Papillion Potpourri

I've been playing with a new technique lately.  Can you spot it?  It's called blown ink, and it's lots of fun.  In fact, my kids and I are going to experiment with this a lot more this afternoon.  The cool swirls on the butterfly were made using this technique, and what's so neat about it is that it's different every single time.  I'm also loving this color combination, which is funny (to me) because when Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry first came out as In-Colors a few years ago, I really didn't like Bermuda Bay at all.  But I guess my tastes have changed, because I love how these colors look together!

Stamps:  Papillion Potpourri
Ink:  Bermuda Bay and So Saffron Classic Ink refills
Paper:  Naturals White, Bermuda Bay, and Crushed Curry card stock
Accessories:  Big Shot, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Designer Frames Embossing Folder, Elegant Butterfly Punch, straw

Club Cards

Did I really forget to post on Friday?  Oh my.  I'm going to blame that one last time on the chaos that has been my life for the past four weeks and the switch to a summer schedule.  Or lack of one.

I thought it would be fun to show you some cards from this month's club.  My friend Kelly and I share this club, and it was her turn to demonstrate.  I just got to go and stamp, which is always lots of fun.  The cards were beautiful, and almost made me want to go to the beach.  Almost.  I'm not really a beach person.  I'd take a camping trip in the mountains any day over going to the beach.  I know, I'm very much in the minority, even in my own family.  But I'm also the one who fries to a crisp the second I get in the sunshine, so going to the beach always results in me looking like a lobster, no matter how high the SPF or how many times I reapply.  For crying out loud...I got a sunburn while sitting in the shade at the pool on Friday.  For real.

Anyway, you came here to see pretty cards, not to hear about my super white skin.  Well, super red skin now.  Here you go:

This one uses By the Tide, a set that I really like, but don't own.  It was fun to get to play with it.  Also, take note of the button...that's Baked Brown Sugar and was made with the new clay.

This card was done using ink and sponges.  And I'm not going to lie, I botched this one pretty badly.  The sun doesn't even come close to resembling a circle.  Fortunately, I was able to hide most of the problem with the shell.  And let's not talk about my inability to make the sky.  Trust me when I say that Kelly's samples looked MUCH better. 

I'll be back later this week with pictures of my cleaned up stampin' space.  I'm still cleaning it up...wow, that has been a job.  And there are lots of pictures, so I may even split it into two separate posts and give you a tour of my corner. 

Simple Gift Boxes {Mosaic Madness}

I know I said I'd be back with the after/clean pictures of my stampin' space, but that project is taking waaaaaay longer than I thought it would.  Plus, today was a GORGEOUS day...absolutely perfect weather, and the desire to get out and enjoy such gorgeousness with my family was far more important than cleaning.  We went kayaking on a nearby lake and had the best time.  We typically go in the evenings, so we were treated to a very fun sight today:  turtles sunning themselves all over the rocks along the edge of the lake.  It was fantastic.  And of course I didn't have a camera with me. 

Even though I'm not done, I have done enough cleaning so that I can use my desk.  And these cute little gift boxes are what I did with my stampin' time.  They are all the same, just in different colors.  Actually, they are all done with the same color scheme, and it's just the boxes themselves that are different.  I love Mosaic Madness...it's hands down my favorite new set.  By using the stamp set, new ink, and the coordinating punch, I was able to make four of these little boxes, just as I did for this one.


Stamps:  Mosaic Madness, Itty Bitty Banners
Ink:  Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay, Pool Part, Tangerine Tango, Early Espresso, and Crumb Cake
Paper:  Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay, Pool Part, Tangerine Tango, and Naturals White card stock
Accessories:  Big Shot, Mini Milk Carton Die (retired), Mosaic Punch, Bitty Banners Framelits

My Stampin' Space {Before}

I thought it would be fun to give a peek at my stampin' space, which is a little corner of my basement.  Today seemed like a good day, because there have been countless things that have either kept me from stamping new things, or have sucked all creativity from me.  One of the things keeping me from stamping is a super messy space.  I'm talking so messy that I can barely get to my chair.  Unfortunately, all those other things that are keeping me from stamping are also preventing me from having the time to clean.  So I thought a little before and after might be fun.  Some people (who clearly don't know me that well) seem to think that I have my act completely together.  That's hilarious just to type.  I present to you the undeniable proof to the contrary:

