Happy New Year Stampers

Sending out lots of Happy New Year blessing to all my blog hopping friends - 2011 has been a truly amazing year and I am looking forward to having an awesome healthy and prosperous 2012 ~ and send out the same wish for all of you!

Having some fun with challenges this week while trying out my sneak peak goodies from the upcoming Occasion's mini as well as Sale-a-bration items for next month! 

This is another 'peekaboo embossing' technique I used hiding the butterflies behind the Elegant Bouquet embossed image ... just loving the new Framelits from Stampin' Up!

This gorgeous ribbon and brad is available as of January 24th for FREE during Sale-a-bration! 

 My layout was inspired from the wonderful Design Team over at Stamping 411 ... head on over and check out what everyone else came up with!

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Another 'kissed' card ...

Had a lot of fun trying to 'master' this 'kissed' technique ... this is one I tried the Upsy Daisy stamp set with the En Francis stamped with a Chocolate Chip ink for the background and white emboss powder over top!

I will admit that I almost threw it out cause it did not turn out 'perfect' however as being told 'it looked cool' from a family member I decided to give it a try as the more I looked at it I thought while it was not 'perfect' it had a sort of 'vintage faded look' so I distressed the edges of the paper and rolled with it and now I love how the card ended up coming together - sometimes we are our own worst critics when 'creating' something.

Happy Stampin' 
Margaret

Some 'Kissing' going on this season

Well Christmas was AWESOME around here ... we really scaled back on the 'presents' and instead spent some quality time together playing cards and having fun on Christmas day - which is truly what it is all about! 

And well I have to admit as much as I love the holidays I LOVE being on vacation ... carved out sometime to spend sometime playing around in the Stampin' Cave with some techniques on my 'wish I had time to try this' list and here is a sample from one of them ...

Embossed kissing ... it is a little bit tricky to master the 'timing' to get it to turn out just right - cause you need the ink to dry but not the 'versamark kiss' before applying the embossing powder! 

However I love the effect of having the 'embossed image' overlaying JUST the stamped image of the floral focal - gives my old favorite Inspired by Nature a pop having the En Francis stamp as an overlay in the Tempting Turquoise embossing powder

Here is the 'sentiment' hiding on the bow with the Tiny Tags and Jewelry Tag punch!

Cute little Elf Hat

We made these at Liz's the other day - cute little Elf hat using the Petal Cone and Perfect Pennants dies!

Quick and easy and can hold goodies inside as a Christmas 'party favor' and I think could be used as a 'place setting marker' at a Christmas function as well!

Only a few more days until Christmas! 

Happy Stampin

Margaret

Explosion Gift tag ornaments

Another offering from this months Stamp a Stack Ornament themed workshop.

Here is the front of the tag with the Serene Snowflakes and sentiment from Snow Swirled in Cherry Cobbler and Certainly Celery accents.

 Here is the back of the explosion tag ornament ...

The button holds it closed so slide  the button up the ribbon and the tag explodes into an 5 point star stamped with the large Serene Snowflake!

 The ornaments side view is all stamped up too ... for a gorgeous view from any angle!

 These are another 'quick yet stunning' gift topper ornament ... all you need is 5 pieces of 3" x 3" cardstock and 2 pieces of 1.5" x 1.5" cardstock ... stamp set of your choice. You stamp the 5 pieces with the same 'centered design' on the one side (you want this to be the same so that when it explodes the images line up at the  folds) flip over and do 5 different designs for the 'side angle.

For a tutorial on how to fold the ornament youtube has one here :)

Happy Stampin
Margaret

More Ornament fun ...

Here is a little Greeting Card girl ornament we made on Saturday - isn't she darling? Another quick and easy ornament idea where all you need is a 2 1/2 inch circle of overhead projector acetate or Stampin' Up window sheet and some Staz On ink and Sharpie markers, ribbon and some Mica-flakes!

