Unfrogettable Stamping!

In the spotlight: Build-a-Bear product line

   The exclusive Build-a-Bear product line carried in our current Idea Book & Catalog will be retiring on May 31st so I wanted to spotlight some of my favorite projects featuring this line to inspire you.  I purchased my bear above at the Stampin' Up! Convention a few years ago when this product line first debuted.  We have an assortment of stamp sets along with coordinating Big Shot dies - order them now while they are still available!  Remember, it is easiest to order these retiring products online via my website here.

These projects were from a Mom & Me class that I did a few years ago.

I created this card as a Fabulous Friday project for the Sisters in Stamping blog.

This was a project featured on a display at Convention... what a cute idea!

Here is one other sample showing two card ideas.

If you love this product line, be sure and purchase your Big Shot dies and stamp sets before May 31st!!

 

 

 

April 2011 Demonstrator of the Month, part 1

I'd like to introduce you to my featured Demonstrator of the Month for April from my Little Debbies Stampin' Up! team, Michelle Arthur.  She has a wonderful blog called Designs Done Simple that you will want to visit often!  Michelle has been a demonstrator since February of 2007, joining during my first full Sale-a-Bration recruiting period.

Here is what she tells us about herself...

I have been married to the same man - Jimmy - absolutely forever (going on 23 years - we got married in elementary school). We have two pretty awesome (most of the time) kids - Lindsey and Logan. Our family also has a miniature Australian shepherd, Zoey.  I have always been involved in some craft or another. I have done cross-stitch/embroidery, ceramics and sewing, to name a few. I came into Stampin’ Up from scrapbooking. Once I started on cards, though, not much has been accomplished in the way of my scrapbooks. One day…… 

I am a hobby demo with Stampin’ Up. I love the quality of their products and how easy they make it to be creative. Of course, having an upline like Debbie and a group of ladies like the Little Debbies doesn’t hurt either. I love being involved in our monthly swaps. The real treat is our group shoe box swaps we have twice a year. The only downside is that I do not have enough time (in my opinion, anyway) to do all of the projects I want to do. Again, one day……

And now here are some of the projects she came up with for us!!

This easel card features the Inspired by Nature stamp set along with butterflies that were die-cut using the Beautiful Wings embosslit with the Big Shot.  She used this tutorial from Splitcoast Stampers when assembling her card.  Isn't it gorgeous?!  I love all the extra touches that she added to her card including the beautiful marina mist taffeta ribbon and pearls!!

How cute is this baby card featuring the Build-a-Bear Workshop stamp set Bear Hugs?!  She colored in the image with a blender pen and pulled her color from the Celebrations DSP.  I love it - it's  great card to give to an expecting mother who doesn't want to know the sex of her baby in advance for her baby shower.

And this card is so stunning in real life and uses one of my favorite color combinations - rich razzleberry, early espresso, pretty in pink and very vanilla.  Remember that I shared the inlaid embossing technique with you yesterday with my Punch Club projects?  Well this is a great example of that technique!  The little porcupine from Fun & Fast Notes is just too cute for words.

If you loved these cards like I did, you're not going to want to miss tomorrow's post... I'll be sharing Michelle's 3-d project (awesome!) and fabulous scrapbook page.  I know Michelle would love to get some positive feedback about her projects so please leave her some love by posting a comment here.  Thanks!

Fabulous Build-a-Bear Workshop Birthday ensemble

Thanks for stopping by today... it is Friday so that means it is time to share a Fabulous Friday project for the Sisters in Stamping blog!  This week we are focusing on the Build-a-Bear Workshop product line that Stampin' Up! has to offer.  I decided to use the DSP bow that I made in my downline meeting on Wednesday night and create a gift ensemble using the Build-a-Bear Workshop big shot dies for my contribution this week - a matching card and gift box, perfect for the little princess in your life!

Here is a close-up of the card... I used the same DSP from the gift bow (Sunny Garden) to create the accessories for my bear with the Beary Girl sizzlit. The bear was die-cut from the Big Shot using the Bear bigz die with early espresso card stock.  I took a scrap of crumb cake and ran it through again over the mouth section and added it on top of my bear's face for contrast.  To have the eyes, nose and mouth a separate color, I punched out a circle of soft suede card stock and added it to the back of the bear's face.  Her skirt and shirt were die-cut using daffodil delight and peach parfait card stock (colors taken from the DSP) using the Beary Essentials bigz die.  I find that the Tombow multi-purpose adhesive is the best for attaching these paper piecings together.

