Western Flair

"Manchester" is the featured designer paper on this card. The muted colors of Kraft, Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze and Always Artichoke, and the plaid designs, give it a more masculine feel than a lot of other SU papers. I inked the edges of everything with Creamy Caramel. The circles are stamped with stamps from "Wanted," "Priceless," and "Be Happy" is from the "Darling Dots" hostess set. I used a Vintage Brad and a silver brad from the Hodgepodge Hardware set. I used lots of circle punches and this card was a lot of fun to make!

Hey There!

Aren't these colors striking together - Real Red cardstock and So Saffron designer paper from the Sale-A-Bration Delicate Dots collection. The giraffe and bird are from "Wild About You." "Hey There" is from "Really Retro" and stamped on the tab using the Round Tab Punch. It's attached with a red button and thread. The Flower Ribbon Slide on the Real Red Ribbon is a piece included in the Hodgepodge Hardware set.

Funky Flowers

The black flowers were made using a SU Sizzlits Die called Flower Blossom. (The Sizzlits single dies are only $4.95!) The flowers are attached to Tempting Turquoise, Pink Passion and Green Galore dots punched from the 1 1/4" circle punch, with coordinating Bold Brights Brads. I embossed the Whisper White background with a Cuttlebug folder and added a strip of Basic Gray Designer Paper from the current Hostess Pack. I love all the dots!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This cute little guy made the rounds last year - I cased him from someone but I have no idea who. He's made completely from Stampin' Up! punches - Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" circle, 3/4" circle, Word Window, and Large Tag. The brim of his hat is made by punching two ovals side-by-side about 1/4" apart. Using the oval punch, punch out the part in between the two ovals. The cardstock colors are Garden Green, Summer Sun, Black, Confetti White, Really Rust and Blush Blossom. A Blush Blossom Marker was used to highlight around the face and nose, and to make rosy cheeks. I used SU black gingham ribbon, and the google eyes and shamrock are from Michael's. He was so fun to make!

This Round's On Me!

I should be preparing for my Hostess Club which meets Friday, but I had this idea in my head and had to put it on paper! The green beer stamp is from "Cheers To You," colored with Stampin' Pastels, and coated in Crystal Effects (which I've stuck my thumb in twice now!) "Time to Celebrate" is from the "Celebrate Everything" set and stamped in Glorious Green. I used small and medium oval punches, and the background is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder - it sort of reminded me of beer bubbles! The cardstock is Glorious Green, Gable Green and Whisper White - colors you'll probably see together only on a St. Patrick's card!

Kiss Me, I'm Irish!

This card was sort of copied from Stampin' Success magazine, a publication given to SU demonstrators. I punched Green Galore designer paper from the current hostess pack with the Full Heart Punch and attached with Stampin' Dimensionals. The Certainly Celery ribbon is a Sale-A-Bration freebie. Since I don't have any St. Pat's stamps (gasp!) I used a "Kiss Me" button I found at Michael's. The heart brad and shamrocks are also from Michaels. Cardstock colors are Certainly Celery, Green Galore and Whisper White.

We Grow Great By Dreams

We made this card at one of my Stamp-A-Stacks a few months ago and it was a customer favorite. The cardstock is Pink Pirouette and Chocolate Chip. The Bella Rose designer paper is so elegant and pretty, and I trimmed it with a scalloped edge punch. The "Dreams du Jour" stamp is water colored with Pink and Celery. The Flower Fusion felt flowers, attached with a vintage brad and Stampin' Dimensional add the perfect finishing touch. Using a Corner Rounder punch on the base cardstock helps give the card a softer look. I made lots of these to use as my personal "thank you" cards and gave many as gifts.

Pretty Petals

This card was inspired by something I saw on the SU Demonstrator Website. The background stamp is "Pretty Petals" and was applied with a brayer and So Saffron ink. The flower is made by snipping the "petals" of the scallop circle punch. The clear button in the center was applied with Crystal Effects as it was the only adhesive I found to be invisible. Under the clear button is stamped "kindness" from the "Define Your Life" stamp set - hard to see, but it's there! The sentiment is from "Heard from the Heart," stamped with Old Olive on Very Vanilla cardstock. I used the scalloped edge punch on the vanilla, and the stem and leaf are made from Old Olive cardstock.

