Monday, July 31, 2017

Carols of Christmas-Miscellaneous Monday

  Do you love Christmas as much as I do?  I have a Christmas Through the Year card class each month.  I create one design and the stampers who attend the class make 3 cards from that design.  When the year is over they have 36 hand made Christmas cards to send to friends and family.  Fun!
  This set called Carols of Christmas is from the new soon to be active Holiday Catalog.  The great thing about this set is that it can be ordered in August.  This is a great way to get started on making your Christmas cards, and for me a great way to get a new design into the hands of my stampers.
  We made this card at one of my Butterfly Friends meetings with Robin.  I love all the parts of the bundle that are used in this card.  Tomorrow I will show you how I created a stencil from the framelits that match this set and used it in another great Christmas card.

Friday, July 28, 2017

Oh So Eclectic-Fix it Friday


  I made this card several years ago at a stamping event in Champaign, Illinois.  I liked it so much I featured it in a card buffet months later.  I had a few people make the card but had a lot of leftover paper cut.  So, I decided even though the stamp set was retired, and the paper no longer available I could create a card with the leftover supplies that used current products.

I really like the end results and may do something similar to other card leftovers.

I had so much fun playing with the Oh So Eclectic stamp set.  Next week I am going to focus on a stamp set that will be a part of the new Holiday catalog.  You will be able to order it ahead of time and get started on your Christmas cards early.

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Oh So Eclectic- Template Thursday

  I was looking through some of the Challenge sites I like and decided to follow the one called ssinkspiration.blogspot.com  The challenge they have for this week is a technique challenge. This site is interesting because their challenges change each week.

1st Monday Color challenge
2nd Monday sketch challenge
3rd Monday inkspiration
4th Monday a technique

This week's technique


I created my background and then turned it into the card seen above. It was great fun and I decided it should be the technique I use for my club members in august.

Why don't you try it out for yourself and let me know what you think?

It will be Friday already tomorrow.  I will be showing you how I took a card that uses a retired stamp set and changed it to use only current supplies.





Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Oh So Eclectic- Wednesday Wow


  Look at the background of this card.  Isn't that a WOW!  I found a card like this posted by Krista Thomas on Pinterest.  I was wondering how on earth she embossed with a thinlit.  Instead I found out that she just cut out several of the same thinlit shape and glued them to the background of the card.  That was a real WOW for me.

Check out the colors of the flowers.  Notice how they are darker on the outside edge than the inside.  I was also wondering how I would do that ....Did I need to use two colors, or stamp off then stamp on.  Well, the stamp is created so that it looks like 2 separate colors.  Love it.

Come back tomorrow to see a card I made using a technique that was posted on the ssinkspiration challenge blog site.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Oh So Eclectic-Technique Tuesday

  Back from a wonderful time in Maine.  I checked the Stampin'Up! site and noticed that the Daisy Punch is still unorderable, so I decided to feature a different stamp set this week.  Another favorite....Oh So Eclectic.

The technique I want to feature this week is on this card.  Look at the background.  If you did not know better wouldn't you think this was designer paper.  Well, Robin, my upline created her own designer paper by using a variety of the stamps in the set.  I love this idea.  I received this as a swap for the Butterfly Friends swap a couple of months ago.

Did you know if you join my team you will also be a member of the Butterfly Friends team.  I meet monthly with my team, but we also meet monthly with the bigger team.  Any time I can get new ideas, I love it.  So, I try to attend the team meeting whenever I can.

Joining my team is pretty sweet till the end of July.  Why?

1. You get the starter kit valued at $125 for just $99.

2. You also get a Getting started kit valued at $50.

3. In addition you receive a Christmas set from the not yet revealed Holiday catalog.

It is a great deal that is one of the best I have heard on in a while.
Contact me above if you are interested in joining my team.  I would love to make you a part of the Super Snails.

Tomorrow I will be posting a WOW card that I found on Pinterest and CASED.

Friday, July 21, 2017

Scrapbook Week-Lift Me Up

  If you guess Lift Me Up and the matching designer paper as the items I would feature today, then you were correct.  Isn't this layout a great way to use designer paper that coordinates.  I forget but I think I got my inspiration for this layout from Pinterest.  That is one place I love to go for ideas.

The open work balloon is one of my favorites in the stamp set.  Whatever you place behind it looks great.  I featured this stamp set in one of posts a few months ago.

The stamped balloons are easy to use since they can be cut out with one of the matching thinlits that go with this set.  And the clouds can be used with a lot of different cards.  I was definitely pleased to see this set continue on in our new catalog.

By the time you read this entry I will have returned from my family reunion and be ready for my New Catalog Premier. Thanks for looking at my blog.  Come back next week where I will be featuring one stamp set for the entire week.  I think the set will be the Daisy stamp, designer paper, and matching punch.


 

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Scrapbook Week-Everything Old

  The Designer paper is retired and the thinlit is retired but this layout can easily be replaced with new product.  

I see the new Daisy Punch could easily be made to replace the flowers on this layout.

What about the designer paper that goes with the Daisy punch called Delightful Daisy.  Hmm, I think I have a great idea for my July or August layout.

Using a template for a scrapbook layout can make coming up with original ideas easier than you might think.  If you are a scrapbooker, where do you go for your ideas?

My last layout for this week uses a favorite stamp set from the Occasions catalog, and some favorite designer paper from the Sale a Bration catalog.  Can you guess what they might be?  Come back tomorrow to see if you guessed correctly. 

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Scrapbook Week-High Tide


  Can you see what is the old in this layout?  How about the new?

I was able to use most of what I had left from the By the Sea designer paper for the backgrounds of this layout.  The Old.

The new was the Light house, and birds from the set called High Tide. I was so glad that this set was in the new catalog because I did not use it as much as I wanted when it came out in the Occasions Catalog.

Tomorrow I will show you a layout made with retired products, but suggest how you could make the same layout with new product.  Come back to see how easy it is to copy each layout.

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Scrapbook Week-Using Scraps

  During March I knew it was getting close to the end of the catalog year and I wanted to make a layout that would help use some of my leftover designer paper.  The banners were so easy to make because of the triple banner punch.  What would you put on a page with this title?

  When May came I still had a lot of designer paper left to use so I came up with this layout.  I did add the accent pieces made with the new Eastern Palace stamp set which I have fallen in love with.


Tomorrow I will show you how I included the old with the new on another layout from June.

Monday, July 17, 2017

Scrapbook Week-From a Paper Pumpkin kit

  Once a month I have a scrapbook class I call Scrapbook Your Life.  Each scrapbooker makes 2 two-page spreads. If they bring their pages back the next month with pictures on them, I give them a little something extra.

The layout was inspired by the May Paper Pumpkin Kit.  I traced the donut shape on the card and made stencils for the stampers to trace around.

Here's how I made the chocolate donut.

1. Trace around the stencil onto Early Espresso card stock.
2. Press a VersaMark pad all over the card stock.
3. Emboss with clear embossing powder to give the donut a shiny look.
 I called this my chocolate glazed donut.

I used the now retired sprinkles punch to make the swirls on the confetti donut.

The white frosting on the lower donut was made similar to the chocolate donut except I used white embossing powder on the VersaMark.  

This layout just happened to be created right before National Donut Day.  What a coincidence.

Scrapbooking is a great way to use up small pieces of designer paper.  The next two layouts I will show tomorrow did just that.

Friday, July 14, 2017

5 Favorites-Oh So Eclectic

  What I love about this card I found on Pinterest posted by BJ Peters.  I like a lot of the cards she posts so am providing you a link to her blog since you might like them too.

1. First off I love the color Lemon Lime Twist

2. Secondly, I love the embossing folder called Layered Leaves.  It is one of the thicker folders that comes out with a very layered image.

3. Finally, I love the stamp set, the images, the matching thinlits and of course the matching designer paper.  

Thanks BJ for a great card design.

This ends my week of favorites.  Next week I will be returning from a great adventure in Maine with my family.  I will feature my latest scrapbook layouts so come back and see what I made using old and new products.

Thursday, July 13, 2017

5 Favorites-Bike Ride

 One of the great things about attending a Stampin'Up! event is prize patrol.  It seems like any more every attendee gets to be a recipient of prize patrol.  When I was first a demonstrator staff members threw balls out into the audience for the prizes and if you were not tall or good at catching a ball you were out of luck.  It was a bit crazy.

  When I went to Minneapolis in April Bide Ride was the stamp set I was given through prize patrol. I wasn't too sure how easy it would be to stamp the bike with all the different parts.  But it is very easy.  This is a photopolymer stamp set and you can easily look through the stamps to be able to place them in the proper spot.

  There is a basket that can be placed on the bike to hold, books, apples, flowers, and this cute little dog. I know I will have lots of fun using this set.

 Tomorrow's stamp set is Oh So Eclectic and will end my week of favorites.  Now, I am not saying I don't like anything else in the catalog.  So keep on checking back to see which sets I will be featuring in the weeks ahead.

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

5 Favorites-In the City

      This stamp set just jumped out at me when I looked at the hostess sets.  It has houses, cars, roadway, churches, airplanes, flowers, trees and almost anything you can imagine.  

   Hostess sets are only available to someone who hosts a party.  They are usually priced a lot lower than the regular stamps in the catalog and can be purchased with hostess points.

  The stamps are photopolymer so I was able to line up the houses and trees on a long block and stamp them at the same time.  To color in the houses, trees and ground I used my watercolor pencils.  I had almost forgotten about them in my excitement about the embossing paste. 

