Eat a Cupcake!

Today I used a technique that is shown in the online class that is available from Stampin' Up! It really gives a new stamper lots of techniques to try. The one featured here is called stamping off. It's a great technique to get a variety of color shades from one ink pad. Simply ink the stamp once in Primrose Petals Classic Ink, and stamp it three times onto a piece of scrap paper to get the variation on the image as shown here.



I stamped "Keep Calm" on the front in Primrose Petals Classic Ink. A piece of DSP from the Print Poetry DSP Pack, a bit of Primrose Petals punched with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border finish off the front.



As you can see, I used the "Eat a Cupcake" stamp for the inside, and added one more teeny cupcake that I finished off with a Basic Jewel. I don't always embellish the inside of my cards, but lately I have been adding that extra touch.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Miss You

I will definitely miss this stamp set - I couldn't wait to get it when I first saw it in the catalog, and I've really used it often over the past two years. It hardly seems fair that it will be gone for good at the end of this month, but it will be and I wanted to get just one more use out it before it retires.

This is a card I cased from the upcoming 2013-2014 Catalog, changing out the stamps of course. The DSP I used for this card is Sunshine and Sprinkles and comes from the Spring Catalog. I have a mystery hostess event coming up next week, so if you would like to place a "last chance" order for any of these items, you can visit my online store here

When you place your order, don't forget to choose me as your demonstrator. You can enter this hostess code when prompted: E77Y62CJ. The hostess on record is Sue Hevey, who is having me visit her shop, Claymates Cafe in Belchertown to run a scrapbook workshop next Wednesday, May 22nd. If you would like to join me, please let me know and I'll add you to the list.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

Giftable Notebooks

Last weekend I added this project to my post for the Stampin' Addicts Blog Hop. I also shared it with my Stamp A Stack card class that met last weekend. One of the ladies asked me for the measurements again, so I thought I would add them here also.

For the image above, I cut my Crumb Cake Cardstock to 5 1/2 x 6 3/4 and it was scored at 3 1/4" and 3 1/2" to open like a book.

I also made another note pad cover recently using Up, Up and Away - another one of my all time favorite stamp sets that will soon be retiring.



This note pad opens from the bottom to the top. The measurements for it are 3" x 10 1/2", and it's scored at 5 1/8" and 5 3/8". I ran it through my Big Shot using the Oval Designer Frames Folder, then punched out the center with the Extra Large Oval Punch.

I tend to use this stamp set with bright colors, but wanted to try it using shades of gray and black. Here I used Basic Gray, and off stamped it to get a lighter shade, then stamped the details in Basic Black. I added a touch of Newsprint DSP and a few Basic Jewels to finish it off.

Hope you like it ~ Thanks for stopping by!

Stationary Box Tutorial

Remember this little box from last weekend's blog hop? I promised to post the directions. I tried to link it right to the tutorial that Valerie Stangle had posted on her blog Stampin' Gal Val but it seems as though she has removed the link from her blog. So here is my version of her directions - though I must admit her original directions were much nicer!

Place an 8 ½ x 11” piece of card stock in the corner of your Simply Scored so it’s aligned vertically with the 8 ½” going across the top. Score at 1”, 2”, 6 ½”and 7 ½”.
Turn it 90* and score again at 1”, 2”, 7 ¾” and 8 ¾”.
Pre-fold on the score lines.



Cut away the 3 outermost squares at the bottom of the box. Snip the bottom tabs as shown and add a bit of Sticky Strip. I like to use my 1 3/8” Circle punch, centered on the first score line at the bottom side, to make it easier to reach in and pull out a note sheet.



At the top of the scored box, cut away the outermost square and the rectangle just above it as shown. Make a tab out of the remaining 1x1 square. Add sticky strip to the top tabs and assemble the box.



I like to take a little wedge out of the tabs to help it fit together better.

A Bit of This and A Bit of That

Today's post is going to be a quick one as I share one last card using my Fabulous Florets Stamp Set. I CASED this one from a card I found in Stampin' Succeess - a magazine that Stampin' Up! sends demonstrators. It's full of fun ideas, cards and scrapbook sketches. On this sample, I used a doily that was embossed using Silver Embossing Powder and my Versa Mark Ink Pad. I cut a piece of this off and layered a couple of punches - combination of Calypso Coral ink and paper here, and tucked a couple teeny banners made from my scrap bin so they peeked out from underneath. I stamped a verse on the front, and added a little Soft Suede spatter using my aqua painter. All in all this was a quick card to put together.

I hope you'll come by tomorrow. I have been working on a simple tutorial to share how I made that stationary box I posted during last weekend's blog hop, here.

Stampin' Addicts Retiring Set Blog Hop

Hi Stampers! Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts Retiring Set Blog Hop! I am so excited to be part of this hop, and if you've been following along on the hop you have just arrived from Paula's Blog: Paula Stamps where Paula shared some projects using the Just Believe Stamp Set, one of my favorites and a keeper on my shelf for sure! Didn't Paula create some amazing things with that set?

Another keeper on my shelf is Kindness Matters. This week I used it to make a few gifts to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week. And rather than keeping you reading much further, here is a Thank You card that got some great comments from a friend I showed it to last night:



As an Early Childhood Educator I go through Thank You cards like there's no tomorrow, and this stamp set has served me well over the past years, so I made one to share with you! One of my ever favorite color combinations is Pink Pirouette and Early Espresso. I paired them up for you here, along with Mambo Melon and some First Edition Specialty paper, also retiring this spring. I stocked up on this stuff already, and I recommend that you do too! I was really sad to see this listed on our retirement list. The little banners are made from some scraps of card stock I had in my stash, and the pink one was even sprayed with the soon to be retired Silver Foil Smooch Spritz. The flower was made using four layers of First Edition punched with my Scallop Circle Punch, and held together with a silver brad.

My next project is a little notebook I created using a 3 x 5 notepad found at a discount store:



These notepads are so easy to cover, and the custom cover only takes 1/2 a sheet of cardstock. How cool is that? For this notebook cover I used a base of Crumb Cake. Once it was scored in all the right places (and I'll post the measurements later next week!) I rounded the edges and ran it through the Big Shot using my Oval Shaped Designer Frame Folder. I stamped the butterflies onto Very Vanilla using Pink Pirouette, and Kindness Matters in Soft Suede. I was able to line it up just right with the help of my Stamp-a-Majig. I punched the image out with the Extra Large Oval Punch - it's the perfect fit - and put it in the center of the frame using some Stampin' Dimensionals. I finished off the front of my card with a bit of Chocolate Chip Scallop Dots Ribbon, and added the notepad to the inside with a bit of Mono Adhesive to hold it in place.

The last project I'm sharing with you today is a Stationary Box. I love making these little things, as they are done with just one sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 cards stock, scored and snipped in all the right places!



The original credit goes to a stamper named Val, and later this week I'll try to find the link to her blog where she shared it years ago! I created this box using Lucky Limeade, and let me tell you this has been one of my very favorite colors these past two years and I'm sorry to see it go!



I stamped the main image with a stamp from my French Foliage stamp set as a background in Sahara Sand onto Whisper White, and the centered the butterfly image over that in Lucky Limeade. I finished it off using a few blossoms from the 5/8" Flower Trim. I don't think I saw this stuff in the new catalog, so if you love it as much as I do don't wait to stock up. You still have a few weeks left!



I filled the inside of my box with a few notecards, inspired by Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Becky Roberts. They are topped off with a little strip of DSP from my Sunshine and Sprinkles pack, also in the Spring Catalog, and a few teeny white flowers I punched using my Itty Bitty Bits Punch Pack. I stamped the butterfly image in Lucky Limeade onto the bottom center of each note card only after I pre-stamped it onto a bit of scrap paper so the image could be light enough to be written over, if necessary. This little gift box is going to look adorable on the desk top of a teacher I know.

Well that's it for my projects this weekend. I hope you enjoyed looking at them as much as I enjoyed putting them together for you. Your next stop on our blog hop is Carmen's Stamping Addiction. Where she's featuring Little Friends. If you happen to get lost somewhere along the way, you can come back here to start over! Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Spring Flowers

About a week back I spent the morning playing with my Fabulous Florets set and practicing some water color techniques. For this card I began by stamping the flower stem twice on my base in Wild Wasabi to make it stretch the length of my card. Next I stamped the flowers in Stayz-On Black and embossed with clear embossing powder. I used Aqua Painters to fill in the centers with Daffodil Delight picked up from the lid of my ink pad. Then I used Mambo Melon to paint the flowers - I was experimenting so I left a bit of white visible. It's good to start lighter and add more color to go darker in the areas you want shaded. I added a bit of Dazzling Details to the flower centers (I always forget I have this stuff) for a little sparkle and popped them onto the card using Stampin' Dimensionals. I used my Aqua Painter and Melon Re-inker to add a splash of color and finished the card with a few Basic Jewels. I think the next time I would add the splash before the colors, but I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

Come back later this week as I share some ideas using a soon to be retired stamp set for this upcoming blog hop!



