...A Couple of June Club Cards

***Edited to add the third project***

I am so excited that I will be doing a little stamping today with my friend, Pam. I have been very busy since the summer vacation has started running my oldest son to sports practices and workouts, and it hasn't left me with much girl time. Luckily, we have Wednesdays off, so those will be our fun days with stamping, swimming, and playing. All I have to say is thank heavens for Wednesdays...LOL!

I will be holding my last Stampin' Up Club tomorrow, and I wanted to show you all a couple of the projects my ladies will be making on our last night together. I am a little sad on one hand, but I am so relieved on the other! I have some wonderful customers and I will truly miss them, but it has gotten to a point where I am putting more in than I am getting out. I think I am making the best decision possible at this time in my life. I will continue being an active demonstrator, but I will be spending the minimum each quarter for my own orders. I also have a couple of friends who will be putting orders in with mine, so that will help out.

Now on to the projects! I am focusing on "Clean and Simple Designs" for this month. Instead of giving a detailed description for each card, I will be listing the supplies below each picture. Here we go:

Project One : "Sorry You're Sick" Card

Supplies

Stamps: Really Retro

Papers: Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White

Inks: Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango

Accessories: Big Shot and Accessories, Small Dots Texture Plate, Birds & Blooms Sizzlits Dies, dimensionals, sponge daubers, 5/8" chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon, white gel pen, scallop edge punch, stamp-a-ma-jig, image sheet, scissors

Project Two : "With Sympathy" Card

Supplies
Stamps: Beautiful Borders
Papers: Ballet Blue, Basic Black, Whisper White
Inks: Ballet Blue, Jet Black Staz-On
Accessories: mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals, silver brads, 5/8" brocade blue grosgrain ribbon

Project Three : "Thinking of You" Card

Supplies

Stamps: Bird on a Branch

Papers: Pink Pirouette, Kraft, Bashful Blue, Whisper White

Inks: Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette, Bashful Blue, Whisper White Craft

Accessories: mat pack, paper piercer, stamp-a-ma-jig, image sheet, sponge dauber, silver brads, dimensionals, scissors, 5/8" pink pirouette grosgrain ribbon

Well, that's it for today! I hope to see you all again tomorrow with the last project card, and maybe even a card from my day of stamping...WHOOHOO! Thanks for stopping by, but I have to get some housework done, so until later...

...Remaining May Club Cards

These are the last two cards I created for my May Stampin' Up Club. I have included a supply list below each photo.

Supplies for "My Kind Friend" Card:

Stamps: All Holidays

Papers: Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Rainbow Sherbet DSP

Inks: Green Galore

Accessories: mat pack, paper piercer, scallop circle punch, 1" circle punch, scissors, dimensionals, SAMJ, image sheet, 1/4" Tempting Turquoise Grosgrain Ribbon

Supplies for "Kind People" Card:
Stamps: Soft Summer

Papers: Cameo Coral, Real Red, Whisper White, Pink Flamingo DSP

Inks: Cameo Coral, Jet Black Staz-On Ink

Accessories: 5/8" Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Dimensionals

That's it for now! Thanks for stopping by, and I will see you in a little bit with a sketch challenge card from this past week. Until then...

...May Club Card #1

This was one of the cards I created for my May Stampin' Club. I started with a Kraft Cardstock base, the matted the additional layers with Chocolate Chip Cardstock. The edges of the large Baja Breeze Cardstock background were pierced with a Mat Pack and Paper Piercer. The patterned papers were from the Parisian Breeze Specialty Designer Series Paper pack, and were punched out using the 1-1/4" Circle Punch. The table and birdhouse from the set "Scene in a Garden" were stamped in Jet Black Staz-On Ink onto Watercolor Paper (I used a Stamp-a-ma-jig and Image Sheet for proper placement). The images were then colored using an Aquapainter and Classic Ink Pads. The sentiment, from the stamp set "Wonderful Favorites", was stamped in Chocolate Chip Classic Ink using the Stamp-a-ma-jig and Image Sheet for proper placement.

That's it for today! Thanks for stopping by, and I see you all again tomorrow with another Club Card. Until then...

