Birthday Card for my Sister!

My sister turns 30 next week (hope she doesn't mind me telling you)!! I decided to have a play and make a special card for her. I am undecided as to whether I like the final outcome...let me know what you think!! The colour combination is perfect plum, elegant eggplant & certainly celery. I have also taken some patterned paper from the slumber party pack to add some contrast to the side of the card. It has been sponged around edges with perfect plum to give a more weathered/aged appearance. The flowers have been created using the Spring Bouquet Flower punch (the brads are some I had...not Stampin' Up). The two girls have been stamped onto whisper white cardstock using the all in the family stamp set (which will be available in the new catalogue this year) and coloured in using Stampin' pastels. I have also distressed the whisper white cardstock using a pair of scissors. A summary of the materials used are listed below. Have a nice day!!!

Stamp sets: All in the Family & birthday whimsy
Stamp pads: Perfect plum & chocolate chip
Cardstock: Perfect plum, elegant eggplant, certainly celery, whisper white & slumber party
Accessories: Stampin' pastels, blender pens, spring bouquet flower punch, scissors & brads

The Sale-A-Bration is almost over & Retired stamps!!!

Well the Sale-A-Bration promotion comes to an end tomorrow (Boo Hoo)! I thought I would post one last card using one of the stamp sets from the catalogue, titled 'Merci'. I have stamped the image onto whisper white cardstock using basic black ink, and then have coloured in using my stamp pad lids and blender pens. You may not be able to see, but I have also stamped some of the images from the stamp set on the so saffron cardstock using versamark. The rest of the materials used are listed below.

Stamp set: Merci
Stamp pads: Basic black, rose red, brocade blue & always artichoke
Cardstock: So saffron, rose red, brocade blue & whisper white.

I hope you have all enjoyed the Sale-A-Bration promotion as much as I have. If there are any stamps you desperately want before the sale ends, you have until tomorrow night 12mn to get your orders in.

