Here for You ~ Stampin' Celebration ~ SC120

We're back.   Stampin' Celebration is back from our Christmas break with a beautiful new inspiration challenge.  The butterfly among the sparkles was my inspiration.

These elegant images would be lovely on a bridal card, but I am in need of more sympathy and encouragement cards.   I hope you will go check out the challenge and see the updates that our Designer Coordinator, Wendi Lau, has been working on and give the design team some love for their beautiful samples.


***Don't forget about Stampin' Up!'s Sale-A-Bration (SAB) going on right now.  For every $50 you spend HERE you can choose 1 item from the SAB catalog for FREE!!!!

Stamps: You've Got This (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Versamark; Silvery Shimmer Delicata
Paper: Whisper White, Vellum Cardstock
Accessories: Basic Rhinestones, Butterfly Thinlits Die, Silver Embossing Powder, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder (SU) Tombow Power Tabs (these are awesome and totally clear!) Blueprints 20 Dies (My Favorite Things)

You've Got This

Butterfly Thinlits

Dots For Days ~ Thanks

Are you ever inspired by visiting blogs?  When I first got into card making 95% of my inspiration came from other bloggers.  Lately I rarely have time to visit blogs, but occasionally I will carve out some time and catch up on some of my favorites.  That is where I found inspiration for this series of cards.

Yes, I said series.  4 cards and counting.  I think I will post them on Mondays because they are so bright and cheerful.  Mondays need all the help they can get.  ;)


My inspiration came from the incredibly talented Maureen Merritt.  I was visiting her blog and had to almost run to my craft room I was so inspired.  Clicky to see her post to see where her inspiration came from.  She used white embossing with a really cool, graphic, background stamp, and then used the ink smooshing technique to create her card.  I had to give it a try, and I was in a rainbow mood, thanks to the Dreamy Rainbow mood board over at the In The Mood class.

Instagram Pic

Above is the picture I posted on Instagram the day I created this card.  Later I was looking at this picture and thought it looked like a Polaroid.  I may be inspired to make another card.


All Supplies Stampin' Up!
Stamps: Dots For Days, One Big Meaning
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Rich Razzleberry, Versamark,
Accessories: White Embossing Powder

Pink and Aqua Snowflakes

The current sketch at CAS(E) this sketch is so versatile, that I had to make another batch of cards.  Clicky to see my double wreath post.

Big Focal Point + Big Sentiment Underneath = Clean & Simple Perfection!  I'm adding this formula to my rotation.  :)

First up is this lovely Pink snowflake.  To make some of the layers sparkly I applied versamark to pink pirouette cardstock, then covered it with iridescent ice embossing powder.  I heat set the embossing powder, then ran it through the Big Shot with my dies.  

Here is my first design.  Clean and simple perfection, but I think I like the added layers of vellum and bling on the pink card.  Which do you prefer?

Just to be sure I made a few more.  6 in total, plus the 2 from the previous post.  I would say I was super inspired by this weeks sketch.  :)

Ink: Versamark
Paper: Pink Pirouette - Whisper White (Stampin' UP!), Surf Blue (Simon Says Stamp); Vellum Cardstock (SU)
Accessories: Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder (Stampin' UP!); Eliza Snowflake - Kate Snowflake (Simon Says Stamp); Joyous Wishes (Penny Black); Jewel Bling

Bokeh Snowflakes ~ Video

Today's card was inspired by a card I made last summer exclusively for the StampNation classroom.  I made two watercolor backgrounds that day, and this card I'm showing on my blog today was inspired by that first card.

In the heat of August I created this snowy scene to cool me down. I've waited to share it with you because I made it for A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0 and I wasn't sure if it would make it into the class or not.  Can you spot the trends I used?  We had so many awesome samples from our amazing team of designers that this card didn't make the cut, so I get to share it with all of you!  Doesn't that make you want to see the other cards in this class that did make the cut?  

Check out the video below to see how it is made.  If you cannot see the video click the direct link to watch it on youtube.  http://youtu.be/M7yvDALmbPs

There may be a few too many sequins, or perhaps not.  It's almost Christmas time, so I say, "bring on the bling!".

