All Occasion Cards in June

Note:  This post is late! June was an extremely busy month with birthdays, retirements and unfortunately more funerals, so I've been busy trying to keep up with my card making, and attending various celebration events.  

The downside to being so busy is that I slacked off on my blogging and card events, and to all my followers, I apologize.   The upside is that while the month flew by I've been exercising my creativeness and enjoying my get-to-gether's with friends and family.  

Here are some of the cards I made in June:

This "Just For You" card was made with the new Work of Art stamp set.  If you need a card in 5 minutes this is the set to use.

I love the inside of this card, it makes me feel happy just looking at it. 

Here you can see the various stamps used to create this card.  All from the one set.  You've got to like that. Inks used were Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe, and Coastal Cabanna. 

Here's another Work of Art stamp set card.  These were my June customer appreciation cards for those wonderful customers who placed a June order on my on-line store.  Love you guys! 

This beautiful sympathy card is stamped with Early Espresso Ink on Very Vanilla card stock and then layered up with a Very Vanilla card stock base and layer of Early Espresso.  I used a transparency mask with a 2 1/2" circle opening to stamp the En Francais (retired background stamp) in the center of the card.  I stamped the tall floral silhouette from Serene Silhouettes and then added a simple "with sympathy sentiment from the Petite Pairs stamp set.  The butterflies are from the Beautiful Wings Embosslit die. 

For the next two cards I used a double embossed folder technique to layer one embossed image over another.  I plan on teaching this really neat technique at one of my July classes so stay tuned for information on how you can participate.  These unique cards have a real vintage quality about them and I love the colour mix of Coastal Cabana, Very Vanilla and Crumb Cake. 

So what do you think, isn't this card simply beautiful?  It's one of those rare cards that could be used for a birthday, thinking of you, sympathy or thank you.  Because it is so versatile, I think I'll make a few of these maybe in different colour combinations (think subtles) and simply leave the inside sentiment blank until I need them for an occasion.  

The card base and the inside insert are in Very Vanilla cardstock.  I stamped the floral image from Serene Silhouettes in Coastal Cabana ink on a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock and then layered this piece behind the Crumb Cake embossed layer.  The Crumb Cake layer was embossed with the retired Designer Frames embossing folder* and then re-embossed using a mask with the Beautiful Baroque Embossing Folder   Basic Pearls, a small butterfly from the Beautiful Wings Embosslit die and a piece of 3/8" Crumb Cake Taffeta Ribbon (retired) all add to the antique look of this card. 

 Note:  Stampin' Up! has replaced this embossing folder with two new ones called Fun Frames in the 2014-2025 IB&C. 

For the inside of this card I simply stamped the image again in Coastal Cabana and added two of the smallest butterflies from the Beautiful Wings Embosslit.   The envelope was also stamped with this image. 

My second card was embossed with the Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder and the Designer Frames Embossing Folder.   I chose the birds in a tree image from Serene Silhouettes for this card and again stamped the images in Coastal Cabana ink.

The small flowers on the face of the card were punched from Coastal Cabanna and Basic Black cardstock with the Itty Bitty Punch pack and Boho Blossoms punch.  Basic Pearls were added to the centers of the flowers. 

Hope you liked these cards.  Remember if you like this technique and would like to attend a class to learn how to do double embossing, simply drop me an email or give me a call and I will arrange a time.

The next card I want to share with you combines En Francais with the Work of Art stamp set to create a very unique and fun birthday card.  Once again, this card style could be used for almost any occasion.    The card base is Crumb Cake with layers of Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist and Whisper White card stocks.  I stamped the En Francais background stamp in Crumb Cake onto the Whisper White layer, and then stamped one of the images from the Work of Art set in a circular motion in Marina Mist ink to achieve the flower shape.  The Daffodil Delight accents are decorative dots 

 

Work of Art' painted swatches, swaths, and shapes make up the bulk of this set that comes in clear or wood mount.  With eleven different stamps in this set you have lots of options for deciding which strokes are right for your project. 2014-2015 Annual Catalog.

Happy Stamping!
Penny 

PPCCS #100 Challenge and Blog Candy

I had big intentions of participating in the Paper Craft Crew's 100th card sketch challenge today, but missed the close off time by a few hours because of the time change.  

