Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Places You'll Go . . . The Things That You'll See

So we're getting ready for a fantastic vacation. Maybe you've already gone on yours. No matter what, it's fun to keep the memories of that great trip or time with family with pictures, a journal, and cards/postcards.

Sometimes I get so frustrated when I need to make a Father’s Day card or a birthday card for one of my guys and dig through my collection of flowery stamps. Are you like me? If you are, you need to add the Travel Log stamp set to your collection!

I'm making these fantastic little goodies to give to my roomies at convention, as well as some little snackie things. I hope they like them!

As you can see, these travel-themed stamps are perfect for masculine cards, and the cool travel theme makes them ideal for scrapbooking your special vacations, too. The travel theme is a timeless style that will be useable again and again.
Travel Log stamp set; Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso Classic Inks; Mat Pack; Paper-Piercing Tool; Cutter Kit-Distressing Tool; Stamping Sponge; Paper Snips; Stamp-A-Ma-Jig; 1/2" Circle, Decorative Label, 1-3/4" Circle, 1-1/4" Square, and Word Window punches; Crop-A-Dile; Snail Adhesive; Mini Glue Dots; Stampin' Dimensionals.























































I figure that just by changing accessories, ink, and card stock colors this stamp set is gonna go from trendy to modern to vintage all with the same stamp set. With great images and fun sayings, the Travel Log stamp set is really going to go the extra mile!

It's in the Summer Mini catalog and will be hitting the road at the end of August.

Are you looking forward to a trip or change of scenery this summer? Thanks for stopping by ~~ Happy Stampin' & Scrappin'!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Savvy Suggestions

Savvy? . . . isn't that what Captain Jack Sparrow says in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies quite a bit? I don't really know for sure because my hearing's so horrible. Unless I have the captions on, I just guess at what I'm hearing some of the time anyway -- which my kids find hilarious at times, I can tell you that!!

Unusual for me, I only have the one photo of a card today. I managed to finish all 50 of the other swaps today, and then began immediately to work on my second set of swaps to take to the Convention in Utah. I went with a totally different color scheme for this card and a fun stamp set that I just stamped over and over again.


I've never put these color together in a card before -- thank you so much, Color Coach! That little baby gives such great ideas for colors. I used that thing with confidence because I just KNOW all the colors that it suggests are gonna look stellar!! And that make one "Savvy Suggestion".

Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke, Bashful Blue, and Very Vanilla card stock; Always Artichoke and Crumb Cake Classic Ink; Postage punch; Pocket Silhouette stamp set; Stampin' Sponge; Stamp-A-Ma-Jig; Basic Rhinestones; Snail Adhesive; Stampin' Dimensionals.

This card layout was taken from Robin's Craft Room. She has such easy-to-follow layouts suggestions. I take what she suggests, change up the colors, but to have an idea to follow makes life so much easier. And that's another "Savvy Suggestion".

Have you made your life easier by following anyone's savvy suggestion(s) today? Thanks so much for stopping by ~~ Happy Stampin' & Scrappin'!

Monday, June 27, 2011

Fifty Frames

So, I had a couple of friends ask about my hubby and his leg. He's doing better -- I think. At least when he awoke this a.m. he was better, but then by the afternoon, he was in enough pain that he made another doctor's appointment for later this afternoon. The doctor told him that he's doing well and to continue being proactive. Thanks for asking.

Hope you like this card. I have gotten this great CD of card layouts from Robin Messenheimer, a fantastic and talented stamper from Hawaii. I think that sounds so cool. She's from Hawaii. Hawaii. Let me just pause here for a moment and think about that . . . Hawaii.

Okay. Enough of that. It just sounds so exotic. Anyway, you should visit Robin's blog if you can possibly manage the time. She has layouts that she freely shares for almost all of her cards. And the thing is, the layouts aren't like what I do, but they are measurements of every . . . . single . . . layer. How cool is that? I mean, so much of the time and effort is taken out of the card that it's insane. I LOVE it!!!!! That's where I got the layout for this card.

Old Olive, So Saffron, More Mustard, Bravo Burgundy, Certainly Celery and Very Vanilla card stocks; Regals Pattern Papers; Bravo Burgundy and Old Olive Classic Ink; Big Shot; Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder; Texturz Plates for the Big Shot; Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch, Decorative Label Punch; Four Frames and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets; Basic Pearls; Snail Adhesive; Stampin' Dimensionals, and Paper Snips.

I was working on putting a bunch of detail on this card. I want to make these to swap at Convention that will be coming up in July. I'm really lookin' forward to going to Utah again this year. I'll make 50 of these cards and then 50 of another card. I only do 100 to swap with other card makers at the Convention. Some people do like 300 or so. I just don't have that kind of energy. I'd rather put the energy into classes and stuff like that.

Have you put energy into anything lately? Thanks for stopping by -- Happy Stampin' and Scrappin'!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Card Guts Are a Girls Best Friend . . . Kinda

As I've said before, "I LOVE card guts!" Those are all the leftovers from when you're doing a whole bunch of cards, but you're done with the cards you were doing and then you have stuff left over.

I enjoy making a new bunch of cards out of what I have. I needed a Father's Day card and thank you cards, so I made them with the card guts of the Aviary card and a new stamp set - Circle Circus. The Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set was used for the greetings on both types of cards.

