Six-Sided Sampler Thank You Trios

I have so much fun with the little Thank You cards I send out with all my customers' orders!  They are a
great way to sample the new products and colours and DSP! It's just fun playing with the new stuff!  And have I got NEW STUFF?!  It was seriously like Christmas around here on Friday, when my first order of new products arrived from Stampin' Up - for me and for my customers after my catalogue launch last Saturday!  I was pleasantly surprised with the speed with which the orders were filled and shipped.  I was expecting it to take a little longer, but it was here sooner than expected!  Kudos to Stampin' Up!!






Anyway, I set right to work sorting and bagging orders and making the Thank You cards to go in them.  It wasn't long before my hubby heard squealing and calls for him to "Come, look!"
Here, you'll have to see why for yourself!

• I used all the new In Colours:  Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding and Strawberry Slush.  They look as delicious as they sound!  
• I also added one of the new Brights into the mix, Bermuda Bay!  
• I just received my In Colour Paper Stacks and I absolutely love the new designs for each colour.  I picked the polka dots this time, but there are three other up-dated designs to choose from.

• Then I grabbed all my In Colour inks and the Six-Sided Sampler bundle which includes all these great stamps AND a hexagon punch, saving 15%,  and stamped all these wonderfully designed hexagons!   (If you weren't already aware - hexagons are very hot right now!)
• Then I punched them out using the long-awaited hexagon punch. (By the way, the hexagons it punches are bigger than the embossed hexagons created by the Honeycomb Embossing Folder.) 

• After arranging them, I added a little strip of the new 3/8" Ruffle Stretch Trim, which comes in all the new In Colours!  I am over the moon about this ribbon!  It is SO cute! and, because it is stretchy, I believe that we will be able to frame Ovals and Circles as well as other shapes.  Just look at the cuteness it created on these little cards! I purposely did not have the ribbon fit neatly around the upper panel, because I was looking for a Quick and Cute Effect, smashbook style!
• The new Designer Buttons are adorable, big or small, and add the perfect little touch to the cards!

Book a Girls Night Out!!

Hope these convinced you to order some of the new products!  I haven't been this excited for a long time about new items.  I would love to share them with you and your friends and I have some openings in my schedule this coming week and the next!  Call me to book a Girls Night Out crafting time!  You'll have a great time and you can hold it at my house or yours!  (At my house, I do the cleaning and baking, and all you have to do is invite your friends!)

Stamps:  Six Sided Sampler (w130953; c130956)

Paper:  Bermuda Bay (131197), Baked Brown Sugar (131296), Coastal Cabana (131297), Crisp Cantaloupe (131298), Pistachio Pudding (131294) and Strawberry Slush (131295) card stock; Brights (130134) and 2013/15 In Colour (130136) Designer Series Paper Stacks

Ink: Classic Stampin' Pads in Bermuda Bay (131171),  Baked Brown Sugar (131174), Coastal Cabana (131175), Crisp Cantaloupe (131176), Pistachio Pudding (131177) and Strawberry Slush (131178)

Accessories:  3/8" Ruffle Stretch Trim in Coastal Cabana (), Crisp Cantaloupe () and Pistachio Pudding (); Brights (130028) and Subtles (130030) Designer Buttons

Tools:  Hexagon Punch (130919)

Six-Sided Sampler Bundle

Brights Designer Buttons

3/8" Ruffle Stretch Trim in Crisp Cantaloupe

Hexagon Punch

2013-15 In Colours Designer Series Paper Stack

Let the Cute Begin!!

One of the things I enjoy a lot is seeing the friends of my daughters growing up and having their own families!  It's fun, knowing what there were like as kids and seeing similar traits in their children.  My middle daughter, Kristen's best friend growing up just had a baby boy.  She already has a two year old daughter, so this makes for a lovely little family.  I wanted to come up with a different baby congratulations card, so I went to my stamp shelves and got out May's "Best of..." stamp set, celebrating Stampin' Up's 25th anniversary.  It is the "Best of Brides and Babies"  and I love the little images and sayings!

• I also really like the combo of Soft Suede and Coastal Cabana for the paper and images.
• If I had to do it over again, I would have made the Very Vanilla panel smaller so you could see more of the Coastal Cabana, embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder
• The Decorative Label Punch made the label on which the flag, stamped in Soft Suede with a stamp from the Delightful Dozen set, is centred.

Don't you just love those teddies?  Looks like a teddy bears' picnic to me!  My daughters' each had a special stuffy that was loved to pieces.  My oldest had a traditional teddy bear named "Telly", my middle had her beloved "Pink Teddy", and my youngest had a lion named "Blun" ???  But each stuffy survived their childhood and is waiting for the new generation to give them some more love!

Have you ordered from the new catalogue yet?  Let me give you my list of 10 things not to miss, my favourites!

1.  The magnetic platform for the Big Shot that will hold your framelits in place without all the post it notes!
   
   
   
2. Chalk Talk stamp set which coordinates with the Chalk Talk Framelits!



3. Candy Dots, replacing the 3/16" Brads.  Easy to find the colour you want, you can stick these to your project as is, or adhere them to a brad base!  So versatile.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

    

     4.  The Six-Sided Sampler bundled with the Hexagon Punch!  Finally!

     5.  Circle and Square collection Framelits - never go searching for the right sized punches to use    

            together again!

