A Mojo Thank You

I played along with this week's Mojo Monday sketch

and a past Color Round Up challenge

to create a little thank you note.

I love any sketch that includes some stitching... I am only happy to oblige! And for the scalloped edge, well, we already had the Perfect Setting die out to make holders for Little Missy's class party cupcakes (quite the family affair), so slap another pass through the Big Shot, and off I go...

Stamps: Day of Gratitude; Paper: Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla, Greenhouse Gala DSP, Sweet Pea DSP; Ink: Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight; Accessories: Sponge, Brads, Circle Scissors Plus, Backgrounds I texturz plate, Perfect Setting die, Big Shot, Sewing Machine, Thread.

Thanks for stopping by!

Countdown To Christmas: Greeting Card Kids

Eight weeks to go...

I fell in love with a card made by Holly E. from Hollybeary Creations a few weeks back, and I put that baby right on my to-do list. Well, I'm finally getting around to it, and I owe this card to a few people as part of a team swap. (Want one? Well, join my team, and yours is on the way!) These Greeting Card Kids are really fun to watercolor!

The color palette is Sahara Sand, Always Artichoke, and Pink Pirouette. Pretty cool! I would never have though of that one. The ruffles are created by punching with the scallop edge punch and then crumpling the cardstock until you can peel two layers apart, which is called felted cardstock, and pleating. The inside side of the cardstock is nice and fuzzy. I roughened up the edges with scissors and sponged Sahara Sand all around to give it more of a vintage look.

Then, and this is the reason I had to purchase this immediately, the main image and ruffles are highlighted with Smooch Pearlized Top Coat. This Smooch comes in a bottle with a stiff brush applicator, so it is easy to apply precisely and discreetly. Fun stuff! Ever since I brought it out, Little Missy has me pearlizing all her little stamped pieces too. Yes, she crafts with me. She has her own little corner and box of stuff. Thanks, Holly, for making me *need* this stuff! :)

Stamps: Greeting Card Kids, Warm Words, Christmas Punch; Paper: Sahara Sand, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla, Newsprint DSP; Ink: Sahara Sand, Always Artichoke, Pink Pirouette, Black Stazon; Accessories: Aquapainter, Sponge, Neutrals Watercolor Crayons, Large Oval punch, Scallop Edge punch, Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon, Smooch Pearlized Top Coat, Dimensionals.
Thanks for stopping by!

Paisley Pumpkin

I decided to play around with the Paisley Prints stamp set from the Holiday mini. I was also playing along with the colourQ challenge

and the Friday Mashup challenge (click on photos for links).

This is a simple and fun Fall card I am going to send as a thank you.

Stamps: Paisley Prints; Paper: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Concord Crush, Whisper White, Old Olive Prints DSP; Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive marker; Accessories: Pumpkin Pie satin ribbon, Pumpkin Pie button, Linen thread, Scallop Edge punch, Coluzzle.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fun Technique: Stamping with Smooch Spritz

I am playing along with this week's Friday Mashup, a color challenge. Perfect fall colors!

I thought I would give a new technique a try, which I saw at Baltimore Regionals, stamping with Smooch Spritz. The technique is also described on Stampin' Addicts as the Bollywood technique.

I inked the background stamp in the Day of Gratitude set with Versamark and then spritzed the stamp directly with Gold Glow Smooch Spritz and stamped. I just allowed the stamped images to dry rather than clear emboss them.

Here is a close-up of the gold shimmer.

Little confession - I have been having trouble with my Smooch Spritzes, and I have been avoiding them, although I just love the effect. I have smooched twice today in hopes of loving them again (not really hard) and working through my issues. So far, so good. I'll keep you posted.

Stamps: Day of Gratitude; Paper: Cajun Craze, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, More Mustard DSP; Ink: Cajun Craze, Old Olive, More Mustard, Versamark; Accessories: Gold Glow Smooch Spritz, Old Olive ribbon, More Mustard ribbon, More Mustard button, Linen thread, Scallop Trim Edge punch, Coluzzle, Scallop Circle #2 die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Maleficent, The Mistress Of All Evil

My ATCs have been on a Disney kick lately. No wonder, since we only watch programming for 3-year-olds in this house. Maleficent, from Sleeping Beauty, is such a great villian, and I thought it would tie into Halloween nicely. I've always been intrigued by those horn things she's got going on, and she can't be all bad if she likes purple, can she? You will recall that during her battle with Prince Philip, she actually turns into a fire-breathing dragon.

