Archive for March, 2012

This is it! Today, March 31st, is the last day of Sale-a-Bration! And so, of course I had to use the beautiful Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper one more time. It worked beautifully for today’s Stamping 411 sketch.

There is also a fun stamp jam with themed challenges every hour over at Stampin’ Addicts. This card works for the Spring/Floral challenge. I used my 1″ Square Punch to punch out the exact parts of the designer series that I want. Love that! I also tweaked the card to make it a square, not a rectangle. I do love the square cards!

Ink: Soft Suede
Paper:
Peach Parfait, Pool Party, Poppy Parade, Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper
Other:
1″ square punch, Scallop Square Clear Die, Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Simply Scored with Diagonal Plate

Since it is a square card, I used Jackie Topa’s fabulous envelope making guide along with my diagonal score plate for the Simply Scored. I used the same designer series paper, so it would match. I chose to have the inside of the envelope match the card, but you could just as easily flip it around.

Hope that you have enjoyed Sale-a-Bration 2012! I know I have!

 

Welcome to the Stampin’ Addicts 5th Saturday Stamp Jam and Blog Bounce! The Stamp Jam officially starts on March 31, 2012 at 9am Eastern Time. Each hour, a challenge will be posted for you to play along with in the Stamp Jam Thread over on the Stampin’ Addicts site. I am excited to be one of the hostesses. I am featuring the third challenge, which highlights the new Summer Smooches line. This is available for purchase during the month of April, and then again when the next Stampin’ Up catalog begins in June. If you don’t have these products yet, go ahead and create something  featuring the Summer Smooches colors — Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, and/or Tangerine Tango.

The first project I have for you uses the sketch from Stampin’ Addicts Sketch Challenge #128 and features three of the designs in the new Summer Smooches designer series paper. It also has the yummy new Daffodil Delight seam binding! (I used two layers of it so it wouldn’t be so sheer.)

Stamps: Perfect Punches
Ink:
Rich Razzleberry, Island Indigo
Paper:
Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper
Other:
Daffodil Delight Seam Binding, Designer Frames Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

My second project is a trio of thank you notes. They were super easy to make with the Summer Smooch paper and my Simply Scored! Come back later in the week and I will have a closer look at the these three cards for you.

Stamps: Thank You Kindly
Ink:
Island Indigo, Rich Razzleberry, Tangerine Tango
Paper:
Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade, Tangerine Tango, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper
Other:
Labels Collection Framelits, Simply Scored

The final project I want to show you today are these adorable purses from the new Petite Purse Bigz L Die. Again, if you come back later in the week, I’ll have a closer look at each one. These purses are fairly small — each holds about four Hershey’s Nuggets. They are super cute and easy to make. The die does cut out a strap for the purse, as seen on the purse on the left. You can easily substitute this for ribbon (on the middle one) or a border punched strap (right). There is a slot for the flap to slip into, so the brads and buttons are merely decorative.

Stamps: It’s a Wrap Occasions
Ink:
Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight
Paper:
Island Indigo, Whisper White, Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper
Other:
Petite Purse Bigz L Die, Neutrals 5/16″ brads, Printed 2011 In Color Designer Brads, Brights Buttons, Island Indigo Ruffled Ribbon, Dotted Scallop Border Punch

Thank you for stopping by the Blog Bounce! Here is a complete list of the participating blogs. I hope you will visit each one to check out all the wonderful creations. When you’re done, head on over and join us at Stampin’ Addicts in theMarch 31 Stamp Jam Thread to play along!

1. Holly (catrules)~Birthday Celebrations
2. Twila~ Easter/Passover
3. Yapha~ Stampin’ Up! Summer Smooch Promotion <— You are here!
4. Rhonda (rhondag)~ Celebrating Moms
5. Tanya (tanya27)~ Fabulous Fathers
6. Betty (kittystamp) ~Think Spring
7. Kim (s1itcher46)~ Weddings/Princess
8. Shelley (packerfan) ~Babies
9. Sara (lilyinkpad) ~Milestones

Alright, this is it. Down to the wire for Sale-a-Bration. You have today and tomorrow (March 31st) to place your Stampin’ Up order and choose free items. Don’t miss out!

I have a different type of project to show you today. One of the main catalog items that is available for free during Sale-a-Bration is the Flirtatious Designer Fabric. The pack of fabric includes three coordinated designs, each in an extra-wide fat quarter size (28″ x 18″). Eve has been really into sewing lately, so I picked up a pack of this for her. (Nice that it was free!) We made a dress for her American Girl doll by tracing one of the other dresses, and tied it with piece of the Whisper White Satin ribbon.

