Greetings from the Garden...

Just wanted to share an easy and quick card for you today. We all LOVE those, right?! I got my inspiration for this one when I saw THIS card. I loved the colors, the simplicity of the layout, etc, etc. But I've been wanting to use this set, Garden Greetings, for awhile now. So I decided to substitute it. I got this set FREE from Stampin' Up! at the Leadership convention I went to this year. It was a gift from them at our magical Manager's Reception. So...anyway....on to the card:

I love these colors together. They are Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, and Baja Breeze. Totally yummy and I have to do something else with these because I love it.

I put two of the flowers up on Dimensionals to give the card some dimension. Then look at that fun border and LOVE those corduroy buttons! YUMMY! Hope you enjoy and hope it inspires you to do something creative today! Let me know if you have any questions!

Loving Some Love Birds...

This card is a TOTAL CASE (Copy and Share Everything). I just saw it and FELL IN LOVE. (Appropriate...given the card. :) ) I thought it was so cute and had to make one so I'm sharing it with you so you can fall in love and go make one. :) You can find the original card HERE. Yes...the only thing I did was make it on a Kraft instead of on Whisper White. So original...I know. :) Hehe. But it would be SO EASY to change to anyone's wedding colors. I think I'm going to have to make some more of these for sure. Anyway: enjoy!
Stamps: Congrats SAB set (can't remember exact name but you can get it FREE! :) )
Ink: Riding Hood Red
Card Stock: Kraft, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red
Accessories: Baja Breeze Designer Series Paper, Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon, Big Shot, Birds and Blooms dies, Heart to Heart Punch

More Sale-A-Bration play time!!

I have been having a BLAST with this year's Sale-A-Bration (SAB) stuff! Seriously....Stampin' Up! did a great job this year providing us with such a good variety of stamps AND accessories! YEAH! Anyway: I had this butterfly left over from another project I have been working on. (What am I working on you ask?! Well...it just might be my next class! :) ) So I decided to grab some more SAB paper, the sentiment from the SAB catalog, and went to work. I LOVE the Big Shot and I LOVE SAB...so combined them. I used a scallop die, the circle die, obviously the butterfly die as well. The butterfly is ALL GLITTERY as well! I just added VersaMark all over it and then embossed with Iridescent Ice. Here is a close up....

For the next card, I CASED THIS ONE. I just loved it when I saw it and then couldn't find it anywhere when I went to make it. So did it from memory. Well...I wanted to make sure I posted the link to where I got the idea when I posted the card, so I was on the hunt for it! After some searching I finally found it! So THANK YOU for the inspiration! I love this card!!! Just a few changes since I couldn't remember every detail about it. Pretty dang close though when going off memory! :) Anyway: here is the card...

I hope you enjoy! Let me know if you have any questions!

Demonstrator Fun...

In case you were wondering...YOU CAN BECOME A STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR FOR 15% OFF!!!!! PLUS...you get an EXTRA STAMP SET (of ANY value!!) in your starter kit. This means you are getting over $300 worth of supplies for just $169.00! (FREE SHIPPING as well!!!) You might be thinking....oh I could never do that! Well, ask yourself these few questions:

• Do you want to make some extra money to pay some bills?
• Do you enjoy meeting new people or have the desire to do so?
• Do you love stamping?
• Do you want to get a great discount on some of the best paper crafting supplies out there?
• Do you want a TON of ideas at your fingertips for cards, scrapbook pages, small gifts, etc?

If answered yes to any of these questions (and there are a lot more I could ask! :) ), than being a demo might be just perfect for you! There are all types of different demonstrators that you can choose to be:

Deal Demonstrator: Buys the starter kit because it’s 15% OFF! You may have one initial order (because you get an extra 10% off), but then lets your demonstratorship expire.

Discount Demonstrator: Likes the idea of buying stamps for personal use at a 20% discount and occasionally sells to neighbors, relatives, friends, etc.

Seasonal Demonstrator: Works hard at the business during a particular season where you might need extra money (holiday time, etc.) and maintains minimum orders and sales during the balance of the year.

Hobby Demonstrator: Likes doing workshops or stamp camps and earning extra money when it’s convenient; works a lot some months and very little other months; likes to do workshops that are easy to book.

