Happy Valentine's Day!

 It's almost Valentine's Day!!  The Paper Pumpkin kit for January was all about hearts so I've made a bunch of Valentines and a few anniversary cards for the future.

These slimline cards seem to be all the rage now.  You can make them different sizes.  The Traditional Slimline is 8 1/2" x 9" and scored at 4 1/4" on the 8 1/2" side.  This one that I made (above) is 6 1/2" x 7" and scored at 3 1/2" & it fits in a business size envelope.  Here are a few other slimline card dimensions:

Mini Slimline - 2 3/4" x 11"; scored at 5 1/2"  You can also make an envelope for it - 6 1/2" x 6 3/4"; scored at 1 5/8" and 4 5/8" on the 6 1/2" side.  Then, turn 90 degrees & score @ 5/8" & 6 /1/4".

Short Slimline - 3" x 6"; scored at 3"

Basic Slimline - 7" x 8"; scored at 4" for a 4" x 8" card

Extra Slim Slimline - 6" x 9" & scored at 3" (on the 6" side)

Well just disregard that I glued the white piece wrong so the hearts are  upside down!

This is one of the samples that was made with the kit's directions as is the next card.

I just love this little snail!

Enjoy!

Valentines with Meant to Be

I think I've found my mojo!  I haven't been too busy this week (except bridge on Monday) so I have gotten a lot of stamping done!  I made 4 cards yesterday which is good for me.  I used to do that all the time but lately if I get one card made without getting distracted by a good book, a game, etc I am doing good.  Tuesday I concentrated on making Valentine cards which I will put in my customers orders.  I had the Meant to Be bundle on my desk that I bought last year and used it on all these cards.

I found the dark pink colored heart in my scraps so pulled it out for this card.  It is a light metallic paper that wrinkles real easy so it was good to just use a bit of it peeking out behind the Powder Pink heart.  I used Berry Burst ribbon and card base which is retired but you could easily substitute Petal Pink and Rich Razzleberry.  I'm just not a fan of the Petal Pink.

I paired the Powder Pink with Soft Suede this time.  The pink ribbon is retired but the Crumb Cake ribbon is part of the Magnolia Lane Suite.

This time I paired Powder Pink with Basic Black.  I found a piece of retired DSP and retired ruffled ribbon to use on the card.

Now, this card about did me in!!  I die cut the long string of hearts from black cardstock.  But then I decided it would be much easier if I die cut them using the adhesive sheets first instead of using glue.  Well, I goofed and didn't put the black cardstock on the die!  I ended up having the sticky paper all over my die, my fingers, my desk, my tools ......!   It took me forever - and a lot of Goo Gone - to clean up the die.  I still think I need to soak it a bit more with Goo Gone or really hot water and a toothbrush!  I used all the little hearts that came out with the long (sticky) die to glue into the holes.  I used some retired DSP and ribbon on the card.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!   Hope you are having a wonderful day!  I plan on it.  I will be playing Hand and Foot with some friends this afternoon at my house and think I have everything ready to go.  Tonight Sonny and I are joining a group of the Catawbans at Galway Hooker for dinner and a comedy show.

I made this card again using the Meant to Be stamp set and framelits.  Are you getting tired of seeing them yet???   I have definitely gotten my money's worth from this bundle.  I suggest you do the same with whatever bundle speaks to you.  When you purchase your bundle, see how many different ways you can use it before moving on to another set.

Have a fun day whatever you do!

Found this quote and I love it - "Be someone who makes someone else look forward to tomorrow"

Stamp Club Valentines

I had Stamp Club last week and we made a few Valentines and other cards from stamps that I received at convention.

This first one is from this month's Paper Pumpkin.  This kit had a lot of supplies in it to make a bunch of little Valentine boxes.  I let the gals make as many as they wanted to give to their grandkids & I still have a lot left.  I'll probably be making some alternative projects with the supplies after I make a few boxes.  If you are not familiar with Paper Pumpkin, it is a great kit that you receive each month.  You can stop and restart it at any time with no obligation.

I'm anxiously awaiting the February kit to see what cute projects are in store.  Here is a sneak peek!

We made two Valentine cards at club.  The one below features a new stamp set from the Occasions Catalog, Meant to Be with Lovely Lipstick and Powder Pink card stock.  You can purchase this set and the dies as a bundle which is what I did, saving 10%.  I love the heart dies!!

