Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Occassions Mini-Catalog is Now Available!



It's here! The Occasions Mini is now available for download by clicking here, or on my left sidebar. I am loving all the new products! What are your favorites?

On Monday night, I had a workshop for my cousin (thanks Michelle!), and I thought it would be fun to post the projects that we made. I demonstrated 3 cards (beginner level), with the last one also being a make-and-take. Recipes and photos are below- just click to enlarge the photo.

I would love to be a demonstrator for your workshop! If you live in the Spokane area and would like to earn some free product contact me. I can tailor each workshop to meet the specific needs of the group (beginners, advanced, scrapbooks, home decor, etc.). If you don't live in my area, don't panic! You can still earn free product by hosting a catalog party, and don't forget to check my blog often for ideas and inspiration!

My visitor counter is nearing 5000! Look for some fun blog candy when it reaches this milestone!

Happy Stampin'!
Carrie

Shop Stampin' Up! Online 24/7! Click Here!


Recipe for Bunny Card:
Stamp Set: Animal Crackers
(113395)
Paper: Bashful Blue (105120), Whisper White (100730), Barely Banana (102701), Pretty in Pink (100459), Delicate Dots (SAB Freebie)

Ink: Sahara Sand (105208), Pretty in Pink (101301), Basic Black (101179)
Accessories: Baja Breeze Corduroy Buttons (114344), Scallop Edge Punch (112091), Pretty in Pink 1/2" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (113882), Blender Pens
(102845)


Recipe for Owl Card:
Stamp Set: None

Paper: Whisper White (100730), Tangerine Tango (111349), Good Morning Sunshine Designer Series Paper (113966)

Ink: None

Accessories: On Board So Tweet (113893), Bright Delights Rub-ons (113887), Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon (111879), Sanding Block (103301)





Recipe for Bird Card:
Stamp Set: Friends 24-7 (113218)
Paper: Baja Breeze (111352), Whisper White (100730), Pink Pirouette
(111351)
Ink: Basic Black (101179), Baja Breeze (111833), Chocolate Chip (100908), Kiwi Kiss (111835), Versamark
(102283)
Accessories: 1/4 Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon (109070), Ticket Corner Punch (107214), Stampin' Dimensionals
(104430)

It's Mojo Monday!

Well actually it is Tuesday :). My family and I have been sick, and so I decided to take an extra long nap today. Needless to say, I feel completely better, but now I cannot sleep! Hence the reason for such a late post, and for taking a break from blogging.

On to today's card. I simply followed the layout from this week's Mojo Monday Sketch (Week 80-see below). The card starts with a base of Baja Breeze. The partially hidden square is a piece of Bella Birds Designer Series Paper, in Pink Pirouette. This was layered onto a matte of Whisper White. So Saffron Ribbon (an SAB freebie) was tied around the layers. TIP: The main color scheme does not include So Saffron, however the ribbon was such a close match to Barely Banana that I think it just "goes". :-)

A strip of Pink Pirouette went through my Big Shot with a Stampin' Up! Background Texturz Plate (the dots and flowers from Backgrounds I). The sweet scallop at the top was created out of Whisper White using the scallop border punch.

This adorable little chick is from An Egg-cellent Easter. This set is in the soon-to-be released Occasions Mini-catalog (Apr. 1st). (In order to give customers time to get their Easter projects done, Stampin' Up! is allowing pre-orders of the Easter sets in the mini-catalog now!) TIP: One of the awesome things about being a demo was that I was able to see and purchase (at a discount!!) the products in the mini-catalog. Ask me how you can get started!

The chick was inked in Basic Black onto Whisper White. It was then watercolored using blender pens and ink pads in Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze, and Barely Banana. A corner rounder punch gives the edges a softer look, and paper piercing (using the crafter's tool kit) was added as a frame. The chick was then layered onto Pink Pirouette and Barely Banana.

Two silver 5/8" Jumbo Brads were added in the upper left corner. The Baja Breeze flower was created with the Cherry Blossom Embosslit folder and my Big Shot. Can you tell that I love this machine? :)

Last chance! Tomorrow is the last day for Sale-a-bration. Order now to earn your free products!

