Class was so much fun last night!  I am so blessed to have such a great group of women for customers and seeing their excitement for the new catalog was a blast!  Here are the cards we made last night (and you can scroll down two posts for the third project - a genie bag.)

The first card is an example of Faux Seersucker and it’s for my friends Leann and Bunny (using Garden Whimsy and a crimper).  The idea came from this card on SCS by pidgesmom.  Once I started playing with this technique I just couldn’t stop.  I made three cards in quick succession and here’s the one I chose for class.

It’s soooooo easy!  We stamped the images from Garden Whimsy in Pacific Point, Regal Rose and Kiwi Kiss and then the stamped panel was run through the crimper once and turned a quarter turn and run through again for a waffled seersucker effect.  Everyone also stamped either 2 or 3 extra Rose ladybugs on a scrap of white and cut them out and popped them up on dimensionals and then covered them with Crystal Effects.  The 5/8″ Regal Rose grosgrain is the perfect finishing touch.  We also stamped a white panel for inside the card.  Everyone chose a sentiment from Sincere Salutations to stamp in Pacific Point and accented it with the Rose and Kiwi ladybugs to give the card a really nice completed look.

I was telling the girls last night that this card reminds me of a favorite dress I had when I was about 9 or 10 years old.  It was white seersucker with little embroidered flowers on it.  I was taking ballroom dance lessons and I remember that summer wearing that dress to a party at the dance studio and feeling like I was all that!   *grin*

This next card was my favorite of the evening - it’s so me!

This card is so simple (and yet elegant) that I don’t think it needs much explanation, but here goes…

The base is Old Olive layered with Riding Hood Red and Bella Rose designer paper.  The two prints are opposite sides of the same sheet, so I just cut pieces 5″ x 4″ and then cut the 4″  into two pices at 2.25″ - the smaller piece was then flipped over and punched with the scallop edge punch.  Everyone chose a letter from Lovely Letters (I’m so excited to finally have this set!) and inked it with Kiwi Kiss and added Olive marker to the leaves before stamping on Shimmery White cs.  Then the stamp-a-majig was used to place the frame from Frames with a Flourish stamped in Riding Hood Red.  (I found it much easier to stamp the letter first and then add the frame as opposed to the other way around.) That piece was hand trimmed and layered onto Old Olive and adhered with dimensionals over the 5/8″ Olive grosgrain ribbon.

Wouldn’t this card be great as a set to give as a gift?  And they could be mass produced quite easily.

I hope you are enjoying your Saturday and that you’ll take a little time to stamp!  I need to put away everything from last night and then I plan to plop down at my stamp table for a little play time.  Thanks for stopping by.

P.S. my retired stamps for sale list is still active - just scroll down a bit.  I also have one set for trade at the very end of the list - anyone want Heartfelt Thanks?  I’m offering a good deal!

Happy Friday!  It’s time for Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge (cupcakes not required).  Get all the details on Taylor’s blog by clicking here.  Come play along and you might win a prize or even be chosen to be Taylor’s Featured Stamper.

As you know, I’ve been sorting and cleaning out my stamps and clearing out lots of my old sets.  One of my original favorite styles when I started stamping was bold images and I have a few I just can’t let go of despite the fact that I rarely use them anymore.  This card seemed perfect to utilize some of them

I had combined two coordinating sets in one box so I’m not certain, but I think this set was called Framed Fun.  To continue the retro look I used some long time retired SU one-sided designer paper.  I still love the Pink Passion/Pumpkin Pie combo.  The images were stamped on Whisper White cardstock and purposely punched (1 1/4″ circle) off center and then layered onto 1 3/8″ pumpkin pie circles.

The sentiment from Dreams du Jour was stamped in Black Craft ink on vellum and heat embossed with irridescent ice embossing powder.  Some grosgrain ribbon and random rhinestones (pink, orange, clear from Kaiser Craft, K&Co. and Taylor’s Tiny Twinkles) finish off this 5 1/4″ square card.

Time for some blog hopping to see what the rest of the Cupcake Crew has cooked up:

Ana Wohlfahrt: Ink A Stamp
Stephanie Hargis: Steph’s Stampin’ Stuff
Vicki Chrisman: This Art that makes me Happy
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Lynn Mercurio: Stamperosity
Mary Jo Albright: Beauty Lies Within
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme

 Tonight is my monthly Stampin’ Up! Class and the Kick Off of a new round for my Hostess Club.  Lots to do today to get ready for the fun evering ahead!  Thanks for stopping by. Hope you are inspired to get out some old stamps and see what you can do with them.

