Unfrogettable Stamping!

Happy Memorial Day!

  Here in the U.S., Memorial Day traditionally marks the beginning of summer and we always get together with family to celebrate it.  My cousin Christian and I share a May 30th birthday so it's a good time to celebrate our birthdays, too.  This year we celebrated it a day early - some of us had to work today and my three kids had swim practice at 6 am this morning so we plan to kick back and take it easy this afternoon!

  I remembered to pull out my camera and snap some pictures and dropped them into a scrapbook page I created in My Digital Studio.  I used a sketch from the Got Sketch? site that I found on Pinterest... I love how easy it is to create pages using sketches!!

  If you'd like to give My Digital Studio a try, be sure and download the FREE 30 day trial on my website here.

  Thanks for visiting - have a wonderful day!

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!!

 

 

 

Mini scrapbooks are fabulously fun!

   May is National Scrapbooking month and in honor of that we are featuring mini scrapbooks as our theme for Fabulous Friday this week on the Sisters in Stamping blog.  I created this mini scrapbook that is sized at approximately 4" x 4" - the perfect size for a proud Grandma or parent to carry around.  I could also see my daughters filling it with photos of their friends.  This will be one of the make-n-takes at my Craft and Scrapbooking Crop on Saturday, May 19th... I still have openings so let me know if you'd like to join me!!  Find details here.

Below you will find photos of the inside pages... I just used one sheet of gorgeous paper from the retiring Paisley Petals DSP pack with scraps of marina mist and always artichoke card stock for my embellishments.  The pages are made of naturals white card stock and the scrapbook is held closed with retiring 1/4" marina mist grosgrain ribbon.  The butterflies were cut out with my Big Shot (have you seen my Birthday promotion this month?) and the Beautiful Butterflies bigz die and Beautiful Wings embosslit.  I embellished the butterflies with basic pearls jewel accents - aren't they pretty?!  I also used the Vintage Wallpaper and Square Lattice impressions texturz folders to add some texture to my cover.  The flower on the inside was created with the retiring triple layer Bouquet punch and the Little Leaves sizzlit.  I also used the Scallop Square Duo bigz die for some of the pages.  I love this scrapbook and can't wait to put photos inside!

For even more inspiration, be sure you visit the Sisters in Stamping blog after Noon EST today to check out what mini scrapbooks Karla, Rachel and Jacque came up with this week.  Thanks for stopping by - I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  My kids will be swimming in their first long-course swim meet of the season in the Virginia Tech pool.  I will be enjoying the smell of chlorine all weekend!!

 

 

Fabulously inspired layout with Inspired by Nature

   I can't tell you how sad I am that the Inspired by Nature stamp set is retiring.  I really love this solid image set, especially for scrapbooking!  This week on the Sisters in Stamping blog we are featuring projects made with retiring stamp sets as our theme for Fabulous Friday.  I created this scrapbook page, which I used as one of my Scrapboook Club projects earlier this week.  I love the color-blocking style for my pages and I was inspired by my fellow "Sister" Karla Anders when she suggested I use the Paisley Petals DSP and pull my colors from it for my page.  Isn't it great to have a friend help you work through creator's block?!  Thanks, Karla!!!  The base of the page is always artichoke and the card stock and ink colors used are river rock, whisper white and bravo burgundy.

   Here are some close-ups of the stamped images... in addition to this stamp set that is retiring, both the Paisley Petals DSP AND the 1/4" bashful blue grosgrain ribbon (currently reduced to $3.71 per roll!!) are going away... get them now since they are on a "while supplies last" basis.  The best way to order any of the retiring accessories is to use my online store here.  Some items are already gone so rush on over and check it out!  You can also purchase items on the Clearance Rack while you're there for even more savings and if your order reaches $50 you get to choose a single tutorial for FREE from me as a thank you.  If you reach $150 you will get to pick $25 in stampin' rewards merchandise from Stampin' Up!

  For more projects featuring retiring products, be sure to hop on over to the Sisters in Stamping blog after Noon EST today.  I'm sure you'll find plenty of inspiration!

  Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to check out my online store for those retiring products on your wish list!!!

 

Scrapbooking with the Summer Smooches paper is Fast and Fabulous!!

   Thank you for stopping by today... the scrapbook page above is one I designed for Fabulous Friday on the Sisters in Stamping blog.  We are featuring scrapbook pages this week (my choice!).  I just love how fast and fabulous scrapbooking can be with our gorgeous coordinating designer paper packs and the new Summer Smooches line (a sneak peek this month) fits the bill perfectly!

