HB2U

HB2U, HB dear blah blah blah, HB2U!!

Here is a card I made using pleats to make it a little bit more masculine than a ruffle.  lol!!

The card base is soft suede.  I stamped the balloon from crazy for cupcakes in soft suede classic ink.  The patterened paper is from Thoroughly Modern....I just love that pack of designer series paper!!!  I wrapped a piece of soft suede polka dot grosgrain ribbon around it and tied a simple knot.  The ticket image is from the level 2 hostess set, Admit It.  The pleats are in whisper white.

Here is a close look at the fun pleats:

Well.....how did I do??   I think this would pass as masculine, wouldn't it?

It's my story.....

....and I'm sticking to it! Animal Stories, that is!! :)

I absolutely love the animal set, Animal Stories....and you can get it FREE!! It is one of the sets in the Sale a Bration catalog from the regular Idea Book and Catalog that can be earned for free in place of a regular sale a bration set. I absolutely love that you can choose merchandise from the regular catalog this year!! WHOOOOOHOOOOO.........

I also made this card for the DIVA display I have been talking about. I think the animals in this set are so sweet!! I just had to "do up" the giraffe! He needed a hair makeover! lol!

See his "hair" and the ruffled border at the top of the designer series paper??

Here is what you need:

card stock: more mustard, old olive, whisper white, ruby red designer series paper (level 1 hostess pack)

ink: more mustard, old olive

stamps: Animal Stories, On your Birthday

accessories: 5/8 inch chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon, needle and thread, stampin dimensionals

punches: scallop circle, 1 1/4 circle, 1 3/8 circle

A Baby to Celebrate

Hi stampers!!

I am showing you another card I made for the DIVA display board. When I sat down to make this card...I knew where I wanted it to go. surprised? lol!! I wanted a baby card for another friend of the family and club member that had become a grandma for the first time -Hey Barb!! She is a quilter, so I new I wanted to use my quilted top note that the directions are for HERE. And also, I wanted to make something that I could recreate for the DIVA display using pleats or ruffles. That seems like a big order to fill, doesn't it? Well, here is what I came up with:

I absolutely loved this card as soon as it was done....I wanted to curl up in it and snuggle a baby with that "new baby" smell....lol! The card base is brocade blue. The designer series paper is from the Pawsitively Prints, it is with the Build a Bear collection. the paper has nothing to do with Build a Bear, per say, it just has small prints that were designed to use as clothes for the dies. If it is good enough for bear clothes, it is better for a baby quilt!!

The scallop circle is whisper white, punched with the scallop circle punch. I stamped the boat from nursery necessities inked up with stampin' write markers and cut out the individual pieces and adhered them down with stampin' dimensionals. the ribbon is white satin ribbon pleated with mini glue dots onto a piece of pumpkin pie card stock.

What do you think of this "baby"? hehehe!!

I will continue to dribble out the samples and anything else I get done that I can post....I am working on getting things lined up for next week's all occasions stamp camp.

I {heart} ruffles!!

Not on my clothes, mind you....but on my paper crafts!!

Remember THIS card? Well....I was super excited when Janet Wakeland asked me to do some samples for a display board at DIVA Days because of this card. I belong to a focus group under her called Dreambuilders and there is a sub group with in that group called DIVAS. She was hosting a diva meeting and since I live so far away from her, I usually do DIVA long distance. So, she asked me to create some samples and ship them to her for a board....how awesome is that!?!!?!??! It probably wouldn't be so exciting for most of you...but it was for me!! It was my first little publishing, in my mind. And for doing it, she rewarded me with free goodies - does it get any better????

Anyway...the first card I made to send in was a valentine. I absolutely love the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set, so I had to pull it out for a sample!  I was so inspired by Cindy Major's card here, but changed things up a little bit.

Did you see that Christmas designer series paper??? You didn't? Look closer....the vanilla with real red polka dots?? See it now? It is from the Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin' kit. Don't go stashing your Christmas goodies away - they will move right in on Valentine's day. :) The horizontal panels are very vanilla matted with basic black. The bottom one, I stamped with the medallion background stamp in basic black classic ink. The top panel was accented with a curly label punch in real red folded in half and clipped on with a clip from the clip assortment accented with a piece of black gingham ribbon.

ooo....Back to the bottom panel....Did you see that ribbon??? Oh yes, we carry that in the current catalog. Don't recognize it?? Really???? It is the 5/8" real red grosgrain ribbon! Oh yes it is!! I threaded a piece of red sewing thread in a needle and basted right down the center. (basting is just a very simple up and down stitch that runs in a line - easy peasy!!) I pulled the thread to gather the ribbon and voila! Gathered ribbon in any of our ribbon colors! {luv} it!

Now to my little heart cluster - The scallop circle is actually cut with the big shot and the exclusive pennant XL die from Stampin' Up!. The real red circle was punched with the 1 3/4 inch circle punch. Matts nicely together, huh? I then stamped the dotted heart from I {heart} Hearts in basic black onto very vanilla. And since we have the option to get clear mounted rubber now....I was easily able to stamp the filigree heart ( from the same set) with out using a stamp a ma jig. I am in love!! the other little punched hearts are from the heart trio punch.

