April Club Cards

I haven't had time to share my Stamp Club cards for this month.  We met last week and made these cards.  I had designed the cards before the Retiring List came out and I was trying to predict which stamps were retiring.  I guessed correctly on some of them.

This first one uses Blooms for You which is retiring.  It is a single stamp.  Other stamp sets used were:  Hardwood Background Stamp; Tin of Cards; Papillion Potpourri; and Something to Say (retiring).  I used Early Espresso on everything except the middle of the flower which is Soft Sky.

The only things retiring on this card is the DSP - both the Botanical and the Color Me Irresistible which is a resist paper that I sponged with Mint Macaron.  Thank goodness this stamp and die set will carry over.

I will be sad to see The Open Sea leave.  It was such a great set for masculine cards.  I did my first - successful - Reflection Technique on this card.  I stamped the water on the bottom with Pool Party using one of the stamps from Timeless Textures.  Don't overlook this stamp set - it is a good one for lots of different backgrounds.  Next I stamped the ship in Early Espresso on the card AND on a piece of acrylic transparency.  I turned the transparency over, line it up with the ship and rubbed the ink onto the card.  Easy, peasy!!  The sun is from Kinda Eclectic stamped and embossed in white.  I sponged Soft Sky on the top.

This card was a fun one to make.  I stamped the flower from Watercolor Words with Versamark and used Clear powder to heat emboss them.  Next I spritzed the card with water or you can just use your Aqua Brush to brush on clear water.  Make sure you are using either Watercolor Paper OR Shimmery White Paper.  I used the Shimmery White.  After the paper is damp, brush on three different colors from top to bottom letting each one blend into the next.  I used:  Calypso Coral, Pink Pirouette and Rich Razzleberry on the pink one and Bermuda Bay, Soft Sky and Tempting Turquoise for the blue one.  I am sad to see the Corner Punch leaving us but that is the only retiring item on these cards (oh - also the thick twine.)

My postings may be a little sporadic for the next week (aren't they always???)  I am "leaving on a jet plane" tomorrow for Texas - my final trip for a few years.  I am taking my Mom to spend a little time with Ashley before she moves to Hawaii.  I have been doing really good on Weight Watchers but don't think I will be counting points next week as I enjoy Mexican, BBQ, and steaks at Josephines!!

Goodbye, Farewell - April Blog Hop with NC Demos

Welcome to the April NC Demos Blog Hop.   If you just arrived from Melissa's blog, isn't her Kleenex box cool?!!

Our theme this month gave us a lot of leeway.  We could choose cards that feature the retiring products, Mother's Day cards or Feminine cards.  My choice was retiring products.  I lost about 18 stamp sets not to mention several thinlits and punches.  Many of them did not surprise me since they had been around a while but I am still going to miss many of them! 

The first few cards I used a new technique that I had never done before - the Whitewash Technique.  There are several You-Tube videos that you can find to show the technique.  Basically, you stamp and emboss the image.  Next paint the image with the white re-inker (I used Aqua Brush.)  After that dries, add a little color to the image with a marker.  Then use your blender pen or Aqua Brush and blend the colors.  After it dries, you can go back and add a little more color as needed.

My first card uses Swallowtail stamp for the butterfly.  I also used the retiring DSP Typeset and the sentiment from And Many More (which is a great set for sentiments.)

The next two cards are made with Vivid Vases, a single stamp.

On this card, I also used the Curvy Corner Trio Punch which I love!

 This beauty uses three retiring stamp sets - Trust God, Everything Eleanor and the single stamp, Blended Blooms as well as the retiring Candy Dots.

Next I did a couple of cards using the blending technique with my sponges using Serene Silhouettes.

Next it was time for a little watercoloring.  I spritzed my Shimmery White cardstock with water and then using my Aqua Brush, colored Melon Mambo, Tangelo Twist and Daffodil Delight all over the card.  I cut another piece of cardstock using the Hexagon Hive Thinlit and adhere it on top of the watercolored piece.  The sentiment is from Feels Good.

 This is one of the cards we made in Stamp Club this month using the single stamp, Blooms for You.  The "seize the cake" sentiment is from the retiring set, Something to Say.

This final card also uses Blooms For You, Everything Eleanor (sentiment) and the Decorative Dots embossing folder.  This is one of the cards I made from pieces of the Paper Pumpkin April kit.

Hope you enjoyed my portion of the blog hop.  Continue along heading to Laurie Meir's blog next.

Below is a list of all the participants and their links:

Jo Anne Hewins

Michelle Irinyi

Melissa Kerman

Sharon Maranich

Laurie Meier

Sue Root

Karel Standish

Pam Staples

Frances Wagner

Thanks for stopping by!

