Autumn Abundance Blog Hop

Hello Stamping Friends,

Where does the time go? It seriously seems to be going faster and faster each day. Here we are already with the September Stampers Dozen Blog Hop - Autumn Abundance. 

I just had to have the new squirrel stamp set and matching punch when I saw it. IYKYK. Or just keep scrolling to find out. 

I, of course, also had to use the saying, "can't wait to see you again," since I know my little squirrel friend will certainly be back once I put some pumpkins on my steps.  I used the new fall paper in an untraditional way to make dirt and grass. 

The little guy and his acorn just out of reach was colored using Stampin' Blends. 

Below is my chubby little menace (I mean, friend) that would visit often last year to enjoy my plentiful bounty. I had six pumpkins on my steps and he feasted on all six. 

He apparently left his discarded goods along the side of my house because we now have a large pumpkin plant growing (that we didn't plant). It is huge and you can see it has taken over my sidewalk.

We have three little volunteer pumpkins growing and can't wait to see the end result of our volunteer plant. You know if we tried to grow pumpkins they certainly wouldn't have grown nearly as much. 

This is the tiniest one so far. Hopefully it continues to grow. Time will tell. 

And here is one that is a little larger. Perhaps we should name our little squirrel friend Goldilocks since we have three sizes. Maybe one of them will be just right.  LOL

This is the largest one so far. It's about 12 inches in height. There's still a lot of flowers on the vine, so who knows maybe we will get even more late bloomers.

But if you didn't know why I needed the squirrel set, now you do. It is certainly a personal thing for me. 

Keep hopping by clicking the links below. You'll love the ideas. 

Stampers Dozen Blog Hop - Anything Go

   

Hello Stamping Friends,

So glad you are here. Tonight is another great blog hop with the Stampers Dozen group.  This month's theme is anything goes. Do you find it easier to create when you can do anythig you want or when you have a mission in mind? I'm not sure how I feel about which way to create.  Sometimes I like the freedom and sometimes I like have clear guidance, especially if I have a bunch of new supplies that I haven't played with just yet? 

For my project today, I started with wanting to play with a fun fold card idea. This is a double fold to make  a regualr full size card. The finished card is the traditional 51/2" x 4 1/4". You begin with a 5 1/2" x 11" piece of cardstock. Then you score the 11" side at 1 1/4", 5 1/2", and 9 1/4".

After you score and fold the cardstock, you decorate the base. Layers help make it look great. I focused on using the Beautiful Gallery 6"x6" designer series paper to create this card. I used the Peace on Earth stamp set for the "Heartfelt prayers" greeting. 

I attached the greeting with a few dimensionals. You know I need to use them somewhere on my card.

This is definitely a fun card to make and I imagine the recipient will be in awe when they begin opening it and realizes that it's not a traditional opening card. 

I also decorated the insdie of the card a bit using the same paper that I used on the outside. 

Don't forget to scroll down and click on the links to keep hopping and finding more creative inspiration. 

Going Green - Use Any Shade of Green

Hello Stamping Friends,

Time for another round of Stampers Dozen Blog Hop. This month for all of the little Leprechauns out there we are using shades of green. Not a hard thing for me to accomplish for anyone that knows me. I love green.

I used the Wildflower Birthday designer series paper to make a fun birthday card. The designer series paper also has laser cut die-cuts which is what I used for the cupcake. I embossed the greeting in white and then using the blending brushes to color over the words in three different colors. (Yes, I used more than just green, but there is some green so it's okay)

Don't forget to keep hopping by clicking the links below. You won't want to miss any ideas.

Thanks for stopping by. See you soon.

All Things New

Hello Stamping Friends,

Remember me?  I know, I know, it's been too long since I have last visited it with you. But it's a new year and I'm going to make it a goal to blog more often. I miss sharing with you. I hope you will keep coming back for more inspiration. Don't forget I always welcome your comments on each post. 

It's time for a Stampers Dozen blog hop tonight. The theme is All About the New. We have a new mini catalog with great new stamps, papers, and accessories. Plus, we have the Sale-a-bration catalog. You know the drill something FREE with each qualifying order. Place those orders early before your favorite Sale-a-bration item is out of stock. 

For the sake of easing back into blogging, I choose to make a quick and super easy card. I actually didn't pick up a stamp to make this birthday card. The ephemera packs are like my new best friend. They are always there for me when I need them. (LOL)  This card uses the Birthday Treats Mix & Match Ephemera Pack. 