Career Demonstrator: Views a Stampin’ Up! demonstratorship as a great business opportunity with long-term career potential; pursues management and wants to move up the career ladder; loves attending Stampin’ Up! events and has developed close social relationships with other demonstrators; works at her business in a consistent and outgoing manner.

Here is a picture of the starter kit and EVERYTHING you get in it! Remember...add on ONE EXTRA STAMP SET of any value as a bonus until March 31st!!!!

Being a demonstrator gives you the flexibility to do what you want and when you want! It really is a great way to supplement income in these trying economic times. ESPECIALLY...now that the Starter Kit is ON SALE!!! (Until March 31st!)

Let me know if you have any questions about being a demo, what happens afterwards, how we would work together as a team, etc, etc...contact me at: designwithink@gmail.com You can also CLICK HERE to find out more info. You can join right online (my recruiter password is ashleyann423). If you don't want to do it online, I can send you the paperwork as well.

More Retro Fun...

I have to say that I LOVE the Retro Style Watch (on pages 10-11 in the CATALOG) from Stampin' Up! Seriously....all the pieces in this collection just make me happy! Too cute. Yesterday I posted the Pop-Up Card I made, and today...here are just a few basic cards I made with the items.
I love doing the banner thing. I think it's too much fun. You just cut a piece of cardstock to fit your sentiment. Stamp your sentiment, leaving extra space on whatever side you want your banner points to be. Then put your banner in a square punch...that is big enough for your banner...at a diagonal. Center it, and then just punch...instant banner. I colored the "good" from "good friend" in with my VersaMarker again. Hard to see...I know...but in real life it gives a subtle difference in color that makes it pop.

This card started out with the focal point of the card. I made that panel for another project that didn't work like I wanted it to. So I made it into a card. Don't you just LOVE the corduroy buttons?! So scrumptious and SO HAPPY they are in the catalog!!! :) Enjoy these cards!

Retro Pop-Up...

So I made this card last week when I saw THIS TUTORIAL. I thought this bird would be so much fun to make a Pop-Up card with. And here's a little tip I learned while doing it. When I decided I wanted to do the card in landscape layout, I didn't have enough room to do all that I wanted on the card. I would of had plenty of room if his legs were just a bit shorter. Well, I came up with this brilliant idea. (Ha-ha! Just being sarcastic...I'm sure all of you have already thought of this. Just in case....I thought I'd share. :) ) TIP: Just use a marker to ink up the length of his leg that you want. Then stamp and repeat. Instant short bird. :) Anyway: here is the front of the card...

I was going to use a patterned paper for his wing, but decided I wanted glitter instead. So just used a 2-way glue pen to color in his wing and dumped glitter over it. LOVE the sparkle. :)

Then here is the inside and the Pop-Up portion. I think I'm going to have to do more of these. They are fun. I just used the other flower images in this set for behind the bird. Then how did I do the grass you ask?! Well...I just inked up the bottom part of the stem of one of the flowers and just stamped it a bunch of times on the bottom. I think the rest of this is pretty self-explanatory but let me know if you have any questions! Oh....I did color in the "good" part of the "good friend" sentiment with my VersaMarker to give it a bit darker color. Don't know if this pic really shows it, but I did like the small difference in color it gave it so it stood out more. Enjoy and let me know if you have any more questions.

One Layer Fun....

First of all I have to say...I LOVE LOVE this stamp set I used for this project! I think it gets overlooked in the catalog, but it's amazing. I even used every stamp in the set in this project! Second....I have always wondered how people can do one layer cards and make them look cute. I wanted to try. :) Third....I love the In Colors this year and think they are so much fun to work with. Combine the stamp set I love, with colors I love, with a project I've been wanting to do for awhile....and this is what you come up with....

A 10 card gift box!!!! I personally think this would be a fun gift to get. :) It's 10 cards and 10 envelopes in this fun clear card box. ALL one layer cards! Make the cards, stamp the envelopes, put them in the box, tie ribbon around, make a fun tag, and DONE! :) It was SO MUCH FUN TO MAKE!!!

A view from the side. Look at all the scrumptious cards and envelopes packaged so fun.