...April Club Card #3

This is the final club project for all of my ladies this month. I used today's Sketch Challenge #224 from SCS as a place to start. I had made another project for them, then realized that I hadn't used any of the sets from the Occasions Mini Catalog...so I went back and created this. I started with a Pacific Point Cardstock base, then matted the additional layers with it and Chocolate Chip Cardstock. The large background panel was Rose Red Cardstock, and the patterned papers were from the Kiwi Kiss Designer Series Paper pack and Pacific Point Designer Series Paper pack. The edges of the large panel were pierced using a Mat Pack and Paper Piercer, and Silver Brads were added to the upper left-hand corner. A piece of 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon was also added around the patterned papers.

The focal panel was Whisper White Cardstock that was stamped with the butterfly from the set "Great Friend". They were stamped in Pacific Point Classic Ink, Kiwi Kiss Classic Ink, and Rose Red Classic Ink. The sentiment was from the same set, and was stamped in Chocolate Chip Classic Ink onto a scrap piece of Kiwi Kiss Cardstock. The circles were created using the 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, and a 1-1/2" Circle Punch (non-SU).

That's it for now! Thanks for stopping by, and I will see you all back here tomorrow with the Stamps and Smiles Sketch Challenge #11. Until then...

Supplies

Stamps: Great Friend

Papers: Pacific Point, Rose Red, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss DSP, Pacific Point DSP

Inks: Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, Chocolate Chip

Accessories:mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals, silver brads, ribbon, circle punches, horizontal slot punch

...April Club Card #2

This is the second club card for my Stampin' Up ladies for this month. I started with a Basic Black Cardstock base, and also matted each additional layer with the same. The large background panel was a piece of Basic Gray Cardstock, and the mat directly behind the white focal panel was also that same color. The patterned paper was from the Urban Oasis Designer Series Paper pack, and was pierced using a Mat Pack and Paper Piercer. The only embellishment I used was a Basic Gray Corduroy Button with Silver Cording tied to it. The scalloped edge was created by punching Whisper White Cardstock with the Eyelet Border Punch.

The focal image and sentiment were both from the set "Thoughts and Prayers". The tree was stamped in Going Gray Classic Ink using a Stamp-a-ma-jig and Image Sheet for placement. The sentiment was stamped in the same fashion using Jet Black Staz-On Ink. The completed focal panel was attached to the card base using Dimensionals.

That's it for today! Thanks for stopping by, and I will see you all back here tomorrow with the final April club card...I sure hope the ladies like these! Until then...

Supplies

Stamps: Thoughts and Prayers

Papers: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Urban Oasis DSP

Inks: Going Gray Classic Ink, Jet Black Staz-On

Accessories: mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals, stamp-a-ma-jig, image sheet, eyelet border punch, basic gray corduroy buttons, silver cording

...April Club Card #1

This is my first project for my April Stampin' Up Clubs. I started with a Kiwi Kiss Cardstock base, then matted each additional layer with Real Red Cardstock. The patterned paper was from the Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper pack, and I added some Silver Brads to that panel also. Each brad was backed with red cardstock that had been punched out using the 1/4" Circle Punch. The sentiment was from the set "Elegant Cheer", and it was stamped in Real Red Classic Ink onto a scrap piece of Cameo Coral Cardstock. It was then punched out using the Large Oval Punch {as was a scrap piece of Kiwi Kiss Cardstock that was added as a half-mat}. A scrap piece of red cardstock was punched with the Scallop Oval Punch, then the completed sentiment panel was attached to the card using a combination of adhesive and Dimensionals.

The main image is actually the NEW Manhattan Flower Embossing Folder from SU! I ran the folder through the Big Shot with a piece of Whisper White Cardstock, then flipped the panel over so that the flower petals were raised. I colored the petals with a Blender Pen, Real Red Classic Ink Pad, and Cameo Coral Classic Ink Pad. {TIP: I like to squeeze my ink pads together in the center when they are closed...this creates a color palette in the lid when it is opened. Then you simply use your coloring utensil to pick up as little or as much color as you would like}. The focal panel was then pierced using a Mat Pack and Paper Piercer before being attached to the card base using Dimensionals.

That's it for today! Thanks for stopping by, and I will see you back here tomorrow to showcase another club card. Until then....

