Wishing You Well...

 Hello friends

Thanks for stopping by. Today I have a beautiful card we made at stamp camp today.  See the swirly designs on the left side panel?  We made this with the "rolling marble" technique.  I must say, it was a huge hit.  I had the biggest class attendance since March!  I was totally happy!  Here's my card:

The card base is Pretty Peacock and the copper foil gives this card just enough sparkle. To do the technique, we put 3 dots of re-inkers in 3 colors inside a clear Stampin' Up! case. Use a little snail to place your cardstock on the opposite side of your case, and add 3 marbles.  Roll the marbles over the re-inkers, so they get all covered in the inks.  Then flip your box over, and roll the marbles all over your cardstock.  This technique is a stress reliever too! You can be as gentle as you want or you can go to town rolling those marbles and making as much noise as you can.  Everyone had a great time. Once those colors are done, we rinsed out the boxes and marbles, and did the same thing, but this time, we added 3 dots of Copper re-inker.  You can use gold too, just keep in mind that your metallic inks are much thicker, so you don't need as much ink. Roll the marbles the same way, then flip the box over and make sure you roll them over your cardstock.  The beauty of this technique is, no two will ever turn out exactly the same.  It's so much fun to see what you get when you're done!

To save copper foil, I cut out the 3 foil leaves from the inside of the panel, and adhered the marbled piece over that.  This is a great way to save on paper, especially the precious metallic papers. 

Stamp set used:  Gather Together with the matching framelits.  Pretty Peacock ink and the Everyday Label punch.  A touch of additional sparkle with the Champagne Rhinestones and the Blue Adhesive Backed Gems from our Mini catalog.

So what do you think?  I'd love to read your comments.  If you don't already have a demonstrator, please contact me and I will send you our current Annual and Mini catalogs.  Check out my Rewards Program too! I'd love to reward you for shopping with me.

Until next time, I hope you have a beautiful day.  Happy Stamping!

More Toilet Paper Cards...

 You guessed it, 2 more cards made from toilet paper.  I have been having so much fun with this technique. I have to thank France Martin at Frenchie Stamps for the idea. She learned it from someone else, so I have no idea where the original came from. But it's so cool.  Here's my cards:

On a base of Misty Moonlight, I added a layer of Magenta Madness, two of our new In Colors. The Tin Tile embossing folder gives this card a lot of texture. I sponged with a light dusting of magenta madness and misty moonlight.  I colored the flowers with our Stampin' Blends.

This card has a Highland Heather card base, with a layer of Pool Party. I used the sheer pool party ribbon to add a touch of softness, to go with the embossing folder.  Sentiment is from our new Gilded Autumn stamp set, part of our Gilded Autumn suite.

So there you are, all done with the bathroom supplies now. 😊  I'm glad you stopped by today. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or if you'd like a copy of our two current catalogs. Christmas is just around the corner, and our new mini catalog has some really wonderful products, perfect for the fall and Christmas season.

Enjoy your day! 

Toilet Paper Part Two

 Hello again!  I hope you're all having a great Labor Day weekend.  It's been a long time since we have been able to go out without social distancing and masks, so I hope where you live you're able to go out and enjoy without too much anxiety. I'm learning very quickly how to grocery shop online and pick it up in a couple of days.  It's hard to get used to that, but I guess our world is going to be very different for awhile.

When I get anxious, I pray but also find time to get into my craft room and hibernate.  A couple of days ago I showed you a card that was made with toilet paper.  Today, I have another one for you. As mentioned, I actually made 4 of these, so for the next couple of days, I'm going to show you all of them, so you can get a better idea of different designs and colors.  Here's my card for today:

I used Pool Party as my card base, with a layer of Soft Suede. I chose the Parisian Flourish 3D embossing folder and sponged Pool Party and Soft Suede over the top.  A piece of our Forever Greenery Ribbon combo pack contains a really nice textured cream color ribbon, along with a very fine thread of beautiful gold.  I used the Very Versailles stamp set for the script background in Pool Party, and the Thinking of You is from the Woven Heirlooms stamp set, stamped in Soft Suede.  The sentiment was cut out with the Stitched So Sweetly dies.

I love the "old world" feel to this card, don't you? It's such a soft and delicate look and a perfect card to send to someone you miss and want them to know you're thinking about them, especially during this difficult time.  

I love your comments, so please feel free to let me know what you think. I hope you have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Please stay well and safe.

Happy Stamping! 

Toilet Paper Isn't Just for the Bathroom...

 Hello!

 Yes, you saw that correctly.  Today, I'm showing you how to make a gorgeous card, with lots and lots of texture using toilet paper! My friend and fellow demonstrator, France Martin had this on her blog and I was so intrigued, I just had to try it. I'm sure you remember when COVID-19 first started, everyone was rushing to the store and buying out all the toilet paper. Then came anti-bacterial wipes, and a whole lot of other sanitizing items.  I've noticed that the toilet paper hoarding has calmed down quite a bit, and it's a good thing, otherwise this card may not have been. 😌😌😌 Here's my card:

My card base is our new In Color, Bumblebee, with a layer of Soft Suede on top. The sunflowers are from one of my favorite bundles, Celebrate Sunflowers. This set includes beautiful stamps and matching dies, so cutting out these lovelies is super quick. I colored the sunflowers with Stampin' Blends in Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Early Espresso and Black. I stamped the sentiment in Soft Suede and punched it out with the Story Label punch. I sponged the edges with Bumblebee ink and added some Gingham ribbon in Bumblebee color.

