Have you seen our new scented embossing powders in the current Occasions mini?  No?  Look 'em up!  They're fun!  (Remember back in the day when we added bits of koolaid to our embossing powders to match the scratch and sniff smelly cards??!!  Well this is WAY easier!  LOL

This is a card my Card Club members made last week.  The top of the cupcake used the Melon scented embossing powder.  The powder is clear so it gave this Whisper White card stock a definite shiny Vanilla frosting look!  The DSP used (Sweet Shop) is also from the current Occasions mini.  Fun, right??

Well stranger things have happened, right?  Like 80 degrees in NH in March!  Yup, that's how our weather has been lately.  I'll take it!

Tonight was the first meeting of my Christmas Card club, so yes, we made Christmas cards on the first day of Spring!  Ahead of the game this year…. that's my mantra… we'll see if I can stick to it and maybe, just maybe, apply that mantra to other parts of my life.

Here's one of the cards they made tonight…

This one has a nice vintage, oh-so-me, feel to it!  I wish I could take a lot of credit for it but I really can't.  Here's why…

The layout came from Mojomonday.blogspot.com… it was sketch #227.  I loved the sketch so went searching for fun samples.  There were plenty to choose from but the one below caught my eye.

So as you can see I didn't change too much.  The color scheme of course is different completely.  Where this stamper used Calypso Coral, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake and Pool Party, I used Read Red, Early Espresso, Confetti Cream and the Berry Bouquet DSP from the last Holiday mini.  I also used Very Vanilla seam binding instead of the Crumb Cake one.  I believe this stamper has another oval punch and put on the designer frame where I just stamped inside the designer frame.  But clearly, the inspiration lies here and I'm so grateful because I really love both cards!  Hope you do too.

So while I was borrowing Tracy's Make a Monster stamp set (see this earlier post) I used it again to make a fun, gender neutral, kids birthday card!  I wish my markering job was a little darker on the Happy Birthday stamp but oh well, some child won't really care I'm sure!  LOL

This stamp set is so fun to play with I think I will need to add it to my collection soon!

The designer paper is the Just Add Cake series.  And the base layers to the card are Poppy Parade and So Saffron.  (I'm LOVING the Poppy Parade color lately!)

How often do you check your snail mail?  6 days a week, right?  How often do you get something other than a bill or a catalog or junk?  Not often enough!  Back in January I made some cards and sent them out to a few people for no real reason than to say 'hi' and thank them for being a friend, on my Stampin' Up! team, themselves, or all of the above!  I heard back from many of the recipients saying how nice it was to get a card out of the blue.  I need to do this more often.  I mean, I love making the cards, right?  So why not send more??

These cards use the Apothecary Art stamp set from the Occasion mini  (I do LOVE this set!!) along with Sweetly Said.  I used the Labels Collection framelits as well.  I cut out around the edge of the first layer with my paper snips then popped this up with dimensionals on a label of the same color.  The designer paper is also from the Occasions mini, Attic Boutique. 

I don't know why these pictures are so blurry but I can't take anymore because like I said, these went out in January!

Maybe the picture below can show better the dimension and the various patterns of DSP I used, the various banner colors, and flower colors!

The more I use the Peach Parfait color the more I love it!  I love warm autumn colors and this Peach Parfait can certainly be that.  But it can also be a fun, bright spring color or a subtle yet playful color.  It's quite versatile!  And of course pairing it with Soft Suede is a no brainer!

Supplies Used:

Bordering on Romance stamp set (Occasions mini)
Everyday Enchantment DSP (Sale a Bration)
Labels Collection Framelits
Adorning Accents Edgelit and Embossing Folder
Stampin' Sponge
Peach Parfait card stock
Soft Suede card stock
Jet Black Stazon ink
Pumpkin Pie ink (to watercolor in the flowers)
Old  Olive ink
Aqua painter
Smooch Illuminate Top Coat

As if my daughter wasn't challenging me enough in the stamping arena…along comes my four year old son!

He had a birthday party to attend this past weekend for a friend from preschool.  I asked him to "go make his friend a card" which typically entails drawing a few squiggles on a piece of copy paper, calling it a roller coaster, and tossing it in with the gift.  Well to my shock he says "I want to make one like you do."  So I, of course, told him he could pick some stamps and ink and stamp away (on said copy paper).  Again, this was not what he had in mind.  "No mommy, a real card like you make."  Well okay!

So, he did all the stamping.  I did the sponging.  He put the adhesive on and the dimensionals and placed everything just so on his card.  He chose the color button (I threaded it, he decided which side of the button was going to show), I had my hand over his to help him with the punches, and then I stamped the sentiment inside.  I think I need to worry about two of my children taking over my stamping suite now!  What do you think?

