Work of Art

The new 2014-2015 Stampin' Up! catalog is just one week from going live--have you seen any sneak peaks yet?  Would you like a catalog of your very own?  Contact me and I can get one in your hands, but I have to warn you, you might want to arrange for take-out, because you are not gonna wanna put it down!  The layout is new this year with many step-it-up instructions for super cute projects. My wish list grows each time a look at it!  I will share a card that I made with the new Work of Art stamp set.  This set is going to go next to Gorgeous Grunge on my desk--definitely a "go to" stamp set.  I'm loving Coastal Cabana and gold together (with a touch of Bermuda Bay).

I have a couple new projects to share with you this week and then I will be taking a break for a few weeks while we move in and get settled.  I'll be back for the MDS blog hop on June 26th, so stay tuned!

Julie

We Create Blog Hop--See Ya Later...

Well, it's that time again!  The retired list is out for the 2013-2014 Stampin' Up! catalog. Although I'm a little bit sad to see some of the items go (some more than others!!) I get excited to see what Stampin' Up! has come up with next!  They are known around the paper crafting world for their creativity and style and have won many awards for their designs.  So as we say "adios" to the stamps and accessories that will no longer grace the pages of the catalog, we can still enjoy and create with them for many years to come.

I used 4 of the 5 retiring In Colors for this card (sniff, sniff Summer Starfruit!), as well as the houndstooth embossing folder; the Summer Starfruit stitched ribbon; Crazy, Mixed-up Love; and the flower punch from the punch pack all which are on the retired list.  I added Crystal Effects on the lava lamp and a few spatters from Gorgeous Grunge. The Crystal Effects made the ink bleed a bit, but it goes well with the "lava" look.  Shout out to my lovely, talented friend, Cindy Schuster for her cute card idea.

Now, on to Michelle for her "final farewell" project!

I can't believe it's already May!  I have so much to do this month that I can barely even think!  We close on this house in 15 days--Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!  If anyone is interested in a brand-spankin' new 2014-2015 Stampin' Up! catalog, we will be able to pre order them in a few weeks, make sure I have your email or you are subscribed to my blog for more info.

Julie

Watering the Flowers

I decided to break out my watercolor paper for this project for a very easy faux watercolor look.  First, I stamped my Flower Shop flower in Crushed Curry and then lightly rolled the outside edges of the stamp in Tangerine Tango, aka Rock and Roll technique.  It gives the stamp a two-toned look with just one stamp.  After I stamped the two flowers, I lightly spritzed the watercolor paper with water and just let it sit.  Our Classic ink pads are dye based, so the color runs easily with water.  When the paper was completely dry, I stamped  Off the Grid with Versamark and embossed with gold Stampin' Emboss powder.  The sentiment was first stamped with Crushed Curry and lightly spritzed with water. When dry, I re-stamped it using the Stamp-a-ma-jig and Tangerine Tango. The Tango card base was dry embossed with the Big Shot and our SAB Decorative Dots embossing folder (will be available in the next catalog).  To tie in the gold, I added small strips of Watercolor Wonder  Designer washi tape and a small punched piece of Gold Foil sheet behind the Vintage Faceted clear button.

 I wish I could spend  a little more time with my stamps, but with the packing and repair projects going on, my stamp room is more like a staging area for piles of to-be-packed items.  I hope to be stamping more regularly once we get a bit more settled.  Thanks for hanging with me through all the craziness.

Painters will be here tomorrow!  It's amazing what 20 years will do to a house!

Julie

We Create Blog Hop--Retro Fresh Dots

Promotion Playtime is our theme this month and there are so many promotions at Stampin' Up! right now that it's hard to keep track. Occasions catalog, Sale-a-bration, Photopolymer Stamps, Hip Hip Hooray card kit, Undefined stamp carving kit, Everyday Occasions cardmaking kit, Envelope Punch Board...I'm sure I'm missing one!  I used the Retro Fresh DSP and the Just Sayin' bundle from the Occasions catalog and the Decorative Dots from our Sale-a-bration catalog.  I love the Retro Fresh DSP patterns and colors, but just so you know, I used two different colors that aren't listed on the DSP package, but I love that they still coordinate well.  