The Meant to Be stamp set is a Cling Stamp set.  If you experienced some difficulty getting the Stampin' Up! stamps to stick to your clear blocks in the past and you stopped putting labels on them like I did just to help them stick, then you are going to love SU's Cling Mount Stamps.  You can confidently put the image labels on and they will cling perfectly to the clear blocks.  I would definitely recommend you watch this video for tips on putting the labels on and removing the stamp from the clear blocks.

  

This second Valentine also uses the Meant to Be bundle with Powder Pink and Crumb Cake.  I couldn't believe that in all my stash of designer paper, I could not find any with hearts on it and forgot to order the SU DSP!  So, I cheated and picked up a couple of sheets from a big box craft store near me for the card.

Here is a short video highlighting the stamp set and Be Mine dies.

 I'll be back tomorrow to share the remainder of the cards we made.

February Stamp Club Projects - Lots to Love & Waterfront!!

These are the projects we made in Stamp Club this month.

We first made a little box using the Lots to Love Framelits Dies from the Occasions catalog.  It is really easy to miss this set of dies - I did the first 2-3 times I went through the catalog.  But I really love this little box and it is super easy to make.  I used it at Valentine's and made a bunch of little boxes that I filled with Dove chocolates. 

Whisper White Narrow Note Cards and Envelopes (page 19 of Occasions) were decorated using the 6"x6" Picture Perfect Party DSP.  This DSP makes it super easy to create simple birthday cards!   I gave them their choice of using the Bird Banter stamp set or the We Must Celebrate critters (below).  Blender pens were used to color with.

These are a couple of the Valentine boxes that I made to give to friends.  The hearts framelits are included in the Lots to Love dies.  I just used some old DSP that I had on hand to decorate the boxes.

We also made two cards using the wonderful Waterfront set.  I think this is one of my all time favorite stamp sets!  I wanted the gals to see how versatile AND how easy it is to use this set and make a masterpiece!  Think I sold four sets last week!

The beach scene:

The mountain scene:

Valentine Cards

Since it is almost Valentine's Day, thought I'd share a few of the cards I made for the occasion.  You have a couple of days to get your Valentine cards made.  I hope these will give you some inspiration!!

This first card I made using the Jars of Love stamp set, one of my favorites from the Annual Catalog.  I stamped the jars onto the DSP which is retired.  I think it was a Valentine pack from last year.  I punched little heart flowers with a small heart punch that is now retired also.  Pretty simple but different, don't you think?

This is my Valentine Grunge card.  I stamped the vertical lines in Smoky Slate from Gorgeous Grunge.  The little hearts scattered around are from Perpetual Birthday Calendar, which is a set I tend to use a lot for it's backgrounds.  You should check it out.  I stamped the hearts in Melon Mambo and Smoky Slate.  The "Love" heart is from last month's Paper Pumpkin kit.

This card was an easy one to make.  The DSP is a piece I found in my paper stash.  I die cut the heart and "love" from Sunshine Wishes Thinlits. I found a heart button in my button jar and thread the black thread through it and tied it around the white card.  Easy peasy!

I hope these cards are a help to you as you make your Valentines.

Paper Pumpkin Valentines

I have had a very productive two days!  I have been making cards!  I know that sounds strange because you probably think that is nothing new.  But, I have been in a card making slump for several months.  With the holidays, I was so busy with other things that I just didn't enjoy making the few Christmas cards that I made (which wasn't much!)  But yesterday and today, I had nothing on my schedule but "ME" time and I took advantage.  I've made about 15 cards in two days!  While I was on a roll yesterday, my mom called and asked if I would make 8 valentines for her for the shut-in's at her church.  Sure!  I don't have many Valentine stamps so I started going through what I did have and found several stamps and framelits that would work for Valentines.  Plus, I just received my January Paper Pumpkin which had Valentine stamps and materials to make little goodie bags.  I didn't want to make the goodie bags - leaving that for Marianne to make for mom using her Paper Pumpkin.  (Mom planned on asking Marianne to also make 8 cards for her.)

Here is what I came up with:

Not only did I use things from January's Paper Pumpkin but I also pulled the gray DSP from the December kit.  See?  You can do alternative things with Paper Pumpkin.  The December kit creates a photo/memory book with patterned paper, window sheets, stickers, washi tape and for the first time, a rotary stamp and black journaling pen.  I decided I didn't need a photo book so I created the cards above.  I am going to make a few cards and other items with the supplies I still have left.  From the January Paper Pumpkin, I used the gold heart stickers, the vellum banner, the gold thread and the "love" heart which was stamped onto a white heart that was included.  I punched the small pink hearts using the Owl punch.