So that is his above… and my "inspiration" card below for him.  (Ya, he's not a big football fan!)

And just because I can… here's his cute little signature.  I love his "R"!

Supplies used:

Happiest Birthday Wishes stamp set
Soft Suede ink and cardstock
Pool Party card stock and Designer paper (Attic Boutique from the current Occasions mini) – Notice how stamping some "dirty spots" all over the doilies can take it from girlie to boyish!
Spiral punch
Buttons
White baker's twine

I often tell stampers that not every card they make has to be completely different.  Here is a sample of what I mean.

This card was CASEd from the Stampin' Up! demonstrator web site and we used it for Technique Club the other night…

I loved the sharp contrast of the Riding Hood Red ink and the Jet Black Stazon. 
It uses the new Twitterpated Designer Series paper, a jumbo Neutral brad, and of course a "gem" (self adhesive jewel rhinestone).  The stamp set is "Raining Flowers" and the butterfly comes from a Sale A Bration stamp set that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE (the set is SO me it's not funny) called "Elementary Elegance."  The saying comes from "You're a Gem" stamp set.

Now, as sometimes happens, a happy mistake comes along!  One of my card club members messed up the "cloud" with the sentiment.  I don't remember what happened, crooked? smeared?  I don't know.  Doesn't matter.  But, we made the best of it and she stamped another "cloud" on a scrap piece of white and attached it to the card with a dimensional.  I loved it so much I had to make one myself.  It perfectly illustrates how changing up just one aspect of a card (subtly at that) can totally change the look and feel of a card!

What do you think?

To see them side by side…

Fun, right?

I urge you to go find a card you have made already and find one element to change.  See what happens!

So, here are the cards my Technique Card Club members created this month. 

I put my favorite card in front.  It uses the Always Thankful stamp set currently in the Holiday Mini catalog.  I made this card using a fun fold, slightly different than a traditional card.  And I love those tiny little silver brads!  So fun.  One of the best things of the card, in my opinion is the color combination.  The base is Soft Suede and the designer series paper is the new Peach Parfait.  Those were the colors I was going to stick with but once I had it together I really felt like it needed another color, and surprisingly that color was Cherry Cobbler!  Doesn't sound like a good combination but in the end it really worked!  A great autumn thank you card.

Other stamp sets we used were Patterned Party, French Script, Just Believe and Thank You Kindly.  The techniques we did were the fun fold, multiple colors on a single stamp, water coloring with blender pen, using the stamp a ma jig and layering images. 

My club members seemed to like them and hopefully you find some inspiration in them too!

So, just so you know… just because there aren't posts here on my blog doesn't mean I haven't been stamping!!  I've actually been able to do quite a bit of stamping lately, just not a lot of blogging!

So, I have a few minutes before I run out for the evening so I wanted to share one of my most favorite cards right now.  I just LOVE it! It uses a bajillion new things from the Holiday mini and it makes me happy!  I hope it makes you happy too!

I actually had this card as one of the Make and Takes at my last Team Meeting.  Do you see all the NEW things?  Check out the supply list below.  And because it's been a while, I included all the dimensions and some tips on how to make the card as well!  Hope you enjoy!

•Base cardstock: Confetti Cream (8.5” x 11”)

•2nd layer: Early Espresso (5 1/8” x  3 7/8”)

•3rd layer: Garden Green (5” x 3 ¾”)

•4th layer: Holly Berry Bouquet DSP (4 ½” x 3 ¼”)

•Stamp Set: Warmest of Wishes

•Inks: Early Espresso

•Embellishments: Cherry Cobbler Baker’s Twine, Jingle Bells mini, Very Vanilla  Velvet Ribbon

• Accessories:  Stocking Builder Punch, Big Shot, Square Lattice embossing folder, stampin’ sponge,  mini glue dots, paper piercer, dimensionals

Tips:
Run some scrap Early Espresso Card stock through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice embossing folder. Punch out with the Stocking Builder Punch.
Punch out the stockings from the embossed Early Espresso.
Punch out the toe, heel, and trim from scrap Cherry Cobbler card stock.
Sponge the edges of the Cherry Cobbler CS and Garden Green CS.
Adhere the DSP to the Garden Green CS.  Use the piercer to pierce all along the edges.  Adhere to Early Espresso layer.
Wrap the ribbon around the layers with mini glue dots.
Finish assembling card. 
Stockings get attached with dimensionals..
Cherry Cobbler Baker’s Twine gets attached with a mini glue dot.

You may choose any 3 packages of the Designer Series Paper in the current Idea Book & Catalog and Summer Mini Catalog and get one pacakge for FREE!!

Perfect for cards, scrapbooks, and more.  Don't miss out on Stampin' Up!'s exclusive designs and top quality papers.