Blog Hop - "Use Your Words"

Hello! It's time again for our monthly We Create Blog Hop. This month's theme made me laugh out loud when I heard it, because it's something I say a lot -- "Use your words." I can only imagine I'll be saying it even more when I have kids someday!

Anyway. I was super excited to do this hop because, if you haven't already seen them, the new catalog features some sets with AMAZING typography! The stamps I've featured are ones that can stand all on their own (though adding a little extra pizzazz is never a bad thing, right?), which makes cards come together lickety-split! In fact, I made all the cards for this hop in under an hour total! Like I said, super quick and easy!

Stamp sets: Big News, Something for Baby
Framelits: Baby's First Framelits 

Stamp set: Big News

Stamp Sets: Occasions 4 You, Mixed Bunch
Petal Punch 

Stamp Set: Big News

And because Stampin Up loves making things so easy for us, there's also an index of greetings & alphabet stamp sets right in the back of the current catalog! How easy is that?! You can check out the catalog by clicking on the link in the sidebar.


There are SO many more great ways to Use Your Words with Stampin' Up!'s word sets, so be sure to hop through the rest of the blogs to see what other ideas you can find!

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

"Get Well" Blog Hop

Welcome back! This month, with cold and flu season right upon us, we decided to do a "Get Well" Blog Hop. This way, you can get ideas for what to give that friend, neighbor, sibling, etc. who may be sick or just feeling down. I chose the topic this month, and it hit close to home as I found out (after choosing the theme) that both my grandmother and my husbands grandmother were in the hospital. So whether it's sniffles or surgery, these Get Well ideas will help you know just the thing to give your loved one a pick-me-up.

As anyone who's been around me much may know, my go-to way to help and comfort those around me who are in need is always through food. So this cute little "Get well" mug is right up my alley. It's filled with Hot Spiced Apple Cider mix, a pocket pack of Kleenex, and a handful of cough drops -- everything you need when you've got a case of the sniffles.

My husband and I had also made a quick "Thinking of You" card for his grandma, who was in the hospital. If I have time tomorrow, I'll add the picture of it here. For now, just know it was lovely.

Be sure to hop through to all the lovely blogs in our Hop to see what they have to share!

Oh, Hello! (CCMC240 and FMS 74)

Last night, I went over to stamp with my friend Julie Wadlinger (again - this happens often, and it's so much fun!), and we both tackled some fun challenges. You can check out the gorgeous card she made on her blog here. I decided to take on a color challenge and a sketch challenge, too, and this is what I came up with:

I LOVE how this card turned out! The color combination, from Create with Connie & Mary, is just adorable. I may have to order a supply of more Basic Gray paper & ink, because it's just a gorgeous color to work with! The bold color combination made me want this to be a bold card - big greeting stamp, big flower, big rhinestones -- and so of course I had to include one of our beautiful Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons! These things really are fabulous - they look like diamonds! Here's a close-up to show just how gorgeous they are:

I inserted a small rhinestone into the center of the
Vintage Faceted  Button to give it even more "bling."

The flower was stamped with the Betsy's Blossoms set and cut out with the Floral Frames Framelits dies on the Big Shot. Then I punched a tiny circle from Melon Mambo and put the Vintage Faceted Designer button on top of it. I just LOVE how cute it turned out!

Here's the challenge info for this card.

From CCMC240:

And from Freshly Made Sketches (FMS74)

Card Details

Colors: Basic Gray, Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight

Stamps: Oh, Hello; Besty's Blossoms

Tools: Top Note die (for Big Shot), Floral Frames Framelits© die (Big Shot), 1/2" Circle punch 

Accessories: Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Basic Jewels rhinestones

Seize the Birthday #6 + FabFri12 (Masculine Birthday Card)

I've mentioned before that I am terrible at making masculine cards. Part of the problem is that most of my stamps have butterflies, swirly patterns, flowers, or something adorable on them; not very masculine, huh? I've been trying to remedy that, though, mostly through buying neutral colored paper & non-frilly sayings stamps. So when I was actually able to accomplish this week's Seize the Birthday Masculine Card challenge -- and I liked my end result! -- I was pretty proud of myself. Granted, what I came up with might be more suited for a little boy than a grown man, I'm fairly certain my dad would be happy to get a card like this.

