Summer Thanks

It's sketch time at Stampin' Celebration, and we have another great one for you this month.

SC83

This card was so much fun to make!  Perhaps it is the colors.  Lately I can't get enough of the bright teal, orange, pink and yellow combo.  

The tag was actually from a practice scrap that didn't make it into the final cut for THIS CARD.  The leaves were stamped too far apart, but I didn't throw it away because I knew I would be able to use it in a future card.  Love it when I can use scraps from other projects, don't you?

Be sure to head on over to the Stampin' Celebration blog and see the fabulous projects the rest of the design team has created.  Then show us what you can do with this fun sketch.

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Kinda Eclectic (SU)
SU Ink: Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Wild Wasabi
Paper: Basic Black, Soft Shades Double Dots Pack (Bo Bunny), Whisper White
Dies: Embellished Tag (Mama Elephant), Stitched Rectangles (LID), Script Thanks (Memory Box)

Kinda Eclectic

Just A Note of Bliss

This morning I was so inspired after watching the video for the new challenge at PaperTrey Ink that I went straight to the craft room and created this card.

I took a picture and came upstairs to edit and post it here.  That's when I found my kitten asleep.  He was halfway on the keyboard and leaning up against the touch screen.  Needless to say, my computer was jacked up, so my post is up late tonight.  Sorry about that.  

It's a good thing Jasper is cute.   That's him on the left and Gandolf on the right.

I think the card was worth the wait.  Be sure to check out the challenge on PaperTrey Ink's website and watch the video to see the technique I used to make my card.

Make It Monday #172: Rainbow Medallions

Stamps: Dress Form (papertreyink), Needle Little Love (Avery Elle)

SU Ink: Crisp Cantaloupe, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Real Red, Basic Black, Basic Grey, Smokey Slate
PTInk: Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores
Hero Arts Ink: Soft Lilac Shadow Ink

Can You Relate?

I saw this picture posted on Facebook by one of my friends, and I had to share it with you.  I'm 100% on the left for this one.   In fact, I often think of colors by their Stampin' UP! names.  ;)

Can you relate?  Which side of the line do you fall on?

Join me for a Beach Vacation!

How would you like to take a beach vacation with hundreds of other paper crafters?  What if you could do it without leaving home?  If that sounds like something you might be interested in then you won't want to miss the StampNation Beach Vacation coming soon.

There will be plenty of prizes from our amazing sponsors...

Lawn Fawn
Ellen Hutson
Pretty Pink Posh

...not to mention daily challenges, videos, dream team inspiration and to kick it off the design team, along with some fabulous guest designers will be having a blog hop on July 20th.  Can it get any better than this?

I just have to post a sneak peek of what I have been working on for this awesome event.  Which card do you think I should use as my submission?  

With sequins or without?   You all know how much I love my sequins from Pretty Pink Posh, but I think I may have gone a bit overboard this time. 

StampNation members click here to watch Catherine's video introducing this event.

Not yet a member?  Click here to sign up now or click the button below to learn more.

Hope to see you stamping along with us on our StampNation Beach Vacation.  Everyone is welcome.

Farmers Market

Did you see my video introducing Blendabilities last week?  Click here if you missed it.  This week's StampNation challenge takes one of my Blendabilities practice pieces and turns it into a card.  

Here's a sneak peek at what the design team created.

Members can click here to view the challenge.

Not yet a member?

• 425+ video tutorial
• 30+ Lessons in Clean & Simple Design 
• Copic Classroom 
• Spotlight on Trends

• & SO MUCH MORE! 

Click here to join StampNation now or to learn more about membership benefits.

 

See you in the forums!  :)

Stampin' Blendabilities
Old Olive

Stampin' Bledabilities
Pumpkin Pie

Stampin' Blendabilities
Daffodil Delight

P.S.  I used Copic Yellow, because I do not yet have Daffodil Delight.

Hello Mojo

This is a fun post for me today.  I'm entering a couple of challenges.  Do you know that means?  It means I had some creative "free time" yesterday.  For the past couple of months most of my cards have been for design teams, graduations or teenage birthdays.  I like doing those cards, but I have missed having the time to just create for the sake of creating.

