L-INKed with Friends

Simple And WOW Card Class

I have a a fire lit under me after my fun time at the Stampin' Up! convention. Many of you have been asking when I was going to resume teaching classes and the time has finally come.  I am kicking off the new Stampin' Up! year with a Simple and WOW card class on Sunday August 25th :) This class will be from 6:00-8:00 at my house. We will make 5 WOW cards, it includes all materials, and only costs $22.00!  Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned stamper, you will have a blast creating these and enjoying a fun time out with the girls.  Light refreshments will be served. Bring a new stamping friend to me and you both receive a gift!! (If this is YOUR first time stamping with me, you get a gift from me too;)

 Please contact me as soon as possible by email.  [email protected]  There is limited space and this class is prepaid. (class fee is non- refundable.  Much goes into preparing for the classes and you will still receive the supplies).

Looking forward to stamping with you soon!!!  You can view upcoming classes on my website here.

Seize the Cupcake. Quick!

Another card I made in honor of a friend's birthday.  She likes black so went with black glitter.  Did you know you can color your clear glitter with alcohol markers if you don't have the right color to match your paper?  Very cool.

This cupcake is ready to leap off of the dish so why not seize it quick?!  I made this for the Papertrey Ink challenge Sweet Sugar Coated Embellishments from Stamp A Faire.

Relax with Salt

This could be a hot bath with Epsom Salts or a trip to the beach.  How about a soak in Dead Sea Salts with lavender added?  I wish I could have all of those things right now but I chose to relax by creating another card using watercolor paper and sea salt.  It could not have been easier and I could not have been more happy with the results.   

I was immediately reminded of the beach when I saw what was happening so chose flip flops as my stamped image.  I only used three colors on my watercolor paper but the salt changed and blended them into something really delicious.  This was my favorite technique for the Papertrey Stamp A Faire challenge "Sprinkle of Salt". I have used salt many times in my work but this was a first on Stampin' Up!'s watercolor paper and I think it netted the best results so far.

So go ahead. Relax and enjoy your day!

Limited Ingredients Challenge

I like a challenge.  This WAS a challenge.  These would not be my first pick of colors to combine but Papertrey Ink Stamp a Faire had a list of limited ingredients to use and I was not about to give up.  I like how this turned out so I appreciate the help in thinking outside of the box. I have two more cards I made but am waiting for good light to photograph them.  I will post tomorrow :)

Misty Birthday

No, I am not teary eyed.  Just mixing up a little of my own color stamping mist to stencil a background.  I love how it is soft and can match whatever ink and paper I am using.  I used 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol and 75 drops of Bermuda Blue re-inker in a small spray bottle. My favorite paper to use when I am getting something really wet is SU's Shimmery Cardstock. Don't you love this color?!

This is another card I made for Papertrey's Mixing Mists to Match challenge during their one day Stamp a Faire. I will definitely be using this technique in my upcoming classes

Coffee and Baby

Thought I would try some techniques today that I have not played with in awhile.  This technique is called Coffee Staining (or you could use strong tea).  I painted the yellow cardstock with my leftover coffee grounds and also dyed the baker's twine in my husband's cup of coffee (when he wasn't looking ;) If you have a chance, go play with your food and beverages. You never know what kind of fun results you will come up with.

I am playing along with Papertrey Ink and their stamp a faire today.  Some fun challenges and great layouts if you are not feeling quite as creative as you would like. Off to having some more coffee.  Have a great morning.

Feeling Wishy Washi about Halloween?

I have never been a big fan of the spooky side of Halloween.  I am more into the cute side. You know, the "Let's dress up as a princess" side. And don't forget about the candy and carving pumpkins! I like orange and black, glitter, and banner decorations.  Then I go to Stampin' Up!'s convention and I come out  trying to think outside of my "cute" box. So I put that all those elements together ( ignoring the princess) and I came up with this card. I love it!  I had so much fun with the new Stampin' Up! Witches' Brew Designer Washi tape, the designer paper Witches' Brew, and the stamp set Halloween Bash that I got at Convention.  How about that black glitter?  So much fun!  This card will be part of a class of 5 cards I am teaching called "Feeling Wishy Washi?" August 31.  If you are interested in coming, please email me for more details. If you do not live in the area, I will be putting together a PDF class in the mail.

All materials can be purchased on my website here. 

This card design was my submission for the Paper Craft Crew Challenge Sketch Design Team #53. Come play along after you have checked out the other design team submissions at PCCCS Blog.

New EASY Cards in Motion

How to make an interactive card without doing any math (always a good thing for me.  I like no-brainers;)

The just released today flip card design Thinlet Card Dies are going to be one of my favorite tools to use for the wow card I need to make in a hurry.

                                           

These new card dies come with extra die pieces that have versatile designs, so you can use them on other projects, not just flip cards. (The Circle Card Thinlits Die comes with 10 total pieces; the Label Card Thinlits Die comes with nine total pieces.)