Supplies

Stamps: Elegant Cheer

Papers: Kiwi Kiss, Real Red, Cameo Coral, Whisper White, Raspberry Tart DSP

Inks: Real Red, Cameo Coral

Accessories: mat pack, paper piercer, big shot and accessories, manhattan flower embossing folder, silver brads, large oval punch, scallop oval punch, 1/4" circle punch, blender pen, dimensionals, adhesive

...March Club Projects

These are the projects that all of my ladies {and gentlemen} will be making for my March Stampin' Up Clubs. I have included the recipes for each under their photos....Enjoy!

Project One : Blooming With Love Envelope Card

This first project was based on a card I had received from my customer {and good friend}, Lois Billadeau. She had sent me a card similar to this one for Mother's Day last year. Later this week, I will be giving you all a tutorial on this particular idea, so you can create it yourself! I am not sure who the original creator for this idea was, so if you know please tell me...I would love to include a link to that individual! Thanks for letting me share this wonderful project with everyone else, Lois...you are such a sweetheart!

Supplies

Stamps: Blooming With Love

Papers: Real Red, Kiwi Kiss, Cameo Coral, Watercolor, Raspberry Tart DSP

Inks: Jet Black Staz-On Ink, Kiwi Kiss, Real Red, Cameo Coral, Close to Cocoa

Accessories: legal-size envelope, crimper, blender pens, stamp-a-ma-jig, image sheet, silver brads, mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals, 1-1/4" circle punch, round tab punch, adhesive, flower packet

Project Two : Central Park Z-Fold Card

This particular card fold was originally shown by Beate Johns. You can see her tutorial HERE on her blog.

Supplies

Stamps: Central Park, Short & Sassy

Papers: Elegant Eggplant, Close to Cocoa, Whisper White, Watercolor

Inks: Elegant Eggplant

Accessories: stamp-a-ma-jig, image sheet, blender pens, mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals, silver brads, sponge dauber, paper cutter with scoring blade, 1-1/4" circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch

Project Three : Fifth Avenue Floral Card

Supplies

Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral

Papers: Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Watercolor

Inks: Jet Black Staz-On, Tangerine Tango

Accessories: mat pack, paper piercer, aquapainter, silver brads, dimensionals, stamp-a-ma-jig, image sheet

That is it for today! Thanks for stopping by, and I will see you all here tomorrow with a couple of exciting announcements...so please be sure to come by to read it for yourself! Until then...

...Final Project for February Clubs

Don't forget to enter to win some yummy BLOG CANDY...HEREThis is the last of the three projects that will be featured in my February clubs. I was hoping to get it posted yesterday, but time just wouldn't permit it. I had a couple of early morning doctor appointments, bills to get paid, supplies to cut out, dinner to get ready, and a Stamp Camp session last night. By the time I got home, it was time to watch Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. I fell asleep on the couch, and woke up in the wee hours of the morning. I slowly staggered to the bedroom, and fell into bed beside my warm and snugly hubby....aaaahhhh!



I have spent most of the day laying around on the couch today...taking mini power naps and just relaxing for a while. This week has been pretty stressful, so it was quite nice to not have any running to do for the WHOLE day! The boys had a half-day at school, so they came home around 12:30. They were ready to eat as soon as they walked in the door...as always! All of you that have two teenage boys know exactly what I mean! LOL! We've done some cleaning, and they are tucked away in their rooms now...so I decided that this would be the opportune moment to blog a bit.



I have to tell you all that I have so enjoyed reading all of your pet peeves...as a matter of fact, you have given me a couple more to add to my own! I also wanted to let you all know how much your faithfulness, your kindness, and your encouragement means to me. You have no idea how many days I have gotten out of bed with no intention of blogging or creating anything, but then I see my subscriber counter. I have been so blessed to have a number of faithful readers, and I don't want to let you all down. I know how exciting it is to open up your email subscriptions, and see all of the new and wonderful ideas that can flow off of the page. So I wanted to let you know that YOU are the reason that I am able to celebrate such amazing milestones in my blog life. YOU are my inspiration, YOU are my encouragement, YOU are my friends. I can't tell you how much I appreciate each and every one of you.



That's it for today! Thanks for stopping by, and I will see you all again tomorrow...I have so many challenges to catch up on! Until later...