 

  6.  Flower Shop stamp set bundled with the Pansy Punch - every style of blossom you could want and          
         no fussy cutting!!
                                                 
    7.  Gingham Standard Stampin' Around Wheel stamp - Gingham! Need I say more?

    8.  Backyard Basics Bundle - stamps and framelits - will help ease the pain of Nature Walk's passing!

     9.  Core'dinations Cardstock in EVERY colour!  Waahoo!

    10.  3/8" Ruffle Stretch Trim in the new In Colours - great for adding to the back of a circle or oval and      

           SO pretty!

Stamps:  Best of Brides and Babies (c133482)

Paper:  Soft Suede (115318), Coastal Cabana (131297) and Very Vanilla (101650) cardstock

Ink:  Classic Stampin' Pads in Coastal Cabana(131175) and Soft Suede (126978)

Tools:  Decorative Label Punch (120907); Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder (117335)

Best of Brides and Babies

Summertime and the Livin' is Easy -The Sequel

Yesterday was hot and sunny and I turned on the air conditioner for the first time in ages.  It feels like summer is finally here, but with June you never can tell!  The title I chose for today's blog is funny because around this time last year, I picked exactly the same one. Hence, the "Sequel".  And along with the title comes the recording of Sam Cooke's Summertime, a jazz number that evokes hot, lazy summer days for me.


This week, The Paper Player's Challenge #148 has the theme of summer holidays, and I thought back to this song, Summertime.  The lyrics go something like:

Summertime and the livin' is easy.  

Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high!

Your daddy's rich and your ma is good lookin', 

So hush little baby, don't you cry!

And I remember hikes in the hill meadows, during those long lazy days.  So I got out a new stamp set, Wildflower Meadow and the embossing folder that it's bundled with in the new catalogue:

The colour blue green also makes me think of summer, growing up near Okanagan lake and spending summer days at the beach swimming in the aqua water and lying on the golden beaches. 

•  I used Smoky Slate as my card base and then paired Pool Party with Coastal Cabana for the monochromatic effect.
• I stamped the image first on Pool Party with the Wildflower Meadow stamp and Pool Party ink.
• I carefully lined up the image with embossing pattern in the Wildflower Meadow Embossing Folder and ran it through the Big Shot.

• I added some glue using the Two-Way Glue Pen  to the edges of the embossed sections and then sprinkled with Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter  and shook off the excess to leave this glittery design.
• I used this method to tie a beautiful bow in the Pool Party Seam Binding ribbon 
• The sentiment is from Create a Cupcake stamp set.

What says "Summertime" to you?

Stamps:  Wildflower Meadow (w129165; c129168); Create a Cupcake (w128520; c121982)

Paper:  Smoky Slate (131202), Coastal Cabana (131297) and Pool Party (122924) cardstock

Ink:  Classic Stampin' Pad in Pool Party (126982) and Smoky Slate (131179)

Accessories:  Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter (102023); Pool Party Seam Binding Ribbon (125582).

Tools: Wildflower Meadow Embossing Folder (129376); Two Way Glue Pen (100425)

Wildflower Meadow Bundle

Mojo Madness

I haven't had such a tough time designing cards since my first days as a demonstrator.  Why?  Well, because I'm waiting for all my new catalogue supplies to arrive and they won't be here until Friday!

And yes, I did order them on time!  I was submitting my order minutes after the catalogue went live!  But I live out in the wilds of Canada, and the Men in Brown have to mush through waist high snow, brave blizzards and minus 50 temperatures, fend off polar bears and grizzly bears, so it takes a little longer for our orders to arrive!

Did you believe me?  Shame on you!  Yes, I live in Canada, but right now we have temperatures in the 20s Celsius (in the 70s and 80s for my American friends.)  So no snow banks and no grizzlies, at least not on my street.  But it does take a week to get my orders, which is normally not a problem!  But, because the old catalogue is not in effect today, I wanted to use all current products, and despite my extensive Catalogue Sneak Peek order, I have very few embellishments I can use.  I have to admit to some jealousy for those demonstrators that have their new Candy Dots and stretch trim in the new In Colours, and the Chevron ribbon!  I had to design 3 cards today for my up-coming Technique classes and I was close to tearing my hair.  I just have to breathe and keep my eyes on Friday!

Here is one of the designs!  This was also created for the MOJO Monday Challenge #296.  Isn't this a cute sketch?

And here is my take on the sketch:

At least I had some cute stamps to use and lots of Gingham Garden DSP!  I love the cheery colours and images!

• The stamp set is called Morning Meadow and it is a Hostess set, only available for order by those who host a workshop or private class with me.
• I used the palette of the Gingham Garden DSP, with Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Pear Pizazz, and Island Indigo.
• The Daffodil Delight vertical banner is from the flip side of the DSP that I cut the horizontal panels from.  
• I had to cut the flower by hand because I'm waiting for the coordinating punch that is-you guessed it - part of the order that comes in on Friday. (I never was any good at waiting for things!)
• You don't know how badly I wanted to use Candy Dots instead of those pearls on the left side of the DSP panel!  Don't get me wrong, pearls are nice, but this card screamed for coloured Candy Dots!

