A Little Personalization

I had to take my clear blocks to Convention this year to use with my new stamps for my Make & Takes.  I had visions of thousands of demonstrators (yep, there were just over 3000 of us...granted not everyone brought their blocks and not everyone uses clear mount stamps, but still!) with clear block caddys and them getting mixed up, so I decided to personalize my clear block caddy a little so it wouldn't get mixed up with anyone elses!

Big Shot and Vinyl Sheets to the rescue!!!

I should have taken a before picture!  You can see what it looks like without decoration here.  So, the vinyl sheets I used have been retired, but we do still carry some colors.  You can see the vinyl sheets we still carry here.

I used the new Perfect Pennants die, and the Floral Fusion and Little Leaves Sizzlits.  My letters were cut with the Timeless Type alphabet dies.

For a little punch, I added a circle Bitty Button with some Whisper White Bakers Twine tied in it to the center of the flowers.

I love the way it turned out!  Sadly, I didn't even pull it out at Convention!!!  We decided to bring our Make & Take packets home and have a group Make & Take session at home.  We had fun taking pictures (goofy pictures!) at the photo background place they had set up and then took pictures at the amazing display boards (I have loads of ideas from taking those pictures that I can't wait to share!).

That's all for today!  Have an inspired day!

A New Look

So, did ya notice the new look?  I thought it was time for a little change.  Again, I used My Digital Studio to create my background, blog banner and signature.  I used the new Noteworthy Digital CD that you can get FREE by hosting a workshop!  I'm booking workshops for August and September right now, so contact me today to choose your date for some stampin' fun!

Did you notice the ribbon loops on my banner?  I learned how to do this from one of the girls in my downline who learned it in a class at Convention.  It's surprisingly easy to do and rather than me writing out the steps, I'm going to send you to Alise's blog.  She has a great little tutorial on her blog which you can find here.  Her instructions are super easy to follow!

Well, that's all for today...short and sweet!!!  I will be back tomorrow with some stamping to share.

Birthday Boy Cupcake

A couple weeks ago my oldest son attended a birthday party, so, of course, I had to make a card.  Aaaand, it had to be good because his mom is a demonstrator in my downline!  Here's what I came up with.

My color palette for this card was Not Quite Navy, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive...perfect for a boy card!  And, I chose to use one of my "go to" sets for masculine projects, the Extreme Elements set.

You can see that I used the cupcake punch and made a little cupcake for the focal point.  I wanted to use some ribbon, but not have it girly, so I chose the grosgrain ribbon and tied a simple knot in it for some added interest.  My sentiment was stamped with Not Quite Navy and it 's from the new birthday set that you can get FREE when you host a qualifying workshop.  Contact me today to book your workshop and earn this set!  It's a definite "must have" for your collection!

Have an inspired day!

Butterflies and Post-Its

The last time I went to one of my upline's meetings, I participated in a fabulous swap.  My friend Winonna swapped a great little post-it holder and I knew I was going to make it with my clubs!  So, that is just what we did in June.

Now, I know it uses retired DSP, but remember, we made these in June!  Here's a look at it open.

We used the Strength and Hope set...that's the set that Stampin' Up! is donating money to the Breast Cancer Research Organization for each set sold (wood, clear and digital).  For some reason, I feel the need to use colors other than pink with this set!!!  This time we used Peach Parfait and Poppy Parade.  And, to create the effect we did the Rock & Roll technique.  Here's a closer look.

Here's another little tip.  See how the butterfly is kind of popping off the page?  Well, it kind of is!!!  It's cut out, wings curled and then glued in with a little Tombow in the middle of the wings.  I know what you're thinking...cutting those antenna out would be painful.  Well, I 'm here to save the day!!!  The antenna were stamped first, then when the butterfly was cut out the antenna were cut off.  When you glue the butterfly back on you glue it so the antenna are in the right spot.  Easy peasy!!!

Have an inspired day!

Simple Swap

Before I get into today's post, I have to announce the winner of the ribbon I promised in this post!  Kelly was the only one who responded...and she was right!  I used a square punch (1 3/8" square punch) and one of the new 3 in 1 punches (Blossom Bouquet) for the bow on the present.  Congrats Kelly!!!  You should buy a lottery ticket because you are on a roll this month!

Alrighty then, on to my fun little project for Simple Card Sunday!  One of my favorite traditions at Convention is the roomie swap that I always do with the girls I stay with.  In the past we have set up little stampin' stations around our room (even the bathroom...where else can you heat emboss when you can't find a plug in anywhere else in the room!!!).  This year, we took our stampin' stuff down to the breakfast area in the lobby and stamped the night away.  Sadly, I don't have any pictures!  But we had a blast!

Our rules are that our card can't take more than 10 minutes to complete and we don't want to travel with a lot of stuff, so we prep stuff a lot and then have fun stampin' and assembling.  Today, I'm going to share the card I did.  It's quick, easy and it's a masculine card!

I used the new Well Worn DSP (eeek, I love this pack of DSP!!!) on the right edge of the card.  Beside that is a strip of Cajun Craze cardstock that I embossed with my beloved (my Big Shot) and the new Houndstooth Embossing Folder.  You're going to want this embossing folder to add to your collection for sure!  Beside that strip is a narrow strip of Not Quite Navy cardstock.  Super simple background!

My sentiment is on the outside of my card.  I colored it with Not Quite Navy and Cajun Craze markers to get the dual color image.  It was stamped on Naturals White and matted with River Rock cardstock.  It's popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals.

And, here's a fun little detail.  I made some ribbon loops (Not Quite Navy Taffeta and Early Espresso diet taffeta...that's the skinny taffeta!!!).  I stuck them to the back of the white piece and then added a staple for good measure!  Actually, the staple is keeping the two layers of cardstock stuck together...so it's not just decorative (although it works well with the whole masculine thing), it's useful too!

Well, that's all for Simple Card Sunday.  Give this card a try...you'll be surprised at how quick your card will come together!  And, it's a super easy design to change up for any theme...in fact, check out Sherri's blog here to see my inspiration for this card!

Happy stampin' and have an inspired day!