Saying Good Bye to Retiring Products - May Blog Hop

Welcome to the NC Demos Blog Hop!  Did you enjoy the projects that Tracie shared with you?  She always has great cards!  It's time to say good-bye to our favorite retiring products from the 2016-17 catalog, so our May theme is all about saying farewell before we concentrate on our new catalog which premiers on June 1.

My first share in my favorites is a card made with Gorgeous Grunge and a new stamp set, Lovely Friends.  This card literally took me about 5 minutes to make!  I think it took longer to decide on what colors to use (Pacific Point, Lemon Lime and Daffodil Delight) than to make the card! Seriously!

My next favorite stamp set that is retiring is Wetlands.  I love the sea oats and the little birds in the set.  In the card below, I stamped the birds onto a piece of card stock that I did the Marbeling Technique on using shaving cream.  We did that technique in April at my stamp club and my gals loved it!

This next card is also from Wetlands but using the goose this time.  I have not used him very much but I thought this makes a good masculine card.  There is a 2 1/2" piece of window sheet on the card and I masked off a 1 1/4" strip on the inside (that you can see through the window sheet) and sponged Mint Macaron and Crumb Cake.  (Mint Macaron is a color that I am going to sorely miss!!  I am hoping it will return in the future to our color line up.)  Next I stamped the grass in Old Olive.  I also stamped a bit of the grass on the outside of the card.

Here is the card open so you can see how I made it.  You just sandwich the window sheet between the 1/2" strip and the 2 1/2" piece of the card.  We are going to do a similar card in Stamp Club next month but I will be using the Seaside Shores fish that is carrying over to the new catalog.

Another thing I will miss is some of the DSP that we had in the retiring catalog.  I need to stop hoarding all the DSP and use it up during the year.  Don't know why I do that every year - it's not like I can't just order more if I need it!  The card below uses the stamps from Seaside Shore and the corresponding DSP, By the Shore.  I love this DSP and another great one is the paper stacks.   

When I went to my daughter's house last Christmas, I made her a collage frame to hang in her guest bathroom using the By the Shore DSP.  She lives in Hawaii so this was a perfect addition to her "beachy" bathroom!

Well, I hope you have enjoyed the projects I have shared with you.  I didn't mean to put so many on this page but I just couldn't stop!  There are a lot of favorites leaving us but also a lot of new favorites coming our way!!

I know you will enjoy the rest of the stops on the blog hop!  Just follow along below.  If you are going in order, Laurie Meier will be your next stop.

Debra Ballance-Byrd  

Tamra Davis  

Jo Anne Hewins

Michelle Irinyi 

Tracie Evans Langley

Sharon Maranich  - YOU ARE HERE

Laurie Meier

Frances Wagner 

Mother's Day Cards 2017

I can't believe I have not written on this blog all month!!  May has just been crazy for me with Mother's Day, graduations, traveling, company, stamp club and just regular life happenings!  Our friends from Texas came to visit for a week in early May.  Margaret and I were able to do some stamping and also had time to fit in a few shopping excursions while the guys went to South Carolina with a group for target shooting for a few days.  They returned on a Thursday and on Friday we attended my nephew's graduation party.  Wouldn't you know it - it was nice and warm all week but on Friday it was downright cold and the party was outside!  We all had our jackets and sweaters on plus they had a fire going in the back yard so that made it fun for everyone.  Margaret and Graham were able to have their first smore!!  On Saturday, Sonny dropped me and our friends off at the Charlotte airport.  They were catching a plane back to Dallas and I was on my way to New Orleans to meet Ashley.  She had a conference there the week before and took a few days of leave for some "girl time."  We had a great time exploring parts of the city we had never been before.  Plus we took a cooking class at New Orleans School of Cooking that was wonderful!  We learned to make gumbo, shrimp and grits, pralines and bananas foster with crepes!  It was a short trip - we both headed back home on Tuesday.  The day after I returned home, Sonny went back to Myrtle Beach with a group of guys for 5 days of golfing.  While he was gone, I drove to Haw River State Park with my downline for the NC Quarterly.  We ran into some terrible weather driving down there Friday - heavy rain and hail - and on our return trip Saturday - it was road construction that had us at a dead stop for about 45 minutes!  I could hardly get out of bed on Sunday because my back was killing me.  I'm sure it was from being tensed up from the drive and sitting all day on Saturday.  In the midst of all this, I am worried about my mom and a health issue of mine.  Mom is having difficulty getting her breath and the dr. thinks it is congestive heart failure.  She is going to see a cardiologist hopefully tomorrow or Friday.  I had some blood work done last week and my liver count was elevated.  So I was a little worried.  Yesterday I saw my doctor and had more blood work done and everything is back to normal now so I didn't really need to worry!

These are the cards I made for Mothers Day.

This one was made for my mom.  This set is retiring and I have not used it enough!!!