Thanks for stopping by!

May's Stamp A Stack Technique: Omitting

For my Stamp A Stack club in May, we'll be using a technique to omit part of a stamped image. Here I omitted half of the verse on this stamp from the Feel Goods Stamp Set. The rest of the verse is inside of the card:



For this card I used the Fabulous Florets as an accent, along with some DSP from my Poetry Print DSP Pack, Apothecary Framelits, and Summer Starfruit as a base. I'll be running this Stamp A Stack twice next week, on Thursday, May 9th and Sunday, May 12th. Email me to reserve your space!

Water Colored Florets

I was working on a design for my friend Carmen's upcoming workshop. She had asked me to do a heat emboss technique so I thought I would combine it with water coloring with re-inkers. I stamped with my Stayz-On Black in and embossed with clear embossing powder. Then I outlined the embossed flowers and leaves with a bit of Sahara Sand to add a little depth, though you can't really see this in the photo. I really like the rich look I got using a color combination of Baja Breeze and Midnight Muse. I thought these ladies might like to try Baja Breeze and Sahara Sand in case they would like to add them to their collections before they are gone for good at the end of May. Later this week, I'll share a stepped up version of this card, as I have been working on making a variety of samples with this set.

Quick and Easy Banner Card

I haven't meant to be away from my blog for so long, but this is a busy time of year at work and though I've been able to squeeze in some time here and there to stamp, I have not found it so easy to find time to edit pictures and write blog posts!

This is a card I made for my teaching assistant a few weeks ago. We had a staff appreciation lunch during April Vacation week, and it's a tradition to write a note to people you supervise so hence this card. I had fun making it and used the new Designer Typeset Photopolymer Stamps to make the banner. I started by stamping the banner onto a piece of DSP from my Print Poetry Designer Series Paper Pack from the Spring Catalog. I then cut them apart and added a hand cut flag in between the banner pieces.



Next I splashed the Very Vanilla card base with Raspberry Ripple classic re-inker and my Aqua Painter brush. I finished it off by stamping the greeting in the lower corner - this is from my Made for You stamp set #126342.


This is such a versatile stamp set that has really been my go - to greeting set this past year. I will really miss it when it retires at the end of this month, though I'm sure I'll have little trouble finding something to replace it soon!


Well I'm off to get ready for our first family barbecue of the season. I hope you are enjoying this beautiful day!

A Shabby Chic Springtime Design

Hi Stampers! Wow - things have been pretty busy around here and as much as I have been trying to keep up with my blog, I have been having a hard time finding opportunities to stamp lately. It was quiet around here a couple days back so I took advantage and have a few things to share in the coming days!

Earlier this year, my daughter came across the best calendar that's full of amazing Shabby Chic photos, so I am putting it to work. I made a card using this month's picture:



Here's my card:



I created my own background by inking the flowers from Fabulous Florets in Daffodil Delight, and stamping them onto a scrap of Whisper White. Then I stamped the stem in Old Olive and popped on a few pieces of Flower Trim that I colored by rubbing them across my Daffodil Delight Ink Pad. I made a few layers using some DSP and a bit of Pool Party - so happy this color is not leaving us! - then put it all together onto a base of Primrose Petals.

I used my stash of Pool Party seam binding for the bow on this card, spritzing it with Stampin' Mist to shabby it up a little before adhering it to my card front. This stuff is yummy!



I don't usually stamp the inside of my cards, but it seemed to really fit this design so I added a teeny bit of stamping to the inside with some Daffodil Delight and Old Olive ink and markers. I hope you liked today's card, thanks for stopping by!

Remembering Patriots Day

I turned on the radio yesterday afternoon to hear there had been two explosions at the Boston Marathon. The first report I heard said they were thought to be electrical related, but as I changed the station, words can't even begin to describe the shock I felt as I then heard it had been two bombs. I've known many who have participated in this race as runners, and so many more that make it a day trip to go into the city.

