StampNation's 6th Birthday Bash

Wow!  From reading the comments on my blog hop post yesterday, you all seem to really love the new ink.  What's not to love right?  In case you missed it you can still clicky and leave a comment until 6pm EST on Thursday for your chance to win one of the gift certificates Catherine is giving away. 

One thing I might have forgotten to mention yesterday is that today is the kick off day for StampNation's 6th birthday.  We will have 8 days worth of challenges and videos to inspire you.  Each challenge was created using the names of the 8 new ink colors released yesterday, but you don't need to use them in order to participate.  And, sistah, you are going to want to participate.  Check out the line-up of sponsors we have.  I wish I could win these prizes myself!!!

I joined StampNation 5 years ago for their first birthday and it has taken my stamping to places I never dreamed it could go. Happy Birthday StampNation!!!

I can't let you go without a little sneaky peek at some of the awesomeness created by the design team.

I'm up for day one with this adorable gift tag.  (If I do say so myself)

Stamps: Peppermint Stick, Wild Blooms (Catherine Pooler Designs) Young at Heart (CAS-ual Fridays Stamps) 
Ink: Party Dress (Catherine Pooler Designs)
Paper: Bright White (Catherine Pooler Designs)
Accessories: Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder (Stampin' Up) Tag Buddies Fri Dies (CAS-ual Fridays Stamps) Ribbon-Bag-Tissue Paper (Heather gift wrap supply closet)

I'll be sharing the other 2 projects I made with you later this week and next.  Plus, I have a full card and video to share with YOU on my blog at the end of the celebration.  Can you guess which colors I'll be using?

Feminine Floral Tag

Yesterday I shared a video on how I created 4 panels. Clicky if you missed it. For today's card I die cut my panel into a tag and left off the sentiment.   That is because I am saving it for a future occasion.  It might be a birthday, sympathy, get well or thinking of you card.  I can add the sentiment inside when I'm ready to send it or stamp a sentiment and cut it into a banner to add to my card front.  I love versatile cards like this.

On this panel I added more of the gold shimmer spritz.  My Mother-in-law reminded me of the Tea Lace Doilies that Stampin' UP! sells, and I pulled mine out of hiding to add it to the bottom of my tag.  The silver ribbon looks a little gray in the picture, but in real life it is just a soft silvery shimmer.

Stamps: Water Blooms (Mama Elephant)
Ink: Worn Lipstick, Wild Honey, Shabby Shutters, Crushed Olive (Distress Markers)
Paper: Blushing Bride, Soft Sky (Stampin' UP!); Marshmallow (Bazzil)

Accessories: Stitched Duo 1 Dies (Pretty Pink Posh); Stitched Rectangle Dies (Lil' Inker Designs) Tea Lace Doily (Stampin' UP!)

Mama Elephant Clear Stamps, Water Blooms

Ranger Embossing Powder, Princess Gold

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Marshmallow, 25 pk

Ranger Distress Marker, Worn Lipstick

Ranger Distress Marker, Shabby Shutters

Pretty Pink Posh Dies, Stitched Duo 1

Ranger Distress Marker, Crushed Olive

Ranger Distress Marker, Wild Honey

Stitched Tag Card + A Giveaway

For the past couple of months a group of designers has been working behind the scenes preparing an awesome class for you!  It's part of the Technique Toolbox in the Creativity Grows Here classroom.  

Check out this list of fabulously talented and creative artists:

• Catherine Pooler
• Maureen Merritt
• Kristie Goulet
• Heather North
• Allison Cope
• Isha Gupta
• Kay Miller
• Stephanie Klauck

and ME!  More than 20 video tutorials, 35+ samples and written tutorials to teach you how to streeettch those Dye Ink Pads to make the most of them.

Check out my video below for a bonus tip I came up with after watching one of the videos in the classroom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEa4SW8ylag

Stamps: Love & Sympathy, Serene Silhouettes (Stampin' UP!)

Ink: Blushing Bride (SU); Black Onyx (Versafine); Berrylicious, Blu Raspberry (My Favorite Things)

Paper: Basic Black (SU); White 120lb (SSS); Striped DSP (Tattered Angels)

Accessories: Baker's Twine (Doodlebug); Clear Embossing Powder, Decorative Label Punch (SU); Stitched Tags (Whimsy Stamps)

There are even prizes up for grabs for class attendees!

12 pack of Dewdrop Memento Ink Pads from Imagine Crafts

$20 Gift Certificate to Whimsy Stamps

FIVE $20 Gift Certificates to CAS-ual Fridays 

At the Office Stamp Set and Office Supplies Die set from My Favorite Things Stamps

I used inspiration from this class and the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches to create another card.  :)  I'm telling you, I love this easy technique!

Stamps: Forever In Our Hearts (Verve); Hand Lettered Winter Wishes (SSS)

Ink: Blushing Bride (SU); Berrylicious, Blu Raspberry (My Favorite Things); Jet Black (Ranger Archival)

Paper: Basic Black (SU); White 120lb (SSS)

Accessories: Folding Banner Die (Technique Tuesday); Stitched Tag Dies (Whimsy)

FMS174

See you in the classroom!