PS scroll down 2 posts to see my retired stuff for sale

Just a quick post to share a little peak of one of the projects we’ll be doing at my Stampin’ Up! Class tomorrow night. I wanted to use Dreams du Jour, but wanted something a little different from the Sweet Bella color combo I’ve been stuck on lately. SCS Color Challenge to the rescue with Old Olive, Taken with Teal and Elegant Eggplant.

This is a just a simple fun little genie bag (using a small white lunch sack from Smart’n'Final as the base). The background piece is Floral stamped in eggplant on white. Cutting out the butterflies is a little time consumimg, but overall this is easy-peasy!

Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to come back tomorrow for the Cupcake Friday sketch challenge. And also be sure to scroll down one post to see what I’m selling. Have a great day!

Remember that Clean Sweep I started awhile back?  Well it’s finally time to get that box of stamp sets out of my living room and in the mail to you!  Please take a look at what I have for sale and e-mail me jamistamps@yahoo.com) if you’d like to purchase anything.

Important Information:

–I will only ship Priority Mail. Usually 1 small set will fit in a Flat Rate envelope for $4.80. Otherwise, the next best rate will most likely be $9.50 for a Flat Rate box.  If you live locally and want to come by to pick up your purchase, let me know.

–I will only accept PayPal for payment. I apologize to those of you without a PayPal account, but I just don’t have time to wait for checks and run to the bank, etc.

–When you email me, please include your full name, the sets you are interested in, and the email address where you would like me to send a PayPal invoice. Once I figure shipping costs, I will send you an invoice through PayPal.

All sets are mounted, very gently used or never used and in excellent condition unless otherwise noted.

All sets are mounted, very gently used or never used and in excellent condition unless otherwise noted.

Let’s Party - $4 SOLD
Wishing You the Best $4 (slight staining on 2 blocks)
The Fine Print $4
Reverse Prints $5 SOLD
Fresh Flowers $5 (some staining on a few blocks)
Blooming With Happiness $6 SOLD
The Art of Life $6 SOLD
Mini Messages $6 SOLD
Sparkling Season $7
Simply Spring $7
Loving Hearts + matching wheel $8 (staining on several blocks)
French Flair Background $8 SOLD
Well Worn Words Background $8 SOLD
Pindot Plaid Background $6
Watercolor Garden $8 (some staining on several blocks)
Polka Dots & Petals $8 (+ free bonus sample card) SOLD
Polka Dots & Paisley $9 (+ free bonus sample card)
Infinite Goodness $12
Brushstroke Double Alpha $15 SOLD

Wild Rose $20 (+ free bonus 2 sample cards) SOLD
What Could Be Better – new unmounted - $9

The following are older more rare sets. I can provide photos of any of these if needed.
Little Shapes $3
Gifted Greetings $4
Bold & Bright $4 SCS gallery
Rose Rhapsody $7 SCS gallery
Victorian Frame $9
Shapes & Shadows $8

Ink Pad – SU Rose Romance Classic ink – NEW still in plastic - $2 SOLD
Ink Pad – SU Forest Foliage Craft Ink – NEW still in plastic - $2 SOLD

FOR TRADE - Heartfelt Thanks (mounted barely ever used)- will trade for used Fun & Fast Notes or All Scallops or new Only Ovals - each pays own shipping.

Thanks for looking. 
 

It’s Friday AND it’s the 8th - that means it’s time for both Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge (cupcakes not required) AND Divine Design.

First here’s my card for TECC28.  I got to use this super fun new Stampendous set being released today exclusively at eclectic Paperie.  It’s called Merry Muffins and it’s so clever!  There are two different bottom pieces - a soda glass and a muffin/cupcake and then several different tops (whip cream or icing) with different characters - chick, Fluffles the cat, penguin, snowman.  They are clear stamps and so easy to put together in all the different combos along with the cute sentiments and little extras like straws and sprinkles.