Supplies

Stamps: Cheep Talk, Really Retro

Papers: Old Olive, Summer Sun, Whisper White, Godd Morning Sunshine DSP

Inks: Chocolate Chip, Brilliant Blue, Old Olive

Accessories: mat pack, paper piercer, silver brads, dimensionals, scissors, SAMJ, image sheet

...A Couple of Club Cards

I got to spend the day stamping with my friends Pam Varnell and Ashley Ward yesterday. We had a blast! I never thought you could laugh so hard that your sides hurt, but it happened! I got three cards finished...two club cards, and a sample for my upcoming sketch challenge. I can't share the sketch card with you, but I will share the two completed club cards. Here they are!

Club Card One:

Stamps: Friends 24-7

Papers: Pacific Point, Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point DSP

Inks: Jet Black Staz-On Ink, Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss

Accessories: silver brads, dimensionals, 5/8" pacific point striped grosgrain ribbon, glue pen, dazzling diamond glitter, mat pack, paper piercer, aquapainter {or blender pen}

Club Card Two (Taylor VanBruggen's TECC53 Sketch):

Stamps: Man's Best Friend

Papers: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red DSP

Inks: Riding Hood Red, Jet Black Staz-On Ink

Accessories: mat pack, paper piercer, circle punches, word window punch, dimensionals, silver brads, big shot/accessories, squares texture plate

That's it for today! Thanks for stopping by, and I will see you again tomorrow with the third {and final} club card. We are going to a Super Bowl Party tonight, but I hope to get another card made for club while the guys are watching the game. GO CARDINALS! Until later...

...January SU! Club Projects

These are my Stampin' Up! club projects that will be featured this month. I will be giving a supply list for each instead of going into great detail as to save time and space...I sure do hope that my ladies love them! Are you ready?

Project One (above) :

Stamps: Simply Said, Holidays & Wishes

Papers: Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White

Inks: Kiwi Kiss, Real Red, Basic Black

Accessories: mat pack, paper piercer, 5/8" Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon, stamp-a-ma-jig, image sheet, spiral punch, scissors, dimensionals

Project Two (above) :

Stamps: Only Ovals

Papers: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette, Bella Rose DSP

Inks: Basic Black

Accessories: mat pack, paper piercer, silver brads, wide oval punch, 1/4" circle punch, scissors, 5/8" Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, dimensionals

Project Three (above) :

Stamps: Pun Fun

Papers: Pacific Point, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Watercolor, Muirfield DSP, Baja Breeze DSP, Kiwi Kiss DSP

Inks: Basic Black, Baja Breeze, Rose Red

Accessories: silver brads, trio flower punch, word window punch, mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals, scissors, aquapainters, button bouquet button


That's it for today! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you all again tomorrow! Until then...

...December's Club Projects

These are the cards that my clubs will be creating for this month. The theme is "Limited Layers", so I wanted to show how you can still accomplish the "WOW" factor without using alot of cardstock. All of the supplies used to make each card are listed below its picture.

Project One : Kind Thoughts

Stamps: Kind Thoughts

Papers: Basic Black, Baja Breeze, Whisper White

Inks: Jet Black Staz-On

Accessories: Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, Scissors, Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Dimensionals, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Image Sheet

Project Two : For My Friend

Stamps: Lovely As A Tree, Elegant Cheer

Papers: Always Artichoke, Summer Sun, Whisper White

Inks: Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Always Artichoke

Accessories: Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, Coluzzle Cutting System, Sponge Daubers, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Image Sheet, Silver Brads, 1/4" Circle Punch, 5/8" Tangerine Tango Striped Ribbon, Dimensionals

Project Three : Thank You Acetate Card

Stamps: Season of Joy, Cute & Curly

Papers: Acetate, Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White

Inks: White Staz-On, Jet Black Staz-On, Real Red Craft Ink

Accessories: Embossing Buddy, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Curly Label Punch, Trio Flower Punch, Silver Brad, 5/8" Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals

That's it for today! Thanks for stopping by, and DON'T FORGET TO ENTER TO WIN THE $30 FREE STAMPIN' UP MERCHANDISE AT THIS POST. I'll see you all tomorrow with another installment of Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge...come and play along! Until then...

...Friendship Lasts Forever

This is the last of the club projects for this month! I decided to show the ladies how to do the "Faux Silk Technique" (described below). You can see the effect this technique gives your focal image in the close-up picture above. I had just recently purchased the set "Season of Friendship", so I wanted to use it on this card. I started with a 4-1/4" square card base of Pink Pirouette Cardstock, then added a large, dark mat of Bravo Burgundy Cardstock that was stamped with the leaves from the same set in Bravo Burgundy Classic Ink. A strip of Whisper White Cardstock and Bella Rose Designer Series Paper were added across the burgundy panel. The tree in the focal image was stamped on Whisper White Cardstock in Bravo Burgundy Classic Ink while the leaves were stamped in Regal Rose Classic Ink. I stamped the leaves in a darker color so they would be seen after the technique was performed over the stamped images.

Now here's the technique: I took a piece of White Tissue Paper and cut it 1/4 of an inch larger than the white cardstock, wadded it up into a tight ball, lightly smoothed it out (the more wrinkles the better they shows up), and set it aside. I used a Sponge Brush to apply a thin layer of Mod Podge Sealer over the entire focal panel (paying special attention to the edges and corners), then placed the wrinkled tissue paper over the panel. I used my hand to push the tissue paper into the layer of sealer to allow it to set. After the panel was dry, I applied some SNAIL Adhesive to each of the four sides on the back of the panel, then trimmed the tissue paper at the corners of the focal image by cutting diagonally just above the point in the corner. Since the adhesive was on the back of the panel, it was easy to wrap the tissue paper around the sides and stick it to the back. The sentiment was stamped on top of the tissue paper in Bravo Burgundy Classic Ink, then the focal panel was matted with more Pink Pirouette Cardstock and Bravo Burgundy Cardstock before being popped up off of the large burgundy background piece using Dimensionals. I finished it off by piercing around the image panel using a Mat Pack and Paper Piercer, and adding three dots to each corner with my White Signo Gel Pen.

Supplies:

Stamps: Season of Friendship

Papers: Pink Pirouette, Bravo Burgundy, Whisper White, Bella Rose DSP

Inks: Bravo Burgundy, Regal Rose

Accessories: tissue paper, mod podge (matte) sealer, sponge brush, white gel pen, mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals, adhesive, scissors

That's it for today! I will be cutting out cardstock and designer paper for all the clubs this month, so I will be very busy the rest of the day. I hope to see you all tomorrow though, so please stop back by. Thanks for coming over to see what I have been up to, and until later...

...Merry Christmas, Dear Friend

I haven't had a chance to work on any of the challenges that I wanted to complete, but I did get another club card finished. What do you think? It was definitely a labor of love....and I labored for over two hours. I changed stamps, then I changed colors, then I changed the layout, then I changed....well, you get the idea. Finally, the card came together.

I used the stamp sets "Snow Burst" and "Cute & Curly" from Stampin' Up! The card base was Kraft Cardstock, and I decided to use the following cardstock colors with it: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, and Ruby Red. The Old Olive Cardstock panel was stamped in Old Olive Classic Ink with the "Canvas" background stamp. The patterned paper was from the Holiday Treasures Designer Series Paper pack, and it was mounted onto Ruby Red Cardstock. I also punched out some Chocolate Chip Cardstock using the 1/4" Circle Punch, attached them to the patterned paper panel, then placed Silver Brads in the center of each with some help from my Paper Piercer. The snowflakes were stamped in Old Olive Classic Ink, Ruby Red Classic Ink, and Chocolate Chip Classic Ink onto Whisper White Cardstock. The sentiment, however, was stamped in Ruby Red Classic Ink onto a scrap piece of Kraft Cardstock. I trimmed the edges off of the sentiment label with my CutterBee Scissors, then mounted it onto a piece of Chocolate Chip Cardstock that had been punched out using the Curly Label Punch. The large Whisper White Cardstock panel was pierced using a Mat Pack and Paper Piercer, too.

Supplies:
Stamps: Snow Flurries, Canvas, Cute & Curly
Papers: Old Olive, Kraft, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Holiday Treasures DSP
Inks: Old Olive, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: mat pack, paper piercer, silver brads, punches (curly label, 1/4" circle), scissors, dimensionals

That's it for today! I still have one more project to come up with for this week's clubs, so I am going to have to get back to business! I will see you all tomorrow, but until then....