Celebrate Today!

I mentioned in my last post my husband & I went to see Joel Osteen last weekend in Ohio. His message included thanking God for everything good and right in your life. When you wake up, be happy you can see, walk, have clothes to wear, a job to go to. It's such a simple thing to do, yet I know I am guilty of taking things for granted. I am going to try harder to "celebrate today" each and every day.
My creation goes along with my new theme in life! I hope you like it. It's also fitting for a birthday card too! The "Celebrate" comes from the Stampin' Up! retired set Wonderful Words. It's very similar to Heard from the Heart or Warm Words, another favorite of mine. You could also use Celebrate Everything and really personalize what you are celebrating!

The big scallop circle in the background is the Scallop Circle Die (item #113468) from Stampin' Up! This die is not only great for scallop circle die cuts, but you can also make scallop circle cards from it. If you don't have a die cutting machine and would like scallop circle cards, Stampin' Up! sells Carousel Notes which include 12 cards with envelopes!

I created my own center for the Prima flowers using Stampin' Up! Jumbo Brads and adding a little flower rub-on. Don't be shy about using your rub-ons. They go on practically anything! Gotta love em!

Leave me a comment and let me know what you are going to celebrate today! It could be that your kids are healthy, the UPS man came today with your Stampin' Up! order, or you ate candy for breakfast! The candy for breakfast would do it for my little one!

Have a great day and thank you so much for visiting my blog!

Recipe (all supplies from Stampin' Up! unless noted otherwise):

Stamp: Wonderful Words (retired)

Designer Series Paper: Cutie Pie (retired)

Cardstock: Whisper White, Real Red, Summer Sun

Rub-Ons: Love & Happiness (retired)

Hardware: Jumbo Brads (item #112533), Making Memories Clips

Prima Flowers

Scallop Circle Die (item #113468)

Red Satin Ribbon

The Bold and Beautiful Challenge

I've been gone a couple days, but I'm back! My husband & I went to see Joel Osteen in Columbus, OH this weekend. It was a great time! My little one stayed with my mother overnight for the first time. He did great! I was a wreck as we drove away. :)

Anyways, are you a fan of card challenges? They seem to be everywhere these days from Splitcoaststampers, to scrapbook stores, to personal blogs. I personally am not a big fan of card challenges. When I create something, I like to be all my own from scratch! It's like a personal challenge for me, sometimes torture (hee hee). Silly, I know! However, I understand there are times where you sit there with all these great supplies and don't have a clue what to do with them. That is where challenges can be helpful.

The Stampin' Up! group I belong to has weekly challenges primarily based from Splitcoaststampers. Last week we used SC225. I'm not a faithful participant, but I do try. Here was what I came up with.

I used the bold and beautiful Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper from Stampin' Up! I paired it up with Whisper White & Old Olive cardstock. The white behind the patterned paper really pops the color. The stamp I used, Elegant Thank You, can be found on the last page of the current catalog. I used Pink Passion ink for the stamped image.

Have a wonderful Sunday and stop back soon! Take care.

Recipe (all supplies from Stampin' Up!):

Stamp: Elegant Thank You (#114484)

Designer Series Paper: Raspberry Tart (#113975)

Cardstock: Old Olive, Whisper White

Ink: Pink Passion

A Good Card To Always Have On Hand

Sympathy cards are not my favorite kind of cards to make. It's always good to keep a sympathy card around for those unexpected times. I've had people ask to buy one from me, so it's not a bad thing for a card maker/stamper to have on hand.
When I first saw the Stampin' Up! set Close As a Memory, I knew it would be a keeper. I didn't have any sympathy stamp sets and this one was so beautiful and perfect to me. This set makes it easy to create a beautiful, quick card.

I used Night of Navy for my card base. I stamped the flowers in Whisper White Craft Ink all over the front of the card. Be careful when working with Craft Ink - it takes some time to dry! You can speed the process by waving your heat tool back & forth over it to dry quicker.

I stamped in Night of Navy ink "With Heartfelt Sympathy" on Whisper White cardstock (2.75 x 1.25) and mounted it on Night of Navy cardstock (3 x 1.50). I attached this piece to the front of the card with Stampin' Dimensionals.

My new love is Stampin' Up! Mini Library Clips. OMG! True love upon opening the little container they come in. A few customers of mine ordered them & I just didn't get the draw. I thought they would be too bulky and hard to send through the mail on a card. Boy was I wrong! These things are so tiny and cute I'm ready to order a second set!!! I get a little nutty over things sometimes. Forgive me!!! Try them, you will love them! I added a clip to my sentiment to finish it off.

Have a wonderful day and check back soon! Thanks for visiting!!!

Recipe (all supplies from Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Close As a Memory (item #114946)

Ink: Whisper White Craft Ink, Night of Navy

Cardstock: Night of Navy, Whisper White

Accessories: Mini Library Clips (love them!!! #109857)

For you

What a beautiful weekend here! I hope you had warm sunny weather too. This morning when I woke up, I didn't want to get out of bed! All that fresh air made me tired. I'll take it though!

