A LITTLE BIT OF FALL

Happy Friday all!!! Man, this has been one busy week and I am not done yet, lol! Tomorrow is my big Hostess Appreciation Event so I am madly stamping fun goodies and creating goodies bags for all the special ladies who hosted a workshop for me last stamping year!!! I am so excited to see them all tomorrow - I am going to spoil them rotten, lol! I will share all the fun things I made on Monday, but today I am going to share another workshop card that really has fall written all over it! We used one of my favorite fall sets for this card called Day of Gratitude - it truly is beautiful! I just love the big Medallion, and all the fall leaves and acorns and such are wonderful accent stamps that make this set so versatile!  We paired this set with the yummy Spice Cake Designer Series paper and I think I can truly say that I have gotten my money's worth from this set, lol! It is such pretty paper, and the colors are fabulous!! I would NEVER have thought Pool Party was a fall color, but here it is as the base and accent color and it looks great!!! We stamped the base with the leaf stamp in Pool Party ink as well to add some texture. The patterned paper is punched using the Eyelet Border punch on both sides and then layered on some Soft Suede card stock. The main image is stamped in Soft Suede ink on Very Vanilla card stock, then softly sponged with More Mustard ink and mounted on More Mustard card stock.  And of course, we had to add a cute little button right in the center - I love those little flower buttons, they give just the right touch to almost every project! See that pretty ribbon? That is the fabulous Soft Suede taffeta ribbon - I love EVERY color of this ribbon, I swear it's the prettiest ribbon we have, I just love it!!! The sentiment is stamped in More Mustard, punched out with the Large Oval Punch, and then mounted on some Soft Suede card stock that is punched out with the Designer Label punch.  Then, the whole thing is popped up on dimensionals!! Isn't it a pretty card?  I love the colors, and the images - this card must makes me happy! We had tons of fun making this, and the ladies at the workshop were also amazed at how well these colors blend together for a great fall look!  If you love these products and want some of your own, you can order them all in my online store, or you can contact me and I will be happy to take your order for you! I am going to spend the rest of the day madly stamping in my studio getting ready for tomorrow's event! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, and try and take some time to be creative!!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Pool Party, Soft Suede, More Mustard, Very Vanilla card stock, Spice Cake Designer Series Paper
Inks - More Mustard, Soft Suede, Pool Party classic inks
Stamps - Day of Gratitude Stamp set
Tools - Eyelet Border punch, Designer Label punch, Large Oval punch, dimensionals, sponge
Accessories - Designer buttons, Soft Suede Taffeta ribbon

HOLIDAY MINI SPOTLIGHT SERIES - DAY EIGHT

Happy Friday!!! At least I hope it is :-) I actually have been sick and had a horrible headache yesterday, so it was all I could do to take care of the absolute priorities yesterday so sorry I missed ya here!! BUT, I do have a card to share today that uses the fabulous Holiday Mini fall product line :-) This was actually another workshop card that I did this week - I love the Gently Falling stamp set, these leaves are just sooooo pretty! I have to say, it was a VERY big hit at the workshop too :-) Everyone seems to love fall, and we are definitely ready for it here after all this 100 degree weather!!!! This card screams fall with all the colors and pretty leaves falling down :-) The base of the card is Pool Party card stock and I have to say, I would have never thought to use this color for fall, but it works soooo well, and I am hooked on it! It's a very versatile color, and definitely my favorite (this week anyway, heehee!).  The outline of the leaves are stamped on Naturals Ivory card stock in Soft Suede classic ink, and then stamped again using the full leaves in Pool Party and then More Mustard ink to give that pretty fall coloring.  I love two-step stamping and I think that is why this stamp set appeals to me so much! You can do sooo many different things with it!! The patterned paper along the bottom is from the Spice Cake Designer Series paper pack, and is punched using the Eyelet Border punch. I lined it up on the bottom edge to give it the look of double bordering  with the edge of the Pool Party card stock. So cool!! Then, I layered a piece of More Mustard Scalloped Polka Dot ribbon right over the top! The sentiment is actually from another Holiday Mini set called Always Thankful, another fabulous fall set that makes me happy! I stamped it in Soft Suede on Naturals Ivory, then punched it out using the Modern Label punch.  Lastly, I layered the sentiment over a piece of River Rock card stock that is punched out using the Designer Label punch, then popped the whole thing up on dimensionals. And of course, no card is complete without a little bling so I added two small rhinestones to my sentiment to make the whole card pop!! This card makes me happy - the colors are a great mix and have quickly become a favorite for me! If you are in love with these products and want to have them for your very own (and you know you do *wink*) you can order them in my online store or contact me and I will be happy to place your order for you! So, today I am finishing prepping for my mini book class tonight, which I will share with you all tomorrow! Tomorrow I have Scrap Club as well, so a busy couple of days here :-) I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Pool Party, Soft Suede, River Rock, Naturals Ivory card stock, Spice Cake Designer Series Paper
Inks - Soft Suede, Pool Party, More Mustard classic inks
Stamps - Gently Falling, Always Thankful
Tools - Eyelet Border Punch, Designer Label Punch, Modern Label Punch
Accessories - More Mustard Scalloped Polka Dot ribbon, Basic Rhinestones

