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 :)