More swapping plus a cute baby!

 Before we look at cards, I want to share with you this adorable baby!  Meet Abigail Webb, my great niece.  I haven't seen her in a couple of months and wow, how she has changed in those few months!  She is 4 months old and such a good baby.  I had the family over for dinner Saturday night and we all took turns holding her.  It's been a long time since I held a little one!

OK - now to more of my swaps that I will be mailing off this week.

This is my swap for Artistic Expression (pg. 108-132 in catalog)  The stamp set is on page 120, Birds & Branches.  I love the die (Birds and More) with the circular opening and the leaves and flowers.  I mixed together Frost White Shimmer Paint (pg 147) and a little Pear Pizzazz ink and painted the leaves.  I used the same technique on the bird and the little flowers.  The card is Soft Sea Foam. 

Obviously, this is my birthday swap card.  I used the Playing With Patterns designer paper (6"x6").  I love the colors in this paper - Calypso Coral, Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry, Night of Navy and Purple Posy.

There was not enough of one pattern to make all 15 cards so I varied the designer paper on each card.  The layout is the same on each.  I used the Happy Dies and stamped "birthday" with Well Said stamp set.

Swap Cards

 I have been working on some swaps for Stampin' Up's Onstage Convention which is usually held each November in Salt Lake City.  Unfortunately, with COVID that is not going to happen.  There will be a virtual event and one of the demonstrators is having a swap that I will be participating in.  I have been working on those swaps and they are now ready to put in the mail.  I signed up for Masculine, Artistic, Birthday, Holiday Catalog, and Fun Fold swaps!  Several of the swaps I was able to use the cards I had made for the NC Demo Quarterly that was supposed to happen last May but, again, COVID made that event impossible. 

Below are a couple of the swap cards I made.

I don't usually make many Halloween cards or buy Halloween stamp sets but I loved this designer paper from the mini catalog.  You can find Plaid Tidings 6"x6" designer paper on page 57.  The patterns can be used for holidays and well as all year long.  I love plaids!  I also bought the Festive Post stamp set (page 63, mini catalog) because I can use it for several holidays - Christmas, Halloween, and Valentines  The stamp set coordinates with the Rectangular Postage Punch.  When I can use a punch, I love it!  I dyed the white ribbon black using my Stampin' Blends!

This is my Holiday Catty swap. 

This next card is one I was able to use from the NC Demo Quarterly cards.  I stamped the tree root with Soft Suede that I stamped off first so it wouldn't be so dark (from Rooted in Nature) on Very Vanilla cardstock.  I stamped the tree on top of it with Early Espresso ink and the sentiment in Soft as Suede (full strength).  Next I ran the piece through the Big Shot embossing it with the Subtle 3D embossing folder and then matted it onto a piece of Early Espresso.  I ran another piece of Very Vanilla (5 1/4" x 4") through the Big Shot embossing it with Tin Tile 3D embossing folder and sponged Soft Suede ink lightly over top of the embossed areas.

Masculine Swap Card

This Rooted in Nature stamp set is a great one for those hard to make masculine cards!

 

Fun at the beach!

 Looks like I've pulled a disappearing act on you, huh?!!  My trip to Emerald Isle was wonderful - it was just too short!  The time seemed to fly by.  Ashley and I went to the beach every day while Sonny left bright and early to drive to Cherry Point Marine Base golf course.  The condo that we stayed in was great and we had a nice view of the ocean from our balcony.  We drove to Beaufort on Friday and to New Bern on Saturday to explore the towns.  New Bern was my favorite!  In 2010, a non-profit organization recruited local artists to implement hand-painted designs on life-size fiberglass bears to coincide with New Bern's 300th anniversary.  The bears are all over the historic downtown as well as in outlying areas.  They are adorned with hats, flags, flowers and other creative features.  Originally there were 50 bears erected but today there are over 70!!  You can get a Bear Town map and do your own tour of the bears which is what we did.   Here are a few of the bears we saw:

Sleepy Bear in front of a motel

Harvest Bear

Sonny with Mitchell Bear

Dr Paw

Ashley & I at the Hospitality building with their bear

View from our balcony

Probably the only time we got Sonny on the beach!!

Relaxing!

My toes in the sand!

Don't Miss This!

 

It's the beginning of a new month and there are so many exciting things to tell you!

