Cheer Up, Buttercup for Freshly Made Sketches

 I'm madly trying to use up my DSP before it all retires.  June 4th will be the last day you can order any of the gorgeous Designer Series Paper from the 2013/14 Annual Catalogue.  If there's some you missed out on, now's the time to get your orders in!  I got into my Kaleidoscope DSP yesterday and decided to create something for Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #137:

This simple sketch, by Jen Mitchell, is based on rectangles and has lots of room for the creative muse to do her thing!  Here's my take on it:

•  I received the Geometrical Stamp Set for free at Leadership this year, but haven't used it a whole lot.  Time to get it out again!  It coordinates so perfectly with the Kaleidoscope Design Series Paper!
• My colour scheme follows the DSP colours, with a base and flag of Bermuda Bay, the sentiment in Melon Mambo and the little triangle in Crushed Curry.  This is such a striking colour combination that it catches your eye right away.
• I'm so glad that the Designer Buttons will still be around in the new catalogue, because they so often add that balancing element to a design.  This one is tied with some Whisper White Baker's Twine in a pert little bow that adds more playfulness to this already cheery card.

Don't forget about the bargains you can get for some of the stamps and accessories on the Retired List! Here are the links where you can check out the bargains!

Retired Stamp List with sale prices marked

Retired Accessories List with sale prices marked

You have until June 4th to take advantage of this sale, but only WHILE SUPPLIES LAST, so better to get your orders in sooner than later.

To order, you can call me or email me, or go to my On-Line store to order 24/7 and have it delivered right to your door.

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 products used to make this card today!

Product List

Geometrical [wood] [133158]	Geometrical [clear] [133161]	Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper [132995]	Bermuda Bay 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131197]	Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [100730]
Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad [126948]	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad [131173]	Brights Designer Buttons [130028]	White Baker's Twine [124262]

As You See It Nautical Collage

The theme for As You See It Challenge #038 this week is Collage Stamping!  I love collage stamping and was excited to do the challenge.  I settled, after a bit of thought, on a Nautical Theme, and, of course, nautical means Night of Navy, but I hadn't thought to pair it with Calypso Coral until I saw it on a Pinterest colour palette.

Here's where I found my colour scheme:

Navy and Coral

• Nothing is more nautical than The Open Seas Stamp Set, and I put it to good use in the background collage.  I added more images from the retiring set, Hello Sailor using Night of Navy, Island Indigo, Smoky Slate and Basic Gray Ink.  I finished with a sprinkle of Calypso Coral using one of the Gorgeous Grunge stamps.
• The Bravo sentiment is from A Dozen Thoughts and I have it shadowed with a second flag, die cut with Bitty Banners framelits
• I love the texture from the Burlap Ribbon across the middle and I learned to tie a sailor's knot using linen thread and Island Indigo Baker's Twine.

• Here you get a closer look at the Sailor's Knot I learned to tie. I also love the way you can add Whisper White candy dots to simulate a porthole around the oval matte for the sailing ship. 
• Here's the way you tie a sailor knot:

                                       .

My son-in-law will just be finishing up a trip on a sailing vessel for the men's church group to which he belongs. What an adventure he will be able to tell about!

I hope you'll play along this week!  We would love to have lots more entries to comment on during the week!

Don't Forget!!!:

There is so much going on at Stampin' Up! in the next week and a half:

1.  From now until June 4, many of the retiring products will be discounted from 25% to 50%!!  These will go fast, so don't hesitate to give me a quick call or email to secure your order before your items sell out!!  These include retiring products from the Occasions catalogue as well.

2.  Monday, June 2 at 12 noon MDT is when you can begin ordering from the new 2014/15 Annual Catalogue.

3.  Weekly deals, changed every Tuesday!

4.  Keep an eye open for Product Shares from the new catalogue, a great way to be able to purchase more variety of products for less money!!

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 products used to make this card today!

Product List

The Open Sea [128454]	The Open Sea - Clear-Mount Stamp [123032]	Hello, Sailor [wood] [133275]	Hello, Sailor [clear] [133278]	Gorgeous Grunge Wood-mount Stamp Set [130514]
Gorgeous Grunge Clear-mount Stamp Set [130517]	A Dozen Thoughts Wood-Mount Stamp Set [131056]	A Dozen Thoughts Clear-Mount Stamp Set [131059]	Night Of Navy 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [100867]	Calypso Coral 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock [122925]
Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [100730]	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [126970]	Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad [126983]	Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad [126986]	Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad [131179]
Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pad [126981]	1-1/4" Burlap Ribbon [132140]	Island Indigo Baker's Twine [125575]	Linen Thread [104199]	Stamping Sponges [101610]
Neutrals Candy Dots [130934]	Ovals Collection Framelits Dies [129381]	Bitty Banners Framelits Die [129267]

Congrats, Grad for Mojo Monday!

