More Summer Mini Cards!

I played mahjong today and actually got embaressed because I kept winning!  We only play with $2.00 so when you're out of money, you don't pay.  By lunchtime, I had won every game and the other gals at my table didn't have any money left!!  Usually if I start out hot like that, after lunch I never win a game but that wasn't the case today.  I didn't win them all, but I did win half of the remainder games!  My winning streak has been going on for several months and the gals tease me that they won't sit at my table!  I told them I gave them a break while we were on our trip.

I made this card yesterday and I just love it!  I used my markers (Melon Mambo and Crushed Curry) to color the Flower Garden Embossing Folder (the debossed side) and then I ran my Whisper White card stock through the Big Shot.  Such a simple but lovely card!

This is another new technique that I discovered yesterday.  I stamped the Fabulous Florets with White Craft Ink on the Crumb Cake card stock and heat embossed it with white embossing powder.  Then, I used my Versamark Pen (never used before!) and colored in the flower petals for a fabulous tone-on-tone.  Topped a few of the flowers with some purple rhinestones that I found in my stash and voila .... another simple but pretty card!!

Let's Get Nautical!

I've been having fun today making cards with my new stuff!!  It arrived on Friday and it just seems one thing or the other kept getting in my way to create.  This morning I drove to town and got my hair cut and when I returned, I was ready!!

I'm loving the Nautical Expedition paper and had a hard time cutting into it!!  But as a friend told me today, I can always buy another pack!!  I need to keep that in mind.  I also received the Beyond the Garden DSP yesterday and ooh, la, la!!  It is gorgeous.

 This card uses The Open Sea stamp set and a small piece of the Nautical Expedition DSP!!

Supplies:

• Paper:   Naturals White, Night Of Navy, Nautical Exp. DSP
• Ink:   Night of Navy, Cherry Cobbler
• Stamps:  Word Play, The Open Sea
• Punches:   Circle Punches - 1" and 1 1/4"
• Accessories:  twine, Bakers Twine, Big Shot with Two Tags Die, Blue Eyelet, Red Brads, sponge daubers

These cards are the same except for the sentiment and the button and brad at the top.I stamped the sails onto white card stock and cut them out and stamped the red boat onto a piece of Cherry Cobbler and cut it out.  I raised them up with dimensionals.

Supplies:

• Paper:   Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake
• Ink:   Espresso
• Stamps:  Sail Away; Sanded Background stamp, Teeny Tiny Wishes
• Accessories:  Button, Twine, Distressing Tool, Large Grommet; Baker's Twine

Guess you notice the strong resemblance of the Sail Away cards with my Monday Mailer from Becky????  She inspired me.  These will be offered to my stamp club gals on Thursday.

Monday Mailers for May 2011

Sorry there was no post yesterday.  Blogger was down last night so I wasn't able to post anything.  It's gotten pretty warm here .... well warm for us anyway - in the 80's.  I finally couldn't stand it any more and switched on our A/C yesterday - mainly because of the humidity.  We've had some rain this week and the air is really thick outside now.  I know my Texas friends wouldn't consider our temps as hot nor would Ashley where it is already in the 90's in Mosul.  Luckily, Ashley has been able to get a vehicle so she is not having to walk everywhere she goes.  They will be moving her clinic in the next few weeks and she tells me it will be about 1 1/2 miles from her living quarters so the vehicle will definitely come in handy!  Her attitude has not been the greatest since she returned from her R&R and I think she is marking off the days with a vengence!  August can not get here quick enough for her.  Most of the people she has been working with in the clinic have left by now and she has a new staff.  She is the only one of the medical staff that ended up having to stay for a year - the rest only had a 6-month rotation so that is not sitting well with her ... coupled by some respect issues she is running into.

Just a quick comment about American Idol before I share my cards.  I was quite shocked last night when James was voted off!!  When they announced it, Lauren and Scotty were upset, and Haley almost had a smirk on her face.  James sang one last song for us and kissed his wife in the crowd.  I thought James' performance on Wednesday night was the best of the night.  I put a lot of the blame on the 3 judges.  These judges have done a huge misjustice to the contestants by not being truthful in their comments. They seem to be afraid to step on anyones toes by giving them a bad review. All they can do it seems, is praise them, even though at times, some of the performances were horrid!!!..... Then the voters vote accordingly it seems to me.  I think the voting procedure needs to be restructured. The title is Scotty's to lose now.  I thought  it would be between Scotty and James for the final two.  Both were true to themselves and stood out each week. Biggest shock to me since Chris Daughtry went out in week 4 several years ago.  But, Durbin is better off not winning ... just like with Daughtry, the people who will buy his music are more likely to accept him now.

One more thing - Last night they showed a Steven Tyler video...so this year has been odd, videos by J-Lo, video by Steven, a book by Steven, makes ya wonder who they were marketing, the Idols or the judges? Just sayin' that's all.
OK - stepping off my Idol soapbox!

Here are the Monday Mailers so far this month:

Paper Pieced Sock Monkey - The first card I mailed to Tina.

