Convention Swap Card Share: Day One

As promised, today I'll begin featuring a selection of cards I received for participating in the 64+1 New Catalog Stamp Set Card Swap@ Convention,  as well as some cards I swapped along the way to various events.  

I hope you'll enjoy these selections as much as I am and will leave a comment. I've been smiling ever since I received this exciting selection of cards.   And, if you recognize your card please leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you.  

I'll provide links to the card creator and products used as much as possible, but unfortunately some of the cards did not have any information accompanying them. Again, if one of these "unnamed" cards is yours, I'd loe to hear from you and amend my post with your name and link.  Okay so here we go!

Card One:

Our first card was created by Beth Martin using the Wildflower Meadow Background Stamp (pg 83) and Wildflower Meadow Embossing Folder (pg 191).  The background stamp measures  5 5/8" x 4 1/8". In case you didn't know, the Wildflower Meadow Embossing Folder also coordinates with the Gingham Garden Suite. You can buy this fantastic background stamp and coordinating folder as a bundle and save 15% (wood mount bundle #132735 and clear mount bundle #132985).   Beth has done a fantastic job of stamping this card.  The card base is Baked Brown Sugar and the 1st layer is Strawberry Slush card stock.  She's stamped her images on Very Vanilla in Strawberry Slush Ink, and the polka dots are from inking up her Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.  The little "thankful for you" sentiment is from the hostess set Banner Greetings on page 202.  Ask me how you could earn this last stamp set for free.  Great card Beth!

Card Two:   Susan Gardner created this really enchanting welcome baby card using the Zoo Babies 10 piece stamp set on page 54 of the catalogue. Every character in this marvellous set is adorable.  Susan incorporated three characters from the stamp set with So Ho Subway Designer Series Paper in a real thrifty but cute way.  I also like how she added the smallest of the Basic Pearl Jewels for eyes on the elephant and rhino.  Super cute!  Any new mom would be thrilled to get this card.  Thanks Susan for sharing.

Card Three:  Kris Kok has created a super cute welcome baby card using the single stamp "Worth The Wait".   This wood mount only stamp offers terrific value at just $11.95 CDN.  It coordinates with the 1 3/4" circle punch and the 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch to give a very sweet layered look.  Kris has paper pieced the little turtles shell by stamping the image onto some Subtles DSP and then fussy cutting it out.  The shell is mounted onto the stamped image with dimensionals.  Kris has also added a cute touch by incorporating a small piece of the Crushed Curry Chevron Ribbon at the top of the card.  The Whisper White Layer of the card is embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder and the Soft Sky layer was cut out with the Apothecary Accents Framelit and then embossed with the Stripes Embossing Folder.  Great card Kris............. loved it!

Card Four was created by Lynn Zautner (www.lynnspirations.com - Pinterest site).  Laura has used my now favourite colour combination Crisp Cantaloupe, Soft Skye and Crumb Cake for this lovely friendship card. Lynn has also used a strip of the Natural Composition Specialty DSP, which features shiny raised patterns that appear brown and glossy, for her banner.  The increasingly popular stamp set "Perfect Blend" was used for the coffee cup image and sentiment.  This three piece, two-step stamp set is economically priced at $13.95.The next detail I found really appealing was the way Lynn punched out the top corner of the Very Vanilla layer with the Scallop Trim Border punch and then added a circle of the 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon in Crisp Cantaloupe.  Wow nice touch Lynn!

Card Five:  Barbara Dykhouse created a beautiful card using the 3-piece Background Builders stamps on pg 119 of the catalogue along with one of the doilies from the Delicate Doilies 4-piece stamp set on pg 122.  Great combination!  I also love how Barbara used the new InColours - Crisp Cantaloupe, Baked Brown Sugar and Coastal Cabana for her card stock ink  and ribbon choices.  Love it.  Another cool thing that works for this card is the first layer which is embossed with the Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder.  This element just seems to pull the whole card together. Thanks Barbara for this very appealing any occasion card.

