EdieB Stamps

You're Invited!

2010-05-01T09:03:00.009-04:00

You're invited to Lake Effect Stampers Summer Stamp Camp at the Zukor Club in Erie, Pennsylvania on Sunday, June 13, from 1:00 pm -5:00 pm. If you're not far from Erie and you're ready for a road-trip, please join us. We are planning a busy day of stamping fun, food & friendship. :)

You will make 12 unique greeting cards and envelopes, as well as the Tropical Party gift bag and note card pictured here. Pizza, snacks & door prizes are all included. There will be six Stampin' Up! demonstrators on hand to help with your projects, so all levels of stampers will enjoy this stamp camp.

Space is limited. Contact me today to RSVP (edie.bunting@yahoo.com). Your reservation is confirmed with receipt of your pre-payment of the Summer Stamp Camp fee of $35.

Hope to see you there! Happy Stampin' and thank you for visiting.

Daisies #2 Bookmark Card

2010-04-21T08:17:00.013-04:00

This card is a CASE (Copy And Share Everything) of an original design by Mary Fish which you can see here. I love Mary's card with its multiple layers of flower petals and decorative center. The In Color Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon is a fun accent. Mary finishes the look with a lovely lined envelope.

I'd been wanting to make a Bookmark Card which I found under the Resources section of SCS. I thought Mary's design would be perfect for the cardfront.

As you can see, I made my Bookmark Cards in a variety of colors: Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry and Pacific Point - all accented with Basic Black & Whisper White. I added a layer of matching Prints Designer Series Paper to the cardfronts and two Basic Black leaves for more drama.

The card is a tri-fold. The right fold is scored using the Perforating Tool of the Cutter Kit so you can just rip and tear away the bookmark portion of the card! It is a perfect "gift" in a card.

Bermuda Bay Daisies #2 Bookmark Card closed.

I decorated the bookmark and inside the card to compliment the design of the cardfront. I used the Big Shot and the Stampin' Up! Birds & Blooms Sizzlits 4-Pack to make the flowers. I used the Crop-A-Dile to set a Jumbo Eyelet at the top of the bookmark and tied ribbons through the Jumbo Eyelet leaving a generous portion of ribbon

tied at the top.

Bookmark Card open.

Happy Stampin'!

Card Shares

2010-04-19T18:00:00.007-04:00

I received many beautiful cards when I was ill earlier this year. I can't thank you all enough for sending cards, prayers and words of encouragement. It really was wonderful to see cards in the mail every day. I am feeling better each day and hope to return to work soon. I miss my office family very much. In the meantime, I would like to share pics of a few of the cards I received.

This card is from my good friend Jennifer Bell. The Top Note is not only a beautiful quilt pattern, but Jen also embossed it using the Big Shot for extra texture. I love the colors of the Thoroughly Modern Designer Series Paper.

The next card is from Johanna & Whitney Frost and features the SU! Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die and Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, both available in the Occasions Mini Catalog through April 30. I love the ribbon through the heart and the double-scallop border. The colors are bright and cheerful. Just what the doctor ordered.

This next beauty came to me all the way from Australia from one of my UDI sisters, Alisa Tilsner. Alisa is a Stampin' Up! demonstrator down under. Check out her blog here. For this card, Alisa stamped the flowers from the Embrace Life stamp set with Staz-On ink on watercolor paper and then inked colored with a lovely combo of Rose Red and Real Red.

I will try to post more RAK's tomorrow. Happy Stampin'!

Friends 24-7

2010-04-15T14:36:00.006-04:00

I would like to share with you two thank you cards I designed using the Friends 24-7 stamp set (113218). Both cards feature Bella Bleu Designer Series Paper accented with Not Quite Navy and Whisper White cardstocks, Not Quite Navy brads from the Earth Elements brad collection and Whisper White Satin Ribbon.

The focal images of both cards use the collage stamping technique which is simply layering a variety of stamped images. Rule of thumb, no matter the technique, is to stamp images using the lightest colors first and progress to darker colors. For the cards here, I first stamped the filigree image from the Friends 24-7 stamp set in Sahara Sand ink on Whisper White cardstock. I then inked the bird and tree limb image using Sahara Sand and Not Quite Navy Stampin' Write markers direct-to-rubber. Use the brush end of the marker when applying ink direct-to-rubber.

The scallop square die cut is four inches square and it is cut from Not Quite Navy cardstock using the Big Shot and the Stampin' Up! Scallop Square Bigz Clear Die (115950). This is an exclusive Stampin' Up die which you can order on-line on my Stampin' Up site. The Friends tag is stamped using the Tiny Tags stamp set available in the Occasions Mini catalog and only through April 30. Don't think I hand trim those cute little tags. I use the Medium Jewelry Tag Punch (117190) which is also in the Occasions Mini catalog.

The second card measures 3" x 6" and fits in Stampin' Up's small Open-End Envelopes. The focal image is stamped using the collage method as on the previous card. I first laid down a layer of Shara Sand filigree images and then stamped the sprig of flowers in Not Quite Navy over top. The Thanks (so much) sentiment on this card also is from the Tiny Tags set. I used circle punches to make the tag and popped it up using Stampin' Dimensional.

Thank you for visiting and Happy Stampin'!

More Sweet Pea Stitched Felt

2010-04-12T16:13:00.005-04:00

As promised (although a few days later than intended), I am sharing two different takes on my card from the previous post using the Sweet Pea Stitched Felt and Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Stack from the Occasions Mini. The card recipe details are the same but the sentiments are different. "Hi There" is from Fundamental Phrases and "Thank You" is from Thank You Kindly.

Don't forget that these products and other products in the Occasions Mini catalog are available only through April 30. Shop on-line now!

P.S. Be sure to pick up your Stampin' Up! exclusive Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder when you place your next order too.

Thank you for stopping by and Happy Stampin'!

Sweet Pea Stitched Birthday

2010-04-08T19:20:00.007-04:00

Today's card features an explosion of texture. The Rose Red flower and Old Olive leaves are all from the Sweet Pea Stitched Felt available in the Occasions Mini now through April 30. You can click on the photo to enlarge it and you will see that the dots accenting the large flower and in the middle of the sentiment circle are also felt accents that you receive in the Sweet Pea collection.

This collection of felt accents is easy to work with. It looks like you spent all day sewing with all the detailed stitching, but actually, you simply pop them out the package and adhere them to your project with glue dots.

For further texture and dimension, the background layers of Certainly Celery and Pretty In Pink cardstock were embossed using the Big Shot and Stampin' Up!'s Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder.

To blend the two background colors I added a slip of Chocolate Chip polka dot paper from the Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper pack and a border of Whisper White cardstock punched with the Pinking Hearts Border. These layers are tied off with Rose Red 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon.

The sentiment is from Think Happy Thoughts a collection of six inter-changeable circle stamps and accents that you can find in the Idea Book & Catalog. Very fun to mix and match this set.

I have two more Sweet Pea cards to share with you over the weekend. For now, here is the recipe for my Sweet Pea birthday card.

Recipe

Stamp Sets: Think Happy Thoughts (115092)

Cardstock: Pretty In Pink (100459), Soft Suede (115318), Certainly Celery (105125), Whisper White (100730), Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper (117161)

Inks: Soft Suede (115657)

Other: Sweet Pea Stitched Felt (117266), Sherbet Designer Buttons (116312), Rose Red 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon (109034), Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder (117335), Pinking Hearts Border Punch (117649), 1-1/4" Circle Punch (104403) and 1-3/8" Circle Punch (104401), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430) & Glue Dots (103683)

FREE Stampin' Up Technique DVD's

2010-04-08T07:54:00.007-04:00

Join my Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Team now through May 31 and receive two FREE technique DVD's containing over 4 hours of Workshop Wow presentations from Stampin' Up! regional seminars. These DVD's include 37 demonstrator presentations of Wow Techniques you will just love to try.

Have you ever thought about being a demonstrator? I joined as a hobbyist to earn the discount and free products. Eventually, I started a hostess stamp club with my friends. We meet once a month to stamp, eat, and laugh. We take turns being the hostess and earning the FREE hostess stamp sets and FREE merchandise. Within six months, I earned 7 FREE stamp sets and earned a little income so that I could pay our electric bill!

As a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator:

(1) You receive 20% instant income discount on all orders AND receive the discount on any other sales offered to customers - this can mean as much as a 36% discount.
(2) You receive hostess benefits on any orders over $150. All ordering is on line and is very easy. (3) You earn free stamp sets and merchandise based on fun promotions, contests, quarterly sales, calendar sales, title promotions.
(4) You may participate in Demonstrator exclusive product sneak peeks. Purchase new merchandise before your friends!
(5) You receive Stampin' Success the magazine exclusive to Stampin' Up! demonstrators and you will have full access to the Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Web Site, the Stampin' Connection social network and Demonstrator Support by phone.
(6) You will be a part of my team! As your upline, I am available to you by email 24-7 and by phone during the day and early evening hours. You are invited to attend monthly team meetings and events; and you may attend the annual convention in Salt Lake City, Utah as well as regional seminars throughout the country.

To maintain your status as a demonstrator, you must have a minimum of $300 in sales per quarter or averaged out, $100 per month. If you choose to be a hobby demonstrator and take no orders from anyone else, that means you would need to purchase $100 per month (on average) but you would pay only $80 with your instant income discount. If you decide to try it as a business demonstrator, then you can make as much as you want or as little as you want. New demonstrators receive 4 months to complete their first quarter.

What do you have to do to join Stampin' Up! now and receive the FREE technique DVD's? Go to my website http://www.ediestamps.stampinup.net/ and click on Start Your Own Business and then Join Now. The password to join is ediestamps. Love to have you on my team. EdieB

Trendy Trees & Sunshine Award!

2010-04-06T07:11:00.014-04:00

My upline and good friend Max Conrad sent me the Sunshine Award recognizing my blog as one she likes to visit. Thank you Max! You're the best!

Max asked me to pay it forward and award it to ten of my favorite SU bloggers. Only ten?! It is so hard to choose. My list of favorite SU bloggers is very, very long. Click on the links below to see who I chose.

But first, my card today is featuring the Trendy Trees stamp set which is on sale this month as part of the Two-Step Into Spring promotion. See promotion details here.

This trio features a Kraft cardbase embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder available in the Occasions Mini Catalog now through May 31. Each Card highlights a different tree image and the colors used are Soft Suede, Ruby Red, Old Olive & Not Quite Navy. I added a row of paper piercing along the edge of each colored accent using the Mat Pack and Paper Piercer tool. The cards are each embellished with a flower-shaped Chocolate Chip button from the Button Latte collection. Shop Now.

Now check out my stampin' friends cards here:

(1) Selene Kempton

(2) Robin Merriman

(3) Jen Sannes

(4) Heather Summers

(5) Dawn Olchefske

(6) Becky Roberts

(7) Chat Wszelaki

(8) Kristin Moore

(9) Lynn Put

(10) Cindy Beach

Stampin' Up! Clearance Rack

2010-04-05T22:26:00.003-04:00

Have you shopped the Stampin' Up! Clearance Rack lately. Save up to 60% on your favorite retired products.

I was surprised to see Baja Breeze and Kiwi Kiss items as well as Designer Series Papers I love like Raspberry Tart & Rockabilly for only $3.99.

Click here to shop now!

Fifth Avenue Card #3

2010-04-03T13:22:00.006-04:00

This is the third card in the my Fifth Avenue Floral series featuring the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set, Bella Bleu Designer Series Paper, Kraft Taffeta Ribbon and 1/2 pearl accents from the Pretties Kit. Check out the two prior posts to see cards #1 & #2.

For the focal image of this birthday card, first stamp the rose from Fifth Avenue Floral using Night of Navy and position it in the left corner of the Very Vanilla cardstock square. Stamp the daisy image in Sahara Sand ink slightly overlapping the Night of Navy rose to add texture and interest to the focal image.