For this card, I used the a mask to sponge Pool Party on the white cardstock.  I also used Gorgeous Grunge (a favorite that is also retiring - boo hoo) to lightly stamp the background.  The flower stamp set is a new one in the 2017-18 catalog, Daisy Delight.  I think you will be seeing a lot of this set!

For this card, I paired the old with the new.  The old is Swirly Scribbles and Thoughtful Banners with it's matching punch (both are carrying over to the new catalog).  The new is the Oh So Eclectic stamp set and the new in-color ink colors - Powder Pink and my favorite, Lemon Lime Twist.  I sponged the half doily.

This card uses the Daisy Delight stamp set and I sprinkled a few sequins around.  The ribbon is retired.

Another card using new products!  The sentiment is from Lovely Friends and the flowers are again from Oh So Eclectic.  The DSP is a great one called Color Theory.  I can't wait for you to be able to order this pack of paper.  It features six designs in four colors - Berry Burst (new In Color & the one I used above), Old Olive, Crushed Curry and Dapper Denim.  The designs include pages that look like a paint chip, some pages of color gradients, and some with a crackle appearance (which I used.)  They come in a 6"x6" pad - 4 each of the 12 double sided designs.  The card above also uses another new in color, Tranquil Tide.

NC Blog Hop Favorite Occasions!

Welcome to the February 2017 NC Demos Blog Hop - whew!  That was a mouthful!  This month we are concentrating of Favorite Occasions.  We are using stamps from the Occasions Catalog with an emphasis on a Spring Holiday or event.

If you follow my blog, you might know that I am obsessed with the High Tide stamp set.  I have made several cards using the beautiful lighthouse stamp.  You can see them HERE and HERE and I still have others I haven't posted yet!  But I thought this card would be perfect for this year's anniversary card for my hubbie!  What do you think?  We will be celebrating 44 years of marriage on April 7.  (How did that happen?  Seems like we were just dating a few years ago!)

Not only do I have an anniversary card to share, but there are several birthdays coming up so I thought it would be great to catch up on some birthday cards so they will be ready to go when I need them!

This card uses the "celebrate" embossing folder from the Occasions catalog along with "you" from Hello You Framelits.  The stripes running down and the "swish" are from Gorgeous Grunge.  I stamped them in Bermuda Bay, Peekaboo Peach, Rich Razzleberry and Watermelon Wonder.  This was a really easy card to make.

Here is another stamp set that I have been having fun using.  It is in the Occasions catalog and is called Crazy Cake.  There are so many variations that you can put together using this stamp set.  It is a two-step stamp set but since it is photopolymer, it is easy to line up.  I love two-step stamps and that is what got me hooked on Stampin' Up 12 years ago.  (I just passed my 12 year demonstrator anniversary on Feb. 16!) The cute little frog popping up from the cake is from the hostess set, Love you Lots.  I don't normally get the hostess sets but I got this one right away and have used it so much! The sentiment is from Sunshine Sayings.  I stamped each cake part onto white cardstock (except the one on the bottom which is stamped onto Sweet Sugarplum cs), cut them out and popped them up with dimensionals.  That made it easy to line up the frog and the stars directly onto the card.  The colors I used are Rich Razzleberry, Sweet Sugarplum, Marina Mist, and Perfect Plum.

Here is another card using the Crazy Cake stamp set.  These cake pieces were stamped directly on the white cardstock panel using Tempting Turquoise, Cucumber Crush, Peekaboo Peach and Denim. Unfortunately, I could not find the flame for the candles in the set.  It is really teeny tiny and probably got stuck to something and will never be found again.  But I found a candle flame in the set, Sprinkles of Life that that worked.  The sprinkles on the sides of the turquoise card are also from the Sprinkles of Life set.

Here is one last card using Crazy Cake to show that you don't have to use all the parts of the cake.  I stamped you're from Watercolor Words (just mask off the "the best")  I love the color combo of Dapper Denim and Emerald Envy.   (This layout was cased from Brian King.)

I hope you enjoyed my anniversary and birthday cards and they will inspire you to make a few of your own.

Enjoy the blog hop and hop right along to the see what Laurie Meier has prepared for you.

Debra Ballance-Byrd -
Tamra Davis 
Jo Anne Hewins 
Michelle Irinyl 
Melissa Kerman 
Tracie Evans Langley -
Sharon Maranich (You are here)
Laurie Meier 
Lisa Tedder
Frances Wagner -

Just Sayin' .... Woo Hoo!

I was busy today pricing my stamps that I will be selling on Saturday at the Used Stamp Sale at Stamper's Alley in Mooresville.  There are going to be some great deal!  I have several boxes of stamps - all priced under $10 - most of them at $3 and $5!  I hope to get rid of them and have a little cash to buy some new stamps.  I got to look at the 2015-16 catalog today and found several things I want!  Can't wait to share it with you.  I don't think you will be disappointed in the new In Colors!

I also had a little time today to make a couple of cards.

I'm so sad to see these sets go away - Four Feathers and Just Sayin'.  (Although they won't be included in the stamp sale!  I'll still be using them from time to time.)

