My new crafting space!

Surprise! I'm blogging again -- and it's not even a blog hop! In my post earlier this month, I showed off the new catalog, but I have to tell ya, I wasn't most excited about the catalog that day. What I was really really excited about was my new apartment. More specifically, my new craft room! My FIRST craft room!

Before I show you the wonderful new space (and it is wonderful), let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we? This is my previous setup:

Whenever I felt like getting crafty, I had to take over the entire living room - couch, coffee table, floor, shelving, even the TV! (I like background noise when I craft.) It worked, sure, but it was not ideal. I mean, c'mon, my beautiful Big Shot was basically a craft troll -- living under the coffee table until someone needed it:

But now! Now, things are wonderful. Take a look:

Ta-da! I freaking LOVE this room! It just inspires me to get creative. That might be from all the WORK I put into this baby. I really do feel like it's my baby -- I'm ridiculously proud of the room and always want to show it off and tell people all about it. I painted the walls (a color that is almost exactly Pool Party, by happy accident, my favorite SU color); sanded & painted the chair (a yardsale find - only $2!!); and stripped, sanded, and painted (then reassembled -- ugh!) that monster of a desk. This was my first time EVER doing any project like this, and I have to say: I feel so proud of myself!

Ok. Brag session over. I'm just so excited to have a big, open, inspiring space to create! There's a closet in that room, too, in which I plan to hang/store my costuming experiments. I'm sure you'll hear more about that in the coming months, as Comic Con is on my radar and I have a very detailed costume in my sights. (We'll see if my ambition lives up to my vision.) (Spoiler alert: probably not.)

New Catalog! And time for a Blog Hop!

Hello and welcome to another month of our We Create Blog Hop! We're so glad you could join us this month, because we have something extra-special for you today: a BRAND NEW CAR CATALOG! (Sorry, bit of a Price is Right fan here.)

Every June, Stampin Up puts out a brand-spankin-new catalog. (If you were here last month, you heard about how that necessitates retiring some products. Sad day.) But even though we had to bid farewell to some long-loved sets, I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am for the new stamps! Seriously, guys. It's amazing. Take a few minutes (or hours, whatever; I won't judge) to go peruse the new catalog. I'll wait.

Click picture to go check out the catalog.
Seriously. Go check it out.

Ok, you've checked it out? Browsed a bit? Yes? Isn't it fantastic?! I have to admit, I'm always a bit nervous when this time of year comes around, but this year's catalog blew me away. As a typography nerd (I was an editor in a past life) (and by past life, I mean barely a year ago), I was SO EXCITED to see all the fun, creative, beautiful word art they have! I definitely have a long wish list.

Alright. Enough yakking. On to the projects! I'm the kind of gal who just doesn't plan ahead very well, so instead of seeing new products (my order is still sitting in limbo, poor thing), you're going to see some of the products I'm most excited about that are sticking around!

This card came together pretty darn quickly, helped along by the fabulous ladies over at Freshly Made Sketches. What a great layout - so easy to work with.

The picture is a bit dim, but hey, it was midnight when I took the picture. (Remember what I said about not planning ahead well? Yeah. Prime example here.) It's Tempting Turquoise and Very Vanilla, with super-fun Silver Glimmer Paper banners. This showcases some of my favorite things that are sticking around -- or rather, coming back! The banner punch and the polka-dot Textured Impressions Embossing Folder were featured during this year's Sale-a-Bration, and I couldn't be happier to still have them available! Seriously. They're just so cute and versatile!

The original sketch from Freshly Made Sketches - #138

And to go along with the card, I made a quick little gift box. I'm so happy the gift boxes are sticking around! I embossed the clear plastic sleeve with the same folder I used on the card, and I love the way it turned out! Wrap some twine around it, add a tag, and you're good to go. Inside the box, you can see some of our Stampin' Write markers. What I wanted to have in there, I haven't ordered yet -- the new Blendabilities pens! They are SO awesome! I'll show them off to you soon, I promise.

Be sure to hop through to see all the other wonderful posts celebrating our brand new catalog!

And if you're in the Provo area, come to my New Catalog Launch Party! I'm holding an open-house style party to celebrate the new catalog AND my new craft room! (I'll have pics of that later this week.) Next Tuesday, June 10, 7-9pm. Contact me with any questions!

