New Year's Eve! Goodbye 2012

As 2012 comes to a close, I just want to thank everyone who has visited my blog this year. I can hardly believe I've had over 2,000 visitors to my blog. What I need in addition to more visitors, is more "followers," so if you like what you see here, please consider "following" me and spread the word to your friends. Thanks so much!

Etsy Anyone?

Now Etsy is another special place for inspiration. You can register to either buy or sell handcrafted or up-cycled items. Again you can search there for Stampin' Up! or "handmade cards" or "greeting cards" and you will see many pages of designs from wonderfully creative people.  Now if you are short on time and can't make your own cards, or if your local demonstrator doesn't have any to sell (which I always do) you may find something you love there.  I like to visit there to see what is trending in the marketplace, too. So if you haven't been to Etsy before, stop by!

Facebook Anyone?

Hopefully you have heard of Facebook by now. It is also a site where you have to register for free to gain access, but it's a great place to reconnect with long lost friends, and keep up to the minute with current friends. But it's also an awesome place to "Like" and follow other Stampin' Up! Demonstrators who often post their designs on Facebook too. You can search for SU and you'll find a bunch to look at.  Here's a link to my Business Page on Facebook to see what I mean, just go to "Photos" and you'll see many of the card designs I've done in the last year.

Pinterest Anyone?

In case you are one of the few folks who haven't heard about Pinterest, it is an amazing place. I never thought a free online bulletin board would be for me, but I spend more time there than I should!  It is easy to join with free online registration.The wide variety of images to view, the ways you can organize what you "pin" on your own personal boards, and the fact that you can search for Stampin' Up, or card designs, or whatever your heart desires is pretty awesome! Then you can have the option to "follow" others or others can "follow" you. It's another great option to see creative minds at work.

More Inspiration!

Another place online that I like to visit is Splitcoast Stampers which has more information, inspiration, and stuff than you can ever possibly sift through. What I like about it though, is it is a place where you can search for specific Stampin' Up! sets and view a wealth of ideas all in one place. You can also register for an account so you can post your own card designs. What I love about that is you get feedback and statistics of how many visits, likes, and favorites your design has.  Plus the people on Splitcoast are so nice!! Take a look, you'll be glad you did!

A Year of Inspiration!

If you haven't heard about StampingSchool.com I'd like to recommend it to you. Click on the highlighted link to get more information.  I joined recently and I'm so glad I did. To be able to have a library of resources like them at your fingertips for less than 10 cents a day for an entire year is a very good investment.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all my blog readers incase you happen to stop by today. I hope you've enjoyed the last couple of weeks of inspiration by some amazing Stampin' Up! Demonstrators that I love to follow. Weren't their cards gorgeous? I sure think so!

Between now and the start of 2013, I'll be posting some of my favorite places to get ideas for card making. Enjoy!

Merry Snowflake Card

Here's a beauty by Mary Brown. Told you I love to CASE her, she's brillant! She used Midnight Muse cardstock, with Whisper White Craft Ink stamped snowflakes from the Snowflake Soiree set onto the background. She used the new Snowflake Die for the Big Shot to create that striking layered snowflake from the Silver Glimmer Paper and Whisper White cardstock - all pulled together with a Silver Glimmer Brad. The Lacy Brocade embossing Folder provides the texture under the snowflake. A Framelit from the Apothecary Accents set give the word "Merry" its perfect setting. Lovely, lovely!

 

Merry Christmas Eve to All!

Very Vanilla Snowflake Card

Margaret Wake made this beautiful card just using the Snowflake Soiree set and the sentiment from Snow Swirled. I'm guessing she stamped the snowflakes on Crumb Cake cardstock with the Very Vanilla Craft Ink and Pacific Point, then accented with Real Red for the sentiment and accent bow. I just love her one Red Glimmer Brad that top's this card off!

 

Another Mary Brown Classic!

Mary Brown utilizes the Snowflake Soiree set in light tones, but accents her design with a Silver Glimmer paper snowflake cut from the Snowflake Die on the Big Shot. I especially love her double raised layers of Whisper White to build up her card. The Baker's Twine accent is perfect!

 

A Snowflake Soiree Beauty!

Again here is another idea from Andrea Walford. Told you I like her designs a lot! She used the Snowflake Soiree set and Greetings of the Season sets. I love her color scheme with the Early Espresso paper and ink, accented with the Champagne Glimmer Paper. The cool trick she did was to color the Rhinestone Jewels with Red Sharpie to provide a little bling to her card! Love it!

 

Blue Ornament Ideas

Kathryn Russ designed this card. It uses the new Midnight Muse ink and paper, along with the Ornament Keepsakes set and the Merry & Type set. The retired Snowflake embossing folder is the background. I love how she made the ornament 3D. So cool!

 

A Patty Bennett Beauty

This card struck my fancy because of the use of the Gumball Green accent color being used with the Ornament Keepsakes stamp mounted on top of the Holiday Frame embossing folder. Then her other accent of the Champagne Glimmer Paper was just what makes this card pop! I think this card would work with either Real Red ink/paper or Cherry Cobbler ink/paper.