HOLIDAY MINI SPOTLIGHT SERIES - DAY FOUR

Happy Saturday!!! Whew! It is already soooo hot here, and it's not even 10am this morning! It is supposed to get to 104 today.......I am sooooo ready for some cool, crisp fall weather!!!! I have been doing a lot of fall stamping, and so now I am ready for the weather to cooperate, lol!!! Today I am going to showcase some more fabulous products from the Holiday Mini! I decided to show you this marvelous a la carte stamp called Leaves From a Tree because I think it is just a beautiful stamp!  I had so much fun playing with all the colors to make this a pretty fall tree! First though, let me tell you a little bit about the card itself and then I will provide more detail about the actual tree, lol! The base of the card is More Mustard and I used my Corner Rounder punch on it to give it a softer look! The layout of this card is actually a sketch I wanted to play with from the SFYTT weekly challenge - this one was last weeks.  I don't often do sketches, but this one was so awesome I just had to play :-) The patterned paper is another selection from the Spice Cake Designer Series paper collection - pure YUM!!! There are two  solid layers which are both embossed.  The first is Early Espresso, which I ran through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice embossing folder.  The second layer is Wild Wasabi card stock, which I also ran through the Big Shot, but this time I used the Stripes Embossing folder. Both of these can be found in the main catalog!  I also corner rounded both pieces of card stock to keep the card consistent.  Now, on to the image! The Scallop Circle is made with the Circles Scallop #2 Big Shot die and is cut with Pool Party card stock.  The actual image is stamped on a piece of Very Vanilla card stock that was cut out using the 3 inch Circle Big Shot die.

I stamped the image in More Mustard classic ink - I wanted to use the lightest color so that I could go back in with my Stampin' Write Markers and use a variety of fall colors to really make the tree colorful.  Here is a close-up of the image itself!  The colors I used are Cajun Craze, Tangerine Tango, Peach Parfait, More Mustard, and Early Espresso with a little bit of accent coloring using the Wild Wasabi marker.  I then took my Versamark pen and randomly chose leaves on the tree and colored them in. I did the whole base of the tree as well.  Then, I covered the image in Clear embossing powder and heat embossed it  with my Heat Tool to get that shiny look you see on the tree.  It looks so pretty IRL - I hop you can see it!!  I then sponged around the edges using Early Espresso classic ink, pierced the scallops with my paper piercer, and Voila! Done! That yummy ribbon is also from the Holiday Mini and is Early Espresso Quilted Satin Ribbon - and yes, it is as good if not better than it sounds, lol! It also comes in Cherry Cobbler, which is just as amazing!!!  That last little touch is the sentiment, which comes from the Perfect Words hostess set found in the main catalog! You can only get this set if you host a workshop - so give me a call and we can schedule one :-) It is an AWESOME stamp set, and a great value!!! I stamped the sentiment is Early Espresso Ink on More Mustard card stock, made a little banner out of it (love my banners, lol), then added some texture with my mat pack and paper piercer! I got the wavy look by using my bone folder and breaking down the fibers to make it more pliable! So, there you have it - lots of fun products from the Holiday Mini on this one!! And, if you are in love with what you see here, you can shop in my online store and have it delivered right to your door *wink*.  Or, if you prefer, you can contact me and and I will be happy to place your order! I am spending the afternoon with some friends doing some stamping and drinking some wine - doesn't that sound like fun??!! I am really looking forward to it, it's the best kind of stamping! Since I don't post on Sundays (hey, everyone needs a day off, lol) I will be back on Monday with another wonderful project featuring products from the Holiday Mini! Until then, enjoy your weekend and find some time to be creative!!
Card Recipe:
Paper -More Mustard, Wild Wasabi, Early Espresso, Pool Party, Very Vanilla card stock, Spice Cake Designer Series paper
Inks - More Mustard, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Tangerine Tango, Peach Parfait, Wild Wasabi classic inks and stampin' write markers, Versamark Pen
Stamps - Leaves of a Tree, Perfect Words (hostess set)
Tools - Big Shot, Square Lattice and Stripes embossing folders, 3 inch circle die, Circle Scallop #2 die, Heat Tool, Clear Embossing powder, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Corner Rounder
Accessories - Early Espresso 3/8 inch Quilted Satin Ribbon

