Winter Red

This card is a larger-sized card and fits in the Stampin' Up! large open-end envelopes that have since been discontinued. I like this sized card since an old fashioned paper-style gift certificate fits inside. I CASE'd this card idea from Melinda Wharton. I added the paper piercing, used a different Cuttlebug embossing folder, different ribbon and added the brad, but really it is Melinda's design.

The card base is Real Red cardstock cut at 9-1/4 inches by 7-1/2 inches and scored along the 7-1/2 side at 3-3/4. It is embellished with a layer of Very Vanilla cardstock that I ran through the Big Shot using the Snowflakes Cuttlebug embossing folder. The snowflakes and deer are from the Winter Post stamp set and are stamped in Real Red on squares of Very Vanilla cardstock. I adhered these to squares of Real Red cardstock and added a bit more texture by piercing holes along the edges using the mat pack and paper piercer from the Stampers' Tool Kit.

The final embellishment is a length of Real Red 5/8 inch grosgrain ribbon wrapped around the Very Vanilla cardstock with a filigree brad and rhinestone brad used to pinch the ribbon just left of center for balance. I didn't photograph the inside, but I adhered Very Vanilla cardstock to the inside on which I stamped a few more Real Red snowflakes and a Christmas greeting.

Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Gift Ideas

Today I am bringing you two fun projects which make great holiday gifts for your co-workers, teachers, and friends. The nugget tin is my creation and the junior legal pad wish list is the creation of my good stampin' friend JenB. Together they make a nice gift set if you are looking to give someone a little extra something.

The nugget tin is decorated with a strip of Ski Slope DSP and 1/4 inch Real Red grosgrain ribbon. A Top Note Bigz Die cut tag adorns the top. The tag was made from Real Red cardstock, the striped Ski Slope DSP and Whisper White cardstock stamped with an image from the Holiday Lineup stamp set. The tag is tied to the tin with 5/8 inch Real Red grosgrain ribbon. The ribbon is wove through the tag by holes made with the slit punch and then tied off in a bow. We covered each nugget with a slip of DSP too. :)

The note pad is so cute and really fun to make. I think I could become addicted to these. The cover is Real Red cardstock embellished with Ski Slope DSP and a Filigree brad with a Rhinestone brad in the center. As you can see in the picture to the right, more DSP is adhered to the inside cover and over the top of the legal pad. We used lots of sticky strip to make sure everything holds tight. The pen is stamped with Real Red snowflakes and rolled in clear microbeads. It is stunning. Jen found the instructions for both these projects on SCS. The pen can be found here and the legal pad is here. Tip: Copy Max will cut the junior legal pads in half for just $2.

Have a great day & Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Wishing You Cheer

Thank goodness the weekend is here. I had a very hectic week at work and at home with the holidays approaching. I am looking forward to some down-time this weekend but first I have to take care of household chores and do some cleaning. I know that cleaning house is against the "Stampers' Code of Ethics" but believe me when I tell you that the house needs a little attention. ;-}

So, continuing with the Baja Breeze and Real Red Christmas cards, this is a darling layout that I CASE'd from a mystery stamper that swapped with me at the Demo to Demo Stampfest in Cambridge, Ontario in November. There was no name or recipe on the card so, if this card idea is yours, please post a comment to let us all know who you are.

Now, the original card base was in Kraft and Riding Hood Red with Baja Breeze and RHR striped grosgrain ribbons. I switched it up a bit by using the Baja Breeze card base with layers of Real Red and Chocolate Chip cardstocks and embellished one panel with Real Red 1/4 inch Grosgrain Ribbon. I also added a scalloped border and some stamping on the inside which peaks through at the scalloped border. Click on the card photo to see it bigger and catch some of the details better.

Wishing You Cheer is retiring soon and is on sale right now during Stampin' Up's! great retirement sale now through December 23. Don't forget too that you receive FREE shipping for every order of $70 or more and a FREE 2009 Spring/Summer Idea Book & Catalog from me in January if you order from my SU website www.ediestamps.stampinup.net

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Wishing You Cheer

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Real Red, Chocolate Chip Whisper White, Ski Slope DSP

Inks: Black Staz-On, Real Red, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Old Olive

Other: Blender Pens, Real Red 1/4 Inch Grosgrain Ribbon, Scalloped Edge Punch

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stampin! EdieB

Winter Post

Happy Snow! The northeast is getting blasted with wind & snow. It is so cold outside it really makes you appreciate the cozy warmth of your house, especially when you are sitting around with friends stamping and eating which is exactly what we did on Sunday. We had the best time and the best food. Keeping with true Pennsylvania tradition, Grace brought a delicious pot of Chili for us to enjoy while stamping and Barbie brought taco dip and chips which you probably know are addictive. So, needless to say, we were a group of happy stampers this weekend.

And, this is one of the cards that we stamped while enjoying are yummy treats-a simple yet lovely card. The card base is Baja Breeze and it is stamped in the same color with the lovely snowflakes from the Winter Post stamp set which you can find in the Holiday Mini Catalog. The deer is from the same set and stamped in Chocolate Chip on Whisper White and punched out using the 1-3/8 inch Square Punch. It is matted on a 1-1/2 inch square of Real Red cardstock and embellished with a Baja Breeze star. To finish this card create a scalloped edge using your Scallop Edge punch and tie off some Striped Real Red 5/8 inch ribbon around the top. Oh, and don't forget to stamp the inside of the card and the envelope to make it an extra-special holiday greeting.

Stay Warm & Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Scandinavian Season

Hi Everyone! I hope you have all recovered from the holiday weekend. I know, for me, it was culture shock to go back to work on Monday. I was so relaxed after being home for four days. I am now really looking forward to the Christmas holiday when I will have several days off with plans only to stay home to enjoy my family and relax.


I would like to share another Christmas card with you today. This card features the Scandinavian Season stamp set which you can find in the Holiday Mini Catalog. The colors are Old Olive and Real Red and the patterned paper is from the Holiday Treasures Designer Series paper pack.

To make this card stamp the Christmas Tree in Old Olive on Whisper White cardstock and then stamp just the corner of the tree which has the flower in Real Red on a scrap of Whisper White. Trim the flower and embellish it with a Fire Square Rhinestone Brad. Adhere the flower to the tree with a Stampin' Dimensional or a glue dot. In this case, I prefer a glue dot since it will stick to the metal prongs of the brad better.

Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Scandinavian Season
Cardstock: Old Olive, Whisper White, Holiday Treasures DSP
Inks: Old Olive and Real Red
Other: 1/16 Handheld Punch, Slot Punch, Fire Squire Rhinestone Brads, Old Olive 1/4 Inch Grosgrain Ribbon, Silver Cord, Glue Dots

TGIF & Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Spotlight on Christmas

Happy Saturday everyone! I have been home from work for the holiday and have spent most of my time running errands for which I have little to no time for during the regular work week. I am now working at cleaning the house which leads me here to talk about stamping instead. :)

This is the fourth card in the Riding Hood Red(RHR) and Kiwi Kiss Christmas card series. Click on the image to see the card up close.