This one is a re-inker glitter ornament ... using Cherry Cobbler ink drops into the clear glass ornament and swish around to cover the inside and than funnel in some Dazzling Diamond glitter and whola - instant bling ornament!

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Hark the Harold Angels Sing...

....glory to the Stampin' machine! A vintage Angel which makes a unique gift topper that can than serve as an ornament for your tree! 

Is she not adorable?

So easy to make too - the Beautiful Butterfly dies largest butterfly embossed with Perfect Polka Dots, the Scallop Square Duo Dies large square embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper folder and a wooden head from the Craft store and some copper ribbon and Very Vanilla ribbon - assemble and away you go!

We made these at Saturdays Ornament Stamp a Stack and they were a hit - however not to others attempting to make her - Sticky Strip might be the better option to secure her skirt together verses regular two sided tape - cause while my sample stayed together the others kept popping open - so not sure why?

Lovely Lattice Ornament

Over at Lynn Pratt's blog she has been sharing some truly inspiring ornaments using Stampin Up products and dies! 

So with my Ornament themed Stamp a Stack tomorrow I have been playing around with different ideas on what to share at the craft table to inspire participants - this is one of the ones I had attempted myself to see if it would be doable and while I LOVE it - it is truly gorgeous in real life - time wise it is just not a quick enough one to stay within the time frame of making 10 projects in 2 hours ... however wanted to share it on the blog in case anyone was inspired to make one at home when time is not a factor and you can take the time to line up all the little lattice folds and glue them it is worth the effort!

All you need is the Lattice Die, cardstock in a color scheme of your choice, Tombow glue, 12 inches of ribbon and a bead or gemstone for the bottom if desired!

From December 15, 2011, through January 5, 2012, nearly 200 products are being added to the Clearance Rack in the Online Store--with some discounted up to 80 percent! These are some awesome savings - and for anyone who loves the 'old style' punch there are MANY to choose from. Visit my Online Store to take part in the savings or shoot me an email with any items you might want - the items are on a first come first serve basis!

Here is another offering from this months Technique Tuesday using Smooched Bleach with the Snow Swirled Stamp set and showcasing a non traditional card size in a 8 x 8 fold  which fits in a 8.5 x 4.5 business size envelope!

 Love the embossed gold brushed cardstock - it really brings out the gold hue in the bleached black cardstock!

Happy Stampin'

Margaret

Just Us Girls Technique Challenge

Over at "Just Us Girls" the challenge this week was to share a 'centre step card' so I am sharing this gorgeous one inspired by Nancy from my team!

Featuring the Pennant Builder punch and coordinating stamp set for the 3D tree ... the picture does not show it but there are some dazzling diamonds on the string of lights there for the lights - some clear and some angles of the 3D I did red ink under them.

Happy Stampin'

Margaret

 

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow ...

And well if we cannot have snow outside I can at least make it feel all wintery in the house ... these are some snowflake ornaments we will be making at this Saturday's Ornament Stamp a Stack event!

Front side of the ornament features the Silver Glimmer paper which I sponged with some Tempting Turquoise to give it a subtle two tones look and than  added a Tempting Turquoise snowflake and some glimmer brad bling!  

Back of the ornament ... sponged the white with some tempting turquoise and added some bling to cover up the string holder!

Happy Stampin
Margaret

Baby It's Cold Outside - Friday Mash Up ...

This is my Friday Mash Up inspired card .... create a Snowman themed card in the colors Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze and Basic Grey .... LOVED IT!

So I am more in a 'spreading the love' mood than a Christmas card mood so opted for another Winter Valentine themed card using the Stamp from the Build a Cupcake, the Heart Trio punch and a Punch Art Snowman for this card ... not as noticeable in the photo but I had to sneak some Real Red glimmer paper into the card as well!

If you have a moment head on over to the Friday Mash Up and see what the Design Team and other card makers were inspired to create with this sketch idea!

