Okay, not really, but it is Christmas in my stamp room.   I recently joined a challenge at Stampin’ Addicts to complete some of my Christmas cards each month.   I’m really enjoying getting these done.  It’s so nice to be working on them when I’m not under pressure to get them done.

First up, May’s cards. . .

May's christmas cards

Stamps:   Christmas Classics (retiring in June!)

Paper:   Old Olive, Real Red, Kraft

Ink:  Old Olive, Early Espresso, Real Red

Accessories:  1 1/4 old olive striped grosgrain ribbon, tulips embossing folder, square lattice embossing folder.

And here’s June’s cards. . .

June's cards

Stamps:  Holiday Lineup

Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss, Whisper White

Ink:  Watercolor pencils. pastels, chocolate chip

Accessories:  1/4 Rose Red Grosgrain.

Both of these cards were made using paper I had previously cut and put aside for Christmas cards, but somehow never completed.  I hope I’m not the only one that gets all excited planning a project and then puts it aside unfinished.   Time to complete this project:  2 years.  However, I’m sure they can be completed in 1 sitting  – you can feel free to omit the “aging” process.

I’m a little late getting to my Christmas cards this year.  All my good intentions have run away!    So I’ve decided to design my cards this year in My Digital Studio and print them rather than hand making them.

Here’s a few of the ideas I came up with.   The first one features my lovely pug Sadie.  She’s such a good sport.  Ahem, I mean model.

Front

Inside

I think she kept the Santa hat on for about 45 seconds.   She’s really not much of a hat lady.

Here’s a couple of more ideas. . . .

Front

Inside

Front

Inside

Front

The last one is a variation on a suggestion my mom made.   My hubby likes the first 2, but not the third one, and he hasn’t seen the last one.

What do you think?  Is he right?  Hmmm, time to make  a decision . . . .

I find that there’s a lot of people in my life having birthdays.  I guess that’s a good thing because it sure beats the alternative right?   This is a card I made for one of my good friends birthday back in July.  I’m loving all the new Stampin’ Up! colors!

Here’s the inside of the card:

I love designing the inside of the card as well. And I don’t think that birthday cards have to have a “Happy Birthday” stamped on them. I like to pick the sentiment that I think fits the person getting the card. In this case – I thought the quote was perfect. Actually, though, you could use this card for a number of different occassions.

Recipe:

Stamps:   Friends never Fade, Favorite Thoughts

Paper:  Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight and Whisper White cardstock.  Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper

Ink:  Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight

Accessories:  Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, 1/8″ taffeta ribbon in Daffodil Delight,  Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder.

One of the great things about getting a new catalog  is getting new stuff to play with!   Of course, I had to sign up for a swap that used the new stuff, right?

I love this time of year when the wildflowers are blooming and that’s what this card makes me think of – the wildflowers growing along the side of the road.

I used the following  supplies:

Stamps”  Silhouette Sentiments Hostess Set

Ink:  Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, Always Artichoke

Cardstock:  Marina Mist, Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight, Very Vanilla

Accessories:  Bitty Buttons, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch,  1 1/4″ Daffodil Delight Ribbon

I was so excited to get my first order from the new catalog!   I just couldn’t wait to start playing with my new stuff.  Luckily, I needed to create a swap for our demonstrator meeting for July -

Here’s my craft table when I got done -

I know – you want to see a close up, right?   Here ya go -

I just love how fresh and spring like this card is.   I like to keep them sentiment free until I’m ready to send them – then I can add the right sentiment.

Recipe:

Stamp:  Just Believe

Card Stock:  Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Wild Wasabi

Ink:  Wild Wasabi, Pretty in Pink

Accessories:  Square Lattice Embossing folder,  Basic Rhinestone Jewels

Welcome to  Stop 19 on the Stampin’ Addicts New Catalog Mega Hop!    Stampin’ Up’s  new catalog is here and this hop is rockin’ with some really great projects using the new stamp sets!  If you’re going forward’s through the hop, you just saw all the cool things Cheryl did with Friends Never Fade.     I’ve been playing with Cottage Garden.  It’s a neat set with a matching designer series paper.

My first project is a cute little thank you card with a matching milk carton.  You can fill the milk carton with M & M’s or another favorite treat! It’s so summery and bright.

I can’t remember who told me about using a scallop circle to close the milk carton die – but it’s such a wonderful idea that I had to try it!  It’s hard to see in the picture, but I embossed the green scalloped circle that is holding the carton closed as well.

And here’s a quick tip for you:  I always have trouble getting the plastic layer off my sticky strip.  I started using either my paper snips or my paper piercer.  I just slide the tip under the edge of the plastic and continue sliding the length of my cut off piece.  And easy peasy, that piece is removed and I’m ready to stick something together!