I like how they turned out. I also decorated the flap of the envelopes and then tucked these little thank you cards into the bags of my customers from their latest purchase. I put the cards into clear envelopes with a little note encouraging them to use the cards themselves or to pass the cards onto someone who could use a Random Act of Kindness (RAK). I made a bunch of the "Friend to Friend" card.


So I used all the same card stock colors as before, and this time I used Peach Parfait, Night of Navy, and Pear Pizzazz Classic Inks, along with the Word Window Punch, and the Modern Label Punch. I wanted to use up my stash of Build-A-Brads, so I used that and punched out a 1/2" circle of the Night of Navy Pattern Paper to put inside the brad. Peach Parfait card stock was used when punching out the Modern Label.

So fun -- and it felt good to use up the card guts that were laying on my craft table. I feel ever so thrifty!!

What have you done that has made you feel thrifty lately? Thanks for stopping by ~~ Happy Stampin' and Scrappin'!





Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Crazy Times

What a couple of days these have been!

We got to go to the Lake to see my family and celebrate birthdays and Father's Day (a little early, I know), and then we had the long drive home all in one day. Usually that's something we attempt to do in a couple of days -- you know, stay overnight or something, but that wasn't happenin' this time around.

And then my sweetie's leg has been bothering him somethin' awful. Ever since he came home from India, it's hurt. He's been thinking doom and gloom about what's wrong with it. Well, around 2:00 in the morning, he wakes me up and says that I've got to get him to the hospital Emergency Room. It's been crazy ever since.

All the things I usually get done just haven't been getting done -- including stamping, making deliveries and everything!!

I sure hope he feels 100% soon. And so this one's for me -- partly because he's driving me birdy or KooKoo or however you say/spell it. But also because he's been on my mind and my heart. Awwww.


I'm also doing this card for a swap at Convention this year. It's a swap for the Word Play stamp set. I reach for that stamp set over and over again -- so I thought it was appropriate to be in a swap for it . . . I need to get new ideas and all that.

Word Play, Charming, and Aviary stamp sets; Not Quite Navy, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White, and Peach Parfait card stock; Regals DSP pack; Not Quite Navy, Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait, and Cajun Craze Classic Ink; Jewelry Tag Medium punch; Mini Library Clips, Basic Pearls; Stamp-A-Ma-Jig; Snail adhesive; Stampin' Dimensionals.

I made 16+1 (17 total) for the swap at Convention. I had to have at least one embellishment on it and at least two paper layers, and - of course - use the Word Play stamp set on the card somewhere.

One more thing to check off the to-do list.


Hope you have been able to check something off your to-do list today. Happy Stampin' and Scrappin'!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Loads of Bows

How are you with doing bows? It's not my best thing. I've been working on it though, and creating a bunch of cards with bows so that I can do the "practice makes perfect" thing.

This card was made using the Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper, along with the Four Frames, and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets.



That bow's not too bad!!! Yay!

Teeny Tiny Wishes and Four Frames stamp sets; Chocolate Chip and Pear Pizzazz Classic Ink Pads; Paisley Prints DSP, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White card stock; Decorative Label Punch; 5/8” Organza Whisper White Ribbon; Basic Pearls; Stampin’ Dimensionals; Snail Adhesive.

And here's a variation on the theme -- same card, but changed it up with colors and stuff.

I'm getting all of this ready for a class I'm planning on holding at the end of the month. It's been lots of fun. The bows are not as bad as I thought. Whoa! Did I really say that? I really like the organza and satin ribbons. They're easy to use for bows because they aren't too thick and lay fairly flat for easy mailing.

Challenge yourself today -- do something that you think is hard or that you can't do. Everyone is different. What is your challenge?

Thanks for stopping by ~~ Happy Stampin' and Scrappin'!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Happy Birthday To You . . . Happy Birthday To You

I can hear that Happy Birthday song playing now . . . so I made some cheery birthday cards. June seems to be one busy month for birthdays in my family. Is it like that for you? I'm also submitting these to a magazine in hopes that they'll be published.
A little close-up of the bling and shimmer/shine of the details.

I used up card guts that I had on hand from a card class I held almost two months ago. I love having card guts. Sure makes creating easier and quicker! The Quick Accents that coordinate with the card stock and Designer Series Paper also make creating quick and easy.

This card is a little baby card (3x3) and probably my fav. Happy, happy birthday, everyone!

Celebrations DSP, Pacific Point, Real Red, Whisper White and Bashful Blue card stock; Create A Cupcake Stamp Set; Pacific Point Classic Ink; Word Window, 1" Circle, and Modern Label Punches; Pear Pizzazz 1/2" Poly Stitched Ribbon, Celebrations Quick Accents; Basic Rhinestone Jewels; Stampin' Dimensionals, and Snail adhesive.

Thanks for stopping by ~~ Happy Stampin' and Scrappin'!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Easy Retirement List For You


Another demonstrator, Virginia Killmore, was nice enough to make up this retirement list of stamps and accessories with PHOTOS!!
Just click on the Retirement List 2011 link below to can see everything page-by-page. You can even print it out! Watch out, though, 'cuz it's 17 pages in length!

Remember -- the stamps are available until the end of June!

The accessories are only available as long as they last. So if you want any of those accessories, place your order soon. They're gonna go fast!!

Retirement List 2011