Also below you will find a list of all the stamps, wheels and accessories that will be retiring from the current Stampin' Up catalogue. Make sure you place your orders no later than the 31st March. Items listed in YELLOW have a limited quantity and may run out soon. Items listed in RED are no longer available.Last updated 28 February 2008 at 6.00 AM (AET)
Item #
Product Description
Catalogue Sets
108715
A LITTLE LOVE
108717
A NEW LITTLE SOMEONE
108718
A TO Z ACCENTS
108723
ALL IN A ROW
108724
ALL MIXED UP
108725
ALL NATURAL
108727
ALL THE BEST
108729
ALL WRAPPED UP
108730
ALL WRAPPED UP ACCESSORIES
108731
ALL-YEAR CHEER I
108732
ALL-YEAR CHEER II
108737
ALPHADOT NUMBERS
108735
ALPHADOTS
108736
ANCIENT ASIA
108739
ARTIFACTS
108741
BABY FIRSTS
108745
BECAUSE OF YOU
108749
BEST OF CLUCK
108750
BEYOND THE BASICS
108752
BIRTHDAY BEAUTY
108759
BUGGIES & BOOTIES
108762
BY DEFINITION
108766
CHEESECLOTH
109073
CLASSIC ALPHABET
109074
CLASSIC NUMBERS
108770
COLLAGE ALPHABET
108771
COLLAGE NUMBERS
108773
CROSSHATCH
108775
CUTE AS A BUG
108776
DAY-TO-DAY FLEXIBLE PHRASES
108777
DO THE HULA
108778
DOTTED
108779
DOWN TO BUSINESS
108780
DREAM COME TRUE
108782
ECLECTIC BACKGROUNDS
108783
EPHEMERA
108784
ESPRESSOLY FOR YOU
108788
FARM FEVER
108789
FAVORITE TEDDY BEAR
108808
FINIALS & FRAMES
108810
FLANNEL PLAID
108812
FLOWER FEST
108813
FLOWER FILLED
108815
FONTASTIC
108816
FRENCH SCRIPT
108817
FRESH FILLERS
108818
FRIENDSHIP FLOWERS
108819
FUN FILLED
108821
GIFTS OF JOY
108823
GLAD TIDINGS
108824
GLAM GIRL
108826
GOOD THINGS GROW
108827
GORGEOUS GRAPEVINE
108829
HANDLE WITH CARE
108830
HAPPILY EVER AFTER
108832
HAPPY HEARTS
108833
HEADLINE ALPHABET
108834
HEADLINE NUMBERS
108836
HEBREW HOLIDAYS
108837
HOLIDAY PRINT
108838
HOLIDAY SPIRIT
108843
I DID IT
108845
IN FULL BLOOM
108846
IN THE WILD
108848
IT'S SNOW TIME
108851
KANJI
108852
LABEL CLASSICS
108853
LETTERPRESS ALPHABET
108854
LETTERPRESS NUMBERS
108856
LIFE'S SPECIAL MOMENTS
108858
LITTLE HELLOS
108859
LITTLE HOLIDAY WISHES
108861
LIVELY LEAVES
108867
LOVING HEARTS
108868
MADONNA AND CHILD
108870
MERRY MINIS
108871
MIXED BOUQUET
108872
MON AMI
108873
MONKEY BUSINESS
108876
MUCH LOVE
108878
NEVER-ENDING JOY
108879
NEWSPRINT ALPHABET
108880
NEWSPRINT NUMBERS
108881
NICE & EASY NOTES
108882
NICE & NARROW
108883
OLIVE YOU
108885
ON WALKABOUT
108886
OPEN FOR TRADE
108889
PERENNIAL FAVORITES
108891
PETAL PUSHERS
108892
PLAY BALL
108893
POCKET FUN
108895
PRINT PATTERN
108896
PURE & SIMPLE ALPHABET LOWER
108897
PURE & SIMPLE ALPHABET UPPER
108898
PURE & SIMPLE NUMBERS
108899
QUICK THINKING
108901
RENAISSANCE ANGELS
108903
ROSES IN WINTER
108907
SEASIDE SKETCHES
108908
SEASON BY SEASON
108910
SET SAIL
108911
SIMPLE SAYINGS II
108912
SIMPLE SKETCHES
108914
SIMPLY CIRCLES
108917
SLEIGH FULL OF TOYS
109072
STAMPED FROM THE HEART
108922
STIPPLE CELEBRATIONS
109022
STIPPLE SHELLS
108925
SUPERSIZE SYMBOLS
108926
SWEET & SASSY
108928
SWEET TALK
108933
TERRIFIC TULIPS
108935
TIDY ALPHABET
108936
TIDY NUMBERS
108938
TRADING COLLECTION
108939
TREAT YOURSELF
108940
TRIMTASTIC
108941
TYPESET ALPHABET LOWER
108942
TYPESET ALPHABET UPPER
108943
TYPESET NUMBERS
108947
WATERCOLOR MINIS
108952
WELL-WORN ALPHABET
108953
WELL-WORN NUMBERS
108955
WHIMSICAL ALPHABET LOWER
108956
WHIMSICAL ALPHABET UPPER
108957
WHIMSICAL NUMBERS
108959
WILD HEARTS
108961
WINGED THINGS
108964
WONDERFUL WORDS II
108965
WORD BY WORD
108966
WORLD TOUR
108968
YULE BITS & BORDERS
Hostess Sets
108714
A IS FOR ADORABLE
108743
BASKET FULL OF FUN
108754
BLOOMING WITH HAPPINESS
108758
BOTH WAY BLOSSOMS
108814
FLOWERS FOR A FRIEND
108844
IN ANY EVENT
108865
LOVE IT
108900
REASON TO SMILE
108902
RIVETING
108919
SPRINGTIME STEMS
108932
TERRIFIC TAGS
108946
WARMEST REGARDS
Stampin' Around Wheels
101420
BABY TIME
104070
BLOOMIN'
105951
BOLD SNOWFLAKES*
105750
BOUQUET*
106749
BRIGHT BULBS
105518
BUILDER BITS
107481
BUTTERFLIES & BLOSSOMS
103094
BY THE SEA
103296
CANDY CANE CHRISTMAS
104312
HOT TO DOT
107463
LEAF FEST*
106062
LEAVES AWASH*
102254
LOVE SWIRLS
103543
ONLY ORNAMENTS
101090
PAW TRACKS
107476
ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES*
105448
SIZE IT UP
104160
SQUARE PEGS*
107480
TRUE HEARTS
104893
TWINKLE
103749
WASH DAY*
105033
WINGS & THINGS
* Stampin' Around Jumbo wheels

Happy Birthday Bradley

The son of one of my good friends from work is turning 3 this weekend. It was a chance for me to pull out my favorite stamp set, 'wild about you', and create a card. This is what I came up with. I also recently purchased some of the Stampin' Up buttons (which like everything else, coordinates with colour families). I think they are really cute, and they come in different shapes and sizes. They are only $13.50 for 80 buttons........I think that's great value!!!! (see page 149 of the current catalogue).

