Color Reno Thank You - Mojo Monday 288

I love the sketch today on Mojo Monday and am excited to use it to showcase some new colors in the upcoming 2013-2014 Stampin' Up! catalog:

And now...drum roll please...I am happy to welcome and look forward to using Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, and Pear Pizzazz!

What do you think? I think they look so pretty together, very light and fresh! These three colors have actually been colors with Stampin' Up! before:

• Bermuda Bay was discontinued with the color renovation at the end of the 2009-2010 catalog
• Pear Pizzazz was a 2010-2012 In-Color
• Calypso Coral is a 2011-2013 In-Color and was scheduled to be retired at the end of this current catalog.

These three colors will be returning with the 2013-2014 Catalog as part of Stampin' Up!'s mini color renovation. These colors will be available to order on May 31, 2013 with the release of the new catalog. If you would like to receive a catalog please e-mail me and I will see that you have one as soon as they are available!

I kept true to the sketch and layered my embossed banners onto a neutral DSP found as part of the Tea For Two Designer Series Paper in the Spring Catalog. I layered two punches to build a base for my butterfly stamped from the Papillon Potpourri Stamp Set. The sentiment is from of the Kindness Matters Stamp Set.

I added some paper-piercing to both the 1 3/4" scallop and the 1 3/8" Circle using Stampin' Up!'s AWESOME paper-piercing templates. A few pearls adds just the right amount of jewelry!

I hope you have enjoyed today's project. Please check back with me over the next few months as I showcase both incoming and outgoing products. Remember the retiring products are only available until the current stock is depleted!

A BIG shout out to fellow demonstrator Charlotte for donating a sample of Bermuda Bay to me from her private stash because I was SO excited to see it! She is awesome!

Stampin Supplies:

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri (123759), Kindess Matters (122902)

Paper: Sahara Sand (121043), Whisper White (100730), Calypso Coral (122925), Bermuda Bay (coming soon), Pear Pizzazz (coming soon) Cardstock; Tea For Two (129311) Designer Series Paper Stack

Ink: Calypso Coral (126983) Classic Stampin' Pad

Tools: Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack (126187), Paper-Piercing Tool (126189), Stampin' Pierce Mat (126199), 1 3/4" Scallop Punch (119854), 1 3/8" Circle Punch (119860), Elegant Butterfly Punch (127526), Big Shot (113439), Chevron Embossing Folder (127749), Paper Snips (103579), Stampin' Trimmer (126889), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Embellishments:  Pearl Basic Jewels (119247)

Thanks for stopping by!

I Dig You! - Freshly Made Sketches #79

Whoo Hoo! I am back today with another fabulous sketch by Rita Wright over at Freshly Made Sketches. I just love their sketches and am so inspired to create! I haven't played in a few weeks but I was thrilled to be chosen by Jen B. as a "Perfect Princess" for my last entry in Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #75!! Please click here if you would like to see my entry!

Here is this week's wonderful sketch:

and here is my I Dig You birthday card!

I am so tickled with how it turned out! Of course all the coordinating products that Stampin' Up! sells makes this soooo easy! Hmmm, have I said that before?

My starting point for this project was the paper. It seemed so bright and cheerful to me that it was practically screaming "choose me, choose me!", so I did! The color tones suggested little boy birthday to me and I immediately thought of my neglected but well loved stamp set, I Dig You so I pulled it out and got busy.

You may notice a trend with my cards to trim a piece of cardstock to just slightly smaller than the base size and pop it up on Stampin' Dimensionals. I find that it adds a bit of "wow" factor as well as giving me a wonderful place to tuck the ribbon...I prefer not to have the ribbon visible on the inside of the card, just a personal preference. You could skip this step and just tuck the ends of the ribbon under the circle on the front and make a card with a lower profile for mailing. Just a thought!

I just love, love, love this little dump truck but I wanted it to color coordinate with my Designer Series Paper so I stamped each part individually and then fussy cut each piece out and adhered them to my circle base with Stampin' Dimensionals. I used the 1" circle punch for the back tire and I tried to use our 3/4" circle punch for the front tire but it was just a bit too small. I was not about to attempt to hand cut that circle so I pulled out one of the few non-Stampin' Up! tools I own (I know, gasp) to make a circle just the right size. I am hoping that Circle Framelits will be available in the new catalog so I can retire my contraband supply! Hope!