Stampin' UP! just announced a great promotion for anyone interested in becoming a demonstrator.  Our STARTER KIT is just $99 & you can customize your kit with $125 worth of merchandise that you choose.  But that's not all!  New demonstrators will also receive enough cardstock pieces to make 16 cards, a pack of Rhinestone Basic Jewels, the So Much Love stamp set, and the Queen Anne's Lace stamp set.  PLUS, Stampin' Up will provide a free prepaid code for a month of Paper Pumpkin in each Starter Kit during September's promotion!  This is a fabulous deal!!  You could order the new STAMPIN' CUT & EMBOSS MACHINE for just $99 & receive all the goodies from the Starter Kit too!

 The Stampin' CUT & EMBOSS MACHINE is now available for purchase ($120) and you can add it to your Starter Kit (above).  

Guess what else is available today… the Magnetic Cutting Plate! This thing is a GAME CHANGER! It’s a thin, fully magnetic sheet with self-healing cutting surface!!! 

The CLEARANCE rack will be updated today with a lot of great buys!

Shop with me ... Follow the link to my Online store and make your purchase!

With a new month, comes a new host code (found at the top left of this blog).  Please remember to apply this month's host code to any order UNDER $150 (before shipping & taxes.)  If you place an order of $150 with me (before shipping & taxes), do not add the host code so that you can earn & spend your Stampin' Rewards for yourself.

 

Peace & Joy

 Here are a few sample cards from the Peace & Joy Bundle.  You can find the bundle on page 18 of  the Holiday Mini Catalog.

Relax at the Seaside

 Today’s card is not only simple to create but brings you back to simpler times on a warm sunny day …

I applied the sponging technique along with the Stampin’ Blends markers. It’s my vision of the perfect summer day …

I stamped my image with the Black Memento ink onto Watercolor Cardstock and then added the black horizon line.  I watercolored Balmy Blue for my sky and water. I then highlighted the water with the Blends.  The plants, chairs and deck were all done with the Stampin’ Blends.  The Calypso Coral cardstock was embossed with Seaside embossing folder.  (retired) 

Cocktails!

 Oh!  I'm so in love with this stamp set.  It's one I didn't think I needed .... until I saw all the cute cards everyone was making with it!  There are images of coffee, cookies, cocktails and chocolate with this set.  I am not a coffee drinker but cocktails, chocolate and cookies .... well, I love them!

First I stamped the cocktail glass image with Gray Granite ink all over the Shimmery White Cardstock.  The shimmer paper takes the water a bit better than Whisper White Cardstock.   There is less warping.  I used my Clear Block as a pallet for mixing the inks - Daffodil, Rocco Rose, Coastal Cabana.  I was able to mix them with water to make the ink lighter or darker.  It was a fun process to paint each drink, squeezing out water on my block with the Aqua Painter when I needed it.  When I had too much water on the image, I just blotted with a paper towel.  I used a die from Tasteful Labels Dies for the sentiment.

 

Hope Your Day is Perfect!

 Another card from the Sending Sunshine stamp set.  I just love this stamp set.  I am enjoying this type of scenery this week while at the beach having fun and getting sand in my toes!  It's not Hawaii but the NC beaches are pretty too!

I used the Thick White Cardstock for the base of the card.  The Whisper White piece is matted with Highland Heather.  I found this piece of patterned paper in my stash and decided to use it for a mat for the scene.  I used the Layering Squares Dies to die cut the frame and the scene.  This was an easy card to make.

Double Z Fold Fall Card

I’ve got a double z-fold card you’ll want to learn how to make!  Making a Double Z-fold card is fun and since there are so many ways you can make them you will have the opportunity for a lot of variety!  You can change the sizes of the z-fold card and even how the card opens up. 

The Rich Razzleberry cardstock is 11 1/2" x 4 1/4"; scored at 3" & 6".

The Very Vanilla cardstock is 10 3/8" x 3 3/8"; scored at 4 3/8" & 7 3/8".

The patterned paper is retired - from a pack of Paisley Petals.  

I stamped 3 feathers from Tasteful Touches onto Vanilla cardstock and colored them with the SU Blends (Daffodil and Rich Razzleberry) and adhered them to the front of the card.  The sentiment (from Sending Sunshine) is stamped with Rich Razzleberry ink onto one of the Tasteful Labels dies.  I stamped the feather images in the background of the Razzleberry card for a little dimension.

Seaside View from my chair!

 This is where you will find me this week!  We are finally taking a break from COVID and hitting the surf!  We have rented a condo for the week and scoped out golf courses for Sonny while Ashley and I hang out at the beach.  I have packed a couple of casseroles that I had in the freezer, Ashley is bringing her chicken concoction for lunch and we have stocked up on chips, crackers, beer, water, and rum!!

Can't you see me sitting in that chair, sipping on a cuba libre!!