Supplies:

• Paper:   Whisper White, Pacific Point, Real Red; Celebrations DSP 
• Ink:   Black
• Stamps:  Loads of Love; Sock Monkey, Sock Monkey Accessories
• Punches:   Circle Punch - 1 3/8" and 1 3/4"
• Accessories:  Buttons, Red Grosgrain Ribbon; Celebrations Accents; Stampin' Dimensionals

Printed Petals - Card #2 to Tina

Supplies:

• Paper:   Whisper White, Real Red; Sahara Sand; Daffodil Delight; Pear Pizazz
• Ink:    Real Red
• Stamps:  Printed Petals; Oval All
• Punches:   Ovals; Bird Punch
• Accessories:  Scallop Square Sizzix Die, Antique Brad; Finial Press Emb. Folder

Card being opened

Card completely opened.

Card #1 received from Becky

 Isn't this card the greatest?!!  I just love it.  She cut the boat out separately and popped it up with dimensionals.  This is the single stamp in the Summer Mini on page 11 - Sail Away

Card #2 from Becky

This DSP speaks for itself!  This is the paper on page 23 of Summer Mini - Beyond the Garden.

Becky sent me 2 cards this week - she didn't think the 1st card (Beyond the Garden DSP) was good enough!

This is a great card also.  I wasn't going to argue with Becky - I loved receiving both cards but it wasn't necessary!!  Don't you love how she punched the bird using the DSP (sneak peek - Paisley Prints).

MDS & Hybrid Cards from Summer Mini

My Summer Mini goodies won't arrive until Friday.  I can't wait!!  In the meantime, I bought a few of the images for My Digital Studio.  That is such a good way to get the images for a low price - usually under $5.  The following cards are made either totally with My Digital Studio or by printing off the images and making the card with the printed images.

This card uses the printed image.  I printed the ship from The Open Sea in Not Quite Navy.   The background paper is also from My Digital Studio.  The card is Cherry Cobbler.  I used my distressing machine (that Marianne gve me) to fray the edges of the card.

This card was made in My Digital Studio.  See how the ship is smaller?  I like it that you can manipulate the size of the images in MDS.

This is a hybrid card .... I printed out the surfboards and shells from MDS and made the card.  I tore the Crumb Cake cardstock and stamped it with my Itty Bitty Background stamp.  The surfboards are printed in Peach Parfait, Wild Wasabi and Melon Mambo and match my background paper great!  The DSP is from an old stack that I had in my stash of paper.

This card was done totally with My Digital Studio.  I love the combo of Melon Mambo and Bermuda Bay (which is a retired color).

The Summer Mini catalog offers an express version of My Digital Studio.  Read about it HERE.  Anyone who purchases My Digital Studio Express can always add the full content available later by purchasing the My Digital Studio Express Booster Pack, adding $500 worth of content.

Summer Mini Ready plus Other Great Deals!

It's that time .... time for a new mini and do we have a doozy this time!!  I LOVE the Summer Mini and I think you will too.

DOWNLOAD HERE









And if you want to do know what SU used on the various projects in the catalog, you can download the list of supplies  used HERE.


Stampin' Up also carried over some items from the previous mini catalogs.  You can find that list HERE.

Stampin' Up is also celebrating National Scrapbooking Month by passing along some deals to YOU!! You can get 30 percent off a wide selection of scrapbooking products including:

• Select stamp sets
• Select professional print products for My Digital Studio
• Special digital download bundles for My Digital Studio 

Click Here for the list of products that are on sale until  May 31. 

Here are a few of the images that are on sale:

WORD PLAY

Printed Petals

Grunge Rock

Party Hearty

Animal Stories

Simple Friendship

Sweet Shoppe Alphabet

 Contact me to place an order or place your order on-line HERE!!

Quarterly Swaps

The Quarterly swaps were, as usual, inspirational!  I always come away from Quarterly with so many good ideas.  This time was no exception.

Here are the cards I received in the Spring Swap:  A lot of them use items from the upcoming Summer Mini Catalog so you are getting a Sneak Peek!!  (I've identified the creator if I know them - a lot don't sign their work!!)

Travel Log stamp (Summer)  By Jeria

Dogwoods

The Open Sea stamp plus Nautical DSP - summer mini (by Janie)

Bold Blossom stamp (summer mini) 

Flower Garden Embossing Folder (summer) plus Beyond the Garden DSP (no name but I think it was Danielle's)

Strength & Hope (summer mini) by Tina

Bold Blossom (summer) 

New Triple Layer Blossom Punch (Nicole)

Easter Blossoms (Martinette, I think)

Sew Suite (Alana)

by Becky

I'm off tomorrow to meet an old high school friend for lunch.  We are going to meet at 131 Main Restaurant in Cornelius.  I'm looking forward to seeing Judy.  In the 5 years I've lived here, we've only gotten together twice.  That's pretty bad!  She just lives in Charlotte but she has 5 kids and several grandchildren and still works.  So, her time is pretty tied up.  We have known each other since 4th grade!!