Materials used:

Stamp sets: Wild about you, print pattern & birthday whimsy
Stamp pads: Brocade blue & old olive
Cardstock: Brocade blue, chocolate chip, pumpkin pie & natural ivory
Accessories: Stampin' Up buttons (earth elements)

Scrapbooking for a change

As many of you may already know, I was a scrapbooker before I ever got into card making and Stampin' Up. However Stampin' Up has given me more versatility and creative ideas for my scrapbooking. That being said, I never seem to have enough time in my day to sit down and scrap. These pages I have just completed. They are the kids Santa photos from last year. I had some of the Holiday Thyme designer series paper leftover from the promotion last year and decided to put it to good use. I also used the stamp set Hung up on the Holidays. Add some embellishments such as chipboard numbers, brads, stickers, glitter glue and ribbon and the pages are complete. I also like to journal on all of my pages to keep the memories alive.

Materials used:

Stamp sets: Hung up on the Holidays & Madonna and Child
Stamp pads: Basic black, cranberry crisp, true thyme, buckaroo blue & marigold morning
Cardstock: Holiday Thyme designer series, true thyme, cranberry crisp & very vanilla
Accessories: Brads, chocolate grosgrain ribbon, all the trimmings scrapbook kit, glitter glue & chipboard numbers

Welcome to the world Grace Denise!

My sister's sister-in-law (do you follow that) had a beautiful baby girl last month. It is her first baby, and long awaited for! I naturally wanted to design something personal to convey my best wishes to the new parents, and this is what I came up with. All the material used is available through Stampin' Up, except for the patterned paper, which is a Heidi Grace design called 'Loving you Dots'. It went well with the dots on the butterflies so I couldn't resist! I also used some rub-on letters for the name which I picked up at one of the craft shows I attended last year. The butterfly stamps are from a Hostess Level 3 set, available in the upcoming catalogue, called Time Well Spent (absolutely gorgeous), the welcome baby button stamp is from a Hostess Level 1 set, available in the current catalogue, called Riveting. The minature hearts are from Small Sayings, a stamp set currently in the Mini Summer Catalogue. It is a very cute set, and reasonably priced at $29.95 (set of 12). Obviously, two of the stamps are only available to you as a hostess, so if you like any, it is added incentive to host a Stampin' Up workshop for your family and friends. Feel free to contact me if you are interested.

The card took a little while to make, more because I couldn't make up my mind as to what I wanted to do. The card is made from pretty in pink cardstock. I have sponged around the edges with pixie pink to give a weathered look. The butterflies have been stamped on whisper white cardstock with perfect plum, and coloured using the lids of my stamp pads and a blender pen. I have then mounted the butterflies bodies directly to the card and placed Stampin' dimensionals under their wings to give the illusion of fluttering. I have added some glitter glue to them and the minature hearts for added sparkle! I have stamped the welcome little one onto pink passion and certainly celery and cut out the nappy pin from the certainly celery image and mounted onto the pink passion one. It in turn has been mounted to the card using Stampin' dimensionals. I then have used some chocolate grosgrain ribbon to finish off the design. I am happy with the result. Let me know what you think.

Finally I would like to say congratulations to Scott and Susan on the safe arrival of their darling little girl, Grace Denise. Wishing you every happiness as you begin this exciting and wonderful new venture as parents. God Bless!!

Material used:

Stamp sets: Time well spent, riveting and simple sayings

Stamp pads: Pixie pink, perfect plum, tempting turquoise & green galore

Cardstock: Pretty in pink, pink passion, certainly celery & whisper white

Accessories: Chocolate grosgrain ribbon, stampin' dimensionals, blender pen & glitter glue

Friendship Blooms

This is a card I have made using Friendship Blooms from the Sale-a-bration catalogue. The card has been stamped with the paisley background stamp, and the flowers have been taken from the friendship bloom stamp set. It is a simple design but effective. For added bling I have used glitter glue on the flowers and have done some paper-piercing around the cranberry crisp mattes. If you like to have perfect piercing on your projects, Stampin' Up sells a mat pack for $18.95 that has all the templates to assist you with this!!

Materials used:

Stamp sets: Friendship bloom & paisley background stamp
Stamp pads: Buckaroo blue & cranberry crisp
Cardstock: Buckaroo blue, cranberry crisp & whisper white
Accessories: Mat pack & glitter glue, Stampin' dimensionals