Using Leftovers

Remember the card from my last post? I created the sparkly green background with the White Embossing paste. I loved the look and just couldn't throw out the scraps. That strip is  the perfect amount of background for this card. Covering the entire cardstock with the  leaves just would have been too much with all the layering around the flower. Scraps used, mission accomplished. 

Thanks for stopping by and happy stamping,

A Little Bit Of Both

Now that the Holiday catalog is live it's easy to forget about all the beautiful stamp sets and embellishments in the main catalog. So for this card I combined product from both catalogs.

I really wanted the background to shimmer but was totally out of the Shimmery White Embossing Past. NOW WHAT? Here is where the creativity kicks in. I mixed the regular White Embossing Paste with Granny Apple Green refill and just added some Dazzling Diamond Stampin' Glitter. It's so sparkly!

Love how it turned out! And rest assured the Shimmery White Embossing Paste was added to my next order immediately!!!

Thanks for stopping by and happy stamping,

Happy Birthday Monster

Today I wanted to show you that stamp sets from the Holiday catalog can be used in many different ways and are not limited to the holidays. I totally fell in love with those little monsters. If I would only use them for Halloween I feel I wouldn't get enough use out of them. I think they make a perfect birthday card too and BAM! you can use them year round. Add a heart somewhere and you have a Valentines card. The sky is the limit to your imagination and creativity.

For this card I chose a watercolor background and doodled a fine line around with a Journaling Pen. I stamped the little monsters with Memento black ink and colored and shaded them with Stampin' Blends. I also wanted to practice my coloring skills and added all the furry details with the Watercolor Pencils.

Thanks for stopping by and happy stamping,

BOO to You

Aren't those little monsters in the Holiday catalog the cutest? Halloween is right around the corner but I am just getting into the mood. For the background I chose the tree stencil from the Basic Pattern Decorative Masks and the White Embossing Paste. After the trees had dried I went along the edges with a Smokey Slate Stampin' Blend to create the shading. Then fuzzy cut the monsters and added them to the card.

Thanks for stopping by and happy stamping,

Just A Little Creepy

Or maybe a lot? In our neighborhood houses and front yards are getting decorated big time right now.  What is your favorite Halloween activity or decoration? Leave me a comment below.  Look at all these googly eyes staring at you in the forest. For this card I layered Night of Navy and Gorgeous Grape on Whisper White cardstock to achieve a night sky look. Then I used my Basic Pattern Decorative Mask stencil from the 2019 Holiday catalog and created the forest with sponge daubers and black ink. Next I added the googly eyes. I also have received my Paper Pumpkin this month and there is always some extras included so I decided to use some of the embellishments from the box to add it to my cards. Done!

Thanks for stopping by and happy stamping,

New Paper Trimmer

I got my new  Paper Trimmer by Stampin’ Up! today. Squeeeeeeek!!!! I am so excited. It's finally here. Couldn't wait to try it and now I don't want to stop cutting. Seriously, it cuts through the SU cardstock like it was butter. So smoothly and the edges are super clean. But wait, here comes the best part. It has imperial AND metric measurements! No more fiddling around with the conversion of the paper size when you find instructions from different parts of the world. Yeah!

And it's so easy to score with it. Look at how crisp the score line is.

As a demonstrator I was able to preorder my paper trimmer. It has yet to be determined when customers will be able to order it. If you can't wait click here  to join my team. You can add the paper trimmer to your $99 completely customizable starter kit (you will get your choice of up to $125 worth of any current Stampin' Up! products and a business supply pack valued at $50, that's a total value of USD175).

Thanks for stopping by and happy stamping,

Watercolor Rainbow Modern Heart

I recently took a watercoloring class and I am kind of obsessed with this technique now. The Modern Heart stamp set I used was inspired by Million Sales Achiever Steffi Helmschrott, a very talented creative demo from Germany. I stamped the heart with Versamark and embossed with clear Stampin' Emboss Powder on Fluid 100 watercolor paper. Then I filled each of the little triangles individually with water. I picked up some ink from the lid of the ink pads and put it down only in one corner of the triangle and watched the magic happen. The ink will spread on the wet paper, it's so soothing to watch. After it all dried I sprinkled on some clear water and picked it up with a paper towel right away. That lifts some of the color and gives the heart even more of a watercolor look.

Thanks for stopping by and happy stamping,

Hello Beautiful Butterflies

Today I want to share a quick and simple card with you. I used the Stamparatus to position my stamps once and then stamp all the butterflies perfectly aligned in all different colors. So easy! Sometimes I am wondering how we managed before the Stamparatus LOL. Definitely a must-have tool. The butterflies are punched out with the coordinating punch and then attached with Dimensionals.

