New Year, New Catalog & A Challenge From FMS

Hello! 

Happy New Year! 

Thanks for stopping by the blog today!

Today, I'm sharing a card made with new products from the 'Celebrate the Everyday' & the 'Sale-A-Bration' Catalogs.

The sketch over at FMS really helped me get started creating.  Check it out.

Here's what I did with it:

I've started a new card making stamp club.  We will make Birthday cards for a few months.  This is one of the designs I've created for January.  I'm so excited to share Birthday card designs with some friends.  This card would be fun for a guy too, just leave off some of the embellishments.

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Perfect Pennants

Big Shot: Banners Framelits die, Tasteful Trim die, Decorative Dots embossing folder

Cardstock: Whisper white, Basic Black, Bermuda Bay

Paper: Kaleidoscope Designer series paper

Accessories: Bermuda Bay ribbon, Basic metal buttons

Enjoy your Friday!

Christmas Project Overload

Hello Friends!

It's been too long since I've blogged, or shared projects with you, so today I'm giving you photos of many of my holiday projects.  We've made these things in stamp clubs and card clubs.  Gals have gathered at my house and stamped, punched and adhered their way into a festive holiday!  We started back in August!  These aren't all the projects, but here's a few.....

Oh what fun it is to create Christmas cards for five months!  (said no demonstrator ever.)  So, when we get down to the last month of card creating, I enjoy some non-traditional colors and layouts.  It's a pink Christmas!!

One of my favorite projects this season has been the Washi tape.  This time, we're using up the last of it for these Christmas tree negatives.  Merry Christmas!

I can never get enough notepads!  I love that big ole star!  It's beautiful embossed with the early espresso embossing powder.  The stamp club gals really enjoyed this simple project.

Ok, it's emboss resist.  I just did it because I was having such a hard time coming up with something cool to do with that giant tree...... out of desperation, I embossed with clear embossing powder onto whisper white card stock, grabbed a sponge and started inking away.  This turned out to be one of my favorite cards!  From desperation to favorite!  

I've seen so many people use the stars for boarders.... I had to join in.  This is a fun way to 'use up' the last remaining pieces of foil paper.  It's  a simple little design, but I really enjoy it!

RED!  This is a screaming RED Merry Little Christmas card.  Monochromatic schemes help me when I'm stuck.  Did I mention already that we're in month FIVE of creating Christmas cards?  Well, I was stuck, so I went to red to help me.

I'm a sucker for a mini album.  This little album only has about 4 pages.  (You could add more.) It's really a simple idea.  I love how the snowflake ornament is a bold statement for the cover.  It's a kit from Stampin' UP!.  Available while supplies last.

This year, I went crazy with the heat embossing.  Nearly every project has some sort of heat embossing on it.  I also did a whole lot of texture mixing.  Combining chevrons with dots or stripes, just made me so happy!  I find it visually pleasing, but if a customer didn't agree, she always had the option to use the reverse side of the paper.

These little 'file folder' projects are very popular this year.  I used our new envelope punch board to create this gift card holder. 

Candy bar wrappers are a staple for me every holiday.  I like the bold statement of the giant snowflake on the front.... looking at this photo reminds me that I still have a few teacher gifts to make.  Hope it stops sleeting soon, so I can get back to the store for more candy bars.... hope I don't eat them all before I gift them.

This is a very traditional card, with a slightly non-traditional greeting.  I love it.  It's simple, clean and very Merry!

Peace on Earth.

Simply put.  Simply sent.  Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas!  Thanks for stopping by the blog today!

The Senior, The Dad & A Christmas Card, oh my!

Hello!

In our little neck of the woods, today is Homecoming Friday!  It's all very exciting, and I'm sure I'll have more pictures to share later.  For today, this one is enough.

It's the Senior with Dad.  The bonfire looks impressive, right?

All these activities are fun, but they do not keep me from stamping!  I love spending some time at my desk creating projects to share with others.  Today, I want to share another card for the Christmas Card Club Gals.

This card is very traditional.  The colors, the sentiment (whimsical, but still traditional).  I really enjoy the pretty knot and the delightful paper.  This card just makes me smile!

Thanks for stopping by today for a look!  Happy Weekend to you all!  

Camo Christmas!