Festive Tags

Tracey McNeely's 25 tags of Christmas blog hop has me so inspired that I've made 3 more tags and put them on some Christmas cards.

Punches and dies made these tags super simple!  I used my Stampin' UP! Pennant Punch for the triangle banners, then used my sewing machine to attach them to a stitched tag I cut out using the Stitched Duo 1 tag from Pretty Pink Posh.

One of the tags leans to the left, the other one is straight.

Both fit the sketch for CASE this Sketch.  Which one do you prefer?

 

For good measure, I made a 3rd card and changed up the sketch a bit by adding a narrow border on each side.  I smudged my sentiment on this 3rd tag, so I used that as an opportunity to embellish.  ;)  The little sentiment strip was sewn on with my sewing machine to tie into the stitching on the pennants.

All 3 tags fit the current challenge on Addicted to CAS.   Festive makes me think "Christmas & Happy".  Pennant scream FUN to me. 

eta: I just have to link up to one more challenge in honor of my friend, Kristie Goulet's new design team spot over at the Card Concept.  This is an awesome challenge that inspires me every time I visit their blog.  I'm so proud of Kristie in her new role on their design team.  They are lucky to have her with her trendy CAS style!  My cards look like they were created with this challenge and CAS style in mind.

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Peace On Earth (Verve)
Ink: Versamark
Paper: Crumb Cake, Nordic Noel DSP, Whisper White (SU)
Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder, Pennant Punch (SU); Black Baker's Twine, Stitched Duo 1 Die (Pretty Pink Posh); Sewing Machine

25 Tags of Christmas

Tracey McNeeley has a fabulous special she does each year called the 25 days of Christmas. This year she asked the design team at StampNation if we wanted to play along in her challenge.  Of course I said YES!  I love making tags for Christmas gifts.  Sometimes I will even hang tags I've made on our Christmas tree as decorations.

Here is my first tag.

I was so inspired I couldn't stop at just one, so I made a couple more and filmed the video for you!

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

The second tag is so quick and easy to make!

Here is a close-up, so you can see the shimmer of that Delicata ink.

To make the blog hop even more fun Tracey has prizes and giveaways and she is letting me get in on the fun.  Leave a comment here by November 26th for a chance to win, then be sure to check out Tracey's blog for even more chances to win a prize from one of her fabulous sponsors.

• Reverse Confetti
• Clearly Besotted
• CAS-ual Fridays
• Neat and Tangled
• Paper Smooches
• Lawn Fawn

You will be beyond inspired for all your holiday tag needs this season!

If you are looking for more holiday card and tag ideas, be sure to check out A Very Trendy Holiday 2.0  Clicky for more details.

I'm also entering one of my tags in the Addicted to CAS challenge.

  

Supplies:
Stamps: Compliments of the Season (Waltzing Mouse Stamps); EnFrancais (Stampin' UP!)
Ink: Iced Spruce - Antique Linen - Tea Dye - Gathered Twigs - Weathered Wood (Distress Ink); Golden Glitz Delicata (Tsukineko), Black Hero Hues (Hero Arts)
Paper: Distress Watercolor (Tim Holtz/Ranger); Cartographer (Prima)
Accessories: Metallic Gold Embossing Paste (Wendi Vecchi); Stitched Duo 1 Die (Pretty Pink Posh); Endearing Stencil (Penny Black); Cherry Cobbler Linen Ribbon - Real Red Woven Satin Ribbon (Stampin' UP!)

Back in October I was ahead of the game as far as Christmas presents/cards/pictures that needed to be sent to our family in CA.  Somehow today I found myself EXTREMELY behind in getting everything mailed out in time for Christmas.  All I really needed to do was make 2 quick cards.  I was having so much fun creating with some new stamp stuff that I lost track of time.  Quick turned into a couple of hours.  Oops....

Anyway, here is the card I ended up making for my Father in Law and his girlfriend.  I kept adding layers and each time I did I liked it more. 

It's hard to see some of the details so I did a close up.  The Merry Christmas tag in the corner has one layer of dimensionals where it crosses the ribbon and 2 layers where it meets up with the card. That ribbon is super thick, but soooooooooooo soft!  I hope SU! decides to keep it, because it is going away soon if they don't.

Can you see the "merry" stamped on that adorable little tag?  I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to center it.   It's hard to see but I also used a glue pen on the snow and added Dazzling Diamonds.  What can I say, I love the bling and real snow is so pretty when it sparkles in the sunlight/moonlight. 

Our local stamping store owner, Cindy, asked her customers to make a tag with their contact info so she could send us newsletters and information.  She offered a discount too.  I thought it was a fun way to use up my scraps to make a tag. 

The paper is old CM embossed paper I had in my stash.  I cut the swirls with my Cricut.  The Butterfly and flowers are also CM, but I added the bling and ribbon from item's I bought at Cindy's Simple Stuff.