Recipe:

Stamps:  Cottage Garden,  Occasional Quotes

Paper:  Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White and Peach Parfait card stock,  Sunny Garden Designer Series Paper

Ink:  Poppy Parade, Blushing Bride, Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz

Accessories:   Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder,  Scallop Circle Punch,  Large Tag Punch, 1/8″ Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon

Next up -  A beautiful thank you card – if I do say so myself.

This is such a simple design, but I think the colors make it seem really rich. I had intended to do a monochromatic card using Marina Mist and Bashful Blue until I looked in my paper drawer and I only had scraps left of Marina Mist.  Time to place another order!    Anyway, I had to make some adjustments to my plan, but I really like how it turned out.  The Concord Crush was embossed using the Polka Dot Embossing Folder.   I seem to be on an embossing kick lately!

Recipe:

Stamps:  Cottage Garden, Because I care

Paper:  Concord Crush, Bashful Blue, Marina Mist and Whisper White card stock

Ink:  Marina Mist, Concord Crush

My last project is another card – I was trying to think outside of the box a bit  and came up with this. . . .

What do you think?  My DH thinks it’s a bit dark, but I think I like it.   It won’t quite count as masculine – but I do like this color combination for a man for sure.  Yep, I did it again.  I don’t think I can make a project right now that doesn’t include some embossing some where.  In this one, it’s just the Early Espresso layer that’s embossed.  I think it adds some nice texture without overdoing it.  My favorite way to apply these rhinestone jewels is using my paper piercer.  I slip the point under the edge to pick it up and lay it where I want on my project.  Works perfectly for me every time!

Recipe:

Stamps:  Cottage Garden

Paper:  River Rock,  Early Espresso, and Cherry Cobbler card stock

Ink:  Early Espresso

Embellishments:  Basic Rhinestone Jewels,  Square Lattice Embossing Folder

Accessories:  So Saffron Flower Brads (from the subtles pack), Scallop Oval Punch, Oval Punch, Polka Dot Embossing Folder.

Well, my time’s up.  I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing some of what you can do with Cottage Garden!  It’s time to send you  to the next stop, which is Joyce who has made some great projects using a set called Just Believe which I think may be my next new favorite stamp set!   Let me know what you think and I’ll see you next time!

Click Here to go to Joyce’s Blog!

It’s July in the South, which means lots of hot weather,  flowers, and in my family. . . birthdays. .   Of course, I turned to my newest go to set -  Awash with Flowers for this one.

It’s a variation of a previous card – but I love these colors!

Cardstock:  Perfect Plum, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White

Ink:  Perfect Plum, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White Craft Ink

Embellishments:  Circle Ice Rhinestone Brads,  Scallop Oval Punch,  Med Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch

I think it’s pretty obvious, that I’ve developed a love of fabric recently. I was hopping around checking out some of my favorite quilting blogs and I saw this wonderful way to use fabric on a card.  I just had to try it.

I wanted it to match Quilt # 4 so I used the leftover scraps from the quilt to make this card.
I think it’s so cute!   And what a great idea – to match the card to the quilt.

I used a crumb cake card base to attach the fabric to.  Then I decided I didn’t like the stitching showing on the inside, so I covered the inside with chocolate Chip Cardstock.  I layered very vanilla on top of the chocolate chip and stamped a sentiment from the new hostess set Occasional Quotes and used the flowers from Because I care, another new hostess set, for accent.

Sorry about the message written on it – I forgot to take a picture until after I signed the card. . . . .  It was one of those days.

I’m so excited!  My new catalog pre-order stuff just got here and I actually got to play with a little bit of it today!

I did this card really quick before I ran out for an appointment.

Pear Note Card

This is a clean and simple card using a new set called Studio Sketches.    I really love how simple this looks.   The card base is one of our new in-colors, Pear Pizzazz.  I layered it with Very Vanilla and the also new Early Espresso.     The Ribbon is a new 1/8″ Taffeta Ribbon.  I like it – but I was afraid that it was a little too plain, so I  redid it.

Pear Notecard Take 2

The only change for this one is that I used the new Wallpaper Embossing Folder for the card base.   I like them both, but I can’t decide which one I like better.

Next, I made this thank you card.

Pear Thank You

The flash washed out the color a little bit – this is the same color combo as above.   The Early Espresso card base and the Pear Pizzazz layer were both embossed using the square lattice embossing folder that’s in the summer mini catalog.    The Thank you sentiment is from a new Level 1 hostess set,  Because I care, which is in the new catalog.