I promise that I didn't pick out my curtains to match Stampin' Up! colors.
. . . It just kinda happens that way sometimes. 

The layout came from the sketch challenge over at STB, as I mentioned above. The fantastic color combo, though? Yeah, totally wish I could claim that as my own fantastic creation. But I can't. It came from the lovely folks over at Fab Friday, who gave us a phenomenal color challenge this week. (I actually made TWO cards in that color challenge, and I'll be posting the other one tomorrow.) So here are the challenges I undertook for this card. First, the sketch:

Isn't it lovely? Now on to the color challenge! (Note: I left out the Perfect Plum in an attempt to make this as masculine as possible with the cutesy background.) This is the FabFri12 color palette:

In an amazing feat of coincidence, this card ALSO qualifies for this week's Friday Mashup! Since I used our Stampin' Write© Markers to color in the word stamp elements, it qualifies for the "Markers" section, and the Textured Impressions Embossing Folder© on the bottom qualifies it for the mash-up with "texture" -- so there ya go! Here's their info, too, so go check them out! 

Here is the "Mashup" Challenge:

1. Make a project "using your Markers (thumping,Color Spritzing,Coloring etc.)."
2. Or Make a project with "Texture."
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project with "Texture using your Markers."

Card Details

Paper: Soft Suede CS, Baja Breeze CS, Whisper White CS, Storytime DSP

Ink: Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi

Tools: Perfect Polka Dots Textured Embossing Folder©, Ovals Collection Framelits©, Paper Piercing Pack & Paper Piercing Tool, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig© (to align text), Dimensionals

As Promised - A Doctor Who Card

It's February! Which means it's now time for the Month of Letters Challenge! Today I mailed two cards - one to my brother, and one to my friend. The one for my brother is this card that I made for his wedding (back in early December.... wow, I'm on top of things, huh?)

The second is a card I made more recently with Sale-a-Bration products. I mentioned a few days ago that I had used the new Feeling Sentimental stamp set to make a Doctor Who-themed card. But I didn't want to share it quite yet because it's a surprise for my friend for Letter Month. Well, now that it's in the mail I can show you!

Isn't it great? I wasn't sure what phrase to use with the T.A.R.D.I.S. image, and then Julie found this great saying that is just perfect! "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it isn't the end." Considering the time-travel theme of the whole show, it seemed like a fitting greeting.

I really love the artwork in this set. It looks like a print of an old sketch, especially when you stamp it in the super-black StazOn ink like I did here. The StazOn is also great for watercoloring (which I also did here), since the ink doesn't smear. Trying to find the right shade of blue was a bit tricky, but I think the Midnight Muse was a pretty good fit.

And with this, I've officially kicked of Letter Month! So I get this shiny new badge for my efforts.

Card Details:
Paper: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla CS; Newsprint DSP
Ink: black StazOn, Midnight Muse
Tools: Oval Framelits dies (from the Spring Catalog -- check it out in the sidebar!)
Accessories: Basic Jewels Rhinestones, Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive, square punch (for cutting end of banner)
Stamp Sets: Feeling Sentimental (from the Sale-a-Bration catalog -- earn it for free!), Pursuit of Happiness

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

Sketch & Colors

Tonight, I held my first of what (I hope) will be a monthly tradition - an "open stamp night." I put on a movie, got out my stamp stuff, and invited anyone who wanted to come to join me. I had my eye on a couple of sketches to get my creative juices flowing, and this was the (rather bold) result:

The bold color combo isn't something I'd usually go for, but this week's Dynamic Duo's color challenge picked Melon Mambo and Island Indigo. (Those color names just make you want to dance, don't they? ... No? Just me, then. Okay.) The colors are great together, and I decided to just jump in with both feet and go all-out with them. 

The layout comes courtesy of Retro Sketches (told you I love their sketches, so expect to keep seeing them!). Retro Sketches #45 is just a nice simple plaque-and-banner layout, so the Memorable Moments stamp set was a perfect match! I needed a little something to embellish with, and once again, butterflies fixed everything. Add in some little pearls on the Melon Mambo butterflies, and we were good to go.

This is my favorite little detail: one of the Embosslits butterflies
embossed with Melon Mambo flowery swirls.