Pink Botanical Blooms

Thought I'd share another pretty card that Margaret made when she was visiting.   See ... we really do work when she's here!!

This card uses the beautiful Botanical Blooms.  Margaret was really stuck on these flowers and made several cards with them.  This one is actually a gift holder when it is opened.

I love the pinks!  I have not use these flowers in these colors yet .... but on my list.

Botanical Blooms

Last week when my friend, Margaret, was here visiting, she looked through my stash of cards that I have either made or received from various swaps.  She found one that my sister, Marianne, had made for a Shoebox Swap in January and decided she wanted to make it using the Botanical Blooms DSP and stamp set.  Doesn't it look great?

I so love this paper but unfortunately, it will not be in the next catalog.  So .... if you love it too, now is the time to purchase it!  You can bundle it with the stamp set and framelets and save 15%.  The stamps and framelets will be carrying over so no worries there.

Also - don't forget about the retiring In Colors.

Retiring

Well, Stampin' Up! has not given us a PDF file for the retiring items.  BUT you can access them by going to - ORDER ONLINE above & when you get there, look on the left side for Retiring Items.  You can access the stamps in one group and the accessories in the other group.

Remember, please use the HOSTESS CODE P2MX7S76 IF your order is less than $150.

Happy Shopping!!

Happy Anniversary

Sonny and I had an anniversary last week (April 7).  We were lucky enough to be able to celebrate our 43 years with our friends, Margaret and Graham since they were still here.  We went to a new Irish/English pub that opened in Cornelius.  I fudged a bit on my Weight Watcher's diet and enjoyed a few fries that we ordered for an appetizer - and of course, a couple of beers with our dinner.  Luckily, those pounds didn't show up when I weighed in on Monday (I even lost a pound!)  Below is the card I made for Sonny.

I used the Pedal Pusher stamp set from Sale-a-Bration for the bicycle.  I love the little basket with the hearts coming out of it.  I used the Wink of Stella on the hearts to make them sparkle.  The "43" is from the Large Numbers framelets.  The cardstock is not Stampin' Up!.  This piece of Graphic 45 was on the top of my stash of non-SU and I thought it looked great for this card.  The sentiment says it all - we are happy together after 43 years!

Stampin' Up! will announce the RETIRING LIST tomorrow, Monday, April 18 at 1:00 MT.  I will post it here on my blog as soon as I can.  There is usually a sale on some of the items that will be retiring so be prepared to save some money!

PLEASE NOTE that the Retiring Products are only available while supplies last and some WILL SELL OUT!  Order early for the best selection.

All 2014-16 In Color Products will be on the list so if you need any ink refills, cardstock, ribbon, markers, etc. in these colors, get them ASAP!

Lost Lagoon

Tangelo Twist

Hello Honey

Blackberry Bliss

Mossy Meadow

You can place your orders in my store HERE.  Enter my Monthly Host Code and I will send you a FREE gift if your merchandise total (before tax & shipping) is over $35.

April Host Code - P2MX7S76

**Please note:  if your order is over $150, don't use the code and take the hostess rewards for yourself.

Thank you for shopping with me! 

Pedal Pusher

I have been making a lot of birthday cards lately.  This is one I made using a Sale-a-Bration stamp called Pedal Pusher.  It is a great way to use up strips of DSP that you have been accumulating.  I seem to always have lots of little strips left over!   

The Cucumber Crush card is cut at 4.25" x 10" and scored at 4.5".  The Whisper White piece is cut at 3" x 4".  Stamp the sentiment at the top (from Perfect Pairings, another Sale-a-Bration set) and the bicycle at the bottom.  I used my SU markers to color in the bicycle and the basket of flowers.  Adhere the white piece to the front of the card and layer several strips of DSP of varying widths.

Another sentiment is stamped on the side of the card so it is visible when the card is closed.

More alternatives for March Paper Pumpkin

I have been really bad about writing my blog posts on a regular basis.  No excuse!  I have good intentions and even (usually) know what I want to blog about but life gets in my way OR I get just lazy and another day slips away with no posts.  Hope you are not giving up on me though!

I hope you enjoyed my video about the March Paper Pumpkin.  I am anxiously awaiting the April one - it should be here in a few days.  Before I put away my March kit though, I decided to make a few more cards using the pieces in the kit (and I still have more!)

This card uses the single flower stamp, Bloom for You.  I have a suspicion that this stamp will be on the retired list next week along with the "hello friend" stamp from Six Sided Sampler.

For this card, I cut up one of the floral envelopes and used my Wink of Stella on the balloons and Lost Lagoon square piece.  Love the shine!