 

Perfectly Plum Perfect!

Here's another design by Kim Singdahlsen. I love the different use of color on this card. Perfect Plum ink with Basic Black accented with the Silver Glimmer Paper. Again I'm focusing on the Ornament Keepsakes set and the Greetings of the Season set. Beautifully creative!

 

A Whisper White Classic!

Mary Brown is another designer that I often CASE. Her cards are simple but elegant like this one shown below. That little bit of Basic Black and Silver Glimmer paper is just the right amount to make this card pop! I love her technique of using the Holiday Ornament Framelits to cut out the Whisper White, then she dry embossed on the Big Shot with the Lacy Brocade embossing folder. The small "Merry Christmas" stamped in the middle comes from a Hostess set called Mixed Medley. Isn't this card lovely?

 

A Kempton Creation!

Here's another of Selene Kempton's beautiful designs.  What I think is so striking about this card is how she combined the Flocked Window Sheet over the Silver Glimmer Paper to create that band at the top of her card. The Flocked Window Sheet comes from the Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper. Again the Ornament Keepsakes set  and the Greetings of the Season set are used in Cherry Cobbler ink. Her background uses the Lacey Brocade embossing folder.

 

Real Red and Whisper White Inspiration

Andrea Walford is an amazing designer. I often CASE her designs. I saved this one because I loved the simple beauty of the single Keepsake Ornament with the matching Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper. The greeting is from the Greetings of the Season set.

 

Our Catalog now in Tablet format!

Stampin' Up! Catalog: Now Available on Google Catalogs

In partnership with Google Catalogs, Stampin' Up! is thrilled to announce its first tablet-friendly catalog! It's interactive, it's easy--and it's now available for iPad and Android tablets. To access the catalog:

• Download the Google Catalog app (available through iTunes and Google Play)
• Sign in using your Google or Gmail account. If you don't have a Google account, you can create one by tapping the "Sign Up" button in the app.
• After you have signed in, search for Stampin' Up! in the "Select Favorite Catalogs" list.
• Select Stampin' Up! by tapping the small stamp icon next to the name, then tap "Done."
• Click the "Favorites" icon at the bottom of the app, then tap the Stampin' Up! catalog cover to open it. That's it!

Cool Features

• Browse the catalog with ease on your tablet.
• Get more information, see additional images (beyond what is available in the catalog), and zoom in on your favorite products.
• Watch videos from our YouTube channel right inside the app! Jump to the Stampin' Trimmer on page 180 (page 182 in the app) to see it in action.
• SHOP ONLINE! You can order products directly from the app with just a few taps through Stampin' Up!'s online store.
• OR you can make a list and help support me by ordering online at my store. Thank you if you choose to do that!

I just added Google catalogs to my ipad and it's really awesome! There are so many other catalogs as well to put in your favorites too! Check it out!

More Ornament Keepsake Ideas

Renee Thompson's design is so classic and striking. I love how she combined the Real Red and Whisper White colors to make this beautiful card. Do you notice the little bit of silver glimmer paper for the top of the ornament. So clever!  She also used the Holiday Frame Embossing Folder that is in the Holiday catalog.

 

Ornament Keepsakes Idea Card

Kim Singdahlsen's design using the Ornament Keepsakes image, the new Lacy Brocade embossing folder, and the Festival of Prints Designer Series Paper, just makes this card pop! I love it!

 

More Triple Time Technique

Selene Kempton's design with the Snowflake Soiree stamp set, the Triple Time Layer technique and the blue palette is so beautiful. She inspired one of my previous designs that you can find on this blog.

 

Black and White Christmas

Unfortunately this image doesn't have a designer's watermark, but if it's yours please let me know. I think this card is so striking using the black and white color scheme with the Ornament Keepsakes stamp set. I love how the accent is the Cherry Cobbler Baker's twine. Again it uses the Triple Time Layer technique.

 

Hello December! Sharing Inspiration

Wow, time flies when you are busy making Holiday preparations! I thought I'd share over the next couple weeks some Holiday card designs I have saved from other Stampin' Up demonstrators that I found especially creative, beautiful or inspiring just in case you need some last minute inspiration!

 This beautiful card by Debra Hallance-Singletary utilizes the Triple Time stamping technique and the Ornament Keepsakes stamp set.

New Customer Website from Stampin' Up!

Stampin' Up! is at it again with more innovative ideas to share. They have given the customer website a complete makeover. It's very trendy now and filled with lots of inspiration. Check it out at...
www.stampinup.com

Super Holiday Ornament Kit

Get the Ornamental Elegance Kit--While Supplies Last!
The ornament on the cover of our holiday catalog is such a hit that Stampin' Up is making it available to you --just in time to deck the halls with terrific trimmings you've made yourself! They've simplified this fun project so that you can quickly and easily achieve the same results. In addition to the kit, all you need is a glue gun, scissors, and adhesive. (Our Anywhere Glue Sticks [104045] are perfect for assembly.) Want greeting or place cards to go with those ornaments? The Ornament Keepsakes Stamp Set (W 128048 C 128051) gives you perfect coordination. Fancy a little sparkle and shine? Sprinkle on our Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter (102023)!

