Card Makers Series Workshop

I took a card class at Stampers Alley on Saturday taught by the very talented, Debbie Holland.  Debbie started teaching this card series classes several months ago and does them every other month.  We make 6 cards using 3 colors of the month that she has chosen (this month was red, yellow and blue) and 1 basic sketch that she has chosen.  Debbie is the most organized teacher you could ever want.  She has our cards all in a plastic bag and they are each labeled 1-6.  Then she has all the materials to make the each card in a plastic tray numbered 1-6.  So, 2-3 people can work on one card at a time and then just pass the trays around.  It is so nice to take Deb's classes.  Here are this month's cards:

Monday Mailers

Here are a couple of Monday Mailers I received recently.

This one is my last one for May from Tammy.  I love the long card.  I never think to do this size card but it's great and goes in a legal sized envie.  She used the daisy Sizzix die (my fav!)

This is my first one from Karen Culler.  Here is another favorite stamp set of mine because it is just so versatile.  It is so simple but so nice.  The inside says "you, you, you."  (or as my hubby would say, it doesn't say that ... you have to read it!)

Stampin 411 Challenge

I just heard about a new blog - Stampin 411 - that was started that will have weekly sketch challenges. I love sketch challenges so I thought I would participate in this one. This card has taken me a couple of days to finish. I started it Saturday morning; then took a break when my hubby took me out to breakfast. When I got home, I worked on it a little more until I had to go to Mooresville to take a class at Stamper's Alley. When I returned home, I had a little more time to work on it; then we went over to friends for a cook-out. Fast forward to Sunday am. .... I was able to finish it before we went out on the lake in our boat. Now, I'm back home from the lake and able to post it!! Whew!!!

I really like the way this card turned out. The card base is Baja Blue (sure gonna miss this color!) with DSP from Parisian Breeze. The stamp set is Organic Grace which is a retired hostess set that I never even inked before. A lot of cutting went into this card - the flowers, the fern and the little wildflowers! I sponged Baja Blue on the white square and backed it with Kraft.

Card Shares

Just a few cards to share with you today.  These are a few of the ones we made last weekend at Quarterly.

Lisa Tedder taught us this one.  It is brayered onto glossy card stock.  It was amazing how different they all turned out.

That is a piece of brown grosgrain ribbon for the butterfly middle.  We pierced a hole at the top and bottom and threaded the ribbon through.  Cool, huh?

 

This is the card opened up.  The frames makes a little box so the card doesn't fold totally flat.

This is a hinge card.  They were all the rage a while back.  The top of the card hinges open where the brad is and the square the butterfly is on is only adhered to the blue part of the card.

 

I made this card last night for my nephew's birthday.  He'll be 32 today.  Wow!  Hard to believe he's that old ... same age as my son almost.  Jeff will be 32 in November.  How time flies!

New In Colors for 2009-10

Well, the new Stampin' Up catalog is out.  I don't have mine yet .... just couldn't see paying an extra $35 for Expedited Shipping to get it overnight!!  If yall would order more stuff from me, maybe I could!!  (Just kidding - I wouldn't!!)  I hope I have mine next week before I leave town (again).  I have ordered all the stamp pads and paper of the new In Colors and a few of the ribbons.  I can't wait to see them.  It's always interesting to see what names they come up with for the In Colors.  Ashley said she thinks they must have a whole department just dedicated to naming them!!  They are stretching the names this year!

  Anyway .... here are what the new colors look like:

CRUSHED CURRY (as compared to Yo Yo Yellow on top & Summer Sun on bottom)

DUSTY DURANGO  (as compared to Pumpkin Pie & Really Rust)

RICH RAZZLEBERRY (as compared to Bravo Burgundy and Elegant Eggplant)

MELON MAMBO (as compared to Pink Passion and Rose Red)

SOFT SUEDE (as compared to Kraft and Chocolate Chip)

THE NEW CATALOG STARTS JULY 1.  Contact me if you want a catalog and/or to place an order!!   Your first order of $30 or more will get you a free catalog!!

Red and Black Frame

I found my "mojo" today and had fun making a couple of frames. I had plans to go to our neighborhood pool and "veggin" while tanning and reading my book, but got carried away instead in my craft room.

