Stamp with Joy

I had a great time at the Stampin' Up! Leadership Conference this year! It was 3 days of swapping, make & takes, classes, and motivational speakers. I feel energized and ready to take on a whole new perspective with my Stampin' Up! business. I'm ready to take what I do to a whole new level and reap the benefits along the way! Of course with it being in Palm Springs, CA, I also had a great time enjoying the warmer weather (much warmer than CO), enjoying the local cuisine, and relaxing in the hot tub at our plush hotel.

This is the card I traded at the Splitcoast Stampers dinner at Dale's Lost Highway Roadhouse in Palm Springs, CA on Saturday night. Here's the Stampin' Up! supplies I used:

Stamp Set: A BEAUTIFUL THING & CELEBRATE EVERYTHING

Card Stock: Apricot Appeal, Tempting Turquoise & Chocolate Chip

Inks: Chocolate Chip & VersaMark (can you see the subtle circle pattern in the background?)

Accessories: Gold Brads; 1/4" Tempting Turquoise grosgrain ribbon; Theater Ribbon Originals (chocolate wide satin)

Lisa Gray of Littleton, CO used the new EMBRACE LIFE stamp set & GINGER BLOSSOM designer series paper. I would describe it as "trendy elegance."

A sassy little card by Diane Glen of Washington State using PICK A PETAL & WONDERFUL WORDS stamp sets.

While I had a lot of fun while I was away, I'm glad to be back home so I can work on stamp classes, workshops, and my blog of course!

This cute little 3x3 "love note" size card (3x6 folded) was the make & take at my open house this past weekend. It is so very quick & easy! Using the punches, it only takes about 5-8 minutes to finish! You could easily make a set of these to give as a gift in a small amount of time.

As you can see, the make & take was the main attraction at the open house! I had a lot of fun helping them make these little cards.

Please give me your feedback on this card!

This is my prototype that I'm sending in for a swap called "Wonderful One Layer." It was quite a challenge since I haven't done a single layer card since I started stamping 10 years ago. Of course I've learned a few things since then -- like how to create a background that gives depth and creates visual layers. This is done with the masking technique. For this sample I've done both regular and reverse masking. All supplies used are from Stampin' Up!

Stamp Set: A BEAUTIFUL THING
Inks: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Pretty in Pink, Purely Pomegranate & Basic Brown classic pads
Paper: Very Vanilla
Accessories: Theater Ribbon Originals (wide satin Chocolate Chip); Cutter Kit - distressing tool (for reverse mask to soften edges); Stampin' Sponges

Don't forget to help me out by leaving your comments!

Altered Tin:
This adorable tin is another one of the class projects that we will be making at my Open House this weekend. I purchased this pre-filled wafer cookie tin from my local drug/department store for just a $1. I stamped the snowman & snowflake from the soon-to-be-retired Frosty stamp set & the Snowflake wheel using the following Stampin' Up! supplies:
Inks: Basic Black, Brilliant Blue & Tempting Turquoise classic pads; VersaMark ink cartridge; Green Galore, Brilliant Blue, Tempting Turquoise & Only Orange Stampin' Write markers
Papers: Green Galore, Brilliant Blue & Whisper White card stock; Tempting Turquoise Designer Prints paper
Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, Stampin' Sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals, White eyelets, retired apple green 1/4" grosgrain ribbon
Non-SU! Accessories:
Blue Anodized rivets & Holly eyelet with washers (these go on the back to keep the eyelet shape and give a finished look) from Eye-Lets Etc. .

Acetate Ornament:
This ornament is yet another class project that we will be making at my Open House this weekend. I found the clear glass ornament at the local $1 store. I used the soon-to-be-retired Frosty stamp set again, and stamped the snowflake with White Stazon ink on clear acetate. Then I took one drop of Ballet Blue classie ink and mixed it into a quarter-sized pool of Crystal Effects. Using a small brush I painted a circle on the non-stamped side of the acetate with the blue crystal laquer and sprinkled Dazzling Diamonds glitter over it. After letting the stamped, colored & glittered acetate circle dry for 1-2 hours, I rolled it up so that it would fit in the top of the ornament. The acetate unrolls once it's inside the ornament. Isn't that just so cool! ? (HINT: leave a tab at the top of your circle when you cut it -- the tab fits in the neck of the ornament and keeps the acetate circle straight inside the ornament). To top off the ornament I tied a double bow with retired 1/4" light blue organdy ribbon.

I whipped this little 4x4 Mini Album up this morning before work. It looks cute & fresh with the pink, purple & turquoise color combination. It is one of the great class projects I'll be doing at my Open House this coming weekend (Friday, 12/7 & Saturday, 12/8). For those of you who are local to the Denver area -- I'll see you there!

I used a pink 4x4 album & eyelets (white snowflakes & white rounds) from Eye-Lets Etc. The ribbon is 1/8" white satin from the craft store.

I was tagged by Vivian Swain, http://floridastampinwithvivian.blogspot.com/.

Here’s my answers to the questions:

1. If you could have $100.00 worth of scrapbook paper or assorted embellishments, which would you choose?
Embellishments – I LOVE adding texture through ribbons, brads, eyelets, hardware & etc.!

2. If you had to choose between using only stamps or rub-ons, which would you choose?
Stamps – I like the artistic look and the fact that you can change it by the technique used. I am looking forward to playing with the new SU! rub-ons coming out with the new Idea Book in January, though!

3. If you knew how to do both awesome cards and layouts but could only do one for a whole year...which would you do?
I’m still a card maker at heart. Most of my scrapbooks have been given away as gifts.

4. Would you rather own a scrap booking store or have your own scrapping room at home?

I need a scrapping/stamping room so that I can keep it contained to one room. Currently I have stuff in two closets, a corner desk in my bedroom, and the dining room table is usually in semi-constant “craft mode.”

5. What is your CURRENT card making or scrapping style?
I guess you could call it “Classic Eclectic.” (At least that what Bob, my DH, called it when I asked him).

I recently took a class with another great Stampin' Up! (SU!) Demonstrator, Lisa Gray. In her class we made 6x6 Flip Albums using Baroque Motifs stamps and the So Swirly wheel along with Designer Prints paper, Hodgepodge Harware and Double Stitched Ribbon (all SU! products):
It's a little hard to see against the black background, but the cardstock & paper colors are chocolate chip for the base with So Saffron, Blue Bayou and Soft Sky layers. The ribbon is also Blue Bayou. And the hardware is Antique brass.

Here's the inside pictures: