Bright Blossom CAS

Gosh I am having so much fun playing around with this set- I was playing with the idea of creating a frame around the image using different techniques and I really like this one. Diecut a scrap piece of cardstock wtih the Labels collection Framelit and use the negative space to sponge in Pool party from the edge to create a soft frame. Stamp the vase and leaves using Concord crush and Lucky limeade then the flower in Poppy parade. Stamp the sentiment from Pursuit of Happiness in Concord crush and I can tell you this is a two minute one layer card- but I love it!

CAS Bright Blossom

One of my most memorable challenge in my short creative life was one where my upline Tami had a bunch of us sit in groups and she gave us a picture, couple of sheets of paper and told us to make a scrapbook page in 15 minutes. You should have the seen the amazing pages the groups made with nothing but that. I was reading a splitcoast posting about 'cafeteria syndrome' where we have so many choices of do-dads that we become paralyzed from the overwhelming choices. So I have been challenging myself to come up with easy make and take cards using the new Bright Blossoms set. I almost feel more free. I have some more ideas so stay posted!

This was made using a mask on the left side. I suggest stamping the stems for the flower first in lucky limeade, stamp the flowers in poppy parade then fill in with the all green stems. Tie a little vintage ribbon from sale-a-bration and sentiment and another easy peasy card.

Lynda

Bright Blossoms abound

I stopped browsing for a while- I just didn't have time and then when I wanted to make a card, that card image stuck in my head and stifled my own imagination from blossoming. I also got upset when people cased my card and never credited me. Better for my blood pressure if I don't know about it. Let them fester in their own guilt and I will live happily in my ignorance. I always try- the critical word her is try- to make a card for each customer who places an order from me but with my lack of time, it has to be easy to make. I love simple one layer card and this was it. Using the new Bright blossoms image, stamp the stems in lucky limeade and the flower balls in calypso coral along the bottom of the card. Stamp the sentiment in Concord Crush, then punch a 1/8 hole about midway below the sentiment. Put the ribbon through the cardfront to the back, wrap it around the side to the front and around the back and through the same hole again. The ends should straddle the ribbon. Tie it make a bow that stays put! Love this technique! I then made a matching money envelope using same stamping style. Tied a limeade Cardstock strip, then white and then tied the ribbon around that. Easy!

Enjoy!

Lynda

Easy one layer card

You need a quickie card? I made 5 of these in 30 minutes- that's PDQ once you make a flower cut out to allow for layering.

Stamp the flowers on a scrap paper and cut it out roughly.
Take a base whisper white CS.
stamp the flowers and sentiment in black using stazon or memento black. Cover the flower with the scrap piece to cover then stamp the border twice in black as well. Color the image with pink pirouette, pretty in pink and regal rose and leaves with pear pizazz, add the little pearls and voila. I changed the sentiments for different occasions. Perfectly Penned is a nice versatile set with a very artistic font that dresses a lot of things up.

Lynda

"My time has not been my own."

This is what Anne Elliot, the heroine of Jane Austen's 'Persuation' says to a friend to explain her long absence.

This is how I have been feeling for so long- life circling around 3 kids, school, swim, ski, piano lessons, dealing with the whinings around having to do homework every night after a full day at work. It is totally exhausting! So I let my blog and even my stamping falter.

Then my grandmother- who was almost 100 - God bless her soul- passed away and the whole clan came together in Los Angeles. It was the first time I had seen all three of my siblings in one room in almost a decade.

When I asked my older brother Pete- who I think is one of the smartest and nicest guys I have ever met- if there is something I could do for him, he asked for some nice gift envelopes in which to gift money or a check.

So I've been dreaming up a bunch of ideas to do this for him. With Sale-a-bration almost over and since I am totally in love with this paper I wanted to make a whole pack of pretty gift envies for him.

It's a pretty simple design. Take a 9x 7 1/2 inch paper- DSP is preferred. With the 9 inch side across the top, score down at 2 7/8 inches and 6 inch. punch out a half circle from the 3 inch side (on the right in the picture) and corner round the left side. Use sticky tape to adhere the right side to the center panel.

Create a band using a contrasting CS

You can only get one out of a 8 1/2 x 11 CS or 12x12 CS but with plenty of scraps left over.

I stamped the image from Fresh Vintage stamp set from Sale-a-bration ( isn't it delicious that it lines up with the triple layer doily punch so perfectly? ) twice in 2 different colors to coordinate- punched the small circle using 1/2 inch circle punch and layered both using dimensionals on the band.

My plan? is to use up as much of my hoarded (gasp!) DSP as I can. I think he would appreciate some neutral and manly papers so I am making a bunch.

If you are giving a large denomination of cash and want to show it off, you can punch/diecut a large oval in the center of the inside flap to show off the picture instead of the little semi-circle too, BTW.

Lynda

Heaven Blessed Easter

I love this color combo. Peach Parfait with Pool party reminds me of sherbet and spring. A simple card you can use with any image inside. Peach Parfait basecard with the chick image stamped in versamark to add some interest. Diecut the Large paper doily die.

Let me take a minute here. I read about using packing tape over the dies to minimize getting the chads and I thought " I will ruin it!" but after trying it I am SOLD! The doily just pops off without any of the chads stuck in the die. You DO have to push it out from the die but it's a million times better than the other ways around. I am tempted to wrap my Northern frost sizzlet die which drive me batty everytime I use it in class.

Punch out 2 1/2 inch circle in white and stamp the image of your choice in the center in black- stazon or memento- color in using you watercolor crayons directly on paper then use the aqua painter to blend it and make it soft and smudged. I used Blush Blossom marker to color in the face and arms though. I stamped the modern label surround from the Tea Shoppe in pool party and thne stamped the sentiment in black, punched it out with modern label punch and popped it out with dimensionals. ( I think Stampin Up included this stamp just to make me buy this set....I was vacillating buying, not buying but this tipped it over! ) Tie a bow 3/8 ruffled ribbon in pool party- is it not the most gorgeous ribbon?- and used glue dot to adhere. This was one of my projects last month and not too much grumbling from the crowd....

Lynda

P. S. I Love you Framed hearts

Don't you just love the P. S. I love you set? So many cute images and sayings - I had to have it of course. Then the matching framelets die just got me hook, line and sinker. The base card is real red of course with whisper white layered on it. I took crumbcake CS and die cut the largest heart from the framelet die set. Took another whisper white and used the same die to cut another whisper white which I embossed using the Elegant Lines EF and layered it exactly over it and put some jewel rhinestones into the little circle embossed areas.

I stamped the little cherub in real red craft ink and angled it (yes, using the stamp positioner! Ouch!) and emobssed with iridescent ice EP and stamped the cicle heart in crumbcake. Stamped the modern label image in chocolate chip again on white and stamped the sentiment in real red and punched it out and used dimensionals to layer it. Added some more rhinestone jewels to make it look like the arrow was shooting out the message.

The little heart was stamped with Kraft white and embossed with iridescent ice- really sparkly in real person, then framelet cut with coordinating heart frame. Mount it with dimensionals to pop it up.

It is a really sweet card. Now if I would send it to someone......

Why is it that with all the cards I make, I still don't seem to be able to get it out to all the people I love? I end up just calling them at the last minute to tell them I love them or sometime not even that. But know this, I am thinking of you, and I really do love you and some day I may get my cards out to you so you would know for sure....

Happy Friday!

Lynda

My First Leadship Experience

At my first Stampin Up convention umteen years ago I wanted to get a picture with Shelly Gardener the cofounder but the lines were an hour and a half long with all the hundreds of women who wanted the same. So I gave up and went to the bathroom and who came up behind me? Shelly! I was so excited I had someone take a picture of the two of us on my 24 picture instamatic- remember those before we went digital?- and Shelly told me that this was the first time she had been asked to get a picture taken in the bathroom. Well the sad story is that it was the 25th picture on my roll, and it never came out. I was hearbroken. But at the more sedate leadership meeting I ran into Shelly and I told her the story and how I had to have another. She then tells me she has had a few more incidents like that in the bathroom since. She was so incredibly sweet. Can you believe that she is over 50? Just beautiful inside and out, I tell you.