About a month ago, I shared this baby book with you that I had made for a friend who had a baby girl in early April. Well, today I finally finished the "name frame" I wanted to give them too. It turned out pretty cute, I think. Now I just need to get it in the mail! I bought the frame at the Dollar Store and the animals are cut from the Designer Paper I used in the baby book. I used a retired SU alphabet set for the letters and stamped them in Regal Rose Craft Ink and embossed them. (click on picture to see full image)

After I finished that, I made another picture frame for our Newcomers Bingo Auction next week. I had seen a similar one on Splitcoast a while back in blues and browns and had been wanting to create one. The squares are punched with my 1 1/4" Square Punch from Red, Black. various Designer Papers and some are embossed in white on red and black with the Baroque Motif stamp. I used a variety of ribbon, stamps, Daisy Die (Sizzix), Dew Drops, buttons, prima flowers, brads, and Hodgepodge Hardware. I adhered a piece of white cardstock to the glass and adhered the squares on top of the cardstock. I couldn't put the glass on top because of the raised items. I used Red Line Tape to adhere the squares to the white paper.

Top Note Box Instructions

Several of you have asked about instructions for the Top Note Box (seen HERE).  I made eleven of them for the Quarterly Die Cut Swap and they seemed to have been a big hit.  I am sorry - I thought that I had already posted the instructions.  Anyway, here's the pattern (thanks to Kerin at stampsppaperglitter.com)
Cut out the dark gray areas, score on the dotted lines and cut on the solid lines. Once you've got it cut and scored, you'll be able to see the shape of the box come together...you don't have to use anything super strong for adhesive to hold the sides together if you're going to wrap it in ribbon. You can round the corners if you want it to fit a little better in the box.   When you're done making your box, just close up the box, put sticky strip on the top and bottom, and adhere it onto the Top Note shapes you made!
Now you make one and send me a picture & I'll post it on my blog.

Quarterly 3D Project Share

I participated in a 3D Project at Quarterly and got the neatest things.  Here are a few of them:

A darling Strawberry!  I think you can find the directions on Split Coast.

A butterfly that holds a pack of Smarties!

 

A Top Note purse .... made by my sister!!

A Top Note decorated hand towel

Ideal for a picnic - Top Note holder for napkin and silverware.

A Faux Alligator purse.

RETIRING .... STAMPS, ACCESSORIES, DECOR ELEMENTS

Boy am I in trouble!! My best customer called me this afternoon wanting to know why I had not put the retired list on my blog yet!! She was having to read it on someone else's blog. So sorry, Margaret!!

I am sorry guys, but I was out the door before 8 a.m. this morning for a doctor's appointment then to the "Y", lunch with hubby, grocery shopping and a pedicure. (Guess I should have gotten up about 4 a.m. and blogged!!)

Here is the link to the retired stamp sets -

ALPHA LIST OF RETIRING STAMPS

DECOR ELEMENTS RETIRED ITEMS

I'm working on getting the Retired Accessories list on my blog - will post it ASAP.

I will be placing an order tonight (Monday). Call me if you want to add to the order. Some items are already sold out so time is of the essence.

Now - I've got to go check it all out!! Haven't had time yet.

Stampin' Up Quarterly

What a great time we had in Kernersville this weekend at the Stampin' Up Quarterly.  Luckily, Marianne was feeling better on Friday and was able to go.  I picked her up at Mom's after I did my stint at the Retirement Center.  We stopped along the way at the Enchanted Cottage Stamp store. WOW is all I can say!  It is overwhelming because it is so big and has so much stuff in in.  Unfortunately, we had a little trouble finding the store and by the time we got there, we only had about 20 minutes before they closed.  It is definitely a place you need more than 20 minutes - maybe a whole day to see everything. 

We checked into our hotel and went across the street and had a yummy dinner - country style steak, mashed potatoes, baked apples ..... really good!  Then it was on the the quarterly.  We got set up and got started with our Friday night project.  Janie Murphy was in charge of this one and she did a great job.  We each had half of a Simply Scrappin' kit and made 11 cards and a magazine holder for the cards from the kit and even had a few pieces left over to take home with us.  I was impressed.  I have never done much with the Simply Scrappin' kits (page 162-165) but that will change.  The cards are so cute and were so quick and easy to put together.  We made the 11 cards and holder in about 2 hours!!  We were back at our motel by 9:30 which never happens at Quarterly!  We used the Sunshine Garden kit to make these cards: