest.   You can see it HERE.

When stamping the background I inked up the stamps and then stamped them off once on scrap paper before stamping onto the Whisper White card stock.  The greeting is stamped at "full strength".  I got a few ink smears when I stamped it so I covered up the mistakes with a few rhinestones.

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Timeless Textures, Flourishing Phrases
Ink - Early Espresso, Mint Macaron, Tip Top Taupe
Card Stock - Early Espresso, Mint Macaron, Tip Top Taupe, Whisper White
Other - Botanical Builders Framelits, Rhinestones, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Basic Rhinestones, White Signo Gel Pen

Freshly Made Sketches - #250

When I saw the sketch posted on Freshly Made Sketches this morning I decided to give it a try.  See the post HERE.

Here is the sketch

I had a few things sitting on my desk that I thought might work.  There was a piece of Designer Series Paper (retired) along with a stamped and coloured image from the Merry Mice stamp set which is in the Stampin' Up! new Holiday Catalogue.  I decided to change the shape of the focal piece to accommodate the cute little mouse.

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Merry Mouse
Ink - Cherry Cobbler, Pool Party, Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Bermuda Bay
Card Stock - Whisper White, Basic Black, Shimmery White, Merry Moments DSP (retired)
Other - Los of Labels Framelits, Rhinestones, Aqua Painter, Stampin' Dimensionals, Rhinestones, Frosted Sequins Embellishments (retired)

Inky Divas Challenge - Week of August 8

The challenge for the week was to make a "Hanging Water Bottle Treat Box".  We had to use at least one new stamp and use only current Stampin' Up! products.

I should have taken a photo with a side view - the box is 1/2" deep.  I used the Swirly Bird stamp set to create the little sailboat and Thoughtful Banners for the greeting.

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Swirly Bird, Thoughtful Banners
Ink - Island Indigo, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight
Card Stock - Island Indigo, Whisper White, Crushed Curry, By The Shore DSP
Other - Swirly Scribbles Thinlits, Tree Builder Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, 1 3/8" Circle Punch

Happy 65th Anniversary Mum and Dad

Today is my parents' 65th Wedding Anniversary.  We had a celebration dinner for them on July 31st but today is the day!

My sister discovered that the gem for the 65th Anniversary is Sapphire.  We weren't sure what cards would be available to celebrate a 65th anniversary so I made all of the cards from myself and my brothers and sisters.  I decided to use the last of my stash of Midnight Muse card stock for the cards as well as for the table favours we used.  See THIS post.

For this card I used the Rose Garden Thinlits, Cuttlebug Dies for the numbers and the retired Express Yourself stamp set for the happy anniversary.

I used the Large Numbers Framelits and the coordinating Number of Years stamp set for this card.

The lattice piece on this card is from the May Paper Pumpkin Kit.  I used My Digital Studio to create the focal piece and die cut it with the retired Hearts a Flutter Framelits.

I used the Birthday Blooms stamp set for this card.  The banners were cut using the Banners Framelits.  Again I used the retired Express Yourself stamp set for the sentiment and Cuttlebug dies for the numbers.

This was the only one of the five cards where I used Night of Navy Cardstock.  I wanted to use some of the Floral Boutique Designer Series I had received in the share from Sandi MacIver.  This card also uses the retired Express Yourself stamp set (I love the font) as well as the Large Numbers Framelits and Number of Years stamp set.

This is a combination of a Z-Fold and Joy Fold card.  You can it open HERE.

Inky Divas Challenge - Week of August 1

Crystal's challenge this week was to create a "sky" background effect using a technique rather than a stamped background.

Last year I had seen several posts to create a night sky background by applying ink directly from the ink pad to a clear block and then spritzing with water before applying it to a piece of watercolour paper.  After "stamping" the block onto the watercolour paper I spinkled on some salt, spritzed it a bit more and let it dry.  Once dry I brushed off the salt and added a bit more texture to the background by stamping some "snow flurries" with VersaMark ink and heat embossed it with Iridescent Ice embossing powder (retired).  The "scenes" were cut out of Shimmery White card stock using the Sleigh Ride edgelits (retired).

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Jingle All The Way (retired)
Ink - Night of Navy, Island Indigo
Card Stock - Night of Navy, Shimmery White, Watercolour Paper
Other - Sleigh Ride Edgelits (retired), Stampin' Dimensionals, Rhinestones, Frosted Sequins Embellishments (retired)

Headstart on Christmas Cards

I am trying to get a head start on my Christmas cards for this year - I usually have quite a few done by now but this year I have been distracted and have barely any.  I actually like to have my plans in place before the new Stampin' Up! Holiday catalogue is introduced.  Not this year though. Demonstrators got to view some sneak peak videos showcasing some of the new product lines for the holidays and then the online catalogue was made available (again Demonstrator only).  Oh my there are some very cute things.

I am going to try to resist ordering too much and work with what I have.  I often order from the Holiday Catalogues in preparation for the following year.  That way I have lots of opportunity to view projects others post on their blogs or on Pinterest.