Here is a picture of all the cards. I did 2 cards of each style for the box. Five images in the stamp set....used two of the sentiments twice...and it seriously is the PERFECT stamp set to do a project like this! I used all the In Colors, except Pacific Point, and then Chocolate Chip for the sentiments on the card. Oh....on the inside of the cards that have the "laughter joy happiness bliss delight" saying...I stamped the "Wishing you all this and more" stamp that comes in the set as well. So I really did use all of them! :)

Then this is what I did to the envelopes. I stamped it once on the front of the envelope, and once on the flap. For those of you that missed this stamp set in the catalog and for those of you that just want to see it....here is how it is in the catalog...

Hope you enjoy and hope you have a great day! On a personal note...sorry for my absence this week. I usually do posts on my blog when my daughter is either napping or in bed. Well...my daughter will be 3 in May and I am FINALLY getting rid of her binky! She only has it at nap and bed time, but man...she's attached! I hear that you don't let your kid go past a year with it and it's easier. Thanks for all this advice AFTER we are well past that! :) Hehe. Anyway: it's been challenging a bit and she hasn't napped and by the time we get her down at night I'm too tired. :) So sorry! But she is doing great now and I should be back! :)

Sale-A-Bration Play Time!

The other day I just wanted to play with my NEW Sale-A-Bration sets and accessories. So I did. It was fun! :) I CASEd (Copy and Share Everything) this first card from HERE. I have really been trying to NOT use Chocolate Chip so much. (Seriously...I use that color ALL the time! And I just want to branch out a bit.) So here I used Pacific Point, Basic Gray, So Saffron, and then the Bashful Blue Designer Series Paper from the Sale-A-Bration paper. I actually ended up really liking these colors together. Oh...the dots on the hearts are embossed with Whisper White embossing powder...as well as the "love you" saying. And can I say, I LOVE the new eyelet border punch! FUN! One more note...I LOVE the new brads we have! TOO much fun!!!

After the card was done, I wanted to do something 3D. So I found this box pattern on the current UStamp site. I changed it to use the Sale-A-Bration paper. I have to say...I liked it until I realized the ribbon REALLY needs to be on the other side to balance it out. So overlook that part, please. :) But I LOVE the ribbon bundle in the Sale-A-Bration brochure. SO happy there is ribbon in there! :) The flap to keep the box closed tucks behind the saying. Oh...and I embossed the saying with Iridescent Ice embossing powder. Talk about the LOVE I have of that stuff! :) Can't get enough!
Here is a little close up of the saying. The background was stamped with the Polka Dot Punches set and then sponged with Chocolate Chip. (Didn't avoid using that color here!) Then the brad is one of the new Chocolate Chip brads that I LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! :) Enjoy!!!

Baby Shower Gift..Simply Scrappin' Kit Style!

Last week I had a baby shower that I was going to. I knew I wanted to bring her a scrapbook gift of some sort. (I know I needed help keeping record of those precious first memories with your baby when I had my baby, so I love giving these kinds of things to new mom's!) I saw my birthday book I posted HERE and thought that would be perfect. Plus, it was fun CASEing my own idea. :) (Ok...I'm not saying that I'm the first that has ever done this project, but I'm the first I ever saw do it. :) I wish I would have seen someone else do it so I didn't have to waste the paper and time coming up with how to make it work like I wanted! :) Hehe.) Anyway: I decided to take that birthday book and make it into a baby scrapbook for my friend. Want a SUPER easy way to decorate it?!?? USE A SIMPLY SCRAPPIN' KIT!!! Seriously...this went together SO FAST for me. I LOVE those things. Now that I knew how to put the actual album together...I made two of these in a matter of maybe 2 hours. (Had to have one to give away and one to keep myself...right?! :) ) On to the album...

Don't know if you can see it so well, but I put it in a clear box that fit it perfectly! This way she can keep it safe.

The ribbon is attached in the back, and then comes around and ties in the front to keep it all together. This is the cover without the ribbon tied.

Here is the top view. As you can see, it's an accordian fold album. Both sides are decorated.

And here are views of both sides.

Some up close shots of a few of the pages. Hope you enjoy!!! Just in case you were wondering....I WILL be doing one of these for my upcoming class. So if you want to learn how to make one...hang on tight and check back soon for class dates! :) We'll be making one Sale-A-Bration style! :) Hope everyone had a great Valentine's weekend!!!

