Friday, April 29, 2011

Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts Summer Mini Extravaganza!

Hellooo, so kind of you to stop by! As you may have heard, it's a very special day today....William and Kate are getting married! What? That's not why you're here?! Oh, then you must be looking for the Stampin' Addicts Summer Mini Blog Hop. Well then, you've come to the right place! If you've been following the links from the beginning, you've just landed here from Betty's blog, where she featured the fabulous new colors of Embossing Powders.  (If you get lost along the way, just click the banner above to find the complete hop list and links!)

Today I am showcasing the Flower Garden Embossing Folder. I think embossing, whether dry or heat, is my favorite technique, so I'm always excited to see what Stampin' Up! comes up with in their new catalogs....and this one certainly didn't disappoint! (Not that they ever do!)

First up is a card near and dear to this California girl's heart....California Poppies!  
(As always, you can click on the images to see more detail, along with all the mistakes, lol.)
This look was achieved by coloring on the embossing folder with Stampin' Write Markers. It's a fun technique with a high "WOW" factor! Quick tip: If you get ink where you don't want it, wipe it up with a Blender Pen.

Next is a card that combines both dry embossing and heat embossing. It has sort of an Asian feel, don't you think?
VersaMark ink was brayered on the embossing folder before running the cardstock through the Big Shot. It was heat embossed with black embossing powder, and then put through the Big Shot again with the Square Lattice embossing folder. Pretty cool effect, 'eh?

The last card is much softer looking. The flowers were embossed along the short side of the cardstock, and after rubbing Stampin' Pastels on the stems and petals, the focal image was cut and matted on the Rich Razzleberry background.
If you look closely, you'll see the flower centers were accented with Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (love that stuff). I'm not usually a fan of "fussy cutting", but this card just called for something to make it "pop".
For my last project, cardstock-weight White Vellum was embossed, then used as a window panel for the combination gift bag/luminaria. Fill a cellophane bag with scented bath salts, tie a pretty bow and place in the bag. Slip in a LED tea light and you have a mini spa in a bag. Great gift for Mother's Day!!!

Your next stop is Twila's blog featuring the Touch of Kindness stamp set. I adore that little bird bath!!!

After you have visited all the stops on the hop, I hope you will hop over and visit Stampin' Addicts! This is the greatest group of friendly, creative, helpful people (all addicted to Stampin' Up!) that you would ever want to meet. Everyone is welcome, from beginning stamper to seasoned demonstrator, so stop by and say 'Hi', and tell them Cindy sent you!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Another Swap Card

Here's another card for the Stampin' Addicts Demo Swap. This one uses the Hello Blossoms single stamp from the new Summer Mini. It's so stinkin' cute!

Stamp: Hello Blossoms
Cardstock: Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Greenhouse Gala DSP
Ink: Old Olive, Daffodil Delight and Basic Black Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Big Shot, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Square Lattice embossing folder, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Daffodil Delight 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, 1/4" Circle Punch, Old Olive Brads (Brights Collection)

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Swappin', Swappin', Swappin'...

....and getting ready for blog hoppin', though my eyes ares poppin'...... from too many late nights. (Sorry, can't make it rhyme, but Billy Crystal singing a modified version of Rawhide in 'City Slickers' comes to mind!)
This is one of the cards make for a 2011 Summer Mini catalog swap over at Stampin' Addicts. It uses the soon-to-be-released Fabulous Florets stamp set, which is - well, FABULOUS!

I love, love, love being a part of Stampin' Addicts swaps, because I know I will always get the highest quality swaps in return!  Of course, when I see the fabulousness of the cards I get back, I have feelings of total failure and inadequacy over what I sent, because everyone else is just so darned good at what they do!

Stamp: Fabulous Florets (available May 1st, Summer Mini)
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Confetti Cream, Crumb Cake, Watercolor Paper
Ink: Whisper White Craft, Pretty in Pink Classic, Rose Red , Old Olive Classic, Early Espresso Classic
Accessories: White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Aqua Painter, Early Espresso 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Naturals brads, Modern Label Punch, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Big Shot Die-Cut Machine, Stampin' Dimensionals

This Friday starts another S.A. weekend blog hop, woohoo! We'll be showing you sneak peeks of what's coming in the new Summer Mini catalog. I'll be featuring the new Flower Garden embossing folder. Ya know I love flowers and gardening, so it's a match made in heaven!!!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter!

Just popping in for a quick "Happy Easter!" to all of you. Family issues have prevented me from my regular posts, but I hope to get back on track now. Thanks for bearing with me!

Here's a cute treat for the kiddies using the Sweet Treat Cups.You pull on the bunny's ears to open the slider in back. These were made for my grandson's preschool class.
Stamp: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink
Ink: Basic Black, Sahara Sand (sponged around edge of head)
Accessories: 1-3/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Circle Punch, Small Oval Punch, Word Window Punch, Scallop Square Bigz Die, Big Shot, Basic Pearls, Sweet Treat Cups, Perfect Polka-Dots embossing folder, Pretty in Pink 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon (Googly eyes, small heart punch and cotton ball are non-SU.)

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Spring is Blossoming Promotion

One of the best perks of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is getting to be the first to see/order/play with new products from Stampin' Up!  How would you like to be able to do that, without even becoming a demo? This month you can, if you take advantage of the Spring is Blossoming promotion.  You can preorder the Four Frames stamp set, which fits the Decorative Label Punch, and/or the Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper (which is gorgeous IRL) that will be in the new 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog, available July 2011. There are two ways that you can get in on the action....
  • Spend $20* on any Stampin' Up! products and you are eligible to purchase both the Four Frames Set (wood mount or clear mount) and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper.
  • Host a $350* workshop and get the Four Frames Set and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper for FREE!
  • Both items can be purchased once the $20 minimum is met; there is a limit of five per product once the $20 minimum is met. Ordering another $20 of Stampin' Up! products resets the limit and allows you to purchase another five Designer Series Papers and/or stamp sets!
Psssst! Now I'm going to let you in on a little secret.....if you want to save some money, stock up on this DSP before the offer expires at the end of the month....and that's all I can say about that. ;-)

The pictures really don't do the Paisley Petals DSP justice - you've got to see it to appreciate it!

* Net product purchase, before tax and shipping.

Monday, April 4, 2011

What a Weekend!

The first-ever gathering of Moovers and Shakers from SCS took place last weekend, and we managed to get six of us together for a weekend of stamping fun, food and laughter. Oh my, I haven't laughed that much in a long time...my insides got a good workout! I was the hostess, but I hardly had to do anything. The ladies pitched right in and made themselves at home. Jill made supper Saturday night, and everyone helped clean up, whilst I sat on my as.., um, butt. Dawna even had to make her own bed with fresh linens, lol. I tried to compensate for my laziness by leaving a chocolate mint on her pillow. Hope it was enough. :-)

We did a shoebox swap (my first!), and every project was fabulous!  Christine showed us how to make a waterfall card, which I had been itching to try. It was almost like she read my mind! Betty's classy black and white card and ATC was an "enabler" for me - now I have to get that Nestabilities Lacey Circles die. Dawna's technique using chalk inks to make a background the looked reminiscent of mother-of-pearl was way-cool. Jill didn't have to enable me, since I already possess that Build a Blossom punch and stamp set, But now I'm inspired to ink it up! These cards (and a lot more) are going to Operation Write Home this week!