Enchanted Elegance for OWH

Wow ... feels great to slowly be reentering the land of the human beings ... spent the past week trying to keep a nasty cold that has been going around at bay and well some days it felt like I was loosing the battle but this morning I am feeling like I might have finally won the war and carved out some time to blog before I have to tackle the weekend chores while I have the energy to!

So so excited that Sale-a-bration formally started this week and the catalog this year is full of some wonderful treasures for us and are now available to customers with every $60 purchase! 

This card features Everyday Enchanted Designer Series Paper, the Enchanted Ribbon and Brad collection and the stamp set Elementary Elegance all FREE from Sale-a-bration catalog!

I used this Sketch Challenge from over at Operation Write Home for my layout inspiration incorporating the Top Note die and using the Pretty Postage punch instead of squares and a the 1 1/4 inch squares behind instead of a larger strip ... t his is the great thing about sketches as you can follow exactly or use them as a jumping point  ... hop on over and check out the other awesome entries and see how you get inspired!

Happy Stampin

Margaret

Poppy Medallion

Playing with the new Designer Rosette Bigz Die which allows you to make Rosettes of all sizes in minutes .... paired  this Rosette made with the Everyday Enchanted DSP with the Poppy Parade medallion which I embossed with clear to give it some shine and pop! 

The DSP, the pretty button and the Calypso Coral ribbon accent are all available FREE in just two more days time via the Sale-abration promotion starting on January 24th!  

Just a shout out thanks to Try Stamping on a Tuesday for the inspiration on the layout - did not get a chance to share it in time for the challenges but had fun playing along regardless ... check out the awesome entries made!

 Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Lost Mojo ...

Wow - what a week - not sure what is going around but I am exhausted and have had no energy and have been spending quiet time resting myself and by the end of the day just too wiped to think about blogging!

This was  card inspired by last weeks Mojo Monday which I made to share but with my tiredness - I missed the deadline but figure I can still share with all of you :)

Loving the couple on the bike image from the Take it Too Heart Set .. great for Valentines, Anniversary or just a 'because I love you' card!

Here was the sketch that inspired my layout ...

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Queen for a Day

Playing along this week with a couple awesome challenges to create the following offering  ... using a sketch inspired by Freshly Made Sketches, a Color palette from the Color Q and adding a Crown embellishment for over at the Just Add Ink to help celebrate their 100th birthday!

Reduce, reuse and recycle is the name of the game here by using the negative section of the Labels Collection Framelits to make a cool frame for the birthday sentiment.

 The Elementary Elegance stamp set is just divine and embossing it in silver makes it really elegant!

 I love the little Trinkets from the Simply Adorned line...

See what others created with this sketch here ....

Be inspired by Color over at the Color Q ...

And wish the ladies over at Just Add Ink a 100th Birthday over here ...

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Stampin' on a Tuesday 411 style

Another Inspired by Nature offering using the Pastels, Color Combination from Stamping 411 and the template this time from Try Stampin' on a Tuesday from last week and the every lovely Everyday Enchanted.

Stampin' 411

 Try Stampin' on a Tuesday

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Inspired by Challenges

Nothing like a good challenge blog to get the creative juices flowing in the ole craft corner ... and this week has been full of a few ... I combined the Stamping 411 Color challenge of Island Indigo, Pool Party, Coral Calypso and Lucky Limeade with the Friday Mash Up use Pastels on a Birthday themed challenge and finished it up with the Just Us Girls layout sketch challenge to come up with the following offering!

 

The Inspired by Nature stamp is so fun to use the pastel chalks on ... the cone flowers just pop right off the page!

The new stamp set Take it to Heart has a little ribbon stamp that I just LOVE as a sentiment accent for a card. I can see myself using this on a scrapbooking layout too! 

The Loving Thoughts stamp set in the Occasions mini was designed to fit perfectly inside this which is awesome! However the other great thing about Stampin' Up is our coordinating products - cause it fits so many of our other sentiments neatly inside it as well so if you do not have the Loving Thoughts stamp set yet - not worries ... I used the Wish Big sentiment from Short and Sweet stamp set and added some pearl accents to balance it off.

