New Firm Foam Ink Pads

Stampin' Up is coming out with their gorgeous new catalogue tomorrow.  Contact me if you are interested in one!  I am having a new catalogue open house on Saturday, June 9 in the Somerset, Kentucky area. 

With the new catalogue comes a transition to a new style of ink pad.  Almost all of the ink colors are staying the same - just the ink color inside is what is changing.

I will say from experience - they are absolutely terrific!!!

Here's what Stampin' Up has to say about them:

We know you’re going to love these new Stampin’ Pads—just look at all the exciting benefits listed below:

• Provide better ink coverage for your stamps!
• Light-tap stamping produces flawless images!

In addition, our new Stampin’ Pads

• Create wonderfully solid images. The Firm Foam releases more ink onto your rubber stamp than the felt pads. When using the Firm Foam pad, your stamp will get an even, solid covering of ink that you may not have been able to achieve with the felt pads. Please note: if you are using the ink pad frequently you may need to re-ink your Firm Foam pad more often.
• Have a crisply printed, glossy label on the top of the pad that is easier to read and that will not fade or chip off!
• Come with color name labels in all four languages (English, Spanish, French, and German)--just choose your language, peel it off the back, and add it to the side of the pad for easy identification!
• Use the same patented flip-top case design that stores the inking surface upside down, so the pad surface stays moist!
• Are available in all colors, including our exclusive In Colors!

And the lovely Shannon West shares here:

Word Play graduation card

I love the idea of using this sentiment from the Word Play stamp set and putting it together with a graduation cap from Congrats, Graduate.  As I was playing, I realized I could stamp it so that it looked like one consecutive stamp (the cap is actually separate from the sentiment!)  I stamped it that way and then punched the image out and sponged around it with Concord Crush. 

These cards are actually for 3 guys, but their school colors are purple and gold, so I don't think they'll mind.  Only a few more days left until Concord Crush retires!!!!

Stamps:  Word Play, Congrats, Graduate (retired)

Ink:  Basic Black, Concord Crush

Paper:  Concord Crush, Basic Black, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight DSP, Retired DSP

Accessories:  2 1/2" circle punch, pennant die cut, sponge daubers

New changes coming to My digital Studio soon!

So excited about the coming changes!  Watch below to see what's new and improved in the newest version of My Digital Studio!

Happy Graduation - So proud of you

It's that time of year when graduation starts happening everywhere.....I used a retired graduation set for this card.  I believe it's called Congratulations, Graduate.  I decided to go with the Pulaski Maroon colors - maroon (or Bravo Burgundy) and black.  I saw a similar card on Stampin' Connection and decided to take this idea of only coloring one set of feet.  I colored a girl's feet since this particular card was for a girl and thought this turned out cute. 

I'm short on time, so I won't give too many other details....I'll be away from the computer this week, so I may or may not post when I have a few free minutes! 

Happy Bearthday!

We're getting ready for a cousin's birthday party tonight, so here's a quickie post of the card I made for her birthday.  If you could see it up close, you would see that her dress, hat, and balloon are all on pop dots.  It looks better in person...but I don't have much time! 

Just a reminder that this stamp set and all of the Build-a-Bear items are retiring soon.  Also, this fun circus and party paper is retiring this week, also!!!!

Happy Friday!

I Wish.....

I have no idea what the girls were singing here, but they were certainly having a big time dancing and singing something on Christmas Eve.  This is my daughter and her cousin - who thinks Halleigh has hung the moon and stars.   She is her little shadow and just loves to prance around with her!

Mostly scraps of retired DSP here, but you may have noticed a new diecut...you'll see it in the upcoming catalogue.  We are just days away from it my friends!!!  Happy dance coming soon!!!!

Can you spot the new item?

I came across my December pictures recently and realized I had better finish making my December Daily album.  I used all scraps for this page!  They are all scraps from the Letters to Santa DSP.  I stamped the Whisper White strip with Snow Swirled in matching colors.  I also used a little 11X1" strip to make the accordian fold flower.  I scored it every 1/4" to create this. 

So....did you spot the new item?  It's a new button - don't you love it?  I love the texture it adds to the page - so warm!

Stamps:  Snow Swirled

Ink:  Real Red, Old Olive, Early Espresso

Paper:  Real Red, Whisper White, Letters to Santa DSP

Accessories:  Early espresso baker's twine, buttons

Lotion Skirt

My friend Hannah calls this a lotion skirt - it's a holder for those empty bottles you need to get the final bits out of.  You all know what I'm talking about - you can't just waste that great smelling lotion or whatever else inside.

Thanks to my clever friend Hannah, we now have a solution for this problem! 

Hannah took these steps:

1.  Cut a toilet paper roll to 1 1/2" high.

2.  Cut a matching 1 1/2" strip of Baja Breeze paper to cover the roll - cut off at desired length.

3.  Punch the edges of 6 pieces of DSP.  We punched 2 each of 12" length papers.  (Her punch is made by EK Tools Dimensional Flower Punch.)

