Faux Dry Embossed Snow-Swirled

Faux Dry Embossing was the Technique Lover's Challenge for Monday on SCS (search TLC183 to see more samples). First you stamp in White Craft Ink and then you stamp in your base color. It creates the look of having been dry embossed. I like the look, and I hope you do too.

I used the star brad from the Styled-Silver Hodgepodge Hardware as a tree-topper and the new large oval punch for the sentiment. The colors are Certainly Celery and Ridinghood Red. The Snow Swirled Snowflakes in the background are just stamped in White Craft Ink.

Big Shot Ornaments

These little ornaments were so simple to make using the Big Shot machine that SU! has now. I simply used the Birds and Blooms Sizzlits dies and the Join in the Cheer Decorative Strip die to create them......not amazing I guess, but a ton of fun for someone like me who is new to die-cutting! I punched an extra flower and center for the back of the bird so it would look nicer. (I used the 1/8 inch punch for the flower centers, and Boho Blossoms punch for the Old Olive leaves.)

The ornaments are so nice and light that they'd be perfect for when you need a lightweight ornament to fill a space when the branch isn't quite sturdy enough for other ornaments on a real tree.

Acetate box and new Sizzix dies

For this little box for the Technique Lover's Challenge on SCS, I used the Humor in High Heels set as well as my new BIG SHOT with the Birds and Blooms "Flower Pieces" and "Scallop Circles" dies. I think it really helped coordinate the new Maine Blueberry paper with my project.

The light blue bling brad is perfect with it, but we're having a strangely rainy August here, so it doesn't show well in the photograph.

Inspired by Nature

This great new set makes a lovely Rudbekia (brown-eyed Susan), Daisy or Purple Coneflower. The possibilities are many, and I had felt a little deprived of this style by SU! lately, so I am thrilled with it! I used the butterflies and LOVE from Dreams du Jour as well. For my first try I chose Lavendar Lace to make Purple Coneflowers since I grow them in my flower beds....I also grow white ones, and the lady down the street has a coral-like orange :). So many cards to make! :)

Convention Highlights!

Ladies, I am so excited about the new catalog and new products Stampin' Up! is offering this fall!We will have phase two of the new decor elements line which adds more colors and designs, a catalog for which my wish list is huge, and starting in September, the BigShot diecut machine by Sizzix! SU! will have several exclusive dies as well as providing a variety of Sizzix dies for purchase through SU!

Here is just a sampling of the fun things they had for us in Salt Lake City:

The views were lovely and so different....mountains all around, and Salt Lake City had delicious restaurants. My friend Brooke from church in Edmond now lives there and took us to a great local restaurant called Ruth's out in Emigration Canyon and then on a great tour of the city. This picture looks toward the Great Salt Lake:

Jessika (my upline) and I toured the Stampin' Up! headquarters in Riverton, UT with all the other demonstrators. This is in the entry/eating/break area of Stampin' Up!.

Here's a quick picture of the distribution area within the building:

We also saw lovely staging areas where products are showcased called the Legacy Rooms. The things shown here are not in the catalog, but are likely in the holiday mini catalog:

The presentations and classes were helpful and great fun. Here is a bookmark and also a picture of the new colors of decor elements:

There are also limitless displays of items and cards made by fellow demonstrators. I think this cookie sheet calendar would make a great Advent calendar.

Here's a picture of the Artisan Award winning submission by Mary Jo Albright. I was amazed by her fabulous creations, and her scrapbook page has already been featured on Shelli Gardner's blog here: http://www.soshelli.com/ (Shelli is the owner and co-founder of Stampin' Up!):

Here are some online friends I was finally able to meet in real life....They are challenge chasers....we like to do the Splitcoaststampers challenges as often as we can. I also had a great time at the SCS (splitcoaststampers) dinner and enjoyed meeting the girls posting to the Swapppers Anonymous threads. I'll have great swaps to show you all at the New Catalog Open House on the 28th!

Final day of swaps....Saturday August 2nd

I hope to see lots of new technique ideas for you all when I swap this Cracked Glass Bird from Spring Song and this Serigraph technique Pretty Amazing set card!

What I'm swapping today....Friday August 1st

Today I will be swapping in two WOW swaps and my own Ten Minutes to Terrific Swap as well as with the SCS Challenge Chasers....I haven't had time to chase challenges lately--too many swaps!

This is the 10 minute card...so simple and quick!

The gingerbread men were cut from the Deer Friends set after embossing them with spiced embossing powder for a bit of a scratch and sniff effect with a cute texture. I added faux red hot candy dots, a licorice mouth and raisin eyes as well as white icing trim. Then, I popped them (with dimensionals) onto a silver sheet pan with silver embossed edges on a checked table cloth. I like the Ridinghood Red with Moss and Not Quite Navy much as I liked Cranberry Crisp with those colors year before last. The Merry Christmas from Load of Love seems to fit this style nicely too. This was sketch challenge 70 (SC70) on SCS as well.

