Wow - August!

The kids are relishing the idea that this is the last weeks of freedom, LOL - if I remember a thing or two about that! I am sure somewhere children are returning to school already but Stampin' Up! is promoting "JUST FOR KIDS" August 1 - September 30 - and there are some cool things goin' on.

I'll be featuring some kid-style projects here & keeping you tuned into some of the promotion's highlights - and let me say, there is ONE special item available which would be adorable in anyone's room - but more about that later!!!

All right - off to shop today!

LOL - I know I can be slow, but...really!

Seriously, I've decided to break down and start doing one of these exercises after holding back for soooo long. I guess I felt I had enough to do without another commitment, but I must confess I was a little in need of a sketch challenge - it can be hard to come out of your own 'style' sometimes, so I went off in search of a well-known starting place. I remembered hearing the term "mojo mondays" and I quickly found their blog - and well, here's my first one!

Its called MojoMonday97 - I guess that refers to the number of sketches they've done so far? There is a lot of followers there, so you might want to check it out! They are HERE - MOJO MONDAY

Here's this past Monday's sketch and my version!

I do a monkey card e v e r y summer, so this playful monkey paper is from my ol' stash - I did have a life before Stampin' Up! LOL!

SU Supplies: new IN COLOR paper, Soft Suede, adhesive. Other Supplies: Reminisce 12x12 paper "Monkey Business", green textured paper, DCWV paper "Blossoms and Butterflies" Stack (polka dot strips), brights brads by 'Just Brads''; Marvy Scallop Punch.

Once again - Stampin' Up! is making it much easier to join the family - for a short period of time, you may become a Demonstrator in your own right - with the MINI_STARTER KIT, and only for $105 !

Why not take that opportunity if you would like:

- to work and yet have fun doing so?

- enjoy the perks of discounts, bonuses and special opportunities?

- to earn really fabulous trips each and every year?

- have the support of myself, AND a network of other demonstrators?

- expand your social life?

- help to pay for the extras in life?

- have your own sneak peek catalogues?

- have access to a library of projects?

- have pride in the name of your company?

- contribute to your community?

- determine your own goals?

...AND support your crafting habit! LOL - well, that's a good point!

SEE THE DETAILS - CLICK HERE

Then contact me!

OR WISH TO JOIN ONLINE? -then click HERE or contact me! You will require my assistance for a pass word - and then you'll be on your way to a fabulous time!

Hello!

Here is my latest....a Spring Card! I have Candace to thank for this, she was curious to know about this technique and so I set out to do my own. I will post a tutorial here by tomorrow - so check back!

I made this card with a pink and a orange flip side - so it can show how the two sides appear when folded - there are 2 corners that get snipped off and rather than waste them, I glued them on the base. I might still find a little something to decorate the base - seems like it needs it.

Sometimes I like to take my time to make something - I once made a painting that took me about 7 years to finish, and I started a pine cone topiary a looooong time ago that is still requiring one side of it to be completed - yikes, better get started. Maybe I'll actuallly have it ready for Thanksgiving!

But I digress....so, this "spring" card - so named because the lower back folds allow the front of the card to be perched on an angle - and the card can be folded flat, yet will 'spring' back up again when released! It behaves like a lovely display.

I shall return to this and try to make it as a 'frame' with a photo - anyone with other ideas?

Here's a simple birthday card.

Its also a very luscious colour combination - turquoise and orange! The turquoise is one of the new IN COLORS called Bermuda Bay - mmmmm sounds tranquil doesn't it? Anyways its veeeeery pretty on its own - but with the orange - sooooo summer! And a young lovely thing of 6 years old will identify with colours such as these - they've probably got a t-shirt with these colours, lol!

Making cards can be very fast, economical and easy when you use simple methods and card/scrapbook accents from Stampin' Up!'s kits such as I did here with the number 6 sticker and the accent striped paper borders. A quick punch with the Scallop Circle Punch, a snip of ribbon and a dimensional dot - and voila - you're done! So easy-smeasy :)

How do you make someone's gift feel even more special? You add an authentic one-of-a-kind embellishment!

In my gift set, a perfume set, the packaging was quite plain. However, being plain means the embellishment can be very fanciful.