Also sharing this card offering over at There She Goes Clear Stamps

with the color challenge of Blue, Pink and Red so check out the wonderful offerings over there as well and get creative in the craft room!

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Freshly Made Dasher!

 Another sketch inspired card ... one of the last of my Christmas themed cards this year ... I had a Dasher sample left over from my Smooching Bleach technique class and when I saw the sketch over at Freshly Made sketches I was inspired to give him a place of honor as the  focal point on the card! 

 I just love the way the Black paper bleached out in a gold looking color and well the Gold smooch spray really helped to add pop to him ... and well than I went a little overboard on the 'bling' with the heat embossed gold glitter snowflakes and the snowburst embossed layer was spritzed with more smooch spray to give it glimmer and well than some gold around the edge of my circle and some pearls and dazzling diamonds for Dasher ... looks like he is getting ready for a New Years party!

 I added a Tiny Tags sentiment on my bow with the jewellery tag punch and a little jewellery ring to allow them the freedom to dangle like a little earring!

There is still time to play over at Freshly Made ... so pop on over and see what the Design Team and other bloggers did with this awesome sketch and get yourself inspired to spend some time down in the craft room - aka women cave!

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Love is in the air ...

Having fun with more challenges this weekend ...this one is from the Try Stampin' on Tuesday blog - I tweaked the layout just a little bit adding a fourth element and well had a blast ... not trying to be a bah humbug about Christmas - I really do love it - but I have finished all my Christmas cards so need to move on to other themes!

Found a new little trick for my all time favorite Tiny Tags set and Jewellery punch - using a little jewellery ring to hang them from the ribbon - cool eh?

 If you have a minute hop on over to the Try Stampin on Tuesday blog and see what the design team and other bloggers have created using the sketch below - some amazing talent out on the net!

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Guest Designing - what an honour!

Over at the A La Card Monkey blog I have had the honor of being asked to be a guest designer showcasing this wonderful Holiday sketch that will go live tomorrow morning - so you get a little sneak peek tonight!

Here is my take on the sketch ... as you can see i opted for a holiday other than Christmas as all my Christmas cards are addressed and en-route to loved ones ... so I chose to get a head start of my Valentines cards! I just love this Little Friends stamp set from Stampin' Up ... perfect for just about any holiday!

Here is a close up to showcase my DIY glitter paper in the Tempting Turquoise color using versamark, heat and stick and fine glitter as well as adding a little bling to the little girls flower and sash for extra bling! 

The sentiment I chose here is from Petite Pairs and I added some Cottage Garden accents to my one piece of paper, the sentiment and my envelope.

Would also like to thank the ladies over at Just Add ink  and the Color Q for the Color inspiration on my card from their color challenge photos seen here - they were both so similar this week I could not choose which ones ... so I opted for Old Olive, Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise and Silver for the 'bead' representation.

Thank you to everyone who stops by to leave comments on my blog - I work from home running an Early Learning program with young children so being able to read adult offered comments during quiet time really makes my day!

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

More fun with Bleach ...

This is another card from my Technique Tuesday class - fun with bleach ... it is really hard to tell on the photo but this was the Bleach with Smooch twist so the snowflakes are bleached out but have a 'glitter' from the smooch spray that was sprayed onto the bleach paper towel - it is cool and shimmery in person!

Serene Snowflakes is such a pretty stamp set and I love the Cherry Cobbler, Baja Breeze and Crumb Cake color combo!

I will have another post later tonight with a sneak peek of my Guest Design over on A La Monkey Cards!

Happy Stampin'

Margaret

A La Card Monkey Challenge 85 ...

Made this little 'Sweet Pea' color combo card using my Color Coach for inspiration along with the sketch from the awesome ladies over at the A La Card Monkey this week ... isn't it cute?

Hard to see in the photo but the pink 'flower' is stamped with a Snowflake from Serene Snowflakes using a bleach technique - it is a very subtle Winter Holiday card that I thought would be awesome for a Thank you card this season!