If you are a StampNation member you can click the link to see my original Bokeh technique video: Inspired By #3  

If you are not a member and would like to become one, click the link:  Learn more about StampNation.   My next installment of Inspired By is coming out on Friday, and a new challenge went up today with a sponsor prize.

Imagine Crafts is our sponsor this week for StampNation.  Here is a sneak peek at how the design team was inspired.

If you are looking for the trendiest Christmas card class online be sure to check out A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0.  I have 4 exclusive videos for the class.  :)  http://www.catherinepooler.com/trendyholidayHN

REMINDER- Tomorrow is the LAST DAY for StampNation members to use their $10 off coupon code for A Very Trendy Holiday.  

Supplies
Stamps: Alpine Christmas (Waltzing Mouse Stamps); Snowflake Soiree (Stampin' UP!); Vintage Snowflakes (The Crafts Meow)
Ink: Broken China- Peacock Feathers- Tumbled Glass (Distress Inks); White Paper (Fresh Ink); Versamark (SU)
Paper: Basic Gray (SU); Distress Watercolor Paper (Ranger); White (Bazzil)
Accessories: Sparkling Clear- Sweetheart Mix- Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh); Stitched Rectangles Die (Lil' Inker Designs); Studio Matte Medium (Ranger); White Embossing Powder (SU)

Inspired by Feathers?

I'll be the first to admit that I did not jump on board when the feather trend first hit a year and a half ago.  In fact, I thought it was a trend that would fizzle out in just a couple of months.  I'll also be the first to admit I was wrong.  :)  In the classroom at StampNation today I have a video showing you how I was inspired to make this card.

I used my new stamp set, Fancy Feathers, that Stephanie Wincott, from Clearly Besotted, sent me.  Aren't those feathers lovely?  In the video I also show you how to create this entire card.  StampNation members can click HERE to go there now.

If you are not yet a member and want to join click HERE to sign up now and then go check out my video.  ;)

Speaking of StampNation, I get to announce the blog hop winner for my blog that gets a FREE 1 month membership to StampNation.  Drum roll please. Random Generator chose #12.

Sharon, be sure to email Catherine to get let her know she owes you a free month.  I'll let her know to watch out for it.

For all the rest of you who participated in the Housewarming party blog hop, be sure to head on over to Catherine Pooler's blog post HERE to see if you are one of the winners!  Good luck! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Fancy Feathers (Clearly Besotted)
Ink: Blushing Bride (SU), Coastal Cabana (SU), Lilac Posies (Memento Luxe - Imagine Crafts), Pool Party (SU), Versamark
Paper: Shimmery White (SU), Smoky Slate (SU)
Accessories: Aquapainter, Rounded Rectangles Stiched Dies (Lil' Inker Designs), Studio Matte Medium, Glossy Accents, 1/8" Smoky Slate Taffeta Ribbon (SU), Sparkling Clear Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh)

Falling into Thank You

My long overdue summer thank you cards.  When I saw the Seasonally Scattered stamp set in the Holiday catalog I knew I would be using them to make my August and September thank you cards.

Isn't the Fall Thanks stamp scrumptious?  It looks so pretty all on its own, or decorated as I have done here.

***Note**** If you are reading this post in an email or reader you may need to go to my blog to view the video below.

I was so inspired by the stamp set that I made 2 more designs.  Here are the sneak peeks.  The first one should be up on my blog very soon.

The second one will be on StampNation tomorrow.  Speaking of StampNation.... there is a very special blog hop going on tomorrow and a chance for you to try out StampNation for $1.  Come back tomorrow for all the details.

eta: Linking up to the Our Daily Bread Challenge over at Operation Write Home.  The September challenge is to make your own background.  I've been doing that a lot this month.   Clicky

Stampin' UP! Supplies:
Stamps: Seasonally Scattered
Ink: Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Mossy Meadows, Versamark
Paper:  Whisper White (+ notecards), Hello Honey, Blackberry Bliss, Tangelo Twist, Mossy Meadows
Accessories: Gold Embossing Powder

Seasonally Scattered

2014-2016 In Colors

Love You Forever

Have you ever wondered if all cards that Design Team members make it the final cut?  Wonder no more.  Many do not ever see the light of day, much less end up on the web for all to see.  Others end up on a random blog post, like the ones I will be showing you this week.  I liked these cards, but I LOVED the card I ended up using as my design team submission.