But Leadership was more than that for me. It was about stamping, swapping, learning about new items, give-a ways but it was really more about relationship and friends.

Mercedes and I got to room and hang out together and when she went up to Shelly, she remembered her and her beautiful cards that Mercedes had won. I feel honored to have such wonderful and talented person to call my friend.

We saw wonderful samples and creative ideas like this bracelet made of our buttons!

We saw demonstrations on stage and news about things happening at Stampin Up and ALL GOOD!

This was one of our make and takes using the Send Me Soaring set from the occasion mini. The polka dot kite was stamped then punched out with the heart punch. Darling!

My upline Tami treated her downlines to a dinner on the riverwalk where Shelly was dining with her family just outside the glass window at the same time. Such amazing talented women!

Tami is sitting, second from the left and Liz Price - our own amazing Artisan of the Year - on the far right. And my sweet friend Dena Rekow standing far right- she moved to Iowa and I was so happy to see her again!

They had some really fun stage action, dancing, harleys, and amazing demos. The theme was MY WAY- that you need to make this the way you want to make it work for you.

I was so inspired that I set a goal to go to Leadership every year if I can. It was the most amazing 3 days of my stamping life and I can't wait until next year to do it again!

Maybe some of you will join me!

Lynda

I WON!

I was so excited to find out that one of my cards I submitted from the Occasion Mini won the card contest. I submitted several - which I will show you over the next week- but this one landed me this booty of sweet shop suite with the Designer paper, stickers (just gorgeous! ) and the Jelly bean brads.

This was my card that was hanging in the winner's gallery-shucks!

The base is Island Indigo with a layer of crumbcake stamped with A to Z stamp in crumbcake and sponged around the edges with the same ink. I cut a piece of First Edition DSP 3/4 inches tall and then stamped the You're My Type onto the crumbcake piece above the DSP. I then put a piece of scallop border ( but in the submission I useed a ribbon border punched out and cut in half lengthwise). I then stamped the typewriter and message in Island indigo and adhered it to the typewriter image on the crumb cake using dimensionals. (Note that I stamped the image on the bottom so I could see the handle on the right and left side but did not want to cut it out.... Take calendar alphabet ( and you can say practically anything) stamp your message coming out of the letter with island indigo- another card I made said - to my sweet...." you could put a heart inside to say sweetheart.... or put the words, sister, mother, friend, as you wish. I changed up the color to use pool party, Indigo and white and that one is also oh so pretty... I've been so jazzed up by this meeting- details and pictures to follow...

Lynda

Happy Leadership!

I was promoted with Stampin Up to Supervisor and had an opportunity to go to Leadership which I had only heard of before with dreamy expression from my demonstrator friends and now I know why. I am in San Antonio having a ball!

For the first time there is a contest with each of the stampsets in the Occasion Mini - which is my absolute favorite of ALL TIME- of course I say that about each and every one- but really, truly, this is my ALL TIME favorite!

This was one of the cards I submitted using the Candy Conversation stamp- which I split into the heart and word image separately. Base card is Crumbcake, with a layer of real red then whisper white stamped with (down the line) pink pirouette, pretty in pink, regal rose, melon mambo and then real red. I used the cling stamps with clear acrylic block with the Clear Mount Perfectly Placed Guides- I aligned the middle heart with one of the lines so it was really easy to align it perfectly! Used the markers to stampe th arrow and sentiment (black and real red) then took a 1/4 inch real red grosgrain ribbon. Cut a length abouy 10 inches long then took the middle part made two bunnyears and tied it into a bow then taped the edges behind the red card stock to make a neat and tidy bow.

I am entering this into the contest but there was so many beautiful samples I am not sure I stand a chance but I still hope.....

I have so many samples to share with you. Stay tuned!

Lynda