What I'm swapping today.....Thursday July 31st

Today is the first day of classes and meetings, and my schedule is packed with great swapping opportunities!

First at lunchtime, I will be swapping these little Hostess Gift idea buckets....It is just a little Dollar Store bucket punched with the CropADile and threaded with Very Vanilla ribbon dyed with Kiwi Kiss Reinker.

Next, I will be swapping for mini 3-D items with these black embossed and pastel/chalk embellished Tea Bag Holders that use the Always Set as well as the sentiment from the new for fall Sock Monkey set.

After classes end for the day, I'm in a swap for fun 3D items in which I will be swapping the Mini Book I sent in email last week. It is large enough to hold 4X6 pictures and uses our new Bella Rose designer series paper and the new Dreams du Jour stamp set.

At the same time, and in the same general location, I will be swapping the 6X6 2 page scrapbook layout that I also sent in my email last week with another group. I hope to get some great ideas for you all!

What I'm swapping today.....Wednesday, July 30th

I have two swaps to show you today--one is my Splitcoaststampers Dinner Swap, and the other is a swap for those of us on Splitcoast (SCS) who posted a lot to the swap-making support thread :)

Here is my dinner swap using "A Little Birdie Told Me". I made 54 of these...The new scallop edge punch made making the roof so much quicker, but it was still a bit tiring! A big thanks to Alison (arcopes on SCS) for helping me get these sponged and put together!

This is my swap lovers group Fancy Folds swap...only had to have 16 of these :)

Where's the Fancy Fold? Just a simple V-fold inside.....:)

What I'm swapping today.....Tuesday, July 29th

Today I will just be swapping a few general swaps while I travel. It uses the polka dot background and the Party Hearty set which will be available in the Fall and Winter catalog:

Zig Painty Retired!

I had this prototype in mind for a swap at Convention, but the zig painty was retired. I loved that gold and silver pen for Christmas accents especially. It made a nice leaded look for the grid technique as a faux tudor window....I was pretty excited to offer it for a class. Maybe there will be a suitable alternative? Here's hoping!

On my way to the Stampin' Up! Convention in Salt Lake City!

I'm excited for a fun week of swapping cards, meeting stampers, attending classes, seeing great ideas and making wish lists from the new Fall and Winter SU! catalog!

When we arrive Tuesday evening, I will be giving a few gifts to Jessika (my upline) and Pat (my sideline) as well as a couple of ladies who are hosting get togethers and have put in a lot of work for fellow stampers benefit! Shown below are altoid tins, round tea bag containers with Pretties Kit flowers (which can be used for other knick knacks when the tea is gone), one of the cards we made at the Hostess Brunch on Saturday and a candy holder. The strips of the Bella Rose designer series paper make lovely accents so I won't be throwing away even the smallest strip of this new paper.

In this second picture, you can see the iridescent ice embossing powder gives a glittery finish to the butterfly.

New Bella Rose paper Altoid Tin

I finally found time to make something that isn't a convention swap!

Here's a different style of altered Altoid tin using Stampin' Up!'s new Bella Rose paper and three of the new In Colors (Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss and Pink Pirouette) that will be available August 11th. I also used the butterfly from the Dreams du Jour set and the "just for you" sentiment from the Sock Monkey set. The paper rick rack was made using SU!'s fun new scallop edge punch. I found the idea on http://juliedavison.blogspot.com/ the blog of a fellow SU! demonstrator. Thanks for sharing Julie!
I hope to have more new things for you soon!

Beaded Fresh Cut Notes

Just 12 inches of 28 gauge wire, a small blossom from the Pretties Kit, an Olive Bling Brad and Stampin' Up!'s blue beads decorate this Fresh Cut note that was originally destined for the recycle bin. I had unfortunately stamped the main stamp crooked, so I cut the edges off the die-cut note and used it as a layer on my card. I'm waiting to stamp a sentiment since I'm not sure to whom I will send it yet.

Color.....and the 5 W's!

Odd title?

Well, I took a Journalism class before I decided to major in Microbiology at Oklahoma State, so the 5 Ws do come to mind when planning a card.

Who?

To whom will I send/give this card? We choose colors based on whether the recipient is a male or female. Age can certainly play a role as well. You'll notice in my previous post below that there ~is~ pink on my dad's Father's Day card....of course!....on his granddaughters' dresses. :) We typically think of pastels for little girls, but I might send a pink marshmallow creation to an adult lady....it just depends on situation.

What?

What type of card are you sending? Light Pink or Blue seem to say, "Baby", and one probably wouldn't use cotton candy colors to convey condolences. It is helpful to consider the purpose of your card when choosing colors.

When?

I don't have to mention that seasons affect color choices. Glorious Green and Real Red are one idea of Christmas colors, but any number of choices are available-- even pink and green! (I used Mellow Moss, Very Vanilla and Pretty in Pink for my Christmas cards last year.) Try to imagine something creative and surprising for your recipient while staying within accepted norms.....or not staying within norms!

Where?