This card is a Kiwi Kiss card base with a layer of Whisper White and the Kiwi print from the Bella Rose DSP pack. I think I could easily use paper from that pack for every project. The rectangle layers are RHR cardstock and RHR Designer Series Paper. There is a line of small holes pierced around the entire edge of the card for added texture and a slip of Kiwi Kiss Satin Ribbon was added to the front of the card before adhering the matted papers to the card base.

The focal image is quite fun for this card. Stamp the poinsettia from the Spotlight on Christmas stamp set twice - once in RHR and once in Kiwi Kiss. Use the 5-Petal Punch to punch out the flowers. Stampin' Up punches fit many of our stamp sets so we don't have to hand trim everything. Anyway, clip off two petals from the Kiwi flower to use as leaves. Adhere these to the back of the RHR poinsettia with mini glue dots or your other favorite adhesive. Add brads to the center of the flower for embellishment. Pop up the finished flower on two circles punched from RHR and Kiwi Kiss cardstock using the 1-3/4 inch and 1-3/8 inch Circle Punches.

Stamp your favorite Christmas sentiment inside the card and your name on the back and you are finished. Thanks for visiting my blog and Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Punches Three Merry Christmas

I am so happy Wednesday is here! I am very much looking forward to the Thanksgiving Holiday and the two extra days added to our weekend. I know that Jim, Roscoe and I will have a wonderful day together and enjoy our meal. I plan to do more Christmas stamping too. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday as well.

Most exciting is the Holiday Extravaganza sale starts today. This sale is for a very limited time only. Today through Monday, December 1, you can purchase one of 14 bundles from 20% off up to 50% off the regular catalog prices. You can check out everything on sale and shop right at my web site here.

As for today, I would like to share with you the third card in a quartet of Kiwi Kiss & Riding Hood Red Christmas cards I stamped. This card is a Kiwi Kiss card base stamped with the Twill Background stamp in Kiwi Kiss Classic Ink. The layers are Whisper White punched with the Scallop Edge Punch, Riding Hood Red Designer Paper and Kiwi Kiss cardstock to which I added a double-row of holes punched using the paper piercer from the Stampers Tool Kit and mat pack. The paper is further embellished with Riding Hood Red Taffeta ribbon. The Merry Christmas focal image is from the hostess set, Punches Three, and is stamped in Riding Hood Red Classic Ink. I punched holes on either side of the focal image with the 1/16 Handheld punch and added two gold brads to complete the look. Email me at edie.bunting@yahoo.com if you would like to know how you can earn the Punches Three stamp set for FREE.


Wishing you a peaceful holiday & Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Cute & Curly Chistmas

I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend. I did not. I was busy around the house and I stamped 60 baby shower favors. Phew! No, really, I had a fun weekend stamping and feel that I accomplished a lot of work around the house.

Anyway, the favors turned out really nice. I took pictures and will post at a later date. For now, I would like to continue on with Christmas cards since it is right before the big holiday season. I hope that my cards will provide some inspiration for you and you will stamp your own this year for sending to friends, loved ones and, most importantly, your mechanic. Please feel free to email me with questions on this or any other project you are working on.

This next Christmas card that I would like to share with you is a Kiwi Kiss card base stamped with the Twill Background stamp in Kiwi Kiss Classic Ink. There are layers of Whisper White and Riding Hood Red DSP embellished with Whisper White and Kiwi Kiss photo corners using the Photo Corner Punch. If you double-click the image, you can get a closer look at the card and see the holes pierced through the Kiwi Kiss photo corners. To get this look, use the paper piercer from the Stampers' Tool Kit and the Mat Pack template as a guide. The piercing gives the card a bit more texture and interest.

The focal image is from the Cute & Curly Stamp set and was punched out using the Curly Label Punch. The Kiwi layer is punched using the Oval Punch and is embellished with gold brads. The center is stamped in Riding Hood Red on Whisper White and is hand trimmed. The layers of the focal image are popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals, again to provide dimension and texture to the card.

Finally the card is embellished with Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon tied around the top fold. To hold the ribbon in place, punch notches at either side of the card front using the Slot Punch. Just push the Slot Punch halfway into the cardstock and punch half a "slot" to form a "notch" :)))

Thank you for visiting and please email me at edie.bunting@yahooo.com with all of your stamping questions. Have a great Monday! EdieB

Holiday Blitz

Hi Stampers! We are having quite a winter storm here in Erie, PA, the heart of the snowbelt. Yeah!What better time to enjoy your family, home and stamp the day away. I plan to put a kettle of chili on later so we have a warm pot of soup to enjoy during stamping breaks. :)))

I will be posting a series of four Christmas cards over the next several days. All the cards are Kiwi Kiss and Riding Hood Red (RHR) so they make for a nice gift set as well if you are looking for a hand-crafted hostess gift to give to the cook over the Thanksgiving holiday. Click on the photo to see a bigger picture and check out the detail.

This little ditty is stamped using the Holiday Blitz stamp set. I think this stamp set is so under the radar and it is just too bad since it is not only cute but practical as well. You can make so many fun cards using this 28 piece set and it is great for scrapbooking, making calendars or just adding a hand-stamped image to a note etc. Check it out here.

To make this card, start with a Kiwi Kiss card base and add layers of Whisper White and Riding Hood Red DSP. The band is a layer of Kiwi Kiss punched with the Scallop Edge Punch and topped with RHR strip of cardstock which has holes poked along both edges using the paper piercer from the Stampers Tool Kit and the Mat Pack. This adds texture to the card. The three images are stamped on Whisper White and punched out with the 1 inch Circle Punch and layered on circles of RHR and Kiwis Kiss punched using the 1-1/4 inch and 1-3/8 inch Circle Punches. I used Stampin' Dimensionals between the circles and added a gold brad to each circle just for a bit more holiday flash. The images were then mounted across a strip of Kiwi Kiss Satin Ribbon.

I hope you enjoy this card and please feel free to email me with questions at edie.bunting@yahoo.com

Happy Stampin' and keep warm! EdieB

Season of Friendship

Hi Stampers! I am back from an invigorating demonstrator get-together that I attended with my good friend Jen Bell. We traveled to Cambridge, Ontario and enjoyed the company of our northern Canadian neighbors. The event was hosted by Andrea Walford and Donna Henley who did a fabulous job providing great stamping projects and two inspirational speakers, Glenda Travelstead and Kim Van Diepen. I am creatively rejuvenated. You can see all the projects here at Andrea's blog http://andreawalford.com/

Anyway, I would like to share this fun Thanksgiving card with you. The idea for this card is from this spectacular sample from Aubrie. I was not ambitious enough to cut out all of the leaves and you can see that I changed up the tag element a bit.