So now let's get to the toilet paper! Roll out as much as you can, so that you will end up with at least 4 layers; 6 would be better. I used 4 and found it a little difficult to cut. I just rolled it out and loosely folded it then tapped it down so it wasn't so fluffy.  Find an embossing folder that has some good texture.  I used our gorgeous Old World Paper embossing folder, because it's so organic looking and makes very deep impressions (which is what you want).  Lay your paper inside your folder and spritz with water, both sides. Don't soak the paper too much or it will shred, but give it a fine mist of water.  You don't have to wet all areas of the toilet paper; just a couple of spritz should do it. Fold over your embossing folder and run it through your embossing machine, just one time. Do not go back and forth, as this will probably rip your paper. Carefully lift out your paper, and set it aside to dry.  I let this dry naturally overnight, because I was concerned about using a heat gun so I wouldn't burn the paper.   You might try a hair dryer though if you're in a hurry, but I would use a lower setting.

I lightly sponged both Soft Suede and Bumblebee in various areas, but made sure I used a very light touch. I also used a sponge and not a dauber, so I could cover more area at a time. Depending on the colors you choose, you may have to tap off some of the ink on a blotter first, so you can gradually add color instead of heavier application.  

The hardest part of this was cutting it down to the size I wanted for my card.  When I started, my toilet paper layer was almost as wide as the Soft Suede layer, but careful measuring and cutting gave me a couple of snags, and the piece ended up a little smaller.  I highly recommend you use a pencil and ruler and mark your lines, then cut with your paper snips.  Cutting on a paper cutter may not work well.

The end result is gorgeous in any case, and it's totally worth taking your time.  I've made 4 of these cards so far, and each one is  unique.  Let me know how you like it and please contact me if you have any questions.

Stay tuned for more toilet paper cards soon! Have a wonderful day!  Happy Stamping! 

Scraps Are Fun!

 Hello and happy Monday!

Today's card was made from scraps.  I don't save every single scrap I end up with, but sometimes I see scraps and my brain imagines all sorts of designs. These scraps were left over from another card and I cut them down using our retired 1 inch square punch. 

I used our new Bumblebee cardstock with layers of Bermuda Bay and Cajun Craze. The designer paper is the gorgeous Guilded Autumn paper in our new holiday mini catalog.  

I hope you enjoy your day. I'm off to work. Happy stamping!

Thanks a Bunch

 Today is a Sunflower kind of day. Sunflowers are such happy flowers, aren't they?  I just read an article called "10 Glorious Facts About Sunflowers". I learned that the very young buds will actually turn their little faces to the east in the early morning, and will follow the sun until it sets in the west. This is known as "heliotropism". As they get heavier during seed production, the stems become stiff and not as pliable, so they mostly face east all day. There's 9 more fascination facts in this article, so feel free to Google it.  Fun! Here's my card:

My cardbase is our new Cinnamon Cider, with a layer of Early Expresso.  The flowers were stamped on Sahara Sand card stock, using the beautiful new stamp set called Celebrate Sunflowers.  I stamped with Memento Black and colored the flowers with our Watercolor pencils.  I did not use water though; I merely colored them using Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie and White on the edges of the petals for more depth. The centers were colored with Early Espresso and Black.  The leaves were colored with Garden Green and Old Olive. The sentiment was stamped in Early Espresso and a few of our gold pearls were added for sparkle.  

Let me know what you think.  Is this a set you'd love to have for your own?  It comes in a bundle with a set of wonderful dies, so you can easily cut out these beauties.  Our bundles give you a 10% discount too! Can't pass that up! Contact me today or check out our Annual catalog by clicking on the catalog on the right hand side of my blog page.  I offer shopping rewards too!

Until next time, be well and happy stamping! 

Sending a Paper Hug

Hello my friends and welcome to my blog. Once again, the days get past me so quickly, and with the pandemic we are all going through, and the fact that I do work full time now, my blog has suffered. I am going to try to make an honest effort to do better.

The card I made today is all about sharing love, hope and hugs, especially for those that have been deeply affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.  While most of us are sheltering inside, the doctors, nurses, first responders and others who work in an "essential" business, are out there every day. I pray for everyone and hope that this will end soon.
Here's my card:

My cardbase is Seaside Spray and I used a piece of In Good Taste designer paper. This paper is really different. If you look closely, you'll see what looks like a canvas full of acrylic paint, sort of "smashed" up on the canvas with a brush, giving the paper a dimension that really pops. 

The stamp set here is Tasteful Textures, and I really love all the elements in the set. A nice floral image, with some "smooshes" and a lovely feather stamped in Gray Granite ink.  I snipped the flowers with my scissors, and used our leaf punch to punch out some silver leaves. The ribbon is our Scalloped Linen Ribbon, in Seaside Spray.  I love the organic feel of this ribbon and it comes in all the In Colors (Seaside Spray, Rococco Rose, Pretty Peacock, Teracotta Tile and Purple Posy). If you love this ribbon, you may want to get it sooner rather than later.   These In Colors will be going away at the end of April, 2021.

This month, our new Mini catalog has gone live, and it's full of beautiful stamps, inks, papers and accessories to start your holiday card making.  If you would like a copy, contact me today and I'll be sure to send you a copy right away.  Or, click on the mini catalog, located on the right hand side of my blog page.

Until next time, have a beautiful day.  Happy stamping!