Here's the photo!

Oops! No picture! Sorry for the extra post! I'll get this figured out one of these days!

This is Apricot Appeal designer paper from last catalog's hostess pack. I also used Almost Amethyst, Cameo Coral and Whisper White. The flowers are from Petal Pizzazz. I stamped them on white cardstock using Cameo Coral ink, cut them out and attached with Stampin' Dimensionals. The Certainly Celery flower stems are also from Petal Pizzazz. The phrase "warm wishes" comes from the Hugs & Wishes stamp set. The flower vase was made by punching cardstock with the large oval, and cutting the ends. And there's that Eyelet Border Punch that I love so much!

Priceless Butterfly

The inspiration for this card came from an old Paper Crafts magazine. I used Certainly Celery, Taken with Teal, Apricot Appeal and Whisper White cardstocks. The "Priceless" set has some of my favorite swirls which I used on the teal and white. Can you see the Crystal Effects on the butterfly? It gives it sort of a 3D effect. I used my favorite new punch, "Eyelet Border" on the white strip and layered Certainly Celery and Apricot Appeal ribbon. "Wonderful" is from the "Warm Words" stamp set - a must have! I used the Ticket Corner Punch and added some green rhinestones on the centerpiece.

Simple Elegance

I made this card for friends of mine who just got married. I actually help get them together, so I'm very happy this worked out!! Congratulations Steve & Jessica!

I used Whisper White and Black cardstock. The front was embossed with the Cuttlebug heart embossing folder. The heart and "mr. & mrs." are from "Chit Chat Rub-ons" and placed inside a piece of silver Hodge Podge Hardware. It's tied together with some organza ribbon.

A BIG BUNCH OF THANKS!!

Welcome to my brand new blog! I hope you enjoy what I share and are inspired to create something of your own. I will try to post new things every day, so check often to see what's new. Become a "follower" to be notified when new posts are made. Thanks for taking a look at my addiction, and I hope you visit often.

My blog would not have been possible without the help of my dear friend MaryAnn Sansonetti, self-proclaimed "Technology Dork!" MaryAnn has spent countless hours showing me the ropes of this blogging stuff, and although there's still much to learn, I can at least post a pretty good picture now. MaryAnn, thanks so much for everything - especially the close friendship that I truly treasure. This hobby took on a whole new life when you joined me. Thanks for helping to make this so much fun every day!

Beth Feverston this is all your fault! I had never heard of Stampin' Up! until I met you. Not only were you my earliest inspiration, but I consider you my greatest mentor in the SU business. I learned so much by observing how you conducted your workshops and I strive to conduct my business "just like Beth." You might recognize some card designs from time to time as I still frequently refer to my big box of "Beth cards!' Thanks so much!

Tanjalee Vance, you helped "kick-start" my business by introducing me to so many of your friends who later became my customers (and my friends too!) Thanks for helping me grow a sizable business in a not-so-sizable town! For this I will be forever grateful. You are so awesome!

Lori Gladders - Thanks for helping me get started with the business end of SU and for your continued techniques coaching.

Hope you enjoy.....

Sweet Stems

Don't you just love the spring flowers in the new Sweet Stems set?! I used Naturals White as the card base, and made the Top Note with Pretty in Pink cardstock. The flowers are colored with markers and finished with 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon. The phrase "because nice matters" is from the new hostess set "Sweet Little Sentiments."

Raspberry Tart and Lovely Labels

These might have been the favorite cards from February's Stamp-A-Stack. The Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper is beautiful against Rose Red and Kiwi Kiss cardstock. Laura suggested the paper has a "Vera Bradley" look to it, and I have to agree! The centerpiece is stamped from Lovely Labels, and the Signo white gel pens really make the scallop circle "pop."

Botanical Blooms

Botanical Blooms is one of the free sets offered in this year's Sale-A-Bration promotion. I used baja breeze and mellow moss and very vanilla cardstock. The new Eyelet Border Punch adds a delicate touch to any card and is very easy to use. Baja Breeze Designer Series Paper is used on the bottom, and an open leaf is stamped with Versamark to make a subtle background.

Sale-A-Bration Goodies!