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Season of Friendship & Seeing Spots
Cardstock: Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Whisper White, Autumn Vine DSP
Inks: Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Really Rust
Other: Designer Label Punch, 1-1/4 inch and 3/4 inch Circle Punches, 1/16 Handheld Punch, Gold Brads, Chocolate Chip 1/4 inch Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Have a great day and Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Autumn Harvest

Don't put away your Halloween sets quite yet. Pumpkins, moons, and scarecrows are great for the Thanksgiving holiday as well. These seasonal icons

work nicely for birthday cards, thank-you notes, congratulations or just simple stationery.

Here is the pumpkin from the Autumn Harvest stamp set used to make a Thanksgiving card. The pumpkin is Tangerine Tango with a Garden Green stem. Since we don't have Tangerine Tango markers, I used a blender pen to apply Tangerine Tango ink directly to the rubber. Use ink from a Re-Inker or squeeze an ink pad while closed to press a bit of ink into the lid of the case then pick the ink up with a blender pen to apply to the rubber stamp.

The colors of this card are a bit non-traditional but they work for me. The card base is Baja Breeze. The printed paper is from the Hawaii Papaya Designer Series Papers and is Tangerine Tango & white. The DSP is accented by Chocolate Chip cardstock and a knot of Chocolate Chip 5/8 inch grosgrain ribbon.

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Autumn Harvest, Holidays & Wishes

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Hawaii Papaya

Inks: Tangerine Tango, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip

Other: Gold Brads, 1/16 Handheld Punch, Scalloped Edge Punch, Chocolate Chip 5/8 inch grosgrain ribbon, Blender Pens

Thank you visiting my blog. Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Love Dreams du Jour

I know that these cards were inspired by so many I saw on SCS. There are so many lovely samples there, but (again) I am not sure of the exact cards these may represent. In any event, the products in the Sweet Bella Style Watch line have been a huge hit. The Dreams du Jour set is so versatile with the varying shaped stamps and it is so fun and easy to color. It really is a set for everyone and every season.

The Love card on the left is a Riding Hood Red card base with the butterfly image stamped in Riding Hood Red in a random pattern to create a subtle background. The focal element is layers of Pirouette Pink and the Bella Rose Designer Series Paper with the Love image mounted on Riding Hood Red squares. I hand trimmed the Love image and trimmed out the leaves to add a bit of interest and texture to the focal element. Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon finishes this card.

The Dreams card starts with a Chocolate Chip base with the bottom edge trimmed with the Scallop Edge Punch for added texture. The Dreams image is mounted on Riding Hood Red and layers of Bella Rose Designer Series Paper. I colored the images of both of these cards using Re-Inkers and blender pens. You only need a very slight amount of ink on your blender pen for these very rich colors. Too much ink and the result is too dark and it really takes away from the natural shadowing of the stamped image. I guess they say sometimes less is more.

Love Card:

Stamps: Dreams du Jour

Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Bella Rose DSP

Inks: Brown Staz-On, Pink Pirouette & Kiwi Kiss Re-Inkers

Other: Blender Pens, Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon, 1-1/4 inch Square Punch

Dreams Card:

Stamps: Dreams du Jour

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Bella Rose DSP

Inks: Brown Staz-On, Riding Hood Rd & Kiwi Kiss Re-Inkers

Other: Blender Pens, Scallop Edge Punch

Have a great weekend and Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Hapiness Always

Hello Everyone! I hope you have been enjoying your week. My week has been hectic so I am looking forward to the weekend. I have no plans this weekend so I am going to stay in, enjoy a movie or two and rubber stamp :))

I would like to share this quick and easy card with you today. It features the Hostess set Happiness Always. You can earn this set by hosting a stamp party in your home or hosting a book party. If you choose to host a book party, you simply gather orders from your friends and family and contact me to place the orders for you or you can now place orders yourself at my Stampin' Up! website at http://www.ediestamps.stampinup.net/ - just click on Shop when you get there.

The card base for this card opens from bottom to top. That is a piece of cardstock cut 4-1/4 inches by 11 inches and scored in the middle. I punched notches using the Slot Punch at the top to hold the ribbon in place. Just push the slot punch halfway into the card to make a nice notch.

Here is the recipe:

Stamp Set: Happiness Always
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango and Naturals White
Inks: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip and Tangerine Tango
Other: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon

Have a great weekend and Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Bella Blossoms

Happy Monday Everyone! I had a wonderful weekend stamping and visiting with my friends. I had a fun stamp camp yesterday and we had a wonderful time. It was a beautiful Autumn day here in Erie, Pennsylvania. The leaves are in full color and the squirrels and chipmunks are running around like mad trying to get ready for winter. Roscoe is just having the best time chasing them from spot to spot. Of course, he is too big and slow to actually get close to one so it is all in fun.

Well, on with the stamping, this is a card that we did at stamp camp last month. It is a 5 x 5 card and is so fun to make. I love two-step stamping. It is fun and the look is great. While Bella Blossoms is not a two-step stamping set, it is a fun set to paper-piece. You stamp the part of the focal image more than once and cut out pieces in different ways to layer and pop up on Stampin' Dimensionals. The result is a terrific look with lots of color and dimension. It gives the eye a lot to take in.

For this card, I used Bella Blossoms accented with papers from the Haiku Designer Series Paper pack. When accompanied by Chocolate Chip and Tangerine Tango cardstocks, the Haiku takes on a true Autumn feel. Of course, I haven't yet used a paper in the Fall~Winter Idea Book & Catalog that I don't like. I think it is really great that the papers are so versatile, but anyway, I must get to work so here is the recipe for this card:

Stamp Sets: Bella Blossoms
Papers: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango & Old Olive cardstocks, Haiku DSP
Inks: Chocolate Chip & Tangerine Tango
Other: 5/8 inch Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon (retired), Scallop Edge Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by again and Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Inspired By Nature

Inspired By Nature is probably my favorite new set. It is a great set to use to stamp a card layout or a neutral-themed scrapbook page embellishment.

I believe I saw this layout on a Splitcoast post. Sorry, if you were the original stamper. Please email me so I can give you proper credit.

Anyway, this is a great layout for this set because it creates a basic card that is very versatile.You can easily change the look and feel of the images by changing up colors and papers. Stamp any type of sentiment on the inside for the occasion you need or stamp no sentiment at all and it makes a great little notecard.

For my version here, I used the papers from the Urban Garden Designer Series Papers with Kiwi Kiss and Not Quite Navy cardstocks and inks. I punched a hole at the side of the focal image and tied through a piece of Whisper White 1/4 inch Grosgrain Ribbon.

Thank you for visiting. Happy Stampin' Edie

Nature Silhouettes

Here is a nice manly card for that special guy in your life. I am trying to do a masculine card at least once a month. Isn't that awful that we don't do more masculine cards and that we have to set a goal to do them? I'm guilt-ridden.

Anyway, this stamp set is a fun two-step stampin set. It also comes with a wolf stamp that you can stick in the woods to howl at the moon and a very nice sentiment. Click here to see the stamp set and to shop.

