I have wanted this set since it first came out in the catalog, but somehow it always seemed to get pushed to the bottom of my wish list.  However, it was on sale a few months ago - in a bundle with note cards and brads and I just had to order it!  Finally, I was able to sit down and play with the set and I'm hooked!  I made one card, and then had to make several more - it was perfect to give to some of my friends and neighbors, and they loved it!  Isn't it fun making things for other people?  I think that's what I love most about Stampin' Up - it inspires me to be generous with my time.

Supplies:

Cheep Talk
Note Cards
Stampin' Write markers in Bermuda Bay, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive
DSP Sweet Pea
Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon
Pumpkin Pie Corduroy Buttons
Linen Thread
Scallop Trim Border Punch
Stampin' Dimensionals (for the bird's wing)

Punch Contest Winner

Happy Monday Friends,

We had a "You can't punch this" contest recently and we found out who the winner is.

Lori-Ann Watson won the contest with this card.

How cute! 

Way to go Lori-Ann

Click here to see all the entries.  They are fabulous.

Have a great day!

Welcome to the last sketch challenge of March. Spring is upon us and everything is starting to turn green and bloom. (At least here in the states ~ our Aussie/Kiwi demos are coming upon winter.) I'm lovin' it and hope you are too.

I'm not sure if you know it, but our Queen Diva, Max Conrad, is having a birthday on Monday. So be sure to stop by her blog and wish her a happy one.



Enjoy your hop, skip and blogging as you make the rounds with our divas.


Adriana
Alisa
Elizabeth
Jeannette
Leonie
Lorie
Max
Ruthie
Tammy
Tiffany
Carol.

Finally Friday with a Lesson in Color!!!

Hello all!!! Welcome to finally Friday with the trendsetting Tote-ally Tess!!!

Today's creation comes to us from Gretchen Barron. And not only does she gives us a gorgeous sample to look at, but also gives a color lesson!! Read on for more info:
Pantone, the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards (yes, there really is such an organization) has declared turquoise the Color of the Year for 2010!

Here's what they have to say about Turquoise.

"Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion and interiors. With both warm and cool undertones, Turquoise pairs nicely with any other color in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, complements reds and pinks, creates a classic maritime look with deep blues, livens up all other greens, and is especially trend-setting with yellow-greens".

Trendsetting ... that's our Tote-ally Tess in today card. Don't you just love her style?

Colors for today's card are Certainly Celery, Tempting Turquoise and Whisper White. I used Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper and 5/8" Certainly Celery Satin Ribbon, along with some turquoise brads (Bold Brights). I paper-pieced Tess's slacks, top and hair -- stamping them on scraps of paper and then attaching them over the top of the image stamped on Whisper White.

More photos and details are avialable on my blog at http://gretchenbarron.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/01/turquoise-is-the-color-of-the-year-and-a-new-stamping-411-sketch-challenge.html

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Diva Inspiration Challenge #88

I love the Spring colors and the butterflies in this week's inspiration picture! I know many of us are ready for winter to be over and gone, so let's have fun creating with Spring in mind!

To see what my creative team came up with, just click on their name:

Maria
Elizabeth
Carol
Katy
Robin
Karen

Post a link in the comments section with your blog entry or public gallery showing us what creation you were inspired to come up with!! If you upload to a public gallery, be sure to put DivaIC88 (no spaces) as the keyword. Have fun!!

Inspire Stampin' happiness wherever you go!! :)
~~Maria~~

Spring Tulips

Good Wednesday morning!  As you probably know by now, I have taken the position of Blog Manager.  Becky did a phenomenal job, and I have some big shoes to fill, but I am up for it!  I am looking forward to it!  With that in mind, this will be my last Wednesday post.  I'll still be around...I am on both the Inspiration Challenge and Sketch Challenge teams.  :)  If  there is anything you'd like to see on the blog, just let me know!  All suggestions are welcome.  You can leave me a comment here or send an e-mail.  Now on to today's card.  

I have seen these tulips made with the XL Bird punch all over and decided to make one for myself. 

  

I just love it!  It's so bright and cheerful!  The stem and leaves are from the tulip stamp in the Garden Whimsy set.  The flower petals are 3 wings from the bird punch, and they're sponged with the matching ink.  There is a piece of Whisper White on top of the card base that has been embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder.  Garden Green background layers really pop.  The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and is punched with the Word Window punch and layered on a Modern Label punch.  Whisper White taffeta is the finishing touch.

Supplies(all SU!):  Stamps- Garden Whimsy, Teeny Tiny Wishes.  Ink- Garden Green, Summer Sun, Pink Passion, Tempting Turquoise.  Paper- Whisper White, Garden Green.  Accessories-  Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, XL Bird punch, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Whisper White taffeta. 

