Regional swap cards

There were some great ideas in the cards we swapped when I was in Baltimore for Stampin' Up!'s Regional meeting.  I thought you might like to see some of them.  Please feel free to CASE any of the ideas.  CASE?  Copy And Share Everything ~ that's what swaps are for!!!

Word Play stamp set, #120651 ~ retiring

This is a new set & will be in the NEW catty!

Elementa of Style, #120045 ~ retiring

Lacy & Lovely, #122887

Single Stamp, Sunshine, #132671

We spent the weekend at the Tree House Cottage and this is what greeted us when we drove up on Friday afternoon ~ a beautiful azalea with a hundred butterflies enjoying the sunshine and the blossoms!  And, the blossoms reminded me of the flowers that we made at my last team meeting so I thought I would show them to you.  We used the Creped Filter Paper (#126393) that you can find on page 6 in Stampin' Up!'s Spring Catty.  It is only $2.95 for a total of 12 sheets ~ lots of flowers!

We cut out a variety of shapes using different flower shaped framelits, laid the shapes on paper towel (overlapping is fine) and then sprayed them with four different colors ~ Daffodil Delight, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo and Pumpkin Pie.  Here are my spritzers ~
And here are the flower shapes after being sprayed ~
When the shapes are dry, they dry very quickly, layer them randomly by size and insert a small brad in the center using your paper piercer ~
Take each of the layers and 'smoosh' it up with your fingers.  Here is the final blossom attached to a gift certificate holder ~
I will be demonstrating this technique at Bernie's Stampin' Up! party in May.  If you, and your friends, would like to learn the technique give me a call ~ let's set up a party ~ I'll do all the work and you have all the fun!

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Rainbows.....

Documenting April + a few tips and tricks

It’s April! Things are starting to green up and bloom, we are spending more time outside playing . . . or at least we did last year. This year our April has been cold and snowy and I am still waiting for my tulips and the trees in my yard to bloom. Oh well. I so loved working on my pages for April. I say that every month, but it’s true. I love it! There is so much satisfaction in documenting these memories so I will never forget.  

I am getting a little more adventurous with my journaling. I really don’t like my handwriting but I decided to suppress my perfectionist instincts this month and just go for it. I am happy to say that it wasn’t as painful as I had feared. I actually like having some handwriting on my pages.  

This month I have put together some ideas and tricks to help get you started documenting your life.

1. Fill a card with journaling. If there is a design on the card . . . just journal around it. Don’t want to fill up the whole card? Draw a frame around the card with a Stampin’ Write Marker.

2. Journal around an object. Here I used the uni-ball Signo Gel Pen to journal around the frame on this Happy Easter card. I love the white handwriting on the black card!



3. Don’t be afraid to add journaling to a card . . . even if it doesn’t look like it was made for journaling.



4. Add fun bold type over your photo using My Digital Studio. The font I used here is Abadi MT for “play” and Arial for the ampersand.



5. Add a frame of journaling around a photo.



6. Use the pattern on the Designer Series Paper for journaling.



7. Make the page protector work for you. Here I cut out the long horizontal photo strip on the page protector and just sewed the pieces I wanted to use back together.



8. Make a fun envelope to hold the journaling on subjects that are close to your heart.



9. Color on your washi tape. I love, love, love, washi tape. To add a different look to the gray-striped Epic Day This and That Designer Washi Tape, I colored it with Melon Mambo and Lucky Limeade Stampin’ Write Markers.



10. Add a journaling card in an unexpected way. Originally this journaling card was 3" x 4" with lines on it for journaling. I love the hello sunshine sunburst, so I just cut off the bottom part and added the top part to my card. (I can use the bottom part later.)



11. Add a little dimension and flair. I made this little flair button by running the large Soda Pop Tops through the Big Shot. It is then the perfect size for a little saying punched out with the 1" Circle Punch.

I hope this helps to get you inspired to dive in and start recording the moments in your life.

Arika B.
Concept Artist

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Stampin' Up! Concept Artist ~

Another technique from Regional

Sarah demonstrated another technique that we saw at our Regional meeting in Baltimore ~ using clear blocks for stamping!  The Demonstrator who presented at the Regional was Rose Ellen Eastman.  It would be a great technique to use with the stamp set, By the Tide, if you want to try it out.  Here's Sarah ~

Sarah is using her clear block as a stamp.

 

On this card Sarah used the clear block and the 'rock and roll' technique.  Ink the block with the lighter color first, So Saffron, and then 'roll' the edges with the second color, Pumpkin Pie.  I hope you'll try these techniques ~ send me a picture of what you create!  I will have you as my GUEST ARTIST!

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Rainbows.....

Brian Pilling's embossing technique

Retired Lists Are Here!

The 2013 Retired Lists are HERE!
The stamp sets are all available through June 3rd, however, the accessories are only available while supplies last so get the products on your list before they are gone!