I love all of the different ways I can use my Stampin’ Up products for fun projects! I hope you will stop back later — I’ll have another post up this evening, with projects and information about tomorrow’s Stampin’ Addicts Stamp Jam. We have a virtual stamping party every time there is a 5th Saturday in a month. (If you are receiving this in your email, just scroll down and the post should be below.) I hope you will come join us!

Paula posted a tricky sketch over at Stampin’ Addicts this morning. It is based on the sample on page 73 in the catalog if you want to see the example there.

I decided to use the Sale-a-Bration stamp set, Sprinkled Expressions. This one hasn’t seen much ink since I used it back in the Sale-a-Bration Blog Hop. And yes, just like all of the other Sale-a-Bration exclusives, it will not be available after Saturday, March 31st.

Stamps: Sprinkled Expressions
Ink:
Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Pacific Point
Paper:
Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point, Whisper White, Beyond the Garden Designer Series Paper
Other:
Wild Wasabi Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, 1 1/4 Circle Punch, 1 3/8 Circle Punch, 3 1/2 Circle Bigz Die, Big Shot, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I am super excited to announce that I will be guest hosting the Stampin’ Addicts’ Sketch Challenge next Thursday. I hope that you’ll come by and play along! (Don’t worry, I’ll remind you then.)

One of the really fun things about being on Spring Break is that I have time to play along with challenges on the day that they are posted! Today’s Freshly Made Sketches challenge is a fun one, with a nice big space for a focal image.

I haven’t used my gnome stamps much, so I brought them out for this card. I had to pair them with a saying from the coordinating Gnomenclature stamp set which is full of delightfully awful puns.

Stamps: Gnome Sweet Gnome, Gnomenclature
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Poppy Parade, Soft Suede, Blush Blossom
Paper: Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Soft Suede, Poppy Parade, Very Vanilla, Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper
Other: Small Heart Punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch

I have to remind you that Sale-a-Bration is ending on Saturday! That is your last chance to get this fabulous Everyday Enchantment paper as well as the other Sale-a-Bration exclusive items. That’s it. Saturday. And then they are gone.

How fun and clever! Stampin’ Up released some great new digital downloads today, including the Special Delivery Digital Kit in both a subtle and bright version. There’s also a digital version of the super cute She’s All That stamp set.  These downloads work with My Digital Studio and any other digital scrapbooking program that allows you to import PNG and JPG files, which is most graphics programs, and even Microsoft Word! (Clicking on the pictures will take you right to the store to purchase these downloads.)

Don’t have My Digital Studio? You can download a free trial of My Digital Studio Express. Head over to my online store, add the free My Digital Studio Express trial (item 129600) to your online shopping cart. Once you check out, you will be able to download it and install it. You can see all of the artwork that is included with the Express version here. For more information about this free trial, click here.

129932 Collage Alphabet & Numbers Stamp Brush Set $9.95

Download includes:
* 40-piece stamp brush set

Features:
* Versatile, funky letters and numbers for a mix and match collage look

129927 Epic Overlays Stamp Brush Set $7.95

Download includes:
* 50-piece stamp brush set

Features:
* Digital-exclusive
* On-trend overlays, fresh and fun sayings, and lowercase alphabet to give projects a new look

122935 She's All That Stamp Brush Set $5.95

Download includes:
* 8-piece stamp brush set

Features:
* Fun, feminine silhouettes to celebrate life’s big moments

129605 Special Delivery Bright Digital Kit $7.95

Download includes:
* 5 Designer Series Papers
* 100 embellishments
* 1-page 8″ x 8″ designer template

Features:
* Digital-exclusive
* Use for all your baby projects—both girl and boy

Coordinating colors:
Baja Breeze, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White

129606 Special Delivery Subtle Digital Kit $7.95

Download includes:
* 5 Designer Series Papers
* 93 embellishments
* 1-page 8″ x 8″ designer template

Features:
* Digital-exclusive
* Use for all your baby projects—both girl and boy

Coordinating colors:
Basic Gray, Peach Parfait, Pool Party, So Saffron, Very Vanilla