With the number of dies you're getting, plus the die that creates the card itself, the price is a great value-especially to create an interactive card! The main shape in the cards (circle and label) can work with a lot of our stamp images so you can create tons of different kinds of cards using many different stamp sets. Here are just a few suggestions to get you started

Label Card Thinlits Die (item 133479):

• Happy Day Stamp Set (item 130294 W item 130297 C)

Circle Card Thinlits Die (item 133480):

• Worth the Wait Stamp (item 131094 W)
• Five-Way Flower Stamp (item 131088 W)

Both card dies pair well with:

• Oh, Hello Stamp Set (item 131931 W item 130733 C)
• Yippee-Skippee! Stamp Set (item 131341 W item 131344 C)
• Really Good Greetings Stamp Set (item 130330 W item 130333 C)
• Regarding Dahlias Stamp Set (item 130324 W item 130327 C)
• These dies also work well with our new magnetic platform (item 130658) so you can place the dies exactly where you want them!

  

133479	Label Card Thinlits Die	$32.95
133480	Circle Card Thinlits Die	$32.95

Browse the new Holiday Catalog and when you place your order in my store, make sure you add one if not both of these new dies.  (Classes coming soon to show you many ways to use them :)

Happy Card Making

 

Fall is Finally Here!

I am so glad Fall is finally here.  I just love the smell of crispy leaves and raking up all those colorful piles to jump in.....Wait...It is NOT here yet? I must be day dreaming big time because I sure could smell the difference in the air, couldn't you?  (We did have a day this week where it was cool and breezy with no humidity.  That was a BIG change compared to the rest of the summer we have have had so far.)  Well it put me in the mood to create something for Fall and to start on my upcoming class schedule.  This will be one of the cards featured in a Fall class.  I really liked how it turned out and it uses one of the stamp sets from the upcoming Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog that debuts on August 1.  Can't wait for you to see all the new goodies and for us to play with them in my classes.

This is for the Paper Craft Crew Challenge Sketch 52 and uses the Stamp Set Truly Grateful (wood 131730, clear 131733) and the designer paper "Sweater Weather" (132184).  See, I told you I was in the mood for Fall! ;)  I used my Stampin' Write markers and a blender pen to color in the wheat and the sentiment is from the new set Six-Sided Sampler (wood 130953, clear 130956)  Add some Rhinestone jewels and you are set.  You can purchase these items from my store starting August 1.

Head over to the PCCCS Blog to see what other awesome designs our design team came up with.  Don't forget to play along and upload your creation.  Can't wait to see it. Warm Fall hugs.

Free Stamp Sets From Convention

PCCCS 51 is here and I decided to use two of the FREE stamp sets that Stampin' Up! gave us at convention.  Gorgeous Grunge and Hello, Lovely are great sets to use in all types of cards.  The grunge style is a bit out of my comfort zone as I like more control in designing my cards but I think I am going to have a lot of fun "loosening up". The edges of the rubber created some more lines so I just went with it.  You can always trim around your stamps if there is extra rubber hitting your ink pad. I also tried the chalk board technique by stamping the sentiment in black and then adding a little craft white smeared on top with my finger.  Fun!  Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, and Pumpkin Pie colors work well together for a bright and happy card. Kind of like finger painting :)

These great stamp sets, the new Coastal Cabana In Color, and other supplies can be found on my website. 

124005 Silver Glimmer Paper

130243 Hello, Lovely 

                    130517 Gorgeous Grunge

  119246 Basic Rhinestones Jewels Accents

Classic Ink Coastal Cabana     131175 (2013-2015 In-Color)

Classic Ink Pumpkin Pie          126945 (Brights)

Classic Ink Daffodil Delight     126944 (Brights)

Classic Ink Melon Mambo        126948 (Brights)

Classic Ink Basic Black            126980

Whisper White Craft INK         101731 (page 165 Main Catalog)

Whisper White Cardstock        100730 (40 Sheets!)

Coastal Cabana Cardstock        131297

 

Back to our Sketch Challenge 51.  We took a week off for convention and now are back and ready to rock!

Head on over to the Paper Craft Crew Blog to see what the rest of the designers are having fun with.  I can't wait to see :)

 

 

Back from convention

I am just back from convention and not quite awake after going to bed at 3:00 am but wanted to post a few photos just to wet your whistle. First, let me share a photo that our  Stampin' Up! CEO and Co-Founder Shelli had on her blog.  This picture shows just a "few" of us getting excited about the start of convention.  Can you find Waldo? 

Next, I have just received the "official" bag.  LOVE it!

One of the best things about convention (there are so many) is meeting up with friends that you have not seen all year.  Here is Lois Folla and Patty Bennett at ONE OF THE PARTIES  that SU threw for us.

PARTY!

Oh the samples we see!  Swaps and sample boards are a HUGE part of convention

Dinner at Buca di Beppo with long distance best stamping friends!  Love these guys :) We had the coveted kitchen table.

Have I mentioned the great classes and all the GREAT FREE GIVEAWAYS that SU showered on us to celebrate their 25th anniversary? I cannot post pictures of the stampsets as they are from the upcoming Holiday Catalog but just let me say that SU was VERY generous.  Thank you Stampin' Up! 

So did I give you just enough to keep you hanging?  (there is a method to my madness)  Look out for posts coming soon and leave a comment telling me what you would like about convention if you went (or did go)( or will go because you don't want to miss out one more year!)  Happy Stamping :)