   Do you know how I made the clouds?  I used the cloud stencil that comes with the Pattern Party Decorative masks and colored it in with my colored pencils.  I used an aqua painter to smooth out the coloring lines and regular card stock for my stamping.

  My prize patrol stamp is featured tomorrow, come back to see which stamp set I received.

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

5 Favorites-Sharing Sweet Thoughts

  Isn't this a cute set, and best of all it coordinates with the Jars of Love thinlits and stamp set. Can you find the new items in this card?

The saying is part of the McDonald stamp set.  $3 from the sale of each one of these stamp sets goes to the Ronald McDonald House charities.  The stamp set is good for one year only. I make sure I buy one each year to support this great cause.

The brick background was made with the new embossing paste, using the new palette knife, and the new brick stencil.

What are the returning items?

I cut out the jar with the returning thinlits called Everyday Jars.

The firefly is from the Jars of Love stamp set.

The punch for the saying is the Classic Label punch which was new last year.

This was my swap card for the last Butterfly Friends meeting.  Fun to make and fun to swap.

The next favorite stamp set I will share is one of the Hostess Sets.


 

Monday, July 10, 2017

5 Favorites-Crafting Forever

  This week I am posting 5 of my favorite stamp sets from the new catalog.  Today I am featuring Crafting Forever as one of my Favorites.

This card also highlights each one of the new in-colors.  People who sign up for my In-color class by July 21st will be able to make this card as an extra card.  If they prepay for the class they will be able to make another extra card.

Tomorrow I will show you a card I made with this year's Ronald McDonald set called Sharing Sweet Thoughts.  I think this set is one of my favorite McDonald sets for the last several years.

Friday, July 7, 2017

New Catalog Premier- Adhesive sheets

  Do you remember these adhesive sheets?  For some reason I had saved them from several years ago and was able to use them on this card.  I use something very similar when I sew.

1. The first step is to cut the sheet the size of your cardstock.

2. Take off one layer of the adhesive sheet and attach it to the wrong side of your cardstock.

3. Lay your thinlit on top of the cardstock and cut out the thinlit.

4. Remove the opposite layer of the adhesive sheet and your butterfly will have adhesive all over the back.  Attach to your card.

5. If you make a mistake as I did the other day and find the adhesive on the top of the card then just add some dazzling diamonds and the adhesive will no longer be sticky.  Attach the item to your card front with the fine tip glue pen and you will be in great shape.

Come back next week to see samples of my 5 favorite items from the new catalog.

Thursday, July 6, 2017

New Catalog Premier-Embossing Paste

  Do you know where you can find this stamp set in the new catalog?  It is one of the hostess sets found in the back of the catalog.  How can you get this set for yourself?

1. Book a party with your favorite demonstrator.

2. When it comes time to order your free items, check the back of the catalog for the hostess only sets.  These sets are reduced in price and can only be ordered as a hostess set.

This set is called You're Delightful and has phrases and images that coordinate with each other.

I chose this set to place in front of my brick wall to show everyone what the hostess sets look like.

Tomorrow I will be featuring a card where I used the new adhesive sheets that made attaching a butterfly easy peasy.

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

New Catalog Premier-Colorful Seasons stamp set

 

    When I was planning my New Catalog Premier I listed some new things I wanted to share with the stampers attending.

1. I wanted them to see the Color Theory designer paper stack.

2. I wanted them to look at the Colorful Seasons stamp set and matching thinlits.

3. Finally, I wanted them to be able to use the Glitter Enamel dots.

This card fulfilled my wishes.

If you live near Jacksonville, Illinois contact me and I will send you information about the Premier.

Tomorrow I will be sharing a card that stampers will make using our new embossing paste.  If you are curious about the paste, check out my postings from last week.  I featured several cards I made with the stencils that are meant to be used with the paste.

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

New Catalog Premier-In color book mark

  Attendees at the New Catalog Premier will be able to create a book mark like this one.  I like to have it handy when I am reading so that I can have a reminder of the new colors at hand.

What stamp set is the flower on the book mark from?  It is one of the 24 stamps in the set called Colorful Seasons.

Tomorrow I will post a card that stampers will make using this very cool stamp set.

Monday, July 3, 2017

New Catalog Premier - New Tab Punch

  Do you like to organize your catalog so that you can find things easier?  At my New Catalog Premier I always have a station where stampers can tab the sections of their new catalog.


 The new tab punch makes this easy to do.

I start by labeling the sections of the catalog that are listed on the table of contents.  But, then I like to add a few more of my own favorites.

Color- I want to be able to get to the color families and the designer paper quickly.

Memories- I want to be able to find this section for my scrapbooking customers.

Index- I love to have this area tabbed so I can look up the page where a stamp set can be found.

This year all the tabs with the exception of 2 are made from the 10 current in-colors.

What would you tab in your catalog?

Tomorrow check back to see how I will let my stampers go home with an in-color reminder.