Remember, Fifth Avenue Floral is 20% off now through April along with four other flowering stamp sets. Check out the Two-Step Spring Into Spring promotion on my website http://www.ediestamps.stampinup.net/.

Shop now!

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Fifth Avenue Floral, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Kraft, Night of Navy & Very Vanilla cardstock and Bella Bleu Designer Series Paper

Ink: Night of Navy & Sahara Sand Classic Ink

Other: Scallop Edge Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, Ivory half-pearl from Pretties Kit, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thanks for visiting and Happy Stampin'!

Fifth Avenue Card #2

2010-04-02T09:18:00.007-04:00

I'm a bit disappointed at the color of this photo. The Always Artichoke cardstock layers don't pop as they do in real life. I'm afraid the pic looks a bit drab and doesn't relate the elegance of the card. Unfortunately, I don't have the patience to fuss with either the camera or the imaging software. I'd rather be stamping or enjoying the beautiful weather here in Erie, PA.

In any event, card #2 in my Fifth Avenue trio is a simple sympathy card done in Always Artichoke and Sahara Sand Classic Inks and featuring the Bella Bleu Designer Series Paper. The focal image is tied off in Kraft Taffeta Ribbon which is finished with an ivory half-pearl from the Pretties Kit. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

Please look for the card #3 tomorrow.

Shop for your favorite Stampin' Up! products here-online now!

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Fifth Avenue Floral, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Cardstock: Kraft, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, Bella Bleu Designer Series Paper

Inks: Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede Classic Inks

Other: Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, Ivory half-pearl from Pretties Kit, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Hello Again & Fifth Avenue Card #1

2010-04-01T07:18:00.016-04:00

Hi Stampers! I thought I would start off with a quick pic of myself & Ruby since you have not heard from me in three long months! There are many, many people I would like to thank for prayers, encouragement, cards & flowers; especially everyone at work, my stampin' friends, the Utah Divas, friends, family & neighbors. I do not have room here to post everyone's names, but please know you will be getting a card in the mail. I just started stamping this week. Did you know stamping is great physical therapy? ;-}

Enough about me. Let's get back to stamping. This is the first card in a set of three which I designed featuring Stampin' Up's! Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set which goes on sale for 20% off the catalog price now through April 30. Yes, Stampin' Up is sending us off into Spring with a sale on two-step stampin' sets. Today through April 30, you receive 20% off a selection of perfectly springy Two-Step Stampin' sets from our current catalog, including Fifth Avenue Floral, Greenhouse Garden, Flower Fancy, and Trendy Trees.

Click here to see all the stamp sets on sale & Shop Now!

As I mentioned above, my card share today is Card #1 in a set of three cards I designed featuring the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set and Bella Bleu Designer Series Paper.

The card base is Kraft cardstock and the accent matting is Bravo Burgundy. The larger rose image is stamped in Sahara Sand Classic Ink for a subtle background effect. Since we don't have Kraft ink, Sahara Sand goes nicely with Kraft cardstock. The smaller flower image is stamped in Bravo Burgundy and serves as the focal image for this card. It is blinged up with an ivory half-pearl from the Pretties Kit. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes (my current #1 must have set) and stamped in Bravo Burgundy. It is popped up with a Stampin' Dimensional to add texture and interest. Kraft Taffeta Ribbon finishes this card.

Stop by tomorrow for Card #2 in my Fifth Avenue Floral trio.

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Fifth Avenue Floral, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Cardstock: Kraft, Bravo Burgundy, Very Vanilla, Bella Bleu Designer Series Paper

Inks: Sahara Sand & Bravo Burgundy Classic Ink

Other: Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, Ivory Half-Pearl from Pretties Kit, Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thank you for visiting my blog today & Happy Stampin'!

Utah Diva Inspiration Challenge #

2009-12-03T00:01:00.004-05:00

How could this lovely winter scene not inspire you to pull out the Dasher stamp set? It's perfect.

For this week's Diva Inspiration Challenge, I wanted to highlight the red of the reindeer's bows so I used Real Red Textured cardstock for the card base trimmed with the Eyelet Border Punch.
The focal image is Dasher (p. 208 IB&C) stamped in Soft Suede on Shimmery White cardstock, paired with the sentiment from the Christmas Greetings stamp set (p. 175 IB&C) also stamped in Soft Suede.

The focal image is layered on squares of Real Red, Whisper White and Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper from the Holiday Mini Catalog and adhered to the card base using Stampin' Dimensionals. Finish this holiday card with a slip of 3/4" Real Red Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon.

Stampin' Supplies:

Stamp Sets: Dasher, Christmas Greetings

Cardstock: Real Red Textured Cardstock (108698), Shimmery White (101910), Whisper White (100730), Christmas Cocoa Specialty DSP (116770)

Ink: Soft Suede Classic Ink (115657)

Other: Eyelet Border Punch (113692), Real Red 3/4" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (115608), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Click Here To Shop Now!

Diva Inspiration Challenge

2009-11-19T00:01:00.001-05:00

I couldn't wait to prepare for this week's challenge. When I saw the daisies in the challenge picture, I knew I would try out the Flower, Daisies #2 Sizzix die and Swirly Sizzlits Decorative Strip die with my Big Shot. I saw this card on Andrea Walford's blog sometime ago and always wanted to make it. It is so clever the way Andrea used the Swirly die for the flower stems and leaves. As you can see, this week's challenge inspired me to give it a try; and, I love the results.

For my version of this design, I used Rich Razzleberry Designer Series Paper to make the daisies. There are two layers of petals on each flower. I slightly offset the petals to fill the flower in; give it more texture and dimension. The buttons are from the Playground Designer Buttons collection. You receive 30 buttons to an order-five different designs and four different colors. This is a very fun embellishment for both cards and scrapbooks. I used Mini Glue Dots to adhere the buttons to the cardstock. They don't budge with a glue dot, so don't fear losing them. I paper-pierced a frame around my flowers using the Paper-Piercer Tool and Mat Pack and finished the card off with a greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes. See below for all the supplies I used for this card.

Click here to see what the other Divas designed for this challenge.

Supplies used for this project:

Stamp Set: Teeny Tiny Wishes (115370)

Ink: Rich Razzleberry Classic Ink (115658)

Paper: Rich Razzleberry Textured Cardstock (115719), More Mustard Cardstock (100946), Kraft Cardstock (102125), Rich Razzleberry Patterns Designer Series Paper (115685), Old Olive Patterns Designer Series Paper (112160)

Other: Big Shot Die-Cut Machine (113439), Flower, Daisies #2 Bigz Die (114520), Swirly Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die (113456), Decorative Strip Spacer Platform (113477), Decorative Strip Cutting Pads (113479), Playground Designer Buttons (116313), Paper-Piercing Tool (116631), Mat Pack (105826), Designer Label Punch (107590), Small Oval Punch (107304), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430), Mini Glue Dots (103683), Snail Adhesive (104332)

Click here to shop now on my Stampin' Up! website.

Thank you for stopping by my website. Oh, I almost forgot...the first person from my Sunday Hostess Club to email me about this blog post will win the Christmas Punch Level 2 Hostess Stamp set! *Happy Dance*

Happy Stampin'!

Delightful Decorations

2009-11-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

This is a fun project using Stampin' Up products from the Holiday Mini Catalog incluidng the Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper (116770), the Delightful Decorations stamp set (116517) and the Ornament Punch (116794). See the complete list of supplies below.

Click here to shop now!

I saw this card design on several blogs and thought I would give it a try. It's fun because you punch a window with the Ornament punch and then decorate the inside of the card with a coordinating punched ornament. The card to the right is done in Real Red cardstock with a band of Whisper White and the pretty Real Red flocked paper from the Christmas Cocoa Specialty DSP pack. You can see an alternate version I did in Soft Suede below. I made very good use of this versatile pack of designer papers by making this same card design in different colors.

Consider picking up the Stampin' Up! Holiday Windows Magnetic Movers & Shapers (116821) to use with your SU Movers & Shapers Curly Label die and Big Shot machine too. If you haven't seen it yet, the Movers & Shapers die cuts the cardbase, scores the card fold and cuts a window shape of your choice wherever you want it placed. An added bonus to having this in your stampin' arsenal is that the die cuts remaining from the windows sometime layer other Stampin' Up punches. You will see that the Holiday Windows set has a slightly larger ornament that is great for layering with your new Ornament punch.

Click here to shop the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog now!

Stampin' Supplies for Real Red card:

Stamp Set: Delightful Decorations (116517)

Ink: Versamark-for stamping background (102283), Real Red Classic Ink (103133)

Cardstock: Real Red (102482), Whisper White (100730), Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper (116770)

Other: Ornament Punch (116794), Whisper White 5/8" Satin Ribbon (114616), Clear Rhinestone Brad

To the right is a Soft Suede (115318) version of this design. I switched out the Designer Series paper piece and matted it on Real Red cardstock. I traded the Whisper White satin ribbon for a piece of Real Red 1" Double-Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon. Instead of the Clear Rhinestone Brad in the middle of the ornament, I used a Gold Brad (104337). I like the way the Gold Brad looks with the Soft Suede.

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

Diva Inspiration Challenge

2009-11-12T00:01:00.003-05:00

Hi Stampers! My Diva Sisters invited me to play the Diva Inspiration Challenge (IC). I have to admit, I tried the IC before but didn't enjoy it. I stressed over trying to re-create the inspiration item instead of letting my own creativity take the lead. Once I became more comfortable stamping my own ideas, the challenge was FUN!

So, this card was inspired by this beautiful photograph of treetops and blue summer sky. I imagine the photographer was standing with her head way back, holding the camera up high to get this shot. She was likely inspired by the bright colors that remain at the end of summer and maybe a little dizzy too.

But, anyway, I wanted my card to reflect the feel of autumn in Erie, PA. The dominant autumn hues are the warm reds, oranges and golds which I translated to SU! colors: So Saffron, Dusty Durango and Soft Suede. For the focal image of my design, I chose the Medallion stamp set since it reminded me of the swirl pattern in the photograph. See the complete Supply List below:

Stamp Sets: Medallion (115223) and Grateful Greetings (Holiday Mini 116511)

Cardstock: So Saffron (105118), Soft Suede (115318), Very Vanilla (101650)

Inks: So Saffron Craft (105237), Dusty Durango Classic (115654)

Other: Soft Suede 1/2" Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (115612), Gold Elastic Cord (Holiday Mini 109867), Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder (109130), Embossing Buddy (103083), Powder Pals (102197) Heat Tool (100005), Stamping Sponges (101610), Circle Fire Rhinestone Brads (109110), Stampin Dimensionals (104430)

Click here to Shop Now!

To make this card, ink the Medallion stamp with So Saffron Craft Ink and stamp on Very Vanilla CS. Quickly sprinkle the image with Clear Embossing Powder and then set with the Heat Gun. Ink a Stamping Sponge with Dusty Durango Classic Ink and rub over the entire area of the Very Vanilla CS from the middle out toward the edges. Sponging in that direction provides the deeper Dusty Durango in the middle of the image and lighter shades toward the edges. Once you've inked to your heart's content, remove the ink from the embossed image by gently wiping with a tissue. This is the Emboss Resist technique since the embossed image resists the classic dye ink.

The sentiment is from the Grateful Greetings stamp set which is a must have for your sentiment collection. I used Paper Snips (103579) to trim the sentiment into a banner which I embelished with a Rhinestone Brad and popped up using Stampin' Dimensionals.

I had fun making this card and playing along with the Diva Inspiration Challenge. Please post a link to your creation on the Diva page. Thank you for stopping by and Happy Stampin'!

Twick or Tweet!

2009-10-25T10:17:00.007-04:00

Halloween is just next weekend! I can hardly wait although we don't yet have a costume for little Ruby. I just can't decide which look is best for her yet, Superhero? Scary Monster? or Cute Skunk? I'm leaning toward the skunk outfit since she IS so stinkin' cute!