Some nice elements of ATCs are

• at least two layers - check
  
• stamping, of course - check
  
• a technique - stained mosiac, collage
  
• an embellishment - waffle paper
  

The brick background symbolizes a castle. For it, I used a homemade background stamp, created from scrap pieces of rubber stamps, to stamp with Versamark and emboss with clear embossing powder. Then, I used the stained mosaic technique, to stain the mortar between the bricks, by directly rubbing my Basic Gray ink pad on the paper and buffing the brick with a paper towel.

I added die-cut swirls in Kiwi Kiss and More Mustard to represent the flames from Maleficent as the dragon, and I also added black waffle paper along the bottom edge to embellish her flowing cape. And don't forget she always had her trusty crow (or raven?) mascot, Diablo. I was going to add words "Maleficent, the mistress of all evil", but I just ran out of time. I finally finished these guys at 1am the night before the event.

Stamps: Graveyard Gala, Homemade brick background stamp; Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White, More Mustard, Kiwi Kiss; Ink: Basic Gray, Versamark, Black Stazon; Accessories: Clear embossing powder, Internet images, Scribbles Swirls die, Bird w/ Leaves & Flower die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Paisley Leaves

This card was inspired by one I saw by Cindy Major and the Color Round Up challenge.

I haven't used my Poppy Parade and I am just mounting my Paisley Prints, so it sounded like a good idea.

I have a whole package of twill tape, which just got opened with the card. Fun to use, great texture for Fall, and as you can see, you can stamp on it too (Paisley Party wheel here). The textured background is the Lattice embossing folder.

Stamps: Paisley Prints, Sincere Salutations, Paisley Party wheel; Paper: Poppy Parade, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Very Vanilla; Ink: Poppy Parade, Early Espresso, Old Olive; Accessories: Twill tape, Linen thread, Gold brads, Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, Lattice embossing folder, Big Shot, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Haunting

We had the Halloween Haunting class last week. This is a great way for us "adults" to celebrate Halloween (and an excuse for me to get that decorating done). I saw these little cute Halloween boxes made with the petal punch (pg. 202, $17.95), and I had to make some. This is a cool punch, more advanced than your average punch, because it both cuts and scores at the same time. I originally saw these done by Lisa Martz and Christy Fulk.

These guys require two punched petals per box, and then just decorate. The perfect size to fit a Hersey's nugget.

Then what will you use to hold your little scary boxes? Well, a tiny treat box, of course!

Created with spooky images, Halloween DSP, a tutorial from SCS, and a bit of paper shredding. I love how these came out! And no party is complete without spider cider, deadly donuts, and colorfully decorated cupcakes (putting my Perfect Setting die to good use)!

Thanks for stopping by!

Countdown To Christmas: Peaceful Season

Nine weeks to go...

This is a shoebox project I put together for a group meeting. I was in a rush and not 100% happy with it. Only the best for you, huh? You tell me what you think. This card uses Mojo Monday sketch #159, a fun little website with weekly layout challenges. A great place to go if you are stuck for a layout!

I got a chance to play with the hostess set we received at Convention, Peaceful Season. You could earn this set with your own workshop - contact me to set your date!

The globe ornament is embossed in gold. I cut the wavy pattern in the DSP, glued it down to the Always Artichoke cardstock, and cut again so the second layer would follow the pattern of the first. It was my first time to play with Cherry Cobbler seam binding. It is very nice and easy to tie into a bow.

Stamps: Peaceful Season, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy, Deck the Halls DSP; Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Not Quite Navy, Versamark, Cherry Cobbler marker, Always Artichoke marker; Accessories: Sponge, Gold embossing powder, Cherry Cobbler seam binder, Linen thread, Word Window punch, Designer Label punch, Dimensionals.
Thanks for stopping by!

ATC: Enter, If You Dare...

I attended a shoebox swap in Middletown, NY back on October 9. Great fun - waving hi, Girls! Here is the ATC swap I created for the event. I imagine this mean looking crow is guarding the gate into ?? Perhaps the spooky mansion?? Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty had a crow mascot, didn't she?

I went through a bunch of iterations, because I was having trouble deciding on the best color scheme. I think I like the upper right best. How about you?

I used the polish stone technique on Glossy White paper to create the main image. The crow was stamped on the background and again on Sahara Sand and cut out. And I used a Build-a-Brad on the "31".