For this card I colored the image with Copic markers and added Crystal Effects to the soda glass and cherry as well as Liquid Applique for the whipped cream.  Sentiment on the front says:  Hope your bday is delish.  On the inside it says:…with a cherry on top!! Finished card size is 6″ x 3.25″.  If you want this set (and how could you not?) you need to head over to eP and order it right away.  I’m not sure how many of these sets they got, but I’m betting they sell out over the weekend.  You can see more samples by clicking here.

Recipe:

paper - Real red, Summer Sun, White, sp from Basic Grey Two Scoops

stuff - Copic markers, Crystal Effects, Liquid Applique, Liquid Pearls, Kaiser Craft green rhinestones, fancy red flower rhinestone brad, circle punches

The TECC is a sketch challenge and you do not need to use cupcakes.  I hope you’ll play along - you can get all the info on Taylor’s blog by clicking here.  To see samples made by the whole Cupcake crew just do a little blog hopping:

 Lynn Mercurio: Stamperosity
Ana Wohlfahrt: Ink A Stamp
Stephanie Hargis: Steph’s Stampin’ Stuff
Vicki Chrisman: This Art that makes me Happy
Mary Jo Albright: Beauty Lies Within
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper

And now to switch gears to the Divine Design Challenge.  I apologize for missing last month - I just never got caught up.  At some point I do intend to do a make up card for it though.  The verse I chose for this month is Psalm 43:3.4

      O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me;
         Let them bring me to Your holy hill
         And to Your dwelling places.
    Then I will go to the altar of God,
         To God my exceeding joy;
         And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God.

This month’s journaling card is very simple - the verse is printed on vellum and framed with Bella Rose designer paper layered over a Kiwi Kiss base.  The roses are cut out from another sheet of Bella Rose and covered in Crystal Effects.  The vine is made up of some die cut leaves that have been sitting out on my stamp table for months. 

Let’s see what the other Scripture Chicks have to say today - Angel Wilde, Nancy Morgan, Taylor VanBruggen and Lori Craig.

Today I’m having an Open House Retired Stamp Sets Clearance.  If you’re in the area I hope you’ll stop by between 3-5 or 7-9pm.

WooHoo!!!!  One of my favorite days of the year is when I receive the brand new Stampin’ up! Catalog and Idea Book.  *It’s good to be a Demo*  I ran to Carl’s Jr. to get my huge fountain Diet Coke, set up my OTT Lite (these over 40 eyes just aren’t what they used to be) and settled in on the couch for two hours of (almost uninterupted) JOY!  Groceries?  What groceries?  Uh…sorry honey!!!

And to spread the joy I just happen to have my Sneak Peek Swaps to share with you today.

Sorry to post thumbnails, but if I size them down too much you really can’t see the individual cards.  Just click on each photo to see it larger.  I hosted this fabulous 3 Round Swap.  My Rockin’ Swappers are: 

Round 1

 Fresh Cuts –   Britta Ward

Heard from the Heart – Taylor Van Bruggen

Wow Flowers – Jessica Newton

Sock Monkey – Janine Tinklenberg

Dreams du Jour – Lori Craig

Bella Rosa Designer Paper  – Tandra Boyer

Surprise me with any of the above – Jen Moneagle

Round 2

Fall Flair  - Jen Moneagle

Deer Friends –  Jessica Newton

Occasions Collection or Dreams du Jour – Lisa Hoekstra

Serene Spring – JanTink

Heard from the Heart –  Crystal Caspen

Window Dressing – Deborah Robb

 Sock Monkey -  Bev Gerard (not pictured)

Round 3 This round is based on the new in-colors.

1. Baja Breeze –  Tandra Boyer
2. Kiwi Kiss –   Leann Yoho
3. Pacific Point – Britta Ward
4. Pink Pirouette – Tracy Harp
5. Riding Hood Red – Jen del Muro
6. Tangerine Tango – Crystal Caspen
7. Pink Pirouette AND Riding Hood Red -  Sharon Maranich

Seriously - aren’t they fabulous???  You can see their individual uploads with details in the SCS gallery by clicking here.  Looks like not everyone has uploaded yet.  The Swap Nazi might need to crack the whip a bit!  Bwahahahahahaha!

I LOVE so many things about the new catalog.

*SPOILER ALERT* If you have not seen the catty and don’t want to read spoilers (like I didn’t) then read no further.