I used several stamp sets (as you can see from the list below).  I don't usually use so many but I was on a roll and just kept adding little elements here and there.  The birdie is from a hostess set that hasn't seen too much ink so guess I'll be holding on to it a little longer.

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Thank You Cards

Are you in need of Thank You cards?  Well, these are a few that I included in my Stamp Club's purchases last week.  I always like to put a little something in their bags each month - ribbon, buttons, cards (which I don't sign so they can use them later ), etc.

The card above uses the Banner Blessings Photopolymer stamp.  You won't find this stamp in the catalog but it is available for purchase.  I really like it.  You can see a couple of other cards I made with the set HERE.  The other stamps I used in this card are Four Feathers and Gorgeous Grunge.  Doesn't the Certainly Celery go great with Coastal Cabana??

This cute little fellow is a single stamp that I have neglected!  I just think the little koala bear is darling.  The stamp actually read "thinking of YOU" but I stamped THANK from the Sale-a-Bration set, Simply Wonderful, cut it out and glued it on top of "thinking of"!  The Melon Mambo background paper is the Sale-a-Bration Irresistibly Yours DSP

This was a simple card.  I uses the Under the Tree DSP (from Holiday Catalog) and Hello You Thinlets.

Again .... Hello You Thinlets with the Sale-a-Bration Simply Wonderful stamp set and Best Year Ever DSP.

March Thank you's

For my March thank you notes, I used a variety of stamps.

 This card was so easy!!  Unfortunately, the punch I used is a retired one.  I punched colored card stock circles and adhered them behind the punched areas - in shades of blue.  I used Gorgeous Grunge for the ink splatters.

This was another easy one.  I again used Gorgeous Grunge in Pacific Point and Real Red for splatters.  Next I used Hello Lovely (pg 22 of catalog).  I stamped the thank you stamp twice - once in red and once in Pacific Point and cut it apart.

 I think this one might be my favorite one.  I love these chevrons from the Oh Hello set (pg 34).  The small arrows are from one of the photopolymer sets.

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 These cards turned out thanks to my favorite tools .... the Stamp-a-ma-jig!  It made lining up the chevrons so easy!!

This card is my Washi Tape card!  I used the tape to decorate the card and then stamped with the Hello Lovely stamp.

Our Quarterly starts tonight.  Marianne and I are going over to the Holiday Inn after lunch and start setting up.  The gals will start arriving around 5 to work on the 31 shoebox cards!  My car is packed to the brim with decorations, prizes and supplies for the event.

Ashley's Creative Cards

Ashley was here for a fast week and we stayed pretty busy, as usual.  We stayed home on Friday and most of Saturday and played around in my craft room.  Ashley made some great cards and I managed to take pictures of them before she packed them up.

Beautiful Butterflies!  She got the inspirations from this framed picture.

This is a mask Ashley used to make the flames on the card below - Gorgeous Grunge stamp

Candles and flames using Gorgeous Grunge

A simple but elegant wedding card for one of Ashley's best friends from medical school.

Fall Colors

I love the colors of fall.  I think fall is my favorite time of the year - beautiful colors, crisp cool weather, my favorite juicy Honey Crisp apples, my birthday, Sonny's birthday, beautiful cards ....  love it all!!



These are the trees at our neighborhood entrance - beautiful colors!

 Here are the hand made birthday cards that I received:


from Margaret

Margaret sent to Sonny

Marianne's card to Sonny

from my upline, Carol - an actual photograph that she stamped on - gorgeous!

from Judy

A shaped card from Marianne

from NC Demos

from Sharon R (girlfriend)

the card I made for Sonny using Gorgeous Grunge

Gorgeous Grunge Gift Card

If you like deals, check out the Clearance section.  New items were added today.  Just click on the clearance tab at the top of my blog to check them out.

I have a great little gift card for you to make and it's so easy!! 

I used the Sizzix Scallop Square die (retired) to cut 2 scalloped squares with Modern Medley DSP.  I used red liner tape around all the edges and taped them together.  On the top, I cut off a couple of inches and used a brad to attach the cut off piece to the other part of the scallop square making an opening to insert the gift card. 
Use the Bowz Die and make a bow (I used Polka Dot DSP).  Attach the bow to the front of the scallop (on the top part).  I cut a couple of flowers from the Flower Sizzix Die and stamped them with Gorgeous Grunge and made flowers and leaves to attach to the bow.

Stampin' Up has a contest where you could design the next stamp set for the company!   

• Participate in stamp set design challenges by drawing and submitting your original artwork
• Help choose new stamp sets by voting on submissions
• Post comments and interact with others in the community
• Earn badges for your activity in the community

SU will produce and sell one or more stamp sets from among the top-voted submissions in each challenge. Plus there are fabulous prizes for top designs. 

If this is something you are interested in, click here for more information.
So far, there have been 2 stamp sets designed in the "In With You" challenge.

SPREAD THE JOY

and the newest set - MONSTERMANIACS STAMP SET

I just love the saying in the Spread the Joy set and will be ordering it real soon.