Promotion Playtime - "We Create" Blog Hop

Welcome back! This month, we wanted to show you some of the great products that are available outside of our traditional catalog. Sometimes these fun offerings are overlooked, but they are too awesome to miss out on!

My projects use a few products from our Sale-a-Bration catalog that you can earn for FREE for every $50 you spend this month. Yep, for every $50 you spend, you get to chose a FREE item from the SAB mini catalog! (check out the sidebar for more info!) 

I started with a simple outline, inspired by Pinterest.

The banner "string" between pennants was simply drawn
in with the Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write marker - easy!

This simple, cute card uses the Banner Blast set and coordinating punch from the SAB catalog, as well as one of our new totally clear photopolymer stamps. The photopolymer stamps take some getting used to, but they do give a super-sharp image, as you can see above with the "Thank You." A little Cherry Cobbler baker's twine and a "string" (drawn with the Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write Marker) finish off the card. Love!

Then I moved on to a more-involved card. This one uses the same stamps and punches as the first, but I also used our super-fun Envelope Punch Board! You can use the punch board to make a custom envelope in pretty much any size, and it's so easy!

As you can see, I also added some DSP to this card, as well as using the polka-dot Textured Embossing Folder from the SAB catalog. I LOVE that the embossing folder coordinates so well with the pattern on one of the pennant stamps! (The orange one on the right end). I went through about 5 different color/paper/texture combinations before finally settling on this one, so now I have a bunch of itty-bitty envelopes laying around -- oh darn!  ;)  The layout for this card, and the instructions for the custom-sized envelope, were found over on Julie Kettlewell's blog.

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Be sure to check out the rest of the ladies in the Hop, and don't miss out on all these great products!!

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