I"m sorry, please forgive me

As many of you know, I'm in a play at church "You Can't Take it With You" and this weekend is the show. So I haven't had time to stamp the last few days. I promise that I will get back to my regular posting schedule next week. I've also got some new classes planned on different nights of the week. Look for more info later.

For now I just want you to mark on your calendar the 1st Friday of every month as OPEN STAMP NIGHT. This will start March 6th at 6:30. Come and work on your own projects, you can use the Big Shot, my punches and stamp sets. Bring a snack to share! The only thing I from you is an RSVP so I know how many to plan for.

Hit the road with the bike

This card uses the Hit the Road set also but it features the bicycle. One of the great things about the 4 x 4 card is that you are able to create a focal point with a smaller image.

To add a bit of texture the creamy carmel square has been distressed on the edges and the pacific point cardstock was embossed using the Big Shot Texturz plates. These are really easy to use and make a huge difference. If you click on the picture it will enlarge and you'll be able to see the texture a bit better.

Here's another card using the bicycle and the texturz plates.

Are you tired of "Hit the Road" yet?

I hope not because I still have a couple more cards to share!

This one uses the In colors, pacific point and tangerine tango (perfect combo for a male card). The main image is stamped in pacific point and colored with markers.

I really wanted to create another color layer around the sentiment but when I put the old olive circle under the tangerine circle it covered too much of the jeep image. So the old olive circle is under need the jeep image and the tangerine image is popped up on dimensionals. I really like how it turned out.

HI was created using the Bill Board alphabet die and the big shot. I love that I can spell anything.

Another "Hit the Road"

But this one doesn't have anything to do with roads. I love this canoe, when I saw the stamp set that was the first image I noticed. A few years ago Steve got a canoe for Christmas and each summer we try to go canoeing as much as possible. We all have a great time! I can't wait to use this stamp on a scrapbook page!

I thought that the journey definition from Define your life was a perfect sentiment to go along with this image.

Sale-a-bration paper

If you haven't noticed by now, you will soon, that I've discovered a new size card that I love. It is 4 x4 inches. It's square and fits into a regular card envelop so you can still mail it. The thing I like about this size is that if you are using 12 x 12 designer paper, your paper goes a lot further. This is also a great size if you are making cards using the simply scrappin kits.

This card base is Sahara sand and the designer paper is cut at 3 1/4 x 3 1/4, there is a border of so saffron around the designer paper. I used a strip of bashful blue cardstock across the front and stamped my sentiment.

I do not yet have the full heart punch, but this image is so easy to cut out I just used my paper snips to cut the heart. After cutting the whisper white cardstock I adhered it to the bashful blue and then cut the bashful blue cardstock to create the border. I find it easier to cut after adhering so it doesn't slide around.

My version of Hit the Road

I've been needing to make some swaps using a new stamp set in the catalog, or a Sale-a-bration set. I decide to use Hit the Road. Of course I had to use my new favorite toy, my Big Shot. The top note die makes such a nice easy focal point! I colored the jeep using markers. The sentiment is from the sock monkey stamp set. I realized in making these swaps that I didn't have a lot of simple, fun sentiments. I don't have many sentiment sets at all, so that will have to be on my next order. I punched the sentiment out with the small oval, and used the the large oval to create a border for it. I decided it need to pop a little so I adhered it with dimensionals.

Caleb's School Valentine

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a few days, I just hadn't made anything to show you. Thankfully Caleb made something that we can share. He used the new "Hit the Road" stamp set. ( I hadn't even used it yet) He paired it with the hearts and sentiment from Loads of Love. We used the crop-a-dile to punch holes in the side of the cardstock to attach the suckers. The great thing about the crop-a-dile is that we were able to punch all 22 of his valentines at one time!!

Sale-a-Bration Paper

I love that Stampin' UP! is now giving choices besides stamp sets for Sale-a-Bration. This card uses the Designer Series Paper and the Celery Ribbon from the ribbon bundle. I used the Upsy Daisy stamp set, stamped with versa mark and colored with pastels. I love that you can get multiple colors on the images. You can do a lot with pastels, this technique is called poppin pastels. If you don't have them, now is a great time to get them. If you were to purchase the upsy daisy stamp set, Pastels and a versa mark pad you would qualify for a free sale-a-bration item like the paper or the ribbon on this card.