This card is done in Garden Green and Night of Navy to complement the colors of the Prestwick Designer Series Paper which I used as the background mat. The Prestwick is layered with Night of Navy and Brocade Blue cardstock.

The focal image is stamped on Whisper White cardstock and matted with Night of Navy. I used Stampin' Write markers to add color directly to the tree stamp: Garden Green for the grass and leaves and Night of Navy for the tree branches and trunk. The deer is also stamped in Night of Navy.

The embellishments are natural twine and silver brads. The brads are set in the centers of Night of Navy cardstock circles made with the 3/4 inch circle punch.

Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Nature Silhouettes
Cardstock: Whisper White, Brocade Blue, Night of Navy, Prestwick DSP
Inks: Night of Navy Classic Ink, Night of Navy and Garden Green Stampin' Write Markers
Other: Natural Twine, Silver Brads, 1/16 inch Handheld Punch, 3/4 inch Circle Punch

Thank you for visiting. Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Season of Friendship

Happy Fall everyone! It is freezing here in Erie, Pennsylvania. I woke up to a crisp 40 degrees this morning. If you can get past the cold weather, the Fall colors and smells are beautiful and inspirational. I tried to reflect the warmth and feel of Fall with the colors that I chose for this card.

The paper is a Sage Shadow print from the Autumn Vine Designer Series Paper you can find in the new Holiday Mini Catalog, as is the stamp set used-Season of Friendship. Check these out as well as all the other new stamps and supplies offered in the Holiday Mini Catalog on my website www.ediestamps.stampinup.net. Hit the Shop link at the top of the page to place an order from the warmth of your home.

To make this card, start with a Sage Shadow card base and layers of Really Rust and Chocolate Chip mats topped off with Autumn Vine Designer Series Paper and Very Vanilla cardstock. Tie a piece of Chocolate Chip Taffeta ribbon around the mat layers before adhering to the card base.

The embellishment is a Sage Shadow square using the Scalloped Square Punch and Chocolate Chip using the 1-1/4 inch Square Punch. The leaves from the Season of Friendship set are stamped in More Mustard, Sage Shadow and Really Rust on Very Vanilla cardstock and trimmed down to 1-1/8 inch square each. These are adhered together and popped up on layers of Really Rust & Chocolate Chip cardstock using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Stamp a sentiment to finish this card off. I used the "So Glad..." sentiment from the Best Yet stamp set which is offered as a Hostess Gift.

Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Season of Friendship and Best Yet stamp sets
Cardstock: Sage Shadow, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Inks: Sage Shadow Really Rust, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip
Other: Scallop Square Punch, 1-1/4 inch Square Punch, Paper Trimmer, Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon

Thank you for stopping by and have a great Stampin' weekend! EdieB

Holiday Blitz

This is a nice Fall-colored birthday card for any upcoming celebrations you may have on your calendar. This is also a nice design to use over and over switching out stamp sets and colors, as well as embellishments, to create a new look.

The texture of the background mat provides a richness to this simple layout. I like to use color on color when using background stamps so the design doesn't overwhelm the focal image. For this card, I stamped the Twill background stamp in Old Olive ink on Old Olive cardstock. The Brocade Blue cardstock and wide grosgrain ribbon is a nice accent color to the Old Olive. The blues really "pop".

For the focal image, I stamped the flowers onto white cardstock and punched them out with the 3/4 inch Square Punch and mounted them on 1 inch squares of alternating colors. I mounted these onto a 2-1/2 x 2-3/4 inch square of Whisper White and them stamped the greeting so I would get it straight. I accented the greeting by using the Mat Pack and Piercing Tool to pierce of a dotted-line underneath. This was all mounted on a Chocolate Chip square measuring 2-3/4 x 3 inches.

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Holiday Blitz, Twill background stamp
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Brocade Blue
Inks: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Brocade Blue
Other: Brocade Blue 5/8 inch Grosgrain Ribbon, Gold Brads, 1/16 inch Handheld Punch, 3/4 inch Square Punch, Mat Pack & Piercing Tool

All of the items used can be found in the Stampin' Up! catalog on my website where you can now shop too! Click here to shop and see all the Stampin' Up! specials.

Have a great weekend & Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Loads of Love

Happy Friday everyone! It's been a long work week, so I am very much looking forward to a weekend free of work and spending some quality time stamping.

This is a card that I designed for the Utah Diva friendship swap. The inside has a nice sentiment about friendship from the God's Blessings set. The card base is Lovely Lilac and it is stamped with the Canvas background stamp in Lavender Lace so it wouldn't be too dark but provide some texture. The cute truck is stamped in Black Staz-On ink and colored using the Basic Gray and Black watercolor crayons from the Neutrals pack and a Blender Pen. I then accented the truck with Elegant Eggplant watercolor crayon and finished it off with a bit of bling by adding Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter to the tires and window.

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Loads of Love, Warm Words, God's Blessings
Cardstock: Lovely Lilac, Basic Gray, Whisper White
Ink: Black Staz-On, Basic Black, Lavender Lace
Other: Neutrals & Rich Regals Watercolor Crayons, Blender Pens, Ticket Corner Punch, Two Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter, Silver Brads, Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon

Thanks for Looking & Happy Stampin', EdieB

Boatloads of Friendship

Hi Everyone! I am happy to be stamping again. I am feeling much better and hopefully will enjoy good health from here on out. Unfortunately, I missed the Stampin' Up! Convention in July due to my ongoing health issues, but I am more than making up for it by planning to attend crops and weekend stamping trips.

The card that I would like to share with you today is actually a card that I designed for a Convention swap. It uses one of my favorite stamp sets, Boatloads of Love and lots of layers and sparkle from Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter. I water colored the boat and sea using re-inkers and blender pens.

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Boatloads of Love, Celebrate Everything

Card stock: Night of Navy, Real Red, Whisper White

Inks: Real Red, Not Quite Navy and Bashful Blue

Other: Silver Brads, Red Gingham, Ticket Corner Punch, Two-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter, Blender Pens

Thanks for looking & Happy Stampin', EdieB

So Sorry to See You Go

This stamp set, So Happy, I am so sorry to see go. It too will be retiring August 10. I have said this before about stamp sets that I dearly love, but this is one of those stamp sets that is so versatile. It has great focal images that stand alone-like this paisley. It also has a nice-sized round daisy and it has images to use to two-step stamp inside the flower or to make your own background designs including polka dots and stripes. To see the whole stamp set, check out page 114 of the Spring/Summer 2008 catalog. If you don't have one handy, go here to view it on line.

We will be soon seeing the last of this this bright Wild Wasabi green as well. The 2007/2008 In Colors will retire with our beloved stamp sets August 10 when Stampin' Up! will roll out an entire set of six new colors. If you need to stock up on any of the 2007/2008 In Color papers, inks or ribbons, do so soon. The last date to order these items will be August 10. If you have the Classic Ink pads be sure to pick up an Ink Refill for just $2.75 +ship/tax to make your ink pad last forever.