My decision was to go somewhere in the middle and create a belly band to circle the package, and decorate it to match the accompanying card. I even used the left-over pieces to create a small notecard in case I wanted to break up the perfume set into two smaller gifts - this is why I love stamping and crafting in general - it allows you so much! :)

Now - doesn't this tell someone that you took the time to make it "extra" special just for them!

SUPPLIES

Stamps: Wings of Friendship {Hostess Level 2};

Paper: Rich Razzleberry 115316; Dusty Durango 115321; Crushed Curry 115319 ($7.25);

Ink: Rich Razzleberry 115658; Dusty Durango 115654; Crushed Curry 115659;

Ribbon: 115609 Dusty Durango

Hello fellow crafters!

I've been busy toodling around with my latest stamp sets - how about you? I guess we all luv it when we get new goodies - never gets old! :)

Anyhoo...I am playing at the moment with Stampin' Up!'s Wings of Friendship stamp set - this is a Hostess Level stamp set, so if you'd like one - be a Hostess and earn it free! It's the swirls and especially the bird's pretty wing that won me over! Absolutely lovely.

As well, I am working with the new IN COLORS - as you know the new catalogue came out along with the new line-up of IN COLORS - and I've chosen here to work with the Rich Razzleberry; Crushed Curry and Dusty Durango. Since they are designed to work together - there is simply no guesswork - hurray for that {on some days right?!}

I made two cards - same theme, slight variations. Features: the punched out space for a brad or gem brad. Also using the Scalloped Square punch, I broke up the expression from one stamp and layered it with 2 punches of white cardstock. But the real heart of the card is stamping flourishes everywhere! Luv,luv, luv that look!

Now I want to add some more features to this card set.....Part II coming up!

Good Morning! To all you happy souls this Sunday :)

Along with my recent new supplies - I received a free Hostess Level 1 stamp set from SU, Dear Friend. Ever wonder at first you're not sure if you'd be over the moon for a stamp set - same here but now I love it!

I stamped it simply in black ink onto a previously punched scallop circle that was laying about in my scraps. Changed my mind to colour it with markers. And since I have my black glitter out from the other day - it now boasts a black glitter border!

Next, another scrap scallop and finally, a scrap piece of copper shimmer paper - and my NEW CIRCLE SCALLOP BIGZ DIE! Uh-hum, its my newest, next-great-toy !!! And believe me, I have been punching out these large scalloped circles like there is no tomorrow, (she says gleefully!)........and well, I just kept going through my scraps and before you know it -the basics were all there. Now more fun - embellishments! Yum!

My leaf is merely a scrap (this is obviously 'scrap-day' ...LOL)...folded in half, run through a crimper and cut into a leaf shape. That's a good trick if you don't have a large leaf in a die-cut.

I grabbed some lovely pale green gems and gave the largest circle the treatment - and when it came to deciding on some ribbon - I delved into my stash and found this ribbon again - beckoning to be used (this was a great deal - from of all places, a garage sale) - AND - I opted to layout things where dead center was not entirely going to steal the day - so my final placement was to go a tiny bit off-center. So far - so good.

My last decision came also "on the fly" when a straight strip of black cardstock was given the scallop look by using my new "slit" punch. Simple but a nice look - and so I tucked in my greeting on the opposite side to add more balance to the whole piece.

I hope you like it.

My friend Caroline inspired me today with her posting of the beautiful 'A Rose is a Rose ' card featured in Stampin' Up!'s catalogue and although I had been musing about doing a large floral card lately - when I saw thiss, I thought - great! I don't have to think this out - I can try this card for myself!

Now - this is where we 'work with what we have' ....it doesn't have to be spot on - you use your own supplies and imitate and initiate some of yourself into the card. Caroline is featuring the Paper Piercer Tool that Stampin' Up! carries (its only $4.50 - great tool for your must have list) and she made a full circle on her card - I decided to opt for part of a circle - and all I did was trace a martini glass - LOL!

I used my own Fifth Ave Floral rose stamp - its quite substantial - and added some silver brads. A good rule of thumb is to add embellishments in an uneven number - balances your design without looking too symmetrical.

So there it is - when YOU visit blogs for inspiration - enjoy your craft time afterwards and "MAKE IT YOUR OWN!'