4.  Adhere the matching punched strips together (filling the windows left by the empty spaces) with sticky strip.

5.  Adhere each punched strip to the roll using sticky strip starting from the bottom and going to the top.  You will be left with a beautiful skirt of patterned paper and a home for your nearly empty bottles of lotion! 

Graduation already?!

It's seems a little crazy, but school has already been out here for a few days.  It actually didn't snow much around here, so we got out the earliest we have in years around here....not that it mattered to me - I'm on maternity leave!

Anyway, I made a graduation card for one of our friends who graduated with his master's degree in theology. 

I saw this idea in our Stampin' Success magazine - mine's not as pretty...and I changed up the colors, but it wasn't too terribly difficult to make!

Instructions

1. Trace and cut the following from Basic Black Card Stock: one top piece and two bottom pieces.
2. Emboss one bottom piece using the Big Shot and the Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. Adhere the left, bottom, and right sides of the embossed card stock to the matching Basic Black piece to create a pocket for the gift card.
3. Stamp the "I'm so Proud of You" greeting in Concord Crush ink on the Whisper White Card Stock (2-1/8" x 7/8").
4. Punch the edges of the Crushed Curry Card Stock using the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Punch. Adhere a 2-1/8" portion of the punched piece to the bottom of the Whisper White greeting and secure both pieces to the top of the bottom piece.
5. Punch more of the Crushed Curry Card Stock using the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Punch. Cut it down to four 4" pieces and adhere them to the bottom of the Basic Black cap so that only the edge is showing. (Optional: cut an additional top piece and adhere it to the back of the top to help secure theCrushed Curry edges.)
6. Cut a 5-1/2" x 1/2" strip of Whisper White Card Stock. Stamp "Congratulations" on the card stock in Concord Crush ink. Adhere the strip to the cap as shown on the card and trim the excess card stock.
7. Cut a 3-1/4" x 1/8" strip of Concord Crush Card Stock. Adhere the strip to the cap and trim the excess card stock.
8. Attach the top of the hat to the bottom of the hat using a Black Glimmer Brad.

Fancy Favor box

I've had this Fancy Favor box on my wishlist for quite a while, so one month recently, I purchased this as a half price item from Stampin' Up.  I love the elegant look of the Fancy Favor box.  What I love even more is just how EASY it is to put together!  It's so versatile, even my daughter enjoys making these for her friends!  Granted....she fills them with toys she doesn't want to play with anymore, but hey, it's the thought that counts, right?

So, here I have the box.  I literally took a 12X6 piece of Basic Black and finished teh rest with scraps of paper.  I used stamps from Clearly for You for the right side.  For the left side, I used a piece of an extra image from the candy to fill in the space. 

What?  I had extra images from the candy? .....  I don't know what happened to that candy!  It just disappeared and left the wrapper behind!!!!  ;)

So here are the pieces of candy that did not disappear!  ;)  I stamped the image from the It's a Wrap Occasions stamp set.  I liked the Mr. & Mrs. for a wedding favor, but I thought it was a little blah.  So I added Silver Smooch to the edges.  (Although, now I think I should have added gold to match the wrapper!)

Note....when making these, you need to cut the paper to about 3 - 3 1/4" to wrap all the way around the nuggets.  I had to go back and add a paper underneath to go all the way around.

Stamps:  It's a Wrap Occasions, Clearly for You

Ink:  Real Red, Basic Black

Paper:  Basic Black, Whisper White, Scraps of DSP

Accessories:  Silver Smooch, Fancy Favor die cut, Hershey's Nuggets with toffee and almonds (these are dangerous to have in the house, people! Cover quickly and hide them from your sight....and your husband's sight!)

Last pages of our mini album

This year in our scrap club we have been working on a 6X6 mini album using the Beau Chateau DSP for our base.  This layout concludes the double layouts for our mini album.  If you have been coming to scrap club and need to finish up your pages, Saturday is the day for you to do that!

I was inspired to create this page based on an album Shelli Gardner posted a few months ago on her blog.  She used the paper from the Sale-a-Bration paper.

I used the Creative Elements stamp set for this page.  It has really great images for scrapbooking and card making.  One of my favorite images is this flower.  I love to stamp it 3 times and cut around the edges of the 3 layers.   I layer them on top of each other just adding a Stampin' Dimensional underneath each layer.  It creates a simple looking but fabulous accent for your page!

Stamps:  Creative Elements

Ink:  Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Soft Suede

Paper:  Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Beau Chateau DSP

Accessories:  Labels Framelits, Neutrals brads

New In Colors

You notice anything new here?  You should!  Everything on here is brand new...except the Whisper White paper! 

So, for your adoring eyes....we have Primrose Petal, Summer Starfruit, and Midnight Muse.  These are just three of the 5 new in colors.  Also, what you don't see are some of the fabulous new stamp pads.  You can really get inky with these new stamp pads!  Hot, I tell you!  Just a few taps and voila - loads of gorgeous color!  You're going to love them just as much as I do!!!