Hello Friends!

I'm so happy to be back at my desk creating projects!  Today, I want to share one of the cards we'll make at the next meeting of Christmas Card Club.  These are the super smart gals that are getting their holiday crafting done early!  

This fun sample I copied from my friend, Jann.  She made a swap for our San Diego Incentive Trip last month using this 'camo' technique.  My husband just loved it!  I hope the Club gals will feel the same way!  It's a Sassy/Camo Christmas!  and, it just makes me smile!  

Thanks Jann for the inspiration!

Bold Birthday, it's just that easy!

Hello!

Today, I'm happy to share with you another sample from our most recent card class.  It seems that I always need a great birthday card, so I designed this bold card for our class.  

I love the simplicity of this card.  It's easy to duplicate with your favorite embellishments or designer series paper.  The card base is white, making the inside perfect for signatures.  Everything about this card just screams easy and convenient!

Thanks for stopping by today!  

It's a Really Big Bow

I know, it's a really big bow.  Sometimes, a really big bow is just the final touch I'm looking for.  This fun card was featured in a recent card class.  Some of the gals made big bows, some didn't, but everyone loved the design!

I like the new alphabet embossing folder.  The letters make this folder easy to use in any direction.  It's a super easy way to step up a project.

I'm always running out of birthday cards, so I know I'll use this one soon.

Thanks for stopping by today for a look!  Now.... go create something!

My Favorite Smile from Card Class

I really had fun designing the cards for our last Card Class.  This ended up being my favorite sample of the night.  I am really loving this color combo right now.  It comes from the Designer Series Paper, Eastern Elegance.  The stamps all come from a stamp set called, 'Happy Day'.

I started with the focal point, and designed around it.  I love how easily the ruffled ribbon goes around that circle, and it's always so much fun to distress card stock by crumpling it up.  I added rhinestones and it still needed a little something....

So, I grabbed a sponge from the corner of my messy desk and started sponging Coastal Cabana Ink all around the edges..... only to discover that the sponge was compromised.  I had already used that sponge in some shimmery ink.  Well, I think the results are just divine!  I didn't even know I was missing a shimmery ink element.  Happy accident!

Our monthly card classes are so much fun!  I hope you'll be able to join us next month.  We will have some new samples to share.  I'm sure at least one of them will have a happy accident to share!

Prince of Peace, Simply Beautiful

Hello!

I'm having a great time creating cards for the Christmas Card Club.  I've advertised this club as a more advanced class.  The cards we make typically have more layers and techniques than a simple card class would have.

The sample I'm going to share today might not exactly fit into the advanced card category.

I used a new stamp for the focal point.  It's from the list of single stamps and is called 'Prince of Peace'.  I just think it's really pretty.  It reminds me of tons of great church songs.  

If you're looking for some special technique, you won't really find one.  I did use the Cherry Cobbler embossing powder for the focal point.  I do enjoy how the diagonal stripe embossing folder combines with the diagonal stripe on the Season of Style Designer Series Paper for a sort of optical illusion chevron look. That is sort of neat.  Mainly, I just enjoy the simplicity of this card and it's beautiful sentiment. 

Have a wonderful day!  Create something beautiful!

Joyful Tidings, the 'Swing Card' Version

Hello Friends!

In just a few days, I'll host another gathering of Christmas Card Club!  These ladies are so brilliant!  They are getting a lot of their holiday crafting done way in advance.

Here's another one of the fun samples we'll make.

This is a 'swing' card.  Some gals call it a 'motion' card.  It's very hard to photograph, but extremely fun in person.  I used some of our new thinlits to create this card, so there was no special scoring from me.... the big shot and the thinlit do all the hard work.  Makes my life so easy!

I used the stamp set, 'Christmas Messages'.  I stamped it with our silver Encore ink.  I thought later that it would be much fancier if I would have used shimmery white card stock for the focal point.  So, I think when my club gals make this project, I'll let them use the fancy shimmery white.  It's so pretty!

The paper is the extremely gorgeous 'Winter Frost Specialty Designer Series Paper'.  I finished off the front panel with a little bow made out of our new silver 1/8" ribbon.  It ties so easily!

This card fits nicely into a standard size envelope, which makes it easy to mail.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Enjoy Wednesday!