Card Six:  Sometimes the simpliest of cards pack the biggest punch.  I felt that way when I received Michele Robins-Keifer's perfect little wedding card.  Just the sweetest.  Michele stamped the flowers and sentiment using the "A Round Array" stamp set.  What a great value this set is, with a mixture of 8 sentiment and flower shapes for just $22.95 in wood mount and $17.95 in clear mount.  This stamp set is available in Spanish, French and English and coordinates with the 7/8" Scallop Circle Punch on page 182.  The card base is Wisteria Wonder followed by a layer of Whisper White that's been embossed with the Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder.   The sweet little banner sentiment is from the Banner Greetings Hostess Stamp Set, which you can earn for FREE with hostess dollars - ask me how.

Card Seven:  I was super excited to get this gorgeous swap card before the afternoon session on the final day of Convention.  It was created by Claire Ventre from Cincinnati, Ohio, who was sitting right behind us throughout the closing session.  Not only is this the first Christmas Card I've received this year, but it features this year's Ronald McDonald House stamp set "Tag It", which we received for FREE during Convention.  This beautiful stamp set coordinates with the Chalk Talk Framelit Dies (p. 187)and is available in English, Spanish, French and German.  Did you know that when you purchase the Tag It stamp set that Stampin' Up! donates $3.00 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities?  Such a great deal for everyone.  The Whisper White layer of this card is embossed with the Northern Flurry Textured Embossing Folder.  The last great feature I want to point out on this card is the super cute little bow. Did you notice it?   It's actually modeled after the bows on page 152 of the new catalogue, but this one is made with 1/4 inch Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon (retired).  Love, love, love it!  I can show you how these bows are made, just come to one of my classes............. so much fun!

Card Eight:  Snowflakes anyone?  My second Christmas card came in a hallway swap with Jennifer-Buchanan-Springer from Bremerton, Washington.  Jennifer is a very special gal who I've so enjoyed meeting on a couple of occasions. Her beautiful card features the Snowflake Soiree and More Merry Messages stamp sets which are both still available as carryover stamp sets from last years Holiday Mini. To find these sets you need to go to Stamps in the on-line catalogue and when you open that selection there will be another option called "online only stamps", click on this link to see all the carryover on-line only stamps.   The snowflakes have been stamped in Marina Mist and Wild Wasabi for a beautiful colour combination.  Awesome card Jennifer!

Card Nine:  Connie Bjork from Pennock, MN designed this very sweet little " Thanks so much" card.  Connie has featured the Simply Sketched Hostess Stamp set featured on page 205 for the bird and sentiments on this card.  What a beautiful job of water colouring the bird on a small piece of water colour paper.  She's used the InColours designer series paper for the Bermuda Bay strip of DSP across the bottom of the card.  Before layering and adhering this piece she added a small strip of the3/8" Ruffled Rib bon in the Baked Brown Sugar.  Wow!  What an awesome combination.  Connie also added one of the small Very Vintage Designer Buttons tied off with some Linen Thread.  

Card Ten:  Another simple card featuring the Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder and the coordinating stamp set Mosaic Madness.  This stamp set coordinates with the Mosaic Punch on pg. 180, and in fact, you can save 15% in discount by bundling the stamp set and punch.  How's that for a great deal?  Check out the details on page 123 of the catalogue. Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon and some small Basic Rhinestones add some sophistication to this beautiful card which is stamped in Night of Navy.  Unfortunately I can't give the owner credit as there was no identifying information in the swap envelope.  Too bad this card is awesome! 

Card Eleven:  My final card today is simply awesome.  It was created by Julie Link of Inver Grove Heights, MN.  Julie's card features the stamp set "Wetlands", which is a 6-piece stamp set featuring three sentiments that look awfully similar to the retired Sincere Salutations greetings, and three image stamps.  Julie has stamped the reeds and small shore birds on her card.  So beautifully made.  This card features my favourite colour combination again - Soft Sky, Crisp Cantaloupe and Crumb Cake.  There's also some Early Espresso going on which really compliments everything. The Square Lattice Textured Embossing folder was used on the Soft Sky layer and it really pulls the card together.  Julie simply awesome, you know how to capture nature!

Fusion Floral Class

FLORAL FUSION CLASS HELD ON JUNE 30, 2013

I love flowers in any shape or form and my recent Floral Fusion Class was all about "shape and form". 

