Guest Stamper - Jaimie MacGibbon

This week, I'm so happy to be sharing with you the work of one of my favourite stampers, Jaimie MacGibbon !  (The fact that she is my daughter has nothing to do with my estimation of her work!  Make sure you leave a comment to let her know how awesome she is!)  She is a hobbyist on a limited budget, but you would never know it by the quality of her cards.  She is very resourceful, both as a stamper and a decorator.  In fact, you should check out her blog, At Home, if you like creating beautiful spaces with a tiny cash outlay.

Here's the first card I want to share with you:

I love Jaimie's choice of paper here.  The Tea for Two Designer Series paper deserves star billing on this card, and Jaimie has paired it up just right with Pool Party and Sahara Sand card stock.  She loves using the Delicate Details Lace tape, and it is the perfect touch on this whimsical Designer Paper.  The Naturals Designer Button balances the Teeny Tiny Wishes sentiment perfectly.

For some reason, it makes me think of the late Victorian era, in the late 1800's.  You don't need to have a lot of tools and equipment to make this card.  You can achieve very pleasing designs with very little in the way of supplies.  

Won't you leave a comment, so she knows it's not just her mother who enjoys her work?  She thinks I'm biased for some reason!

By the way, this is a photo of her with her little family:

-dressed for the part of a frontier Victorian family!  That's my oldest grandson, Parker, sitting on her lap, and  my son-in-law, Pat behind her!

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes (w115370; c127802)

Paper:  Tea for Two DSP (129311); Sahara Sand (121043) and Pool Party (122924) card stock

Ink:  Classic Stampin' Pad in Early Espresso (126974)

Accessories:  Delicate Designs Lace Tape (130966); Naturals Designer Buttons (127554) 

Vendor Fair Tomorrow and Blog Contest

I am excited to be a vendor at ...

...tomorrow!  I've been preparing for a while now.  I will have some retired rubber for sale as well as some cards  and some Try It Kits for My Paper Pumpkin.  I am super happy to be going back to Our Lady of Lourdes Spring Fling because it is really where I got my start as a Stampin' Up Demonstrator.

Yes, around a year ago, I had just signed up as a demo and, wet behind my ears, I was asked if I wanted to do this craft fair in place of my up line because she was too busy!  I had no clue what I was doing and I needed all her display items because I had none of my own, but the up shot was that I met some of my best customers at that fair and it was the start of my Stampin' Up career!  Fond memories!

Here are some of the things I've been working on:

Aren't these adorable?  I made a visit to the Bulk Barn for their great gourmet jelly beans and then got to work filling Stampin' Up's 1" x 8" cellophane bags (which have a great self-stick closure at the top) and creating the cute tags for them.  I used the Owl Builder Punch (SO versatile) to make the chicks along with the Boho Blossoms punch for their little top-knot!  

The Elegant Butterfly Punch and the Bitty Butterfly punch created the three layer butterfly tags, and I used the new Pinwheel Sizzlits S Die to make the pinwheel toppers.  Where you see DSP there, it is from the Sunshine and Sprinkles Series.  

Does anyone recognize the ribbon?  I'm batting 1000 this week with retired product, but I thought the craft fair was a good place to use up a some stuff I still had hanging around!  Leave me a comment with your name and email info if you recognize the ribbon and I will enter your name in the draw to win a little treat from Stampin' Up!

My other project is a fund raiser to benefit Breast Cancer Research.  I got the design from a Pin on Pinterest, created by Amanda Frankel.

Half of all the proceeds from the sale of these cards, I will donate to the BC Cancer Foundation!  And here's another little contest for you.  How did I get those bras made since I'm pretty sure Stampin' Up doesn't have a bra punch.  Yet it is made with a Stampin' Up punch.  Leave me a comment with the right answer and your  email info and you will have your name entered in the draw for a little treat.  

And if you live in my area, come and see me on Saturday, April 6 from 10 am to 2 pm at Our Lady of Lourdes school gym on Hebert Road, and pick up some of my goodies!  I hope to see you there.