A Fall Themed Swing Card for the Paper Players

Hello!!

It's a beautiful day in my neighborhood!  Not fall temperatures yet, but I couldn't resist the challenge from the Paper Players.

I decided to play with some of the new thinlits.  Here's my Fall-themed swing card:

The colors are very fall-ish.  I really am enjoying the new Sweater Weather Designer Series paper.  There's some very nice plaids.

Supplies:

Stamp Sets: Magnificent Maple, Tags 4 You

Card stock: Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand, Crushed Curry

Paper: Sweater Weather DSP

Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic Ink

Accessories: Candy dots, linen thread

Big Shot: Tasteful trims Bigz die, Thinlits - Label Card

I hope you're have a wonderful day and make a little time for creating!

Thanks for stopping by!

Holly Jolly Frostings

Hello!  Happy Monday to Everyone!

It's a Holiday Monday!  Hooray!  A great way to celebrate any holiday is with stamping!  Right?  So, I'm happy to share the challenge from the folks over at Fab Friday:

I'm planning cards for my Christmas Card Club, so I changed the sketch just a bit.

Aren't the frosted finishes so pretty?  They have a flat back, so they are very easy to use.  I just stuck it on with a glue dot!  Very blingy and pretty!

Supplies used:

Stamp Set: Tags 4 You

Cardstock: Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Smokey Slate

Paper: Winter Frost Specialty Designer Series Paper

Accessories: Label Bracket Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Frosted Finishes and Coastal Cabana Ruffled Ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!

You're Making Me Happy!

Hello Friends!

Today, I'd like to share another card from our recent card class.  I CASEd this card from my friend, Amy O.  I often do that.  I just love her ideas!

I hope you enjoyed the video about Washi Tape!  It's such a fun, easy product to use.  I actually used a piece from the Epic Day washi tape for this card.  The gals at card class love washi tape!  

I used the new stamp set, 'Hello, Lovely'.  It's got that great ampersand in it.  How much do we love a good ampersand?!?  Am I right?

Thanks for stopping by today!  Now, go create something!  You're Making Me Happy!!

Gorgeous Grunge, all pinked out!

Hello!

Tonight is the card class!  I'm so excited and can't wait to share my cards with all the gals!   I recently received the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set for free from Stampin' UP!  I popped on over to my friend, Amy O's blog and CASEd (copy and share everything) this fun sample.  I LOVE it!

I changed it up a little bit.  Making it more simple, with less ink changes, for our class tonight.  I'm really happy with how it turned out, and it was very quick to make!

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Gorgeous Grunge, Chalk Talk
Cardstock: Whisper White
Ink: Primrose Petals, Going Gray, Summer Starfruit
Big Shot: Chalk Talk framlits
Accessories: Primrose Petals ribbon

Thanks for looking!

Come back tomorrow for a fun video about one of my favorite new products... WASHI TAPE!

A Pretty Little Happy Birthday

Hello Friends!

Check out the great color challenge from Fab Friday!

It's such a pretty, soft color combo.  I pulled out my favorite stamp set, Sassy Salutations to make a simple card for our next card class.  Oh yeah, that's tomorrow!  :)

It was hard for me to make the color bars uneven, but I think the uneven-ness of it gives it a more casual, more pleasant feel.  I can't wait to see if the gals tonight leave their card stock uneven, or if they have to straighten it out.  Fun times!

Thanks for looking!

Stampin' Up! Thinlits Card Dies

Hello Friends!

I'm excited to share with you one of our newest products!  THINLITS!  I can't wait to get this product in my hands and start creating some cards!

They are available to order now.  Just log on to my online store and make your selections.

Check out this quick video, but only if you're ready to fall in love with a new way to make cards!





Thanks for stopping by today!

Christmas Card Club Goes Glam

Hello Friends!

Can you tell I'm just a LITTLE excited about starting Christmas Card Club again!?!?  It's a wonderful way to spend a morning.  Another card we'll make this week is this:

Pretty stinkin' cute, right?  Glimmer paper makes everything better!  Look at that happy Santa, it's all the glimmer paper!  Not really.  Santa is happy I used the 'Tag It' stamp set.  Every time this set is purchased, Stampin' UP! donates $3 to the RMHC (Ronald McDonald House Charities).  Good deed.  Done.