Happy Stamping!
Carrie

Shop Stampin' Up! online 24/7! Click Here!
Recipe: Stamp Set: An Egg-cellent Easter (113196) Paper: Bella Birds Designer Series Paper (113981), Baja Breeze (111352), Pink Pirouette (111351), Barely Banana (102701), Whisper White (100730) Ink: Basic Black (101179), Baja Breeze (111833), Barely Banana (101170), Pink Pirouette (111838) Accessories: Big Shot (113439), Cherry Blossom Embosslit (114516), Texturz Plate Stampin' Up Backgrounds I (114512), Crafter's Tool Kit (104310), Blender Pens (102045) So Saffron Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Border Punch (112091), Corner Rounder Punch (109047), Stampin Dimensionals (104430)

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Fifth Avenue Friend

My sister-in-law and her husband are in town staying with us this weekend, and I couldn't think of a better gift for her than a monogram stationary set! I have been working my way around to making one for all the women in our family (see what I made for my sister here). My SIL, Janiece, has such a great sense of style and fashion. When I bought the set Fifth Avenue Floral, I actually thought of her.

The set starts out with an Accents and Elements Tin, which I covered with a card front, and wrapped with Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon.

The base of the card is Whisper White, trimmed to fit inside the tin, and all corners clipped with a corner rounder punch. Next a layer of the Baja Breeze print from Urban Oasis Designer Series Paper was clipped with the rounder punch and adhered. Next a piece of Kiwi Kiss DSP was layered onto Basic Gray. A swirl piece from the retired Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware was looped through some Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon, and adhered over the strip.

A wider strip of Whisper White Card stock was randomly stamped with images from Fifth Avenue Floral using Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, and Basic Gray ink. This, too, was layered over Basic Gray.

The monogram was created by first stamping the frame (from Frames with a Florish) in Basic Gray ink onto Whisper White. Next, using a Stamp-a-majig, the "J" (from Lovely Letters) was stamped in the center using Kiwi Kiss. This was cut out and adhered using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Pewter brads were added to create a little extra interest. TIP: Perfect placement of the brads was easy using the crafter's tool kit. I used the paper piercing template and pad, and a paper piercing tool from the kit.

I also made coordinating envelopes by stamping a couple of the images from Fifth Avenue floral in the right corner of the front side (this was also done on the inside of the cards). I also lined the inside of the all the envelopes with more Urban Oasis Designer Series Paper. TIP: An easy way to line envelopes is to measure the widest part of your card, then cut a strip of Designer Series Paper that same width (the envelope should be slightly larger than your card so this measurement should work perfectly). What I do next is trim off the adhesive part of an extra envelope (I kept this one from a previous project to be used again and again). Now slide the Designer Series paper into the envelope, turn the whole envelope over and trace the outline of flap onto the back of the DSP. Take the paper out and trim just below the line you traced. Now you can put the paper in a useable envelope, fold just under the fold on the envelope, and adhere just to the flap. Ta dah!! An easy and pretty way to finish off a project.

Happy Stamping!
Carrie

Shop Stampin' Up! Online 24/7! Click Here!

Recipe: Stamp Set: Fifth Avenue Floral (113734), Frames with a Flourish (113496), Lovely Letters (115030) Paper: Urban Oasis Designer Series Paper (113978), Whisper White (100730), Basic Gray (108692) Ink: Baja Breeze (111833), Kiwi Kiss (111835), Basic Gray (109120) Accessories: Pewter HodgePodge (retired), Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon (111879), Vintage Brads (109109), Crafter's Tool Kit (104301), Corner Rounder Punch (109047), Stamp-a-majig (101049)






Wednesday, March 25, 2009

I Loaf You...

I admit that I had a tough time coming up with today's card! Mostly just because I could completely envision this card using a different stamp set. One that has yet to arrive on my door step (come on UPS man!).

The layout for the card is from the Splitcoast Sketch challenge 221 (below). It is full of layers; more than I typically use. The card base is a 5 1/2" square of Close to Cocoa. A slightly smaller piece of watercolor paper is next. A rectangle of Pink Pirouette is mostly covered by stripes from Candy Lane DSP. A diamond of Riding Hood Red is next, with another Candy Lane DSP. Finally, a ticket corner punch was used on all four corners of a piece of watercolor paper, and adhered to Close to Cocoa with Stampin' Dimensionals. Whew! Again, a lot of layers!