Happy stamping,

Rainbow Pig

This card combines so many of my favorite elements: "This Little Piggy" stamp set with a very powerful sentiment, Embossing Paste, the the cloud stencil from the Pattern Party Decorative Masks and rainbow colors. Put it all together and voilà .....

Thanks for stopping by today and happy stamping!

Where Do I Get My Inspiration?

As some of you might know I have been chosen to be on the Great Lakes Demonstrator council for Stampin' Up!. We are a group of 7 Stampin' Up! demonstrators who work together with our Demonstrator Development Manager Shannon West on specific assignments. We all shared recently where we get our card ideas to give new demonstrators some inspiration.

Do you need some inspiration? Are you stuck with the stamp set right in front of you? Where do you go to get some ideas? I like to go through my Stampin' Up! catalogs. They are full of ideas and samples that are super inspiring. When I page through the catalog , my brain goes 100 miles an hour and I can't wait to play with my stamps, paper and embellishments. Sometimes I like the color combination and use different stamps, sometimes it's the stamp set that catches my attention and I switch up the colors and other times I combine different ideas from several samples. For the card below I found my inspiration in the new annual catalog. I kept the layout the same but I used completely different stamps and added more embellishments by punching out some vellum leaves.

And here is the sample that I used as an inspiration on page 156 of the catalog.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Gatefold Punch Daisy

I just can't stop playing with the new Daisy Lane stamp set and I really like how the white flowers pop on this Granny Apple Green card. 

One daisy is on the inside of the card and sticks through the opening whereas the other flowers are on the outside.

To make this gate fold card I punched half the daisy from one side of the fold. Then I folded the card on the score lines, positioned the punched out flower in the half-opening that I created and marked the outer edge of the other half of the daisy with very light pencil lines on the opposite side of the seam so I knew where to punch the rest of the flower.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Make Your Own Wreath

If you thought for the longest time you can do without the Stamparatus here is why you definitely need one. You can make your own wreath with any stamp set in your collection. Squeeeek! I used the Floral Essence stamp set that will be available in the new catalog for my card.

I cut myself a template for the Stamparatus and every time I have stamped the image I turn the cardstock by 45° until I made it all the way around.

Give it a try, it's fun.

Happy stamping,

Floating Butterflies

Floating cards is a really hot trend right now and I wanted to give it a try too. The stamps with coordinating punches from Stampin' Up! make it so easy!!!! Stamp your images, punch them out and stick them on some cardsock with Dimensionals. Don't worry if the hang over the edge while you arrange them. Once you are happy with the layout just cut around your cardstock and DONE!

I hope you got some inspiration today, give it a try!

Summer Time

Just looking at this card is super relaxing to me. It makes me feel like I am at the beach watching the sailboats going by. The whole card screams summer vacation. Love the little matching trinkets that will be available in the new catalog starting June 4. And the dies make it super easy to cut the light house, banner and the sailboats to give the card some more dimension.

Happy stamping,

One more ....

Here is one more card I made with the brand new stamp set Daisy Lane. They layout is very similar to the last two ones I posted but with the new color combination it looks strikingly different. I colored the flower with the Stampin' Blends. That daisy looks so real!

Happy stamping,

Another Daisy Card

For this card I lightly sprinkled some ink on the background, stamped the leaves and punched the flower after stamping it. I also punched some leaves out of vellum to add some more interest before I stuck on my ribbon bows. I laid the flowers on a foam pad and rubbed them from the back with my bone folder so they appear 3-dimensional.

Happy stamping,

Daisy Lane Friend

When going to OnStage Stampin' Up! always spoils us demonstrators with lots of goodies. In April every attendee received the Daisy Lane stamp set. The stamps coordinate with the Daisy punch from the current catalog. I had so much fun playing with that set. I was also lucky enough to get the new Birch background stamp as a prize patrol gift and I think those two stamp sets make the perfect pair.

Happy creating.

Come Sail Away

I had the opportunity to attend OnStage in Minneapolis this month. These events are amazing! All the energy in that room is just incredible! It's always such a fun weekend. You get to meet fellow demonstrators, make new friends every time you go and come home with lots of inspiration and a bag full of goodies. One of the many perks is that you qualify to order from the Product Purchase Premiere. That means you get your hands on new product even before the preorder for demonstrators begins and you can start getting creative. Yeah!

The new Come Sail Away suite caught my attention right away.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Bursting with Color

The Hibiscus flowers in the "Humming Along" stamp set from the Occasions Catalog are so beautiful and just scream water coloring. I stamped the flowers using the masking technique and wet one petal at a time. Then I put a tiny amount of ink towards the center of the flower and watched it spread. So fascinating and soothing!

Happy stamping,