I also used the Timeless Plaid 6x6 designer series paper for the background design and color. I love a good patterned paper (polka dots, stripes, plaids, I'm not picky).  There is a strip of gold open weave ribbon on the left of the card to add some texture. I also used some antique pearls to finish the card. And no, not antique because I had a birthday this week either. HAHA

Although I didn't stamp anything I love how this card came together and I know I would love to receive it so why wouldn't anyone else?

Don't forget to keep hopping by clicking the links below. Also leave each blogger some love by commenting on their creations. 

Happy stamping. See you soon (that's a promise)!

A Gratitude Attitude Blog Hop

Hello Stamping Friend,

It's been a hot minute since I posted and I have really missed you and sharing my projects with you. Thanks for always sticking with me. I definitely have a gratitude attitude for each and every one of my stamping friends.

This month's blog hop with the stampers dozen is all about gratitude. How appropriate for the month of November with Thanksgiving being the main focus. 

I know I have said it before, but I will say it again. I love Stampin' Up!'s designer series paper packs because they make creating so easy. You end up with beautiful cards with minimal effort. Great for those in a pinch moments or those I can't think of any creative ideas.

I used the 6x6 Splendid Autumn designer series paper that is pure artwork all on it's own. This paper is great to make simple cards. Add a greeting stamped on a paper ribbon and a cute little cut out pumpkin. Seriously so simple. The gold paper behind the designer series paper really adds so much to the finished look.

What are some other things you are grateful for? I have so many things that the list would be very long. I choose to find happiness as much as I can in life. 

Thank you for stopping by. Be sure to click the links below to keep hopping for more inspiration. 

Christmas in July Blog Hop

Hello stamping friends,

I know it's been a super busy day here, but I hope you are loving all of the inspiration waiting for you. This is a blog hop with the Stampers' Dozen group. Theme this month is Christmas in July, of course. 

I choose to keep it simple with my card. If you are anything like me, you have the best intentions to make some grand Christmas cards and send them out, but you run out of time, don't make your cards, or worse, make them without sending them. Well, this card will take some pressure off of you and leave you feeling accomplished. Plus, it's still a pretty card that your friends and family will love to receive.

I used the Merriest Trees stamp set to create this simple, yet elegant card. The two-step stamping gives depth to the tree very easily. Three quick stamps and your card is stamped. Four pieces of cardstock and some dimensionals give your a complete card that is super quick and easy to make. This allows you time to still make all of your Christmas cards while leaving you plenty of time to do all of the other great holiday activities and events that you have on your list. 

I used shaded spruce and shy shamrock ink for this card. The cardstock is thick whisper white, regular whisper white, and shaded spruce. Minimal supplies makes this even better.

What do you think? Can you make 50 of these in minimal time? Don't you think people will love receiving it?

Don't forget to keep hopping. You're sure to love the other Christmas in July inspiration.

Also, we are almost halfway through July and that means we are halfway through the Bonus Days promotion. For every $50 in orders now through July 31, you will receive a $5 Bonus coupon to use in August.

Sunday Fun Day Template Copy

Hello Stamping Friends,

Welcome to Sunday Fun Day with the Sisters in Stamping. Today we are sharing cards made using the templates in the Annual Catalog on page 22. If you have even been in a creative rut, you are going to love using these templates to get your creative juices flowing again. 

The template I selected is very easy to duplicate. It's even easier when you use some designer series paper and the ephemera packs. 

I stamped directly on the soft subtles designer series paper using Memento ink. I used stampin' blends to color the peony flower. I used the label ephemera pack and the greeting ephemera pack for the strips from the template. The greeting is attached using some dimensionals.

It truly was quick and easy and can literally be made in minutes. Now, if you want you can easily embellish this card with some gems or ribbon.

Don't forget to head over to Sisters in Stamping to see some other templates from page 22 in use. 

Bonus days is in full swing, so place your order of $50 to receive a $5 Bonus coupon to use in August. 

Thanks for stopping by. See you soon.

Scrapbook Sunday Blog Hop

Hello stamping friends,

Welcome to a scrapbook blog hop with Crafty Collaborations. I haven't made a scrapbook page in quite some time, so this was fun and exciting for me while being a tad stressful all at the same time. 

I made a two page spread so I could fit more pictures, but actually, this isn't even enough. 

This is for the newest addition to our family, my first granddaughter. After having boys in the family for so long, it's fun to buy pink, polka dots, ruffle butts, and bows. And now I can make girly scrapbook pages, too. Woohoo!

