NEW SUMMER MINI - GOTTA CHECK THIS OUT!!!!

Good morning all!!! Guess what??!!! TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE NEW SUMMER MINI - WHOOOHOOOOO!!!!  This is such a fabulous mini, full of all kinds of fun new products like smooch!!!  You need to check it out, fun new papers, stamps, and new way to do stamping wheels, and a new Big Shot Die to boot!!  Love it!! And, we have some great specials this month as well!  To celebrate National Scrapbook Month, Stampin' Up! is giving away free product with qualifying purchases! Check out my sidebar to get all the details and see what you can get for FREE - in my book, FREE is always good :-)  I have lots of fun projects to share over the next week all featuring products from this new mini so make sure you check back often!!! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!!!

IT'S A PARTY!!

A tropical party!!! Well, not really....but this new stamp set from the Summer Mini sure puts me in the mood, LOL!!!  I am lovin' the fun, bright colors in our new Island Oasis DSP and it pairs perfectly with the Tropical Party stamp set which is what I used here!  Isn't it fun??!!  I also used the new Square Lattice embossing folder for the background and I just love it!! This card really makes me long for summer - I am sooooo tired of cold and rainy days, I mean, for Pete's sake, it's almost May in California!!!  So, if I can't have the sun, well, I will stamp something warm and tropical and pretend, LOL!  On the tree, I popped up the palm fronds - you can see it better if you enlarge the pic!  I also snuck in that little butterfly from the Charming stamp set.....I know, I use it on EVERYTHING but I just love it, I think it is the cutest stamp ever, heehee!!  And, I did use some Tangerine Tango card stock for the background since it is coming back, whoooohooooo!!! I love this warm, rich orange and I am glad I still have some in my stash! 

So, today is a very busy day - I have 50 cupcakes to make for the little girl's bday party tomorrow that I made all these boxes for.....yep 50 of them!! I also made matching invites that I share in this post here if you want to check them out!! And, I am making her a giant cupcake mini cake all for her - she is only turning one but I can imagine how cute she will be grabbing handfuls of her big ole' cupcake, heehee!! I will share those pics tomorrow once I have them all done! And, I am holding my accordian recipe mini book class tonight - can't wait to stamp with this group, they are all soooo much fun! So, a great day ahead although a very busy one!! I hope everyone enjoys the weekend - thanks so much for poppin' in to say hello, I just love it when you do!!!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Old Olive card stock, Island Oasis Designer Series paper
Inks - Old Olive, Soft Suede, So Saffron, Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise classic inks
Stamps - Charming (butterfly), Great Friend (sentiment), Tropical Party
Accessories - 5-Petal punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Large Oval Punch, Scalloped Oval Punch, Rose Red brad, Ticket Corner punch, Rose Red narrow grosgrain ribbon, Square Lattice embossing folder

A LITTLE SMOOCH....NO, NOT THAT KIND!

Hah!! I bet you thought I was giving away kisses, didn't ya??!! heehee, nope, just playing with some fab new product from the Summer Mini and finding it VERY addicting, LOL!!!!  There is lots going on with this card so I am going to tell you what I did!! First, I used a Chocolate Chip base because I wanted to play with the Log Cabin Smooch and it works beautifully on this color!! I chose to use the new stamp set from the Summer Mini called Elements of Style - it is definitely a new favorite for me! I stamped the image in versamark on the base and then added gold embossing powder, then heat set it to give the card a rich background.  Next, I used the brand new embossing folder Square Lattice on a piece of Very Vanilla that is cut out with the Top Note die and let me tell you, it makes me squeal!!!! I LOVE the effect and it totally changes the texture of your paper, it almost feels like cloth!! I then smooch spritzed using the Log Cabin and found out:  a little goes a long way, lol!!! It is beautiful though, totally sparkles all over!  Here is a close-up, just click to enlarge and you can get some of the effect!  Nothing like in person though - you WILL need this product!!!! I then stamped my image in Pretty in Pink, covered it in versamark, then added some clear embossing powder and heat set it.  I did the same thing with the bird image except the bird is stamped in chocolate chip.  Added a few embellies and done!! I am very happy with this card, I just love all the new fun things in this mini!!! And, you all can order in just a few days because THIS MINI GOES LIVE ON MAY FIRST, WHOOOHOOO!!!  I really hope you are enjoying some of the previews from this fun mini because I will be back with two more samples tomorrow to share!! Thanks for stopping by, I love ya for it!!!  And remember, if you do stop by, leave me a comment so I know you were here - I love to see who is visiting!! Karan, this means you, no lurking now, ya hear *wink* 

Card Recipe:

Paper - Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla card stock

Inks - Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Versamark

Stamps - Elements of Style

Accessories - Top Note Die for BS, gold and clear embossing powder, pretty in pink satin ribbon, pretty in pink corduroy button, slit punch, Square Lattice embossing folder, Log Cabin Smooch Spritz

MY LAYOUT AND FUN RETREAT PICS - WARNING, LONG POST :-)

Good morning all!! I am later than I wanted to be posting, but we had no internet for most of the day yesterday due to a huge storm that is rolling through so it put me behind several hours :-(  BUT, it is working today thankfully!!!  As promised, I wanted to share some photos of the fun retreat I went on this past weekend.  And, the first pic is proof that I actually got something done, LOL!! This is a layout of my daughter's 13th birthday party at a place called Sky High which is an entire building made up of trampolines!  They had a great time although they were all pretty worn out on the way home after jumping for three hours, heehee!!! I made a collage of some of my favorite pics and I am going to make this the first page in a book I am making for her to have and share with her friends if she wants. 