Stamps:  Feel Goods (w129681; c129684); You Are Loved (w123777; c123779); Teeny Tiny Wishes (w115370; c127802)

Paper:  Daffodil Delight (119683), Melon Mambo (115320), Whisper White (100730), Regal Rose (105130), Pretty in Pink (100459), Pumpkin Pie (105117), So Saffron (105118), and Wild Wasabi (108641) card stock;  Sunshine and Sprinkles DSP (126922)

Ink:  Classic Stampin' Pads in Melon Mambo (126948), Regal Rose (126947), and Basic Gray (126981)

Accessories:  Mini brads (), 1" x 8" Cellophane bags (), ___?____ ribbon; 3/8" Striped Organdy Ribbon in Melon Mambo (129293), Rhinestone Basic Jewels (119246)

Tools: Owl Builder Punch (118074); Elegant Butterfly Punch (127526); Bitty Butterfly Punch (129406); Pinwheel Sizzlites S Die (129411)

NEWS FLASH from STAMPIN' UP!!!

...We interrupt your regularly scheduled blog posts with some BIG NEWS this morning from STAMPIN' UP!!

1. Stampin' Up announces a COLOUR  REFRESH with our new 2013-14 Idea Book and Catalogue effective May 31 this year.  We say hello to some old favourites from past In Colour collections and good-bye to some of our well-known collection colours, but the new revamp has created some marvellous palettes without a huge disruption.  The best way to explain is to see this chart:

Here's Carrie Cudney from the Home Office with a great explanation:

Those colours that we are saying good-bye to will be available only AS SUPPLIES LAST, so if we are bidding a fond farewell to some of your favourites, you will want to get your orders in quickly.  Call me or email me, or shop on line by clicking on the button for My Online Store on the top right of this page!
I'm SO excited that we get to keep four out of the five 2011-13 In Colours!!  My bewailing must have been loud enough for them to hear all the way down in Salt Lake City!  Woohoo!  I'm also stoked that there is another Shade of Gray! (LOL)

Next news item:

   2.  FREE SHIPPING for 3 DAYS!!!  Stampin' Up has announced FREE SHIPPING on all orders placed April 6 - 8!  So this would be a great time to stock up on some of those retiring colours that you want to horde!  This applies to all products, with no minimums!  Take advantage of this and let me know what you would like to order!

Okay, well that's about all the EXCITEMENT I can handle right now!  CALL ME, we need to talk!

Playing with Pumpkins!

Like I promised yesterday,  here is another instalment of  "What You Can Do with My Paper Pumpkin"!  These are the other two designs I came up with:

With this card, I embossed the bottom 2/3 of the card using the retired SAB embossing folder "Vine Street", but any similar folder would do.  The cool thing about the card stock being printed instead of dyed is that you can sand it and the colour comes off, so it's easy to distress it.   Then I just added the polka dot paper and embellishments to the top 1/3 of the card.  When I stamped the sentiment, I had to mask the parts I didn't want to include on the two areas so I wouldn't get any ink on the parts of the rubber stamp I didn't want.

And card #4 is this:

For this one, I just took the leftover polka dot paper and several different circle and scallop circle punches and punched out different sized circles and adhered them to the card.  I overlapped the card edge several times and trimmed to the shape of the card.  I tried to keep the lighter ones at the top and the more saturated colour towards the bottom.  And that's all there is to it!

What's new at Stampin' Up?  Seems like there is always something going on there.  Today there is just a reminder that you can now purchase the Petite Curly Label punch that was a Sale-A-Bration reward, right up to May 31, 2013 and we'll have to see what's in the new catalogue after that!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Here are the extra products you need to make the Paper Pumpkin alternatives:

Tools and Accessories:  assorted circle and scallop circle punches (or trace around different sized circular objects); Vine Street Embossing folder or any similar embossing folder; Stampin' Up Sanding Block (129367)

What Can You Do with a Pumpkin?

We've had the most beautiful spring weather lately!  Our forsythia is in bloom, and a few daffodils, though we don't plant many spring bulbs.  So it seems kind of strange to be talking about pumpkins!

No, not this kind of pumpkin!  But this kind:  My Paper Pumpkin!  I wanted to show you all the fun you can have with the monthly packages.

This is what it looks like when it arrives at your own front door!