Realizing that I haven't yet posted a graduation card, I used the sketch from Mojo Monday and some of the new In Colours, to create one today!  Do you have a graduate in your life this year?  What are the colours of the robes and hoods they wear?

Academic regalia is fascinating in its history and significance.  You see it every spring at Grad Ceremonies and it results in a rich and solemn spectacle during graduate processions.  This regalia dates back to the middle ages and as late as the 1930s was actually worn daily to classes.  Different types of robes and hats indicate different ranks of academic degrees and the colours are also significant, both to the university attended and the fields of study.

I was thinking of the rich colours when I created this card for the Mojo Monday Challenge #346:

This is a simple card to complete, but looks rich and classy enough for the most sophisticated grad:

• With Whisper White as a neutral, Blackberry Bliss and Hello Honey look amazing and rich together!  The Stylish Stripes embossing folder added a neat Oxford-style texture to the Blackberry Bliss panel.
• The sentiment is from the Blue Ribbon stamp set and is stamped in Blackberry Bliss ink a punched out using the 1 1/4" circle punch. The Hello Honey matte was punched using the 1 1/2" Circles Collection framelit and then a Whisper White backing  punched with the 1 3/4" Scallop Circle punch was added.
• That gorgeous ribbon is the Stitched Satin Ribbon in Hello Honey.  It comes in all the new In Colours and I love the lustre it has.
• The little banners behind the sentiment are cut from Hello Honey cardstock and the ends are flagged by snipping up the middle about 1/4" and then cutting from each outer corner to the top of the slit.

• The Pearl Basic Jewels  add the finishing touches on the little banners and on the ribbon.

Retired List Blowout Sale

Be prepared to act fast on this one!! Some of the retired products will be offered at savings from 25% to 50% off until June 4.  Shop On-Line at my store!  Click on Saying Good-bye or Retired List, and you can check out all the mark-downs!

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 products used to make this card today!

Product List

• Blue Ribbon [131964]
• Blue Ribbon Clear-Mount Stamp Set [125981]
• Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [100730]
• Blackberry Bliss 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock*
• Hello Honey 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock*
• Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad*
• Hello Honey 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon*
• Basic Pearls Jewel Accents [119247]
• Stylish Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder*
• Circles Collection Framelits Dies [130911]
• 1-1/4 Inch Circle Punch [119861]
• 1-3/4 Inch Scallop Circle Punch [119854]

*Products that will be available June 2 in the new 2014/15 Annual Catalogue.

Ever have one of those weeks??  I'm just SO tired right now!  I feel like I could fall asleep on the spot, and if I'm sitting down, sometimes I doooooooooooooooooooooo....Huh?!  Oy vey!  Late night blogging doesn't help, and neither do early mornings. And I'm reading again at night - "Divergent" this time. I've got to get a handle on this!

I created a card for The Paper Players' Challenge #196:

Another Clean and Simple challenge with a floral theme.  I looked around for a stamp set that would let me feature the Stampin' Blendabilities alcohol markers again with a floral design and I came up with the Hostess Set, Simply Sketched, which is retiring in a week!

• I needed lots of white for Clean and Simple, but I wanted to incorporate my colour palette of
  
   
• So I got out my Gorgeous Grunge stamp set for a little blotch and splatter in Crisp Cantaloupe and Daffodil Delight.
• The main image from Simply Sketched is stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and coloured in with the Stampin' Blendabilities markers.  I will have a video for you on how to use them in a few days.  After stamping and colouring it in the main image and sentiment are diecut using the Deco Labels Collection Framelits.  I also diecut the same shape and size from Daffodil Delight cardstock and then cut in in half and removed the little points from the sides before adhering them to the back of the main image panel, each half a little offset in order to show a narrow margin above and below.
• With the addition of the In Colour Boutique detail, (also retiring soon) and some Linen Thread loops the card is completed.  Clean and Simple enough?  I think so!

I still have a few spots left in my Stamp of the Month Club, which will be starting in June!  Contact me by phone, 250-768-7379 or fill in the on-line registration sheet on the link and you will be ready to go for the new stamp set in June!  I will post photos soon!

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 products used to make this card today!

Product List

• Simply Sketched Wood-mount Stamp Set [129669]***
• Simply Sketched Clear-mount Stamp Set [129672]***
• Gorgeous Grunge Wood-mount Stamp Set [130514]
• Gorgeous Grunge Clear-mount Stamp Set [130517]
• Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131297]
• Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [100730]
• Daffodil Delight 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [119683]
• Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad*
• Coastal Cabana Stampin' Blendabilities markers**
• Old Olive Stampin' Blendabilities markers**
• Crisp Cantaloupe Classic Stampin' Pad [131176]
• Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad [126944]
• Deco Labels Collection Framelits Dies [130102]
• In Color Boutique Details [130938]***
• Linen Thread [104199]

*New Product in the 2014/15 Annual Catalogue, available June 2.

**New Product in the 2014/15 Annual Catalogue, availability date to be determined

***Retiring product.  Order before the end of May before it's gone for good!