And here is a cute Halloween card we did at my October Stamp Club meeting using the Twick or Tweet stamp set found in the Holiday Mini Catalog here. To make this card, stamp the cute pumpkin image in Jet Black StazOn and color him in using a Pumpkin Pie Watercolor Crayon and Blender Pen. To emphasize the highlighting black lines of the pumpkin, I traced them with a Dusty Durango Stampin' Write marker. It gives the image a little pop. Color the stars and band on the pumpkin's witch hat with a Crushed Curry marker. If you don't have the In Color marker set (116329), you can use a Blender Pen and ink from the ink pad. Adhere the focal image to layers of Basic Gray, Basic Black and Whisper White Cardstock and embellish with Silver Brads at each corner.

Adhere layers of Whisper White, Basic Black and Pumpkin Pie DSP cardstock and add a slip of Basic Black 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon around the middle. Mount the layers to the card base and then mount the focal pumpkin image using Stampin' Dimensionals. Finally tie off the Basic Black Grosgrain Ribbon with a slip of Silver Elastic Cord which you also find in the Holiday Mini Catalog. All Stampin' Supplies are listed below and you can shop now on my Stampin' Up website.

Stampin' Supplies:

Stamp Set: Twick or Tweet (116497)

Paper: Basic Gray Cardstock (108692), Whisper White Cardstock (100730) Basic Black Cardstock (102851), Pumpkin Pie Patterns designer Series Paper (112159)

Ink: Jet Black Stazon (101406), Earth Elements Watercolor Wonder Crayons (106696), In Color Stampin' Write Markers (116329)

Accessories: Basic Black 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon 115605, Silver Elastic Cord (109866), Silver Brads (104336), 1/16" Handheld Punch (101227), Blender Pens (102845), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Autumn Thanks

2009-09-15T18:14:00.004-04:00

This is the third card using the Autumn Days stamp set and Autumn Traditions Designer Series Paper. I used the pine cone image from Autumn Days (p. 92 2009 IBC) and the Thanksgiving sentiment from Grateful Greetings (p. 8 Holiday Mini Catalog).

The layout is simple but spiffed up with a Circle Fire Brad, Soft Suede Ribbon and Gold Elastic Cord. A trim of Very Vanilla cardstock punched with the Eyelet Border punch is added just under the focal point and Gold Brads are accenting the trim and balancing the focal image.

I'm off to Founders Circle. Will post pics when I return. Tx & Happy Stampin'!

Autumn Birthday

2009-09-13T07:06:00.005-04:00

This is a a nice masculine birthday card using the Autumn Days stamp set and On Your Birthday sentiment stamp set. The background paper is Autumn Traditions Designer Series Paper. If you check out my post from Friday, you will see I've used the same stamp set and Designer Series Paper but achieved a totally different look.

A couple of things I want to note: I lightly roughed the edges of the focal layer of Very Vanilla cardstock with the distressing tool from the Cutter Kit (p. 191 of the Idea Book & Catalog) and then sponged Soft Suede ink on the edges. The Soft Suede ribbon is the opposite side of the Polka Dot Grosgrain ribbon.

Here is the recipe:

Stamp Sets: Autumn Days, On Your Birthday
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Autumn Traditions Designer Series Paper
Inks: Soft Suede Classic Ink
Other: Cutter Kit, 1/16 Handheld Circle Punch, Gold Brads, Soft Suede Polka Dot Ribbon, Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stampin'!

Autumn Days

2009-09-11T06:50:00.006-04:00

It is fall in Erie, PA. The leaves are falling like rain. It seems like we didn't have a very long summer, but that's okay with me. I enjoy the cooler weather anyway and the smell and colors of fall are inspiring.

This card could be used for any occasion really. I used it as a birthday card recently but, as I mentioned, it is perfect for anything this time of year.

The leave image is from the Autumn Days stamp set (p. 92 2009 Stampin' Up! Catalog). I will be showing a trio of cards here over the next few days using this stamp set. The berry twigs are a rub on from the Autumn Harvest rub-on pack (p. 177 2009 Catalog). However, this image is also in the stamp set. With the rub-ons, you receive two sheets of images in each pack; one sheet of Chocolate Chip and one sheet of Whisper White. This is a variety of images and sayings that you could use for both card making and scrapbooking.

Here is the recipe for this card:

Stamp Sets: Autumn Days
Cardstock: More Mustard, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Autumn Traditions Designer Series Paper
Inks: Ruby Red, More Mustard, Always Artichoke
Other: Autumn Harvest rub-ons, 1" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1/16 Handheld Circle Punch, Eyelet Border Punch, Gold Brads, Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Happy Stampin'!

Ruby's 5 Months Old

2009-09-04T06:04:00.000-04:00

Isn't she lovely? How's that for a look. This girl has attitude and she's only 5 months old. We just love her!

Ruby now boasts a slew of commands in her repertoire including sit, lay down, and stay. She walks nicely on the leash and loves to play fetch with the ball. As you can see, Ruby has an appetite for fire wood too.

She is still easily excitable, but I believe she has a bright future as head of our household. :O)

Thanks for stopping by,

Join My Team!

2009-08-27T06:32:00.005-04:00

Join My Team and become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator for just $85. The special limited-time Mini Starter Kit is available only through August 31, so don't hesitate. The Mini Starter Kit contains many of the items you need to get started in your new business, including:

For All You Do stamp set
In Color Classic Stampin' Pads (6)
Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
In Color assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
Business forms and tools

Or if you want to buy the standard $199 Starter Kit, in addition to the supplies listed below, you'll get all six of the new In Color Classic Stampin' Pads and one pack of In Color assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")--a $43 value FREE! The standard Starter Kit (already a $350 value) includes:

Four stamp sets of your choice (within certain price-points)
A Stampin' Around wheel, handle, and ink cartridge
Stampin' Pastels
Card stock
Eastern Blooms Décor Elements and applicator tool
Five Classic Stampin' Pads (again, you choose the colors)
VersaMark Pad
Stampin' Scrub and Mist
Blender pens
Business forms and tools

These special offers--the Mini Starter Kit and the In Color add-on to the standard Starter Kit--are only available through August 31, so you must act fast!

Everyone who joins my team before August 31 will have a chance to win a free stamp set from me. The drawing will be held on Labor Day.

The cool thing about being a Stampin' Up demonstrator is that you can make it your own. Hobby demonstrators are basically in it for the discount, free stuff, resources, perks & fun. You do not have to hold any workshops or go out to do parties. Business demonstrators, take orders from friends, hold workshops and stamp camps. You set your own schedule and work at your own pace.

As a demonstrator, you receive an instant income discount on all orders and are eligible for monthly commissions too. Demonstrators can attend the annual convention in Salt Lake City, Utah and regional training seminars which are held at various locations across the country and Canada. I have been to convention twice and regional seminars. They are a blast.

In addition, demonstrators receive the same discounts on sale items as customers. You can earn free merchandise usually in the form of stamp sets or other supplies based on certain fun promotions, contests, quarterly sales, calendar sales, title promotions.

I would be your supervisor and show you how everything works. I am availabe by email 24 hours per day. I check my email often. I am available by phone during the day and early evening hours. As a member of my team, you would receive my monthly newsletter, be invited to my team meetings where we eat and stamp, have full access to the Stampin' Up Demonstrator web site and access to demonstrator support by phone. You would receive the Stampin' Success monthly magazine and be eligible to participate in sneek peeks. There are also many demonstrator only social network sites to join where everyone shares projects and ideas.

Email me at edie.bunting@yahoo.com if you would like more information or just go to my website at www.ediestamps.stampinup.net and click on Start Your Own Business and Join Now! You will need my password ediestamps to join.

Happy Stampin', EdieB

Stamping 411 SSC 113

2009-08-23T16:50:00.008-04:00

Have you been to Stamping 411? The Stamping 411 blog is a plethora of information and inspiration. Saturday is their Sketch Challenge hosted by Saline Kempton. Check it out and when you are there don't forget to look over the How To buttons on the right.

So, this is my SSC 113 card. I have been dying to use this little guy from the Halloween Hoot set. Free kisses are not necessarily scary unless it's a frog giving them away, right?

Stamp Set: Halloween Hoot
Paper: Basic Gray, Basic Black and Whisper White cardstock, Cast-A-Spell Designer Series Paper
Ink: Basic Black and Old Olive Classic Inks, Black Staz-On
Other: Billboard Alphabet Sizzix die, Big Shot, Ticket Corner Punch, Sliver Brads, White Satin Ribbon, Black Gingham Ribbon, Designer Jumbo Brad from Silver HodgePodge Hardware, Stampin' Dimensionals, Aqua Painter, Glue Stick, Snail

You can shop for this stamp set and other Stampin Up! supplies by clicking the Order On Linebutton on my sidebar at the right. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stampin'!

Razzleberry Lemonade Petals

2009-08-21T07:24:00.024-04:00

The cards shown here feature the new In Colors and matching polka dot ribbons. Yummy! My inspiration was Maxine, my wonderful upline, who challenged us to create a set of cards using only one stamp set. My stamp set was Petal Pizzaz (p. 113 IBC). I took this challenge one step further using only the new In Colors, just one pack of Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper (p. 162 IBC) and just one sentiment set, Really Retro (which is still available on the Dormant List p. 132 2009 IBC).

What do you think? Check out the close ups.

My Fabulous Friend card:

Stamp Sets: Petal Pizzaz, Really Retro

Classic Ink: Rich Razzleberry

Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP

Other: Modern Label Punch, Photo Corners Punch, Rich Razzleberry Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Silver Brads, Jumbo Brads

Next card is done with Dusty Durango:

Stamp Sets: Petal Pizzaz, Really Retro
Classic Ink: Dusty Durango
Paper: Dusty Durango, Whisper White, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP
Other: Modern Label Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Dusty Durango Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Silver Brads, Jumbo Eyelet and Crop-A-Dile

Mellon Mambo:

Stamp Sets: Petal Pizzaz, Really Retro

Classic Ink: Melon Mambo

Paper: Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP

Other: Modern Label Punch, Melon Mambo Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Silver Brads, Jumbo Brads, Metal Edged Tag & Clips Assortment

Thank you for stopping by and Happy Stampin'!

Tall Tales Punch Art Book

2009-08-15T18:20:00.023-04:00

Hi Everyone! I would like to share with you the Punch Art On Board Journal that my Hostess Club is making. I got the idea for this cute little book from Angie Kennedy Juda's blog Chic n' Scratch which you can find here. Look under video tutorials.

You'll see that one page of the book features the punch art image fully assembled and the adjoining page features the separate punched pieces needed to create it. This is not only fun to make but it is a great resource for your Stampin' Up! library.

I used a 5"x5" On Board Journal for my version. Since the book starts out with different punched animals I used the Tall Tales Designer Series Papers along with complimentary cardstocks for layering. All supplies are Stampin' Up! Check at the end of this post for a complete supply list.

I chose the frog for the cover because I love the flower design of this sheet of Tall Tales paper. The Old Olive cardstock frog is a perfect compliment to the Rose Red & Brilliant Blue posies. Keep a watch out soon for a Halloween card featuring this little froggie guy.

Punches used for the Frog:

One 1-3/8 " Circle
One Large Oval
Two Small Ovals
One small flower from Boho Blossom punch cut in three pieces for toes
Two 1/2" Circles for whites of eyes
Two 1/4# Circles for black dots of eyes.

The lion is punched from More Mustard and his mane is a Chocolate Chip Scallop Circle punched twice. By twice, I mean that you punch one Chocolate Chip circle and adhere it to a piece of copy paper using Tombow. Slide it into the Scallop Circle punch and turn it slightly so the scallops don't line up flush but instead the point of the scallop is at the top of the curve so that when punched the second time, you are left with the pointed lion's mane.

The tale is made from half of a large oval frame. To make the frame, first punch a Small More Mustard Oval, then punch a Large Oval around the hole left from the Small Oval punch. You will see that I arranged the small and large ovals on my reference page in a way that I will be reminded exactly how I did this.