The loaf of bread- from the Hostess Level I set called Comfort Food- was inked in StazOn and stamped onto a scrap piece of watercolor paper. It was then filled in using a blender pen with inks pads in Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette, and Sahara Sand. TIP: To water color using ink pads, press the pad into the lid (while the pad is closed). When opened, there will be a pool of ink that you can pick up with your blender pen. The loaf was cut out using paper snips and adhered. It was then stamped again onto Pink Pirouette and just the sentiment was snipped out.

Tiny pieces of Riding Hood Red were cut out and adhered above and below the images. Using a craft knife, two slits were cut on either side of the image and Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon was looped through. 5/16" Silver Jumbo Brads were used to fasten the ribbon. Smaller silver brads were perfectly placed on the corners using the hole template and paper piercing tool from the crafter's tool kit. Okay, so I may have gone a little overboard with the brads, but I just wanted the card to be fun!

You can earn this set by becoming a hostess! If you live in the Spokane area I would be happy to do a workshop for you and your friends. If you do not live in my area, you can still take advantage of all the hostess benefits by hosting your own catalog party! Contact me for more details!

Happy Stamping!
Carrie


Shop Stampin' Up! Online 24/7! Click Here!

Stamp Set: Comfort Food (113210)
Paper: Candy Lane Designer Series Paper (113980), Watercolor Paper (105019), Close to Cocoa (101341), Pink Pirouette (111351), Riding Hood Red (111348)
Ink: Close to Cocoa103139), Pink Pirouette (111838), Sahara Sand (105208), StazOn (101406)
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon (109065), Ticket Corner Punch (107214), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430), 5/16" Silver Jumbo Brads (112533), Silver Brads (104336), Crafter's Tool Kit (104310)





Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Pretty in Pink Manhattan Flower

Taylored Expressions gets credit on the layout for today's card (see below).

The lily stamp, from Fifth Avenue Floral, seemed very fitting given the time of year. It was inked using StazOn and stamped onto two pink patterns from the Tea Party Designer Series Paper. The two flowers were cut out using paper snips and layered onto ovals of Whisper White and Pretty in Pink (cut out using the coluzzle cutting system). One lily was popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals. TIP: The ovals were offset to create a little interest (it also kind of reminds me of an easter egg!).

The flower/oval ensemble was then layered onto a piece of Whisper White (trimmed using the Scallop Edge Punch), and another layer of Pretty in Pink (a corner rounder punch was used on both- just at the top). A strip of Pretty in Pink Striped Grosgrain ribbon was wrapped above the scallops.

Pretty in Pink makes up the card base with another layer of striped Tea Party DSP. TIP: There are three different paper patterns going on with this card. I think it works because A) They are all from the Tea Party DSP so they coordinate perfectly, and B) A good dose of Whisper White was used to break up the patterns.

Did you know that there is only 1 week left to earn free Sale-a-bration products? You can order through me 24/7 to take advantage of this once-a-year promotion. Remember that the Sale-a-bration stamp sets will never be offered again after March 31st!

Have a long Stampin' Up! wish list? I admit that the reason I originally became a demonstrator was to get items off of my list at a deep discount. For one more week only, you can purchase the customizable starter kit for only $169, with a 3 easy payment option!!! Not to mention that during Sale-a-bration, you can choose any stamp set in the catalog up to $47.95! There is no further obligation to buy or sell, so if you have a long wish list this is truly the way to go.

Happy Stamping!
Carrie

Shop Stampin' Up! Online 24/7! Click Here!


Stamp Set: Fifth Avenue Floral (113734), Absolutely Fabulous (114914)
Paper: Tea Party Designer Series Paper (113992), Whisper White (100730), Pretty in Pink (100459)
Ink: StazOn (101406)
Accessories: Pretty in Pink Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (113882), Scallop Edge Punch (112091), Corner Rounder Punch (109047) Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)



Monday, March 23, 2009

It's Mojo Monday!


It's Monday, and that means it is time to do a Mojo sketch! This card was derived from sketch 79 (below), and features the new Bright Delights Rub-on's (113887).

The Chocolate Chip Owl and coordinating dots were first rubbed onto Whisper White, and layered onto Summer Sun. These cute trendy trees are from the set called- what else? - Trendy Trees (113258). The trunk was inked in Chocolate Chip and, using a stamp-a-majig, was stamped onto Kiwi Kiss three times. The 'foliage' was inked in Old Olive and, again using a stamp-a-majig, was stamped precisely onto the branches. It was then layered onto a piece of Chocolate Chip that had been punched with the Scallop Edge Punch. TIP: to create the eyelet look, I simply used a handheld punch and punched the centers of each scallop.