For this card, stamp the Paisley Background stamp with Wild Wasabi Classic Ink on Wild Wasabi card stock for a bright complimentary mat. The texture created by the background stamp also gives the card interest and dimension to look at. Stamp a single Paisley image using the stamp from the So Happy stamp set on Whisper White card stock and punch it out using the Small Tag punch. Easily create a layer look for your tag by punching a mat from Lovely Lilac card stock using the Tag punch. Isn't it great how Stampin' Up punches all fit together? Next, punch a hole with the Handheld 1/16 inch circle punch and insert a Silver Brad. Pop the tag up on the card with a Stampin' Dimensional and embellish with a length of Wild Wasabi Double-Stitched Ribbon.

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: So Happy, Paisley Background Stamp
Card Stock: Lovely Lilac, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White
Classic Inks: Lovely Lilac, Wild Wasabi, Basic Black
Other: Tag Punch, Small Tag Punch, 1/16 Handheld Punch, Brads, Wild Wasabi Double-Stitched Ribbon

Thank you for visiting and Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Poppin' Pastels with Fresh Cuts

Hi Everyone! Hope your weekend is treating you nicely. We are having some rainy weather here in Erie, Pennsylvania, so it is a great weekend for stamping and enjoying quiet time at home.

I have been playing with my new Fresh Cuts stamp set which will be featured in the Stampin' Up! Fall/Winter 2008 catalog released August 11. If you would like a catalog please email me at edie.bunting@yahoo.com. You pay only the postage for the catalog and, to cover your postage, you will receive a $5 gift certificate to use toward your first catalog purchase of $50 or more.

For these two note cards I used the Poppin' Pastel technique to add a touch of monochromatic color to just the areas that I wanted on these black & white Fresh Cut stamp set images. For this technique you need a Versamark pen, Stampin' Pastels (both on page 183 of the current catalog) and Sponge Daubers (p. 185).

First, stamp the focal image in Basic Black Classic Ink on Whisper White cardstock. Then, with the Versamark pen, add Versamark to just the areas that you want to add color. Quickly, before the Versamark dries, apply the Stampin' Pastel chalks to the Versamark. The best method to add chalk is to use a Sponge Dauber which you place on the tip of your finger. Bounce the sponge in the pastel color of your choice and then bounce it on the area of your image that you added Versamark. Watch the color POP! It is so fun to see the color emerge! To shadow, you can add a touch more Versamark on top of the color you already applied and then pop more pastel over that.

One more note: To hold the ribbon in place, punch half a notch using the Horizontal Slot punch. It keeps the ribbon from sliding around and looks neater.

Now give Poppin' Pastels a try yourself. Here is the recipe:

Stamp Sets: Fresh Cuts
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Pretty In Pink, Bashful Blue
Inks: Basic Black, Pretty In Pink, Bashful Blue (all Classic Inks) and Versamark Pen
Other: Stampin' Pastels, Sponge Daubers, Black 1/4 Grosgrain Ribbon, Horizontal Slot Punch, Ticket Corner Punch.

Thank you for visiting & Happy Stampin'! EdieB

To see a Stampin' Up! catalog and catch up on the current promotions, visit my Demonstrator web site here.

It's A Big Pieces Birthday

Well, actually, it is a Big Pieces and Little Pieces birthday with all kinds of fun ribbons too.

I have to say, I was a bit surprised that these two stamp sets are retiring this year. These are two stamp sets that you grab for card making and scrapbooking projects because they make such great background patterns and focal images. I absolutely love the main flower image from Big Pieces; not to mention how fun it is that the different pieces can be punched out and layered using the different-sized Stampin' Up! circle punches.

This is a 5" x 5" card that I made for a swap sometime ago and wanted to feature today since the sets are retiring as of August 10. Go here to see the complete retirement list and other Stampin' Up! specials.

Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Big Pieces, Little Pieces
Card stock: Bashful Blue, Pretty In Pink, Chocolate Chip
Classic Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Pretty In Pink Designer Series Paper from the Hostess Prints Pack, Sherbet Ribbon Originals, Beachfront Ribbon Originals, Stampin' Dimensionals

For the sake of saving some time, I scanned this image in and looking at it see that the color are not as vibrant as in real life or in a nice photograph. But, anyway, just a couple of notes and then I'm off to eat dinner with my DH: the corner embellishment is actually two pieces of Pretty In Pink DSP mitred and popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals since I wanted a larger photo corner than the one from the SU! Photo Corner punch. The rick rack from the Beachfront Ribbon Originals was white so I slid it across my Bashful Blue Classic Ink pad to give it that Bashful Blue tint. Handy when you need just the right color to match your layout.

Thank you for stopping by my blog and Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Retiring Favorites

Saying good-bye to retiring stamp sets is bitter sweet. I know that I have well-loved this set in particular, Be Happy. I found myself grabbing it to make Birthday Cards for my co-workers since it has funky collage like images that are fun to layer over other textures and make pretty designs to keep your eye moving. The sentiment is from It's Your Birthday which is also retiring. That I am sad about since it is such a practical set and the variety of fonts to choose from is amazing. But, well, you know Stampin' Up! is going to release exciting new products that will make me never look back.

Check out all the retiring stamp sets and other SU! specials here on my Demonstrator web site. I am currently offering 20% off your order of all retiring sets. You can email me the order at edie.bunting@yahoo.com and I will have that shipped directly to your home.

Recipe for Be Happy Birthday Card:

Stamp Sets: Be Happy, It's Your Birthday, Paisley Background Stamp

Cardstock: River Rock, Blue Bayou, More Mustard, Naturals Ivory

Classic Ink: Blue Bayou, Purely Pomegranate, More Mustard, Basic Black

Other: Fresh Favorites I Buttons, Natural Hemp Twine, More Mustard & Bravo Burgundy 1/4 Grosgrain Ribbon, Spiral Punch & Brayer

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stampin! EdieB

Celebrate You!

Happy Independence Day! With all the bang & boom of the July 4th celebrations, I decided to make a fun July birthday card using our country's bold colors of red, white & blue~well that is Real Red, Whisper White & Brilliant Blue ;-)

This card also shows off two very popular stamp sets that will be retiring August 10, Big Pieces and Little Pieces. You can find a complete listing of retiring stamp sets on my Stampin' Up! web site here. As a year-end demonstrator special now through August 10, I am offering a 20% discount on all retiring stamp sets. I will have your order shipped directly to your house. Email me your order at edie.bunting@yahoo.com to get your favorite sets before they're gone, gone, gone.

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Big Pieces, Little Pieces, Celebrate Everything
Paper: Brilliant Blue, Whisper White, Real Red
Inks: Brilliant Blue and Real Red
Other: Ticket Corner Punch, Whisper White 1/4 inch grosgrain ribbon, Glue Dots

Thank you for stopping by and please have a safe holiday weekend! EdieB

For the Grad

This is a graduation card for our dear friend Kristin who will be celebrating her high school graduation Sunday. Kristin is the daughter of Lex, who is one of Jim's best fishin' buds and Kristin is also a well-accomplished fisherman (fisher-woman?). In fact, she asked if they could serve Lake Erie Perch for her graduation party meal, so the guys have been out trying to catch enough to feed the partiers. The weather hasn't been super cooperative lately, but I have faith that it will all come together in time for Sunday.

