Thursday, April 30, 2015

Artist Trading Card and Help for Nepal



So, I think I've mentioned before that I belong to a group who do a monthly mail in swap of Artist Trading Cards, the little 2.5 x 3.5 inch cards that are based on the calling cards of artists back in the early 1900s. This month, our theme was "Fruity", and, at first, I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do. I didn't think SU had any current fruit stamps, but then I saw Giggle Greetings and realized that it had a whole bowl of cherries image... and a great sentiment to go with it!


  • I stamped the bowl of cherries with Memento Tuxedo Black and used my Cherry Cobbler and Daffodil Delight Blendies to colour in the image. I know I shouldn't be using them on my blog when you can't order them any more, but it's so hard to go back to the regular markers once you've used the Blendabilities. . . Sigh!
  • I added some highlights on the cherries and on the bowl with my White Gel Pen. Then I got out the Crystal Effects and added some blobs onto the cherries in the bowl. This takes a couple of hours to completely dry, so you can't be in a hurry if you use this much on a project.
  • In the meantime, I cut some 2-1/2 x 3-1/2 inch pieces of All Abloom Designer Series Paper Stack and carefully ripped them as shown above. Then I added some Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details to the little flower buds on the paper.
  • After covering the ATC with Basic Black cardstock and adding the ripped piece of All Abloom cardstock to the top left side, I punched out the sentiments with the Modern Label Punch (*retiring) and added them to the base.
  • I hand cut the cherry bowl and its shadow and mounted it with Stampin' Dimensionals and my ATC was finished. I can't wait to see what I get in return.

Sometimes life is just a bowl of cherries and sometimes it's just the pits! I'm sure that the people in Nepal would agree with that after the devastating earthquake that hit just last Saturday. Nepal is stunningly beautiful, but also one of the poorest countries in the world.


The 8.1 magnitude quake hit a wide area with massive destruction and authorities believe there will be over 10,000 fatalities. Thousands are homeless, and with the monsoon season coming in a few weeks, disease and lack of shelter could raise the toll drastically.

I've been wondering what we as a papercrafting community could do to help the efforts in terms of fundraising for aid to be sent. I'm sure many have already donated individually, as we have, to the cause.

What if we were to each hold an auction on our blogs? We could auction projects and then donate the proceeds to the Red Cross for use in Nepal, maybe using the hashtag #StampingforNepal. Tell me what you think of this idea or if you have a better one. I will post this in some other places as well. I would just feel better being able to contribute using my skills as a crafter to help in a meaningful way. Leave a comment if you agree.


Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the Stampin' Up! products used to make this card today!


Product List

* Retiring June 2, 2015
**Discontinued, not available for order

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Summer Silhouettes for The Paper Players


April and May are anniversary months around here. Two of my daughters were married during those months and my hubby and I celebrate our anniversary on May 6 (in 1978 - so our anniversary is 5/6/78! - and we didn't plan that on purpose!) So you can understand why I'm making so many anniversary cards lately. This one is for my middle daughter and her husband and she LOVES dandelions - so I got out my Summer Silhouettes Stamp set and used the sketch from The Paper Players Challenge #242 for the layout:


Just to give you an idea about how my daughter loves dandelions, look at the dress she designed for her daughter, our only granddaughter:

























And here's a picture of my daughter on her wedding day. Take a good look at the bouquet, because she sneaked a dandelion into it, because I had objected when she wanted a bouquet full of them!!

























So in honour of that memory, here is her and her husband's anniversary card:


  • I'm sorry, but I love the Something Borrowed DSP so much, I have to use it as much as possible before it retires. Both pieces of background Design Series Paper are from that set. I wish Stampin' Up! would break precedent and bring back this series in the Annual Catalogue, which is coming out June 2, 2015! It's just so pretty!
  • I stamped the images in Sahara Sand and Crisp Cantaloupe and die cut them and a matte of Crisp Cantaloupe using the Ovals Collection Framelits. The flags are made from Sahara Sand cardstock, Crisp Cantaloupe cardstock and Whisper White cardstock stamped with another image from Summer Silhouettes.
  • I added some small Rhinestone Basic Jewels and a little bow made from Crisp Cantaloupe Thick Baker's Twine (retiring) and that's all there is to this simple card!
News from Stampin' Up!

