Rubber Stamping & Card Making with Yapha

Happy Anniversary to my parents! They are celebrating their 45th (wow!) wedding anniversary on Sunday. Since I am not there to celebrate with them, I wanted to make a very special card. I used the soon-to-be retired stamp set, Together Forever, which pairs beautifully with the Lovely Letters alphabet. I love how the monogram piece looks cut out. Only for my parents would I attempt to cut out anything so intricate! (Actually, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be.)

Stamps: Together Forever, Lovely Letters
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand, Bashful Blue, Bashful Blue Designer Prints Series Paper
Other: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!! May you have many more wonderful years together!

Here are the latest digital downloads from Stampin’ Up. These work with My Digital Studio and any other digital scrapbooking program that allows you to import PNG and JPG files.

You can purchase these or any other digital downloads through my online store. They great news is that they are available for immediate use, with no shipping or tax! Just click on Digital Crafting, then Digital Downloads, then Newest Downloads to see all of the recent additions!

This week’s Pals Paper Arts challenge is a theme challenge, and the theme is summer. Since this is my first week of summer break, I am all about that! For this challenge, I made my  father-in-law a golf themed card for Father’s Day. Golf here in California is year round, but in Minnesota, where I grew up, it is definately a summertime activity. I made the golf ball by  first cutting the circle with the Clear Circle Bigz Die, and then running it through the Big Shot again to emboss it with the Perfect Polka  Dots Textured Impressions folder. You may have to click on the photo to enlarge it and see the “dimples” on the golf ball.

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Garden Green, Ballet Blue
Paper: Ballet Blue, Garden Green, Whisper White
Other: Clear Circle Bigz Die, Perfect Polka  Dots Textured Impressions folder, Big Shot, Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Paper Snips

The colors were suggested by Eve to look like a summer day.

I am excited to give you a preview of a couple items that will be in Stampin’ Up’s new idea book and catalog when it goes live on July 1st — only two weeks away! I used them as part of Stamping 411‘s sketch challenge this week, so let me first show you the sketch:

The first item that I used is the Newsprint Designer Series Paper. This is fantastic, because I love the look of old books on cards and scrapbook pages, but the librarian in me could never actually cut up a book to use that way! The second item is the new 2 3/8″ scallop circle punch! I am excited about this because it is the perfect size for using with the 1 3/4″ circle. And when you have super cute images like the bookworm (speaking of librarians…) which only fit in the 1 /4″ circle, this is perfect! Here is my card:

Stamps: First Day
Ink: Basic Black, Basic Grey, Real Red
Paper: Real Red, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Newsprint Designer Series Paper
Other: Real Red 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon, 2 3/8″ scallop circle punch, 1 3/4″ circle punch

You may be wondering how the new scallop circle punch layers with the old one. The answer is — beautifully! Here is a picture of the two of them together.

Just think, if you were a Stampin’ Up demonstrator you wouldn’t have to wait until July to play with these fun new goodies!

This week’s color challenge from ColourQ uses three colors that will not be available after June 30th. That’s in two weeks! Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Apricot Appeal — all will be gone. (Of course, there are some GREAT new colors coming in, but we’ll talk about them in July… Here are this week’s colors:

I picked an old stand-by to make a card with these, Baroque Motifs. I love the simple elegance of this set, but I haven’t used it in a while. I love these swirls. Did you know that they are even available in Decor Elements? It’s true! I even put some on my car! Here is the card I made for today:

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Thank You Kindly
Ink: Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Apricot Appeal, Always Artichoke
Paper: Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Apricot Appeal, Very Vanilla
Other: Ticket Corner Punch

I hope that you enjoyed the blog hop this past weekend! If you missed out, you can find links to all of the posts over at Stampin’ Addicts.

Just in time for Father’s Day, Stampin’ Up has released two new digital downloads for My Digital Studio. They also work with any other digital scrapbooking program that allows you to import PNG and JPG files. The first one is a super cute Father’s Day stamp set:

121070 Father's Day Stamp Brush Set $5.95

The second one is one that I had been hoping for since I saw the Summer Mini Catalog! In fact, I even mentioned it on this post! It’s that great Travel Journal Designer Series Paper plus the matching stamp set!

121071 Travel Journal Digital Kit $9.95

You can purchase these or any other digital downloads through my online store. They great news is that they are available for immediate use, with no shipping or tax! Just click on Digital Crafting, then Digital Downloads, then Newest Downloads to see all of the recent additions!

