Just Believe Watercolor Technique

Here is an easy watercolor technique that makes it look like you spent hours painting instead of 5 minutes stamping!

The new set, Just Believe is ideal for this technique.

Simply use the brush tip of your stampin' write markers and color directly on the stamp. Then mist the stamp with water, and stamp on watercolor paper.

Here is the result:

The result you get will depend on how much water you spray on the stamp. Too much water will result in a gloppy mess. I usually do about 3 short mists holding the stamp about 4 or 5" from the stamp. It's a fun technique, and so easy.

Here is a close up of the flowers.

This was actually one of the make and takes that convention attendees got to make this year. I didn't attend convention, but saw the card and decided to give it a whirl. :)

The marker colors I used were: Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive, Bashful Blue and Not Quite Navy.

The cardstock is Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue and watercolor paper.

Give it a try and let me know how you make out! I know you will have FUN trying out this technique.

More Watercolor Trio

I have several samples of Watercolor Trio Cards that I made, and since the Summer Mini ends this month, I figured I'd better post them soon!

This one has a more elegant feel to it. I think its the Vanilla cardstock and the Vanilla Satin Ribbon. That stuff ROCKS. It's so rich and high quality. Love it!

I inked the En Francois Background Stamp in Crumb Cake Ink and stamped the backgrounds. The main image is inked with Early Espresso and Cherry Cobbler ink. Such an awesome combo together. Love it. The focal point is backed with a piece of Early Espresso Cardstock.

Easy Peasy. I adore the simple, elegant cards. No lie, this one I made in less than 10 minutes.

Awesome!

I hope you are having a great week!

Remember the hostess promotion is in effect only until August 31. Get an EXTRA $25 in Hostess Dollars when you host a $350 workshop! WOW. You will get at least $65 in Free Products, PLUS a wonderful selection of hostess only stamp sets. If you've seen that new catalog, I know you have items on you wish list! Let me help you get them for FREE - - - it's the best price in town!

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

Baby Tee's Card

So today I thought I would share something BESIDES a floral card. LOL. We sure love our florals! But there are so many other wonderful occasions to make cards...like a new BABY!

I just purchased the new Baby Tee's Jumbo Wheel from the new catalog. I didn't even own anything current for a baby. Imagine that! I guess it's been a long time since I needed a baby card.

I love the hand drawn look of this design, and it's a perfect set for watercoloring. It was so much fun to color these in.

I inked the jumbo wheel in Jet Black Stazon ink, and rolled it across a piece of watercolor paper. I then used our Stampin' Write Markers in Blush Blossom and Pear Pizzazz to color them in.

What I did was use the brush tip of the marker, and scribbled it on the top of one of our plastic stamp cases to make a palette of color. Then I picked up the color with my Aqua Painter, and painted the tee's. Such fun!

When they were dry, I cut out the tee's and threaded them with a piece of our rope (retired from last year...I was out of linen thread). I popped each tee up on a dimensional, and used brads to anchor the "clothes line". Cute, eh?

The center tee with the star has some glitter on it. These are obviously for a baby girl, and I figure you can never start a girl off too soon with some bling. :)

The cardstock is Blushing Bride (one of the new In Colors) and the designer paper layer is from the Pattern Pack that is a Hostess Level 1. The tee's are mounted on Very Vanilla (that has been embossed with the Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder) and backed with a piece of Pear Pizzazz Cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you had a great weekend.

Click HERE to place your Stampin' Up! order. Click SHOP NOW in the upper right corner.

Mad about Medallion

I haven't used Medallion in awhile. I don't know why...it's such an awesome stamp and you can do so many COOL techniques with it. Embossing and Poppin' Pastels are two that I played around with yesterday.

This is a card we made at my Stamp Club Weds. night. It's a pretty straight forward card - but it truly is gorgeous. It's Very Vanilla and Whisper White Cardstock. I stamped Medallion with Versamark ink, and heat embossed with White Embossing Powder. I then sponged over the image with Sahara Sand ink. I added a pearl to the center from the Pretties Kit, and added a Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon. I think it looks elegant! :) It could also make a nice Anniversary or Mother's Day Card. The gals all loved it.

Now, this card is a bit softer, and uses our chalks, Stampin' Pastels. I haven't pulled these out in a long time, and I don't know why! LOL. They are so much FUN to play with! :)

This card uses Pretty in Pink and Whisper White Cardstock. I inked the stamp in Versamark ink and stamped on the Whisper White Cardstock. I then used our sponge daubers with the chalks to "pop" out the color (thus the name Poppin' Pastels). You really have a lot of control over the shading with chalks. I wanted this to be soft, so I daubed very lightly with the chalks.