Still time to play along if you want - here is the sketch! And come on back on Friday night and check out the card I am making as Guest Designer for Saturdays Sketch of the week!

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Book-a-thon Challenge!

Stampin' Up is holding another Book-a-thon contest for Demos in an effort to help us fill our calendars for the upcoming Sale-a-bration between January 24th and March 31st! 

This is an amazing time to host a workshop either in your own home or mine if that would work better for you - which is a double bonus cause you get a great afternoon or evening with your friends and all the hostess benefits of the workshop but I do all the housecleaning and clean up! 

So all you need to do is shoot me an email or phone call today before 9pm to tell me you are interested and we can arrange the details of when will work best  between us! 

Now on to sharing inspiring cards ... this challenge was from over at Stamping 411 ...

 And here is what I came up with using the sketch outline and well the continue color palette inspiration from this weeks Color Q and playing with the Foxy Oxi technique some more - loads of fun!

 Just love how the Tree Trimmings set looks with the snowy background effect of the Foxy Oxi ... and well a little bling of the Pewter embossing powder and some Rhinestone gems!!

Happy Stampin!
Margaret

Playing with Bleach ...

This weekend I was playing around with both the Foxy Oxi and various bleaching techniques in preparation for class on Tuesday ... and combined my playing with this weeks Just Us Girls Challenge .... 

The color combination which was inspired by the Stamping 411 Color Challenge of Poppy Parade, Pink Pirouette and Basic Black.

I bleached out a Dasher on a piece of Pink Pirouette and while he is very subtle I just love how it looks in real life - the texture of the embossing folders really add depth and character to the card.

The flash plays havoc on the image which really pops more in real life - but I added some Dazzling Details and Pearls helped to accent Dashers antlers!

Thanks for stopping by...
Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Just Add Ink meets the Color Q

Well this week over at the Just Add Ink blog the challenge was to CASE (copy and share everywhere) something from the wonderful and amazingly talented Tania Gould ... just peruse her inspiring blog to see how easy a feat this will be for card bloggers to rise to this challenge! 

Her work is breath taking! I was particularly inspired by this card ... one of my favorite stamp sets combined with a Vintage look and bling - what more is there too love?

So after being inspired by some of her amazing designs and 3D flowers I decided I needed a color palette inspiration to avoid being tempted from just totally 'casing' her card colors and all ... so I headed over to another of my favorite blogs the Color Q , for some inspiration! 

Found this weeks color scheme of Night of Navy, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Sahara Sand and White and thought THAT IS JUST PERFECT!

So down to the craft room I went to create the following offering ... I created the distressed background paper by sponging with Night of Navy, Marina Mist and Bashful Blue and than stamping with the En Francis background - applying the Foxy Oxi technique and crumpling the paper while it was  still damp - always makes one cringe a little to crumple their hard work!

Once it was dry I distressed the edges and sponged with Night of Navy to darken them up again cause the Foxy Oxi removed quiet a bit of color on me. I than stamped the Cherish sentiment and the Baroque Motif image in Night of Navy and created a matching envelope so it does not arrive 'naked' to whomever gets this treasure.

I created the accent piece with my 2 1/2 inch scallop circle punch. I first stamped a piece of Sahara Sand cardstock with the En Francis stamp in Night of Navy and than punched out 6 scallop circles, sponged the edges with Night of Navy and spritzed with water and crumpled them to distress them. Opened the scallops and layered them on top of each other to create my flower and adhered them together with a vintage brad and spritzed the flower with Vanilla Shimmer mist.

 The leave accents are from the Bird Builder punch which were covered with Tombow and fine galaxy glitter in the Champagne color - this card really is stunning in real life with the dimension and shimmer and glitter ... very fun to make!

A huge thank you to the wonderful challenge blog creators out there who help to get my creative juices flowing - your hard work and inspiration truly is appreciated :)

Happy Stampin'

Margaret