Of course the Boston Marathon has been an event to watch around here for as long as I can remember, tuning in during the afternoon to see who will win. Also, having grown up so close to Concord, Lexington and Boston it's always invoked a feeling of pride to be so closely connected to the birth of our country. I love walking around those old paths, standing on the Old North Bridge, looking at the Lexington Green, and visiting the homes of the families who were so brave in those early days of our nation.

I am grateful that friends and family who were nearby when these explosions took place are safe and sound, but truly I'm at a loss to say much more about the events of yesterday, except the victims of this attack will be first and foremost in my mind today, and many more days to come.

Color Refresh

Stampin' Up! has announced a Color Refresh! I am so excited and thrilled to see that some of my favorites will be staying with us: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Island Indigo...a little disappointed that my absolute favorite - Lucky Limeade did not make this list but I think I can manage!

Things have been a little crazy at my house over the past week. We have had house guests and I haven't taken any time off of work so needless to say that I have had little time to make new cards to post. I'll share some from my upcoming clubs and stamp a stacks this weekend when things have settled down a bit.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sweet Sunday Meets Merry Monday!

This card I made using last week's Sweet Sunday Sketch and the latest Merry Monday Challenge





I really had fun participating in last week's Merry Monday Challenge. I even got an honorable mention for my card! Yay! I decided to play along again with this week's TIC-TAC-TOE sketch. You can see other creations using for this challenge at the Always Playing With Paper Blog here. I chose to go straight down the middle with my card, using Designer Paper, Paper Piecing and one of my favorite vintage Stampin' Up! Santa stamps - Star Santa. I purchased this set many, many years ago from my very first Demonstrator! Thank you Janet, for introducing me to Stampin' Up! and I still have my old catalogs from way, way back then!



I stamped the main image onto Whisper White Card Stock using Stayz-On Black ink. I colored the stars with Daffodil Delight and my Aqua Painter, then went over them with a Jelly Roll pen to give them some shimmer. I also added a bit of shimmer around the star dust surrounding Santa! I painted the trim on his coat in Crumb Cake and his boots with Soft Suede. His mittens are painted with Cherry Cobbler.



I paper pieced his hat and coat using DSP from the 2011 holiday collection. I love this stuff, and I've been hoarding a few last sheets, but this pattern really called out to me to be used for Santa's coat! I even paper pieced the stars in his teeny pocket.

I finished my project by creating a coordinating envelope to go with it!



It was fun combining these challenges, and I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Thanks for stopping by this weekend!

Saleabration Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who ordered during Saleabration! I wanted to share this set of cards and matching gift box I created for an upcoming class, and as a Thank You to my customers who ordered during the final week of Saleabration. This project features the stamp set Bloomin' Marvelous. It was based on a card I received from one of my Stampin' Up! teammates, Susan Peters. You can see Susan's card on her blog here.



I am emailing the directions as a 12 page step by step tutorial, chock full of color pictures over every step along the way. I left a sneak peek the other day, but here is the finished sample.

You still have time to place your last minute order at my online store here.

If you choose me as your demonstrator you will get preferred pricing, your order will ship right to you, and you will receive this class from me via email.

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Katherine

March Thank You Cards

Hi stampers! I am excited to share yet another project I created with Stampin' Up!'s online class. You can digitally download this class through my Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Website. It is chock full of great project ideas and tips for using your scrapbooking, stamping and Big Shot supplies.

I want to say Thank You to all my customers who placed an order during Saleabration and at workshops these past months. I love sharing ideas with you, and truly you inspire me and I learn from you also. If you have placed an order during these past weeks at a workshop, directly or through my online site, you'll be receiving one of these in the coming days. I do truly appreciate you and thank you for making my Stampin' Up! business a success.

If there is anything you want from Saleabration I am taking orders through Friday at my online store. Use the hostess code I left in this post for a chance to win the hostess benefits. Call me if you need any assistance.

I am also working on a challenge to book a total of 9 workshops between now and June 30th. I am just one away! Email me if you are interested in holding a party in person or online to receive great hostess benefits, plus an extra gift from me. For online parties, all "guests" will receive a make and take, just as they would if they attended in person. Contact me for more details!

Happy Stamping!