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Tag It

Cardstock: Real Red, Whisper White, Gumball Green

Accessories: Glimmer paper, rhinestones, Gumball Green Ribbon

Big Shot: Chalk Talk Framelits, and that snowflake embossing folder.... (you remember the name, right?)

Thanks for stopping by today?

Bonus gratitude if you noticed my new 'watermark' on the card photo.

This Is the Authentic Me.

Hello Friends!

I've been considering what to do about an official 'business blog' for quite some time. I need to be 'professional' and 'focused'.

Hmmm..... neither of those things sound very much like me.

You know what DOES reflect me? This blog. TfTC. It's me. (and PrissE when she has time to write.) So, this is what you get! ME, in blog format. As professional as I ever am. As focused as anyone wants to see me. Just me.

AND, if you look carefully over there on the right.  The information bar side thingy..... then you'll see a new widget.  A place to sign up to receive these blog posts in your email box. (Some people actually requested it!)  Look at me being all 'businesslike'..... WHAT?

More importantly, you get to see the things I can make.  Like this super fun card for the first month of Christmas Card Club.

You will have to look carefully.  That 'texture' at the bottom of the card, in the background, is a new embossing folder technique.  There's some new washi tape, and a new Christmas Tree stamp set.  There's some interesting burlap-ish pieces of ribbon tucked behind the tree.... all in all, a very interesting card!  If I do say so myself!

It's not too late to sign up for Christmas Card Club!  Let me know if you're interested.

Thanks for stopping by for a look!

Sassy Fab Friday

Hello!

Take a look at this week's sketch from the folks over at Fab Friday.

At first glance, I was petrified of all that 'white' space at the bottom of the card.  Then, I decided it didn't have to be 'plain white' space.  That's one thing I really like about participating in challenges..... I try something I probably wouldn't have thought of on my own. 

I can't imagine crafting a card without using one of my favorite embossing folders.  This time, I chose the chevron EF.  I love the movement it gives this card!  As you probably guessed, this is another sample for the first month of Christmas Card Club.  These brilliant ladies are starting early, getting their Christmas crafting done!  They'll have 60 completed cards by the first week of December. 

Supplies used:

Stamp Set: Sassy Salutations

Big Shot: Chevron EF, Deco Labels Framelits

Accessories: Brights Candy Dots, Crumb Cake Taffeta Ribbon

Paper: Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Whisper White CS, Season of Style dsp

Thanks for looking!



Christmas Card Club!

Hello Friends!

My favorite artist made the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  It's a really great sketch that I know I'll use again!  Thanks Amy O for the inspiration!




I'm busy designing projects for my Christmas Card Club, so this is what I came up with.

I think it's elegant in a whimsical sort of a way!  I enjoyed creating with the new products!  The new Winter Frost Specialty Series Paper is luxurious!  Who doesn't love a great snowflake? 

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Festive Flurry

Big Shot: Festive Flurry Framelits, Chalk Talk Framelits, Diagonal stripes EF

Paper: Smokey Slate, Shimmer White, Coastal Cabana CS; Winter Frost SSP

Ink: Encore Silver

Accessories: Boutique details, silver ribbon, ruffled ribbon

Thanks for looking!

Convention Swap Time!

Hello Friends!

I'm too excited right now!  It's very near time for Stampin' UP!'s annual convention in Salt Lake City!  I'll leave next week and I'm not nearly ready!  I've been distracted by summer!  It's hard to concentrate on making swaps when it's so perfectly summer outside.

I'm thankful for the fun sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches.  Check it out!  It helped me focus on the swap making.

I really enjoy combining different textures, shapes and designs.  What do you think of my creation?

I just used a lot of my favorite things.  Polka dots, chevrons, ruffles, purple and best friends!  Really, what could be better?  :)  Now, I just need to focus on creating even though it's still a beautiful summer.  I hope I see some of you at Convention!  Please say HI!

Supplies:

Stamp Set:  Label Love

Paper: Very Vanilla, Wisteria Wonder, Coastal Cabana, Afternoon Tea dsp

Big Shot: Chevron Impressions folder, Tasteful trims die

Thanks for looking!