Participants made four fast and fun flower cards.  Each card highlighted a different technique and different materials.  If you weren't able to attend this three hour class and would like too, I'm offering it again on July 9th, so please contact me to register:

Date:            July 9, 2012
Time:           9:30 to 12:30pm
Place:           Abbotsford
Cost:            $20.00* covers materials, supplies and PDFS for all 4 projects
Class Size:    Only 4 spots left.

*Place a minimum $25.00 order at this class and your class fee is waived.  

It's the Bomb!

Bombs Away Go get it in the online store now.

Stampin' Up! has just released a new stamp set called Bomb's Away.  It's a tongue in cheek, cheeky kind of set.  This new set can be used for those occasions when you just want to poke fun.  To see more on this set go visit the Stampin' Up! Blog, where Dave B of Catalogue Design will give you all the details.   

Tacoma Regional Swaps - Christmas Theme

As promised yesterday the following are Christmas cards I received as swaps during the Tacoma Regional My Way Meeting.  What a great collection, I'm sure you'll enjoy them! 

Several of these swap cards have no identifying information on them, so I'm not aware who created them.  They are "unnamed" cards and if anyone knows who the originator is let me know so I can pass a long some credit. 


CHRISTMAS:

This very simple card is made with the Scentsational Seasons stamp set from the Holiday Catalogue.  This is one of those "unnamed" swap cards, so I can't pass along any credit.  What do I like about it:  The color combo.  The base is Bashful Blue and the layers are in  Raspberry Ripple and Gumball Green.  The two inks used are Raspberry Ripple and Gumball Green as well.

This next beautiful card was created by a demo  who goes by txtornado on her yahoo email account.  She used Greetings of the Season for the sentiment on this card and it's stamped in Early Espresso Ink, on Crumb Cake cardstock.  A very simple Whisper White lace border was punched out with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border, however only half of the strip has been added to this card.  The beautiful big snowflake was die cut from Shimmer White cardstock using the Bigz Die - Snow Flurry.  The center medallion which is stamped again in Early Espresso is from the Mixed Medley stamp set in the Holiday Mini hostess section.

 

 

The next two fabulous cards were created by Maureen Pollock a very talented stamper from Surrey, BC. Maureen is a member of the Colourful Impressions group and is well know for her talents as well as her boisterous laugh. It was so good running into you Maureen and I loved both your cards! 

If you love the Ornament Keepsakes Christmas stamp then this card is definitely for you. The ornament has been die cut using the Holiday Ornament Framelit Dies, which match this stamp set.  You can save 15% if you buy this as a bundle.  Check it out here, or you can get a free Festive Paper Piercing set if you purchase this stamp set bundle and the Candlelight Christmas Speciality designer series paper.  Check out this link for the current promomotion. 

 

The ornament Maureen chose is stamped in Pacific Point Ink which looks very bold striking against the Whisper White background, which has been embossed with the Holiday Frame Embossing Folder. The ornament has been adhered with dimensionals to the center of the frame.  Although you can't see it in this picture, Dazzling Details was added to the raised impression on the Holiday Frame to give it an irridescent glimmer.  The last two touches are a Basic Pearl in the center of the ornament and a small strip of 1/8" Real Red Taffeta Ribbon.  Beautiful card Maureen. 

 

Maureen's second card is just as captivating as her first one. She's combined a number of different elements.  Maureen began by stamping the oval image from the Joyous Celebrations stamp set on Very Vanilla cardstock in Real Red ink.  Then she stamped a small ornament image from the Ornament Keepsakes Stamp set in the center of the oval with Lucky Limeade ink.    The ornament was embellished with a small Rhinestone Basic Jewel and a bow made from Lucky Limemade Baker's Twine.  

 

For her next part of her design she die cut a piece of Real Red cardstock with one of the 6 layering dies from the Labels Collection Framelits and embossed this piece with the oval shape from the Designer Frames Folders textured embossing folders.  The ornament image was adhered to the center of this oval making a very lovely element to layer over the card base. 

 

The base of Maureen's card is Lucky Limeade cardstock that has been topped with a 4" x 31/4" piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock that was embossed with the Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder.  A piece of Real Red cardstock was punched out with the Scallop Trim Border punch and sandwiched between the very vanilla layer and a 4" x 2" piece of Candlelight Christmas Specialty DSP. 