This is what you see when you first open it.

Here are all the amazing goodies inside!!

And here is what you are supposed to make with it!

This is all great if you are new to stamping and if you don't have a lot of room for supplies and equipment!  It comes with everything you need and lots of instructions as well.  

But what if you are not new to stamping, and have some supplies already and would like a little more challenge?   Well, each month, I will come up with some alternative projects, and everyone who subscribes to Paper Pumpkin through me, will get a free email with the tutorials on how to complete them.

 I came up with four different cards for the first Welcome Kit, and I will show you two of them today and the other two tomorrow.

This first sample only requires an extra circle punch to complete!  I really had a lot of fun playing around with the materials.  Of course, I had to plan a bit to make sure I had enough of the materials for all 4 cards.  That's where my tutorials will come in handy.  Did you notice that the stamped sentiment is exclusive to My Paper Pumpkin?  You will get stamps with this program that are not available through the Stampin' Up catalogues!

And here's the second one:

For this one, you need a Paper Doily, Window Frames Framelits, the Honeycomb embossing folder and Big Shot, and some Baker's Twine extra, but you could leave off the embossing if you don't have a Big Shot.

I hope you like these alternative projects and you are thinking of subscribing.  I have to say I really enjoyed the whole process.  If you would like to subscribe, send me an email with your email address and phone number and I will get you signed up.  To get the a box this month, you need to sign up before April 10th.  As long as you live in Canada, you can sign up with me.  You don't need to live near me as the boxes will be delivered directly to you!


For other ideas for this kit, check out this Pinterest board.

Accessories and Tools  needed beyond what is provided:  Paper Doilies (129399); Honeycomb Embossing Folder (129378); Big Shot (113439); 1 3/4" Circle Punch (119850); Baker's Twine in Pool Party (125574); Window Frames Collection Framelits (129021)

Vintage Mojo

When I looked at the MOJO Monday #287 sketch for today created by the talented Julee Tilman, I knew immediately that I would be doing a vintage card (rubbing hands together in glee) and that I would be using the Artisan Embellishments kit from the Spring Mini catalogue!  I've been dying to use those large resin roses and some of the beautiful ribbons and trims.  As well, The Paper Players have a Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge #139 and my card qualifies on the diagonal using ribbons, pearls and a tag.  Finally, Dynamic Duos Challenge #46 was to use Primrose Petals and my choice of a second colour, which was Crumb Cake!

Put all those together (Whew!) and this is what I came up with:

I thought this would make a good anniversary or wedding card.  The specific sentiment could be on the inside of the card.  I didn't even stamp once on this card!!

Here are the Challenge Sketches:

Some things to notice on this card:

• The ruffle under the lovely resin rose from the Artisan Embellishments kit is created by using the  Primrose Petals seam binding ribbon and the crochet trim, also from the kit and sewing them together along one side with a long running stitch and pulling it up to gather them.  Then this rosette is attached to the button with glue dots and the whole shebang including the flag adhered to a jumbo sticky round.  
• The Crumb Cake panel with the hearts is the holder for the ribbons in the Artisan Embellishment kit.  I embossed it with the Honeycomb Embossing Folder and sanded it.  Because the colour is printed on, it can also be sanded off.
• The Love ticket (also from the kit) is backed by some Primrose Petals card stock cut slightly larger.  I got the ticket corners by using the Ticket Duo punch just on the corners alone. I used a Hung Up collection Cute Clip from the Spring Mini to attach it to the card.

It was so enjoyable to just go Vintage again!  And being able to do three challenges with one card doesn't happen very often!

I wanted to let you know what the Best of 25 Years stamp set was for April.  It's called Best of Butterflies and I really like this one!  Stampin' Up is releasing a new "Best of..." each month of our 25th Anniversary year.  They come in clear mount only, and all are available until March of 2014.  Collect 6 sets and you can get a free set of your choice up to a $17.95 value by collecting the stickers from each set you order and sending them to Stampin' Up with the collector's card that you can download here.