Some things I LOVE:

• Sweet Bella Style Watch - I am all over that one - the colors, the images, everything - it’s SO ME!!!
• New punches - love all four - scallop edge, wide oval, scallop square, 1 3/4″ circle PLUS the Curly Label Punch Bundle - love the whole set and am so happy they took the ink spots out!
• Designer Papers - especially Bella Rose, Georgia Peach, Parisian Summer and the new monochromatic Patterns.  Also love love love that they printed the names of the coordinating cardstock colors with each dp.  GENIUS!
• Favorite new ribbons - Riding Hood Red Taffeta, Sage Shadow Grosgrain (not that there is anything all that exciting about it, but I have wished for some kind of ribbon in Sage Shadow for years!)
• Favorite embellishments - designer brads - especially Filigree - wow!
• Stamp sets - well I need to really go through the catty a bunch more times, but some of the sets I wrote down on my first impression list are: Humor in High Heels (p54), Cheers to You (p54), A Flower for All Seasons (87), Bella’s Bloom (103), A Rose is a Rose (105), Beautiful Borders (132)
• Die Cut stamps - hallelujah - all new stamp sets are die cut!!!!
• Techniques tutorials - a full page at the begining of each new section - this is awesome!
• Never Before Seen Savings on Never Before Seen Stamps - can you believe SU is offering 15% off 10 brand new sets?  I am floored by this!!!!  So cool!

So, here are my questions to you….what is your favorite

1. New stamp set?
2. New item in the Accessories section (p161-195)?
3. feature about the catalog itself?

I’m off to work - be sure to join me tomorrow morning for a double challenge Friday.  Thanks for stopping by.

Well, we went to see the taping of Millon Dollar Password on Saturday - what a fiasco.  Of course we signed a confidentiality agreement so I can’t say much about the show itself, but….I must say the way they treated the audience was beyond rude.  They issued VIP tickets for preferred seating telling us we needed to arrive no later than 2:30.  When we got there we discovered ALL the tickets were *VIP* and we then stood in a series of three disfferent lines for well over an hour and a half outside in 95 degree heat - sometimes in shade and sometimes not.  Then as luck would have it we got the worst seats in the house where we couldn’t even see the board with the passwords on it.  We didn’t get out until almost 6:00.  The one good thing I will say is that Regis Philbin looks great and he’s an incredible professional and he was very courteous to the audience.  I’ve been to tapings before, but never one this frustrating.  Anyway - the show we saw had Craig Ferguson and Serena Williams as the celebrities and is supposed to air sometime in early Fall, so if you see it look for me in the waaaaaay back corner - LOL!!!

The card I have to share today is a result of a little challenge issued by Taylor to me and Joy.  You may remember that I challenged them with little notebooks awhile back - to stamp just for the fun of it - so Taylor decided to keep it going.  She gave us 3 colors of Prism cardstock, 2 small pieces of designer paper and a variety of buttons and then basically just told us to use the stuff to make whatever we wanted.  (Sorry I don’t know the specific of the colors and such, but I assume Taylor will post it on her blog.)

It just happened that the same day I got the challenge kit from Taylor, I also got this cute Bella image Gardenia Gardenthumb (from the chichiboulie line) and I knew immediately I would use it for this challenge.  It just seemed perfect for the floral dp.

This card is 5″ square - I seem to really be drawn to this size lately.  The base is a salmon-y pink.  The yellow layer was punched with the SU scallop edge punch and then I alternated tiny flower punch shapes and clear Taylor Tots.  I wanted green Tots but didn’t have any so I colored each of them with a Copic marker.  Oh my - you should have seen me trying to keep a grip on them with my tweezers.  I’m not sure how many of them I flung across the room!  Sheesh!  Gardenia was colored with Copics and I added stickles to her wings and the flower centers.  Embroidery floss was wrapped around the image and through the buttons.  I didn’t have a green floss so I just colored some white with the same Copic I used on the Tots - super simple.  The round button actually matches the pink paper, but for some reason the photo makes it look orange.  There is an orange layer of cardstock though so I guess that’s ok. 

It’s funny - I wasn’t wanting to stamp because my table is a total mess, but as soon as I got started on this I felt so happy, having so much fun.  It’s especially easy when so much of the card was already decided (cardstock, dp. button embellishments, image) - I just let the layout fall into place.  Thanks Taylor for the Just For Fun Challenge!  I’m off to see what Taylor and Joy made.  Wanna come?

Thanks for stopping by.