HOLIDAY MINI SPOTLIGHT SERIES - DAY TWO

Good morning all!!! I have been busily stamping away getting ready for all kinds of fun events coming up! I just love the holidays, but it IS confusing to start stamping Christmas in August, lol!! However, today I am going to share another Holiday Mini fall spotlight project featuring the stamp set Always Thankful!  I love the images in this set, they are very versatile and just rich with lots of detail! VERY fun to color, which I love :-) I decided to make a tri-fold card because I really wanted to show off some more of the yummy Spice Cake Designer Series paper.  As you can see, all the patterns of this paper are absolutely beautiful - I love this particular one because it is soooo vibrant! I am sure the picture does not do it justice but this is by far my most favorite pattern in the pack (although I DO love it all, lol!) I did all the scoring for this card using my new Simply Scored scoring tool in the Mini.  If you don't have this tool you NEED it!!! It is awesome and makes doing a lot of score lines a snap to do! Seriously, this has several and it took me a minute to get them all done - love that!!! I did take some More Mustard card stock and use that as my accent color for this card.  I added some pretty scallops along the edges using my Eyelet Border punch - doesn't it look nice??!!  And, the belly band is also More Mustard but I stamped it with the Netting background stamp to give it some texture.  I really like this background stamp because it looks great both bold and subtle and I find myself reaching for it quite often.  Then of course I had to show you another pattern of the glorious Spice Cake Fabric!!

Here is a quick closeup of this wonderful pattern so you can see how pretty it is!! I just ripped a piece of the big square (yep, start a small cut with scissors and then just rip it down!) and then wrapped it around the belly band, tied a knot and it looks great! Just for fun I added a vintage tag and a small Soft Suede designer button, isn't it cute?! I love buttons so any excuse to use them is a good one, lol!! I think the outside of this card is so very pretty - that patterned paper does not need ANYTHING to enhance it, but I sure do like to play with all the other pretties that coordinate with it *wink* The belly band IS removable but it does not have to be as this card has an insert that just slides in and out on it's own.  I just did the belly band for some decorative touches!

Here is the picture of the card with the insert taken out!  The base of the insert is Early Espresso with the layered piece on top being Very Vanilla card stock.  The curve that you see at the top of both the insert and pocket? I made those by tracing a small plate so there was a slight curve - and I know we ALL have THAT tool, lol! It just gives it some visual interest and I like to play with new shapes. I added some more of the pretty patterned paper using the Scallop Ribbon Border punch and just layered two strips across the top.  The pull tab is made using the 1 3/4 inch Scallop Circle punch with More Mustard card stock, and then some Spice Cake DSP with the last circle layer being Pool Party.  The Circles were punched with the 1 3/8 inch and 1 1/4 inch Circle punches.  I love how all of our shaped punches nest so nicely together, makes layering a snap to do! The cute little acorn in the middle is from the set I showcased yesterday called Gently Falling.  It just fit there, heehee! Now, on to the image!

Here is a close-up so you can see the pretty colors and shades! It is stamped in Early Espresso and then I water colored the whole image using my aqua painter and several different colors of stamp pads (More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Wild Wasabi).  I love to watercolor, I find it very relaxing, and I love how soft the image looks when you are all done.  This image just screams fall to me - it reminds me that harvest is right around the corner and yes, we STILL go to the pumpkin patches, although it is more for me at this point, lol! I think the kids just indulge me :-) The sentiment you see there is also from the Always Thankful stamp set and is stamped in More Mustard ink.  I love it because it is very true - I think sometimes we forget that we ALL have SOMETHING that should make us thankful everyday.  For me, it is my family - my husband and kids mean the WORLD to me, and I can't imagine life without them! Yes, they drive me crazy, but hey, that's all part of it, right??  So, I hope you enjoyed my second spotlight showcase - I know I loved sharing it with you! Stay tuned tomorrow, I have a really great project to share that I just know you will love! It makes ME squeal, and I made it, lol!!! If you love the products you see here, you can order them in my online store or you can contact me and I will be happy to place your order for you! If you don't have a Holiday Mini and you would like one, you can click on the link and it will take you directly to the online version, or you can  contact me and I will send one out to you! You have to see all the fun things in this mini - just pure holiday joy!!! Now, I am off to run some errands and then back home to stamp the day and night away! Everyone else has plans tonight so it is just me and the dogs and my stamps - yes, this makes me smile, I love alone time :-) See ya tomorrow!!
Trifold Card Recipe:
Paper - Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Pool Party, More Mustard card stock, Spice Cake Designer Series Paper
Inks - More Mustard, Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Wild Wasabi, Cajun Craze classic inks
Stamps - Always Thankful, Gently Falling (acorn)
Tools - Simple Scored scoring tool, Eyelet border punch, Scalloped Dotted ribbon border punch, 1 3/8 inch and 1 1/4 inch circle punches, 1 3/4 inch Scallop circle punch, Mat Pack, Paper piercer, Aqua Painter
Accessories - Vintage tags, Designer Buttons, Spice Cake designer fabric