Whoo-hoo! It’s time for another Stampin’ Addicts blog hop! This one features sets from Stampin’ Up’s Last Chance List. You have probably just arrived from Barbara’s Creative Stampin’ Spot, where she featured the retiring set Bloomin’ Beautiful. If not, don’t worry, this hop will take you around in a complete circle.

The set I picked to share with you today is a beautiful two-step stamp set called A Rose is a Rose. I love how gorgeous the flowers are with this set. I always use my Stamp-a-ma-jig for perfect placement, and it easily makes the most beautiful cards! The first card I have to show you is for Kristina Werner’s most recent color inspiration. It can easily be used for any occasion by changing the sentiment. I stamped Thank You in Chocolate Chip to make sure that I included all of the colors.

Stamps: A Rose is a Rose, Kind Thanks
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Pale Plum, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Pale Plum, Very Vanilla
Other: Top Note Bigz Die, Big Shot, Sponge Daubers, Stamp-a-ma-jig

For the next card I used the rosebud stamps. Aren’t they just gorgeous? The saying below is the phrase that actually comes with the stamp set.

Stamps: A Rose is a Rose
Ink: Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive
Paper: Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Whisper White
Other: Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Sponge Daubers, Stamp-a-ma-jig

For my third card, I changed the entire look. Roses are beautiful and all, but by using the leaves by themselves I created an elegant fall card.

Stamps: A Rose is a Rose, Holiday Best
Ink: Ruby Red, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Ruby Red, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Very Vanilla
Other: Chocolate Chip 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon,  Stamp-a-ma-jig

I hope that you enjoyed a look at some of the beautiful images you can create with A Rose is a Rose. Remember, this set will not be available after June 30th, so get it while you can! Your next stop is over at Kim’s Stitchin’ n Stampin’ on Paper, where she will be featuring Bella’s Bloom.

Next Blog —>

When I first saw today’s color challenge from Pals Paper Arts, I really liked the colors but had no idea what I was going to make with them. Here are this week’s colors:

As I was browsing through my stamp sets, I came across the Beary Best Times set and noticed the trophy stamp on it. Well! I knew I absolutely had to use that one, today of all days! Jack, our Great Dane puppy, was in his very first dog show today, the Great Dane Club of San Diego Specialty Show, and he earned Best Puppy!!! He got a huge green rosette and an engraved vase. Very exciting! So I used these colors to make a card celebrating that. We have a lot of people to thank for his success today!

Stamps: Bear Best Times, P is for Paw Stampin’ Around Wheel
Ink: Soft Suede, Crushed Curry
Paper: Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay
Other: Bermuda Bay Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (reversed), 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch

Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry are among the items retiring at the end of the month. For a look at more retiring items, join me right here tomorrow for the Stampin’ Addicts Last Chance Blog Hop. We’ll be featuring more than 25 different stamp sets on the Last Chance list.

If you want to see more about Jack the Great Dane, visit my husband’s blog. He hasn’t been writing much, so leave him a comment or two so he knows that people are reading!

As I mentioned earlier, Eve had a spectacular year in first grade. As an end of the year treat, I baked the teachers some delicious brownies and included a card with a note from Eve. I used virtually the same layout as one of bookworm cards, but changed the focal point from the bookworm stamp to the A+ stamp.

Stamps: First Day, Nursery Letters Stampin’ Around Wheel
Ink: Real Red, Creamy Caramel
Paper: Real Red, Creamy Caramel, Whisper White
Other: 1 1/4″ Circle Punch, 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Real Red Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (reversed)

If you like this Nursery Letters wheel, act soon! It retires at the end of this month.

My friend Steph’s husband and son both ride dirt bikes competitively (and do very well, I might add!). They were kind enough to let me stay at their house over spring break, so I thought I would make them a pack of cards as a thank you. (Yes, that was a long time ago, and yes, I should have made these a lot sooner, but they are finally on their way!) Of course, the Extreme Dirt Bike stamp came to mind! I knew I wanted to do something with color-blocking, so my first card came out like this:

I liked the colors and the layout, but it was missing something. So I used the Texture Jumbo wheel on the rectangular blocks to add depth. (Don’t forget, you can click on the picture for a closer look.) I also distressed the edges of the bike square with my thumbnail, then sponged the edges with some Creamy Caramel ink. I really like this version!

Stamps: Extreme Dirt Bike, Textured Jumbo Wheel
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Really Rust, Not Quite Navy, Creamy Caramel
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Really Rust, Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla
Other: Sponge Dauber

Sorry this took so long to send, Steph! Hope you like them! I’ll make you some more soon!