The Paper Pumpkin kit is on sale through March.  Now during Sale-a-Bration is a great time to take advantage of the sale.

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Happy Valentine's!

Happy Valentines!  We weren't sure what the weather was going to be like today so we went out to eat last night.  I suggested Hawthorne's Italian in Huntersville.  We have always liked the Hawthorne's in Charlotte and just found out they had a restaurant closer to us.  Well, forget about being the least bit romantic!  Right next to our booth was 4 tables pushed together with 4 or 5 young couples with a few of their kids.  The rest of the kids were seated in the booth behind us doing whatever they wanted!  The noise they made was crazy!  Plus where we were seated, every time the door opened to the restaurant (a lot!) a blast of freezing air blew over us.  (It never got past 35 degrees yesterday and it was 29 degrees on our way home.)  I ended up wearing my jacket most of the time.  Luckily, the food was really good even if I did blow all my Weight Watchers points.  

Sonny gave me a beautiful Valentine card.  I just hope he didn't pay the $7.99 that it had on the back of it!!  Makes my Stampin' Up cards worth a lot more than I charge for them that's for sure!  My new neighbor left me a sweet Valentine's gift on my front porch too.  Plus, her card is beautiful!

My son, Jeff, and his family left Arizona on Friday and are moving to Alabama.  They will be closing on their house at the end of the month.  Yay for them!!  Luckily, my Valentines to Jayce arrived before they left.

Go Panthers!! plus Playful Pals

Well .... it is SUPER SUNDAY!  Go Panthers!!!  We are going to join some friends at a restaurant/bar in Mooresville to cheer on the Carolina Panthers.  (Yes, I can cheer for a team other than the Steelers!)  I even have a couple of Panther tee shirts!  It's just that Carolina didn't have a team when I became a Steeler fan - and they didn't have one for many years while I was cheering on the Steelers.  But as you can see below, I have my own little Panther.

She didn't like having her picture made and was roaring to get down!  But makes a cute picture.

Isn't this the cutest??  I love this card.  This is one I saw when I was at Quarterly.  I think this will make a great Valentine for someone special. 

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

We're getting ready for the Big Storm this week!  Temps have been dropping for the past couple of days.  Tonight it is supposed to dip into the teens with the high only 32 tomorrow.  Snow and ice are predicted to start in the early evening and last 2-3 days.  I have already canceled my Stamp Club for Tuesday and I am hoping I will be able to have everyone come on Thursday.  Tomorrow I will be bundled up to go play bridge and then take my mom to her doctor's appointment before the storm hits.

I wanted to share the Valentine's that I sent to the grandkids last week.

I printed off these wrappers and wrapped boxes of candy that I got at the Dollar Store

I used the Mini Treat Die to make little bags that I filled with candy.

More Dollar Store finds - Valentine pencils.  I used the smaller panel of the Mini Treat Die to make these cute little pencil holders.

We had a pretty quiet Valentine's.  Sonny and I went out for breakfast and then to the grocery store.  Later that evening, we went over to Marianne and Greg's so I could help Marianne get ready for her first workshop.  We took a break and went out for Italian food.

I got some GREAT news today!  Remember this sketch I did for MDS Monday's 100th Sketch Challenge?  Well, I was notified on Sunday that I was a WINNER!!  They picked two top winners and I was told in my email that mine was chosen by a landslide!  So excited!  I win a MDS download (value $9.95).  I had a whole list that I had to decide between.  I have so many of the downloads that sometimes I have a hard time finding ones I don't have!!  But I decided on a punch and several embellishments that I didn't have yet.  Check out the other winners here.

How do you like my new Blog Banner?  I had fun designing a new one on Sunday.

Spiral Flowers

I am loving the new Spiral Die flowers!  And .... it is easy to use.  I watched a You Tube Video about making the flowers and got a few tricks and voila .... beautiful flowers.  We made a card wish a Spiral Die Flower on it in Stamp Club so every one could see how easy they were.  I love using the Coordinations paper and distressing them before rolling them up.

Flower made using Primrose Petals Coordination

• ·        Card stock is Primrose Petals.
• ·        Emboss Pool Party card stock with embossing folder.
• ·        Optional:  Distress edges of Pool Party card stock and Early Espresso card stock.
• ·        Stamp sentiment (at angle) from Perfect Pennants stamp set onto white card stock and adhere to Early.Espresso card stock.
• ·        Stamp banners from Perfect Pennants in Pool Party and Raspberry onto white card stock and cut out.  Adhere to card.
• ·        Wrap Pool Party ribbon around left side of white card stock.
• ·        Make Spiral Flower.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNmnSTl8LBM
•       Distress card stock with sanding block.
• ·        Adhere flower to card.