This one was a fun card to make!  I used the Tree Punch for the party hat and the Balloon Punch for the balloons that are colored with the clear Wink of Stella.  The rest is just lots of layers - crumb cake, Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky, Bermuda Bay and white.

I mentioned above about the retiring list.  Well, on April 18th, Stampin' Up! is going to publish the list of products that will be retiring from the catalog at the end of May.  These products may be from the 2015-16 Annual Catalog and/or from the 2016 Occasions catalog. There will be some products that you know will be on the list - the 2014-15 In Colors and all products related to them; Designer Series Paper (rarely does it carry over); the cute Ronald McDonald House set, Sprinkles of Life (and probably the coordinating punch).  All of these items will go fast so if you have them on your list, you might want to go ahead and order them now.  Please use my Hostess Code when prompted - P2MX7S76.  So check out the list when it is posted on Monday so you can grab your favorite products before they go away.

March Paper Pumpkin Alternatives (video)

I have not made a video in a long time so thought I would attempt one today.  I love the March Paper Pumpkin - the colors (Bermuda Bay, Cucumber Crush and Soft Sky) are wonderful together.  I have made several alternative cards which I share in the video.

Hope you enjoy it!

Happy Birthday

I've been making birthday cards lately.  Our NC Demo group sends birthday cards to all the members and I thought I'd donate a few for the cause.

This card was fun to make and uses a stamp from Sale-a-bration (Perfect Pairings) which, sadly, is now over.  I just don't feel like I have used the stamp sets enough so hope you don't mind me continuing to use them.  You can always substitute a current stamp set for the one that I used to re-create this card.

I stamped Happy Birthday on the white card with Versamark Ink and then embossed it with Clear Embossing Powder.  Then I sponged over the Versamark with Mint Macaron, Melon Mambo and Hello Honey.  I punched out a couple of little flags for the top of the card using the Banners Framelits and tied a piece of Bakers Twine around them.  I added a few sequins (non SU) randomly; backed the white card onto a piece of Melon Mambo and, viola - I was done!  You could make this card masculine by sponging blues and greens on it and making the card Marina Mist.  Lot of possibilities!

I had a very different week end to say the least!  My mom had asked me a few weeks ago if I would take her to Salisbury this past Saturday (about an hour away).  The Association for the Blind was sponsoring a day of Putt Putt Golf for the blind and legally blind.  (My mom is legally blind,)  So off we go on Saturday - had to arrive by 9:00 I was told.  Well, we got there about 8:30 and sat around for almost 2 hours before the event started in the drizzling rain.  Not a great way for me to start my day.  If you don't know it, I am NOT a morning person!!  I was assigned to help mom & 2 other legally blind men - one in his early 70s and the other early 80s (Vance and Bob0).  Luckily, one of the gentlemen could see pretty good (compared to my mom!!) and really didn't need much assistance.  I was kept busy going back and forth with the other gentleman and my mom helping them aim their ball at the hole.  I could not hit the ball for them; only tell them the obstacles on the hole and whether to hit it hard or soft.  Once the drizzle stopped and the sun came out, it was hot and humid (the back of my neck is still tender from sunburn!)  After we finished 18 holes, we could take a short break (no more than 5 minutes!)  None of my group wanted to take a break though so we started on the NEXT 18 holes!!  Yes - 36 holes of golf for blind people!!!  Luckily there was a 5 stroke maximum or I would still be there with my mom!  Mom had decided to bring her walker with her so she could sit when it wasn't her turn.  Bob's wife was with her and about half way through the course, she & mom were taking turns sitting on the walker.  We were almost to the end - maybe 4-5 holes to go, when I was so dehydrated and hot, I really thought I was going to faint.  I had to move those two old ladies off that walker and have a seat!!  I think I earned my stars on Saturday!

On Sunday, the Lion's Club (of which my mom and sister are members) held a bowling fund-raiser and I attended.  Bowling is not Sonny's thing so he dropped me off and went to the golf range to hit a few balls.  I enjoy bowling but it is not something I do often.  I don't think I have bowled in about 8 years!  We did four games - I won 2 and Angela won 2.  Mom used to be a pretty good bowler and still is not too bad.  I was really surprised.  She walked the ball right up to the foul line and threw it down the lane.  If she could have gotten some velocity behind the ball, she would have done great.  Her ball usually went straight; it just didn't have any "uump" to knock over many pins.

I am now waiting for our Texas / English friends to arrive (it's almost 1 a.m.!)  Their flight was supposed to be here at 10:30 but got delayed so Sonny has gone to the airport to pick them up.  The guys leave in the morning to drive to Georgetown with a group to go target shooting for a couple of days. Margaret and I have lots of plans while they are gone!!