I further embellished my Bear with basic pearls (these self-stick pearls are AWESOME!) and used more DSP from the Sunny Garden pack to create my card.  I love the pinking hearts border punch and thought it added a nice touch to the edge of the DSP.  Lastly, I stamped the sentiment from the Beary Nice Wishes stamp set with poppy parade ink (one of our In Colors this year).

Here is a close-up of the bow (see yesterday's post to get directions for making the bow) - I added it to a Simply Adorned box that I had wrapped a piece of poppy parade stitched poly ribbon around - what a quick and easy gift wrap!

Thanks for visiting.  Please be sure and hop on over to the Sisters in Stamping blog to see the other Fabulous projects created by my Sisters!  Have a wonderful weekend - try and fit some time in for stamping.  If you are looking for inspiration, I'll be posting my scrapbook club projects tomorrow and the monthly swap with my downline for the next few days.

Products used today:

Fabulous Friday baby card

 

It's Friday again and we're continuing with our feature of the Big Shot over on the Sisters in Stamping blog.  This week the Fabulous Friday focus is on Embosslits.  These little dies not only cut out an image but emboss it as well.  Very cool! 

I needed a card for a downline of mine who is having a baby shower this weekend - I decided to use the Li'l Paws Embosslit which is in our Holiday mini catalog and part of the Build-a-Bear Workshop line.  I tried out a technique that my fellow "Sister" Karla shared with me (see her project here) - brayer ink right onto the Embosslit and then run the cardstock through.  How easy - I used close to cocoa ink on pretty in pink and got the two-tone bear.  I popped out the eye and ear cut-outs and put a small piece of chocolate chip cardstock behind so that it would show through the holes. 

The color scheme of the card was pulled directly from the baby shower invitation I received - certainly celery and chocolate chip.  Since she's having a girl I had to add some pretty in pink!!  I wanted to try a color-blocked layout and use the Nursery Necessities stamp set for the sentiment and star embellishment.  The bear and star are popped up using stampin' dimensionals.  I stamped the small star and "it's a girl" sentiment with certainly celery on the certainly celery strip to create my own subtle designer paper.

I hope you like my use of the Li'l Paws Embosslit and that Jennifer likes her card.  I thank you for stopping by today!  Please be sure and check out the other Fabulous Friday projects on the SIS blog today after Noon EST!

Holiday Mini catalog design team swap, part 3

And here are the final swap cards for you....

This card was my 2nd submission.  I won the Build-a-Bear Workshop prize patrol at Convention last month and so got to bring home the Beary Best Friends and Beary Nice Wishes stamp sets along with the coordinating Pawsitively Prints DSP.  Isn't this little bear cute?  I stamped the image on the DSP and then cut the dress out and adhered it to my card since the pattern looks like fabric.  I added texture to the card by running my creamy caramel piece through my Big Shot using the SU! Finial Press impressions folder.  It still needed a little something so I made a quick embellishment using my 1/2" circle punch to pop out a pretty in pink circle, folded it in half and attached it using a certainly celery brad from the soft subtles brads pack.  A quick and easy card!

Here is Gwen's 2nd submission using the Serene Snowflakes stamp set.  She embellished it using the snowflake punch and a silver eyelet on the 5/8" chocolate chip grosgrain strip.  The background DSP is from the Bella Bleu pack.. I love the square punches that she used, too!  What a pretty color combination for a winter card.

This last card is Sherri's 2nd submission and I love the elegance of it!  She used the Charming stamp set that was designed to be used with the new Simply Adorned line of alterable jewelry that we will be carrying soon.  Unfortunately there have been some quality issues with the manufacturer and so there is going to be a delay in availability.  But, I'm super-excited about this new line and so happy that Stampin' Up! will not release an inferior product.. that is why they have the best quality products on the market!!  The colors used are night of navy, so saffron and bravo burgundy... I love the added touch of the flower ribbon buckle with the whisper white 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, too.  Stunning!

I hope you have enjoyed seeing the talent from my downline Design Team - I'm so lucky to have these ladies in my group!

If you'd like to place an order to get any of the supplies needed to make any of these projects, please let me know and I'll be happy to help you put your order together!!

Thanks for stopping by!!