Sometimes you just have to roll where your creative juices take you, even when you don't end up with the card you envisioned.  For this card I die cut the gorgeous butterflies with black cardstock.  Then I painted them with some pearlescent paint I found at Fred Meyer (a grocery market/super store).

The sentiment came from Winnie & Walter's, The Big, The Bold and You set.  Winnie & Walter are our sponsors this week at StampNation.  They are giving away a $30 gift certificate to one of our members who participates in the current challenge.  Woot-woot!

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps: The Big, The Bold and You (Winnie & Walter)
Ink: Pearlescent Watercolor Paint, Versamark
Paper(SU): Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Accessories: Kensington Border Die (Memory Box), Sequins, Silver Embossing Powder (SU)

For You ~ CAS(ES) this Sketch

A quick card for you today.  It's a sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch that I'm sure I will use over and over again.   I already have three other cards in mind using this sketch.  That's a good sign it will become one of my favorites.

CTS#86

Stamping Supplies:
Stamps: Tag Talk (SU)
Ink: Blackberry Bliss (SU)
Paper: Blackberry Bliss, Hello Sunshine (Lawn Fawn), Whisper White
Accessories: Tiny Triangles Embossing Folder (SU)

Tag Talk

Tiny Triangles

Stampin' Celebration Fireworks

It's July 1st.  Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian friends!

The 4th of July is only a few days away and the skies in SouthWest Washington will be filling with awesome displays of fireworks.  In Thurston County, where I live, it also means that you need to bring your own bag to the store or pay a premium for those cheap plastic bags that used to be free.   In stamping land it means that it is time for a new challenge at Stampin' Celebration.  That's what you are here for, right?

SC#82

With it only be a few days away from our nation's Independence Day celebrations, I just had to use the fireworks photo as my inspiration.  Of course that picture of the smores has me wanting to roast some marshmallows in our firepit soon.  Here is the card I came up with using the sun from Kinda Eclectic as my firework.

Each burst was embossed with a different color embossing powder, then I took one of the stamps from Gorgeous Grunge and embossed it with Iridescent Ice embossing powder to give it a little sparkle.   

Which photo will you choose as your inspiration?   Don't forget to check out what the rest of the design team came up with, then make your own project to enter.  

Supplies (All Stampin' UP! unless otherwise noted)

Stamps: Amazing Birthday, Gorgeous Grunge, Honeycomb Hello, Kinda Eclectic

Ink: Real Red, Island Indigo, Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party, Versamark

Misc:  Banners Framelits, Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Pool Party EP, Wild Wasabi EP, Washi Tape

Amazing Birthday

Honeycomb Hello

Kinda Eclectic

You Rock!

Boy, does it feel good to be back in the stamp room again.  :)  This week the challenge at StampNation is being sponsored by Altenew.  They are a new stamp company that has bold, graphic, yet classy designs.  It's been fun to work with their stamps.  I was so inspired I decided to make a second card for my blog so I could share it with you.

I also turned my "practice" piece into a card as well.  These will be great for my boys. They can give them as graduation cards, birthday cards or even thank yous.

I was inspired by the current CAS*ology challenge for this one.  I knew going in that I wanted this card to be clean yet also graphic.  The current challenge is Celebrate.  Perfect timing for all the graduations we have been going to.  Congrats to CASOLOGY for their 100th challenge.   Thank you for helping me to create CAS cards.  Your challenges and awesome designers have taught me so much.

CAS*ology100

Of course, I made another card exclusively for the design team at StampNation.  Here is a sneak peek of my card, but you will want to head on over to the forums to see all the different ways the rest of the design team used their stamps from Altenew.

Did I mention there are prizes this week too?  Altenew is giving away 2 stamp sets to a lucky member that participates in this week's challenge.  You don't have to use Altenew stamps to enter the challenge, but if you have some we would love to see you use them.  :)  See you in the forums.


You Rock! Card Supplies:
Stamps: Sohcahtoa (Altenew)
SU Ink: Blackberry Bliss, Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow
Misc: Black/Gray Baker's Twine, Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh)

Friend Card Supplies:
Stamps: Super Script (Altenew)
SU Ink: Coastal Cabana, Lost Lagoon, Pool Party, Soft Sky
Misc: Aquapainter, Versamarker, White Embossing Powder, Gold Embossing Powder, Itty Bitty Punch Pack (SU), Crystal Effects

StampNation Teams Up with Penny Black

UPDATE:  Video added to show how I created the focal point.  CLICKY to check it out. 