Product Clubs Shipped...

Here are some fun photos...I think anyway. :) I finally got the package of Designer Series Paper that was back ordered so I could finish up the Designer Series Paper Club orders. If you ordered one....they are shipped and on their way to you! I forgot to get a pic of all of them together. It was TOO MUCH fun! But I thought I would at least show you a pic of what it looks like all packaged up....
Hard to tell, but all the papers are in a clear box. They fit PERFECTLY and it looks SO FUN! I know you can't really see how beautiful and fun it is. :)

Look at that stack of papers! They are GORGEOUS! Every last one of them. 120 sheets are here! Serious fun! :)

Then I also got all my Accessory Club orders done and they are on their way too! Again...no pick of all of them together. BUT...I did want to show you how cute they were. I knew I wanted to pack them up cute. (Of course!!! :) ) I just wasn't sure how I would do it. I got this idea in my head, and just went with it. They fit PERFECTLY in the gift notes that Stampin' Up! sells. LOOK HOW CUTE....

The tag is from a Level 2 Hostess set and I LOVE the phrase, "a little somethin' somethin'." So much fun. :)

And then open it up and WOWSERS! Look at the complete gorgeousness! AHHHH! I LOVE everything in here! Buttons, Brads, and Corduroy...OH MY! :)

Just thought you would like a little peek! If you ordered one of these...they are on their way!

February Club Projects...

Mandy...this is for you! Ok...I know you are all dying to see what projects we did this month for club. Haha. But since Mandy is WAY pregnant, sick, and couldn't make it....AND she requested I post these so she could see what we did....THIS post is for HER! :) (We missed you all that couldn't come!!!!!) Anyway: we first made this Heart Bucket:

Bucket isn't the right word, I guess. So call it whatever you would like. It's made with the Petal Card Sizzix die. You just fold two of the sides in and adhere them to a 5 1/4" x 2" strip of card stock that is folded in half. We made our bucket out of Certainly Celery card stock, and then adhered Designer Series Paper to the front and back. The inside holds a cello bag with Valentine conversations hearts tied with the same ribbon that makes the handle. HOW CUTE would these be to put on your kids/hun/significant other/etc. door for Valentine's Day?!

Here's a bit of a close up. We used the Clear Rhinestone Brads to secure the ribbon to the "bucket" portion. Oh....I cut another 5 1/4 x 2 inch strip of paper and put that inside AFTER I put on the brads for the ribbon. Covered up where you adhered the whole thing together and covered up the brad prongs. Forgot to take a picture of that....sorry! Oh...and it was cut just a TAD (SMALL TAD) smaller than 5 1/4" x 2" FYI. And YES it's true. This Designer Series Paper, ribbon, AND stamp set you can earn FREE!!!! They are all part of Sale-A-Bration!!!

This was the next thing we made:

I followed this Crimped Envelope Card tutorial. So yes....this front part is an envelope. I have to say...I LOVE this idea. It was lots of fun. I think I'll be making more of these. The outside was stamped with TWO Sale-A-Bration stamp sets (the flowers are from Botanical Blooms and hearts are from Polka Dot Punches) and then the together stamp is from "Define Your Life" and was used as the sentiment. Hey...if you purchased the Define Your Life stamp set you would ALMOST earn one of these other stamp sets FREE! Just throwing that out there! :)

Here are all the pieces. The card on the left is what goes inside the envelope and where you write your message. Then the top of the envelope (with the ribbon) slides down over it. By crimping the bottom portion of the envelope, it makes it smaller and therefore easy to slide the top part over. Brilliant! Thanks whomever thought of it! :) Hope you enjoy!

Yes it's more cupcakes! What's it to you?!