Blog Hop! Don't Miss Your "Last Chance" to Get Retiring Products

Welcome back to our Blog Hop! Was it just me, or did April fly by super fast? I could hardly believe it when Julie reminded me that it was time again to get our blog hop posts ready again! This last week, Stampin Up released this year's list of retiring products in anticipation of the brand-spankin'-new catalog that launches in just one month! (Can ya tell I'm excited? I'm pretty darn excited.) Thanks to Julie, who went to a catalog premiere party, I got to see the catalog early -- and let me tell you, it's SO GOOD! I'm really excited for all the new products and accessories that are coming out.

But at the same time, I'm sad to see some of the great stamps and accessories I love go on the retiring list. So this blog hop is a chance to say "farewell" to some of the great stuff that will be retiring. I'll be showcasing the "Simply Stars" set, along with some of the word sets that are going away as well. Be sure to check out the other blogs in the hop to see what they're saying goodbye to, as well.

***These stamp sets are only available
 until June 4 -- and only while supplies last! -- 
so get them before they're gone!***

This first card is a simple baby card in soft pinks and blues. The greeting is from "Cuddles & Kisses" set which is, sadly, also retiring come June 1.

It's a little hard to tell, but this card is Real Red and Crumb Cake. It's showing you the Simply Stars set as well as the Bring on the Cake set, which is also retiring. I colored in the letters with our blender pens.

I made some simple color changes to make the card from above more girly. This Melon Mambo and Whisper White card shows off a few retiring products: the Simply Stars set, the Bring on the Cake set, and (sad!) the Melon Mambo embossing powder, which you can kinda see on the pink stars here.

Oh, and the embossing in the background of the pink card there? You may want to keep an eye out for that one. Just sayin'. It's pretty darn cute. 

Thanks for stopping by the Hop again this month! As always, Pins, comments, and shares are appreciated. And be sure to grab your favorite retiring products before they're gone for good! Feel free to contact me with questions or if you want to place an order. Hop through to see everyone else's great projects, too, of course!

My Digital Studio Blog Hop (And a Bonus Recipe!)

Welcome to another edition of our fabulous We Create Blog Hop! This month, we're showcasing a product that may be new to some of you, but maybe an old friend to others: My Digital Studio! My Digital Studio ("MDS" for short) is Stampin' Up's digital creating program. It allows you to make cards, photo books, swatch books, posters, invitations, and whatever else you might dream up without making a mess of your craft room! How amazing is that?

Now, I have to be honest: MDS was a hard sell for me. I'm just too much of a hands-on crafter! A few times before I've, rather grudgingly, made projects on MDS (like this one) -- usually at the prompting of other Demonstrators who just LOVE the program. I was always happy with how the projects turned out, in the end.

And even though the program is only $20, I've been a stinker and only ever downloaded the free trial. (Personally, I would have rather put the $20 toward a new stamp set. Or so I thought, but I'll get to that in a minute.) Today's project, a recipe swap swatch book, was also made entirely with stuff available in the free trial of MDS, along with some fonts I downloaded from Google Fonts (such a fun site! At least for a typography nerd like me) and some word art from online.

This is my very own recipe for High-Altitude Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. Isn't it adorable?! I freaking LOVE how this recipe card turned out. The best part? Since this was a swap, my little swatch book is now FULL of a variety of gorgeous and delicious-sounding recipes! There's talk of doing more recipe swaps in the future, and if that's the case . . . well, then I may just have to "invest" the $20 and get the full version of MDS for myself!

Thanks for "hopping" on by to see my MDS project! Try out the banana bread recipe sometime and let me know how it goes for you. And be sure to check out the rest of the hop by clicking through to the rest of the lovely ladies' blogs. As always, we love comments, shares, and Pins!

Coastal Cabana Challenge Cards

Today, I got together with Julie again after a long stamping hiatus and made a few quick, simple cards. Both cards feature Coastal Cabana, a super-fun In Color.

The "Congratulations" card is for my friend Jessica, who is expecting twins! On the inside, it says "Woohoo! It's two!" The elegant design and the rhinestone remind me so much of Jessica, so this card is just perfect for her.

The second card is a thank-you to Kaitlin, who recently joined my Stamping newsletter and has come to a few of my classes. (Hi, Kaitlin!) The fun paper on the bottom is from the Spring catalog - the "Fresh Prints Designers Series Paper Stack". It's also the same paper I used on the LOVE banner. The layout comes from this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge. Such a simple layout makes the greeting really pop, don't you think?

Supplies

Stamps: Beautifully Baroque, Cuddles and Kisses, and a special photopolymer stamp set just for Demonstrators! (Sorry)

Paper: Coastal Cabana cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, and Fresh Prints DSP

Ink: Coastal Cabana - that's it!

Accessories: Real Red stitched ribbon, Dimensionals, Basic Jewel Rhinestones