These cards feature three of the free gift choices from the current Sale-A-Bration promotion. The Polka Dot Punches stamp set was used to create the hearts and scallops, which fit perfectly into the Full Heart and Scallop Circle punches. Delicate Dots Designer Paper and the So Saffron and Certainly Celery Ribbon Bundle finish the design. The stamped phrases on the bottom are from Really Retro. For more info regarding Sale-A-Bration, click on the catalog on the left!

My New Craft Room!

I am so proud of the craft room that my wonderful husband, John, built for me last Christmas (I love you, Santa!), and I wanted to share it with you. These beautiful storage cabinets are actually custom closet organizers from Home Depot. The four vertical sections are sold with a few shelves and clothing rods, and you add doors and drawers to customize any way you want. I love the way it turned out and I now have so much room to organize all my stuff....with room to grow!

Ribbon and Punches Galore!

Other crafters have posted pics of this creative peg-board storage idea so I had John make one for me. The bars for the punches are actually the clothing bars from the closet units in the photo above. My ribbon is stored in spice racks. Other little pantry containers are used to store my Stampin' Mist, StazOn Cleaner and Crystal Effects, and scissors hang from various hooks. The floor lamp was $25 from Target. (I saved room for the new scallop oval punch coming soon!)

Creative Domain

I found this kitchen table at Big Lots for $99 and it's the perfect size for crafting. The tall storage drawers fit perfectly underneath. My adhesives, pastels, pencils, projects-in-progress and miscellaneous supplies are at a very convenient arm's reach.

Organized paper!

These shelves were also part of the Home Depot closet collection. The adjustable and very sturdy shelves makes paper organization a breeze. I can tell at a glance what paper is running low....hmmm....not much of anything at the moment! My computer stand is new too - only $40 from Staples.

Did you notice the curtains?

My mom had this great idea that I should STAMP my curtains, and the minute she suggested it, I knew I had to do it! The curtains are plain white muslin from Bed, Bath and Beyond. I bought sponge stamps and paint at Michaels. Mom made the lavender bow tie-backs (I don't sew!) and that's all there was to it. Very whimsical and cute!

Simply Pretty!

The simplicity and bright colors in this card makes it one of my favorites. I used Pixie Pink, Tempting Turquoise and Whisper White cardstock. The flowers are from various sets: Priceless, Eastern Blooms and Seeing Spots. The greeting is from Sincere Salutations.

MaryAnn's Pocket Silhouettes

This is a case from my dear friend MaryAnn using Pocket Silhouettes and Much Appreciated. The background ferns are from Organic Grace in our last catalog. The cardstock is Really Rust, Sage Shadow and Very Vanilla.

Say it with Scallops

Baja Breeze and Old Olive cardstock were used to coordinate with our retired Green Tea designer paper. "Say it with Scallops" fits perfectly in the scallop square punch....imagine that.....and the card is finished with baja breeze 5/8" striped grosgrain ribbon.

Doodle This

"Doodle This" is one of my favorite sets and I'll miss it when it retires. I love the swirls! The big flower was made by stamping one on Whisper White cardstock, stamping a second on scrap paper to cut out and attach with a jeweled brad. The cardstock colors are Lavender Lace and Bashful Blue and the sentiment is from "Sincere Salutations."

Tweet Birthday Card

This bright and cheery birthday card highlights our "A Little Birdie Told Me" set and one of last year's Sale-A-Bration sets, "Lots of Thoughts." I used Taken with Teal, Pumpkin Pie and Whisper White paper and the retired "Bali Breeze" designer paper. My favorite scallop circle punch was used along with 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon.

To Thine Own Self Be Kind

I saw this card on SCS by Regina Cornelius and couldn't wait to copy it! I changed some colors, but Regina gets all the credit here. Really Rust, Old Olive, More Mustard and Very Vanilla cardstock are used. It's hard to see in the photo, but I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder on the rust background. The stamp set is Botanical Blooms from the current Sale-A-Bration catalog. I stamped some blooms and leaves in the background on the vanilla paper. Three blooms are cut out and attached with Stampin' Dimensionals. The flower pot was made with the large oval punch and cutting off the ends. The pot is made with More Mustard paper, and rubbed in Really Rust ink.