I KNOW! Another post with CUPCAKES!!! You're saying right now to yourself, "Enough is enough!" :) Well, sorry! Here are a few more! If my life has been saturated with cupcake cards, so should yours! :) Hehe. I've spent the last 24 hours making 120 cupcake cards! (I mentioned this in a previous post but I was making cards for my cousin's (Hi Megan!!!) cupcake shop that she just opened.) And there was LOTS of coloring (on the stamp....cupcakes have to be different colors! :) ), cutting, brad-ing, ribbon tying, card stock and Designer Series Paper cutting, Dimensionalizing (how's that for a word?! :) ) etc, etc. But I thought the result was GREAT! I got them all sent off today (was cheaper to mail them than to drive them an hour and some away to hand-deliver.....but then I could of eaten a yummy cupcake....hmmmm...guess I should have re-thought that one! :) ) and I FORGOT to take a pic of them all completed. They were so cute in their little cello bags with their own little envelope. :) I loved looking at them all cute like that. Anyway....enough of my story. After I sent her pictures of the first batch of ideas I gave her, she wanted some of all of them. She also had a few phrases she wanted on others. So this is what I came up with....

She wanted a "Sweet Bliss" wedding card. Ahhhhhh...isn't it precious. :) (By the way....I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this cupcake!!! It's from one of the new Level 1 Hostess sets. It's FAB-O!!! I think it's darling!!!! Just in case you wanted to know my opinion. :) )
Then she wanted a edgy, "real men eat cupcakes", rockery one. So I came up with this...thinking that black/gray/red was a cool color combo for this idea. Just wasn't "edgy" or "rockery" enough for me. So....

...this was the next one I did. I want you to take the challenge of making a cupcake card that looks rockery, manly, edgy, etc! :) This was what finally came to light in my head. I added the skulls because they are "in" these days. Not that you really want to think about skulls while you are eating yummy cupcakes. :) But hey...the eyes are heart shaped so that softens them, right?!??! And I think it's kinda fun.

Then for those that don't want skulls with their cupcake cards, how about this FABULOUS black striped paper?! It's one of Stampin' Up!'s new glossy speciality papers and it so SO AMAZING in real life! I LOVE IT! I actually am quite pleased with this "rocker-y" and "edgy" and "manly" cupcake card. Maybe I really should offer this as a challenge for you to do to see what you come up with! :) Sorry for all my wordy explanations! Guess I'm in a chatty mood right now! I hope you enjoy MORE cupcake cards. I think I'm done for now. :) (In case you were curious...she did order some of each of these samples as well.)

More Sweetness...

I forgot to post this cupcake card in my last post. This is a standard size card. It's basically taking the card from THIS POST and turning it into a standard size card by adding some Kraft card stock and some Kraft Designer Series Paper. (Have I mentioned lately HOW MUCH I LOVE Kraft card stock?! :) )
This card is super fun and glittery in person. I just paper pieced all the cupcake/cherry pieces together. The frosting piece is completely glittery. I added VersaMark all over the top of it, then embossed it with Iridescent Ice embossing powder. LOVE that stuff! :) Then I added the different colored "sprinkles" on top of that. I punched those out with a 1/2" circle punch. Here is a close up so hopefully you can get an idea of how glittery it is in person....
I hope your day really is "the sweetest ever" today! It's a nasty snow-in day today here in Utah! NO FUN! Also, don't forget about my YUMMY INCENTIVE this month! If you are wanting to make some fun cupcake projects of your own....the FREE Class By Email is perfect! :) Let me know if you have any questions!

Sweet Cupcakes...

So my cousin (well, my cousin's wife....we'll go with cousin! :) ) just opened a cupcake shop. She has been doing it on-line for awhile now. She is AMAZING and has even been featured on Rachel Ray's show! If you want to check it out it's http://www.thesweettoothfairy.com/. Seriously...EVERYTHING she does is FABULOUS!! Anyway: she wanted me to make her some cards she could sell in her bakery. So these are the ones I sent to her for review. Of course I have to share them! :)

I CASEd this one from my friend, Betsy. I wish she had a website to refer you to...she does great stuff! :) (Hint, hint...Betsy! :) )

Hope you enjoy and it encourages you to go eat something sweet! :) I didn't list the supplies because I used a bunch of stuff. If you have questions...just let me know!

Don't forget the 12x12's!!!

I just realized I haven't posted the 12x12 swaps I received at the Leadership swap I participated in. I talked about it HERE if you don't remember. :) Anyway: since I haven't posted these yet, figured I better now! I know I am always looking for scrapbook ideas so maybe you need some too! So here are some of the 12x12 double layout pages I received... Hope you enjoy! Let me know if you have any questions!