Elegant Wedding Sweet

My much neglected, "Wedding Sweet" stamp set, came out of the closet to make it's final debut before it retires at the end of May.  I think I've used this set one time...  I decided it deserved a little more love before it goes away next month. 

I used a top folded Sahara Sand card base, embossed with the Tulips embossing folder.  I then inked the edges with my Sahara Sand ink pad to make the pattern stand out just a little more.  The lovely scrolly flower image is stamped in the same ink on Vanilla card stock.  I added Basic Pearls to enhance the design, and did some paper piercing in the upper right corner as well as next to the sentiment.  A final brush of my Vanilla card stock across my Sahara Sand ink pad gives the edges a softer, more vintage look.  Of course, a little knot of croquet trim and a little vintage trinket safety pin add that special focal point to the card. 

This is another 10 minutes or less card we will be making at my upcoming Going, Going, Gone card buffet class next weekend.

Happy Monday to you! :) and may you have some time to craft this week!

Sweet Inspired by Nature

Inspired by Nature is one of those classics that will remain in my collection for a long time -- even though it IS retiring at the end of May.  Of course, I love cone flowers and black eyed susans anyways, so this stamp just speaks to me...

For this card, I wanted a more subtle effect, so I used a Confetti White Top Note die cut, and stamped the grasses in Certainly Celery ink.  I then inked up the flowers in Pink Pirroette ink, and dipped a sponge dauber in Rose Red ink, and added ink to the cones of the flowers, and highlighted the edges of the leaves with the inked dauber, and then stamped it over the grasses.  Of course, a little dazzling diamonds glitter added with a two way glue pen to the flower centers makes the card pop.  A little strip of designer paper from the Beau Chateau pack punched along one edge with the eyelet border punch, and some Certainly Celery satin ribbon -- and this card is done!  A ten-minutes-or-less beautiful little card!  We will be making this at my upcoming Going, Going, Gone! card buffet. 

If you simply must have this stamp for YOUR collection of classics, be sure to get it before it retires on May 31st and will no longer be available for purchase -- except maybe on E-bay for crazy prices!

Happy Saturday, and Happy crafting!

Ornate Blosssom kisses Fine Flourish

Some of my very favorite stamp sets are retiring this year, and I just had to give them a final debut before I can't demo with them anymore...  These three a-la-cart stamps -- Ornate Blossom, Fine Flourish, and Dot to dot -- are such versatile little stamps -- especially for the "kissing technique".  What is that you say??? Yes! the stamps "kiss" creating this elegant filigree or polka dotted pattern!  This is how you do it -- pucker up, er.. I mean ink up your solid image stamp (here the Ornate Blossom) in a lighter colored ink -- Marina Mist used here, then ink up your patterned stamp (Dot to dot, or Fine Flourish) with a darker ink -- Early Espresso used here.  Now, "kiss" the stamps together, then stamp your image and you have a unique patterned image that looks like you spent hours cutting it out from a pc of patterned paper.  Isn't that so simple and great?!!! 

We will be making this card at my upcoming Going, Going, Gone! card buffet.  You can either make the polka dotted version, or the filigree one.  I think it is interesting how the polka dotted one gives you a modern feel, whereas the filigree one is softer and maybe more of an elegant feel -- accomplished by just changing out a couple stamps. 

All of the stamps used in these cards are being retired -- I used the "baby ornate blossom" (from the Friends Never Fade stamp set) to stamp the background of Marina Mist A-2 card.  The sentiments are from the Oval All stamp set -- punched out with the Large oval punch, and framed with the scallop oval.  Of course, I used the clear circle and scallop circle Bigz dies for the main stamped focal point.  A little strip of designer paper from the Beau Chateau paper pack along the bottom of the card, and plenty of Basic Pearls and Rhinestones complete the card!

I hope you'll try kissing YOUR stamps together for a whole new look! :)

Happy almost Friday to you!

Retired Stamps list is here!

Hello Crafty Friends!

It's that time of year when Stampin' Up! retires a huge list of their stamps and accessories to make room for lots and lots of brand new stamps and treasures.  This year, the list has over 300 stamp sets that are going away.  They will no longer be available to purchase after May 31st (except possibly on E-bay for crazy prices :), so check the list, print it out, and mark your catalogs to make sure you get your favorites before they're gone.  Some of my favorites that are going away, are: Inspired by Nature, Triple Treat Flower, adorable little Dasher :(, Baroque Motifs, Vintage Vogue, Pocket Silhouettes, Friends Never Fade, Ornate Blossom, Medallion, and Fine Flourish.  To see images of all the stamp sets that are retiring, see this link: Beth's SU website,  -- click on "Shop Now", and then on "Retiring Products".