Can I just say that I am loving this color combo – and especially Early Espresso.  It’s such a wonderful deep brown.

Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome to  Stop 9 on the Stampin’ Addicts Summer Mini Blog Hop!  Stampin’ Up’s  new Summer Mini is coming on May 1st!!!  If you’re going forward’s through the hop, you just saw all the cool things Stampin’Shell did with Rough Type, the new alphabet stamp set.     I’ve been playing with the New, Totally Cool, Really Awesome Presto Patterns Designer Series Paper!   It’s soooo cool!   It’s white paper with white embossed images.  Basically, you use it like you would any resist technique.   I’ve had so much fun playing with it!!!

The first project I’m going to share is a 12×12 scrapbook page.

This is a one of  my Great Grandma Smith’s recipes that she wrote out for my mom.  At the bottom is a note saying to give me a big hug.  The picture of  course is her when she was young.  When I was looking at the paper,  the thought in my mind was of pages laying randomly on a table.  That’s the look I was going for.    I used our new Log Cabin Smooch Spray on the Presto Patterns DSP for the background.  It’s got a nice bronzy feel to it.   The flower is one of our Flurettes dyed with More Mustard Reinker with a Vintage Brad in the center.  The photo is mounted on whisper white stamped with Vintage Vogue in Creamy Caramel.  I kept thinking that I hadn’t done enough with the page, but at the same time, can’t think of anything else that wouldn’t distract.   I’m going to put it in a shadow box and hang it on the wall.

Project Number 2 is a note card for a special girlfriend.

The yellow background is the Presto Patterns DSP.   I took the More Mustard and water mix I used to dye the crocheted flower and sponged it onto the paper.  It turned out really well.  In person, it’s closer to So Saffron than More Mustard.   The card base is Always Artichoke.  The saying is from Favorite Thoughts (a new Summer Mini Stamp set) and the images are from Vintage Vogue which I understand is supposed to make it into the new catty!  I used Always Artichoke, Perfect Plum and So Saffon Ink.  The brads are So Saffron.

My last project is a card I really like. . . . .

Here’s a second view so you can see the shimmer. . . .

I really love this card!  Isn’t the shimmer just so cool!  I used the new Awash with Flowers set that will be in the new catty for the flower and the saying is from Favorite Thoughts again.   The green background is the Presto Patterns DSP, brayered with Certainly Celery and then sprayed with the Vanilla Smooch Spray.   I LOVE IT!!!!   I used Not Quite  Navy and Whisper White cardstock.  The inks are Not Quite  Navy,  Bordering Blue and Certainly Celery.  The buttons are from Fresh Favorites I.

I have had so much fun playing with this paper.  I’ve sprayed it with smooch spray, brayered it with ink, sponged it with reinkers, sponged it with reinkers and water, and with a cotton ball that had alcohol and reinker on it.  All gave different looks but I didn’t have time to create a project with each, so you just got my favorites.  You have so got to try this paper!   (and I have so got to cut down on the sugar!!!)

Well, my time’s up – it’s time to send you  on your way to the next stop, which is Melissa who will be showing you a really cool new stamp set called Watercolor Trio!   Let me know what you think and I’ll see you next time!

Click Here to go to Melissa’s Blog!

The hop is over now – but you can use any of the links below to see the wonderful projects from the hop!

1. AlliOhran (Allison): Builder Wheels (flowers)
2. Yapha: Builder Wheels (Birthday)
3. Carmen: Sweet Scoops
4. cre8tivestamper (Barbara) In A Word/Square Lattice Embossing Folder
5. CindyE (Cindy): Itty Bitty Bits
6. catrules (Holly): Elements of Style
7. broncomom (Joyce): Mostly Vintage Stencil
8. Stampin’Shell (Michelle): Rough Type
9. dmdezigns (Dawnmarie): Presto Patterns DSP
10. Melissa: Watercolor Trio
11. MaryR (Mary): Simply Adorned charms
12. lilyinkpad (Sara): Favorite Thoughts
13. tjdstampsalot (Twila): Blissful Bride
14. willsygirl (Sarah): Bouquet Bunch
15. s1itcher46 (Kim): A Little Bit of Magic
16. Pepesmom (Trina): Sentimental Journey
17. skdeeleuw (Krystal): Go, Graduate
18. hcarnes (Heather): First Day
19. rhondag (Rhonda): Island Oasis DSP/Island Floral/Tropical Party
20. HollyLogic (Holly): Island Floral Bigz Die (Christmas ideas)
21. LisaMNaples (Lisa): July Fourth/Red, White & Blue jumbo wheel
22. WebDeb (Deb): All a Flutter
23. Tanya27 (Tanya): Motorcycle