Pool Party Coordinations paper - distressed.  I also tipped the edges with blue ink.

Soft Suede Coordinations

I distressed most of these with a Standing Block.  I also used a dauber with White Craft Ink for the edges.

Of course, we had to make a Valentine card!  I thought this was a cute one and could also be used for an anniversary card. I used Love You More stamp set that is available through Stampin' Up until Jan. 27.  The DSP in this card uses Christmas paper (Season of Style) left over from the Holiday mini catalog.

• Card stock is Cherry Cobbler
• Adhere strips of Chocolate Chip card stock to top and bottom of DSP paper strip.  Adhere to middle of card.
• Use Embossing Buddy on white card rectangle first!!! 
• Stamp globe stamp in Versamark onto white paper & heat emboss with Copper Powder.
• Stamp globe 2^nd time with Versamark onto Coastal Cabana card stock and heat emboss.  Punch out globe with 1” punch  and adhere to globe with dimensional.
• Use Hearts Framelits (smallest heart) and cut out a heart from Cherry Cobbler card stock.  Adhere to white rectangle with dimensional.
• Layer white rectangle card stock onto brown card stock.
• Adhere Cherry Cobbler ribbon on right side and adhere to card

Valentine / Anniversary Swap Card

Hope you had a happy Valentine's Day.  When I was little, I think Valentine's Day was one of my favorite holidays.  I loved to make the Valentine boxes for school and then hope whom ever I had a secret crush on would put a special Valentine in the box on my desk.  But today Valentine's Day makes me a little sad because my son and daughter are not close enough for me to give them a big fat Valentine hug.  Sonny bought me a really sweet card and I made him one.  We decided not to go out to dinner and fight the crowds.  Instead, we used a Groupon that we had for a meat store in Mooresville and bought a Porterhouse steak.  Sonny grilled it outside and I made scalloped potatoes, salad, and mushrooms to go with the steak.  It was yummy!! 

I made Valentine sucker holders last weekend to send to my grandchildren.  Since I had to buy a whole bag of heart suckers, I decided to make enough for my bridge group.  I used the Scallop Envelope die to make them.  I just love that die - it is so versatile!

I am finally going to be teaching the MDS class this weekend in Kernersville to my NC demo friends.  I was scheduled to do it a few weeks ago when the weather did not cooperate.  Friday is supposed to be ok but the cold weather is moving in on Saturday.  It is supposed to be a high of 60 Friday and 42 on Saturday and Sunday!!  Crazy but it is February!!  We are doing a card swap in the afternoon after my class.  The card I made for the swap was a Valentine's card but now I have changed it to an anniversary card! 

I stamped Happy Anniversary and punched it out with the Label Punch and just glued it over the Happy Valentine's Day tag!  I love this two tone ribbon from the Spring Mini - it is great for making bows!  I like the mix of Pink Pirouette and Raspberry Ripple.

A Valentine Challenge

Hearts are in the air!  Are you ready for Valentines Day?  I will be making my honey a card today.  We don't have real romantic plans for the special holiday but we will be celebrating it together.  I purchased a Groupon last weekend for a Meat Market in Mooresville - spend $15 for $25 worth of meat.  So Sonny is going to stop by on Thursday and pick up some steaks.   He will grill them while I made potatoes, salad and rolls.  What are your plans?

Here is my MDS2 card for the sketch challenge with the Paper Craft Crew. 

Here is the Supply List for this card:

Background     Color = BLUSHING BRIDE 
Embellishments
    Soft Blooms - embellishments\Soft Blooms - 1 blushing bride (re-colored)
    Soft Blooms - embellishments\Soft Blooms - 2 blushing bride (re-colored)

Stamps
    Designer Kits\Tea Time II\Tea Time II - doily, Color = WHISPER WHITE 255,255,255
    Valentine Defined\Valentine Defined - love

Punches
    Pinking Hearts Corner Punch,
    Pinking Hearts Border Punch, Fill Color
    Extras\Flag Punch, Fill Color = WHISPER WHITE 
    Labels & Tags\Get It Done - punch 1, Fill Color = BLUSHING BRIDE
    Extras\Full Heart Punch, Fill Color = WHISPER WHITE
    Extras\Full Heart Punch,  Filled with: Designer Series Paper\_Designer Kits\Stacks of Millions - designer series paper\Stacks of Millions - 10
    Extras\Full Heart Punch, Fill Color = BLUSHING BRIDE

Photos
    Designer Series Paper\_Designer Kits\Stacks of Millions - designer series paper\Stacks of Millions - 7

 To check out the other cards made by the crew, check them out here - http://www.papercraftcrew.com/

Do you Like the Blog?

