Retirement Stamps are Happy Together

I'm on a creative roll here!  Seems like the past few weeks I haven't been too inspired with my stamping.  But the past few days, I'm stamping up a storm.  Trying to get a bunch of the retirement stamps made into cards so I can give them away to a few lucky people out there.

Yesterday, I pulled out Happy Together.  I got this stamp set during Saleabration for FREE!!  That's always a good price in my opinion.  It is a happy little stamp set and makes me smile when I use it!  If you like it, you can purchase it now for only $14.95.  Just make sure you place your order before July 1!!

In this first card, I used the Designer Label Punch which is also retiring so if you want it, get it now!

 RECIPE:

Stamps:  Happy Together, Swirls & Curls Verses

Paper:  Crushed Curry (retired), Choc Chip, Real Red, Whisper White, red DSP

Access:  non SU sequins, Eyelet Border Punch, Eyelet Corner Punch, Designer Label Punch. Mat Pack and Paper Piercing Tool

 RECIPE:

Stamps:  Happy Together, Define Your Life

Paper:  Wild Wasabi, Pacific Point, Beyond the Garden DSP

Access:  Sweet Stitches Designer Brad; Dotted Scallop Ribbon Punch, Pinking Hearts Border Punch. Top Note Die, Big Shot

Here's a close up of the stamped area:

 

March Stamp Club

My Stamp Club met last Thursday and we made three cards. 

This one uses the reinker technique that was so popular last year.  I let them choose their colors and do 4-5 flowers.  We used two of the flowers on this card and they took the other two home to make another card (I hope!!).  This just makes the most elegant card.  I was surprised that no one order this Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set.  I think it is such a versatile stamp. 

Stamps:  Fifth Avenue Floral, Cute By the Inch
Cardstock:  Pumpkin Pie, Barely Banana, Always Artichoke, Shimmery White
Accessories:  Orange Ribbon, Bird Punch (leaves); Scallop Punch; 1 1/4" square punch; Manhattan Flower embossing folder; Big Shot

This card was CASE'd from Brenda at QBee's Quest.  This turned out to be a little bit too much for my gals even though I did most of the work before they got here.  I had the all the cardstock precut and scored; even stamped the owls so they just had to punch them out.  The middle fold uses stickers from a retired Scrappin' Kit.  They just had to stamp the "celebrate" on the back and the Take a Spin on the front plus the arrow.  It's just hard for me to "dumb it down" sometimes but I'm learning!!

Stamps:  Take A Spin; Party Hearty; Punch Bunch (SAB)

This is the third card that we did.  I gave them a choice of this card or the next one.  Most chose this one.  Again, I precut all the squares for them so they just had to glue them down and stamp and emboss.   It was a good one to use up a lot of scraps - some retired and some current.

Stamps:  Fifth Avenue Floral, Warm Words

Cardstock:  Concord Crush; Melon Mambo, Dusty Durango, Kiwi Kiss; Bermuda Bay; Whisper White

Access:  Corduroy Button; Silver Embossing Powder, Versamark

Aren't these little birds just the cutest?  This is one of the stamp sets that you can get with Sale-a-bration for FREE!  Actually, my daughter got this one last month and is letting me use it.  The flower in the corner is also from Sale-a-Bration - it is a sticker from the Ice Cream Parlor kit.

Stamps:  Happy Together

Cardstock:  Whisper White; DSP (In Color pack, pg. 175)

Accessories:  Corner Punch; sticker from Ice Cream Parlor Scrappin Kit (SAB)

Going to the Birds

I made a couple of cards last night while watching TV.  One of the stamp sets I picked up locally last week and the other one is a Stampin' Up set that belongs to Ashley.  It is one of the stamps that you can get FREE during Saleabration!!

I bought a card making magazine this week at M's that I have been wanting and used it tonight for my color choices.  I usually pick my colors with SU's Color Coach which I love!!  But decided to try something different tonight.  Picking my colors is what usually takes me the longest time in making cards!!

The magazine along with my two bird cards

 

 I just realized that I haven't stamped the chain for the birdcage in the center!  Glad I saw it.  The colors I used for this card are mostly retired SU - Brilliant Blue, Cool Caribbean and Chocolate Chip & Certainly Celery (not ret'd). I also used the Modern Label Punch.

This card also uses some retired colors - Brilliant Blue, Gable Green, and YoYo Yellow.  It's funny - I hardly used these colors when they were part of our color family and now I am drawn to them.  Aren't these little birdies cute?  The stamp set is Happy Together.

I'm taking my mom shopping today and out to lunch.  Keep your fingers crossed that I don't buy too much!  We are going to a place in China Grove that has overstocks and that type of deals.  They only open a few times a year with some pretty good buys.  I have only been once before and ended up spending more that mom and I didn't even want to go!!  I did get a pair of black jeans from Coldwater Creek for a steal.  I would love to find another deal like that.  Last time there was also a shoe warehouse open for a limited time across the street and of course, I had to buy a pair of suede boots!