A new stamp set - Betsy's Blossoms - a great solid set of floral images, a few leaves, and a wonderful little bird to go along with it.

Itty Bitty Banners - I love all things bannerific, so this is a terrific stamp set full of greetings that are all in banner form.

Bitty Banners Framelits - just in case you thought those banners were cute....and then you thought.....yeah, right....I'm not cutting those tiny little banners out by hand!  You don't have to - you can stamp to your heart's delight and then run the banners right through the Big Shot with the fantastic new Banner framelits! 

Well, that's enough of my gushing for the day!  What are you gushing about?  Let me know!  I have plenty more to tell you about!  Our new catalogue is going live in just a few more weeks - I can't wait to let you see it, too!

Stamps:  Betsy's Blossoms, Itty Bitty Banners

Ink:  Primrose Petal, Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit

Paper:  Whisper White

Accessories:  Bitty Banners Framelits

Project Life

I've been doing a weekly scrapbook project this year called Project Life - it's just a scrapbook of our daily life throughout the year.

I keep track of our weekly/daily activities with an app on my phone/computer called Cozi.  It's pretty much like a journal, although you can do lots of other stuff with it, too.  I copy and paste these journal entries out onto little journal card spots I made in Microsoft Word and print them out on Whisper White cardstock. 

This is week....?   It is the first week of March....whatever week that is!  As I was looking at the pictures I had to use, I really like the colors in the cupcake in a jar, so I decided to use the spring Simply Scrappin' kit to make this layout.  It's a bit washed out, though, so you can't see it as well.  I added a few doilies (Wilton cake aisle) to the cupcake spots above.  I also used the original cupcake label from the jar.

And here is the other washed out side!  I promise this is much prettier in person!!! 

I loved this restroom sign at Cane's chicken - I felt like I lived there for a while!

My first layout....ever....and a peek at my desk

So, I was reading a scrapbooking forum today and saw a post about your first layout ever.  I started scrapbooking in 1998...yes, people, that is 14 years ago!  That was when you pretty much only found scrappy stuff at Hallmark or Wal-Mart....So here is my first scrapbook.

Here is my first layout - it is a page telling my college roomie and bestie about meeting my husband for the first time.  Needless to say, I didn't immediately start scrapping, but I didn't wait too long to start!  I used the email that I sent her for my journaling.

Nothing too special about that page....just a few stencils and decorative edged scissors.

Fast forward to today - this is what my scrapbook desk looks like right now.   That album is a project life album that I'm very behind on.

The tower on the right holds little knick knack items like my paper piercer, bone folder, rhinestones, etc.

The boxes in front are my pictures - note to self....by a new picture box!

The towers on the left are my ink pads and embellishment holders.  Probably need another of those embellishment holders.

My markers are on the left.

I pretty much don't show anyone this very often, because I'm pretty embarrassed at the mess!  I am not one of those clean scrappers.....I have stuff everywhere - an organized (in my mind) every where!!!

What about your first layout?  What does your desk look like today?  Care to share?

Summer Sunshine

If you hav ever had a 5 year old child, you know that they have a tendency to get fixated on things and repeat them incessantly.  For instance, yesterday my daughter watched a Barbie Mermaid Tail movie and decided that one of the songs included Summer Sunshine in the words.  That may or may not have been correct, but I heard this over and over for the rest of the day!  So, what else should I title my page from the summer but appropriately, Summer Sunshine!

This is a set of pictures from my nephew's 2nd birthday.  My parents posed for us....somewhat!

And here is my picture queen - gotta' love the picture below - that is no longer a slip-n-slide, but a slip-n-plop!

Materials:  Retired Simply Scrappin' kit, Basic Rhinestones, Brights Brads, Rose Red Stampin' Write marker, AC Thickers

Rainbows and hot air balloons

I loved this picture  and saying I found on Pretty Little Studio's blog this week.  I am a great lover of rainbows and I thought the saying was really inspiring.  Since the good old Kentucky Derby is this Saturday, it reminded me of all of the festivities going on in Louisville that I grew up watching.  One of my favorites was the hot air balloon race.

I saw a similar card on the demonstrator website, Stampin' Connection and I knew when I saw this picture on the PLS blog I wanted to make something with those ideas! 

To make this card I started with a Soft Suede card base and found some scraps from the colors of the rainbow (ROY G. BIV, my friends!).  I cut each scrap to 1/2" in height and glued them on from the bottom to the top. 

Next, I took a scrap of white paper and stamped some clouds on it in Tempting Turquoise.  I stamped all of the hot air balloon bottoms on the white paper.   I stamped the orange balloon on the base paper and stamped the striped and the red balloon on scraps and cut them out, adhering them with stampin' dimensionals.  I finished off the card with a bitty punch and rhinestone and a matching daffodil button.

Stamps:  Up, Up, and Away

Ink:  Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede

Paper:   Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Whisper White

Accessories:  Brights buttons, Itty Bitty punches, Basic rhinestones,, Island Indigo baker's twine