Are you wondering about my dimension???? You know I can't do a card without tons of stampin' dimensionals.....well, what do you think of all of this dimension, baby?

I would love to know what you think of this card - I had a ton of fun putting it together!!

Twice as much to Love

Hi Stampers!

I hope all of you have had a wonderful week! Mine has flown by!

I was in need of a card for a family friend and club member that just had twin grandsons (shout out to Cindy!) - how wonderful is that?!??!?! Hence - the title - twice as much to love :) I have baby sets, sure...but I really wanted to use my Fox and Friends to make a baby card. I think the animals in this set are so darling! So, here is what I came up with:

Isn't it sweet? (not to toot my own horn...lol!) The card base is bashful blue. I made my own background stamp by adding several images to one block....One of the many things I love about the new clear mount rubber stamps that Stampin' Up! has offered us! So, I stamped that in bashful blue ink. I made a little tag out of kraft card stock with the tag corner punch. The sentiment is from fundamental phrases. I tied a bow with the bashful blow striped grosgrain ribbon. And the two adorable turtles.....twin baby love!

Well...I must tend to the cleaning.....argh! lol!!

It's raining MEN....

hehehe! No - thank you. lol!

Today I whipped up a masculine birthday card. I struggle with masculine....I always want to add "fluff stuff" - glitter...bows....do dads....fluff...and stuff....

But, today I came up with a simple, clean lined ,masculine card that uses specialty designer series paper, To The Nines, so it has texture to touch and see with out it over powering the clean lines of it. Am I rambling here??? lol!

Ok, enough of me....

I have to say, I am pretty pleased with it. I don't usually do clean lined, quick cards. But, this, I like.

Stamp Camp Sneeky Peeky!!!

Hi Stampers!

Today I have a card that evolved through a couple of challenges. First, I wanted to get working on my samples for the All Occasion Stamp Camp on the 29th of January. Second, I wanted to use the mojo monday sketch for the week. And last, I wanted to use today's color challenge - Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip and Rich Razzleberry. One of the cards I wanted to do for the camp was a feminine birthday....so this was all coming together :)

If you haven't registered yet for that camp, do so soon to make sure you have a spot.

Here is one of the cards we will be making:

It is very hard to see in the picture (argh!!) but the scallop circle and satin ribbon are chocolate chip. This is the new satin ribbon in the occasions mini - YUMMO!!!!

just had to use mini seed beads for the cherries.....are they sweet??

Here is a closer look at the cupcake tower.

What do you think? I think it is a very sweet card...I {luv} the cupcakes!

My Ghost of Christmas Past.....

LOL!!! Anyone of you have those???? Christmas pictures that linger, waiting to be scrapped??? I sure do! I am starting out small scale - Our family picture album.

Every year since our daughter was born, we have gotten out family picture taken at Christmas time. And I plan on doing it for many years to come. So, I have an 8x8 Christmas Scrapbook that I do one layout a year in...just for our family photo. I should be able to handle that, right???? LOL!!! I haven't done anything in it since '06! So, I have three 8x8 layouts that I haven't mustered up the gumption to get them done. WHAT is the mater with me....I should be able to keep up with that! So today, I pulled out last year's family picture and got busy!
note: if this is the first time on my blog - I cover my daughter's face in pictures for my blog....I am sorry, I am weird that way.

My daughter's dress is a rich perfect plum velvet and white fur...it is hard to see that in the picture, but that is where I pulled the purples from for my layout.

The background is a blinged up glittery page I made myself starting with a basic black piece of card stock. I stamped the flourish from Baroque Motifs all over it in a random pattern with versamark ink and embossed it with my heat tool using iridescent ice embossing powder. OH MY SWEET GLITTERY GOODNESS!!!!! Y.U.M.M.O.!!! I then matted our picture with whisper white and then perfect plum. I stamped three of the ornaments from Delightful Decorations in elegant eggplant, perfect plum and pale plum. I then punched them out with the ornament punch. I know - it is from the last mini and not available anymore - but I am hoping, really hoping, that both of these make it into the next catalog. please....pretty please....

So, with true blinging fashion....I had to glitter them up with dazzling diamonds and a 2 way glue pen. My "08" was cut with the timeless type junior alphabet die set - love it! I started with brushed silver card stock and embossed a scrap with versamark ink and iridescent ice embossing powder, then I ran them through my big shot. they are adhered with stampin dimensionals to that ornament.

Each ornament is adhered with stampin dimensionals. I put a piece of silver elastic cord from the ornament to the top of the page for the "hanger" and then adhered a tiny bow I made from white taffeta ribbon with a mini glue dot.

What do you think??? Did I bling out my ghost of Christmas Past???? ~Now to stomp on some more of them :)

I give up!!

lol!! I made today's card super fast and then I spent over an hour trying to edit it to make the colors look right. argh!!!! So please be easy on me....