Punches used for the Lion:

One Scallop Circle punched twice
One 1-3/8" Circle
One 1" Circle
Two 1/2" Circles
One Small Oval
One Large Oval
One small flower from the Boho Blossom punch
Two More Mustard 1/4" Circles
One Chocolate Chip 1/4" Circles

The Hippo did not have a body so I fashioned one for her in much the same manner as the Lion. I used a larger circle punch for her body since hippos are naturally a bit more voluptuous than lions. :O)

I wanted her legs to be longer so I used two Small Ovals which I placed back to back and then trimmed by approximately one-third.

She has a jaw line which is not easy to see in this photograph. Create the jaw line by layering two 1-3/8" Circles slightly offset. Place the Word Window teeth between the two circles for added dimension. Highlight the 1/4" Circle nostrils with a bit of White Signo Gel Pen.

Punches used for the Hippo:

One 1-3/4" Circle
Two 1-3/8" Circles
Two Basic Gray Large Ovals for ears
Two Basic Black Small Ovals for ears
One Large Oval for snout
Two Small Ovals for legs
Two Whisper White 1/4" Circles
Two Basic Black 1/4" Circles
Word Window

Supplies Used for this Project:

Punches as above.
Paper: Tall Tales Designer Series Paper, Old Olive, Rose Red, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, So Saffron, Basic Gray, Basic Black & Whisper White cardstocks
Classic Inks: Old Olive, More Mustard, Basic Gray
White Signo Gel Pen, Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker, 5x5 inch On Board Journal, Regal Rose, So Saffron & Old Olive 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Stamping Sponges

Ruby & Edie

2009-07-03T09:39:00.004-04:00

Thank you for your well wishes for our newest family member - Ruby! Here is a picture of Ruby & I taken by my good friend Victoria. I will keep posting Ruby pics as she grows.

Bella's Bloom

2009-06-27T13:38:00.009-04:00

I CASE'd this card directly from the new catalog! The 2009-2010 Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog will be available to customers beginning July 1. The samples are terrific and easy to re-create, just like this one. Would you like the new Stampin' Up catalog? Receive a free catalog from me just by placing a minimum $25 on-line order from my Stampin' Up! web site here or click on the "Order Online" button at the top right. This offer ends July 31.

Back to this card. The base is Close to Cocoa cut 4-1/4 inches x 11 inches, scored and folded at 5-1/2 inches. The background is layered pieces of Whisper White cardstock, Walk In The Park Designer Series Paper and Cameo Coral cardstock. The flower in the focal image is from the Bella's Bloom stamp set. It is stamped in Cameo Coral on Whisper White and framed by one of the images from the Matchbox Messages set which is currently available in the Occasions Mini Catalog until June 30. The stamped frames were carefully trimmed and mounted separately to a swatch of Close to Cocoa cardstock using Stampin' Dimensionals. A bit of Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon is tied around the card for further embellishment and the sentiment from Bell's Bloom is stamped using Close to Cocoa Classic Ink. I added Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter with a glue pen to add a bit of sparkle. You could change the sentiment on this design for any occasion.

Introducing Miss Ruby

2009-05-26T06:32:00.003-04:00

Hi Stampers,

I just wanted to take a moment to say hello and thank you for the many cards I received expressing your sympathies for the loss of my mother in February and Roscoe in April. Your thoughts & prayers are very much appreciated.

Ruby is the new addition to our family. She is just 8 weeks old and we were lucky to adopt her from Because You Care a no kill rescue organization in Erie, PA. We don't know much about her background but who needs to? She is just adorable and we love her.

Please stop back for more stamping soon. I am getting used to a new camera and will be taking pics to post. Happy Stampin',

Petal Pizzaz for Max

2009-03-04T06:30:00.008-05:00

As many of you know or have figured out by now, I am a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. I have a wonderful supervisor, Max, who inspires me and excites me every day to share my love for Stampin' Up! This card is for Max, My dear Kind & wonderful Friend".

Max challenged me to create six stamped cards and envelopes with one of the new sets found in the 2009 Spring Idea Book & Catalog, Petal Pizzaz (you can find it on page 90). This is the first of those cards. She reminded me how fun it is to stamp a matching envelope with each card too. See below.

I really love how this card turned out. I wanted to use the Riding Hood Red Designer Series Paper that I had in my stash so I went with Riding Hood Red and Kiwi Kiss for the color of my flower and leaves. I am already lamenting the loss of Kiwi Kiss on June 30 when this catalog retires. If you love it as much as I do, be sure to order the Kiwi Kiss Classic Stamp pad and the matching re-inker. Re-inking your Classic Stamp Pads make them last forever. Really. Of course, you will have to order matching cardstock, matching ribbon, matching buttons...LOL

So, anyway, the contrasting color is Basic Black. I have been stuck on using Chocolate Chip for my dark accent color lately, so the Basic Black is a refreshing change and with the matching Black Gingham Ribbon it has a Spring-like feel to it. Well, maybe that's just me hoping for Spring since I woke up to 10 degree weather for the 5th or 6th day in a row. ;O)

A couple of notes on composition. To achieve balance, I positioned this large sentiment toward the top and to the right of the card and the flower at the opposite corner toward the bottom and to the left. The tie of the ribbon is placed to the bottom right on purpose to balance the look of the large sentiment at the top of the card. Adding depth and dimension to your card adds interest for the eye. So much to look at it! I used Stampin' Dimensionals to pop up the sentiment and one Pop Up Glue Dot to adhere the flower. I curled the flower with my bone folder so it wouldn't lay on the card flat.

I use only Stampin' Up! products, so everything I have mentioned here, including adhesives, is available in our catalog and you can shop directly from my web site at www.ediestamps.stampinup.net Order on line now and receive a FREE catalog with every order and a FREE Sale-A-Bration stamp set when you purchase $50 in merchandise.

If you have questions about any technique or product, please email me at edie.bunting@yahoo.com

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Petal Pizazz, All Holidays

Paper: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black & Whisper White cardstock, Riding Hood Red Designer Series Paper

Ink: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss and Basic Black Classic Ink

Other: Kiwi Kiss flower button from the Button Bouquet collection, Linen Thread, Black Gingham ribbon, Silver Brads, Stampin' Dimensionals, Pop Up Glue Dots

Thank you for visiting. Happy Stampin'!

Tangerine Posy

2009-02-03T06:36:00.001-05:00

I am sharing with you another card featuring a retired stamp set, Stemming From. Stemming From is a two-stemp stamp set which allows you to layer lines and colors easily as well as switch out different petals and accents for the flowers.

This is a simple card, but the colors just pop. Tangerine Tango has taken a back seat to Riding Hood Red this year since RHR was the "it" color during the holidays. Now that we are all waiting anxiously for Spring to arrive, I think we should bust out more Tangerine Tango & Kiwi Kiss to really pump up the anticipation. This I say as the weatherman predicts 4-6 more inches today and overnight :D

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Stemming From
Cardstock: Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Versamark
Other: Slot Punch, Tangeine Tango Striped Ribbon

Thanks for stopping by and check out my Stampin' Up! website for special offers and my spring class schedule. EdieB

Fabulous Birthday Card

2009-01-29T06:38:00.005-05:00

This is a simple and pretty birthday card that is fun to stamp and requires few supplies. I believe the color scheme of Basic Grey and Kiwi Kiss is neutral enough that it could pass for a masculine greeting card as well. The pretty Basic Grey Designer Series Paper is from the Urban Garden collection which also includes soothing colors like Baja Breeze and Not Quite Navy-again, very pretty.

This card is a Kiwi Kiss card base with layers of Basic Grey cardstock and Urban Garden Designer Series Paper tied off with an accent of Kiwi Kiss Silk ribbon. For texture & accent, I pierced holes along the bottom edge of the Basic Grey cardstock using the paper piercer from the Stampers' Tool Kit and the Mat Pack. The flower image from the recently retired Fabulous Flowers stamp set is stamped in Kiwi Kiss and the sentiment is from On Your Birthday and stamped in Basic Grey.

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Fabulous Flowers, On Your Birthday
Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Basic Grey, Urban Garden Designer Series Paper
Inks: Kiwi Kiss & Basic Grey Classic Ink
Other: Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Kiwi Kiss Silk Ribbon

Thank you for stopping by & Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Lovely Bird Valentine

2009-01-22T06:38:00.004-05:00

I would like to share another Valentine card with you today. This card is a simpler version of Andrea Walford's pretty Valentine which you can see here. My card doesn't have the bling of Andrea's card, but it does have a simple elegance that I think will make your sweetheart smile.

The bird leaves and stem are die cut from Chocolate Chip Cardstock using the Sizzix Bird w/ Leaves Bigz die and Big Shot die cut & embossing machine. I used the Scallop Edge punch for the Chocolate Chip border an the paper is from the Candy Lane Designer Series pack. The sentiment is from Baroque Motifs.

Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Baroque Motifs
Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Candy Lane Designer Series Paper
Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic Ink
Other: Sizzix Bird with Leaves Bigz die, Big Shot, Scallop Edge Punch

Thank you for visiting. EdieB

Love You More

2009-01-18T13:43:00.003-05:00

Here is a romantic rendition of the Love You Much stamp set accompanied by Candy Lane Designer Series Paper that is currently offered at 20% percent of the catalog price when trio'd with the Heart to Heart Punch. Click here to see more details and shop now.

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Love You Much
Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla, Candy Lane Designer Series Paper
Ink: Riding Hood Red
Other: Heart to Heart Punch, Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Thank you for visiting and Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Love You Much

2009-01-07T07:00:00.004-05:00

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and with this cold weather we are having I think stamping Valentine's cards is the perfect diversion to the thoughts of going outside to a zero degree wind chill factor. To sweeten the deal, Stampin' Up! is helping to put the love into your Valentine's Day this year by offering the Love You Much Bundle a 20% savings off a brand new stamp set, paper and punch that will be offered in the upcoming Spring/Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalog. For just $41.48 (plus s/h & tx) you receive the six-piece Love You Much stamp set, the new coordinating Heart To Heart Punch and Candy Lane Designer Series Paper. Order yours here. Or click the Love You Much icon at the left.

To make this card above for your sweetie or best friend, just follow this recipe:

Stamp Sets: Love You Much
Cardstock: Candy Lane Designer Series Paper, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Ink: Riding Hood Red
Other: Heart to Heart Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Riding Hood Red & Pretty In Pink Taffeta Ribbons, Gold Brads, Stampin' Dimensionals

Keep Warm & Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Winter Red

2008-12-21T14:03:00.004-05:00

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

2008-12-17T06:22:00.007-05:00

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

2008-12-13T07:27:00.003-05:00

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

2008-12-09T06:47:00.005-05:00

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

2008-12-03T06:46:00.005-05:00

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

2008-11-29T09:02:00.007-05:00

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

2008-11-25T17:45:00.004-05:00

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

2008-11-24T06:27:00.005-05:00

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

2008-11-22T08:06:00.003-05:00

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

2008-11-13T15:57:00.003-05:00

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

2008-11-13T15:31:00.004-05:00

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

2008-10-31T06:32:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-23T07:00:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-20T06:32:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-10T06:55:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-08T17:21:00.004-04:00

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

2008-10-03T06:54:00.007-04:00

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

2008-09-25T06:37:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-12T06:30:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-10T17:48:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-16T16:56:00.008-04:00

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

2008-07-13T10:58:00.008-04:00

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

2008-07-10T19:07:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-08T06:42:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-07-04T20:12:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-01T16:34:00.003-04:00

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

2008-06-29T19:30:00.009-04:00

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

2008-06-27T07:08:00.004-04:00

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

2008-06-25T07:41:00.005-04:00

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

2008-06-22T18:16:00.010-04:00

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!