Stamps: Dark & Dreary; Paper: Basic Black, Glossy White, Sahara Sand, Various Halloween DSP; Ink: Black Stazon, Pumpkin Pie refill, More Mustard refill; Accessories: 1/2" Circle punch, Build-a-Brad.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamp Club Project: Leaves Are Falling

One of my favorite things to do in the Fall is collect fallen leaves for craft projects. Martha got me on this kick... you know, Martha Stewart. I once made framed butterflies created out of fallen leaves. Anywho, that's the feel for this card. Perhaps grab some leaves while in France, as a momento, tie them to a card and send them to a friend...

And I stamped off twice before stamping inside the card. You could write over the stamped area, or let's face it, use up space so you don't have to write so much - heehee!

Stamps: French Foliage, Artistic Etchings; Paper: More Mustard, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla; Ink: Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, More Mustard, Cajun Craze; Accessories: Mini Vintage Tag, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Top Note die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Haunting Class Sneak Peek, Handmade Holiday Promotion, and MDS Printing Price Reduction

I'm having fun decking out the house in preparation of the Halloween Haunting class on Thursday. This is my version of a Halloween party - decorating the house, Halloween snacks, and fun Halloween projects.

I thought I would give you a little sneak peek of one of the projects we will be making. Can you tell what it is?

Hope to see you there!

Starting today, Stampin' Up! is kicking off the holiday season with the ABCs of the Perfect Handmade Holiday.

This time of year is the best time to have a workshop, and these bundles make projects easy! Although people may not send handmade cards and gifts year-round, this is the time of year people try to put their heart into their gift- and card-giving. Why not introduce a friend to the fun and social aspect of papercrafting? I haven't been to a workshop that wasn't a fun night out; I guarantee a great time! Contact me to book your workshop today!!

Stamp Set Bundles

Bundle Description	Wood-Mount Bundle Sale Price	Clear-Mount Bundle Sale Price
Vintage Christmas Card Bundle Bells & Boughs Set Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper	$23.92	$19.92
Contempo Christmas Card Bundle Contempo Christmas Set Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper	$20.72	$17.52
Tags til Christmas Bundle Tags til Christmas Set Decorative Label Punch	$38.32	$31.92
Gift Packaging Bundle Gifted Set Mini Lunch Sacks	$26.32	$19.92
Simply Adorned Gift Bundle Charming Set Simply Adorned 1" x 1-1/4" Charm Simply Adorned 24" Chain	$39.88	---

Non-Stamp Set Bundle

Bundle Description	Bundle Item	Bundle Sale Price
Frame Gift Bundle Definitely Decorative Chunky Frame Small Chocolate Chip Dotted Flourish Décor Elements	124075	$19.92

In addition, Stampin' Up! has announced a price reduction in professional My Digital Studio printing, just in time for the holiday season.

Prices have been reduced 15-60%, click here for the complete list. Take advantage of the great pricing on holiday cards and gift photo albums, and make sure you beat the seasonal rush!

Thanks for stopping by!

Simply Adorned Charms

I'm so excited today! I went to my local gaming shop and found 8-1/2 x 11" plastic pocket protectors that hold 2 x 2" flip coins. These are perfect to hold my Simply Adorned charm inserts. Now I can easily flip through the options and swap out my charm inserts.

I am holding a Simply Adorned Charm class on Thursday, November 4th. I will have my new display book, full of Convention and mail-in swaps, available for viewing, photographing, and copying. These charms, necklaces, and inserts would make great Christmas presents, either as jewelry or as tree ornaments. Make sure you sign up by this Wednesday, October 20th. All the details can be found on my Meetup page.

And just in time, there is a new Handmade Holiday promotion starting on October 19, which includes a Simply Adorned gift bundle. The Charming stamp set (shown below), 1 x 1-1/4" charm, and 24" chain for $39.88, a 20% savings!

Here is the current state of my Simply Adorned necklace. I have a few ideas brewing for the Holiday season.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tote-ally Awesome Offer Expires Soon... Plus Something Extra!

Have you been thinking about signing up as a demonstrator? Well now is the best time!

• Only until Monday, October 18, you can receive this Greenhouse Gala tote FREE with your Starter Kit, a $39.95 value!

• Additionally, as a special offer for Regional attendees, if you sign up with me by Monday, you will also receive a not-yet-released stamp set called Eat Chocolate from the upcoming Occasions mini. I haven't seen this set yet; wouldn't it be great to be the first to have it? Samples with the set are shown on the Regionals display board above.

And then there is also all the other great benefits of signing up as a demonstrator:

• The new demonstrator starter kit is updated to have more flexibility than ever! You have the choice for your kit to include clear mount stamps with an acrylic block, satin ribbon, Stampin' Memories add-on, Definitely Decorative add-on, or choose My Digital Studio + Starter Kit. And the new starter kits have been reduced to $175 ($310 value)!
• Being "in the club" - first access to new catalogs, preorders, and specials, free stamps, discounts, and incentives.
• Being part of an active business-oriented team, with monthly meetings to swap and share business tips.
  