This is a card I made using some vellum from last year's Holiday Catalogue and a Hostess set from the 2016-2017 Annual Catalogue (Time of Year - page 201).  I CASEd the card on page 200 of the Annual Catalogue.

I don't have the Fabulous Foil Designer Sheets used in the catalogue sample, but I remembered that I had the Winter Wonderland Designer Vellum Stack from the 2015 Holiday Catalogue so I used one of the sheets from that stack.

Stampin' Supplies
Stamp - Time of Year (Hostess set 2016-2017 Annual Catalogue)
Ink - Versamark, Real Red, Old Olive
Card Stock - Old Olive, Whisper White, Winter Wonderland Designer Vellum (retired)
Other - Bunch of Banners Framelits, Doily, Gold Embossing Powder, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Retired Corner Punch

65th Wedding Anniversary - Table Favours

Although their 65th Wedding Anniversary is not until August 9th, we are having a celebration dinner for my parents today.

We have hired a caterer and booked a room so we can all sit back and enjoy our time celebrating this remarkable achievement.  65 years!

I made some table favours for each place setting.  65 years is a Sapphire Anniversary so I pulled out some retired dark blue card stock (Midnight Muse), Shimmery White card stock and my Botanical Builder Framelits.  I used a long retired die to cut the boxes.  The box contains a little bag of Sugared Pecans that I usually just make at Christmas.

I made a larger box for my parent's places.  It's too bad Stampin' Up! no longer carries these boxes. They are food safe and came with the acrylic sleeve.  They were also a perfect size for storing Washi Tape.

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Banners for You
Ink - Midnight Muse (retired)
Card Stock - Shimmery White, Midnight Muse (retired)
Other - Botanical Builder Framelits, Bunch of Banners Framelits, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Signo White Gel Pen, Extra Large Rhinestones (retired), Basic Rhinestones, Retired Box Die (Box #2), Tag a Bag Gift Boxes (retired)

Serene Scenery Designer Series Paper Stack

When the 2016-2017 Stampin' Up! annual Idea Book and Catalogue was released I didn't pay much attention to the Designer Series Paper as I have quite a collection sitting in my craft room and wasn't sure if I should add to it.  I did however sign up for Sandi MacIver's paper share so I received a sampling of all of the papers in the catalogue.

I loved the Serene Scenery DSP (Designer Series Papers).  They come in a stack of 48 sheets - each sheet is 6 x 6 and there are four each of 12 double sided designs.  My next order is going to include this versatile paper stack.



I picked one of the papers and was able to make 2 note cards from one of the 6 x 6 sheets.

I used the Stanpin' Up! notecards that measure 3 1/2 x 5 and come with envelopes.  I first cut a one inch strip from the top of the DSP and then cut that srip in half lengthwise.  I used the reverse side of the paper and adhered the 1/2" strip to the left side of the card.  I then cut the larger piece in half to give me two 3" x 5" pieces.  I stamped the "Thank You" from Tin of Cards on each piece and then adhered them to the note cards.  To finish I wrapped some linen thread (3 strands) around the card front and tied a bow.

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Tin of Cards
Ink - Basic Black
Card Stock - Whisper White Notecards, Serene Scenery DSP Stack
Other - Linen Thread

Christmas in July

I am trying to get a jump start on my Christmas cards so last week when I went over to Judy's I brought all the supplies to make a "mini easel" card.  It is an adaptation of a "step" card we had seen on Pinterest (see it HERE) and the "mini easel" card Diana Gibbs shared on her blog a few weeks ago (see Diana's card HERE).

Here is a view from the side

Here it is closed

Stampin' Supplies

Stamps - Peaceful Pines

Ink - Old Olive, Lost Lagoon (retired)

Card Stock - Whisper White, Old Olive, Lost Lagoon (retired), Silver Glimmer, Retired DSP

Other - Silver Cord, Perfect Pines Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals, Scoring Tool

Inky Divas Challenge - Week of July 25

This week is Christmas in July for the Inky Divas Challenge.  We were to create a Christmas card that had to include embossing and the use of at least one framelit or thinlit die.

For the embossing I used the Woodlands Textured Embossing Folder for the background and I heat embossed one of the trees and the label.  I cut out the label using the Tags & Labels Framelits dies and the gold embossed tree was cut out using the Perfect Pines Framelits dies,

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Peaceful Pines
Ink - Old Olive, Versamark
Card Stock - Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Real Red, Merry Moments Designer Series Paper (retired)
Other - Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals, White Embossing Powder, Gold Embossing Powder,
Tags and Labels Framelits, Perfect Pines Framelits

Thinking About The Beach

A week or so ago when I went over to Judy's we made this very quick and versatile card.  Although we used the "thinking of you" sentiment from the Sheltering Tree stamp set it is a card that could be used for almost any occasion.

We cut a mask using one of the now retired Circle Framelits, laid it on the card front and sponged our landscape (or should I say seascape?)