129931 Wedded Bliss Digital Ensemble $14.95

Download includes:
* 2 greeting card designer templates (5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″ and 5″ x 3-1/2″)
* 2 décor designer templates (3-page 8-1/2″ x 11″ and 8-page 11″ x 8-1/2″)
* 91-piece stamp brush set

Features:
* Digital-exclusive
* Bridal shower from start to finish: invitations, games, treat wrappers, labels, cupcake toppers, favor boxes, thank yous,
*Includes images for other coordinating projects and non-wedding projects

Coordinating colors:
Basic Gray, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla

You can purchase these or any other digital downloads through my online store. (Clicking on the pictures above will take you there as well.) The great news is that they are available for immediate use, with no shipping charges! Just click on Digital Crafting, then Digital Downloads, then Newest Downloads to see all of the recent additions! If you registered your copy of My Digital Studio, you may also receive end-of-the month emails from Stampin’ Up featuring that month’s digital releases.

There is a My Digital Studio tab to the top right hand corner of this blog. It is a handy reference to a variety of My Digital Studio resources, including a list of all of the downloads and a break down of the printing costs. There is also a Resources page on MyDigitalStudio.net that includes an MDS Catalog. It shows all of the MDS software artwork (contained in the boxed-version) and downloads from the October 2009 launch through January 4, 2012! The catalog gives a snapshot of the entire product line with artwork thumbnails followed by product details, which includes the colors of the designer papers! Because MDS is regularly coming out with new artwork, the catalog will be updated every month.

For today’s card I combined this weekend’s Stamping411 challenge with the Friday Mashup. Stamping411 has a great sketch with a large focal image. This works perfectly with the Friday Mashup’s challenge to create a quilt card. I love quilt cards and it’s been a long time since I made one.

  

I used some more of the Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper from Sale-a-Bration (which ends Saturday!!) to create my quilt. The 1″ square punch was super handy in getting the exact part of the designs that I wanted. For the part of the Mashup challenge to “use something that’s been forgotten,” I used my Curly Label punch. That seems to have fallen by the wayside since the Decorative Label punch came out.

Stamps: Baby Bundle
Ink: Peach Parfait
Paper: Pool Party, Peach Parfait, Very Vanilla, Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper
Other: Curly Label Punch, 1″ Square Punch, Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Pool Party Seam Binding

I don’t know if you can see it that well in the picture, but I ran the “quilted” piece through the Big Shot in the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions folder to give it more of a quilted look.

I love the off-center circle on this week’s sketch from clean&simple stamping. The butterfly is a fabulous touch as well.

Of course I had to use the gorgeous Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper. I love the subtle butterflies throughout. I used one of the sentiments from the You’re My Type stamp. They are great with or without the typewriter!

Stamps: You’re My Type
Ink: Pool Party
Paper: Pool Party, Peach Parfait, Very Vanilla, Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper
Other: Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Scallop Circle #2 Die, 3″ Circle Die, Word Window Punch, Basic Pearls

Don’t forget, Sale-a-Bration ends in less than one week. And when it is over, this gorgeous Everyday Enchantment paper is gone. Make sure to get all that you need before that happens!

What a super fun sketch from Freshly Made Sketches this week, with five big circles!

I decided to use the new Summer Smooches paper from Stampin’ Up, and switched the circles for 5-Petal Flowers. I added Brights Buttons (free during Sale-a-Bration!) in the same color of each for a little added interest.

Stamps: none
Ink: none
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango, Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade, Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper
Other: 5-Petal Flower Punch, Brights Buttons, Lucky Limeade Baker’s Twine

Summer Smooches is a sneak preview of some new Stampin’ Up products. They are available for Demonstrators to purchase now, and then everyone else during April. They will go away during the month of May, and come back in June in the new catalog. These colors are so bright and fun, I would recommend getting them as soon as you can!

I absolutely love this sketch that Paula posted over on Stampin’ Addicts way back in October. I’ve made several cards with it — it works so well, for so many images! I decided it would perfect to use to make a birthday card for my sister-in-law.

Stamps: Create a Cupcake
Inks:
Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black
Papers:
Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Big Top Birthday DSP, Brights Patterned DSP Stack
Accessories:
Perfect Pennant Die, Cupcake Punch, Tempting Turquoise 1/4 inch Grosgrain Ribbon

I hope you’ll come play along with the sketch challenges at Stampin’ Addicts. There’s no time limits, so play along whenever you can. And keep an eye out in the next two weeks — you never know who might show up as a guest hostess, wink, wink, nudge, nudge.