HOLIDAY MINI SPOTLIGHT SERIES - DAY ONE

Hi all!!!! As promised, I am starting my Holiday Mini product spotlight  where each day for the next 10 days I will share a fun project of some type using products from the fabulous Holiday Mini catalog!!! I am very excited to share these projects with you as I love the products and had a ball playing around with them :-) I know I should have started this on Monday BUT it was a holiday and Tony and I took a spur of the moment couple trip out of town and went to the coast, just him and I!! It was soooo wonderful, we really enjoyed ourselves so I figured you would forgive me since we got back yesterday *wink* So, here is the first project!! It features the brand new stamp set called Gently Falling, and what an AWESOME stamp set this is!!!  Look at all those pretty leaves!!!  They are just beautiful, aren't they??!!I will go into more details on the leaves in just a few, but first, let's explore the rest of the card! This stamp set is a two-step stamp set - one of my very favorite kind of stamps to use because there are sooo many possibilities.  I made a front step card to show off these beauties and I love how it turned out!! The scoring was made VERY easy by using my fabulous new Simply Scored scoring tool that is now available in the Holiday Mini!! This is a tool that I know a lot of us have been waiting for, and I hope to do a video tutorial very soon to show you just how amazing this tool is :-)   The base of the card is Early Espresso with the oh so yummy Spice Cake Designer Series paper! Right below the sentiment - which is from the Always Thankful stamp set, also found in the mini - is some of the Spice Cake fabric - isn't it pretty??! All I did was tear (yes tear) a strip from the fabric and tie it around the card, tying it in a bow.  I love how the ends start to shred, it really adds to the card!  Along the bottom of the card, I punched some of the Spice Cake DSP using the Lace Border punch, and added some pretty pearls.  Love it!! And, if you look up close on the sides, you will see that I added mini silver brads to each flower center! The leaves are adhered to a piece of More Mustard card stock that has been embossed through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice embossing folder (hint, always do your stamping BEFORE you run your card stock through the embossing folder so it stays nice and crisp and clear).  I then lightly sponged over it using More Mustard classic ink.

Lastly, the leaves - let me show you a close-up and talk a little bit about how I did these!  As I said before, this is a two-step stamping set, which means there are all kinds of color combo possibilities you can do with these! Just like snowflakes, there are no two leaves alike, so I wanted to make sure all mine were different as well.  I first stamped the outline of each leaf in Early Espresso ink on Naturals Vanilla card stock because I like the texture it adds to the stamped image.  Next, I stamped the actual leaves in several different colors: Pool Party, More Mustard, Soft Suede, and Crumb Cake.  I did the first layer of each leaf, then went back and stamped the leaf again in a different color! Most of them have three different colors on them, which really gives them that gorgeous fall look! I cut them all out and then took my stylus (you could also use a paper piercer) and curled the edges and sides of all the leaves.  Some of them are adhered directly to the card, while others I popped up on dimensionals.  They really remind me of fall, which is my favorite season of the year! I am looking forward to it cooling down here and seeing some of the pretty leaves on the trees in our yard.  But for now, I am content to make my own fall :-) I hope you enjoyed this first in the series of spotlights I have coming your way!! If you love these products shown here, and want them for your very own, you can order in my online store, or contact me and I will be happy to put your order in! I will be back tomorrow with another fun fall project that I just know you will love! Until then, I hope you find some time to create!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Early Espresso, More Mustard, Pool Party, Naturals Vanilla card stock, Spice Cake Designer Series paper
Inks - Early Espresso, More Mustard, Pool Party, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake classic inks
Stamps - Gently Falling, Always Thankful (sentiment)
Tools - Simply Scored Scoring tool, Stylus, Lace Border Punch, Big Shot, Square Lattice embossing folder, sponge, dimensionals
Accessories - Spice Cake fabric, Mini silver brads, Basic Pearls