If the card or project is for a wedding or shower, it is fun to coordinate with the chosen colors if you know them. A Bride might even want to add your card to a scrapbook. Custom color choices allow much more freedom than buying at the store, and embossing, vellum and sophisticated ribbon add perfectly elegant details. I think the diecut notecards with the Fresh Cuts set available from Stampin' Up! this month also create a sophisticated card.

Why?

Why are you designing and sending a handstamped card? Why are you creating a scrapbook page or 3-Dimensional project? If you are like me, you are crafting something for this person or about this person because they are a friend or loved one. Allowing your feelings for them to show in your work is a challenge worth taking!

Color.....getting started....

When planning colors for your cards, projects and pages, what is your first step? I generally choose colors ~I~ like. We all have our favorites, but what if you want to expand your use of color or just use up leftovers from an assorted pack of SU! color family cardstock? Stampin' Up! provides the Color Coach on page 162 of the current Spring and Summer Catalog which can be helpful. A friend gave me a wonderful color ring of all the Stampin' Up! colors, so that I can quickly put colors together.

If you don't have these resources available, there is a great site on the internet at which you can input one particular color you'd like to use, and it will suggest other combinations. You can also just click on the colors just to see ones you are considering all together quickly. It is http://www.scraptitude.com/colorcombo/ I use it often when I have ideas for two colors especially. I used it on the Father's Day cards below for suggestions for use with Chocolate Chip. Thanks Laura! (designer of the site)

I recently ran across a book called Colorscapes by Susan Sargent. It is a book of home decor, but it provides some lovely examples for the Bold Bright color family which can be difficult for me to use. I requested it from our local library and was surprised by the usefulness of it for paper crafting. Page 126 has a color scheme that reminds me of the colors we've seen will be a couple of the new In-Colors through Stampin' Up! for fall. Other combinations both wild and classic are throughout the book. Perhaps you will find it inspiring as well!


This card uses the Background Basics star stamp, the star punch and the Dad's Day set on page 112 of the SU! catalog. I punched the designer label tag with the slot punch for attaching the ribbon and matted the designer label punch on dimensionals onto a 1-3/8 inch circle punch. It is a bit difficult to see in my picture, but all the layers including the card base are distressed/roughed up to provide texture I consider masculine. The Chocolate Chip and Old Olive are masculine classic colors while the Bashful Blue lightens the card just a bit to provide some fun contrast.

This card was designed with fun in mind. Two light colors (Bashful Blue and Gable Green) are grounded by Chocolate Chip. I used the All in the Family set and computer sentiments. I followed a Splitcoaststampers sketch challenge and used SU! markers to color my family for a quick and simple card my dad will love.

Next time, my topic will be: Color.......and the 5 "W"s.

Teacher Appreciation Gifts

These little gifts I made for teacher appreciation week were easy and fairly quick. Cutting out the hummingbird was the most time-consuming part :). We were to bring something small every day, so I coordinated the wrapping.

These are chocolate holders I remember from a long ago challenge on splitcoaststampers (SCS). They also hold tea bags nicely. Originally this was for the Limited Supply Challenge today (use no stamps), but I added the hummingbird because it improved the look of it quite a bit :)
I just made a little tag for these Post-Its and put them in a cello bag...

I forgot to take a picture of the matching pen-oops!.

A Little Happy Spring Gift

I made this tiny tote with a shower gel and lotion inside and shower mist tag for an online SCS friend and ended up making them for a couple of other friends for Mother's day. I like that they aren't so big they make anyone feel like I've overdone it!

The shape of the tiny tote came from Stampin' Up! I altered their instructions just a bit since they just said wrap a certain box. My base is 4-3/4 inches by 11 inches. I scored at 3-1/2, 4-7/8, 8-1/2 and 9-7/8 inches and then at 3-1/2 the short way :). My Certainly Celery layer is 3-3/8 X 3-1/4, smaller Soft Sky is 3-1/8 X 3 and the Whisper White layer is 2-7/8 X 2-3/4. The Wide Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon is adhered inside with sticky strip for a quick and sweet little tote for tiny gifts.

Today's SCS Sketch Challenge plus

This card is for today's SCS sketch challenge.....it was a lot of fun to use the Rocket stamp from Pun fun and to use lots of embellishments......Below it is a simpler card that I made to give to the neighbors with a pack of diapers. They adopted 2 little boys that are toddlers so it needed to be a "Congratulations everyone!" sort of thing :) The "Have a Blast" sentiment was just printed on the computer.

Tone on Tone Embossing

Today's Inspiration Challenge on SCS was to be inspired by a cow from this site: http://www.toniscollectibles.com/products//Cow_Parade;All_Cow_Parade,_A-M/70

I chose the Hershey bar chocolate cow and made the card below....I think it is both rich and masculine.

While the embossing powders and gun were on my kitchen island, I decided to go ahead and try Vanilla tone on tone for an upcoming class. (Now I've decided to give the ladies a choice between the two I think.) The cards could also be gift card holders.