 

Happy Stampin'!

Sharing Some Spring Love

I'd been working on another project and had some scraps laying around from the Flower Layers die; they'd been on my desk for several days when inspiration finally hit!  I needed a quick gift for some friends and this was perfect.  I liked how it turned out so much that I used all of my Treat Boxes making them - I just couldn't stop!  I love when that happens - I went from needing a gift, to finding someone I could give a gift to because I just couldn't keep these to myself!  It's one of the reasons I love Stampin' Up! so much.  It really inspires me to be more generous with my time.

I added some Sticky Strip under the flap to help keep the ribbon in place.

I added some Pretty in Pink ink to my center flower using a sponge dauber and then used my distressing tool on each of the flowers to help give it a bit of a vintage look.

I adhered the flower to the box using a Pop Up glue dot (which also helped to keep the brad in place) and I was all done!

Supplies:

Treat Boxes
Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla Cardstock
Specialty DSP
Sending Love Pretty in Pink Brads
Vintage Labels stamp set
Textured Impressions Folder
Chocolate Chip ink
Flower Layers w/Leaf Bigz die
Pretty In Pink 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon

Easter Dress

Happy Monday Friends,

We have so many talented and created Divas in our group and I am in awe at their creativity and talent.  This week's spotlighted Diva is no exception.

Melanie Schulenberg made this fabulous Easter Dress.

I've created something to focus on the awesome designer papers in the mini catalog. My first project is an Easter dress using the Shades of Spring paper. The large flowers in this paper series are so beautiful, to cover them up is not an option so I try to use them in a way that will best showcase their beauty.



Start by cutting a dress template from the paper, focusing on where you want your flowers on the dress. Additional flowers were cut, jazzed up with glitter and applied to the dress with a dimensional.
Melanie has had multiple requests for the pattern. You can download your Free copy at Craftside.typepad.com.

Here's the back of the dress. I ran it through a texturz plate for a little added detail and sponged Saffron ink around the edges along with some Sahara Sand.

What do you think of my satin ribbon flower? I took an interest in ribbon flowers during the holidays. With a quick trip to the library, I checked out as many books as I could on the subject "Ribbon Art". This rose worked perfect for the back of the dress as you can not see it when looking at the front of the dress.

For the ruffle, (on the base), I used the new Scallop trim punch from the SAB catty and crimped it. Then there's a layer of pink tissue under that I just HAD to add. Maybe it's a Southern thing, LOL! It made it so much more girlie.

Hard to see here, but all those white circle surrounding the yellow flower have crystal effects added to them.

Melanie, THANK YOU for sharing your wonderful talent with us.  You are amazing.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

diva sketch surprise challenge

Welcome to another Saturday sketch challenge with a surprise. The pretties kit was an added bonus this week.

The team has been doing a wonderful job with the challenges and we've had positive feedback on the hop, skip and blog.

You may start here and then skip from blog to blog to view the creativity of our team.


Adriana
Elizabeth
Jeannette
Leonie
Lorie
Max
Ruthie
Tammy
Tiffany
Carol.

Finally Friday with Roses!!

Hello all!! I hope everyone is enjoying a beautiful week as we have here in Michigan. We have been getting a taste of spring and it is wonderful!!!

Our project for today comes from Selene. She used the beautiful Manhattan Roses embossing folder to create a simple, yet elegant card.

Enjoy your day and your weekend!!!

Stamps: Embrace Life

Ink: Versamark, watercolor crayons, bashful blue, ballet Blue, and brilliant blue
Paper: whisper white, and ballet blue

Accessories: Blender Pens (to apply the watercolor crayons) Bashful Blue Silk Ribbon (from the mini)

Big Shot embossing folder Manhattan Flower, Black Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Powder Pal, Embossing Buddy, Snail Adhesive, 3/16" corner rounder

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Diva Inspiration Challenge #87

Today's inspiration picture is a bouquet of wild daisies. I like how the black background makes the flowers pop! Let's see what ideas will pop this week.

To see what my creative team came up with, just click on their name:

Maria
Elizabeth
Carol
Katy
Robin

Post a link in the comments section with your blog entry or public gallery showing us what creation you were inspired to come up with!! If you upload to a public gallery, be sure to put DivaIC87 (no spaces) as the keyword. Have fun!!

Inspire Stampin' happiness wherever you go!! :)
~~Maria~~

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today is St. Patrick's Day!  You know what that means!  Spring and Easter are just around the corner!  Gretchen Barron is sharing a gorgeous birthday card with us today.  Let's see what she has to say about it.