All week long the design team at StampNation will be joining with the crew of Penny Black.  Today is my day to be featured on their blog, and I cannot tell you how excited I am about it!!!

Penny Black is also the sponsor of the current challenge going on a StampNation.  Clicky to check out the sneak peek on my blog last week, and then go enter for your chance to win 3 stamp sets from the new release!

Not yet a member?  Click HERE for details.

Be sure to go to their blog and let them know I sent you.  They will be giving away 2 one month memberships from those who comment.  ;)

In honor of this special day I am showcasing a second card using my Penny Black stamps.  I chose this Cool Chicks stamp set a few months ago so that I could have a good set for practicing my Copic skills.

I have to say, the images in this set are great for those of us who love to color.   The spaces aren't too big, nor too small. The clear photo-polymer stamps gave me a crisp image every time.

Thank you Jill and the Penny Black team for allowing me to guest on your blog today.  I've fallen in love with your high quality products and awesome customer service!

Supply List (Stampin' UP! unless otherwise noted)

Card 1: Gathering Together
Stamps: Gathering Together (Penny Black), Special Wishes (Penny Black)
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, Crisp Canteloupe, Soft Lilac (Hero Arts Shadow Ink), Strawberry Slush, Versamark
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Basic Black
Misc: Interlocking Die (Penny Black), Black Satin Ribbon, Black Embossing Powder

Card 2: Cool Chick
Stamps: Cool Chicks (Penny Black)
Patterned Paper: Fresh Prints DSP Stack (SU), Gingham Garden (SU)
Copics:  Sorry I don't have a list of Copics used. This was one of my earliest coloring sessions and I just kept pulling out colors to experiment.
Misc: Banner Punch (SU), Punch Pack (SU), Rhinestones, Circle Framelits (SU)

Be sure to CLICKY to see Fridays post with a video showing how to create the focal point on the first card.

Embossed Embossing Paste ~ Video

I've been wanting to make a card like this since I took the Holiday Card Workshop 2013 last fall and watched Debby Hughes do a similar technique.

Yes, the calendar says it is Spring, but the weather is a little more like winter outside.  I thought today was the perfect day to try out this technique and make a Christmas card.

Note:  If you are reading this post in your email or on a reader you may need to visit my blog to view the video above.  :) Click on the post title to go there now.

Isn't that a fun technique?  So many possibilities.

The embossed embossing paste is so pretty and sparkly in real life. I wish I could have captures that in the video, but this close up picture shows it very well.

MM#101

This card is going up in the current Merry Monday challenge.  It's the card I wanted to make earlier in the week, but didn't have time to also film a video for you.

Supplies:
Stamps: More Merry Messages (SU)
Misc: Wooden Bird, Leafy Branch (Savvy Dies), Snowflake Stickers, Dreamweavers White Embossing Paste, Silver Embossing Powder (SU)

Merry Monday #101

Check out this quick and easy Christmas card.  It went together super fast thanks to a couple of cheats.  ;)   I used the Simply Fabulous Simply Sent kit for the white die cut panel.

Next I pulled out my Christmas Lodge stamp set.   I'll be selling it soon, so I wanted to use it one last time.  The Merry Monday challenge chose the colors for me.  All I needed was a little pop of red.  To turn my basic rhinestones red I swiped my Copic R29 over the top and it was instantly turned into a ruby.  So easy!  Now I want to color all my rhinestones.  :)

MM#101

Not only did I get my creative juices flowing again, I have another card to add to my Christmas stash.  This would be a great card to mass produce and lays fairly flat for shipping.  No extra postage required.   There's no glitter on it, so it is also OWH safe.  In fact it might just go straight into my OWH Holiday pile. 

Stamps: Christmas Lodge (SU)

Ink: Versamark, Copic- R29
Paper: Simply Fabulous Simply Sent (SU), Smoky Slate

Misc.:  Silver Ribbon, Basic Rhinestones, Silver Embossing Powder

Simply Fabulous Simply Sent Kit

1/8" Silver Ribbon