I added a 3/16" Metallic Brad to each tire with my Paper Piercing Tool and Stampin' Pierce Mat. I just poked the hole, slipped the brad in and folded the prongs flat. I usually lay the piece with the brad on it down on a hard flat surface and push GENTLY to flatten the brad out.

New stamps have a trace of film on them from the manufacturing process, simply sand the image GENTLY to remove the film and clean the image before inking up and you will have very clean images as demonstrated here in my dump truck. I think they turned out very nicely. I am not thrilled with the result of inking up the presents image with my Stampin' Markers. I tried and tried to get a crisp image but this was as good as they got. I don't believe it is the fault of my Stampin' Markers but rather operator error at fault here so I kept the images as is and use it is an example of why you want to sand GENTLY. Too much sanding could impact your final product! But life isn't perfect right? RIGHT?!? So I'm taking a deep breath and living with it! 

The final touch was some ribbon. I simply layered three different colors and textures together and decided to forgo a knot. I think the image is impact enough and in my husband's world ribbon is barely tolerated and bows or knots not at all, lol. I use his opinion in my guide to masculine cards!

I'm not sure a three year old boy would be that impressed with my efforts but I bet his mom would! Haha, it's the thought that counts anyway.

I hope you have enjoyed my post and are inspired to get those supplies out!

Stampin Supplies:

Stamps: I Dig You (122722)

Paper: Crumb Cake (120953), Midnight Muse (126843), Very Vanilla (101650) Cardstock; Print Poetry (129312) Designer Series Paper Stack

Ink: Jet Black StazOn Ink Pad (101406); Midnight Muse (126860), Summer Starfruit (126991) Classic Stampin' Pad; Midnight Muse (126853), Not Quite Navy (119701), Summer Starfruit (126853) Stampin' Write Markers (Please note that all of the markers are sold in sets only)

Tools: 2 1/2" Circle Punch (120906), 1" Circle Punch (119868), Stampin' Trimmer (126889), Paper Piercing Tool (126189), Stampin' Pierce Mat (126199)

Embellishments:  3/8" Denim Jean Ribbon (125053), 4/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon in Summer Starfruit (126846), Natural 7/16" Trim Ribbon (129287), 3/16" Mettalic Brads in Pewter (119741)

Thanks for stopping by!

Hoppy Easter!

I couldn't resist sharing this ADORABLE little bunny with you today. My bunny is inspired by a card I saw recently by Debbie Henderson. So cute! I CASEd the bunny exactly but changed up the layout to suit my taste.

Isn't that little tail the cutest ever?? This little guy comes together very quickly with the 1 3/4" Circle Punch and the Large Oval Punch. His paw pads are punched from the confetti in the Cupcake Builder Punch. Add just a bit of a cotton ball, mushed together into a ball and you have a delightful little cotton tail! And the Sunshine & Sprinkles Designer Series Paper is the finishing touch for a cheerful holiday greeting!

I hope you have enjoyed my little bunny and that you have a wonderful holiday!

Stampin Supplies:

Stamps: Delightful Dozen (122652)

Paper: Whisper White (100730) Cardstock, Sunshine & Sprinkles Designer Series paper (126922)

Ink: Regal Rose (126947) Classic Stampin' Pad 

Tools: 1 3/4" Circle Punch (119850), Large Oval Punch (119855), Cupcake Builder Punch (121807), 2-Way Glue Pen (100425), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430), Stampin' Trimmer (126889)

Embellishments:  None

Thanks for stopping by! 

Happy Easter Everybunny!

In celebration of the upcoming holiday my next three posts will be Easter themed! Today's card is pulled from the archives; tomorrow I will be celebrating with my upline Mary Fish in a Pals Easter Parade; and Sunday I will be featuring the most adorable punch art bunny EVER (really) so please enjoy and remember to stop back or subscribe to my blog for updates delivered directly to your email!

I made this little gem last year and looking at it reminds me of how much I love last year's Sale-a-Bration paper Everyday Enchantment. While the paper may be retired, many of the colors are not so you could easily re-create this with the same colors and current Designer Series Paper. And if you still have a stash of this delightful paper, please feel free to CASE (Copy and Share Everything) it...I did! Unfortunately I do not know who the original designer was but there are many similar variations out there so we won't stress too much, okay? Okay!