In your Easter bonnet ... This little hat in the Garden From the Heart stamp set is so darling and perfect for Easter or any spring occasion. Here I've used it for a Birthday card and combined it with Thoroughly Modern Designer Series Paper, Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay and Very Vanilla cardstocks, 1/2" Polka Dot Grosgrain ribbon and the Scallop Trim Border and Corner Punches. Click HERE to view a tutorial on how to use these great new punches. The hat on the card is paper pieced -- stamping it first on a scrap of Very Vanilla Cardstock, cutting it out, adding some highlights and shadows with a sponge and some Soft Suede Ink and then cutting out just the ribbon that was stamped on a scrap of DSP and adhering it with SNAIL adhesive.  More pictures and details are available on my blog at http://gretchenbarron.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/01/its-weekend-sketch-challenge-time-at-stamping-411.html 

Thanks so much for sharing with us, Gretchen!

Until next week...

Happy stampin'!

Gift Bag ideas

This month my son had his 5th birthday - I can't believe he's that old already!  I looked in the stores for some gift bags and then thought, "What am I doing?  I can make my own gift bags!!"

I stayed up late one night to get it done, and since I was tired, they didn't turn out quite the way I'd planned; but I like them anyway.

Andrew loves green, so I had to throw in as much green as possible :)

Andrew liked the Hot Air Balloon tag so much he's decided to keep it.  Awwww...

I have a stack of bags left, so I'll definitely be playing around with some different ideas.  Can't wait to see what I come up with ;)

Introducing our new Blog Manager along with a card and gift idea

Happy Monday !

I am happy to announce we have a new Blog Manager.  Becky Roberts from ID has done a magnificent job over the past months/year as our Blog Manager.  Becky has had to step down and of course I had to be on the look out for another Manager.  Thank you Becky for all you did for us. 

Elizabeth Harris from FL has had a lot of interaction with our blog.  She is a member of our Thursday Inspiration Team and our Saturday Sketch Challenge Team.  She is also our Wednesday Coordinator ......as you can tell, Elizabeth has shared many creations with us and has had plenty of experience with this blog. 

Todays project was created by the very talented, Elizabeth.  It was made for a birthday gift.

A very cute card with an equally cute gift.  What better gift than CHOCOLATE :)

We have lots of fun ideas coming your way!  Make sure you don't miss anything by subscribing to our daily posts.  (We post every day except Sundays).

Have a great day!

diva sketch challenge

Welcome to another sketch challenge. We hope you are enjoying them and will participate as well.



Adriana
Alisa
Elizabeth
Jeannette
Leonie
Lorie
Max
Ruthie
Tammy
Tiffany
Carol.

Finally Friday & All in White!!!

This week we are focusing on the color of white. Now, I don't know about you, but I have a very hard time creating white on white cards. But, last weekend was the VSN weekend on SCS and one of the challenges was to create a card mostly of white. You could add a touch of color, but not too much!

My sample for you this week is that card I created for VSN. I'm actually very happy with how it turned out.

My card base is, of course white. The background panels were run through my Big Shot using the Petals a Plenty and Perfect Polka dots embossing folders. Both of these eb folders are available now!! Once they were put together, I used my distressor tool around the edges. This helps to break up the different layers of white.

The main image panel was punched with the new Scallop Trim border and corner punches now available. The border punch is free with a $50 order during SAB, which ends this month!!!

Once this panel was punched, I stamped my bird, from a A Spring Song, in black staz on. This is a new set for me that I earned during SAB!!! I then watercolored the bird using my aqua painter and ink from the lids of Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, Creamy Caramel, So Saffron, Apricot Appeal and Sahara Sand. Watercoloring is not one of my strong areas, but I like how this turned out.

I wrapped the white satin organdy around the end, secured it with a crystal rhinestone brad and added the leaves. You can't tell in the photo but some of the leaves were punched with leftover embossed white and from the Brides dsp.

This whole panel is up on thick dimensionals. And, for me, this is Clean and Simple!!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Diva Inspiration Challenge #86

Almost time to celebrate St. Patrick's Day! My grandmother was Irish, so in honor of her I would like to share an Irish Blessing with you:

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

I hope you all have a very festive and safe St. Patrick's Day!

To see what my creative team came up with, just click on their name:

Maria
Elizabeth
Carol
Katy
Robin
Karen

Post a link in the comments section with your blog entry or public gallery showing us what creation you were inspired to come up with!! If you upload to a public gallery, be sure to put DivaIC86 (no spaces) as the keyword. Have fun!!