The paper piercer is also a marvelous tool - my card felt a little 'lopsided' to me so I added some subtle paper piercings up in the corner - which helped to balance it out for my anal mind!

I am just loving this color palette of the Sale-abration Everyday Enchanted paper .... if you love it too you can earn it FREE with a $60 order as of January 24th or you can book a workshop during Sale-abration and you can earn hostess dollars AND free Sale-abration products ... win win! 

In the mean time hop on over to the following blogs and check out the wonderful offerings other card designers have come up with using these challenge inspirations!

The Friday Mashup

 Just us Girls

Stamping 411

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Peekaboo Embossing - how to!

I have had quite a few inquiries on just how I had been doing my Peekaboo Embossing cards this past week - a fun new variation on an embossing technique I have been playing with for January where a stamped image peeks out behind an embossed one.

So here is the 6x6 technique card that my customers received at this months Technique Tuesday class ... fits perfectly inside a 6x6 album to create a 'inspiration book' for stampers as the attend additional classes each month.

I hope the instructions are viewable on the close up here ... the back of the card has the 'traditional variation' directions for braying the recessed side on an embossing folder to give the two toned embossed look which was the spring board for this variation with 'stamping' instead.

Sharing also with the Stampin' Up Only Challenge blog whose New Years Challenge is to try new techniques to push out of the comfort 'go to' techniques we tend to fall back on ... I myself love trying new stuff which is why Technique Tuesday is one of my favorite classes to host each month - there are just so many awesome ways to paper craft out there!

Happy Stampin'

Margaret

Fun with Framelits ...

I am just loving playing with the new Framelits and want to thank my upline Liz for this inspired card which I am using for playing along with some Challenges this week cause it fit in perfect with the layout for A La Card Monkey and the Color inspiration over at Utah Divas.

The framelits are so versatile because they can be placed anywhere on the paper - so in this case it was placed in the middle of a 2 1/2 inch circle punched cardstock 'backwards' to create the embossed section and than flipped and centered with the cutting edge down to cut out the middle and another Framelit with the Apothecary image stamped on it nestled inside it. Our punches work perfect for popping up the middle section which was colored with the blender pens using shades of reds and pinks.

Pop on over to the Utah Divas International to see the inspirations by other card makers ...

and than over at the A La Monkey card blog with this wonderful layout!

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Inspired to Peek ...

Another card where I was having fun playing with the 'Peekaboo Embossing' technique .... we made  this tonight at our Technique class using the Inspired by Nature stamp set and the Strips Embossing folder to look like a 'fence' with a garden behind it....brushed some Soft Suede along the raised strips to help with the illusion of the fence :)

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

A Winter Wonderland ...

Snow Flurries!

I know that the 'season' is over however I made this card for next year's stash as a chance to showcase the peekaboo embossing technique with the Northern flurries folder and the Serene Snowflakes hiding behind ... a quick and simple yet elegant card for the season!

Enchanting Freshly Made ...

Loving this new Sale-bration designer series paper... Everyday Enchanted ... features many of the 2012 In Colors ... which I picked out the Calypso Coral and Lucky Limeade and new Labels Collection Framelit to accent this card with...and yet another 'peekaboo embossing' technique with the grass from the Inspired by Nature set peeking out behind the Elegant Bouquet embossed image as well as the Polka Dots peeking out on the Flight of the Butterfly image.

BTW ... just loving the gorgeous ribbon and matching brads available for free in the Sale-a-bration catty as well - very elegant and subtle addition to a project! 

I did not make the cut of to submit this card over at the Freshly Made website - but pop on over and see the other wonderful entries!

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Doing the Mash ...

 This card layout inspired by the Friday MashUp from last week ... which I used to explore some more 'peekaboo embossing' techniques with in preparation for tomorrow nights Technique Tuesday class ... just loving this technique with stampin' on the embossing folders!

This card features paper, Big Shot dies and stamp set items from both the upcoming Occasions Mini as well as the Sale-a-bration catties!

Hop on over to the Friday Mashup to check out what the other ladies have created with this layout!