The Ornamental Elegance Kit (132832) is $14.95 and includes:

• Die-Cut Cardstock Elements
• Cherry Cobbler 3-1/2" Scalloped Tulle Ribbon
• Natural Linen Thread
• Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons
• Large Pearl Basic Jewels

Order these now so you will have plenty of time to make them for Christmas gifting--or for your family tree! Available while supplies last. Just click on my online store link!  Happy shopping!

Simply Sent App

Have you heard? Stampin' Up! has their own app, called Simply Sent! Download it from iTunes or the App Store if you own an Apple device. This FREE app allows you to experience just a small bit of My Digital Studio, to customize ecards to send to friends and loved ones. I downloaded it and have been having fun sending ecards out. Check it out!  (Android app will be coming soon!)

Keepsake Faux Book

I want to thank Melissa Davis of Bee Divine Designs for sharing her design with me. This lovely creation is a faux (fake) book, that actually can hide a small gift or gift card inside it. My colors used Cherry Cobbler and Very Vanilla cardstock. The Cherry Cobbler Core'dinations paper was dry embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper folder on the Big Shot, then the top layer was sanded lightly to reveal the two-tones. Using the Scallop Trim Border Punch and the Festival of Prints Designer Series Paper Stack that layer is attached over a long piece of Very Vanilla Ribbon (which ties the book closed.)

 

The 4 sides of faux book pages are scored on the Simply Scored Scoring Tool and interwoven on the corners to create the hidden compartment inside. I used some glue dots to hold the overlapped corners together. The book is finished with the Ornament Keepsakes ornament stamped and cut out with its matching framelit on the Big Shot. A small sentiment is added from the Mixed Medley hostess set, raised with a dimensional. The Cherry Cobbler tulle, faceted button and Cherry Cobbler Baker's twine complete the beauty of this creation.

I definitely believe this would be something to be reused year after year! Thanks for stopping by!

Tami White's Bounce Dryer Sheet Techique

 

This card was inspired by Tami White's video of how to use a used Bounce Dryer sheet to make a beautiful holiday card. I changed up her design a bit with the ink color (garden green), cardstock color (garden green), and sentiment attachment using the window punch and modern label punch. The card is finished with Early Espresso tulle. Click on the link below to view her video, you'll be amazed!!!

 

Tami White Tutorial

Core'dinations Snowflake Card

 

This card was directly inspired by SU Demonstrator, Chiaki Haverstick. The only change I made between her design and mine was - she had a jumbo pearl in the center of her snowflake and I have changed by adding rhinestones to both the center and tips of the snowflake.

 

This card is built on a Crumb Cake cardstock base. The Early Espresso Core'dinations paper was dry embossed with the Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder (127819 for $7.95) from the Holiday Catalog on the Big Shot. Then you lightly sand the top of the embossed image to create this cool effect. You would need the Stampin' Sanding System (129367 for $3.95) and the Dust Buddy (129366 for $2.50) to complete this effect. Then the next layer is Crumb Cake cardstock, a sheet from the Festival of Prints Designer Series Paper Stack in your choice of designs (126904 for $6.95), then a small piece of Early Espresso stitched grosgrain ribbon is wrapped around those layers. Then depending on what color DSP you chose, you would need a matching 1-3/4" punch cardstock circle to go under the Bigz Die Snowflake die cut with the Big Shot using Shimmer Paper. The card is finished by stamping the sentiment in Early Espresso ink from the Teeny Tiny Tags set then punched out with the window punch and attached underneath the snowflake. Embellish with the Rhinestone Jewels. Beautiful elegance!

Thanks for visiting today!

Peaceful Snowman Card

 

This cute snowman card was inspired by a similar design on Pinterest, but no artist was connected so I can't give proper credit.

 

This card is built on Bashful Blue Cardstock, with the Greetings of the Season sentiment stamped in Cherry Cobbler Ink in the upper right corner. The trio of snowflakes is from a retired stamp set called Christmas Punch from the 2009-2010 Idea Catalog, that I stamped in Versamark and then the Illuminate Ink from the current Holiday Catalog  (126857 for $10.95). The snowman is made from Whisper White Cardstock using the 2-1/2 " punch for the head and the 3" Die for the Big Shot for the body, trimmed to fit the card. The Cherry Cobbler striped ribbon is retired that was used for the scarf.  The tricky part is getting the scarf tied around the two attached circles before adhering to the card front. Use lots of snail adhesive to securely attach. The Pumpkin Pie nose was made using half of the heart punch trimmed down a bit and raised with dimensionals. Basic Black eyes are made from 1/4" punch from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack. The final touch is two Cherry Cobbler buttons with Linen thread tied through the holes and attached with glue dots.

If you'd like to purchase the stamp set, stop by my online store.

Greetings of the Season
Wood Mount Set # 128030   $15.95
Clear Mount Set # 128033  $11.95

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