The premiere of the new 2015/16 Annual Catalogue is getting very close. We're just over a month away from it going live! I know, after seeing the retiring list, that I'm very excited and curious about all the new products we'll get to see and purchase! 
Become a Demonstrator for the Sneak Peek!

As a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, one of the best perks is being able to view the new catalogues a month ahead of the public, and being able to preorder products during that month! If you want in on this privilege then all you have to do is join my team and order the Starter Kit in the next few days! It's only $125 with free shipping, and you can choose $155 worth of any current product! You might want to wait until May 5 or later, so you can order new sneak peek products in your Starter Kit!

Want a New Catalogue?



We will be able to ship catalogues to our customers starting May 7th or so. If you are a member of my stamp club, or an active customer, I will be mailing one to you for free, automatically. If you are not an active customer but would still like to receive a free copy, simply place an order for $50 or more before May 12th and I will see that you get a copy. Please make sure I have your mailing address for that purpose.

Price Changes

Stampin' Up! also announced yesterday, that there will be some price changes with the new Annual Catalogue. Stamp pads, refills and cardstock prices haven't changed since 2009, but prices will increase slightly starting June 3. There will be a larger increase for Whisper White and Very Vanilla cardstock. As well, the Big Shot and its cutting and crease pads will also see an increase, due to the manufacturer's increased prices.  And due to increased costs, background stamps will see a slight increase. This might be a good time to stock up on paper and ink, as well as to purchase a Big Shot if you haven't already.

The good news is that there will also be some price decreases on several products including several punches, Textured Impressions Embossing Folders, and various tools, trims, and embellishments. So everything should even itself out!
One Day Overlap on June 2, 2015

There is an overlap of 1 day on June 2, where the old 2014/15 catalogue products and 2015 Occasions catalogue products can still be ordered at the old prices, as well as being able to order from the new 2015/16 Annual Catalogue. Where the same product is in both catalogues, on June 2 only, it will be available at the 2014/15 price. After that it all changes to 2015/16 prices.


Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the Stampin' Up! products used to make this card today!



Product List

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Baby, We've Grown


We have the sweetest neighbours next door to us. When our old neighbours moved away, we were a little apprehensive about who would move in, but we hit the jackpot.  Our new neighbours are a young family originally from Hungary. They are quiet, friendly and very willing to help out. Their family dog is a collie - you know, a Lassie dog.  Does anyone even remember Lassie?

They had a little 2 year old when they first moved in, but just recently their little family has grown to include a baby boy. We wanted to get something for the baby, so I designed this card to go with it. It features the Baby, We've Grown Stamp Set, which is retiring and only available until June 2.


  • Baby, We've Grown is a cute stamp set for baby cards, introduced in the 2014 Occasions catalogue and carried over in the Annual Catalogue. Right now the Wood Mount set is 20% off. 
  • I stamped the sentiment right on the Lullaby DSP (which is also retiring) with Memento Ink and did a quick coloring job with my Coastal Cabana Stampin' Right Marker. The 2013-15 In Colour Stampin' Write Markers are also on the Retiring List and are on sale for 40% off.
  • The little shoes were coloured with Pool Party and Coastal Cabana in keeping with the card base and back panel in this largely monochromatic card.
  • The Coastal Cabana Thick Baker's Twine will be retiring along with all the 2013-15 In Colour versions and all colours are 50% off.
  • I added three Pool Party Candy Dots on the upper left of the oval for balance in the design.
And Tuesday means new Weekly Deals:




Thanks for dropping by my blog today.  See you tomorrow with a design for The Paper Players.


Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the Stampin' Up! products used to make this card today!


Product List