2008-06-21T06:49:00.006-04:00

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

2008-04-29T06:31:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-04-15T18:13:00.011-04:00

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

2008-04-12T08:03:00.005-04:00

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

2008-04-08T19:41:00.007-04:00

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

2008-04-07T06:27:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-04-04T06:31:00.011-04:00

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

Gracie Mae - A True Friend

2008-04-02T06:41:00.003-04:00

Today's featured stamper is one of my very best friends, Grace. Grace & I met at our local scrapbook store, the Scrapbook Studio, when we took a scrapbook class together. We later ran into each other at a Stampin' Up stamp camp at which we spent the entire day together. We quickly hit it off, having the same sense of humour and dry wit. We really enjoy our time stamping together. We attended a scrapbook weekend at Wilderness Lodge last year that got a bit hairy at times, because I am orderly and Gracie is unmanaged chaos. I copped an attitude when her chaos would creep into my order. She surprised me the next morning at breakfast when she was wearing a t-shirt that said something like "keep your order out of my chaos". ROFLOL You see, we understand & love each other despite are differences! We are going on an adventure again this May when we will attend the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Buffalo. Look us up if you are there!

So, anyway, this True Friend birthday card is an example of Grace's handiwork. She found this sample in a magazine and CASE'd it. She is a very accomplished stamper and this card shows just that. Here is the recipe to CASE this yourself:

Stamp Sets: True Friend and I'm not sure from which set is the sentiment.
Papers: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Soft Sky & Blue Bayou
Inks: Certainly Celery, Soft Sky & Blue Bayou
Other: Bold Brights Brad, Blue Bayou Double-Stitched Ribbon

Thank you for sharing your card with us Gracie. Look for more featured stampin' friends in the future. For now, have a great day and Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Stampin' Sisters Program

2008-04-01T06:49:00.003-04:00

Hi Everyone! Sorry I haven't posted. I am just really busy. Today, I would like to share with you this wonderful cards sent to me by my Utah Diva Stampin' Sister, Terry J. To read more about the Stampin' Sisters program and this gorgeous card, click here.

I will be back tomorrow with a card from one of my friends, Gracie, so please stop by to see what's coming!

Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Just One More

2008-03-18T06:22:00.003-04:00

I'm sorry, but Live Your Dream is my new favorite set; that is until Wednesday, when I hope to see Mr. Brown at my doorstep with a SU package. I broke down and ordered a few more things from the Occasions Mini Collection. If I recall correctly, I ordered By Ones & By Twos, In The Stars, more Afternoon Tea DSP, and Carousel Notes, which I am really excited about. So, anyway, my stash of new goodies should be here just in time for the long holiday weekend.

Getting back to the task at hand, you will see that I have yet another card creation from the Live Your Dream set to share with you today. Looking at this card again, it occurs to me that the sentiment will be perfect for all of those graduation cards you will be needing in just a month or so; another reason why this is such a practical set to own.

Anyway, to make this card, I used a Groovy Guava base cut at 4-1/4 x 11 (again), scored and folded in half. The first mat is Chocolate Chip and Afternoon Tea DSP. I've used an entire package of the Afternoon Tea and had to order more. ;-) The flower image was stamped on Whisper White card stock in Groovy Guava and Chocolate Chip using the ink-direct-to-paper technique. Since the In Colors are not offered in Stampin' Write Markers, use a Groovy Guava re-inker and blender pen to color the rubber and then fill in the middle with Chocolate Chip using a Stampin' Write Marker. Remember, when applying different colors to a stamp, start with the light colors and work your way from dark to darkest. Next, stamp the sentiment directly on the flower using Chocolate Chip and snip the corners of the Whisper White using the Ticket Corner Punch. Adhere the focal image using Stampin' Dimensionals on a mat of Soft Sky and Chocolate Chip. Punch holes at each corner using the 1/16 Handheld Circle Punch and insert brads. I think I used Silver here from the new Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware collection which you can find here in the Occasions Mini. Next, using the 3/16 Corner Rounder with the guard removed, punch a scallop edge on a piece of the DSP and then slip a ribbon around. I used Chocolate Chip taffeta here. Finally, adhere these pieces to the card base.

I hope you enjoyed this card. Thanks for stopping by. Happy Stampin', EdieB

An Embossed Good Egg

2008-03-13T06:40:00.004-04:00

This is an absolute CASE from a very talented stamper Amy Celona. Check out her blog here. You are going to want to bookmark Amy's blog. It is full of jaw-dropping ideas. She is a Wow stamper.

You can make this card too. I changed up a few minor details from Amy's but this card is rather simple to make when you have all the right Stampin' Up! supplies.

I used a half sheet of River Rock cardstock for the base card. The half sheet is cut in half 4-1/4 x 11 inches, scored and fold up and down. Stamp the large egg from the A Good Egg stamp set with Versamark and sprinkle with Gold Embossing Powder. Heat to melt the embossing powder, cut out using your paper snips and set aside. Stamp the large filigree stamp from Baroque Motifs with Versamark on the sky blue filigree paper from the Spring Silhouettes Designer Series Paper pack. Again, quickly sprinkle with Gold Embossing Powder and heat to melt. Snip the corners of this layer with the Ticket Corner Punch. This makes a nice indentation to fit a brad and adds a bit of interest for the eye. Next, I stamped a saying from Refuge & Strength which is a nice companion set to A Good Egg. I used River Rock to stamp the saying, but I think I would emboss the sentiment in Gold Embossing powder next time, like Amy's card. The River Rock is pretty and soft, but a bit harder to read. Layer the stamped Spring Silhouettes paper on Soft Sky cardstock and embellish with a gold brad in each corner. Adhere to the card base.

This is a beautiful Easter Card, but don't think that either of these sets are limited to using for the Spring holiday. I have ideas for these cards for babies, birthdays, friendship, support & sympathy cards.

Happy Stampin'! Thanks for looking. Check out Amy's web site. EdieB

Roscoe's Snowy Weekend

2008-03-09T10:20:00.008-04:00

Where in the heck is Roscoe? I don't know what the attraction is, but Roscoe can't seem to stop bury his head in the snow. LOL

He jumps in and out and then sticks his head all the way under. He is so fun! After about 20 minutes of more of the same, his face is caked with little frozen snow balls. He doesn't seem to mind though; as soon as Jim heads for the front door, Roscoe is ready to go out and do it all over again.

Speaking of Jim. He has spent his entire weekend shoveling and running the snow-blower. Thank goodness for him, though. He has done a great job keeping ahead of it and keeping us clear to get out if we need to.

I don't mind spending the weekend at home. I find it relaxing and I have been in touch with my stampin' friends all over the globe by email & by phone.

Thanks for stopping by. Stay warm & Happy Stampin'! EdieB

More Dreamy Flowers

2008-03-04T17:36:00.008-05:00

I think I mentioned a couple of posts back that I am in Love with the Afternoon Tea Designer Series Paper in Stampin' Up!'s Occasions Mini Catalog.

These are my creations using the Afternoon Tea and Live Your Dream stamp set. They are both elegant yet bright & fresh to give you the feel that Spring is right around the corner. I used SU!'s textured cardstock along with the DSP to give these cards an even more polished look.

For the card to the left, I layered the DSP on Chocolate Chip cardstock and then mounted that onto the In Color Groovy Guava card which I made using the textured cardstock. To stamp the multi-color flowered, I used a Chocoloate Chip Stampin' Write Marker for the stem, leaves and flower center. The 2008 In Color Collection does not include markers, but not to worry. I used a re-inker with a blender pen to brush the color on the flower petals. I then carefully outlined the edge of the flower petals with Chocolate Chip to get the variegated look around the edges. I mounted the flower on Chocolate Chip and punched holes in the corners with the 1/16 inch hand-held paper punch so I could knot a bit of natural hemp as an accent at each corner.

A couple of tips: Breathe on your colors before stamping when using this technique to ensure the inks are still moist. When making several cards using the same design, be sure to clean your stamp thoroughly in between stamping so your colors are not muddied. Also, color light to dark as I mentioned above: first apply the Groovy Guava to the petal then the Chocolate Chip around the edges. A good feature of the blender pen is that you can also clean that thoroughly on a scrap of paper in between uses.

The blue card to the right is similar with just a few changes. The DSP is layered on Blue Bayou cardstock and mounted on a Soft Sky textured cardstock base. I used blender pens to brush on Wild Wasabi and Blue Bayou ink. I used re-inkers again since these are both 2008 In Colors. I did not add a variegated look to this image since I used a darker color for the petals. I did however, stamp the little butterfly from Live Your Dream set using Soft Sky ink. I cut him out and then pressed him into a Versamark pad and sprinkled him with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder. I don't think you can really see the sparkly little butterfly well in this picture, but I think you can see that I did not adhere his wings to the card. I tried to get adhesive mainly on his tiny little body so I could pinch his wings up when he is displayed. This adds a bit of texture and interest when looking at it. To further embellish, I slipped a bit of Blue Bayou Double-Stitched ribbon through a Hodge Podge Hardware buckle and wrapped that around the flower base. I then adhered all of this to the card and, to add balance, punched two holes to the top right side using the 1/16 hand-held punch again so I could push through two matching brads from the hardware kit. These kits come in three colors in the catalog: Aged Copper, Antique Brass, & Pewter. I believe I used Antique Brass here. There is a gorgeous Styled Silver set in the Occasions Mini Catalog. You can see a sample of the Styled Silver a couple of posts back here on my blog.

Well, thanks for visiting. I'm off to work this morning. Have a wonderful day & happy stampin'! EdieB

Circle Box

2008-03-01T17:44:00.008-05:00

Happy March 1! We are that much closer to Spring which will bring green grass, flowers, sunshine and renewal of spirit. For me, Easter is a time for reflection and anticipation for the coming Summer. In reflecting, I can't help but think how thankful I am for my DH Jim, my baby boy Roscoe, and my friends. I have made some of the best friends through Stampin' Up! I told you last week how fortunate I was to have friends in Kim & Jen and how Jen & I met by accident chatting about Stampin' Up! on line. Jen & I shared a wonderful experience attending our first Stampin' Up! convention together. Another person we met by accident is our now dear friend Marie. We met chatting on a forum where SU! demonstrators were exchanging hotel information so we could seek each other out as soon as we arrived in Salt Lake City, home to Stampin' Up. Marie is a Canadian girl who was staying at the same hotel as Jen & I. She was traveling by herself, so I invited her to hang out with us. Well, we hit it off within the first minute. Marie is soooo sweet. We love her. Marie is the angel who introduced us to the ladies of Utah Divas International. Since then, I have been a member of the group and have formed wonderful friendships. These gals are my stampin' sisters. We are a growing group of demonstrators who provide business support, share ideas, and enjoy each other's friendship. If you haven't already, check out our blog. Email me directly at jim.edie@roadrunner.com if you are interested in learning more about the Divas and possibly joining our group. One of our newest Divas is Andrea Walford. Andrea is a very talented stamper. She has been holding an Easter Tutorial Blitz on her blog. Check out Andrea's blog here. Day 1 of her tutorial blitz featured this circle box. Andrea posted easy to follow step-by-step directions and photos. This is my result from her inspiration. I used the same stamp set, A Good Egg, but switched out the So Saffron cardstock for Soft Sky. I changed the belly band a little bit too. I started with a 1-3/4 inch x 11 inch strip of Whisper White cardstock and made one edge scalloped using the Corner Rounder punch with the guard removed. I then used the piercing tool and mat pack to pierce holes along the opposite edge which adds a nice touch of texture. I slipped a strip of Old Olive Cardstock behind it to add a splash of color and finished it off with a 1-1/2 inch strip of paper from the Fall Flowers Designer Series Paper pack. I thought I had it bad for Berry Bliss and now I can't get away from the Fall Flowers paper. It goes with everything! Yikes. :O) Anyway, for the box background, I stamped the flowers from the Good Egg set all over in a random pattern and, like Andrea, I used the Signo Gel pen to fill in the flower centers. For the focal image, I stamped the cute little chick from the same set with Black Stazon and colored him using the So Saffron re-inker and a blender pen. I punched out this little guy using the 1-3/8 inch circle punch and mounted him on scallop circles one of Soft Sky and one of Old Olive. He is attached to the belly band with Stampin' Dimensionals to pop him up a bit. This close up is a bit fuzzy, but I think it gives you a better view of the detail. What do you think? I can't wait to see what Andrea posts next. Thanks for stopping by again and happy stampin'! I'm off to stamp a matching card. EdieB

