Sending Sunshine

Oh, I love the beach and I have reservations to go in a few weeks!  Can't wait!  This was the first stamp set that I got from the annual catalog when it was released - Sending Sunshine!   Can't wait to feel that beach sunshine on my face.

The base card is Balmy Blue.  I used the Stampin' Up! Sending Sunshine photopolymer stamp set to create an ocean sunrise scene on a Whisper White panel.  I started by stamping the deep water in Balmy Blue ink and stamped the shallow water over it in Balmy Blue ink AFTER stamping off.  I stamped the rising sun in Bumblebee ink and the rocky shore in the back with CI innamon Cider ink.  I masked and colored the sky with sponge daubers in Balmy Blue.  The clouds are stamped in Misty Moonlight stamped off once.  The sand is sponged on with Sahara Sand ink.  I matted the piece onto Whisper White cardstock.

This card is done pretty similar to the card above except I colored the sun with Mango Melody ink.  I stamped the Crumb Cake cardstock with the Birch background stamp.  I used the Stitched Sweetly dies.

SWAP CARDS

The Holiday Mini Catalog is now LIVE and available for purchase in our beautiful NEW On-Line shop.  If you click on the Holiday Catalog in the left column, you can view all the wonderful items available.

Here are some key features of our beautiful, new online store:

• Designed to work seamlessly on desktops, tablets, and mobile phones
• New and improved store navigation
• Larger imagery
• New sorting and filtering options allowing you to find things more easily
• Inventory status information so you can make an informed purchase decision
• Create and share up to 10 personalized wish lists (my favorite new feature!)
• New ‘Quick Shop’ feature makes it easy to add items to your cart
• Simplified checkout process

ALSO .... if you click on the HOSTESS CODE (left column of this blog), it should take you directly to the ON-LINE STORE and it should indicate that you are shopping with ME!!  

These are cards I received in swap hosted by Debbie Henderson.

By Vicki Stevens using Flowers for All Seasons pattern paper

by Debbie Britland - using Forever Blossom stamps and dies

by Carolyn Deleo - Painted Poppies

BRAND NEW Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

On August 4th, all Stampin' Up! Demonstrators will

have the opportunity to pre-order/purchase the

BRAND NEW STAMPIN' CUT

& EMBOSS MACHINE

YOU CAN TOO!

A WHOLE MONTH EARLY!

This is the best deal ever for you! Why? Read this:

• Customers can only order this product in SEPTEMBER
• Do you want one on August 4th?
• How would you like to pay $99 instead of $120.00 and FREE SHIPPING?
• You can join my team and order the machine ONE WHOLE MONTH EARLY. No kidding!
• Savings of $21.00 on the price and $12.00 on the shipping for a grand total savings of  $33.00
• Use item #149653

CLICK TO JOIN MY TEAM ON AUGUST 4th!

NOTE: Our Mini Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

will not be ready until later in the year.

Make Your Own Patterned Paper!

It's fun to make your own patterned paper!  You can customize it to match your project. When looking through your stamp set collection, look for sets that have small images.  I like to choose stamps in a variety of different sizes.  This makes it much easier to ensure that you don't end up with a lot of odd "white spaces" scattered throughout the pattern you create.  Technically, you could use medium or large stamps.  However, the larger the stamp, the harder it is to create any kind of pattern.  That is because each stamp takes up so much space, you can't fit many images onto your paper.

When I have stamped my own patterned paper in the past, I selected one image and randomly stamped it all over the paper and then came in with the next one, and the next one .... you get the picture.  But I have found that the best way to make your own paper is to use one stamp at a time and see where the next image (in a different color) fits best.  It's kind of like putting a puzzle together.

It's easy if you will open all your ink pads and line them up on your desk with each image you will be stamping in front of the ink pad.  That way you don't get confused and put your stamp into the wrong color of ink!  Start near the center of your card with your largest image and then fit the other images puzzle like around the first one.  I like to start off with the larger image and then stamp each of the other images around the first one.  If you notice on my paper below, I stamped the Melon Mambo image first and then stamped the other images around it making sure you leave some white space and don't stamp on top of your images.  While you have everything out, go ahead and make 3-4 pieces of patterned paper or stamp one whole sheet of cardstock and cut them apart.  Be creative!!

Ink Colors used:  Granny Apple Green, Melon Mambo, Flirty Flamingo, Just Jade, Pretty Peacock, Melon Mambo, Coastal Cabana

Stamp Sets used (all retired):  Happy Birthday Gorgeous, Endless Thanks, Thoughtful Blooms

And here are two of the cards I made:

All the die cut pieces came from the Well Written Dies.

I cut the strips on an angle and layered them onto Coastal Cabana cardstock.  

Summer Nights Add-on Package

Whether you subscribe to Paper Pumpkin or not, here is a good deal you might be interested in purchasing.

For $10 you get 24 card bases and envelopes!  What a deal .... and look how pretty the card bases are!

The July Paper Pumpkin - Summer Nights - is great!  They seem to get better each month.  Here are 3 of the cards I made with the instructions in the kit.

I love the ferris wheel and roller coaster.  Although I'm a big chicken and won't ride either of those!!  I hate to get stopped at the top of the ferris wheel and I always felt like I was going to get thrown out of my seat in the roller coaster.  The only roller coasters I would ride over and over again is at Kennywood Park near Pittsburgh.  There are three roller coasters there that I like to ride - The Racer and The Pippin and The Jack Rabbit.  They are all wooden roller coasters and not the steel ones that turn you upside down and backwards.   

I love the vellum jars in the kit.  I have traced a few of them onto vellum to use on other cards.

Aren't these lanterns so cool?!  (Even if  I did get ink on a couple of them and I didn't even notice it until I looked at the photo!)

New On Line Store - Stampin' Up!

NEW CUSTOMER ON-LINE STORE - STAMPIN' UP! On August 4, a new customer on-line store will debut. Here are some tips to help you:

VERY IMPORTANT:

• The NEW Online Store goes LIVE on the same day that the NEW Mini Catalog goes LIVE so it's important that you review the following tips now, ahead of time, so you can be ready to order:

• The current Password on your account will NOT pre-fill from the old online store to the new online store like you may be accustomed to. If your password automatically pre-fills for you and you DON'T know your password, I would urge you to go to your account at www.stampinup.com NOW and request to change your password so you'll know what to type in on August 4th. Click on FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD to reset. If you know your password, you should be all set. You'll just have to type it in.

• Your Designated Demonstrator (hopefully me), that you currently shop with can continue to be your demonstrator but you must choose this demonstrator when placing your order or one will automatically be assigned to you. You may still use a demonstrators host/hostess code with your order if you do that each time you order.

• NEW: Guest Check-out: If you choose to check-out as a Guest which is a new option, instead of signing in to an account, you can still enter a demonstrator BUT, if you do not choose a demonstrator, one will be automatically assigned to you. Make sure you pick your own demonstrator.

NEW ONLINE STORE HIGHLIGHTS!

• The Online Store will now work on all desktops, tablets,and mobile phones, yay!
• Larger imagery to better showcase our products and allowing up-close details to be seen will make your shopping experience more pleasant.
• Inventory status information will be displayed such as: retiring soon, low inventory, or back-ordered.
• Create and share your own personalized wish lists with the products you love.
• Simplified checkout process.



As always, I am here to help you! If you need help setting up your Online Account or prefer that I place your order for you, please let me know!

Love those sunflowers!

What a difference a die can make!  I showed you this card  a while ago and I really liked it.  But yesterday as I was cleaning up, I found a white outline sunflower that I had die cut but put the adhesive sheet on the wrong side so I didn't use it at the time.  I didn't want to throw it away so I glued the center down onto this sunflower (below) (leaving the sticky part of the die face up) and poured glitter all over the sticky die piece.  Make sense??  Anyway, I love the way it looks - that white die really pops that flower.  (Now if I'd only gotten the sentiment stamped straight!)

What do you think?

Just remember .... dies can sometimes make the difference in what you are making .... plus you save 10% by buying the bundle instead of the stamp and die separately.

Happy 92nd!

Yesterday was mom's 92nd birthday!  She was so happy just to be able to leave the house and go somewhere different!  We had a family party at my house - Sonny and I, Mom, my two sisters and my brother-in-law.  It was a fun get-together.  I made chicken salad and egg salad and a fruit pizza for dessert.  Marianne made a relish tray and picked up tuna fish salad and made chocolate chip cookies and Angela brought along chips.  It wasn't terribly hot yesterday so we were able to sit outside on our deck and visit while Sonny and Greg worked on a project in the garage.

Here is the card I made for mom using the Celebrate Sunflowers set and patterned paper from Playing with Patters (6x6 pack).  I water colored the sunflower with Calypso Coral and Crushed Curry.  The leaf sprigs are die cut from bronze foil paper.  The little scallop on the side is from the Ornate dies.

Sympathy Cards

Sympathy cards can be hard to make, don't you think?  I try to keep a few on hand.  I lost a special friend last week and made these two cards for her her son and husband.   My friend, Sylvia, was a very special lady.  She never met a stranger and had wonderful stories and jokes.  She was the elementary school secretary when my kids were young and I got to know her and call her friend through my volunteering at the school.  A few years later, she was one of the charter members of our bunco group - oh, the stories we would tell at that bunco game.  Most of us worked for Coppell ISD at different schools and we could catch up on things going on at their school (or another name for it - gossip!!)  When my mom came to visit once, we went to a party for Sylvia's birthday and there was an Elvis impersonator there.  My mom and Sylvia both loved Elvis and just swooned over him!  Sylvia will be missed by a lot of people.

 

Retired stamp - Thoughts and Prayers

Woven Heirlooms - I used the background stamp, Drybrush on the Crumb Cake card.

Nothing's Better Than ....

This bundle is so cute!  It was inspired by Connie Stewart who is one of Stampin' Up's Million Dollar Achiever.  I have seen some really cute cards with this set.