I'm still working on improving the look of my blog.  How do you like these colors?  I keep tweaking it to make sure it is easy for you to read so let me know if it is not.

We had a pretty cold weekend but that was ok.  Marianne came over Saturday and we worked on our swap cards to take to Kernersville this weekend.  I am doing a beginners class for the NC demonstrators on My Digital Studio and after lunch, we are going to do a card swap using products from the new mini catalog and the Sale-a-Bration catalog.  I will be sharing those cards with you next week.  Here is a sneak peek of mine -

 I actually used the whole spool of this ribbon so now I need to order more.  

On Sunday I spent all day on the computer working on my projects and presentation for next week's class.  There is so much I want to share and teach but only so much time to do it!  I hope the ladies come away with a better understanding of everything My Digital Studio2 can do!

I also spent the day Sunday watching football.  I was quite happy with the results although, truth be told, I didn't really care if Atlanta or San Francisco won except for the fact that I had chosen San Fran. in our Football Pool.  Since I chose both games correctly, I really moved up in the standings!!  Don't think it will put me in the money, but Sonny might have a chance - he's in 3rd place right now.  I've done pretty good and I'm only about 5 games back.

 Here is a card I made last week using some retired items - the DSP and the ribbon.  But I like the simplicity of the card.  It could be used for Valentine or any occasion actually.  

Have a good day.  We are heading to the Y in just a bit.  And this afternoon, we are going to the movies with the Golden Boys movie group to see Dark Thirty (I think that's the name).

Queen Sketch Challenge

My card for the Queen's Sketch Challenge this week uses a set that I have had for several years but is still a great "go to" set especially for masculine cards.  It is the Loads of Love set and the matching Accessories set.  I love to watercolor the pick-up truck and it can be used for so many different occasions - Christmas, birthday, Easter, Valentine, etc.  I love sets that are versatile and can be used for more than one purpose.

I watercolored the truck and the Valentines and used the Designer Labels Dies to cut it out.  I also used the Labels Die for the Real Red label. 

What a beautiful day!

Oh, what a beautiful day!!  We have had wonderful weather the past couple of days and the sun is shining brightly now!   I will probably be helping Sonny do a little yard work later today, but hopefully, will also have time to do some stamping.  I have a "chocolate" stamp that I am itching to use!!  Unfortunately, right now I am sitting with a heating pad wrapped around my neck!  I was talking to Ashley this a.m. via Skype and leaned back in my chair and this pain ran down the left side of my neck.  Ouch!!  I think it is muscle spasms just on that side of my neck.  I have been rubbing and massaging it and am now trying heat.  My mom had this last week and ended up going to the hospital and the doctor.  She was in pain for a week and was taking pain tablets as well as muscle relaxers.  I may be getting one of her muscle relaxers this weekend.  I don't know what has caused me to all of a sudden, get this!

I have received a couple of knock out cards this week that I want to share with you.  The first one is a Valentine.  Other than the one my hubbie bought me, this was the only Valentine I received and it is gorgeous!

 Margaret used Greeting Card Kids for this Valentine.  Isn't the pink and black just gorgeous?  I usually pair pink with brown but I'll be using black more now - Just love it!   Thanks friend!

Close up of the little girl.

This is the Monday Mailer that I received from Beth this week.  Can't get over how real those spools of thread look!  This is a set from the Occasions Mini (pg 6) that did not interest me in the least .... until I saw this card!  Beth said she went clean and simple this week and it is great!  She used SU's Color Coach (on pg. 165) to get started with the colors and the SU markers.  The Color Coach is a great tool!  I use it all the time.

 This is the card that I sent to Beth for my Monday Mailer.  I used the Color Coach to arrive at these colors - Peach Parfait, Not Quite Navy and Pear Pizazz.  The stamp set is from the Occ. Mini Baby Blossoms (pg 18). Lots of punches and dies again - I punched the bird and leaves out with the Bird Punch; used Heart Scallop punch on edges; Large Oval punch for "friends" and Tulip embossing folder & Square Lattice embossing folder.