Live Your Dream

2008-02-26T17:39:00.013-05:00

Isn't it an exciting time of year at Stampin' Up!? Sale-A-Bration is in full swing and in just a few days you can order from the Occasions Mini Collection too. During the Sale-A-Bration promotion, you can earn free stamp sets not offered at any other time just by making a purchase, hosting a workshop or becoming a demonstrator. There are five sets to choose from and, new this year, you can also choose a limited edition pack of rub-ons. This "Thanks" card was made using Live Your Dream which is one of the stamp sets offered in the Occasions Mini Collection. You can view the Occasions Mini catalog here and place an order from it beginning March 1. And, for every $50 of merchandise you order, you can pick a free set from the Sale-A-Bration collection. Also used for this project is the new Afternoon Tea Designer Series Paper which nicely complements the Live Your Dream set. Afternoon Tea features a soft Victorian style in the 2007/2008 In Colors: Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky, Groovy Guava and Classic Chocolate Chip-this year's new black. And, yes, the close up shot is showing off the new Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware which is even more gorgeous IRL. The Styled Silver hardware includes five different label holders and five different jumbo brads each with a different etched design. I don't know if I will actually use any of the etched brads; they may be an item that I will have to hoard. ;-} You understand. Right? All in all you receive 100 pieces of hardware and 100 matching silver brads in the new Styled Silver collection. The label holders can be used with your small oval punch, round punch, square punch, and designer label punch. Yes, I'm crazy for Stampin' Up! punches. As I mentioned in a previous post, I am concentrating on building my collection of birthday cards. I thought this card would work nicely for a birthday, thank you, get well or just to say hello. The flowers are the focal image in the Live Your Dream set. I used blender pens and re-inkers to color directly on the rubber in Wild Wasabi & Soft Sky. I then barely outlined the flowers with Blue Bayou to give the flowers the variegated look. I tied off the card with Wild Wasabi Double-Stitched Ribbon which is held in place with two small notches I made using the Horizontal Slot Punch. As I said, I am crazy for Stampin' Up! punches since they are such great tools for stamping & scrapbooking. Use punches to add a bit of detail like the notches or a scalloped card edge using a corner rounder. This finishing touches are what make your hand-crafted project truly a special one.

Thank you for visiting & happy stampin'! EdieB

Birthday Hugs & Wishes

2008-02-20T06:24:00.005-05:00

I'm finding myself very short of birthday cards. Who would think that I could possibly run out of birthday cards when I spend most of my free time stamping? So, my goal for the next week is to work on some new birthday card designs. Since it is cold & snowy here in Erie, PA, and the weekend forecast shows much of the same, I should have plenty of time to relax and stamp!

This is a cute card that would be perfect for one of your best girlfriends. The ribbons are a fun and easy added embellishment to make your hand-crafted greeting that much more special.

It is also a fun project to make, but then again, what stamping project isn't fun? To make this card, I used the Year After Year stamp set. This versatile set of eight stamps provides you with an image for every holiday or celebration throughout the year. The hand-sketched style of artwork also makes for an easy stamped image. You can simply ink and stamp, as I did, or you can choose to color with markers, water color crayons, or ink & water color brush. The greeting is from the Hugs & Wishes set. These two sets would be a perfect combination for the beginner stamper's first purchase too.

I actually chose the ribbons from my stash before I chose the cardstock colors. I decided on Close to Cocoa, Taken with Teal, Pumpkin Pie and Very Vanilla Cardstock to compliment the Pumpkin Pie & Close to Cocoa grosgrain ribbons and Mellow Moss gingham ribbon. It sounds funky but I think it works.

I stamped the Taken with Teal mat with the Canvas BG and Taken with Teal classic ink to give the layer added texture. I used Pumpkin Pie and Taken with Teal Stampin' Write markers to apply ink direct to the flower stamp and then used a blender pen with Wild Wasabi ink refill to add the green for the flower stem. You actually have a marker in every color when you use liquid or refill ink and a blender pen. Very handy. Two gold brads in the corner completes my birthday card.

I hope you like it. Thanks for visiting and happy stampin'! EdieB

Jen B Guest Stamper

2008-02-13T06:38:00.013-05:00

Anyone will tell you that the best thing about being part of Stampin' Up! is the friendships you grow. The picture to the left is from the Stampin' Up! Convention in Denver last summer. From the left are my roomates, Kim W (CraftDoc), Jennifer B (JenB) & then me :o- And the silly picture below is just one of many, many self-portraits taken that week. Jen is an expert at self-portraits. She set us up and click - perfect pics of stampers at their best & sometimes their worst which is what makes it so fun. LOL We had a great time together; Kim & Jen were awesome roommates. I am hoping we can do it all again this year! These ladies are not only fun friends, but they are very talented stampers and paper crafters. Kim literally knows every technique in the book, and she actually wrote the book. You will find her upload of technique instructions on SCS and her blog here. Which brings me to the introduction of my Guest Stamper today, JenB. Jen first emailed me when she saw a post of mine on SCS and my location listed as Erie, PA. Jen is from the nearby town of Waterford, about 30 minutes from my house. We chatted by email and decided that we would go to our first Stampin' Up! convention together. It was the greatest experience going with Jennifer. I can't tell you how exciting it was for us to be at our first convention. Stampin' Up! does it up in style and provides constant entertainment and information. You leave convention with your head swimming and you can't wait to get home to try all of the new techniques & ideas the SU team shares with you. So, since then Jen & I have been great friends and she keeps me up-to-date with all the latest punch art & folds. The cards shown here are just a sampling of Jen's handi-work. Isn't this just the most beautiful Dahlia Fold you ever saw? Again, the Berry Bliss paper scores and the Cerise is stunning, bright & fresh. Now Cerise is the one Designer Series Paper offered by Stampin' Up! that I really had no interest in buying. It just is not my style. I feel the Really Red is over-powering in this paper. Well, now that I have seen what Jen did with it, I HAVE to have it. LOL Has that every happened to you? ;-) If you would like to try your hand at the Dahlia fold technique, find the instructions here. Thanks for visiting my blog and a big thanks to Jen for sharing her beautiful cards. EdieB

Burrrrrrr It's Finally Winter in Erie, PA

2008-02-11T06:51:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday Stampers! It's finally winter in Erie, PA. We have been blessed with abnormally mild temperatures thus far. On Saturday, the arctic air hit. We are now enjoying a balmy 6 degrees with wind chills hitting -20. What do you do when going outside promises frost bite to your exposed areas? :-0 You stamp!

So, this is a picture of the Joy Fold Booklet which I found under the projects area of the Scor-Pal web site. If you would like to see more pictures and where to find the instructions, please visit my stamping sisters at Utah Divas International Blog. When you see the variety of projects being posted every day, you will surely want to add UDI to your favorites. Have a great Monday. Keep warm! EdieB

Happy Heart Day!

2008-02-06T19:23:00.000-05:00

After seeing everyone stamp this cute little elephant from Happy Heart Day on Prints Designer Series Papers, I just had to try it for myself. This is was one of those fun stamp sets that can become your best loved set quickly. It is just so fun to see this guy in different colors. Which color do you like best?

And, like Season of Joy from the Holiday mini, Happy Heart Day has everything a stamper could want in a set, the cute focal image, great sentiments, a mini tag, something round to punch out, and a couple of stamps that can be used to make custom backgrounds. So, you're DH would have to agree that Happy Heart Day would be a wise purchase. LOL

Anyway, to make these cards I started off with Soft Sky cardstock cut 4-1/4 x 11 inches and scored in half so the card opens bottom over top. I then layered Prints Designer Series Paper in either Rose Red or River Rock onto Blue Bayou. You will see a scallop border between these layers. To make this border, punch a hole in a scrap of cardstock using the 1-3/8 inch circle punch and then carefully line up the scallop punch around the hole to punch out a scalloped ring. Snip the ring and carefully work the paper with your fingers to straighten it out a bit. Apply adhesive to the edge of the wrong side of the DSP and adhere the scalloped edge to the paper. Nifty and easy trick.

To finish the card, stamp the focal image twice-once on DSP and once on neutral cardstock. Trim the elephant from the DSP and adhere it over top of the elephant on the neutral cardstock. Color in the heart flowers and grass with Stampin' Write Markers and then apply a bit of Crystal Effects to the hearts to give them texture & shine. Finally, stamp and color the flower image and punch it out using the 1 inch circle punch. Layer that onto a 1-1/4 inch circle and then again on a 1-3/8 circle. Adhere the circle layers to the card using Stampin' Dimensionals and finish the look with coordinating Double-Stitched In Color Ribbon.

I hope you enjoy these cards as much as I have sharing them with you. Thank you for visiting & Happy Stampin'! EdieB

My Baroque Valentine

2008-02-02T08:24:00.000-05:00

I find myself reaching for Baroque Motifs more and more. The swirls can be elegant or playful. Don't you just love it when you find a set that is this versatile? You can actually rationalize your stamping purchase. LOL Anyway, one of the first sets I ordered from the Stampin' Up! Spring~Summer Collection was Always. I love the way the heart and bird are accented with the intricate flower & ivy pattern; and, of course, I thought it would be a nice complement set to my coveted Baroque Motifs. The base of this card is a half sheet of Pretty In Pink cardstock scored and folded in half. The layers are Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla and Pretty in Pink, but it is important not to assemble the matted layers until you are finished with all of your stamping.
You can see in this close up that the Baroque pattern matches up on the two separate pieces of Very Vanilla even with the Pretty In Pink inbetween. You can do this two ways. Stamp one piece of Very Vanilla with the pattern and then use a hand punch to punch a out a portion; mat it on a colored piece of cardstock covering the holes you made from punching; and then mount the layers lining up the Baroque image. I wanted larger layers, so I actually cut out two separate pieces of Very Vanilla: one 3-3/4 inches x 5 inches; and the other 2 inches x 4 inches. I eyed up the placement of the smaller piece on the larger piece; adhered them together using removable adhesive and then stamped them all at once. Next, I mounted the smaller piece on Pretty In Pink and adhered it to the larger piece which is very easy to line up to the stamped image. To finish my Valentine, I stamped the heart on Vanilla in Pretty In Pink; cut it out and roughed up the edges with my Stampin' Up! Cutter Kit; matted it on Chocolate Chip and adhered it to my card with Stampin' Dimensionals. Accented with Pretty In Pink tafetta ribbon and you have yourself such a pretty Valentine. I love the final result. I think it would be a great card for a Birthday, Anniversary or Wedding too. Again, what a smart purchase I made ;-} Thanks for stopping by my blog! Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Berry Bliss One of A Kind

2008-01-29T06:27:00.001-05:00

My favorite new Designer Series Paper is definitely Berry Bliss-well, this week anyway. Look at the colors. They just explode: Purely Pomegranate, Pretty In Pink, Close To Cocoa and Chocolate Chip-sounds and looks yummy.

This card is inspired by so many great designs I've seen blogging and visiting Splitcoast Stampers. To make this card start with a Close to Cocoa card base and layer strips of Berry Bliss Designer Series Paper accented with a slip of knotted Close to Cocoa 1/4 inch grosgrain ribbon and adhere to the card base. Stamp the large flower from the One of a Kind set in Purely Pomegranate and the smaller flower trio in Purely Pomegranate and then again in Close to Cocoa. Stamp the sentiment in Close to Cocoa and the single 1/2 inch flower in Purely Pomegranate. Don't worry about cutting out all of these little flowers. Stampin' Up! has a brand new punch which coordinates with One of a Kind-the Boho Blossoms punch. Next punch out the sentiment using the Designer Label punch and layer onto a Purely Pomegranate 1 3/8 inch circle. There is a bit of hand trimming for the large flower, but you can save time by punching in between each point by using the 3/4 inch circle punch as shown here in this picture. For the focal embellishment, I layered the large flower with a Cocoa flower from the Boho Blossoms trio and topped it off with the 1/2 inch flower and the Build-A-Brad. Here is a close up of the Build-A-Brad. Did you know that any 1/2 inch image can be used in the Build-A-Brad? Even better, you can just punch anything out anything with the 1/2 inch punch and make a brad from it. The possibilities are endless.