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Sheltering Tree, Wetlands
Ink - Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Pool Party, Soft Sky
Card Stock - Whisper White, Basic Black
Other - Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin' Sponges, Circle Framelits (retired)

Inky Divas Challenge - Week of July 11

This week's challenge was to use at least one shade of a purple and a blue.  I had a few scraps of Lost Lagoon and Elegant Eggplant on my craft table so decided to use those for my card.

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Tin of Cards
Ink - Elegant Eggplant, Wild Wasabi, Always Artichoke
Card Stock - Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant, Wild Wasabi, Always Artichoke, So Saffron, Lost Lagoon (retired)
Other - Botanical Builder Framelits, Rhinestones, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Inky Divas Challenge - Week of July 4, 2016

This week's challenge was to create a "Z" fold card but the posted sample looked more like a "Joy" fold card to me.  I decided to combine the two for my submission to the challenge.  The card will be one of the ones we give in celebration of my parents' upcoming 65th Wedding Anniversary.  The 65th is the Sapphire Anniversary so that is why I chose Night of Navy and Whisper White for my colours.

We were to use current Stampin' Product but I had to sneak in a few little retired products in order to get the card the way I wanted it to look.  The little heart punched piece as well as the "happy anniversary" sentiment are both retired.

This is the card closed - the punched circles at the bottom left hold it closed.

Here it is "unlatched".

An overhead view

Stampin' Supplies

Stamps - Express Yourself (retired Hostess set), Number of Years

Ink - Night of Navy

Card Stock - Whisper White (Thick), Night of Navy, Floral Boutique DSP

Other - Large Numbers Framelits, Happy Heart Embossing Folder, Itty Bitty Accents Punch (retired), Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots.

Inky Divas Challenge - Week of June 27

The challenge this week was to use a current Stampin' Up! punch and Framelit/Thinlit set.  I needed a Thank You card and knew I wanted to keep it clean and simple.  I had seen a card on Pinterest that fit the challenge as well as being clean and simple.

I used the Swirly Bird Thinlits, the Tree Builder Punch and the Owl Builder Punch (tiny heart) for the card.

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Thoughtful Banners
Ink - Chocolate Chip
Card Stock - Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Cucumber Crush
Other - Swirly Bird Thinlits, Tree Builder and Owl Builder punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Birthday to a Special Friend

Judy's grandson is turning 7 today.  Over the years he has become a special friend of mine.  I am not sure if he is a fan of Minions, but I thought THIS card was very cute and decided to make it for him.

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Balloon Celebration, Sprinkles of Live
Ink - Pacific Point, Basic Black
Card Stock, Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point, Basic Black
Other - Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Balloon Bouquet Punch, Owl Builder Punch

Happy 85th Birtthday Mum

Yesterday my mum celebrated her 85th birthday.  I knew I wanted to use the Large Numbers Framelits but wasn't sure what other elements to put on the card.  I headed over to Pinterest and found a card a liked very much and CASEd it.  The layout is identical, I just changed the colours and designer series paper.

Stampin Supplies
Stamps - Four You (retired)
Ink - Basic Black
Card Stock - Basic Black, Cajun Craze, Old Olive, Shimmery White, Gold Foil, Botanical Gardens DSP (retired), Botanical Gardens Vellum (retired)
Other - Large Numbers Framelits, Botanical Builders Framelits, Circle Framelits (retired), It's My Party Enamel Dots (retired), Banner Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Inky Divas Challenge - Week of June 20

This week's challenge was to create a card using two of the current Stampin' Up! InColours along with one other current colours.  I have only purchased the markers from the 2016-2018 InColours so I opted to use Cucumber Crush and Watermelon from the 2015-2017 collection along with Blushing Bride.

I had purchased a Paper Share from Sandi McIver so I have samples of all of the current Stampin' Up! Designer Series Papers.  I used a piece from the Playful Palette DSP Stack.  

Stampin' Supplies

Stamps - Birthday Blooms

Ink - Basic Black

Card Stock - Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Cucumber Crush, Watermelon Wonder, 

                      Playful Palette DSP

Other - Swirly Bird Thinlits, Rose Garden Thinlits, Rhinestones, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue                         Dots

Happy Father's Day

This week (week of June 13) Crystal's challenge for the Inky Divas group was to create a Fun Fold or Slider Card with Father's Day for the theme.  I had seen and saved several different fun fold cards on Pinterest but was quite intrigued with THIS Z Fold card. 

I loved that it used the now retired The Open Sea stamp set.  I decided to pair it up with the Nautical Expedition Designer Series Paper to create my card.

Here is the card closed

and here it is open.  

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - The Open Sea (retired); Thoughtful Banners
Ink - Early Espresso; Cherry Cobbler; Crumb Cake; Basic Black
Card Stock - Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Night of Navy; Nautical Expedition DSP (retired)
Other - Duet Banner Punch; Stampin' Dimensionals