I'm so excited to introduce my friend Jeanna Bohanon as a new We Create Blop Hopper!  She is my BSFF (Best Stamping Friend Forever!) and a very sweet person, not to mention that she's a super talented stamper and a Stampin' Up! Artisan...cool, eh?  Make sure you stop by and welcome her to our hop (tell her I said "Hi"). Now head on over to Michelle for her pretty promotion playtime project (don't you love alliteration?).

It's been raining the last few days but I was still able to have a fun birthday yesterday!  Thanks to all who made it fantastic!

Julie

Polka Dot Happiness!

I love my Pinterest boards!  I really get all kinds of inspiration from so many different pins, not necessarily for the reasons they were pinned!  Take this one for example:

I think this polka dot purse is completely adorable so I pinned it in my "What to wear" board, and of course it is now sold out,  but I knew I could take the pattern and make a fun card out of it. You can never have too much happy!

Where do you find your inspiration? Pinterest? Magazines? Your closet?  Inspiration is everywhere, you just need to look for it!

Create something fun today!

Julie

You're the Best...Thank You!

I have a confession, I'm not a good "thank you" note sender!  Not that I'm not grateful, I'd just rather call someone on the phone or thank them in person.  I'm trying to do better, but I think it will always be a struggle.  So, with that said, I made a thank you card to send to a friend.  The background was made with the Arrows embossing folder, I stamped and cut out the washi tape strips sentiment from Tape It  and Hello, Lovely stamp sets. I added some baker's twine, glimmer paper and rhinestones to finish it off.

No matter whether you are a thank you note kind of person or more like me, remember to thank someone today!

Julie

Chalk Talk Chevron Box

New project today...a gift box!  It's always nice to have a box ready for gift giving and the matching tag is the perfect pairing.  I was trying to decide how to attach my Chalk Talk tag besides the regular way of adding it to the ribbon, so the gears in my brain started grinding and I came up with this little "knob" type hanger--crazy, eh?  I used the fun Coastal Cabana Boutique Details button, but it's flat on the back, so my fix was to glue a Vintage Faceted Designer button on the back to lift it up off the 1 1/4" burlap ribbon.  I love the color combo, I see it everywhere right now.  The new Big Wish stamp set looks good with the Simply Stars and Gorgeous Grunge. I added a little square of the Fresh Prints DSP to coordinate with the Chevron embossed box.

I have a few ideas of things that can go inside this fun box, can anyone say "MORE STAMPS"?

Julie

Flower Shop Blues

Back in September, I went to St. George, Utah to Jill's lovely stamp camp/gathering and we made a darling card!  I think Jill said she got the idea from one of the hundreds of swaps from convention, so I don't know who the original designer was (message me if you know, so I can give the proper credit!) Anyway, I LOVE this card and have made it on several occasions.  I had blank one left over from another project so I added a sweet sentiment for my friend who lost her mother and added a few In-color dahlias for a bit more dimension.   I used the Flower Shop bundle and the Honeycomb embossing folder.

Make something beautiful for someone today!

Julie

Trying Something Different...

While I love to create, it is hard for me to spend as much time creating as I would like.  It is hard to balance all of the things I need to do with the things I want to do.  That is why I haven't posted as much lately.  I promise I will keep going and adding more creations, but it's hard to write whole blog posts about everything.  I will be sharing more creations and not as many words (I would much rather show what was created than write about it anyway). I'll throw a few personal things in every once in a while, but I think you would rather see my projects than "hear" me blab on and on.
Recently, I've seen some European demonstrators out there and they have beautiful photo templates with their creations, so I am CASEing some very talented ladies and trying something new.

Ta-da!  I'd really like to have your input, so feel free to let me know if you like this type of layout. I am just playing with these layouts, so I may change it up a bit depending on the project. Also, I'm not the best photographer, but I am trying new things, so be patient with me.
Products used:
Flower Shop Bundle
Chalk Talk Bundle
Soho Subway DSP
7/16" Natural Trim ribbon
Clear Stampin' Emboss powder

Make sure you check out my new "Current Promotions" button, it will take you straight to my Promotions page of my website. Come back Thursday for MDS Blog Hop--Yay!

Go create something!

Julie