I saw a digital scrapbook page designed by Cindy Beach here and liked how she used squares of DSP along the side of her layout and so incorporated that idea into my design. It needed a little something so I used two pieces of the white baker's twine, twisted them together and attached with tape to the back of the page.  I then took the twine and tied knots at each square and held them down with a dot of 2-way glue pen.

The colors for the page were pulled out of the Summer Smooches pack (tempting turquoise, daffodil delight, tangerine tango, old olive and whisper white). I created the flower embellishment using my Big Shot with the Fun Flowers bigz L die and tangerine tango card stock.  Texture was added to each layer with the Perfect Polka Dots and Square Lattice textured impressions folders and to finish it off I added a large rhinestone jewel to the top. 

Lastly, I created the title with my Big Shot and the Timeless Type alphabet die set with old olive card stock - it is subtle against the old olive DSP but I like it.

  If you'd like to order something from the Summer Smooches sneak peek promotion, don't forget that they're only available through the end of April.  After that you will have to wait until the new catalog debuts on June 1st.  Why not get a jump start on your summer crafting and order it now!!

  Thanks for checking out my project today... it is going to be one of the two layouts for my Scrapbook Club meeting next week.  For even more scrapbooking inspiration, hop on over to the Sisters in Stamping blog here.  Until next time, happy stamping!

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Scrapbook pages featuring retiring stamp sets

Today I want to share 12" x 12" scrapbook pages I have created that feature some of the retiring stamp sets so you can see the versatility of these stamps for more than just cards.  Most of these were designed for my Scrapbook Clubs - if you're interested in joining a club please contact me!  We will be getting started with a new round in June with the debut of the new catalog.  The layout above features both the outgoing All in the Family and Falling Leaves stamp sets.  See below for even more inspiration...

Baroque Motifs stamp set

With All My Love stamp set

House of  Haunts stamp set

With All my Heart stamp set

Flower Fest stamp set

Best Friends Forever stamp set, inspired by the card created by Gaylyn Pantana

I {heart} Hearts stamp set

Fancy Flowers stamp set, layout inspired by the card created by Julia Miller

And some 6" x 6" pages from a downline swap...

Inspired by Nature stamp set, created by Darlene Crockett

Trendy Trees stamp set, created by Michelle Arthur

Trendy Trees stamp set, created by Beverly Cole

As you can see, our stamp sets work perfectly for scrapbooking!  Thanks for stopping by!!

Pinterest Try It Tuesday... Apothecary Art Scrapbook Layout

I have not had a chance to re-create a project I've found on Pinterest using my Stampin' Up! products in a while, but found a scrapbook layout today that I wanted to CASE for my second Scrapbook Club project for tonight (the first one is a Fabulous Friday project from several weeks ago).  Above is my page using the Apothecary stamp set with the Twitterpated DSP from the Occasions Mini catalog and below is the layout I pinned...

The simplicity of the layout really appealed to me along with the fun colors!  You can find the original blog post for this page here.

To easily create the scalloped border, I turned to my trusty Big Shot and the Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die.  I also used the new Framelits Labels Collection dies to cut out the mats and stamped images from the Apothecary Art stamp set... I love that this stamp set coordinates with the dies!!  It was quick and easy to color in the images using a blender pen with my open ink pads.

Lastly, I added this flower embellishment - I used my new favorite Blossom punch along with the Boho Blossoms and 2-step Bird punches to create it.

What have you pinned that you can re-create using your Stampin' Up! goodies?  Want to see what I'm pinning?  Be sure to click on the "follow me on Pinterest" button at the top of my blog to find out... oh how I love Pinterest!!!

 

Attic Boutique Designer Papers are Fabulous!!!

This week on the Sisters in Stamping blog we are focusing on the gorgeous new Designer Series Papers in the Occasions Mini catalog with our projects.  I decided to CASE my scrapbook page from a few weeks ago that featured the Sweet Shoppe suite.  My hostess Jettie asked me to demonstrate a scrapbook page like that one at her workshop, but with brighter colors.  I think this fits the bill, don't you?!  I used the Attic Boutique DSP and pulled all the colors from the paper - pool party, poppy parade, daffodil delight, soft suede and whisper white.

Here is a close-up of the large flower embellishment at the bottom of the page - it was created using the Blossom and Triple Layer Bouquet punches.  I embellished the center with a brad from the Everyday Elegance ribbon and brad bundle that is a Sale-a-Bration freebie.  The ribbon that I wrapped around the strip is also from that bundle.