This card was created for a graduation card for one of my friends. I used some retired SU! patterned paper for the background and the Great Friend stamp set (#113792) from the new mini! I stamped "for you" in Whisper White Craft Ink on Chocolate Chip cardstock. The fun shape of this centerpiece was created using the Matchbox Bigz XL Die (#114890) from the mini as well. I layered the piece on pop dots and stamped upward from corner to corner the leaf from the Great Friend set. I added a little ribbon from the last sale-a-bration and some Prima flowers.

To make things a little interesting, I rounded opposing corners only of the Chocolate Chip and Whisper White cardstock on the center part of the card. When you decorate an edge or corner, don't think you have to do all sides. It makes it more interesting, I think, when you do something a little unconventional. Just a little tip!

Have a wonderful Monday and be sure to stop back soon! Thank you for visiting today!

Tiffany
Recipe (all supplies from Stampin' Up! unless noted otherwise):
Stamps: Great Friend
Patterned Paper: Petal Patch (retired)
Cardstock: Blush Blossom, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Ink: Certainly Celery, Whisper White Craft Ink
Tools: Matchbox Bigz XL Die
Accessories: Certainly Celery Ribbon, Prima Flowers, American Crafts brads

Guest Stamper!

Happy Saturday everyone! The weather is warm - almost hot - so I'm heading out shortly.

I am very excited to share with you a card I was sent for my birthday from one of my customers and friend.

Last year I met Claire Guenin at a card class in Pittsburgh. During the class she mentioned she lost her SU! demonstrator. After class, as I was shopping around the store, I introduced myself to her. I told her I was a SU! demonstrator and if she still wanted to purchase SU! products, I sell them directly online. We exchanged e-mails and I gave her my website. Since then she has been a customer of mine and most importantly a virtual stamping friend!

For my birthday last month, she sent me this adorable card and some beautiful soaps from her store. The soaps smell so good my little one asked if we can eat it! Hee hee!

I love Claire's card! The embossing on the bottom is beautiful and I love the colors she chose. She used Just Buzzin' By stamp set from Stampin' Up! (item# 113228). Claire has shared with me some other cards she has made and one is just as beautiful as the next.

Please leave a comment for Claire at the end of the post to let her know what you like best about her card.

Enjoy the warm, sunny weekend! Thank you for stopping by!

Learn.. Live... Hope

Creating this type of card was completely out of my comfort zone!

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a girly girl. I love pink and I don't like getting my hands dirty! The stamps we are drawn to create with reflect our personality as well. I have a ton of flower, leaves, and tree sets - pretty stamps. Love them! I can't get enough!!!

I forced myself, and it was a little painful, to buy this set from the new mini because it's like nothing else I have. It's called Sense of Time. Nobody has enough time anymore & I know I always complain about it, so I knew I would use this set. I can see it on a scrapbook page too. Bonus! It's really neat, I must say.

I decided to create a masculine looking card with it. I stuck with Chocolate Chip and Tempting Turquoise for my colors. Again, out of my comfort zone. Where is Pretty in Pink??? Do you miss it??? I do - sniff, sniff.

I blocked my background into 3 pieces of patterned paper from Stampin' Up! Walk in the Park collection. I layered two different sizes of Nestabilities to attach the clock to. The clock was stamped in Tempting Turquoise and the saying in Chocolate Chip. I added a cute little brad from SU! Vintage collection near the bottom.

What do you think? Stay in my comfort zone or not? Be honest, you won't hurt my feelings.


Recipe (all supplies from Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Sense of Time (#113804)
Designer Series Paper: Walk in the Park (#115123)
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Vintage Brads (#109109)
Tools: Nestabilities

Walk in the Park

What a beautiful weekend! Too bad it goes so fast. So how is your Monday so far? I wish I could say Monday's are a "walk in the park", but they seldom are.

Speaking of "Walk in the Park", my creation today is all about that. Check out page 9 of the Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog. This paper is gorgeous! I thought it was pretty in the catalog until I received it in person. Now I'm going with "gorgeous" to describe it.

I made a card out of a half sheet of 8.5 x 11 Whisper White cardstock. I used a 5.5 x 4 inch piece of the gray patterned paper, from the Walk in the Park collection, as my first layer. Next, I took a 1 inch wide strip of Whisper White cardstock and finished the edge with the Eyelet Border punch. I cut that piece to 5.5 inches long and added it about 1/2 inch from the top of the gray patterned paper.

I decided to use the bright Cameo Coral patterned paper from the collection to really make a statement against the gray. I think it worked! This piece is 5.5 x 2.5 inches.

The square piece with the sentiment is 3x3 inches - Whisper White cardstock, a different gray patterned paper from the collection, Cameo Coral scallop circle, and a Whisper White circle for the stamped image.

I stamped an image from the Pocket Silhouettes set in Basic Gray ink. It's a very simple, yet elegant stamp set to use. I've seen a lot of neat things created with this set. See one of my prior postings with this set by clicking HERE.

After I assembled the 3x3 square piece, I tied a sheer gray ribbon around the center of the card and attached the square piece.

As the card reads, "thanks so much", for visiting my blog today! Have a good one!

Recipe (all supplies from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes (#111672)

Designer Series Paper: Walk in the Park (#115123)

Carstock: Whisper White, Cameo Coral

Ink: Basic Gray

Accessories: Sheer gray ribbon (from Michaels Arts & Crafts)

Tools: Eyelet Border Punch (#13692), Nestabilities