Best of Butterflies (April Set) (133345)

Paper:  Crumb Cake (120953) and Primrose Petals (126841) card stock; More Amore Specialty DSP (129309)

Ink:  Classic Stampin' Pad in Crumb Cake (for sponging) (126975)

Accessories:  Artisan Embellishments Kit (129328); Pearl Basic Jewels (119247); Cute Clips Hung Up collection (129389)

Tools:  Honeycomb Embossing Folder (129378); Delicate Designs Embossing Folder (127023); Jumbo Sticky Rounds (127852); 1 1/4" Circle Punch (119861); Stampin' Sanding Block (129367); Ticket Duo Builder Punch (126883)

Artisan Embellishments Kit

Delicate Designs Embossing Folders

Hung Up Cute Clips

Jumbo Sticky Rounds

Pearl Basic Jewels

Happy Easter Egg

I hope you had a Happy Easter!  It is a very special celebration for me, because it reminds me that I am loved with a deep abiding love.  In fact, I am loved so much, that One was willing to die for me, in my place!

The great thing is, He knows you, too!  And simply by accepting this love and believing that He died for you, too, you can live with Him forever.  Let me know if you want to know more about this amazing love!

I have a couple of things to share today.  I wanted to see if I could create some Stampin' Up Easter Eggs, but just didn't get around to it until today.  The result was:  "Hmmm! Shows promise but needs more work."

I used a raw egg and my Oh, Hello clear stamp set.  Without mounting the stamps on the clear blocks, I inked them up in VersaMark and applied them, bending them to the curve of the egg.  Then I sprinkled on the White Embossing powder and heat set it.  It took much longer to heat set the powder on the egg shell than on paper.  In fact, I'm thinking the egg is no longer raw! lol  I put the egg in a small bowl to heat emboss it, because it got too hot to hold properly.  

Then I used Regal Rose reinker in about 1" of water.  It had to be deep enough to get decent coverage for the egg.  I was going for an ombre look but I was hoping to have a much more defined line between the shades.  I immersed the whole egg in the lightest shade, then added a few more drops and immersed it 3/4 of the way up.  I repeated adding more drops of reinker, but only covering the bottom half and finally the bottom 1/4 of the egg for the darkest shade.  I had to use a lot of reinker for so much water, but it was an experiment and fun to try.  What do you think?

Here's a card I made for my Technique Night this week, focusing on Crystal Effects.  I case'd the design from Sage Kimble, a stamper I really admire.

I changed up the colours and the stamp I used, but kept the awesome layout and the beautifully sponged clouds on the background panel.  I also added Crystal Effects like dew drops on the petals of the flower and used the Delicate Doilies Sizzlit instead of the Scallop Circle that Sage used behind her main image.  I tried to get a sentiment on there but it just didn't fit anywhere, so I left it off.  I still think that Stippled Blossoms is one of the most WOW! stamp sets in the catalogue.  I love two-step stamping, especially with a Stamp-a-ma-jig to help me out. (Here's a video link to help you with that.)  The cloud background is created by taking a scallop circle punched from card stock and laying it at the bottom of  the paper, sponging along the edge, then moving up, changing the orientation of the scallop circle and sponging again. Repeat until you get to the top of the paper.  I used this technique on the background of the main image as well.

That makes 3 different techniques using Crystal Effects, so I hope you've found them all.  

Enjoy the last day of your long weekend, if you get one more day off on Easter Monday!  Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps:  Oh, Hello (w130730; c130733); Stippled Blossoms (w126745; c126747)

Paper:  Night of Navy (100867), Certainly Celery (105125) and Whisper White (100730) card stock

Ink:  Classic Stampin' Pads in Bashful Blue (126961), Marina Mist (126962) and Night of Navy (126970); VersaMark (102283); Regal Rose Classic Stampin' Ink Refill (105223)

Accessories:  Stampin' Emboss Powder in White (109132); 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon in Certainly Celery (119963); Crystal Effects (101055)

Tools:  Heat Tool (129053);  Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder (117335); Delicate Doilies Sizzlits L (126999); 2 1/2" Circle Punch (120906) and 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch (for sponging the clouds) (119854); Stamping Sponges (101610)

2 1/2" Circle Punch

Oh, Hello Stamp Set

Delicate Doilies Sizzlit

Stamping Sponges

Stippled Blossoms Stamp Set