They are both 12x12 pages and each one will hold four pictures. 

There isn't a ton of extra stuff to busy the page so the pictures won't be overpowered by all the extra. The pictures will be the focal point. 

Don't forget to keep hopping by clicking the links below to see more scrapbook ideas. 

Also, we are just about halfway through Bonus days, so place your $50 order to receive a $5 bonus coupon to use in August.

Thanks for stopping by. See you soon.

More Stack, Slice & Shuffle Cards

Hello Stamping Friends,

I told you to come back in a few days for  more fun stack, slice & shuffle cards and here I am for another round. Today I used the To Market Designer Series Paper and the Something Fancy stamp set to make three cards.

Here is the stack all sliced up and ready to be shuffled to make some gorgeous cards.  Again, no measuring while cutting the stack. I just measured the stack to get it fit on my card base (3 3/4" x 5").

Here are the cards all shuffled and waiting to be adorned with a greeting, an image, and some embellishments. You'll notice on my finished cards that I actually turned one card to be horizontal to show you anything goes with these great cards. Have you tried your hand at it yet?

Card #1 is a belated birthday card. I love the saying because honestly, who wouldn't want their birthday celebration stretched out a little longer. Are you someone that celebrates one day, a weekend, a week, or the full month?

Card #2 would make a beautiful wedding card for a new couple. I personally would use this for a fall wedding since the colors are a little deeper. And obviously, this is the card that I turned horizontally.

Card #3 is a sympathy card. I know none of us enjoy making these cards, but unfortunately we all need one from time to time. 

I finished the cards off with some purple fine shimmer gems and the natural twine. I wrapped the twin around three of my fingers two times and then tied it with an extra piece of twine. It is attached to the bunch of flowers using a glue dot. If you were wondering where the flowers came from, wonder no more. They are actually a part of the To Marker paper pack and I just fussy cut them to attach to the card. 

Thanks for stopping by. I'll post my third set of Stack, Slice, & Shuffle cards later this week so come back soon.

Also, remember all bundles are currently an extra 10% off until the end of the month, so order today.

Plus, I am offering a week long sale. Place your order of $75 (before shipping and tax) and receive a $50 grab bag of retired, but brand new product.  Place a $150 order and receive $125 grab bag of retired, but brand new product. 

Stack, Slice, and Shuffle

Hello Stamping Friends,

This week with Sisters in Stamping we have a fun technique to share. This technique, "Stack, Slice, and Shuffle," allows you to make several different cards that are the same but different. They use all of the same materials, but the cuts and shuffle of the designer series paper makes them different. This was the first time I have personally have played with this technique and I had so much fun. I'll be sharing more ideas with you in the coming days.

First, you select how many cuts you are going to make. I wanted to make four cuts to my paper, so that means I would get four cards. In order to do that I needed to select four different pieces of designer series paper. I cut my paper for this set of cards to 3 3/4" x 5" because I wanted to layer it on a piece of 4" x 5 1/4" before putting it on the base of my cards. 

I stacked my paper and started cutting. I didn't particularly measure since I was cutting all four pieces at the same time. Genius, right?????

The picture below shows the stack after I made four cuts.

Then I shuffled the paper to get four different designs. You will use one piece of each design on each card. See below how the bases look before completing. 

The picture below is the four finished cards. Seriously, I had so much fun making these. They required minimal materials and came together so easily. 

This technique is so fun to make multiples cards without the mundaneness of making four of the same cards because they all turn out a little differently. 

Above and below are the full cards so you can see what they look like since the collage cuts a little off of each one.

As I mentioned already, this technique is so much fun. You need to try it. I am including some other cuts and bases that I made. The cards are not completed, so you will have to come back another day to see even more cuteness.

I selected three different sheets of designer series paper which means I needed to make three cuts with my stack. The top picture is the shuffled look on the bases. the bottom right is the stack for the top picture. The last picture is three totally different pieces of designer paper from a different pack of paper. It is also a stack of three because I did three cuts.  Notice the cuts are different from the duck cut. And again, there is no measuring involved. That's the greatest part of this technique.

Don't forget to head over to Sisters in Stamping for more Stack, Slice and Shuffle cards. 

We have one week left to the sale on Bundles. You can save an additional 10% (which is a total of 20% off) on each bundle. There are some great bundles, so you should go check it out and order before the end of the month. 

Thanks for stopping by. See you soon.