Got My Mojo Back

Well after what has felt like forever the kitchen renos are finally all done and everything is unpacked and back in their new cabinet homes - I took lots of pictures before and after to make a digital scrapbook to share soon - however in the meantime I wanted to play with my new toys!

This is a card featuring the new Decoratively Doilies stamp set from the 2011-12 Catty that will be unveiled on Friday!

Also loving the new 2011-12 In Colors .... this design made use of Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade and Wisteria Wonder ... only one missing was the Island Indigo.

The Thanks So Much stamp from the Swirls & Curls Verses stamp set below can still be yours for free - just host a qualifying workshop before August 31st and you could choose this Hostess set from the Summer mini - isn't it just so whimsical?

The new Doily Triple Layer punch in the Summer Mini is a wonderful compliment to the Delicately Doilies stamp set in the new catty!

I cannot wait to play some more with this set .... the possibilities are endless!

Happy 'A La Card Monkey' Easter

Hope everyone is having a peaceful and restful long Easter Weekend ... I have so been relishing the wonderful extra days! Friday we took in a Toronto Blue Jays game which was totally awesome - close action packed game that went into extra innings!

Then 'reality' hit for yesterday with errands - what a zoo at Holiday can make of the grocery stores man - twice as many shoppers equals three times as long line ups for some reason!

Thankfully today I got to spend lots of time in the craft room catching up and relaxing ... partaking in some challenge inspired card making!

Thank you to the Colour Q for the following color combo ...

Along with the A La Card Monkey Challenge for the following layout challenge ... which was just too cute and inspired the card belong!

So had to tweak the Color Q colour combo a wee bit using a Subtle's collection of Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery, So Saffron and Pink Pirouette and incorporating the Easter Blossoms stamp set with the Inspired by Nature set and using the Scallop Edge border punch with the Decorative Label punch ...

and of course a nice close up of some bling on the sentiment as well as in the basket of the little girl!

Happy Easter too all - and for those of you who get tomorrow off as well enjoy the extra long weekend and for those heading back to normal work life - hope the Bunny was good to you and that his arrival will continue to mean sunny warm days for those of us who have so been longing for more signs of SPRING that we have had this weekend!

Fabulous Sneak Peeks

One of the things I LOVE about being a Stampin' Up Demo is the sneak peek perks ... among numerous others ;) This month were were able to order a sneak peek of a few of the stamp set that will be in the Summer mini come May 1st!

Here is a card sample I made combining the Easter Blooms from the current mini with the sneak peek MDS Strength and Hope digital download Designer Series Papers and the Four Frames stamp set which coordinates perfectly with our Decorative Label punch to make some truly gorgeous sentiments!

Here is a close up of one of the four stamp images in the set ... which I have paired with the Fabulous Phrases stamp to create a Best wishes sentiment and added some 3D Rosettes for more pop factor!

Donna's Chick's-n-Chocolate Afternoon

This is a card we are making tomorrow for Donna's Chicks-n-Chocolates party ... featuring a color palette Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Marina Mist and So Saffron and showcasing the Eat Chocolate Stamp set, Red Glitter paper, Scallop Trim Border, Decorative Label and Word Window and of course what ever stamper needs ... SWISS CHOCOLATES ... yummy!

This is an up close shot of the little Decorative Label pocket I made that is the perfect size to hold a little Swiss Deuce chocolate I bought Costco! It also highlights the fabulous shiny sprinkle bling on the chocolates which were colored in with real red Stampin' Write Marker and than a dab of Chrystal effects!

Cannot wait to make this with Donna and her friends tomorrow ... hope they have as much fun as I did ... I just love this stamp set!

Saturday Scrapbooking Sketches

Time for another Saturday Scrapsketch from over on My Digital Studio ....I loved the replica of a film strip - however I did not have the strip punch download so had to improvise with the Scallop Trim border punch!

These are more converted photos from my Aunt ... Christmas photos from the Grandparents house with my siblings! Large photo is my brother and I looks like 1971 the photos from the strip are from the year prior 1970 when I was a little toddler!

Since the photos are now teetering on 'vintage' being over 40 years old I thought I would use some of the vintage overlay brush sets as well as the 'lighter vintage blues' for the layout! In addition the Tree Trimming's stamp set also add some 'vintage looking' ornaments along with the Tags til Christmas ornament stamp.

December Swap Share

At the end of December I was blessed to get together with a group of awesome talented women on our growing team of Stampin' Demos to engage in our card swap!

This card was shared by Nancy ... at least if my memory serves - there were so many of us I should have written down who shared what ;)

I love the use of the paint chips and the Upsy Daisy with the white emboss powder ... just so elegant all done up together!

Clean Simple Colour Q Challenge Cards

Happy New Year Everyone - may 2011 be full of abundance and prosperity for all!

Today's card offering palette is inspired by the Colour Q Challenge #65

As well as the layout inspired from the Clean & Simple 121 challenge a challenge that is my New Years resolution to take more often as I tend to design cards that are more time consuming that workshops and classes allow for so the inspiration from these challenges should help me to learn to find the elegant beauty that can be found in clean and simple!

So I think I did a pretty good job here combing both challenges! The colour palette of the Crumb Cake card stamped the En Francais background stamp in versamark and than the clean and simple inspired Old Olive cardstock strip run through the Plenty of Petals emboss folder and accented with the Scallop Trim border in Basic Black. Embellished with the 5 Petal Flower done in Basic Black, Basic Grey and Whisper White and accented with a Build a Brad button stamped with the Tiny Tags 4 You sentiment. The sentiment which I placed on the Word window punch layered with the Modern Label punch is the 'With Sympathy' stamp from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

This is a sentiment that you always regret needing but unfortunately I had a friend who has lost her father this holiday season and wanted to send her my condolences with a nice handmade card sending vibes of strength during her time of grief!

Tree Trimmings

I recently attended a Stamp for the Cure event hosted by a fellow demo Caroline Locke. It was an energetic event that combined shopping and stampin' who could ask for more! Between shopping at the various vendors and wining some amazing door prizes we made several awesome cards and projects all for a great cause - raising funds for breast cancer awareness.

This is one of the cards featuring a nice perfect plum and pink pirouette color scheme ... a simple quick but still elegant Xmas card! One of the things I love about paper crafting is that you can create both simple elegance as well as complex detailed techniques but both give the recipient a WOW factor of a handmade from the heart offering!

Tags til Christmas

Another wonderful card swap card ... this one designed by Sherri ...featuring the Tags til Christmas stamp set and the Plenty of Petals embossing folder ... I love the contemporary feel to the design as well as the layering and texture the card has!

Island Floral Easel Card

An Easel Card featuring the Cottage Garden stamp set, Island Floral Bigz Die, the Scallop Edge punch and of course more of our amazing In Colours of Pear Pizazz, Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight and Peach Parfait ... yummy!

Because I Care ...

I have a feeling I am going to LOVE this set as well ... this is a sneak peek set from the upcoming July 2010 catty ... a Level One Hostess gift you earn FREE from hosting a qualifying workshop!

This is a card I made for my 'Shoebox Card Swap' tonight with the other demonstrators in my up-line team ... this is my first Shoebox Card Swap - but it sounds like lots of fun!

Everyone brings one card sample and all the materials needed to make the card neatly organized in a shoebox and then you pass the shoe boxes around the table , make a card from each and at the end of the night you have many unique card samples for sharing at workshops or if you are not a demo for sending to loved ones! What a great way to experience stamp sets you might not own yet!

Front of Card
Inside of the Card