Have you received your first order yet?  Don't tell me if you have, I'll be too jealous!!  

Stamps:  Morning Meadow (w129675; c129678)*

Paper:  Gingham Garden DSP (129310), Daffodil Delight (119683), Pear Pizzazz (131201), Island Indigo (122923) and Whisper White cardstock (100730)

Ink:  Classic Stampin' Pads in Pear Pizzazz (131180), Melon Mambo (126948), Island Indigo (126986)

Accessories: Pearl Basic Jewels (119247) (and that's all!)

Tools:  2 1/2" Circle Punch (120906), 1 3/4" Circle Punch (119850) and 1 3/8 " Circle Punch (119860), Paper Snips (103579)

* Hostess set only

2 1/2" Circle Punch

Gingham Garden DSP

Morning Meadow stamp set

Modern Mosaic Thank Yous

Well, I had some fun with the new In Colours and the Mosaic Madness Stamp set the other day, as I set out to design several different Thank You mini cards for my customers.  Such a fun set, and I love the new In Colours!  There are so many possibilities!!

• I used the Thank You stamp from Lacy and Lovely because it is my favourite font!  
• You don't immediately notice the border stamps in the Modern Mosaic stamp set, but they make a very decorative line to break up the sentiment from the image.
• I used all the 2013/15 In Colours except Strawberry Slush plus some Pink Pirouette, Pool Party  and Tempting Turquoise for the card bases.

Just wanted to let you know about the Grab Your Greetings promotion that is on until June 30th:

Let me know if you want to order one or all of these sets.  The prices make it worthwhile!

Stamps:  Mosaic Madness (w130346; c130249); Lacy and Lovely (w132025; c122887)

Paper: Baked Brown Sugar (131296), Coastal Cabana (131297), Crisp Cantaloupe (131298), Pistachio Pudding (131294), Pool Party (122924), Pink Pirouette (111351), Whisper White (100730), Very Vanilla (101650) and Tempting Turquoise (102067) cardstock

Ink: Classic Stampin' Pads in Baked Brown Sugar (131174); Coastal Cabana (131175); Crisp Cantaloupe (131176) and Pistachio Pudding (131177) 

Accessories:  Rhinestone Basic Jewels (119246)

Good Morning, Monday!

Hi, Stampers and welcome to your new week!  I used to dread Mondays, but now I kind of like them, because I'm self-employed and I can do what I want!  Well, sort of.  There are many things I have to do to run my business, but I can arrange my schedule.

And because of that, this will be a short post as I am in the guest bedroom of my sister's house in Vancouver, about to head back home after a whirlwind visit to attend my daughter's baby shower.  She is due in about 17 days to give birth to our latest grandbaby!  She doesn't know the baby's gender and has opted for it to be a surprise, but she and her hubby seem to be in the minority of expecting couples by making that choice.  She says everyone asks her that question, often numerous times and she has had the odd nightmare, where the baby is born and everyone is asking, "Is it a girl or a boy?"  The baby has a diaper on and she's frantically trying to get the diaper off so she can tell, crying, "I don't know,  I don't know!"  She's almost thinking it wasn't worth the hassle to keep from knowing the gender!

Anyway, here's the card I wanted to share with you, but I don't have time to enter the recipe right now.  I'll post the card and then add the recipe when I make it home.  Deal?  Okay!

• You can see I'm still enamored with the colour combination of Strawberry Slush and Smoky Slate!  This time I threw some Basic Gray into the mix!  
• I love that we are still able to order the paper doilies in the new catalogue!  They add such fun to our designs.
• Did you notice that watermark stamp?  Some of you may be asking, "Didn't that retire along with French Foliage?"  The answer is Yes and No!  French Foliage is available for today only, along with all the other retiring products from the old catalogue.  So this is REALLY your last chance to order them!  Call or email me by 9 pm tonight!  But if you are a Paper Pumpkin subcriber, that stamp came with your Welcome Kit, and you can still get it by signing up for a Paper Pumpkin subscription!  Let me know, cause there will be other exclusive stamps that you can only get by subscribing!
• That yummy DSP?  Quatrefancy in the new catty!
• Oh, Hello has been carried over into the new catalogue.  Aren't you over the moon about that?  I am!

So there you have it!  I will add the recipe when I get home.  Have to get on the road now!  TTFN (Ta,ta for now!)

Stamps:  Oh, Hello (w131931; c130733); Paper Pumpkin Welcome Kit
Paper:  Quatrefancy Specialty DSP (130141); Smoky Slate (131202), Strawberry Slush (131295), Basic Gray (121044) and Whisper White (100730) cardstock
Accessories:  Tea Lace Paper Doilies (129399)
Tools:  Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (129378); Extra Large Oval Punch (119859);
Ovals Collection Framelits (129381)

Honeycomb Embossing Folder

Oh, Hello Stamp Set

Ovals Collection Framelits

Tea Lace Paper Doilies

Quatrefancy Specialty DSP