Nice, yes?  Ha!  There is so much going on here that you don't even know which disaster to look at first.  But it gets worse...just look at my desk:

That tiny little space in front is all that is left of my actual desk area.  Now, I don't generally have a pristine desk, because I like to have the tools I'm using close to me, and my clutter is usually organized, at least in the sense that I know where things are.  But this...wow.  I'm not even sure I could fit a card on there, let alone create one!  I guess if I removed the remote I could. :)  And trust me, I have no clue where anything is.  I'm hoping that somewhere on that pile is the Father's Day card I bought for my husband. (Gasp...yes, I bought a card.  It was a Duck Dynasty one...I knew he'd love it and I couldn't make one of those.  I've bought maybe five cards in the last decade.  Sometimes it's just necessary.) 

So why on earth would I show you this nightmare?  Well, for two reasons.  One, I don't have a card to show you. :)  And two, I thought it would be good motivation to finally get that corner cleaned up!  I'll be back tomorrow or Wednesday with the after shots, and I'll take you on a little tour so you can see how I organize my stuff.  And considering I've been stamping for 17 years, there's a lot of stuff!  A LOT. 

Happy Graduation!

It's graduation time, and instead of forgetting to send a card to the graduates I know, I'm actually on top of things this year.  This card is for a sweet girl that I've known since she was in 6th grade and in my Wednesday night class at church.  She and her mom have become a bigger part in our family's lives, as her mom is an amazing homeschool mentor and friend, and she has led a girls' group this year that my older daughter attends. 

Anyway, it's so fun to see her graduate, because she's a great homeschool role model for my kids.  Since she doesn't have school colors to try to match, I made this card in her favorite color.  It's actually an old Stampin' Up! color that retired a few years ago and isn't quite so neon looking in person.  Blame my poor photography skills, but I can't seem to get it to show up as anything but florescent.  Since almost everything about this card is retired, I'm not listing supplies, but if you really want to know, just email me. :)

Papillion Potpourri

Here's the birthday card I made for my brand new 11 year old.  Purple butterflies were the perfect choice for her card, and like I did with her sister's card, I went simple.  I used the Papillion Potpourri set and the coordinating punches for a simple layered look.  I was pleasantly surprised at how nicely the three different shades of purple looked together, too.  I love Stampin' Up!'s color coordination! 

Stamps:  Papillion Potpourri
Ink:  Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum, and Elegant Eggplant Classic Ink
Paper:  Naturals White, Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum, and Elegant Eggplant card stock
Accessories:  Bitty Butterfly Punch, Elegant Butterfly Punch, Pearls Basic Jewels

New MDS Downloads

 Hash It Out Greeting Card Templates - Digital Download

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 Summer Possibilities Kit - Digital Download

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 Venetian Romance Designer Series Paper - Digital Download

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Label It Stamp Brush Set - Digital Download

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Rainbow Birthday

I'm back...finally.  And hoping life can return to some semblance of normalcy!  In the past ten days we've celebrated two birthdays at my house.  Both of my cuties are a year older.  While I LOVE the ages they are now, I do get a little nostalgic remembering when they were just little bitty girls.

This is the card I made for my newly-turned 9 year old.  She's a bright and happy girl (most of the time), so a bright and happy card was perfect for her.  I went simple this year, but I love how the colors pop off the white background.  Two punches and one embossing folder were all it took to make the hearts, and this card went together in about five minutes. 

{Retiring} Lovely Letters

Finally...something to show.  I made this set of cards for my friend's sister and her husband-to-be.  They are getting married tomorrow, and since she was in middle school when I met her (I met this friend on the second day of my freshman year of college), I just wanted to do a little something for her to celebrate her marriage. 

I love the simplicity of these cards.  I always feel that simple is best when using a monogram.  And I also wanted these to be used for whatever purpose Sheri decides on...I didn't want to make them have to be thank you notes.  Using my Big Shot and accessories, I was able to create these simple, yet elegant monogrammed note cards.  I even monogrammed the envelopes.

In other news, the 2013-2014 Annual Catalog is now live!  Let me know if you'd like a catalog, or if you'd like to place an order for all kinds of fun new things!

I'm hoping to be back to a regular blogging schedule next week.  I know it's not good blogging practice to let over a week go by without any real updates, but life has dealt our family a series of pretty tough blows over the past 8 days, and honestly, it's knocked all the creative winds out of my sails.   So I promise that fun posts will start showing up again in a few days. :)