August Club Cards

My Club ladies were here today - all except 2 who were out of town.  We worked on sponging and daubing on cards today. 

This card I featured in an earlier post HERE.  It uses a set of stencils from the Decor Elements brochure.  Details can be found on the prevous post.

For these cards, I used a stencil that I made.  I cut a rectangle and an oval out of a piece of cardboard and sponged Pink Pirouette inside the opening.  Then I stamped the flower from Watercolor Trio (Summer Mini).  I used a Regal Rose marker and Old Olive on the stamp.  I used Chunky Glitter for the center of the flowers.  I stamped "From the Heart" on a scrap of Vanilla and glued it inside the Hodgepodge frame - one in vanilla and one in silver.  I attached the frame to the card with the brads.  The final touch is the little half pearls!  I love this card ... so simple but gorgeous.

Another fairly simple card using the Sizzix tropical flower die.  The stamp set, Tropical Flowers and DSP are both from the Summer Mini.  I sponged the turquoise flower and curled the edges up a little.  I used my bone folder to crease the leaf and then sponged it.  Happy Birthday is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set.   

Monday Mailers

I've got a couple of Monday Mailers to share with you. 

This is the card I sent to Karen last week. 

Stamps:  Wildflower Trio and Flight of the Butterfly 

Cardstock:  Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizazz (new in-color); Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White

Ink:  same as cardstock

Acces:  Square Lattice Embossing Folder; Oval Punches; Butterfly Punch

This is the card I received today from Ariel.  She is pregnant and thinking about using this design for her baby announcements.  Isn't it darling?  And it uses two of my favorite colors - Regal Rose and Tempting Turquoise.  Plus ... I love her knot - it looks so good.  I think I try to tie mine too tight.

This was last week's card I received from Ariel.  She used the stamp set, Elements of Style from the Summer Mini.  The flower is punched with the new flower punch.  Plus she used Gold Smooch spray on the card so it is shiny - hard to see in the picture.

You still have about 5 weeks to order from the Summer Mini.  Both the Elements of Style and Watercolor Trio stamp sets are in the mini.  Order now before it is too late!!

Card Challenge 411

Sorry my posting has been sporatic.  Ever since I returned from Texas, I just have not felt good - allergies, vertigo ...!  I don't know how I lived in Texas for 22 years.  Of course, I had constant sinus drainage the whole time we were there and just thought that was normal.  And, every year, like clock work, I had sinus infections in February and October.  Since Ashley moved back there, we have visited her twice and I have come home sick both times.  Saturday, I was feeling good and thought I was on the road to recovery.  Yesterday, Sonny  & I went over to Concord Mills and then to Ben Franklin.  By the time I got home, I was so nauseous -  I crashed on the couch for a few hours and had saltines and butter for dinner!  Guess that was better than Sonny's dinner of ice cream & nuts!  Today I felt better so I took my decongestant and went to play bridge but I am dragging now. 

I did have a little time this weekend to make a card just for fun!  I did it for the Stamping 411 challenge.  I had seen this really cute flower and wanted to give it a try.  Here's the link to making the flower if you want to give it a try. 

This is the sketch I had to follow:

This is my card:

I used the designer paper from the Summer Mini, Island Oasis.  The piece of paper on the top actually has a white background but I sponged Rose Red over it (see sample below).  The flower is made with Rose Red cardstock; the leaves are from the Island Floral Die from the Summer Mini in Old Olive (I creased them down the middle and sponged them).

Here is a close up view of the DSP:

See, you can alter your paper any way you want it!

Well, Ashley left today for Fort Polk in Louisiana for her training for Iraq deployment.  She will be there for 2 weeks "roughin it".  I can't even imagine how hot and muggy it will be and I figure the mosquitoes will carry her away!  She'll be here late in July for a visit with us before leaving for Fort Hood in August and Iraq in September. 

Spoiler Alert!

I've been really industrious today!  I have realized that my blog posts have not been as creative as they should be and I am sorry for that and I intend to do better!!  My friend, Margaret, is still here - her husband left today to return to Texas and I convinced her to stay for a few extra days.  Her husband is a retired American Airlines pilot so they fly for free.  She always tells me she'll come up on her own but never does, so this time I made her put her "money where her mouth was."  We spent the whole day in my craft room working on various projects.  We both got a lot accomplished!  Plus, I got caught up on some of the TV programs I had DVR'd while I was out of town last week.

Here is a card featuring paper and a stamp from the upcoming Summer Mini Catalog.  I love bright colors and this Tropical Party stamp set lends itself to them.

The colors in the paper are Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red and So Saffron.  I used my SU markers to ink the stamp - in black and Rose Red.  Then I applied Glossy Glaze over the "cup."  The card is a gatefold card with a belly band.

Here is the card opened.  I stamped the leaf fronds and flower in the corner of the white piece that I had sponged the edges with orange. 

This set also has a Bigz Die ($21.95) to coordinate with it that has flowers and leaves on it as well as Party Favor Boxes ($5.95) favor boxes come with 12 boxes and 12 coordinating bellybands.  The DSP is great for summer cards!