• Attending Stampin' Up events with other demonstrators.
• Supporting your hobby while having fun and sharing what you love!

Are you ready to sign up? Just go to my demonstrator website > start your own business > join now! The password is "join1team".

Thanks for stopping by!

Countdown To Christmas: Friday Mashup Challenge #14

Ten weeks to go to Christmas, and here it is, my Friday Mashup challenge Guest Stamper submission. Oh, the hot rays of the spotlight... Well, I only got 5 minutes of fame on stage at Regionals, so I need 10 minutes more, right?

So this week's mashup is a sketch challenge.

Can I tell you how easily this came together with all the coordinating products in the Holiday mini catalog?

I chose A Cute Christmas set for my focal point, along with coordinating Candy Cane Christmas Specialty DSP. Love the embedded glitter! What other matching products would make this card special? Well, that's easy! There is fabric, seam binding, buttons. Why not use it all?

I adhered my fabric to Whisper White cardstock and ran it through the Big Shot with the Scallop Square die to create the scallop strip. It coordinates perfectly with the DSP, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, and the Garden Green button, sewed onto the card with Linen thread. This card has a lot of texture going on.

And a close up of this little cutie. I watercolored him with an aquapainter, and then highlighted his buttons with Smooch Pearlized Top Coat.

How did I get picked to be a guest stamper, you ask? Well, I played along with a past challenge and won! And you can too, so make sure you play along!

Stamps: A Cute Christmas; Paper: Baja Breeze, Real Red, Whisper White, Candy Cane Christmas Specialty DSP; Ink: Black Stazon, Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride, Real Red; Accessories: Aquapainter, Candy Cane Christmas designer fabric, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Garden Green button, Linen thread, Smooch Pearlized Top Coat, Scallop Square die, Big Shot, Circle Scissors Plus.
Thanks for stopping by!

Announcing Friday Mashup Challenge - I'm a Guest Stamper!

Great news! I am a Guest Stamper tomorrow on the Friday Mashup challenge! We will being doing this sketch challenge.

So make sure you stop in tomorrow, both here and on the Friday Mashup website, to check out all the designer entries. And play for yourself, for gosh sakes! It's fun!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Farm Life

My stamp set Farm Life hadn't seen ink yet, so time to pull it out and give it a try.

I masked off the horizon with a post-it note and sponged the sky with Bashful Blue and the ground with So Saffron.

I colored the scene with Classic ink and an aquapainter. The wheat was shadow stamped with So Saffron and More Mustard ink. And I painted the clouds with Whisper White Craft ink.

This card uses the Joy Fold, and it is held closed by the red button. Love this fun fold!

Stamps: Farm Life; Paper: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Tall Tales DSP; Ink: Bashful Blue, So Saffron, More Mustard, Old Olive, Cajun Craze, Riding Hood Red, Basic Gray, Whisper White Craft; Aquapainter, Sponges, Post-it notes, Button, Linen tread.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamp Club Project: Graveyard Gala Matchbox

Fun little creepy candy box. I've been thinking about this one for a whole year, and I finally got to make it. The box is made from the Matchbox Big Shot die, and the Edgar Allan Poe text from the Nite Owl DSP goes perfectly with it. Sandi MacIver's box was my inspiration.

And another version with ruffled waffle paper.

Stamps: Graveyard Gala, From the Crypt, Wicked Cool; Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Pear Pizzazz, Basic Black, Sahara Sand, Nite Owl DSP; Ink: Black Stazon; Accessories: Brad, Rich Razzleberry ribbon, Waffle paper, Matchbox die, Big Shot, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

Acrylic Block Collage Stamping

When I was in the French Foliage gallery, I saw a beautiful collage card made by Lisa Young, aka genesis, and I had to CASE it.

I used the acrylic block stamping technique on the background using More Mustard ink, similiar to this card here. I then stamped further with the French Foliage images, Tangerine Tango ink, and Concord Crush ink. I stamped off some of the images for a lighter look. The main image was brayered in the upper right corner and matted with a sponged layer. Super card, Lisa!

Stamps: French Foliage, Warmest Regards; Paper: Tangerine Tango, More Mustard, Whisper White; Ink: More Mustard, Tangerine Tango, Concord Crush; Accessories: Acrylic blocks, Sponge, Brayer, Tangerine Tango ribbon, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!