Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays!

Hello Stamping Friends,

The months of March and April and even the beginning of May are busy, busy, busy in our house with birthdays. Two of my kids, my husband, and my grandson all have birthdays and many other family members, as well as friends all have birthdays. I need to stay on top of things or else I can miss one or two. 

Luckily this month, the Stampers Dozen Blog Hop is all about birthdays. I had so much fun making this birthday card. Making the fringe to replicate what you might find on a piñata was the perfect touch to make the card a little more unique. I also added the string to make it look like it is swinging in the air after being hit. Oooo, I just had an idea, I would be fun to make a card where the piñata is broken open and goodies falling out of it. I'll have to try that. 

The taco fiesta set is so versatile and fun. If you want a different set for some unique cards, this is the set for you. Orders yours today, it's only available through the end of April.

You may be curious about the orange ribbon. You won't find it in any catalog or online if you look for orange.  However, you will find white crinkled seam binding. I used that and then colored the ribbon by pulling it across the top of my pumpkin pie ink pad. Using this technique, you will have any colored ribbon you want and it will always coordinate with your project. 

The little piñata  in the set is the cutest thing and reminds me of a birthday party I had when I was about four years old. My mom actually made a piñata for my birthday.  She was one crafty lady. I have no doubt of where I got my love of crafts from. I know if she was here with me today, she would be stamping cards right beside me. 

Yes, that's adorable little Rachel (can't you tell by the nose?  haha) swinging to open her piñata. I was obviously loving it.  That's mom in the background holding the piñata up. You probably have noticed over the years that I often have the sets with ducks and swans in them. Without a doubt, you can see why. The fascination with them went way back. 

Thanks for letting me share my memory with you. When I initially made the card I didn't even think about these pictures. I made it with my grandson in mind because he has a Cinco de Mayo birthday and he loves his tacos. 

Don't forget to keep hopping by clicking the links below. See you soon.

March Online Exclusives Blog Hop

Hello Stamping Friends,

Happy March 1st! The year is going so quickly, so you better not blink. New for March with Stampin' Up! is some online exclusives. You will need to head over to the website to view all  the great products that you will not find in a catalog. 

You will be surprised to see a few returning colors in this collection. They are colors that were part of the past in-color collections, so you may already have the colors ready to use. I know I had the one color I used on my card and was happy I kept my in-colors. 

The collection includes two stamp sets, coordinating dies, embossing folders, frosted dots, 6"x6" designer series paper, and 12x12 specialty designer paper.  Remember, you won't find it in a catalog; it's online only.

For my card, I used one of the stamp sets, Irresistible Blooms, the 6"x6" Hello Irresistible Designer Series Paper, Loose frosted dots, and coordinating Irresistible Blooms dies. Do you know which returning in-color I used?

I think my favorite stamp in the whole set is the scattered dots to use to fill-in any empty space. I know, it's a weird one to be my favorite, but I love having that option when there's too much "white space."  You can see I used it on the die cut piece of So saffron cardstock. Without it, that piece looked so blah!

Don't forget to continue hopping to see even more wonderful ideas using these online exclusive products. You won't be disappointed. 

Visit my website to place your order for these online exclusive products. 

Thanks for stopping by. See you again soon.