Regardless, I loved the sketch so went ahead and finished my card and want to share it with you.  

Here's the sketch:

Here's my card: 

As soon as I saw the sketch I knew I wanted to do a card using the Decorative Dots Embossing folder as a background for the layers in this sketch and the Stippled Blossom stamp set for my image. 

I think my concept worked really well.  I flipped the layout so the tag and ribbon were on the left hand side of the card and the small flower was on the lower right hand side.  This allowed me more room to work with my stamped image. 

Supplies: 

Ink:  Crumb Cake and Early Espresso Classic Inks

Card Stock:  Early Espresso, Very Vanilla and Crumb Cake

Stamp Sets:  Stippled Blossoms #126747 and Blooming With Kindness #126422

Accessories:  Big Shot Machine, Trimmer, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Basic Pearls, 3/8" Crumb Cake Taffeta Ribbon (retired), Scalloped Tag Topper Punch (#133324), Large Delicate Doilies Die Cut (retired), Decorative Dots Embossing Folder (#133520), Corner Rounder, Scissors, Adhesive, Dimensionals.

Using the Stamp-a-ma-jig allowed me to line up the flower images cleanly when using a two-step stamp set like Stippled Blossoms.  Here you can see I was able to accurately layer the rose image from the tag with the image stamped on the Very Vanilla layer.

I added the smallest of the basic pearls to the centers of the two large rose images and a medium sized pearl to the smaller flower image.  Even though the taffeta ribbon is retired I'm still in love with the texture and the way you can tie the small bow so beautifully.  I also love the sentiment "I'm here for you" from the Blooming With Kindness Stamp set. Because this is such a caring sentiment this card could be used for either a friendship or a sympathy card. 

The Blooming With Kindness Stamp set a detailed flower image and five greetings that will carry you through lots of card-giving situations. 

The inside of the card has a Very Vanilla layer that measures 5 x 3 3/4" and is simply stamped with the rose image. 

Thanks for stopping by and checking out this latest post.  I'd love to hear your comments on my interpretation of the PPC Sketch.  

Happy Stamping!
Penny

Clearance Rack Update

I just got word that the Clearance Rack will be updated again on July 10th.  What exciting news!!!

So don't miss out, mark this date on your calendar, and come back Thursday to check out what's new. 

Penny
Happy Stamping!

Let's Go To The Beach - Paper Players Challenge #203

This week the Paper Players are featuring Theme Challenge PP#203 called "Let's Go to the Beach" by Nance.  I decided to play along with this challenge and hopefully get my mojo back after a month's absence from blogging.  

For me a day at the beach is all about walking in the sand and tidal pools, so I decided that my Wetlands stamp set would be perfect for my card.  

Wetlands Stamp Set this six piece stamp set comes in clear mount, wood block and is also available on MDS as a brush stroke set. 

Here's my entry:

I used the Label Card Thinlets Die Cut to cut my card base in Whisper White.  I've stamped the sand pipers and reeds from the Wetlands Stamp Set and added some texture with Gorgeous Grunge speckles.  I used Early Espresso Baked Brown Sugar, Crumb Cake, So Saffron and Coastal Cabana inks.

Label Card Thinlet Die comes with a total of 9 die cuts to add a whole new dimension to your card making.

  

Here's a view of the inside of the card.  The Happy Birthday sentiment is from Bring on the Cake, Stampin' Up Stamp Set.  The oval is from Coastal Cabana card stock.  I carried the reeds and grass theme from the card front right through to the back and left white space at the top for writing wishes. 

This is a very fast card to make. So fast in fact, that I made several of the ovals at one time so I could make card sets. 