To learn more techniques using pastels or any others, schedule your own class. Make it a girls night out! 3 projects for $5, just let me know what techniques you are interested in. Contact me for available dates!

This is a simple birthday card, that is dressed up a little using the end of a top note. The designer paper is from the Level one hostess set. The paper pack gives you a lot of get designs in several colors; regal rose (which I used here) garden green, brocade blue and two more that I can't think of right now.

More with Botanical Blooms

I think images look really great in threes. This is a simple layout that could be used with any stamp set. For my background I used the polka dot texturz plate on the so saffron. It's a little hard to see in the picture put it adds a lot in real life.

I would love to see what you talented stampers can do with this same layout!

stamp set: botanical blooms (SAB)

Colors: Chocolate chip, regal rose, so saffron, brocade blue

Sale-a-Bration Stamp-a-Stack

Tuesday Feb 10th at 6:30pm, my house

cost is $15

RSVP by Feb 8th

This is a great night out to take a break from everything. All the cutting is done for you, all you have to do is play with some of the new Sale-a-bration goodies! You'll go home with 10 handmade cards with envelopes.

Coloring with Markers

My markers are used almost every time I stamp. However I'm not a fan of coloring in line images. I like to use my markers to get different colors on a solid image stamp. On this card I used my markers to color the stems garden green, and to color the flowers really rust and apricot appeal. Just remember when you do this to start with the lightest color first and when you are done coloring lightly breath or "Huff" on the stamp so that the ink is remoistened from your breath, then stamp as usual!

Texturz Plates for the Big Shot

So the first time I saw the Big Shot, I said "that's pretty cool" and didn't think too much about it. Then I started seeing some really cool stuff with it, especially the Top Note die. Things like bag toppers, tags, journaling areas for scrapbooks, even owls. so the Big Shot went on my wish list, but it wasn't really at the top of it. Then in the catalog that just came out there were texturz plates. The Big shot went from the middle of my list to the top of my list. I love them!!!!!

This card is a CASE (copy and share everything) from a card in the catalog. I used the season of friendship stamp (from the holiday mini) for the tree. The different circles were punch from all the cardstock that Emma and I played with when we first got the Big Shot. Click on the picture, it will make it bigger and you will be able to see the dry embossed images on the circles!

two different songs in my head

The first is a Billy Joel song "so you think you are a big shot, don't cha . . " I've been singing it ever since my Big Shot arrived on Thursday. And yes, I do feel like a big shot!! Thursday was a snow day for the kids so Emma was home when the UPS guy dropped it off. Both of us ran to the door, and my daughter screamed when we opened it. (I think she may be my first recruit). We immediately started cutting paper it was FABULOUS (oh that just added a third song in my head "fabulous that is my simple request all things fabulous", from High School Musical 2).

Okay the other song that I've been singing is "Celebrate good times, come on!" Are you all singing with me? Because yesterday was the first day of Stampin' UP!s biggest promotion of the year Sale-a-bration!!! Check out the brochure link on the right side of my blog. There are four beautiful stamp sets, one ribbon bundle, and a pack of designer series paper. It's simple spend $50 get any one of the six FREE!!!!!!!! Who doesn't love free.


Stamp set: Botanical Blooms (Sale-a-bration)

Colors: Regal rose, brocade blue, chocolate chip, garden green

accessories: Big shot, top note die, chocolate chip poly ribbon (I think it's retired)

Sale-a-Bration Starts today!!!

Here is a set of cards I made using the Sale-a-bration set Botanical blooms. I've put together a great starter kit including ink, markers, paper, envelopes, adhesive, ribbon and brads (everything you need to make these cards). If you buy this kit you will receive the stamp set for free and I will email you the step by step instructions on how to make each of these cards.


total cost (including shipping and handling) is $67.89

Call or email for more information.