This pocket card features the In The Stars stamp set which was available in the Spring Occasions mini catalog. I am hoping we see it in the new 2008 Fall/Winter Idea Book & Catalog since it is such a fun versatile set.

I wanted a 5 x 5 card shape so the finished pocket actually measures 5 x 5 which is just a 5 x 7-3/4 piece of card stock folded up about 2/3 of the way. I stamped a random pattern of stars on the flap in River Rock to add some interest to the front of the pocket. Sticky Strip works best to adhere the sides of pocket cards and really beats the heat & humidity. The decorative Purely Pomegranate latches are punched from the Small Oval Punch and accented with Gold Brads. I slid the Horizontal Slot punch in about half way to make small notches at the sides of the pocket to hold the Purely Pomegranate Double-Stitched Ribbon in place.

The finished card itself measures 4-1/4 x 4-3/4, which is a 4-1/4 x 9-1/2 piece of card stock scored and folded to open from bottom to top. Here is the recipe:

Stamp Sets: In The Stars
Card stock: River Rock, Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Purely Pomegrante and Whisper White
Inks: River Rock, Blue Bayou and Purely Pomegranate Classic Inks
Other: Small Oval Punch, Horizontal Slot Punch, Star & Large Star Punches, Photo Corners Punch, 1/16 Handheld Punch, Gold Brads & Gold Eyelets, Purely Pomegranate Double Stitched Ribbon.

Hope you like this fun little grad card. Thank you for stopping by and Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Get Well RAK's

I have more Get Well cards from my UDI sisters to share with you. This pretty card is from Maria Williams who is one of our regular blog contributors over at the UDI Blog.

Maria cased this fun fold from Stamp and Scrap with Jenn.

The circle portion of the card opens up to reveal the sentiment and signature rather than an entire square card front. It i very elegant.

Stamp Sets: Essence of Love, Holiday and Wishes, Fresh Cuts
Paper: Ginger Blossom, Ruby Red, Groovy Guava
Ink: Ruby Red
Accessories: River Rock Double Stitched Ribbon, Coluzzle, Mini Glue Dots

Lori M sent this filigreed wonder which features one of my all-time favorite sets, Baroque Motifs. I love the color combo and the way Lori balanced the design with a left-weighted focal image and the sentiment to right.

Stamp Sets: Baroque Motifs, Holidays & Wishes
Paper: Purely Pomegranate, Night of Navy, Ballet Blue, Whisper White
Inks: Purely Pomegranate and Ballet Blue
Other: Silver Brads


This cute card is from Pat W. She did a really great job water coloring the image and, of course, I love the color scheme. Very refreshing.

Pat's card also features a stamp set that is retiring soon, Year After Year. It is so sad to see this set retire. It really has a perfect image for every occasion. You can see the complete list of retiring stamp sets here. These sets will be available through August 10 only, so check it out.

Stamp Sets: Year After Year
Paper: Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, Groovy Guava, Whisper White and Darling Doodles DSP (retired Fall 2007)
Inks: StazOn Black, Groovy Guava, Always Artichoke

Thank you Divas for the wonderful cards and thank to all of you for stopping by. EdieB

Orange Slice Treats

This is the project that I submitted as an entry in the Papercrafts Card Contest at the Buffalo Creating Keepsakes Convention and I won! I was so sick that I had to leave convention early and was not there when they announced the winner, but it was exciting to get the phone call at home. I don't know what I won yet, they only said I would receive a package in 2 to 3 weeks. It has been 25 days and I am waiting patiently, but my poor UPS man is suffering. LOL



Recipe:

Stamps: Tart & Tangy, "Sweet" sentiment from Sweet Shapes which is retiring
Paper: Pumpkin Pie cardstock, Old Olive cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Summer Picnic Designer Series Paper
Inks: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive
Other: Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Old Olive 5/8 inch grosgrain ribbon, Versamark Pen, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Word Window punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Small Flat Cellophane Bags

I outlined the orange slices with the Versamark pen and sprinkled with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder to add some bling. It shows up much better IRL. (in real life)I did the same thing for the treat bag topper. The orange slices you can find in the bulk section of the grocery store. They were a big hit around the house. :O)


Thanks for stopping by & Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Tart & Tangy Treats

This is a treat set that I stamped back in April. There are only a few days left to get your Spring Occasions Mini items. Check out the mini here as well as other Stampin' Up! specials.

This set includes two birthday cards and a matching sour cream container which I filled with cherry flavored Jelly Belly's.

To make these cards, first stamp the Bashful Blue card base using the Canvas background stamp with Bashful Blue Ink. Using background stamps provides texture and pattern to your card base.

For the first card, stamp the cherry image from Tart & Tangy and the sentiment from Hugs & Wishes in Real Red Classic Ink and mount on Old Olive cardstock. Punch through this mat with the slot punch and knot in Old Olive 5/8 inch grosgrain ribbon and finish off with 2 silver brads to achieve balance to the focal image. Layer the focal image onto a mat of Summer Picnic Designer Series Paper matted on Old Olive cardstock. The second card is basically the same, but change out the apple image from Tart & Tangy for the cherry image and the accent cardstock and grosgrain ribbon are in Real Red.

The sour cream containers are so fun and easy to make that you could really become addicted to these little gems. To make your very own, cut cardstock or patterned paper to 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 inches. Apply Sticky Strip to one of the 4-1/4 inch sides or back of the paper; apply another piece of Sticky Strip to one of the 5-1/2 inch sides or back of patterned paper. Remove the backing of the Sticky Strip from the short side and adhere the short ends together. Crimp the end of the container to re-enforce the adhesive; turn and crimp the other end of the container so when you are looking at the two ends of the container from top, the two ends form a plus sign (+) or are perpendicular. Punch a hole through the open end of the container to later thread the ribbon through. Fill the container with candy and tie a ribbon through to close.

Voila! Cute party favor or summer treat. Thank you for stopping by & Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Get Well Wishes to Share

Here are a few more wonderful cards I received from my dear friends. This lovely "Thinking of You" card found its way to my mailbox from ChristineR. The focal paisley image is from the Polka Dots & Paisley set which is retiring soon. It is stamped with Bravo Burgundy on Naturals White cardstock trimmed out, embellished with a brad and popped up on the mat with Stampin' Dimensionals. This layer was matted on Bravo Burgundy cardstock and tied off with a bit of Burgundy organdy ribbon. I really miss the SU! organdy. It is such an elegant touch to all projects.