Thanks for visiting. Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Spring Solitude Catty Case

2008-01-27T13:01:00.000-05:00

Did you know the Stampin' Up! Spring~Summer Collection 2008 catalog has over 300 project ideas? It is a great resource for you to exercise your creative skills. You can CASE (Copy And Share Everything) a project exactly or make a few changes to a published project and make it your own style. Stampin' Up! makes it super easy for you to CASE their pictured projects exactly since they list all supplies & colors used for each project under the Index & Supplies section of the catalog. The card that I made using the new hostess Spring Solitude Bundle is shown in the catalog on page 22 with an Old Olive card base. You see that I simply made this card my own by switching out the Old Olive for Groovy Guava and I used Groovy Guava Double Stitched Ribbon tied through a folded 1 3/8 inch circle punch instead of a jumbo brad for the embellishment at the lower right. I have a tip to show you for making the half circle embellishment for your cards and scrapbook pages. To ensure that your circle is folded neatly in half, first score the cardstock using the channel from your paper trimmer as a guide. Then, line up the score line at the middle of the circle and punch. Voila! a perfectly folded half circle-fuss free.

Well, thanks for taking a peek into my stamping world. Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Altered Clipboards

2008-01-12T09:43:00.000-05:00

Gracie Mae & I went to Buffalo for a Scrapbooks 'n' Stickers day with Kim Hughes. Kim is the proprietor of Scrapbooks 'n' Stickers. Her website is currently under construction, but I believe it will be live this week so keep checking back. I found Kim Hughes at a Creating Keepsakes Convention two summers ago, when I took one of her 12x12 layout classes. Her designs are fun, fresh and use all the cool new embellishments. She is a distributor for Junkitz and Tim Holtz and her new web site will have Tim doing video projects. I can't wait.

Well, anyway, when I received an email invitation to attend an entire day of scrapbooking with Kim in Buffalo, I did not hesitate; and believe me, she did not disappoint. We did three 12 x 12 layouts using all the latest and greatest scrapbooking stuff; we made cards and an altered clip board; plus, she sent us home with enough stuff to make more cards, a bookmark and a cute door hanger.

One of Kim's signature projects and one of my favorites is making altered clipboards. We made a cute Christmas themed board at her scrapbook day on which I displayed Roscoe's Christmas picture. After making Kim's project, I was inspired to make my own clipboard with Stampin' Up! papers & ribbons. I made one using the new Bali Breeze Double-Sided Designer Series Paper and another one using the new Ginger Blossom papers. The accompanying cards were stamped using the Fabulous Flowers set which is available in the current Stampin' Up! catalog.

To make a clipboard of your own, you need to cut paper strips of several different widths and long enough to just wrap around to the back of the clipboard. You also need to cut several different ribbons, again, long enough to reach around to the back of the clipboard and some shorter lengths to tie through the clip for added fluff.

Adhere the paper strips to the clipboard with glue stick. My tip for you is to rub the glue stick directly on the clipboard and be very generous about it. Then lay your paper strips onto the glue-coated clipboard and smooth it down so there are no air bubbles. Use mono adhesive to adhere the ribbons. Apply the mono adhesive directly to your ribbon strips and position them at the seams where the papers meet. As I mentioned the papers and ribbons should be long enough to just reach around to the back of the clipboard so that you can then cover all the ends by adhering a piece of cardstock over the back-again with glue stick.

I hope you enjoyed this fun project. Thank you for visiting. EdieB

We Have A Winner!

2008-01-05T08:10:00.001-05:00

Roscoe had a really difficult time deciding the blog candy winner. A couple of the New Year's resolutions had him ROFLOL, like Cindy's "My resolution is to use up my huge stash of craft stuff before buying more." This was a recurring theme which had him totally out of control at one point since he knows that the best part of crafting is SHOPPING for craft stuff and, of course, hoarding it. I have taught him well. He was confused by JenMarie's resolution to "Stamp More, Eat Less!" Roscoe gets the Stamp More part, but he will have absolutely nothing to do with the Eat Less. He is a very good eater :O)

Other great resolutions included exercising and learning to shake off the small stuff. Some stampers plan to focus on quality time with friends & family and making time for prayer and Bible study. These are all great resolutions and we wish you the best in maintaining them through the coming year.

Okay, now for the winner, Cheryl from Madison, WI wrote: "My new year's resolution is to donate at least $1000 to the Crohn's and Colits Foundation. Since I'm a SAHM with no income, I will achieve my goal by not buying any craft supplies (except adhesive and page protectors) for an entire year. I did something similar to this a few years ago, and I know that even though it will be hard, I can do it." You can visit Cheryl's blog here where she has a link to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation site. This site offers more information about this terrible disease and you can make a donation to help Cheryl reach her goal. Roscoe & I will help her along by sending her blog candy so she can keep on stampin' and scrappin through her efforts to raise funds. Thanks so much for your entry Cheryl and good luck on achieving your New Year's resolution (please email your snail mail at jim.edie@roadrunner.com).

Thank you everyone for playing and Happy Stampin'! EdieB

A Card & Blog Candy

2008-01-03T20:14:00.001-05:00

Looking to the right of my blog page, you will see that I've hit my first one thousand posts. As such and in the true spirit of blogging, I would like to celebrate by sharing a new card project and giving away blog candy. First, the card: This card is a CASE of a sample shown on page 11 of the 2008 Stampin' Up! Spring~Summer Collection. You probably already know that Stampin' Up's Idea Book & Catalogs from years past have won many awards-not only for their collection of great merchandise but also for their jaw dropping project samples. The 2008 Spring-Summer Collection is no different. Each project is better than the one before. I just can't wait to try them all. And, oh boy, my wish list of stamps is longer than, well-you get the idea.

Anyway, this card started out as a CASE of the card on page 11. The base of the card is Old Olive cardstock and it measures 6 1/4 x 3 1/4 inches. I stamped the flowers from A Beautiful Thing in Old Olive on the base card. Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon is wrapped around four matted layers of Purely Pomegranate cardstock and Bali Breeze Designer Series Paper. I used a corner rounder punch with the guard off to make a scallop edge on the bottom most piece of Pomegranate which I think creates a nice framing atop the tiny stamped flowers along the card's bottom edge. The flower embellishments are stamped on Whisper White cardstock in Purely Pomegranate, Pumpkin Pie & Old Olive and then cut out separately, assembled and attached with an Old Olive brad. I know it is tons of hand-cutting, but all of the layers add dimension and texture which keeps your eye moving from element to element. Again, the colors in the Spring~Summer Collection are just dazzling and so refreshing in the middle of a snowy winter.

Now for the blog candy: This blog candy consists of some brand spankin' new rubbah-the recently retired Event Full Hostess Set, a set of 240 scrapbook buttons in a handy storage case, Making Memories Baby Firsts Eyelet Phrases, Imaginations Flower Clips, Heidi Swapp Photo Corners in a handy storage tin, and Pebbles Inc. I Kandee Twine. To win this humble pile of scrappin & stampin good time, please leave a comment sharing with me your New Year's resolution and how you plan to keep it. Roscoe will serve as Blog Candy Judge and will award the aforementioned prize tomorrow afternoon, so tune in then! Thanks so much for stopping by and Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Bali Breeze & A Beautiful Thing

2007-12-28T09:37:00.000-05:00

It has been so dreary in Erie, PA this week, that I had to bust out the new Stampin' Up! Bali Breeze Designer Series Paper and put some color back into our world. The layout for this card is based on this week's Splitcoast sketch challenge , which called for a very simply border and a circle with the top cut off. The ways to use it challenge was to use Stazon waterproof ink, so I combined the two challenges and came up with this card.

For the focal image embellishment, I stamped the flower from A Beautiful Thing three times on watercolor paper with StazonOn and colored them using an Aquabrush and Groovy Guava Classic Ink, then set these aside to dry. I stamped the smaller flower image in Tempting Turquoise on Whisper White cardstock and punched a 1/8 inch hole in the middle of each flower before cutting them out. You will find that it is much easier to punch the hole before cutting since these flowers are soooo tiny. I then inserted a Turquoise Rhinestone Brad through both flowers for a layered look; outlined the flowers with liquid glue and sprinkled a heavy amount of Dazzling Diamonds over the entire flower. These were then set aside to dry completely before adhering to card.

The card base is layered mats of Bali Breeze DSP on Pumpkin Pie cardstock. The circle is cut using the Coluzzle cutting system from the same piece of Bali Breeze, but I adhered it to the mat so that the opposite side shows. Before adhering to the River Rock card base, I tied a piece of Groovy Guava Double-Stitched ribbon around the matted layers and stamped the sentiment using Black Stazon ink just under the ribbon and to the right of center. Once the flowers were dry, I adhered them to the card with glue dots with two of the flowers to the left and one to the right. The flowers not only add dimension but they provide a finished balance to the focal image.

Even though the camera skills are rough, I think the picture fairly depicts the paper's bright colors and Dazzling Diamond accents. This was a really fun sketch challenge. I think I may go off and make another. I've been dying to do something with my Moose You set and this may just be the perfect layout for what I have in mind. Thanks for looking, EdieB

Happy Holidays

2007-12-25T07:01:00.001-05:00

Happy Holidays from Roscoe. Hope you are having a wonderul holiday. I am enjoying spending time with my DH and my big boy-Roscoe. He is a bit out of sorts since we have been home for the past 4 days and not allowing for his quality sleep time. But, you have to admit, he does take a lovely photograph. TFL, EdieB

Holiday Post-It Notes

2007-12-20T06:46:00.000-05:00

Angie Juda at Chic n' Scratch shared the instructions with me to make this fast & easy post-it note holder. Check out Angie's blog. She updates often with adorable projects & cards. Very fun blog to visit. Anyway, for my post it note, I used Real Red and River Rock cardstock layered with my favorite Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper - Dashing. I might as well warn you now. I am already thinking about what I can do with the Dashing paper over the Valentine's Day holiday. Dashing isn't just for Christmas anymore! :O)

I used the Merry Christmas sentiment from Tags on Board, stamped in Real Red Classic Ink on Very Vanilla cardstock. Next, I punched the image out with the large oval punch and trimmed it down a bit smaller so I could mount it on a large oval if Old Olive cardstock. I adhered these together and embellish with gold brads and used Stampin' Dimensionals to pop it up on the cover. I plan to sneak these to my co-workers desks today as yet another Secret Santa gift.

To make your own post-its, cut your cardstock 8 1/2 x 3 3/8 inches. You can get 3 post-its from one piece of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock. Fold this in half and crimp at the middle about 2 inches. Embellish as you wish and you are done!

Thank you for stopping by my blog again & a BIG thank you to Angie for sharing this fun project with me. Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Secret Santa

2007-12-18T06:31:00.000-05:00

Isn't it fun to see a bunch of these cute little boxes together like this!? I am playing Secret Santa for the girls at work this week. They all know it is me, but I am vehemently denying it. I even put little treats on my own desk. They think I am crazy, of course, which only makes it more fun.

Anyway, I made 20 of these cute Q'bee boxes which are filled with Peppermint Patties, Hershey Kisses, and mini Hershey Chocolate bars last night and 10 candy canes the night before. You can find the directions to make your own Q'bee boxes here and you can see pictures of my boxes open & closed in my December 2 post.

The candy canes actually have three tags each on them and they are tied with Always Artichoke and Real Red grosgrain ribbon. I used stamps from Perfect Presentation, Tags So Much & Season of Joy to stamp the tags on Very Vanilla paper. I mounted them on Real Red & Old Olive cardstock and then, on the back of each tag, I adhered Dashing Designer Series Paper. I should have took a picture of the tags too, sorry about that. They were very festive though. And, you know, I just have to say-the Stampin' Up tag punches are so handy to have around. I use them for all my little gift items. They are not only fun, but they are practical-which means it was a good purchase (rationalizing stamping spending).