When I added my "Celebrate" title to the top with my Big Shot Timeless Type alphabet die cuts I realized that I had too much space left on the right side... I quickly put together a smaller flower embellishment using the Triple Layer Bouquet, Boho Blossoms and Itty Bitty Flower punches to which I added a rhinestone for some bling.

I love the way this page turned out... I just need to find some great spring pictures to put on it!!  For more inspiration and projects featuring DSP from the Occasions Mini catalog, please be sure and hop on over to the Sisters in Stamping blog after Noon EST today.  Thanks for visiting and have a fabulous weekend!

Happy snow day!

Well it finally happened... we got our first snowfall of the season yesterday!  My kids were thrilled... we thought it was going to be a snow-less winter for us here in central Virginia.  Here are our dogs playing in the snow, Beau (the beagle) and Mika (the Golden Retriever) this morning.  We are all enjoying a no-school snow day here, lounging around in our jammies until swim practice this afternoon!! 

Kelsey and Brandon decided to have a snowball fight before the snow completely melts.  They're both sporting their Christmas hats - Kelsey's is a fun faux-hawk knit hat and Brandon's is the black Bomb Angry Bird.  Amanda opted to stay warm indoors, playing on Pinterest.  Teenagers!!

So on to the stamping... I held my Diva Day for my 4th quarter top 3 demonstrators this weekend, treating them to a brunch of bacon quiche, grape salad and mini eclairs on Saturday morning.  Everyone got half of the Spring Fever Simply Scrappin' kit from the Occasions mini catalog in an alterable canvas tote bag (I have found some awesome ideas for these on Pinterest!) along with an 8" x 10" picture frame and dry erase pen.  Our first project was to create a dry erase board using pieces from the Simply Scrappin' Kit along with various embellishments from my stamping stash with the picture frame (an idea first shared by my downline Angie Kinzie during our shoe box swap in December).  The second project was creating a fun fabric flower pin using the Twitterpated designer fabric from the Occasions mini catalog similar to the one we made at Leadership in Nashville last year.

Here are photos of my Divas, sporting the tiaras I picked up in San Antonio last month (thanks to Dawn Rapsas for sharing that idea!!) along with their finished projects.... so proud of the hard work these wonderful demonstrators did last quarter!  Who will be my Divas this quarter I wonder?

Jennifer Rawlings - Top Diva for 4th quarter 2011

 
Sherri Gough, #2 Demonstrator for 4th quarter 2011

Kris Burdeaux, #3 Demonstrator for 4th quarter 2011

Here are some close-ups of my fabric flower... I love the trinket keys and beveled windowpanes... the stamp set used was Clearly for You and the shimmer comes from Moonlight smooch accent ink.  The fabric layers were cut with the Fun Flowers L bigz die and the First Edition DSP flowers were punched out using the 2-3/8" scallop flower punch.

Thanks for visiting today!

Fabulous Sweet Shop product suite

 

If you've had a chance to look through the Occasions Mini catalog, I'm sure you noticed the super-fun Sweet Shop product suite on pages 32-36.  That is the focus of our Fabulous Friday projects this week on the Sisters in Stamping blog and my project is this 12" x 12" scrapbook page featuring the Mouthwatering stamp set, Sweet Shop DSP and Jelly Bean brads.  I also used a few Big Shot items (scallop square, Timeless Type sizzlit alphabet) and punches (Blossom from the Occasions Mini, triple layer bouquet, 2-1/2" circle, scallop edge border) along with the ribbon from the Sale-a-Bration bundle.  Aren't these In Colors fun?!

Here are some close-ups with details below...

I used two layers of the Blossom punch with calypso coral card stock (separated by a stampin' dimensional) and a flower from the triple layer bouquet punch with pool party card stock to create the flower embellishment.  I used my Snips and cut each petal into smaller petals and added a Jelly Bean brad to the top.

The ice cream cone and cherries from the Mouthwatering stamp set were inked using my stampin' write markers (calypso coral, chocolate chip, lucky limeade and poppy parade) and punched out of the whisper white card stock using the 2-1/2" circle punch.  Adding dazzling diamonds with a 2-way glue pen helped to set off the images and they were popped off the page using stampin' dimensionals.

For even more inspiration with this fun suite of products in the Occasions Mini catalog, be sure and visit the Sisters in Stamping blog after Noon EST today.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!  Come on back tomorrow - I'll be sharing the Valentine's Day projects from Robbin's workshop earlier this week.