Rubber Stamping & Card Making with Yapha

Another great sketch over at Retro Sketches this week! I combined it with this week’s Friday Mashup, which is:  1) Make a “Back to School” themed project or 2) Make a project with “Sewing” or 3) “Mash it Up” and create a “Back to School project with Sewing”

I knew that I wanted to use the awesome primary lined paper in the Storytime Designer Series Paper, but I had to hunt for awhile to find a good image to go with it. I finally remembered the super cute school bus in the Every Little Thing stamp set.

Stamps: Every Little Thing
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Basic Grey
Paper: Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black, Whisper White, Storytime Designer Series Paper
Other: Real Red 1/4″ Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon

This card is so cute, it almost makes me wish Eve took the bus to school!

One of my nephews turned eight years old last week, so of course I had to make a special card for him! I just love this new In Color Midnight Muse, especially when it is combined with Real Red. Isn’t this a fun color combo for a boy card?

Stamps: Memorable Moments
Ink: Real Red, Midnight Muse, Bashful Blue
Paper: Bashful Blue, Midnight Muse, Whisper White, Polka Dot Parade Designer Series Paper
Other: Midnight Muse Stitched Satin Ribbon, Labels Collection Framelits

I also love this Polka Dot Parade Designer Series Paper! One side has these dotted circles, and the other has white polka dots. It is so cute and versatile!

Such a fun and bright color challenge from Pals Paper Arts this week. I love these colors individually, and they are great together as well.

At first I thought about using the coffee set, Morning Cup, to make a card with these colors, but I couldn’t find my watercolor paper anywhere. (Still can’t. Let me know if you see it…) So I changed up my plans and pulled up the great truck set, I Dig You. These colors are perfect for it! To add a little more excitement to the card, I made it into a gatefold card. The Simply Scored score board makes this easy peasy!

Stamps: I Dig You
Ink: Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Regals Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack
Other: Daffodil Delight Brads, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Simply Scored Score board

I don’t know if you can tell from the picture, but the “dirt” in the back of the truck is actually cut out and popped up on a Stampin’ Dimensional.

Oh my goodness! Freshly Made Sketches is so fabulous this week! They are having a surprise Blog Hop for Rita, who is having a baby shortly! Of course I had to play along!

I have one last retiring stamp set to show you, before this catalog ends at midnight Mountain Time tonight. This cute hippo card is inspired by a similar card by Kelly Acheson. Some of my stamping kids saw it when we were looking on Pinterest, and wanted to make one. Here’s what I came up with.

Stamps: Look who’s Turning
Ink: Concord Crush, Wisteria Wonder
Paper: Wisteria Wonder, Concord Crush, Whisper White, In Color 2010-2012 Patterns Designer Series Paper Pack
Other: Scallop Border Punch, 1 3/4″ Circle Punch, 2 3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch

Congratulations, Rita! Best of luck with your new baby!!

Another great sketch from Freshly Made Sketches this week.  I just love circles!

I broke out a new set for this one. It’s not really new, it’s been in the catalog since last July. But my nephew has recently fallen in love with trucks, so I just had to get it!

Stamps: I Dig You
Ink: More Mustard, Basic Black, Not Quite Navy
Paper: More Mustard, Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla, Regals Patterns Designer Series Paper Pack
Other: 3″ Circle Die, 3 1/2″ Circle Die, Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Not Quite Navy 1 1/4″ Striped Grosgrain

Like this stamp set and card? It’s the first in the series of Stamp of the Month kits that I will be offering. I’ll have more information about this for you on Monday.

Oooooh! Another great sketch from Freshly Made Sketches this week! I love, love, love that circle!

I had so many ideas on what to use in this card, and that was only thinking about the sets that are retiring! Should I put the truck from Loads of Love? Or the cupcakes from Crazy for Cupcakes? In the end I decided on the perfect thing for that circle — one of the circles from Take a Spin! I combined it with some of the bright paper from Big Top Birthday to make a fun card any child would love.

Stamps: Take a Spin
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Pacific Point, Real Red, Daffodil Delight
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point, Whisper White, Big Top Birthday Designer Series Paper
Other: 2 1/2″ Circle Punch, 3″ Circle Die, Game Spinner Hands, Daffodil Delight Seam Binding

Don’t miss out on these stamps that are retiring. Take a Spin and over 200 more will not be available after the end of May. You can download the PDF, the Excel file, or view the retiring stamps in my online store.

I am so excited! One of my favorite challenge blogs is back! Stampin’ Celebration, organized by my friend Krystal , is back as a monthly challenge. Here is the inspiration photo for April:

I love these pastel colors, so light and spring-like! I had a card by Laurie saved into my favorites on SplitCoast for over a year and a half, and this finally inspired me to make my version of it. She cleverly combined Awash With Flowers with All in the Family.Too cute!!

Stamps: Awash with Flowers, All in the Family, Delightful Dozen
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, Baja Breeze, Blush Blossom, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa (retired), Peach Parfait
Paper: Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White, 2010 In Colors Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack (Blushing Bride)
Other: Pear Pizzazz Pleated Satin Ribbon, Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon, Baja Breeze Pleated Satin Ribbon

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Happy Passover if you are celebrating now, or Happy Easter if you are celebrating on Sunday.

Do you remember those Hink Pinks, where the answer has to be two words that rhyme? Like, what is a silly rabbit — a Funny Bunny! So here’s one for today: What do you call Sabba & Savta with their favorite grandson? A Leo Trio! And I had just the perfect picture of that for today’s ColourQ challenge:

I know that many, if not most, of my other design team members are creating Christmas cards with these colors, but I just don’t have that many Christmas photos. (No real surprise there!) But when I saw this picture, with my mom in a Regal Rose sweater, Leo in a Glorious Green striped shirt, sitting in a Real Red wagon, I knew it would be just perfect!

That fabulous patterned paper is from the Big Top Birthday Designer Series Paper. It is available both real and digital, and wonderful to use either way!

Happy Thanksgiving! I have so many things to be thankful for, today and everyday. I am thankful for my family, my friends, my job, and for having a hobby that not only brings me joy, but brings joy to others, too.  Yesterday I showed you the cards that the 5th Graders were making for the veterans living at Haven House, which is part of the VA here in Los Angeles. The kids made the cards assembly line style, with each of them taking part of the task.  (If the picture looks funny, it’s because I blurred out their faces.)

They worked so hard, and so well, that they completed twice as many cards as I expected! I had to cut more cardstock before the second class came! All together they made 105 holiday cards for the veterans to send out to their families and friends. And they loved making them! They each took their assigned job very seriously, and the cards they made turned out fantastic.

I feel so fortunate to work in place that not only lets me share my love of what I do with the students and see them enjoying it also, but to be able to help others in the process as well. I hope you have many blessings to count as well.

I was looking for more ideas of what to put in Stampin’ Up’s fabulous 1″x8″ cello bags. I’ve seen lots of them look super cute with M&M type candies, but that also means someone has to touch all of those M&Ms! Since I wanted to have my after-school kids class make something cute for Halloween, I was looking for wrapped candies. A little more sanitary that way.  I was at a party store looking at Halloween costumes, and I saw that they sold Pixy Sticks individually. I bought a bunch of orange ones, and this is what we made at the after-school stamping class this week.

Stamps: Batty for You
Ink: Basic Black, Tangerine Tango
Paper: Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White
Other: 1″x 8″ Cello Bags, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, 1 1/4″ Circle Punch

I let the kids choose which stamps and which colors they wanted to use. In addition to the Basic Black and Tangerine Tango, I included Old Olive for the Frankenstein’s Monster stamp. They loved this project!