I stamped the Medallion a second time on scrap white, and went a little heavier on the chalks, for a darker look. I then punch out the center with the Scallop Circle Punch. I added a Rhinestone Brad (also from the Pretties Kit) to the center with a little flower. I then popped it up on the original image with Stampin' Dimensionals.

The ribbon is the White Satin Ribbon from the Mini Catalog, and just a small piece of Pretty in Pink Taffeta to coordinate with the cardstock.

The greeting is from Teeny Tiny Wishes. I use that set ALL THE TIME! It has 24 greetings in that set and they cover everything from Christmas to retirement. It's a great, versatile set that I reach for over and over. And as a bonus, the greetings fit nicely inside the Word Window and Modern Label Punches.

And before I leave you, here is Bella and my honey looking out at the rain. Ed loves this dog....and he didn't even want to get a dog. He can frequently be seen laying on the floor with Bella, hugging her. :)


So, thanks for stopping by on this rainy, dreary day....
Now, go stamp something! :)




To place your Stampin Up! Order, Click HERE and select SHOP NOW from the upper right corner.

Charming

Can you believe that I have had this stamp set for about 5 months, and I never mounted it or used it until today? GASP! :0)

The set is called Charming, and it was in the Holiday Mini Catalog. Although that catalog is expired, this stamp set is still available.

Today I am holding my Birthday Mini Stamp A Stack (10 card). This is one of the cards the gals will be making.

I kept all the cards simple today since they are stamping so many of them. This one uses Kraft and Soft Suede Cardstock. We used Versamark and Soft Suede ink, and the eyelet border punch. The Soft Suede Polka Dot Ribbon finishes it off nicely. I just love how all SU products coordinate...makes things so easy!

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great Sunday,

Stamp Camp Sample

As promised, here is another card we made at Stamp Camp on Saturday. My stamp room was all a bustle with two back to back camps. Everyone seemed to LOVE the cards and a great time was had by all.

I just love this card and layout! It features the new 2-Step Bird Punch. When I first saw this punch in the mini catalog, I wasn't wild about it. But then I went to Leadership and saw tons of awesome samples, and I fell in love! It punches the branch, bird and wing all at once!

We used the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder to emboss on the Rich Razzleberry piece. The Designer Paper is Cottage Wall, and it's just soooo pretty! The border punch down the side is the Scallop Trim Border Punch and it's one of the FREE offerings during Sale-A-Bration.

The bird piece flaps open to reveal a white piece underneath to stamp a greeting or jot a quick note. I love cards that feature a cool fold!

To make this card:

Rich Razzleberry - 5 -1/2" x 4 -1/4"

Cottage Wall Designer Paper - 5 -1/2" x 3"

Orchid Opulance Cardstock - 5- 1/2" x 1"

Layer pieces for the Bird:

Whisper White - 2- 1/2" x 2- 1/2"

Rich Razzleberry - 2 - 3/4" x 2-3/4"

Old Olive - 3" x 3"

Directions:

1. Emboss the Rich Razzleberry Piece using the Elegent Bouquet Embossing Folder and the Big Shot.

2. Fold the strip of Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper in 1/2 legth wise. Attach to the back of the Rich Razzleberry Cardstock.
3. Scallop the edge of the Orchid Opulance strip and adhere underneath the front piece of the Cottage Wall Designer Paper.
4. Punch bird, wing and brach using the 2 step Bird Punch.
5. Adhere branch to the Whisper White Piece.
6. Sponge bird and wing with Rich Razzleberry Ink. Adhere together.
7. Attach bird to branch with Stampin Dimensional.
8. Attach bird piece to Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive layers.
9. Adhere to front flap.
10. Inclue a 2-3/4" x 2-3/4" Whisper White piece on the inside to stamp greeting.

As you can see, this card is EASY PEASY! You could crank them out in no time at all and they are super cute. My stamping friends LOVED them yesterday!

To shop online, click here. And remember, it's Sale-A-Bration time! Every $50 order gets you FREE STAMPS, PAPER or TOOLS! :)

Have a great day!

Stamp Camp Sneak Peak

Saturday Jan 23rd is my first Stamp Camp of the new year! I have been having so much fun playing with the new stamps and accessories! I hope my customers love them as much as I do!

Here are 2 of the projects we are making tomorrow.

It should come as no surprise that we will be using Vintage Vogue! It's my favorite set from the Occasions Mini Catalog and so versatile! This card uses Soft Suede, Very Vanilla and Bravo Burgandy ink and cardstock. The greeting is from a set called Vintage Labels and it is one of the Sale-A-Bration sets you can get for FREE with a $50 order. I added quite a bit of sponging on this card to make it look antique. A few gold brads adds just a hint of bling. ;0)

This card is simply Very Vanilla and Pretty in Pink and features the I {heart} Hearts Stamp Set and the Sending Love Designer Series Paper. I love that this paper is pre glittered! No mess!