Look at the work in this beautiful "unnamed" card.  It was made with Soft Suede and Cherry Cobbler cardstocks.  The top layer of Soft Suede was embossed with the Holiday Frame Embossing Folder.  The raised oval was glammed up with Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint and Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details.  The Ornament from the Ornament Keepsakes stamp set was stamped in Cherry Cobbler ink onto Cherry Cobbler cardstock and embossed with Clear Embossing Powder before it was cut out using the Holiday Ornament Framelits.  The finishing touch is a beautiful Crumb Cake Seam Binding  Ribbon.

Another beautiful "unnamed card" was made with Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler and River Rock cardstocks.  Layers were embossed with the new Fancy Fan Fold Embossing Folder.  The large snowflake from the Snow Flurry Bigz Die was cut in Silver Glimmer Paper, and then layered up with the ice skates image from the Winter Memories stamp set.  The ice skates and flower image were coloured with markers and adhered with dimensionals to the snowflake.  The sentiment "Warm Winter Wishes" is from the Winter Memories stamp set too. 

Diana Scott-Pasco of Washington State made this lovely winter card using the Triple Stamping Technique.  What a beautiful job she did on this card.  The card base and layers are in Night of Navy and Whisper White cardstocks.  She stamped the beautiful snowflakes from the Snowflake Soiree stamp set in Pacific Point Ink.  The center of the snowflakes were glammed up with Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details.  The layered snowflakes are from a retired snowflake die. 

OTHER OCCASIONS:

I absolutely loved this Masculine Card by Candee Smith.  Candee combined two of my favourite stamp sets The Open Sea and Word Play to create this delightful card.  She has used the new InColours Summer Starfruit, Midnight Muse, Gumball Green and Raspberry Ripple for her colourful stamping.  The card base is Basic Gray layered with Basic Black and Whisper White cardstock.  A small piece of Neutrals DSP was used on the side.  This is a great card that could be used for a graduation, new job or male birthday. 

This stunning card was created by Jillibling.  The card base is Lucky Limeade covered with a layer of Island Indigo thats been randomly stamped in Whisper White with images from the Clockworks stamp set. The Very Vanilla layer is stamped with the wonderful Postage Due stamp set in Midnight Muse ink and has been torn across the bottom.  The beautiful postage images are stamped in Lucky Limeade, Perfect Plum and Cherry Cobbler inks.  Simply a great card!

 

This card by Cathy Parise of Washington State, is one of those truly great CAS (clean and simple) designs you want to have on hand.  The cardstocks are Elegant Eggplant and Whisper White.  She's  used Clear Embossing Powder to heat set the flower image which has been coloured with Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade and Versamark inks.  The images are from the Love and Sympathy stamp set.

This delightful card was created by Trina Gentry of Benton City, WA.  The card front is comprised of 3 layers of Whisper White Card stock.  Strips of Polka Dot DSP in Primrose Pink, Gumball Green, and Midnght Muse measuring 1 1/2" x 3" have been added to the last layer.  The flower stem image was stamped in Midnight Muse on Whisper White cardstock then layered with Scallop Oval, Large Oval and Bohp Blossoms punches.  A beautiul 5/8" Organza Bow adds some more dimension to this card.  The sentiment and floral stem are from a retired stamp sets.   

 

That's it for my Tacoma Regional Swaps.  Hope you enjoyed them and they've inspired you to get creative!    Please note that all the links for the stamp sets were for clear mounts.  If you're interested in ordering any of the products used to make these cards please click here to go to my On-Line Store.  Happy Stamping! 

 

 

 

All Occasion Card Classes

How do you say Happy Birthday? Here is a quick card that uses some simple elements but looks classy. Since I am a big fan of Pink Pirouette, Close to Cocoa and Chocolate Chip cardstock and inks, Candy Lane (113980) Designer Series Paper (DSP) has become one of my favorite designs from the Spring Summer 2009 catalogue. So much so, that I'm going to take advantage of the current Designer Paper Sale to stock up on it before it's gone forever. Although I first used it for Valentines Day cards and projects, I soon discovered that it works well for any occasion. This card sample is one of the designs I will be using in my May and June All Occasion Card Classes. Check out my Events Calendar on my Stampin Up Website for dates and details.

Happy Stampin!