I was really happy with how this card turned out. The layout, the trail of fluttering butterflies, the circle-covered background, and especially the colors. What are some of your favorite color combos?

Card Details
Stamps: Memorable Moments, Tiny Tags (butterfly detail)
Colors: Melon Mambo CS, Island Indigo (from Summer Smooches DSP), Whisper White CS
Tools & Accessories: Labels Collection Framelits, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Basic Pearls, Melon Mambo Embossing Powder (with VersaMark ink)

Memorable Moments & a color challenge

This week, I decided to try a new kind of challenge: a color challenge! Instead of being given a sketch or an inspiration photo, you're given a set of colors to make your project with. Here's what I came up with!

 I chose the Create with Connie & Mary challenge (CCMC232), and they gave me these gorgeous colors to work with:

Most people in this challenge made wintry, snowflake cards, but I'm pretty much done with snow. (Unfortunately, Utah doesn't agree with me on that! We've gotten SO MUCH SNOW this last week, and it's only the beginning of winter!) So I decided that I wanted to make something beautiful and elegant and not at all winter-related. The numbers on this one are only put on there temporarily, until I decide whose birthday this is for. Then I'll go back and stamp the appropriate number in this gorgeous Pool Party color and attach them.

Card Details:

Stamps: Memorable Moments

Ink: Black StazOn permanent ink, Pool Party

Paper: Pool Party CS, Whisper White CS, Silver Glimmer Paper

Tools & Accessories: Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Labels Collection Framelits, Bitty Banner Framelits, Vintage Faceted Designer buttons

Wedding card - Freshly Made Sketches #66

I made this card (belatedly, I admit) for my big brother's wedding. Their colors were purple and silver, and I thought this simple and elegant card was a lovely nod to their big day (which was now 3 weeks ago... but it's the thought that counts, right? ...Right?)

I love the elegant look to this card, and the Affection Collection stamp set (with the "Love" and "Always" stamps) was a huge part of that look. It's available in Stampin' Up!'s holiday catalog -- which ends on December 31! So if you like this set, hurry up and get it before it's no longer available! You can shop online anytime HERE. (How cool is that?)

After I made the card, I realized it matched this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge - FMS66. I've always loved participating in the FMS challenges, so here's to hoping they like my card!

Here's their sketch:

Card details:
Stamps: Affection Collection (no longer available, as of Jan. 2013), Memorable Moments, Petite Pairs (inside)
Big Shot: Labels collection Framelits dies, Lacy Brocade Textured Embossing Folder
Cardstock: Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Versamark
Other: Whisper White ribbon, silver Embossing powder, Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive

Gone Vintage

Lately I've noticed that my style of cards has been drifting. Instead of bold, more modern designs, I've been doing more of a style I thought I could never pull off -- vintage! Gasp! For so long, I'd look at cards that other people have made, and I'd "ooh" and "aah" over their gorgeous, vintage designs, then sign and resign myself to the "fact" that I simply couldn't make those cards work.

Well, was I ever proven wrong!

I LOVE doing these vintage style cards (especially the Christmas ones I posted a while ago -- gorgeous!, if I do say so myself). I love the texture and the colors. And the stamp designs that Stampin' Up! has are just fantastic! Can ya tell I'm kinda loving this whole vintage kick? Yeah? Ok, good; I was worried I was being too subtle about it all.  ;)

Anyway... moving on to the card! Inspired by a similar project I saw by Jeannine Tarrio, I made this card for my mother-in-law's birthday, using the Everything Eleanor set. (Which I got for free, btw -- gotta love Stampin' Up!'s reward system, eh?) So check it out: what do you think?

Some of the lovely details - roughed-up edges,
delicate pearls, faded ink. Love it!

 I also stamped some "wrapping paper" to match the card. (Yes, this is the back side of a brown grocery bag. And yes, it is WAY cheaper than wrapping paper.)

Card Supplies:
Stamps: Everything Eleanor, Birthday Wishes
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede
Paper: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, brown paper sack
Tools & Accessories: Apothecary Accents Framelits Die (Big Shot), Finishing Touches Edgelit (Big Shot), Paper Snips (cutting out flowers, placing pearls), Basic Pearls, sponge


So what do you think? What are some of your favorite design styles?