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!

FMS72—For My Co-Worker's Birthday

Last week at work, we celebrated 3 birthdays! One of them was my friend Emily, who sits right next to me, so of course I had to make her a card! I made this last week (after my filler "Pinspiration" post) and then spent the entire weekend being lazy! So I'm just now getting around to posting it—just in time for the Freshly Made Sketches deadline!

This week's FMS challenge (FMS72) was a fun sketch with lots of potential. Here's what I came up with based on their sketch:

I love the elements of sparkle on the card—the rhinestone on the heart and the Dazzling Details on the candle flame—they give it that "something extra" it needs to make this a really special card!

Also, the colors on this picture didn't come through quite right. The banner and the background are actually Crumb Cake, not this kind-of-icky gray-brown it's showing up as (at least on my computer)!

Patterns & Textures: Layered Birthday Card

In preparation for our "Birthday Bash Blog Hop" coming this Friday, I've had birthday cards on the brain. I found a cute sketch over on Seize the Birthday, but I totally missed the deadline for linking up! Oh, well. I still ended up with a cute, colorful birthday card.

I love the patterns in this Summer Smooches DSP - and the colors!! The colors are just fantastic: Rich Razzleberry and Lucky Limeade. Add a quick cutout from the Labels Collection Framelits stamped with a "Bring on the Cake" phrase, and I was almost done. It just needed .... something. So I grabbed a clear Bitty Button and some Linen Thread, and voila! The card was complete.

Don't forget to come back for more Birthday inspiration during our Birthday Bash Blog Hop on Friday!

Card Details

Paper: Chocolate Chip Textured CS, Whisper White CS, Summer Smooches DSP

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Rich Razzleberry

Tools & Accessories: Labels Collection Framelits dies (Big Shot), Bitty Buttons, Linen Thread

FMS70 - Happy Birthday!

This last week, I had planned a Valentine-themed card class. It turned out to be a total FLOP! Only one person came (my neighbor), so it really just turned into us watching Castle and making whatever sounded good -- so I guess it wasn't a total flop; I still got cards made. Anyway, during this impromptu Castle & Cards night, I decided to take a stab at this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge.

So, knowing that I have a lot of birthdays coming up, I decided to make a birthday card. It started out as a more masculine card, but once I found that gorgeous Daffodil Delight DSP and punched it with the large scallop circle, I knew my delusions of masculine card crafting were out the window. In the end, though, it didn't turn out too girly, I think. (Right? Tell me if I'm crazy.)

It's a little hard to tell from the angle in this photo, but I (once again) decided to make the banner "wave" by curling it a bit. The ends stick up off the card, and the center of the banner is raised as well.I love the dimension and movement such a simple little trick can give a card!

The layout, like I mentioned earlier, came from FMS70. Here's their sketch:

I love the butterfly! And I was pretty tempted to use it, except that I was going for a more masculine look, and evidently butterflies aren't masculine. (I guess that's something they can't fix!)


Card Details
Paper: Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White CS; International Bazaar DSP
Ink: Soft Suede; Daffodil Delight & Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write© Markers 
Stamp Sets: Bring on the Cake
Tools & Accessories: Perfect Polka Dots Textured Embossing Folder, Large Scallop Circle punch, Paper Snips (scissors), Dimensionals, SNAIL Adhesive.