A LITTLE BIT OF SPICE

Good morning everyone!!!!  WHOOHOOO!! Today is an exciting day! Why you ask?  Because today is the FIRST DAY OF THE NEW HOLIDAY MINI!!!!!  I am in LOVE with this mini - it has soooo many fabulous new products in it, I just squeal with joy each and every time I go through it - and believe, me, I look at it a lot, LOL!!!  If you don't have a copy of this fabulous mini and want one of your very own, contact me and I will get one out to you right away! In the meantime, if you click the image in my right sidebar, it will take you right to  my site and the mini products :-) You DO NOT want to miss out on seeing all the fall and holiday goodness available!

I thought you might want to see some of these products today, so I am sharing a wonderful little gift set I made using the Spice Cake product Suite - soooooo YUMMY!!!!!!  The color combination of Soft Suede, More Mustard, and Pool Party are just amazing together - I can't seem to get enough of playing with this paper, lol!!! I made a card and gift box for someone special who needs a little lift so I hope she likes it as much as I do.  The box was made using one of the new products available in the mini - four Kraft gift boxes in one pack for only $2.95 - this is a GREAT deal!  I decorated the outside of the box and the inside flaps with the yummy new Spice Cake Designer series paper.  Then, I wrapped a piece of Pool Party ruffled ribbon around the box and tied a bow in front.  Honestly, it does not need anything else, the paper is so beautiful it can stand on it's own :-) So, I saved my embellishing for the top of the box!

Here is a close-up of the top of the box! I used Pool Party card stock to cover the top - this blends so nicely with the patterned paper, I just love it! I then added two punched pieces of patterned paper using the Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch - soooo pretty! I then added an accordion flower made from another piece of Spice Cake, and decorated the top with two punched circles of card stock and a pretty Soft Sued button with a linen thread bow threaded through it.  With my love for banners, I could not resist adding one so I stamped the sentiment from the Happy Greetings Stamp Set, sponged it with More Mustard classic ink, and added a cute little vintage brad!  I just love this box, and I know I am now hooked on making them, so stand by for more of these little cuties, lol!! Now, on to the card!

I used the same colors on the card, adding a Soft Suede base. The More Mustard layer I ran through the Big Shot using the Houndstooth embossing folder, and then sponged it all over with More Mustard ink. All my papers were distressing using our distressing tool - great tool that I use a lot! The image is from one of our new Holiday Mini stamp sets called Always Thankful - beautiful images in this set! I used my stampin' markers to color the image, stamped it, then spritzed it with some water to give it a nice watercolor feel! And, that beautiful fabric on the side is from our new Spice Cake fabric selection, which is absolutely beautiful!! The sentiment is another one from the Happy Greetings set, which can be found in the main catalog. Honestly, it has the best sayings, I use this one a lot! I made another banner (I know, I know, heeehee) using Naturals Ivory card stock, then used my Mat Pack to add some texture along the top.  It is held on the card using one of our cute little mini library clips - aren't they just so fun??! I had a ball making this gift set, which will be filled with some goodies and delivered to my friend today! And, I am loving the holiday mini so much that I will be doing a Product Spotlight each day of the rest of this week and into next week to show off all of this holiday goodness!! I know this is a long post, but I had a lot so show you so if you stuck through it all, you ROCK!!! And, if you can't wait to get your hands on these fun and fabulous products, head on over to my online store and they will be on their way to you soon! Or, you may contact me and I will put your order in for you!  I will leave you with the recipe, and I will be back tomorrow with another fabulous project from our new mini catalog! Until then, I hope you find time to be creative!
Gift Set Recipe:
Paper - Pool Party, Soft Suede, More Mustard, Naturals Ivory card stock, Spice Cake Designer Series paper
Inks - Soft Suede, Pool Party, More Mustard, Always Artichoke classic pads and markers
Stamps - Everyday Greetings, Always Thankful
Tools - Dotted Scalloped ribbon border punch, 1 1/4 inch and 1 inch circle punches, Curly Label punch, Big Shot, Houndstooth embossing folder, distressing tool, Mat Pack, Paper piercer
Accessories - Spice Cake fabric, designer buttons, vintage brads, Pool Party ruffled ribbon, linen thread, mini library clips, Kraft Gift Box