Have a rosy day! :)

Beverly

Stampin' Up! Supplies: cardstock: Sahara Sand, Real Red, So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Kiwi Kiss Patterns (retired), Kiwi Kiss (retired); colouring : White Craft Ink,Stampin' Pastels, glitter; embellishments: silver brads, filigree silver brads; craft tools: paper piercer; Signo Uni-ball Pen in white, Blender Pens, Craft & Rubber Scissors, 2-Way Glue Pen

Late (again) last night I was twiddlin' around with my stamps, pastels, markers...just had everything spilled all over the table basically. And I went to play with the large mum stamp and tried stamping it in markers, then added some pastels to it....and then felt like trying to make it into a snail! LOL! Just silly really....but that's the point! So here is my first try - what a hoot - hardly looks like a snail....I need to look one up I guess, but oh well.

Then I goofed around and made my friend Maggie a little something extra to pop in her card - this little piece where I combined the stamps together. She will probably do something fun with it on a tag or something. I'm sending along a bunch of punched butterflies in her card as well. For those who may be new - that's called a RAK or 'random act of kindness' ....when you send a friend or another member on a forum, etc. some craft bits.

So waking up this morning to promptly go look at last night's card, (see previous post)....I still had the glitter out and I thought I'd do something more with it before putting it away.

Now - believe it or not - but this rose-coloured border card - was made last summer! At that time I did not have any way of making butterflies - but a simple butterfly would compliment the exotic border stamp. Designing the card, I was playing with border motifs and it seemed to me the only other piece I could add to this would need to be a) large and b) graphic. Basic enough yet interesting to contrast with the busy borders. Hence - the butterfly.

Nowadays, I have the Butterflies Bigz Die (from you-know-who) .....and I thought being coated in black glitter would also be just the thing!

So - I guess what I am trying to say - is that everytime I try to stretch my imagination, I always end up with a interesting card!

Hope you like it - :)

After watching an old fashioned movie, I suddenly felt like making a ' busy floral ' card - I guess it was due to all the chintz curtains, flower gardens and straw hats in the film (a Miss Marple film! :)).....so there I was ... late at night... making this card.

I think the biggest part came when I decided to make a black brad fashioned out of a silver one, and then to coat it with black glitter. And it wouldn't photograph right - sorry! I merely 'inked' the brad with Staz On in Jet Black colour and after drying, coated it with glue and dipped it in black glitter. Oh, it might be a lot of fuss but I really felt like having a black brad! What's a girl to do?

I hoped I stopped this card from feeling like 'Fall' with the dash of polka-dotted pink, and do hope everyone likes its lay-out. One should try out different things - right?

Ooops - I forgot to add another frog we own. The statue frog is our latest tho!

Now here are the more 'simple' notecards.......using an older stamp sets, Make it Count and Live Like You Mean It....I created these today. In a quick motion, I stamped the flower freely about and mixed some up with different colours - but both treatments have one done in soft glitter. (honestly I wish I could photograph glitter better)

I think they shall be on their way by today - and hopefully the recipients will enjoy opening their mailboxes shortly :)

I have been toodling around today with the theme of celebrating Life and lovely notes to send to friends. Its always delightful to receive mail no matter how much email one resorts to! So here they are......

...my inspiration is the first card shown: a 'folded' card I saw on SplitCoastStampers (SCS) by talented card artist named Beate Johns. The card was just wonderful - and I wanted to try my hand at.....hers is much fancier but mine is not too bad I think...to me it has a bohemian quality - all I did was find colours and patterns I could swizzle together - I may even add some pearls later! Aaaah, my photos are not the best - sorry but I think my camera is "slowing" down! {it's not me!}.

Our heart stamps are different, but that doesn't matter - one does with what one has :) I stamped my heart in Versamark and then coated it with glitter. Oh, and I inked the paper with some soft pink before stamping the heart image in a darker ink. One could just go on and on with this card!

Wouldn't this card be a fun one to receive - can't you just see making an unusual custom envelope - thin and long? When they open it - out it folds!

Cheers!

Here's the lil' guy waving his Canada flag - and he's all decked out for a picnic!

I simply made good use of my white gel pen - the Signo Uni-ball - and my white craft ink to stamp on red - easy smeesy!

Well....off to enjoy the rest of the day! Same to you all!