The sentiment is from Sincere Salutations. Christine then randomly stamped the same paisley image on a Naturals White cardstock base to create a coordinating background. To complete the monochromatic look, Christine sponged Bravo Burgundy ink from the outside edges inward leaving a subtle heaviness of ink more toward the outer portion of the card to achieve a nice balance of color.

You may have seen this next card on the Utah Diva Blog Saturday. I am lucky to have one of these scalloped wonders for my very own. This Wild Wasabi and Purely Pomegranate card is created by Janice RR and has a bit of velcro holding the unique fold closed. Janice uses the flower from Embrace Life as her focal image at the outside closure and on the inside as well. She displays an obvious talent for creating scalloped edges. The card is further embellished with Purely Pomegranate Prints Designer Series Paper and Wild Wasabi Double-Stitched Ribbon.

For more pics and directions to make your own little gem such as this, check out our blog here.

The third card is from KathyB. I love the color combo which I believe is Taken with Teal and Kraft cardstock. Kathy stamped flower images from Doodle this and Bud Basics (retiring soon) randomly on Kraft cardstock. I am not sure from which set is the dotted circle. This layer is matted onto Taken with Teal cardstock and then again onto a Kraft card base. She then adhered a strip of fancy ribbon from the Sherbet Ribbon Originals across the bottom portion of the card over which she popped the sentiment from Sincere Salutations using Stampin' Dimensionals. Lovely results.

Once again, thank you to my Diva Sisters for all of the wonderful cards. I will share more with you soon.

Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Hi Everyone!

As you can see by the date of my last post, I have had a little health set back which kept me away. I am happy to report that I am on the mend and want to thank all of you for the support & prayers that you provided to me over the past months. I haven't really stamped since early May and I do have a couple of projects of my own to share with you, but today I would like to share some of the Get Well cards I received from my Utah Diva sisters during my ongoing recuperation.

The Morning Glory card was sent by AdrianaB. It is a lovely water color matted on Night of Navy and Always Artichoke cardstocks and accented with a strip of Bravo Burgundy cardstock. The three circles are Bravo Burgundy 1/2 inch cardstock circles with Vintage brads in the centers. Simply elegant.

The lovely Soft Sky card was sent by Brenda T. She used The Boho Flower Punch to punch out the flowers from the coordinating One of A Kind stamp set and popped the flowers in a line across Whisper White cardstock. This is matted on Soft Sky cardstock and accented with Soft Sky Designer Prints paper and River Rock Double-Stitched Ribbon.

I received another lovely water color-creation from Carol M. Carol stamped the bouquet from Close as A Memory on water color paper then misted it and added a bit of Dazzlin' Diamonds for sparkle. My photo does not really capture the beautiful detail of the sparkly flowers. The flowers are then matted on Regal Rose cardstock and tied off with a ribbon of Whisper White taffeta. Carol also tucked in some pretty dried flowers as a surprise when I opened the card. I have them in my cactus garden bed on my kitchen sink where I can lift them to my nose to capture their fresh scent.

Thank you friends for these pretty cards. There are more I want to share, so check back tomorrow. Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Sorry

Sorry, I haven't posted in a long time. My DH is readying the house for fishing season which starts on May 1 for him. Our house looks beautiful but I haven't had any free time to stamp or take care of any of my other stamping duties. Jim will put his boat in the water on Thursday afternoon and become emersed in the world of Lake Erie walleye and perch. I will be spending time with friends and stamping.

Stampin' Up! has some great specials coming up and we will be readying for convention, so there is a lot of excitement to be shared in our stamping world and I can't wait to share it with you. Check back soon or, if you haven't already, subscribe to my blog and receive email notifications when I post something new (see the Feedblitz subscription link to the right).

Thank you for your patience and Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Enjoying The Free Wheelin Promotion!

If you haven't already noticed, I took good advantage of Stampin' Up's! Free Wheelin' Promotion. I was on the fence about the Enjoy Every Moment set but decided to get it when I saw that the Daisy Dash jumbo wheel was the free wheel being offered with it.

I knew I wanted to use the Afternoon Tea DSP in Groovy Guava and Chocolate Chip for this card, since I wanted to use my new Chocolate Chip Poly Twill Ribbon. Isn't that just something else when you plan your card around new ribbon? And, did I mention that the Poly Twill Ribbon frays nicely at the ends?

Anyway, the layout is a CASE from a card by Nancy Riley. Check out her blog. She has a lot of great ideas and I love her color choices. For my card, I used a Groovy Guava card base and rolled the Daisy Dash jumbo wheel in Groovy Guava ink. Jumbo ink cartridges are not offered in the new In Colors so I used a Groovy Guava ink refill and an uninked jumbo cartridge to make my own. To do so, just rub the ink into the wheel cartridge using the tip of the re-inker. The amount of ink depends on the color you desire really. If you apply too much, just roll some off or add more ink if you find the color too light.

I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to position the "e" from enjoy perfectly in the center of the flower and to stamp the "every moment" sentiment in just the right spot under the enjoy. The Ticket Corner punch was used at each corner and gold brads were placed as embellishments at the corners as well as at the center of the flower in the center of the O at the end of enjoy. Phew, that was hard to spit out ;-)

Finally, I used the photo corner punch to make the Chocolate Chip corner used to embellish the DSP mat and I pierced holes across the photo corner using the Paper Piercing tool and Mat Pack to mimic the dashes of the wheel pattern. All in all a fun card to make.

I think I may go order the Wonderful You bundle. LOL

Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Exotic Birthday Card

Are these colors poppin' or what? Well, anyway, I've had my eye on Stampin' Up's! Stitched Exotics for quite sometime and was so happy to see it included in the Free Wheelin promotion. Buy this stamp set before April 30 and you receive the It's Beautiful jumbo wheel FREE. Free stamps are always a good thing. :D

This layout was CASE'd from Amy Sheffer at Pickled Paper Designs. I switched out Stitched Exotics for Amy's One of a Kind and used the It's Beautiful jumbo wheel to create the background design. Did I mention that I got the wheel free? ;-}

For this card, I knew I wanted to use Old Olive, Purely Pomegranate and Basic Black. The splash of white from Amy's use of the white scalloped edge provides a brightening accent. Since the card base is Basic Black, I stamped the interior sentiment onto a 3x4 trimmed piece of Whisper White card stock.

I then stamped the flowers from Stitched Exotics in Purely Pomegranate and Old Olive and trimmed them closely so as to trim away the stitched edge of the designs. I layered these with a small Pumpkin Pie flower punched using the Three For You punch from this year's punch kit and adhered all the flower layers with an Old Olive colored brad. The mat is paper-pierced all the way around and there is a length of Old Olive poly twill ribbon tied around and knotted. The flowers are popped up using Stampin' Dimensionals. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up's! Holidays & Wishes. It is stamped in Versamark, sprinkled with Black embossing powder and heat set.