These wonderful images are from a current set in the 2012-2013 Annual Catalog called Everybunny. I am not usually comfortable with water coloring so this card is a bit out of the box for me. I have some nerve damage in my thumbs which makes holding any writing type device difficult and my output shaky (at best) but I'm pretty satisfied with how this little guy turned out. It's actually very easy to water color. For best results, always stamp your image using StazOn ink. Other inks may bleed when applying the color. To color I simply applied some color from our Stampin' Write Markers onto a clear acrylic stamp block and then dipped a blender pen into the color and transferred it onto my stamped image. For a softer look, rub some of the color onto scrap paper before coloring your image. To change colors just scribble the blender pen on scrap paper until the color is gone. It is really that simple! To get the shadow effect on the egg and the bunny's ears and paws you can apply a heavier dose of color or color it with the fine tip of your Stampin' Write marker.

Add a little flower with a rhinestone center for jewelry and you are done! So easy!!

I hope you enjoyed today's project, please remember to check out the rest of my Easter projects this weekend! I know it takes a bit of extra time to leave a comment but should you be inclined, each and every comment is greatly appreciated!

Stampin Supplies:

Stamps: Everybunny (122707)

Paper: Whisper White (100730), Calypso Coral (122925), Lucky Limeade (122926), Pool Party (122924) Cardstock, Everyday Enchantment (Retired Sale-a-Bration) Designer Series Paper 

Ink: Black StazOn Ink Pad (101406); Crumb Cake (119703), Lucky Limeade and Calypso Coral (123002) Stampin' Write Markers (please note that these Stampin' Write Markers are only available in sets) 

Tools: Eyelet Border Punch (retired), Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (118309), Blender Pen (102845)

Embellishments:  3/8" Ruffled Ribbon in Calypso Coral (122976), Rhinestone Basic Pearls (119246)

Thanks for stopping by!

A Note of Appreciation - FMS77

For this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge I kept it simple and monochromatic!

Hello there and special welcome to those of you who are new to my little blog! Here is a peek at the wonderful sketch this week provided by designer Jennifer T:

 While I kept the colors simple, I was a bit free and easy with the sketch layout as you can see!

EZ Design Ideas: 

• Using just one color makes putting a card together quick and easy...less decisions!
• Let the products do the work for you! The Big Shot and new Ovals Collection Framelit Dies made easy work of punching out the sentiment, the new 1 1/4" Scallop Punch punched out a base for my Designer Builder Brad to rest on, and the circle punch from the Itty Bitty Shapes Pack quickly punched out a design element for the center of the Designer Builder Brad

• You may notice that my embellishment is not centered perfectly with the ribbon, I chose instead to make it a focal point of it's own, creating a 'visual triangle'
• I wanted this card to mail easily so I bent the prongs on the Designer Builder Brad back and forth until they broke off and just used a glue dot to adhere it to the card
• I trimmed a piece of Whisper White Cardstock to 4" x 5 1/4" (just slightly smaller than the card base) so I could wrap and hide the end of the ribbon underneath and then popped that layer up with Stampin' Dimensionals 
• The design element in the center of the Designer Builder Brad was just punched from the same Designer Series paper that was used for the background to tie in easily

 

I truly enjoyed creating today's project and hope that you are motivated to create something as well!

Thank you so much for visiting me here and for leaving such wonderful comments. They brighten my day and are very appreciated!

If you have left a comment on my previous post, March Pals Blog Hop, please check back on Friday to see if you have won blog candy! If you have not left a comment yet, there is still time, so scroll down and leave me a comment!!

Stampin Supplies:

Stamps: Feel Goods (129684)

Paper: Whisper White (100730), Melon Mambo (115320) Cardstock, Sunshine & Sprinkles (126922) Designer Series Paper 

Ink: Melon Mambo (126948) Classic Stampin' Pad 

Tools: Big Shot (113439), Ovals Collection (129381) Framelits Dies, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (118309),   1 1/4" Scallop Circle Punch (127811), Stampin' Trimmer (126889)

Embellishments:  Designer Builder Brads (129329), 3/8" Striped Organdy Ribbon in Melon Mambo (129293)

Thanks for stopping by!