I used a lot of In-Colors and played around with the new Smooch sprays in the Summer mini (I am addicted to them!) on the balloons which really makes them shine!  I don't think I am totally done with this page - I often will go back to it when I think of what is missing, LOL!! But, for now, this is what I have.  I do still need to journal a bit, but I usually do that last anyway!  So, this is proof that I actually DID get something done at the Retreat, LOL!  Although, I did not get nearly what I wanted to get done, but I think it always works that way, doesn't it??  I had a wonderful time talking, drinking wine, laughing, and getting to know the other gals so to me, that was a success! Here are some fun pics of some of the other gals that I met while there!!!

 

 

 

 So, here they are - the gang!! Unfortunately, a couple of the pics did not come out so I don't have everyone on here, but they were all wonderful and I am glad I had the chance to meet them!   In that first pic you can see all of us working diligently on our projects...NOT, lol!!!! The empty, messy space up front is mine. I tend to work in chaos, but hey, it works for me :-)  And yes, I brought waaaayyyy too much stuff!!!  Then, there is Wendy, a very close friend of mine who went with me!  I was so glad she was able to get away, she does not get nearly enough crafty time and she seemed to really have fun!!!  Then, there is Kathy and Karan - I loved meeting these ladies, they are LOADS of fun and we laughed a lot together!! I am hoping to see them again soon, they were such fun to hang out with!! Then, there is Kim and Kat - they are both demos and very nice ladies! Kim is actually in Patty Bennett's downline - small world, right? She is super sweet and reminds me of my BFF Vicki back in Florida!   The next two ladies are Laurie and Katherine - super fun ladies who I enjoyed chatting with and getting to know!  And, last but not least is my partner in crime Candice - she is actually one of two fab people who put the whole retreat together (sorry Lisa, did not get a good pic) and they did a wonderful job doing it!! Candice is one of my closest friends here in Northern Cal - we met at a shoebox swap and hit it off and have been friends ever since!! She lives over an hour away but we talk everyday and I love her to death!!  Lisa, Candice, and I went to Regionals together and had a great time - they are both fun to hang out with!!! And, I had to add this last pic of Karan playing with Smooch - her and I had sooo much fun spraying all kinds of different colors into the color catcher on all types of paper, LOL!!!  We were like two kids at Christmas, heehee!!!

Now, these last two pics are of the view - isn't it gorgeous??!! We had absolutely beautiful weather (and now we have another winter storm, go figure!) and there was a large porch off the back and this is what you saw! And, I was able to capture a pic of one more guest we had - one of the furry kind, lol!! She is soooo cute, I could not resist!!!  So, there you have it - a wonderful weekend away with the girls - can't wait to do it again in the Fall!!! Whooohoo!!!!!  So, I have about a million kits to cut so I best get moving! I hope you enjoyed the pics and if you are still awake after this long post, well, I {heart} you for sticking with me *wink*  I will be back tomorrow with some fun smooch projects to share - see you then!!! Thanks so much for stopping by!

MONDAY SKETCH CHALLENGE AT STAMPIN CONNECTION!

Hi All!!! I know today is Tuesday but I did not get time to upload my Monday sketch card yesterday so I am sharing it today, lol!!  It was my turn to do the sketch at Stampin' Connection this week so if you are a demo, I hope you have some time to play along!  And, if you are not a demo, well, I am posting the sketch here so that you can play along too :-)  I am still playing catch-up after being gone all weekend at the Stamp Retreat, but it is worth it, we had a wonderful time and I had the chance to make new friends which is always fabulous!! What a great group of ladies we had - it was soooo much fun!! I will share some pics tomorrow along with some of the projects I managed to get completed!! But, first, the sketch card!! I used my new set from the Summer Mini called Elements of Style and I have to say, it is definitely my new favorite, I just love it!!! Lots of bold color in this card, I wanted it to really pop!! I used the In-Colors Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, and Crushed Curry along with Basic Black and I am lovin' the combo!!!  I also used some of the fabulous Crushed Curry Corduroy buttons and actually took some slivers of Rich Razzleberry card stock and threaded it through the buttons.  And, of course no card is complete without some yummy ribbon and the Rich Razzleberry polka dot ribbon is perfect and definitely meets the yummy requirement, lol!!!!  So, if you want to play along, here is the sketch that I made for the week! 

And, if you do play along, how about letting me know so I can come over and check it out?  I would love to see what you all come up with!!!
So, today I am going to finish up a few class projects for two classes I have later in the week, and do some blurfing since I am now behind *wink*  Thanks so much for stopping by, I love reading your sweet comments, they make my day!! Take care and I will be back tomorrow with some fun pics of the weekend!!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry, Whisper White card stock
Inks - Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Old Olive stampin' write markers, Black Stazon
Stamps - Elements of Style
Accessories - Scalloped Trim border punch, Crushed Curry corduroy buttons, Rich Razzleberry polka dot ribbon