I stamped a birthday sentiment in my card to send to a good friend who recently turned 40, which you ladies know is a monumental age. Somehow though, I think 40 has been very fun for Max. It was for me too. Happy Birthday Maxine! *hugs* EdieB

In The Stars Gift Bag Set

Hi Stampers! Stampin' Up's! Free Wheelin' promotion has inspired me to get rollin' again. While this project was not made using a set offered in the Free Wheelin' promotion, it occurred to me that the Classic Stars jumbo wheel is a perfect companion to the In The Stars stamp set found in the Spring Occasions mini catalog collection.

I used this fun combo to make this gift bag and matching card. These started out as very plain & inexpensive white tissue paper and a brown paper gift bag. First I stamped the bag in Real Red Classic Ink with two different sized stars from the In The Stars set. I stapled 5/8 inch Real Red grosgrain ribbon and 1/4 inch More Mustard grosgrain ribbon to a strip of striped paper from the East Coast Prep Designer Series Paper pack and a strip of Real Red cardstock. Using the Large Star punch, I punched a star from the More Mustard polka-dot paper from the same pack and a small Real Red cardstock star using the regular-sized Star Punch. Using the 1/16 inch handheld punch, I punched holes through the stars and through the ribbon and paper mat. I adhered all of those together using a Tempting Turquoise Bold Bright brad and then adhered that to the bag using Sticky Strip. Once in place, I cut another length each of Real Red and More Mustard ribbons and knotted them around the original ribbon to form a make-shift bow which also covered one of the staples.

I rolled the tissue paper using the Classic Stars jumbo wheel and Real Red ink. Voila! Matching tissue paper and bag! So, while we are talking about it, do you hate to use your wheels because your lines come out curvy, crooked or unevenly spaced? What you need is Stampin' Up's! Wheel Guide. It provides a steady guide to keep you wheeling straight and doubles as a ruler so that you can readily measure your lines for perfect spacing each time. It will absolutely change your life for the better. :D

I am also a huge fan of ink cartridges. Sure you could wheel back and forth a few times on your Classic Ink pads; but, it really is a bummer when your wheeling fades at the end due to lack of ink. Ugh. Go ahead and invest in the ink cartridges. You will not regret it.

Anyway, on to the card. Actually, the card is stamped much the same as the bag. The card itself is Kraft cardstock stamped with Real Red Classic Ink using the same two stars from the In The Stars stamp set. The argyle-patterned paper is from the East Coast Prep DSP pack and the ribbon is stapled to the paper before adhering to the card much the same as the bag. Of course, you see that I stamped three varied sized stars from the In The Stars set with Real Red and More Mustard Classic Inks. The stars are all embellished with Tempting Turquoise Bold Bright brads and adhered to the card with Stampin' Dimensionals. An appropriate greeting stamped inside readies this dynamic duo for gift giving.

Thank you for stopping in and sharing some stamping time with me. Please visit again soon. EdieB

Wanted

Happy Monday stampers! We had gorgeous weather in Erie this weekend. It was sunny and a balmy 60 degrees. The sunshine and fresh air was enjoyed by all-even the turkeys made an appearance and one hen took roost in a tree by our bank for the night. Since we live on the banks of Lake Erie we are often visited by turkeys, raccoons, and other wild-life including deer. Apparently, while I was busy with 8 of my friends stamping yesterday afternoon, there were 3 deer in our yard. DH was outside building a ramp for Roscoe and along came 3 deer. We see these 3 deer often strolling along the path to the lake which is just behind our house. Well, I guess they stopped to check out Jim's handiwork yesterday. He said they stood and watched him for a bit of time and nibbled on tree buds then just kept on moving on. Of course we missed this all despite the huge picture windows in our family room since we were stamping. LOL

Well, moving on with my project: This is a card that I made using the Wanted set. I lifted the layout from another dear stamper, but I'm not sure who. Sorry. Anyway, the background paper is Western Sky DSP which is complimented by Blue Bayou and Ruby Red cardstock. I used the Photo Corner punch to make the corner embellishments, piercing with the Paper Piercer from the Crafters' Tool Kit and Mat Pack. I then inserted Antique Brass brads from the Vintage brad collection and adhered the corners to the mat.

I stamped the filigree circle design from Wanted on Whisper White cardstock in Ruby Red and punched it out off-center using the Star Punch. I used the Crop-A-Dile to punch a hole and set an Antique Brass eyelet and then adhered this to the mat using Stampin' Dimensionals. I wrapped Natural Hemp Twine several times around the mat an tied it off for a finishing touch.

I have just started playing with this set and hope to have a Wanted & Bronc Buster set sampler drafted and available soon. Happy Stampin'! EdieB

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged by my Utah Diva sister Tammy! Tammy has a great blog as does Rochelle who tagged her. OMG, the stampin' will make your head spin with inspiration.

To play, I am to tell you 7 random things about myself that you might not know! It's hard for me to decide, because I am an open book and think what could you possibly not know about me? Do they have to be true? Hmmm.

Well, anyway, before I get on with the "list", I want to share a tag that I made for a swap that I joined in with some other Utah Divas. The swap is called Stamp Camp In A Box swap (SCIAB). The swap hostess lists 8 different types of stamped items to make like, a card, a gift item, a scrapbook page, etc. You pick one of the items and make 8 identical. The hostess swaps them out so that each participant receives 8 different stamp projects and, as such, you receive an instant stamp camp in a box. For this swap I picked tags. I was to make 6 different tags, 8 of each. This is the tag I made using In The Stars stamp set and the Afternoon Tea DSP both found in the Spring Occasions Mini Catalog. It measures roughly 4 x 4 inches so you could use it for a card front, a scrapbook page, or to decorate a gift box or gift bag. I will share the other tags on a later post.

For now, on with the game~seven random things you may not know about me:

1. I love to "car sing" and often people will see me driving and comment that I was boppin' my head and singing. LOL

2. I spent the late 70's and early 80's at the roller-skating rink with my big hair and Jordache jeans. I'm so glad the 80's are coming back. I'll be showing all the neighbor kids how to peg tuck their jeans.

3. I loooove Buffy the Vampire Slayer and had a TV crush on Spike for quite a while (and still do a little bit). Yikes!

4. I collect socks. Yes, socks. I like to pick up those cute little character ankle socks when I visit someplace out of town or even just Walmart on the weekend. I have a cool pair of SLC Utah socks with skiers on them which I bought at my first SU convention. :D

5. I drove a Dodge Omni for 13 years which my DH hated. I believe to this day that he and our mechanic sabotaged the engine to force me to get a new car. :(

6. I still have ALL my baseball cards which I collected as a kid. Complete sets, autographed cards. Pete Rose was my fav and I am still hoping he is inducted to the Hall of Fame.

7. I love to make lists.

So, now I get to tag seven other bloggers. Here is my list:

1. Max at Utah Divas International
2. Michelle at A Time to Stamp
3. Andrea at Sunny Stampin'
4. Brenda at Memories by Brenda
5. Judy at Dogwoods and Daisies
6. Jeanne at Stamp with Jeanne
7. Leonie at Totally Addinktive

Enjoy! EdieB