Today's color challenge on SCS is certainly celery, bermuda bay, handsome hunter (WHAT!??!?!?!), neutrals of your choice and a dessert topping of pink. The pink could not be card stock. Well, I immediately thought of my stamp set, Wellness Wishes. A cute pinkish band aid was to be my center piece :) And - today starts Sale A Bration and did you know that this is one of the sets you can earn for FREE in place of the regular sale a bration sets???? How col is that!?!??!?

So here is my contribution for today:

The card base is certainly celery. The textured panel is bermuda bay that I ran through my big shot using the brand new perfect polka dots impressions folder!!!! (page 35 of the mini) I matted that with basic black. The vertical panel on the right is handsome hunter ( I swear....I can not get my picture to pick up all of the colors right) My band aid from wellness wishes is stamped onto watercolor paper and colored with reinkers and an aquapainter. I punched it out with the 1 3/4 inch circle punch and matted it onto a scallop circle that came from the pennant die for the big shot. I mounted my scallop circle up onto stampin dimensionals.

Sorry for the crappy picture....I just couldn't get the colors right and I gave up! ;)

i would love to know what you think about it though.

I can't put down the.....

New Sending Love Designer Series Specialty Paper!!!! Every sheet of it is absolutely divine!!! There is glitter around every corner :) And you all know how I feel about glittah!!!!

My sketch inspiration today came from mojo monday#120.

Instead of a scalloped circle in the upper corner....I decided to cut out a flower that is on the Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper!!! It was already glittered - perfect! I also accented the flower center with a brand new Red Corduroy Button matted with a scrap of basic black card stock that I added glitter to. It was so easy to bling up my flower center. I used versamark ink on basic black card stock and then heat and stick powder, I heated that just until shiny and topped it off with black glitter from the cosmo glitter collection. yummo!!

A little side note for you.....don't be afraid of elevating some layers. I adhered the flower center with regular snail adhesive and then rolled up a pop up glue dot for under each of the flower petals. Nothing happened to me.....you will be fine....just do it.....every body's doin' it ;) lol!!

The card base is very vanilla. All of the designer series paper is Sending Love. I matted them with basic black card stock. I also used the mat pack and paper piercer to line up the holes for my black brads, from the vintage brads collection. My sentiment banner "XOXOXO" is from Fundamental Phrases - an essential sentiment set to have in a stamp collection, in my opinion. I use it so often. I crinkled it up a bit and adhered it down in places with stampin' dimensionals so the wavy part would stay up :)

OOOooooo ..... did you see the brand new edge punch??? It is the scallop border edge punch - and you can get it for FREE!!!! That's right - FREE BABY!!!!! It is one of the many Sale A Bration Items that you can choose absolutely free with a $50 purchase ( American). I punched a strip of basic black and glittered it up the same way I did the flower center.

Picture this.....a part Italian girl - not near as much as Emeril - but just as passionate as he is about his "BAM!" I am stretching my fingers out to you and yelling "BLING!!!!" hehehe!!

I would love to know what you think of this creation of mine - I really enjoyed making it - Like I said I can't put down the new stuff....you just wait until you get your hands on it too :)

RemARKable LOVE Blog Tour - Day 3

Wowza, huh!??!?!?!? There are some really great ideas on this tour....I hope you aren't missing any of them. It is the "LOVE" tour and that can be interpreted in many ways - things you love, valentine's love, marriage and the straight out "love" theme. I focused on the straight out "love" theme for this one. Don't get me wrong...I could have easily said it was things I loved that are coming out in the next mini.....because it is!!

Well!??!?!?!?!

I really do love it! I did not put anything on the inside - i am still debating what I will do with this one - hubby's valentine, anniversary, wedding - who knows??? The card base is actually kraft - but you can't tell that all in the picture - the 1/16th inch border of card base didn't show up much ;) I was going to use more kraft on the card front but I kept leaning towards the chocolate chip - can you blame me? It is chocolate chip, for pete's sake!!!! lol!

The designer series paper is coming in the mini, Sending love Specialty Paper - and it is "Special" let me tell you!!! It is glittered and blingy all over!!!! delish! I made my own shabby lace by using the eyelet edge punch and folding it up in small sections. My scallop circle was made the "old fashioned way" - you know before we had the big shot scallop circle dies - with a corner rounder. None of the sizes of scallop circle dies I had were exactly the size I needed, so I made my own with the circle scissor plus and the 3/16th inch corner rounder. The birds are punched from a brand new punch, 2 step bird punch - lOVE IT!!!! I stamped the wings with the same heart stamp I used for the pink heart in the background - I {love} Hearts. This set is so awesome!!! After I punched the birds, I ran them through the big shot with my finial press embossing folder. All sponging is done with creamy caramel. The bow was made from chocolate chip taffeta ribbon.

Oh and did I mention D.I.M.E.N.S.I.O.N.???? I think I used like 32 stampin dimensionals on this card! I {luv} dimensionals!

I would love to know what you think of these love birds. If you have enjoyed the projects on my blog, I invite you to stop back - I have loved having you. Now - before you go - Click on the icon below and spread your love throughout the rest of the tour! :)