Have a great day & happy stampin'! EdieB

Sleigh Bells & Christmas Blessings

2007-12-16T15:41:00.000-05:00

I made this card for my boss, Steve. Every year we purchase him a membership to a local car wash. While he gets the same present every year and it cannot be a surprise at this point, his wife, Kathy, says he loves it. The membership comes in the form of a traditional, old-fashioned paper gift certificate. To keep in line with the old-fashioned theme & to at least provide an original gift wrapping of sorts, I made this 9 x 4 inch card to fit the gift certificate.

While I tend to use all Stampin' Up! supplies & paper, this card has two layers of My Mind's Eye "Festive" Christmas Signature printed papers. The card base is Naturals Ivory layered with Bravo Burgundy & Always Artichoke cardstock and then the aforementioned Mind's Eye papers. The main image is from Sleigh Bells Ring stamped in Bravo Burgundy Classic Ink on Very Vanilla ultrasmooth cardstock and mounted on Bravo Burgundy cardstock. The sentiment, "Christmas Blessings," is from Star Studded Season. It is stamped in Bravo Burgundy Craft Ink on Very Vanilla, sprinkled with Clear Embossing Powder and heat set. I stamped the holly leaves & berries using the ink-direct-to-rubber technique with Stampin' Write markers; the brush end. I cut this out and mounted it above the sentiment using Stampin' Dimensionals and glue dots. I like to put a dimensional in the middle of the image and then glue dot either end to give it less lift, if you can imagine that. For balance, I added 3 gold brads along the right bottom and for a festive look, I tied it off with Vanilla wide organdy ribbon & gold cord, which I have been hording in my stash. What the heck, it is the holidays & I do have a great boss, so I broke out the wide organdy ribbon! What this photo does not clearly portray is the healthy sprinkling of Dazzling Diamonds glitter used about the main image, heavier in the trees. Gives it that glistening fresh snow look. Speaking of fresh snow, I am going to sign off and get back to the Buffalo Bills & Cleveland Browns game.

Thanks for stopping by for a look. Have a great evening. EdieB

Seeing Spots

2007-12-14T06:29:00.000-05:00

Hand-crafted gift cards not only make great last minute gifts, but they make great gifts with a personal touch. When I am making cards for gifts, I like to make the same card but in a series of complimentary colors since it is so eye catching to see the coordinating cards all together like these cards here. The card layout does not have to be difficult, but you should use at least one simple embellishment like the ribbon on this card. Another easy addition is using Stampin' Dimensionals to pop up the focal point. A wow technique is stamping on Designer Series Paper. On this card, I added the flourish or curly cues from Doodle This to provided more detail leading from the focal object. I punched the focal embellishment from Basic Black with the Scalloped Circle Punch and layered it with a 1 3/8 circle in colored cardstock and then a simple circle design stamped from Seeing Spots in Basic Black on Whisper White.

CASE yourself with any card that you have already designed by changing up the colors. I'm sure you will love the results. Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Friends & Flowers Flip Flop Book

2007-12-10T17:18:00.000-05:00

One of my stampin' sisters, Max, asked if anyone had a Scor-Pal since she was thinking about purchasing one. That reminded me of this mini book project, the Flip Flop Book. Scor-Pal is not only a great tool for card makers & scrapbookers alike, but their website has a fantastic project gallery which you can see here. You will find the directions for this book in the Oct-Nov Newsletter. Notice that most projects at Scor-Pal use Stampin' Up products!

This project did require quite a bit of scoring and folding. The cool thing about the Scor-Pal is that the scoring surface is 12x12 and it has various measurements across the top so you don't have to keep moving your paper over each time to make a score.

For my Flip Flop book, I used the Friends & Flowers Simply Scrappin' Kit. You can actually make two of these books from one Simply Scrappin' Kit and still have paper and stickers left over. So, you can make one book to keep and one book to give as a gift. I actually had some left over even after making two. To give you an idea, a SSK comes with 2 sheets each of 4 different colors of 12x12 cardstock, 3 sheets each of 12x12 double-sided designer series paper, and 2 sheets each of 3 different kinds of self-adhesive die cuts. The self-adhesive die cut sheets are 6x12 inches and one sheet is all border stickers. The best feature is that everything coordinates and compliments each other so it takes the thinking out of matching up colors and such.

This picture is taken from above with all of the mini book pages opened. It gives you a good idea of just how many pages you can open and flip back and forth to combine for different layouts. There are seven 6x6 pages to scrap pictures on and 3 different gate folds where you can put more pictures, embellishments, or use for journaling. I haven't yet put pictures in my book since I have been so busy making Christmas cards, but when I do I plan to embellish the pages more.

I made the flower on the cover by stacking 3 die cut stickers and adding a Build-A-Brad brad for the center. I know that sounds redundant, but I'm not sure how to say that better because it IS a "Build-A-Brad brad." :O)

Anyway, the 1/2 inch circle die cuts fit perfectly with the Build-A-Brad so you have brads that match any project and any Simply Scrappin' Kit. The flower in this picture, which is just a bit out of focus, is also made by layering die cut stickers and it is topped off with a Rhinestone Brad, so you can at least see a couple of the possibilities. Give it a try and see what you come up with. I would love for you to share your designs with me as well. Please email pictures to my address listed above.

Thank you for stopping by and looking. Please let me know if you have questions about this or any other project here at EdieB Stamps. Take care, EdieB

Laurie's Sleigh Bells Ring

2007-12-07T06:15:00.001-05:00

You may notice that I have posted a list of my favorite blogs to visit. One that I visit every day is Laurie's (SCS Lauraly) Me, My Stamps & I. Last week she posted this card which first caught my eye because she titled it "Easy, Easy Christmas Card". Hey, I like easy!. Of course, the rich monochromatic Pomegranate everything with the choice of the Sleigh Bells Ring image gives this card a certain Victorian era elegance.

So, I just had to CASE (Copy And Share Everything). I made it my own by changing it up, but only a bit. You can make this card too. The card base and cardstock layers are Purely Pomegranate with Whisper White and Holiday Harmony Designer Series Paper. The Image is from Sleigh Bells Ring and is stamped in Purely Pomegranate. I made this card my own by finishing the corners with the Ticket Corner Punch and adding 4 gold brads at each corner of the stamped image. I love how brads and eyelets tuck perfectly into the rounded Ticket Punch corners. The Pomegranate Satin ribbon is wrapped around all the layers and tied in a simple knot. There are only a few days left in which you can pick up the gorgeous ribbon at half price. Yes, buy one roll of 15 yards for $9.95 and get the second roll FREE. The ribbon is offered in Purely Pomegranate and Chocolate Chip. Email me if you want to get in on this great sale that ends December 15.

Thank you Laurie for the inspiration and thank you all for visiting my blog and sharing in our joy of stamping. EdieB

Let It Snow!

2007-12-05T17:27:00.000-05:00

I thought this card was appropriate for the snowy day we had here in Erie, Pennsylvania today. It was actually pouring snow this morning; big fluffy flakes-the kind you can catch on your tongue. Roscoe & I went outside to play at 5:30 am when the moon was still high and reflecting off the snow so that it looked bright yet tranquil. Shortly after that, the neighbors came out all bundled up to shovel their drives and brush snow from their cars. We all greeted each other and commented on how much snow fell overnight. There is nothing like the feel of the first heavy snowfall. I had so much fun, it made me smile all day while I was at work.

This card is meant to depict the swirling snow flakes on the winds of a winter storm; well, Erie style storm. The base of this card is Brushed Silver metallic cardstock folded in half and layered with Whisper White and Night of Navy. First, stamp the Night of Navy with the swirlies from Season of Joy using White StazOn ink. The snowflakes and sentiment are all heat-embossed with White Stampin' Emboss Powder. To get a neatly embossed image on a dark color, you absolutely have to brush your cardstock with an Embossing Buddy first. This reduces the static of the cardstock so that the embossing powder sticks only to the Versamark or Craft Ink-stamped image. Check for rogue flecks of embossing powder before heating and swipe those flecks away with the stiff bristled paint brush that came with your Powder Pal trays. BTW, one of the first things that I purchased from Stampin' Up many, many years ago is my Embossing Buddy. It's a little flatter than a brand new one, but it still works great after all of these years. If you like to emboss, I recommend you investment in one if you haven't already.

Two final noteworthy thoughts: First, Stampin' Up! has THE best metallic cardstock. The weight of the cardstock is exceptional and it does not crack when you score and smooth it with your bone folder. Also, it is two-sided. It is difficult if not darn near impossible to find two-sided metallic cardstock. Finally, it has such a nice finish that I recommend that you use StazOn when stamping directly on any of the metallics. The StazOn dries quickly and reduces your smudge risk.

Thanks for looking & Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Christmas Joy

2007-12-04T19:26:00.000-05:00

Christmas Joy features Stampin' Up's! gorgeous Purely Pomegranate silk ribbon that just happens to be on sale now through December 15. When you purchase one roll of silk ribbon for $9.95 you receive a second roll FREE. Yes, FREE. The ribbon is also offered in Chocolate Chip. Your free ribbon can be the same color or you can choose one of each color.

You know, both Pomegranate and Chocolate Chip are great accent colors for those Valentine's Day cards too. Think ahead stampers. Stock up now!

For the card shown here, I paired Purely Pomegranate with Always Artichoke. The card base is 5 x 5 square Always Artichoke cardstock layered with Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White and Prints Designer Series Paper in Artichoke. The "Joy" is stamped in Always Artichoke and is from the Illuminations stamp set which is actually part of Stampin' Up's! Tapestry collection. This set is a great investment. It is a versatile set of four stamps with an image that is appropriate to nearly every occasion. In addition to the Joy stamp, the set includes Cherish, Hope & Thanks. The silk ribbon really goes with the elegant look of this stamped image. It reminds me of a Victorian Christmas look. There is a bit of sparkle touched at the center of each loopy, which is not easy to see in this picture, and I finished off the card with two gold brads to give the layout a sense of balance.

Thanks for looking. Hope you enjoy and Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Q-bee's Peek-a-boo Boxes

2007-12-02T19:31:00.000-05:00

I am totally hooked on making these cute little treat boxes. You can download the template here Q-bee's Box. To further confess, I am co-dependent on Dashing Double-Sided Designer Series Paper and the Season of Joy Stamp Set, so I made this card & Q'Bee's Peek-a-boo boxes to match. I hope to make enough of these to put out on my co-workers' desks come Christmas Friday, which is the Friday before Christmas which is on a Tuesday ;-)

Any-hoo, for the card, I stamped the word collage image from Season of Joy in Real Red and mounted it on Real Red Cardstock. The base card is Real Red Cardstock layered with River Rock and Dashing which is outlined with the faux stitch stamp from All In A Row using Old Olive classic ink. I set a jumbo eyelet using my Crop-A-Dile through which I pulled Old Olive 5/8 inch grosgrain ribbon which is then wrapped around the side of the card and adhered with a glue dot. I simply tied a knot and tacked it down with a glue dot instead of fighting to tie & set the bow evenly. The Peek-a-boo boxes are also decorated with Dashing paper. The color blocking dimensions are easy to remember. The lid paper measures 1-3/4 inches x 1-3/4 inches and the sides measure 1-3/4 inches by 3/4 inches. The pointsettia is stamped in Real Red using the flower stamp from, again, Season of Joy. It is embellished with 3 gold brads and adhered with a dimensional. The other box is topped with the Dec 25th circle stamp from Perfect Presentation layered on Real Red Cardstock and then again on Old Olive punched using the Designer Label punch and embellished using gold brads. I don't know if you can really see to peek inside my Peek-a-boo box, but the best part IS inside-Hershey Kisses wrapped in holiday foil. I hope you try this fun project yourself. Thanks for looking, EdieB