A piece of Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon tie the Owl and Trees together.

The sentiment is also a Rub-on from Bright Delights. "Thank you" was split up onto a 1" circle of Summer Sun, and layered onto a 1 1/4" circle of Chocolate Chip. TIP: Making the circles was so easy with my Circle Scissor Plus (112530) and Glass Cutting Mat (112531). A little Dotto Adhesive is recommended to hold the card stock in place while cutting.

The backdrop to this card is Tangerine Tango, which was dry embossed using my Big Shot and the large dot Texturz Plate (6 textures are available in each set!!). This was adhered to a base of Whisper White card stock.

Don't Miss Out!!! Sale-a-bration ends in ONE WEEK!! Shop online now to earn your free Sale-a-bration product with every $50 purchase!

As a side note, the last I checked my visitor counter, it was around 3500! This is great considering that I just installed the counter about 2 weeks ago! Stay tuned for a special treat when it reaches 5000!

Carrie

Shop Stampin' Up online 24/7! Click Here!

Recipe for today's card:

Stamp Set: Trendy Trees (113258)
Paper: Whisper White (100730), Tangerine Tango (111349), Kiwi Kiss (111353), Chocolate Chip (102128), Summer Sun (103124)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (100908), Old Olive (102277)
Accessories: Bright Delights (113887), Scallop Edge Punch (112091), Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon (111879), Texturz Plates Backgrounds I (114512), Circle Scissor Plus (112530), Glass Cutting Mat (112531)








Thursday, March 19, 2009

Life is a Beautiful Thing.

This card might look a little challenging, but you would be so surprised as to how easy it actually was to make. The card design is from the Split Coast Layout Challenge SC220.

What gives this card its intricate look is the new Textured Impressions Die- Manhattan Flower. This die coordinates beautifully with so many SU products, including the Urban Oasis designer series paper used in this project. To create this look with the die, I ran Whisper White card stock in the embossing folder through my Big Shot. Within seconds I had a gorgeous design on my card. TIP: The embossed card stock would look beautiful as is (it fits perfectly on the front of an A2 card). It will result in a simple, yet very elegant look. I felt like experimenting today, so I decided to add some color. The easiest way I found to do this was to squeeze my closed Baja Breeze and Kiwi Kiss Ink Pads, so that when opened there was a pool of ink in the lid. I was then able to use a blender pen to pick up the color and apply it exactly where I wanted it on my flowers. TIP: Once the card stock is embossed it is perfectly exceptable to use whichever side you would like for your design. Each side offers a slightly different look. For my design, I choose to use the indented side. Meaning that the petals of the flowers were raised and the outline of them was pressed inward. Does that make sense? I felt like the top right corner needed something, and 3 light blue rhinestone brads did just the trick. A piece of Whisper White Taffeta ribbon was wrapped around it leaving two long tails on the left side. These were later tied once the sentiment was added. Finally it was adhered to the base with Stampin' Dimensionals.

The base of the card is Baja Breeze, followed by Whisper White, finally 1 1/2" strips of alternating Urban Oasis Designer Series Paper was evenly spaced on the white.

The sentiment is from A Beautiful Life. It is inked in Baja Breeze onto Whisper White. A ticket corner punch cut out the corners, and it was layered onto Baja Breeze (also punched with the ticket corner). Lastly, the Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon was tied in a bow next to the sentiment.

Do you want to learn how you can earn some free Stampin' Up! products? Click here!

How about becoming a demonstrator yourself and taking advantage of the 3 Easy Payment Plan? Find out more here.

I just have to say that I am loving all the new things that SU has come out with recently! I truly am loving what I do, and I am glad I can share it with all of you!

Carrie

Click here to order Stampin' Up! anytime!

Recipe for today's card:

Stamp Set: A Beautiful Thing (113618)
Paper: Urban Oasis Designer Series Paper (113978), Whisper White (100730), Baja Breeze (111352), Kiwi Kiss (111353)
Ink: Baja Breeze (111833), Kiwi Kiss (111835)
Accessories: Circle Ice Rhinestone Brads (109111), Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon (109070), Ticket Corner Punch (107214), Textured Impressions Die Manhattan Flower (114517), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430), Blender Pens (102845)