 
Remember that when the 'retiring' colors are retired all the accessories that coordinate with those colors are also gone.  There are also many Big Shot dies and folders retiring ~ check the lists here ~

  

Download Stamp Set Retired List Here

Download Accessories Retired List Here

Feel free to contact me with any questions or if I can help you in any way. 

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What's retiring?

Rainbows.....

One of the demonstrations at the Baltimore Regional was making rainbows, how could you not like that?  It is a fun technique and I asked one of my team members, Marie, to demonstrate it at our team meeting last Sunday afternoon.  She did a great job, here she is busy with her markers ~

Marie w her Stampin' Up! markers

Marie used our watercolor paper, #122959

She spritzed (color spritzer tool, #107066) using water.

Finished card on the sample board at the regional.

 

Rain or Shine, #126777 (c) or #126775 (w)

THANKS SO MUCH, MARIE!

from Stampin' Up!.....

Messy Monday – Reorganizing Ink Refills

For a long time I stored my Classic Stampin’ Ink Refills on the top of my Color Caddy. Makes sense—the bottle colors were supposed to be in the container above the row of corresponding ink pad colors. However, when I needed one I would end up looking through many (if not all the bottles in that section)—twice—to find the one I wanted to use. Sometimes I wouldn’t find it at all because I didn’t return it to the proper location the last time it was used. (It seems like a silly thing to be frustrated over, but there you go!)

 So, a while back I decided that it was time to reorganize my refills! My thought process . . . will I organize them by spectrum? Where will I put them? How can they be easily accessed?

Here was my solution!

Each color family is in its own placon box—and to my surprise, they all fit together . . . nice and snug! They don’t slide around, turn upside down, or end up out of order (heaven forbid)! And— because the cute factor IS important—I added labels to the boxes with the Labels Collection Framelits Dies and my favorite cardstock color from each color family. (Tip: To protect the label from getting dirty, die cut a label Window Sheet piece to attach over the top.) 

Of course, with the new storage boxes coming out, and new colors, I knew it was already time for an update. And, wouldn’t you know—MDS is here to help me, too! There is a new download called “Label This Craft Room.” It is a great tool for organizing your craft room/space supplies. This time, I made the font my favorite color and printed on Whisper White Cardstock. 

See the Label Your Craft Room download here.

I hope this little tidbit has helped—and that when you can buy the new storage boxes on May 31, you’ll be just as excited to organize. I have certainly wanted to use my refills more often now that I can find the one I need in a jiff!

Angie B.
Sr. Concept Artist

Easy peasy, and darling, kit for you!

Introducing the Dolled-Up Birthday Kit!

In February, Stampin' Up! posted three projects on their Facebook page and asked everyone to vote on their favorite . The winner? The Dolled-Up Birthday Kit created by Chris G. of Ohio! Now you can order the Dolled-Up Birthday Kit and get enough supplies (excluding adhesive) to create six gorgeous birthday cards perfect for the girly girls in your life.

The Dolled-Up Birthday kit includes the following:

• Dolled-Up Birthday Photopolymer Stamp (1)
• 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" Crumb Cake Cardstock (6 pieces)
• 2" x 4-1/4" Very Vanilla Cardstock (6 pieces)
• Very Vanilla Medium Envelopes (6)
• Tea Lace Paper Doilies (6)
• Dress Up die-cuts (6)*
• Soft Suede Classic Stampin’ Spot (1)
• Vanilla 5/8" Flower Trim (6 pieces)
• Sponge Dauber (1)

That’s everything you need to make six cards for only $15.95 US/ $17.95 CA! Contact me to order yours today. Or get it now in my online store, where you’ll also find instructions for creating these quick and easy birthday cards.

*Created using the Dress Up Framelits Die designed by Karen Burniston

Brian Pilling's embossing technique

Isn't this card striking?  And, so easy!  And, it is one of those cards that cannot be duplicated, you can use the embossing technique over and over and each card will turn out differently.

Brian Pilling, Stampin' Up! staff, presented this technique at the regional meeting in Baltimore last weekend.  He called it the Graffetti Technique.  This is how you can make your own ~

• Using your VersaMark stamp pad (#102283), pull the pad across the Basic Black card stock (#121045).  Sprinkle with Tempting Turquoise embossing powder (#122950) and heat.
• Pull your VersaMark across the card stock for the second time and add Tangerine Tango embossing powder (#123106). 
  
• For the bottom stripe use a sponge dauber to create the more defined line and add Lucky Limeade embossing powder (I can't find it so I think it may be a new product ~ new catty soon ~ see below!
  
• Stamp saying using VersaMark pad and White embossing powder (#109132)! 
  

NEW CATALOG OPEN HOUSE, MAY 31, 11 AM TO 7 PM @ THE CAT/ART STUDIO ~ SAVE THE DATE!

Hello, Baltimore!

Oh, Hello stamp set, page 4 Spring Catty

 

#130733 clear or #130730 wood

Melody and Vickie ~ happy demonstrators!

Robin, Beverly and Phyllis