Inspire Stampin' happiness wherever you go!! :)
~~Maria~~

Birthday Bling

Happy Wednesday!  Today's project is mine.  It's a birthday card for my aunt.

This is definitely a girly-girl card!  Lots of pink and lots of bling!  There is glitter on the DSP background and the DSP paper-pieced gifts, and there are rhinestones (from the Eggcellent Eggs kit) on the sentiment.   The image layer is a die-cut from the Two Tags die.  The gifts are from Happy Moments and the sentiment is from Vintage Labels, both SAB sets you can earn for FREE!  The image layer and all the sentiment layers are sponged with Real Red ink.  It's attached to the card with dimensionals.  I found the layout while blog surfing, and it stuck in my head.  Of course, now I can't find the blog.  ACK!

Supplies(all SU!):  Stamps- Happy Moments, Vintage Labels.  Ink- Chocolate Chip, Real Red.  Paper- Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Sending Love DSP.  Accessories-  Big Shot, Two Tags die, Scalloped Oval punch, Large and Small Oval punches, Pretty in Pink Satin ribbon, 1/4" Real Red grosgrain, Eggcellent Eggs kit rhinestones, sponge dauber, dimensionals.

Until next week...
Happy stampin'!

Tote-ally Tess

I am so in love with this stamp set!  Isn't it adorable?  I think it's perfect for thank-you cards for customers.  This card is from Brenda Taylor and I love the scallop frame she's added.  :)

• Tote-ally Tess stamp set
• Kraft, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose and Whisper White card stock
• Welcome Neighbor designer series paper
• Basic Black ink pad
• Versa mark pad
• Black Emboss powder, SU markers, pretty in pink brads, pop dots
• Big Shot using oval scallop frame
• Word Window punch and Modern Label punch

Thanks for sharing Brenda!!

Simply Adorned

Happy Monday Friends!

Hope you have had a fabulous weekend.  One of our very talented Divas, Monika Davis made these absolutely amazing inserts for our Simply Adorned jewelry.

Isn't this awesome? 

Here is the reverse side

How elegant !!!  Monika, you did a fabulous job with this.  Way to go !!

Click here to see Stampin' Up!'s Simply Adorned line.

Have you made any inserts?  Post a comment and link to your blog.

Have a wonderful day!

diva sketch challenge

Thank goodness for pre-posting. I broke my computer on Tuesday and only had to add the text here. Guess I was getting a little too comfortable in my life right now. Anyway, welcome to the sketch challenge. Click on any of the links below and you will then be able to hop, skip and click to the rest of them.


Adriana
Alisa
Jeannette
Leonie
Lorie
Max
Ruthie
Tammy
Tiffany
Carol.

Diva Inspiration Challenge #85

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM!! How can you not want to have a scoop of today's inspiration?!? Even though the weather has been on the chilly side, this frozen treat would still hit the spot!

To see what my creative team came up with, just click on their name:

Carol
Katy
Robin
Karen

Post a link in the comments section with your blog entry or public gallery showing us what creation you were inspired to come up with!! If you upload to a public gallery, be sure to put DivaIC85 (no spaces) as the keyword. Have fun!!

Inspire Stampin' happiness wherever you go!! :)
~~Maria~~

Are you ready for Spring?

Hello Friends,

Happy March!! I am so excited that March is the official month for the word - SPRING!! 

Without any chit chat about the word winter, let's move on to a wonderful Spring project. 

You will be very familiar with one of our Design Team members, 'Gretchen Barron.'  Gretchen created this fabulous card and when I saw it, I smiled from ear to ear.  I am looking forward to seeing the beautiful spring flowers and this card made me think of SPRING !

Here is what Gretchen wrote:

Talk about Spring ... isn't this fun! The diagonal nature of Layer Two provides all kinds of possibilities for extra pattern, color and texture in your card. I used Certainly Celery, Orchid Opulence and Very Vanilla as my colors, along with the new Shades of Spring Designer Series Papers. The stamp set is Fifth Avenue Floral (fabulous) and I used 5/8" Certainly Celery Ribbon. If this doesn't make you think spring, I don't know what would!

To color in the flowers, I used the Floating Reinker Technique that was so popular a few months ago. I love this look and it's sooooooo much fun to do. When that color spreads across your cardstock, it's just like magic. You can read more about this technique HERE. Details and more photos are available on my blog at http://gretchenbarron.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/01/stamping-411-saturday-sketch-challenge-a-rose-is-a-rose-.html

I have actually taught a class using the technique Gretchen used for todays creation.  Go ahead, give it a try and link here to this post, so we can take a look at what you came up with.

Happy SPRING :)