Up, Up and Away!

I haven't made a card for a challenge in a long time.  I used to search out challenges and make cards to fit them but I haven't done that in a while.  Yesterday when I was looking at different blogs to get some inspiration, I came across the Paper Players Challenge with the theme of "up up and away." With so many balloon stamps available, I decided to make this card.

I stamped the sunburst with Versamark, sprinkled white embossing powder over it and sponged the area with Pool Party.  I used the Balloon Punch and punched out 3 balloons from Designer Paper.  I ended up not stamping any balloons after all!  I actually did stamp them (on the other side) but liked the un-stamped balloons best.  I die cut "happy" with framelets and glued them to the middle of the card.  I stamped the stars (from Balloon Celebration) with Pool Party and Pink Pirouette ink.  I used glue dots under the balloons to anchor the silver cord.  I used the Washi Tape punch for "birthday" (from Celebrate Today).  Next was to layer the white card stock onto Pink Pirouette and then onto the Pool Party card.

What do you think?

Final Stamp Club cards for Feb.

These are the last two cards that we made at Stamp Club last week.

This one uses the Botanical Blooms bundle - DSP, stamp set and framelets - a pretty good deal I think.  The card on the left is one I received at Quarterly but sorry to say, don't know whose card it is. I made the card on the right switching out the flower center to Cajun Craze and using a sentiment from Trust God.  I love the sentiment!!

This next card proved to be a bit tricky - only because of the math involved!!  I had mistakenly put the wrong measurements in the directions for cutting white panels so we had to do some "figuring!" The correct measurement is 1 3/8" x 3".  The "For You" is from a Paper Pumpkin set.  I had hoped to put all the flowers on a large block and stamp them all at the same time but I could not get them close enough since they are the rubber backed stamps and not photopolymer.  So we just passed the stamps around the table.  I really like the Sale-a-bration stamp set.

February Hostess Code

February Hostess Code is 2TA3GQ7G

If you are placing an on-line order, please use the code!  Thanks!

Stamp Club Picture Perfect

This is another one of the cards we made at Stamp Club this week.  It was so easy but looks so good.

 

The circle is watercolor paper.  I just used my Aqua Painter and ink that I squeezed into the lid.  I painted the bottom with Sahara Sand which I then stamped Gorgeous Grunge lightly.  The top is painted with Soft Sky with Lost Lagoon painted across the horizon.  The secret is not to think about it - just load your Aqua Brush with water and ink and swish it across the paper.  The rope image is from Sea Street.  I curved the stamp on the acrylic block.  Use Gorgeous Grunge all over the Vanilla card and glued a piece of burlap ribbon down one side.  On scrap vanilla card stock, I stamped the starfish from Picture Perfect (love this stamp!), cut it out and then went over it with Wink of Stella before adhering it to the circle with dimensionals.  The birds are done by hand (just make a check mark!)

 

While I was working on the cards, I was standing up to stamp and bent over my work table.  Sammie jumped up on my back and peered over my shoulder to make sure I was stamping straight!  I had my phone right beside me so was able to get a picture!

 

What a day!

How do you like the new blog header and background?  I didn't make this one.  Instead I got it from one of the free sites (Shabby Blog) and then just personalized it.  Inside the circles are parts of cards I cropped.  The middle one and the one on the right are from cards we will be making this month at Stamp Club.

I had a pretty scary morning.  I was supposed to play bridge in Mooresville this morning.  We had gotten just a bit of freezing rain in the early morning but it didn't look like anything to worry about. Sonny was a dear and started up my car when he went up to get the newspaper so it would be nice and toasty for me and so the ice would melt off the windows!  I left the house and headed out of the neighborhood.  I went really slow through the 2-3 really bad curves on Island Point just outside our neighborhood with no problem.  I picked up a little speed and was rounding another curve when my car started skidding on the black ice.  I skidded from one side of the road to the other until I finally landed in a field on the other side of the road with my car turned around and facing the road. Luckily, there were not any other cars around me.  After calming myself down, I pulled out of the field and into a parking lot that was just a couple of feet from me and called Sonny.  He got to me about 15 minutes later and checked out the car.  Luckily, no damage to it or to me!  He ended up following me up to Hwy 150 where more cars had been traveling on the road and it wasn't so treacherous.  When I finally arrived at bridge, it started sleeting again and the girls who were waiting for me decided not to play but to get in their cars and head home!  I did the same - much slower this time!!  It never got above freezing today but there is a warm up coming tomorrow!  Can't wait!!  I hate to see what our electric bill is going to be this month.



Tomorrow is stamp club.  Here is one of the cards we will be making using the Large Number framelits and Number of Years stamp set.  This is a good set to have!  I am going to let each one pick which card they want to make.

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.

Sky is the Limit Congratulations!

I made a card using the Sale-a-bration airplane set.  I really like this stamp set and am sad to see it be retired so soon.  This card was my "congrats" card to Ashley for getting the new job in Hawaii.  Now that she has received it, I can show it to you.

When you pull on the tab on the right side, the airplane flies across the card and the message pops out.  I used some non-SU paper that I found in my stash.  I found the video for making this card on Splitcoast.  Here is the link for the SLIDER.  I find it easier to follow a video for instructions so that I can start and stop it when I need to.

Hope you are staying warm wherever you are!!  Haven't seen any snow here yet but it is bitter cold!

Number of Years Fancy Fold

I am almost to the end of my swap cards from Quarterly.  This next card was my sister's shoebox card!  She had all the pieces cut out so it was just a matter of putting it all together but what a beautiful job she did!

I love this set!  The stamp set and the framelits are ones you will use over and over - for birthdays, special events, anniversaries, etc.  

Here is another card using the Number of Years set.

It has turned super cold here!  Yesterday I think our upstairs heater ran all day trying to get to 68 degrees!  I was cold all day and I had my Cuddle Duds on!  Don't think we got out of the 30s.  And it is not going to be much better the rest of the week.   Ashley didn't want to tell me that the high in San Antonio on Thursday was supposed to be 80!!  Wahhhhhh!!!   So where ever you are .... stay warm!

Sale-a-bration & Occasions Swaps

Well, the Super Bowl has come and gone and the team I was rooting for did not win.  In fact, not even sure they showed up for the game!  What a disappointment.  But I am happy for Peyton Manning (Denver QB) that he is going to retire (we think) with a Super Bowl win.  Always good to go out a winner!  I am really sick of hearing about all the hype about Cam Newton.  It is time to go on to other topics!!

A bit of news from Stampin' Up:  The Woodland Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (item 139673) has been so popular that we are going to do something that we don't normally do: we've decided to bring it back in the 2016 annual catalog! It will be available in the new Upcoming catalog this June. 

This is the final week for a few items from Sale-a-Bration - like this one - Sky Is The Limit.  This has been a very popular set.  If you want it, it will only be available until Feb. 15!  With a $50 order, you can get this set for FREE!

The SAB sets will be replaced with some great items.  Check them out HERE.


This next set (Flowering Fields) has also been a popular item and one of my fav's.  I like to put all the stamps on a large clear block and stamp them all at the same time.  Sure makes things easier!

These next swap cards are from (top) Botanicals For You and (bottom) Hello.  The Hello set will also be retiring Feb. 15.

This set is from the Occasions catalog and perfect for your special Valentine!  You can find these items on pages 16-17.

Here are more swap samples that come from the Occasions Swap at Quarterly.

I hope these cards have inspired you today!

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.