The scallop is made from the new Pinking Hearts Border Punch. I wanted to show this set can be used for so much more than just valentines' day. Any day is a good day to spread a little love.

The greeting is a set called Whimsical Words. There are 8 greetings in this set that all have that beautiful font. It is another FREE SET option with a $50 order.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a great weekend!
Tune in tomorrow for the other 2 projects from Stamp Camp!

Hope you can join me next time.

Mini Catalog Inspiration

After my group meeting on Sunday, I had some down time to play with all my new stampin' goodies! I made a couple of cards that I want to share with you today.


Now, I have to apologize up front...I am hooked on the Vintage look...Vintage Vogue Stamp set in particular. A few more cards and I should get it out of my system. LOL.




This card features the Bella Bleu Designer Paper and the new Vanilla Satin Ribbon...I also added a vanilla half back pearl from the Pretties Kit to the center of the flower.





This is simply Bashful Blue and Soft Suede. The top portion of the card was embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots folder, and sponged. The greeting is the Well Scripted Stamp Set in the Mini Catalog. The ribbon is Vanilla Taffeta. The punch is the Sale-A-Bration offering...get it for FREE with a $50 order. I added a vanilla button to the center of the flower and did a bit more sponging.


Stay tuned for more samples coming your way!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Feeling The Love....

Here are some more card samples from Leadership. Hope you enjoy the creative inspiration!

One of my very clever fellow demonstrators made this so cute Cupid card. This is the Build A Bear die cut for the Big Shot. She made him a little diaper, sash, arrow and even vellum wings. I thought she did a great job! Excuse my thumb in the lower left corner...we were sitting having coffee when she showed me her sample and I quick snapped a picture. Too cute!

On January 5th, Stampin' Up! release the Heart Treat Cups and coordinating Sweetheart Stamp set. How cool is this? You punch out with the Full Heart Punch and put the cup in the center and fill it with treats! Wouldn't you love to get this in the mail? There are even padded envelopes to mail these cards so they don't get squished! I will be featuring the Heart Treat Cups at my Sending Love Stamp Camp on Jan. 31. Come make one!


One of my altime favorite sets is the Always Stamp set. It's just classy and has this beautiful heart in it. It can be used for more than Valentines Day of course. But I love this card with the black and red contrast. Elegent and classy!

This card has some awesome new products on it. The background was done with the new Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder. Love it! And the butterflies are made with the Stampin' Up! Exclusive new Beautiful Wings Embosslit die! It cuts and embosses all these cute butterflies at once. A time saver, and the embossing on them very cool!

To place an order online for any of these new products, click here and select SHOP NOW in the upper right corner. And don't forget the FREE pickins' with every $50 order!

Have a great weekend!

One more Christmas Card

I am so sorry for not being a better blogger this month. I have been crazy busy (like most of you I am sure) getting ready for Christmas. I made over 80 cards this year, plus a special few done with My Digital Studio. I love making cards, gifts and tags...and every year I swear I am going to start earlier. And every year I don't.

I used the Dasher stamp for most of my cards this year. I just love that little reindeer. And he's only a $9 stamp! I made several versions, as there were so many I wanted to make. On this one, I wanted to use up some of the Christmas Cocoa Designer Paper I had left over.

The white cardstock behind dasher was embossed using the petals a plenty embossing forlder and the Big Shot die cut machine. The snowflake is made from the punch, and a brad in the center finishes it off.

I wish everyone a safe, healthy and happy holiday season. I look forward to stamping with you in the new year!

Merry Christmas to all ~

Falling Leaves

I wanted to share one of the cards we made at Card Club last week. This is the Falling Leaves Stamp set. I had gotten it a few months ago, and hadn't really used it yet. But once I got it inked up, I fell in love with it.

It's a pretty simple card....Soft Suede and Really Rust Cardstock, plus the Autumn Traditions Designer Series Paper. A few circle punches, and the new Modern Label Punch for the greeting makes it come together very easy. I added a few gold brads to brighted in up, and tied in the gold cord. A perfect card to say thank you, Happy Thanksgiving, or even for a fall birthday.

Thanks for stopping by,

More Medallion...

OK...I know I use Medallion a lot...but it's so awesome with many possibilities! This is a swap that I got at Convention, and it's simply stamped, but WOW I just love it!

There is so much you can do with this image...it could be appropriate for Weddings to Sympathy just by changing up the color.

Here is another version. I did this one at a Private Class over the weekend (Hi Christine!). My hostess Christine had seen some samples at my home with this set and asked if we could make a card with it.

On this one, we did the ol' Poppin' Pastels technique. You stamp the image with Versamark Ink, and use Stampin' Up! Pastels to daub the chalk onto the image. The chalk "pops" with color where the ink was stamped. It's a very cool, almost magical technique. It's best to use Stampin' Up!'s Sponge Daubers for this technique. They fit right on your finger-tip and they are wonderful! You have a lot of control over the color.

Want to learn this fun technique for yourself? Get a group of friends together and give me a shout! I will put together a Private Class for you! You will get to make your very own hand stamped creation right there! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great day!

New Embossing Folders

Stampin' Up! has outdone themselves again! In the catalog, we have new embossing folders to be used with the Big Shot Die Cut Machine. This one is called Elegant Bouquet. I just love it. Plain, simple, elegant and gorgeous!


The card base is Very Vanilla, and the layer is the new In Color, Soft Suede. I ran the top layer of Vanilla through the Big Shot using the embossing folder. I then used a piece of the Polka Dot Soft Suede ribbon (the reverse side of the polka dot ribbons is plain). I used the Oval All greeting set, stamped in Soft Suede, and layered it with an oval scallop punch. Easy peasy, done in less than 5 minutes!

These folders work beautifully with our new Wedding Collection. We have beautiful new papers, stamps and die cuts to make everything you need for your special day and it all coordinates perfectly. :)

Thanks for stopping by!
Stamp Happy,

Soft Suede For All You Do

I love the earthy tone of the Soft Suede and Dusty Durango In Colors. Here I paired them with the Kraft cardstock for a simple card. I stamped the stems on the Kraft in Versamark ink for a tone on tone look. Then I inked the flowers in Dusty Durango and Soft Suede and stamped on Whisper White cardstock. I cut them out and attached to the card with a Stampin' Dimensional . A scallop edge accent in Soft Suede and a bit of Polka Dot grosgrain ribbon in Dusty Durango, and there you have it.

Have a great afternoon and enjoy the sun!

Bermuda Bay Razzle Dazzle

I adore this years new In Colors, and this one is certainly no exception. This color is Bermuda Bay, and it's gorgeous. I love the way it looks against the black on this card. And lets not forget about this delicious Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon. The other side of the ribbon is plain, so you really have more than one option.

This is a fun stamp set, called Razzle Dazzle. Alternating the direction of the stamp gives kind of a funky look to it. In fact, perfect for the teen's...I used this set for my daughters birthday invitation last month. :-)

Have a great day...now go stamp!

For All You Do

This is another one of my new favorite sets. I got this set as a gift from Stampin' Up! on the recent trip to Hawaii. Now that the In-Colors are here, I am having a lot of fun playing with it. Here is a sample I had made for our Open House yesterday.

As you know, Stampin' Up! makes the most beautiful Designer Series Papers. This catalog is no exception. The paper I used on this card is from the Cottage Wall Collection. It coordinates with the Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive Cardstock perfectly. I also used the Eyelet Scallop Punch and a Rhinestone Brad in the center of the small flower. And I am not sure if you can tell by the photo, but the middle butterfly was cut out and the wings bent forward for a bit of dimension.

Thanks for stopping by...enjoy your day!

My New Favorite Stamp Set

The Medallion Background Stamp Set is my most favorite in the new catty. I have embossed with it, done poppin' pastels (chalks) and even stamped it on Designer Series Paper. Here is one of my first tries with it.

I used Confetti White cardstock and Chocolate Chip Classic ink. I died a pretties kit flower with Creamy Caramel ink, and added a 1/2 back peal to the middle. Kraft Taffeta ribbon finishes it off, along with a silver ribbon charm.

Thanks for stopping by! Make time to stamp something today!

Melon Mombo

Here is my first card with the new stamp set, Razzle Dazzle. I used the new color, Melon Mombo and the new coordinating polka dot grosgrain ribbon.

These new colors are so much fun! Deeply pigmented and very rich.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Big Bold Birthday

Here is another one of my "go to" sets that is retiring. This one is Big, Bold Birthday. I mean, who doesn't love a pink and chocolate cupcake? I am equally sad about this FUN, PERFECT FOR BIRTHDAY CARD Designer Series Paper, Sweet Always, being retired. And yes, the paper is already sold out too. I will sure miss this set and the paper. It made it simple to create fun and funky birthday cards. The set is of course still available until June 3oth.

Have a wonderful day and thanks so much for stopping by!