The retiring accessories list will come out April 25th, and those products will be "while supplies last".  The Definitely Decorative line is being discontinued, so we know for sure all of those will be on there.

Also, the Summer Smooches promotion ends on April 30th, so be sure to check out the lovely products in there, too.

I am doing my own retiring stamps promotion:  Buy any three retiring stamp sets, and get 10% off your entire order! 

Coming soon! a "Going, Going, Gone!" stampin' party...

Happy Sunday to each of you, and may you each find a little time to craft!  It is oh so good for the soul. :) 

Stampingly,

Beth

Happy Birthday tote and matching wine tag!

Happy 60th birthday to my boss, and Happy sunshiny Saturday to you!  What a gorgeous day!

I wanted to make something extra special for my boss's 60th birthday present.  She loves to send cards and drink wine :), so I made a gift set incorporating BOTH!  She also loves bling, so I sprinkled plenty of that in there, too.  I thought they came out super cute, and she truly loved them.  Without further ado, here they are!!!

Ok, so that may have been a few more pics than I REALLY needed, but I just thought they were so cute and springy and vibrant, couldn't stop taking photos!  I used the soon-to-retire Concord Crush (that gorgeous rich purple), combined with Wisteria Wonder, a hint of Daffodil Delight for that pop of yellow, and some Lucky Limeade leaves to balance it out.  The flower on the tote is the Mixed Bunch stamp set and matching punch from the Occasions Mini catalog.  In my humble opinion, that is one of THE cutest stamp sets and matching punches SU has come up with in a long time.  Anyways, I digress... The tote is an 8 1/2x11 sheet of Wisteria Wonder card stock (stamped with images from the Mixed Bunch set in Concord Crush ink) -- score both long sides at 1 1/4" in from the outside edges.  Then, rotate your card stock and score at 4 1/2" from both short ends.  At the bottom of the tote, cut on the score lines into the 1 1/4" score line, and fold into a box -- adhering sides with sticky strip.  For the handles, I punched two strips of Concord Crush with my Lace Ribbon border punch.  This baby takes some elbow grease to punch, but boy, is the result ever stunning!  I attached the handles with the tab punch, and embellished them with little flowers using a punch from the Itty Bitty punch pack.  To give the flowers more dimension, I used my stylus to push the centers down a bit and curl the petals up.  Of course, I added plenty of Basic Rhinestones for the bling I wanted, and put a bunch of greeting cards inside the tote for her to use throughout the year.

The matching wine tag uses the Fun Flowers die for the focal point flower.  I spritzed my flower liberally with my homemade shimmer mist, so it is so sparkly in real life.  Of course, the background of the tag is embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, and I stamped the white panel on the front with the little Filagree background stamp.  LOVE this stamp -- perfect for adding a little touch of elegance, and an awesome stamp for stamping on chipboard letters...

Okay, think that's it!  Give this little tote a try for someone special in your life!

Jackie Topa's birdhouse card

We recently put a bunch of bird feeders around our house, and the birds have moved in in little flocks!  I LOVE to watch birds right outside my kitchen window, and lately we've had several varieties of finches visiting our feeders.  One little guy, likes to roost on the feeder -- just hanging out with his feathers all fluffed out, eating a seed or two when he feels like it. :)

So,... with all this birdie viewing, I was inspired to try this birdhouse card I saw on Jackie Topa's blog.  I recently bought the Diagonal Scoring plate  and this is the perfect card to try it with.  Goes together so quickly and easily and the end result is stunning.  Great card for Father's Day or a bird enthusiast in your family.  I used the same dimensions she did -- a strip of card stock 11x3 3/4" folded in half, then scored diagonally at 1 7/8 at the top -- see her blog for a step by step tutorial.

I've also been wanting to try this cardinal using the bird punch.  The crest is made by punching out an extra wing, and putting it behind his head.  Of course, I colored a basic rhinestone black with a Sharpie for his eye. :)

We will be making this card at my upcoming Fancy Folds class -- date and time still to be determined! :)

I used Crumb Cake card stock and embossed it with the Stripes embossing folder, then sponged the stripes with some espresso ink to make it look more wood like.  After punching the hole in the front, I used my stamp-a-ma-jig to ensure my sentiment on the inside, showed through the hole when the card is closed.  The designer paper is from the Brights designer paper stack, and the little scalloped edged roof line is made using the scallop dotted border punch.

Happy Easter to each of you, and may you have some tweetie visitors in each of your yards, too!