My card won't be staying in the house long.  It's being sent to a special lady for her birthday this week.  I was inspired by the Mojo Monday challenge. There are prizes this week, so be sure to get your entry in too.  ;)

MM#353

The colors came straight from a new-to-me challenge blog, Lawnscaping.

Lawnscaping#85

Stamping Supplies:
Stamps: Hello Darling (SU), Hello There (SU-Hostess)
Paper: Hello Sunshine 6x6 Paper Stack (Lawn Fawn
Ink: Bermuday Bay, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie
Dies: Stitched Borders 1 (Pretty Pink Posh), Sparkling Clear Sequins (PPP), Circle Punches (SU)

I was cracking up as I was writing down all the supplies to see 3 products with the word "Hello" in them.

Hello Darling

Hello There (hostess rewards)

Sew Saturday on Sunday

My post didn't go up yesterday, but it was for a very good reason.  Yesterday my sweet husband took me out to dinner.  He said he was in the mood for a clam chowder bowl, so he took me to the ocean.  I love that man!  He knows just what I need and it is usually to stand and gaze at the ocean.  

My star block for the Nasa project is completed.  I like how it turned out.  Playing with design is one of the things I love most about modern quilting.  It has given me such freedom.

This month I will be working with the Michael Miller fabric challenge our South Sound Modern Quilt Guild is taking part in.  These are not colors I would have chosen, so it should be interesting to see if I like the final project.  My goal this month is to complete the quilt top.  Ideally I will finish the entire quilt by July 25th, when the challenge is due, but realistically I am setting my goal for the top to be done.  It's been a crazy few months and I just don't know if I will have the time to sew like I want to.

ALYOF July Goals

What are your goals this month?  Do you find it harder to sew in the summer too?  Click on the picture above to see the goals that Shanna, Melissa and others have set.   They have some good ideas for these busy months.

Stampin' UP! Blendabilities

Have you heard the news?  7 of the new Stampin' UP! Blendabilities are now available for purchase!  What are blendabilities and how do they work?  They are an alcohol based marker that has the ability to blend with other alcohol markers and reduces the visible streaks in your colored image. Watch the video below to learn more.

***Note- If you are reading this post in an email or reader you may need to go to my blog to view the video above.  Click on the post title to go there now.

Here are a few samples I created using the markers.

You might even see these in a future video.  :)  I plan on making a few videos for you showing you how to create with this fun new marker.  Please let me know what you would like to see learn about Blendabilities in the comments below.

Clicky to view the PDF on available colors.
Clicky to go to my Stampin' UP! Store Blendabilities page.

StampNation members, don't forget to head on over to the new videos section and see my exclusive video comparing Blendabilities and Copics

Not yet a StampNation member? Clicky to purchase now or Clicky to learn more.  You will not lack for inspiration and ideas on this site!

Happy Shopping!

Coastal Cabana Blendabilities

By the Seashore

Pumpkin Pie Blendabilities

Blendabilities Color Lifter

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Flag Card

This week I have been spending time at the veterinary oncologist.  Our dog has cancer and we are doing what we can to make him more comfortable for the time he has left.   This week includes 3 trips to Olympia, a round of radiation and drip of ??? (it starts with a "p")  All this to say, I'm not on top of  my game posting on my blog.  It's also affecting my creativity.  For this I truly apologize.   I know many of you are anxious to see the new products being used.

Good news is that I have a new video coming to you tomorrow with an introduction to Blendabilities!  Woop-Woop! In the meantime, I have a sneak peek of a card I made for this week's challenge at StampNation.  It uses the new Work of Art stamp set.  Have I told you lately how much I love this set?

The design team knocked it out of the park again with their red, white and blue samples.

In celebration of Independence Day tomorrow I made another card inspired by the USA flag.  This was going to be my Design Team submission until I made the second card and put the flag on an angle.  It is going to be an OWH card because there is NO glitter on this one.  I'll either write an any hero message inside or send it for one of heroes to write home on.

Happy Stamping!

Stampin' UP! Supplies:

Stamps: Work of Art
Ink: Real Red,Night of Navy, Versamark
Misc: White Embossing Powder

Work of Art

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