Happy Stamping and check out the rest of the entries on this weeks' challenge at the Paper Players

Blendabilities Now Available

Happy July 1st!  The wait is over! Stampin' Up! has  officially released one of their most exciting new products, Stampin' Blendabilities Markers! These exclusive, alcohol-based marker sets come in a 3-pack of light, medium and dark shades (of the same colour), and provide your projects a more saturated look with blended colours.  Check out this flyer for some details:  

Available In These 3-Colour Packs:
Cherry Cobbler   (Item #130995 - $15.95)
Coastal Cabana  (Item #131000 - $15.95)
Daffodil Delight   (Item #130998 - $15.95)
Old Olive   (Item #130999 - $15.95)
Pumpkin Pie  (Item #130997 - $15.95)
Rich Razzleberry  (Item #131003 - $15.95)
Skin Tone Assortment (Item #129370 - $31.95)

Additional Supplies Available:
Because Blendabilities are alcohol-based markers, they don't work the same as our regular markers.  DO NOT USE Basic Black Classic Ink or STAZ ON inks with Blendabilities...........you'll have a mess.  You need to use an ink pad that allows the Blendabilites to work without smearing.  Memento Inks fit that bill.  They are also awesome for watercolouring and embossing.  

Memento Ink Tuxedo Black Ink Pad (Item 132708 - $7.95)
Memento Ink Tuxedo Black Ink Refill (Item 133456 - $6.95)
Colour Lifter  (Item 129369 - $6.95)

Also Recommended:
Stampin' Up! recommends using Stampin' Up! Whisper White Cardstock with your Stampin' Up! Blendabilities, but choosing any one of Stampin' Up!s beautiful card stocks will add a unique look to your project. 

And, because traditional alcohol markers require a bit of training, Stampin' Up! has developed a few videos to ensure that Blendabilities are easy-to-use for everyone! 

It's Tuesday again, and that means it's time for the Weekly Deals.

There are some awesome deals this week on the Weekly Deals post so don't miss out, especially if you have "frame lits" on your Wish List.

Check it out on my Weekly Deals Promo link above. Weekly Deals Promos.

These specially price promotions are only available from June 24th through 30th, so don't miss out by waiting too long!  

New 2014-2015 Catalogue Goes Live Today!!

Today is such a stampin special day!  

Want to know why I'm happy and I'm celebrating today?  

Well it's the day I've been waiting for and I'm pretty sure you have been too!  It's finally here and at noon today you can order from the brand new 2014-2015 Annual Catalogue.

What's New:
This catalogue has lots of new and exciting features:

• Start simple card kits for new stampers pgs 196 to 203
• Project Life Memory Keeping pgs 188 to 189
• Case: Copy and Share Everything information
• Step It Up - Make it Completely You 
• New Colour Collections - Ink, Paper, Markers, Embellishments
• Blendabilities* (see note about availability)
• Do It Your Way with MDS Studio visit MyDigital Studio.net/try to get started today - pg 5
• Better organization to assist you in finding the perfect projects and products
• Host a Party and Get Free Stamps - pgs 236 - 240
• How to Join Stampin Up as a Business Adventure or as a Hobbyist pg 241
• Stamp Index to help you find stamp sets by name or by section with a host of handy icons
• Greeting and Alphabet Stamp Set Index pg 245 - 247
• Accessory Index pg 248
• Ronald McDonald House Charity - Buy the Flamingo Lingo Stamp Set and Stampin' Up! will donate $3.00 to RMHC.
•  

*Stampin' Up! is targeting a release date of late June or early July for the much anticipated Blendability products. The reason for this late release is so that Stampin' Up! can avoid the problem of back orders and make sure they have enough on hand to meet demand.  In that way all SU customers will be able to enjoy Blendabilities.  I'll let you know as soon as they are ready for ordering.  In the meantime I'll be able to order some on a pre-order and share with you.  Come and test them out soon.
 

English Version:

 Click here for Annual Catalogue PDF version:

Click here for Annual Catalogue Supplies List: 

Click here for Holiday Carry-Over List:

 (note these items will be available until January 2015......yeah!!!)

French Version:

Click here for Annual Catalogue PDF Version:

Click here for Annual Catalogue Supplies List:

Click here for Holiday Carryover List:

These icons and links will be located on my side bar for your future shopping convenience.

If you have placed an order of $25.00 or more with me since January 2014 you will receive your hard copy version of the catalogue in the mail. 

Place an order with me in June and you will get a FREE copy of your own!   Contact me today, you don't want to miss this catalogue. If you are a new customer and would like to receive a copy of the catalogue contact me to see how you can receive one.

Penny
Inspire, Create, Share