I dusted off my photoshop skills today and got down to redesigning the good ol' blog. I'm quite tickled with the way it turned out!
Full disclosure here: I haven't yet taken the plunge to purchase My Digital Studio, but I was elated to find out that you don't need their software in order to use their Digital Downloads!
So, with my credit card in tow, I went browsing the digital dowloads and settled upon the digital version of my current favorite paper collection: Springtime Vintage. I chose one of the high-res patterns in the download and got down to creating!
And so, my newly designed blog is born. I'm SO happy to be away from the default google template I was sporting before. For someone that does web design for a living, that was just embarrassing >.<
Anywho, thanks for taking a peek!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Sneakin' and Peekin'
One thing I like more than stampy supplies is stampy supplies that aren't yet available to the general public! On March 1, Stampin up pre-released some new Designer Series Paper and stamps to demonstrators (one of the wonderful perks to being a Demo, let me assure you!) and natch I had to include these in my latest order.
The paper is absolutely, positively delicious! and the stamps? Well, they coordinate with my favorite and never-put-away Decorative Label Punch, so I KNEW I was going to love them to itty bitty pieces.
Over the next few weeks, i'll be posting projects using these dreamy new lovelies, so I hope you'll be just as enamored with these goodies as I am!
This first card is a nontraditional take on a baby shower card. The mom-to-be has chosen to be surprised about whether her bundle of joy is a boy-bundle, or a girl-bundle, so I instead chose a more elegant approach entitled "Baby Love" (yes, the supremes are now stuck in my head >.<)
This card uses a technique that's super simple. See that "love" plaque in the center of the card? If you were to run your fingers over it, you'd notice it's "debossed". That means where all the letters are, it's actually indented in to the page. This is called (dramatic pause) LETTERPRESS (cuz, like, the letters are pressed into the page n stuff... neat, eh?) It's an old-timey technique that's been revolutionized for the Big Shot. In this case, I'm using the Lots of Love letterpress plate, Versamark ink, and the trusty Big Shot.
Anywho, I digress - as i tend to do when I'm talking about stuff I LUUURVE. The Paisley Petals DSP is going to be available in the upcoming 2011 Big Catalog. The frame surrounding "Baby" is part of "Four Frames" set of 4 stamps, each of which coordinate beautifully with the Decorative Label Punch. This new stamp set too will be available in the new catalog.
I needa get myself back to crafting, so tune in next time for another sneakety peek!
The paper is absolutely, positively delicious! and the stamps? Well, they coordinate with my favorite and never-put-away Decorative Label Punch, so I KNEW I was going to love them to itty bitty pieces.
Over the next few weeks, i'll be posting projects using these dreamy new lovelies, so I hope you'll be just as enamored with these goodies as I am!
This first card is a nontraditional take on a baby shower card. The mom-to-be has chosen to be surprised about whether her bundle of joy is a boy-bundle, or a girl-bundle, so I instead chose a more elegant approach entitled "Baby Love" (yes, the supremes are now stuck in my head >.<)
This card uses a technique that's super simple. See that "love" plaque in the center of the card? If you were to run your fingers over it, you'd notice it's "debossed". That means where all the letters are, it's actually indented in to the page. This is called (dramatic pause) LETTERPRESS (cuz, like, the letters are pressed into the page n stuff... neat, eh?) It's an old-timey technique that's been revolutionized for the Big Shot. In this case, I'm using the Lots of Love letterpress plate, Versamark ink, and the trusty Big Shot.
Anywho, I digress - as i tend to do when I'm talking about stuff I LUUURVE. The Paisley Petals DSP is going to be available in the upcoming 2011 Big Catalog. The frame surrounding "Baby" is part of "Four Frames" set of 4 stamps, each of which coordinate beautifully with the Decorative Label Punch. This new stamp set too will be available in the new catalog.
I needa get myself back to crafting, so tune in next time for another sneakety peek!
DETAILS - Products are available for purchase from me at Stampin' Up
Stamps: Four Frames
Paper: River Rock, Peach Parfait, Paisley Petals DSP
Ink: Versamark, Cherry Cobbler, River Rock
Accessories: Lots of Love Letterpress plate, Two Tags bigz die, Vintage Seam Binding from my personal stash, Bling, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Scallop Oval and XL Oval Punch, Decorative Label Punch
Paper: River Rock, Peach Parfait, Paisley Petals DSP
Ink: Versamark, Cherry Cobbler, River Rock
Accessories: Lots of Love Letterpress plate, Two Tags bigz die, Vintage Seam Binding from my personal stash, Bling, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Scallop Oval and XL Oval Punch, Decorative Label Punch
Friday, March 11, 2011
"Rounding Out" the Early March Birthdays
Let's be honest, by the time you get to making the third birthday card in under a week, you start to despise stamps that say "Happy Birthday", amirite?
For this birthday card, I reached deeeeep into my stash to pull out a "Thinking of You" stamp from a retired SU set, and BOY am I glad I did. I adore the way it fills out the empty space!
The rest of the supplies are relatively simple (I like to keep my masculine cards non-fussy like that). The lighthouse is colored in with Copics, the corners have been chomped ("Rounded out" if you will...) with my corner chomper, and handstitched hemp twine finishes things off.
I'm just tickled with the way this card turned out! Maybe these masculine cards aren't so tough after all? ^.^
For this birthday card, I reached deeeeep into my stash to pull out a "Thinking of You" stamp from a retired SU set, and BOY am I glad I did. I adore the way it fills out the empty space!
The rest of the supplies are relatively simple (I like to keep my masculine cards non-fussy like that). The lighthouse is colored in with Copics, the corners have been chomped ("Rounded out" if you will...) with my corner chomper, and handstitched hemp twine finishes things off.
I'm just tickled with the way this card turned out! Maybe these masculine cards aren't so tough after all? ^.^
DETAILS
Stamps: Guiding Light (Flourishes), All Year Cheer 1 (Stampin Up)
Cardstock: SU So Saffron, PTI Ocean Tides, Neenah Solar White, Websters Pages patterned paper
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Antique Linen Distress Ink, Copic markers
Accessories: Hemp Twine, Corner Chomper
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
A Well-Deserved Break
In the midst of my March Masculine-card Marathon, I needed a break. Not from crafting, mind you, heavens no! I needed a break from my "boy supplies". You know, the hemp twine, the kraft cardstock, the woodgrain texture plates. Yes, I needed to create something absolutely, positively GIRLY. We're talking about something thats undeniably pink, flowery, and pearly. We're talking.... this!
This card is for no one in particular ME! Ohhhh pink, how i've missed you so!
The floral paper is Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper, layered on Rose Red cardstock stamped repeatedly with the flourish stamp from Friends 24/7. Isn't it neat how you get a striking tone-on-tone using rose red ink on rose red cardstock?
The floral focal point is also from Friends 24/7 (I absolutely ADORE this set, can you tell?). I colored directly on the stamp with Rose Red and Pear Pizzazz markers, then stamped my image. The 3 flowers are from the hostess set Punch Potpourri and punched with the super-cute coordinating Boho Blossoms Punch. I lightly inked the edges, added a few pearls and that's all she wrote!
I'll be sharing the last of my masculine birthday cards later this week - It's for my brother and I don't want to spoil the surprise before he gets it =)
This card is for no one in particular ME! Ohhhh pink, how i've missed you so!
The floral paper is Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper, layered on Rose Red cardstock stamped repeatedly with the flourish stamp from Friends 24/7. Isn't it neat how you get a striking tone-on-tone using rose red ink on rose red cardstock?
The floral focal point is also from Friends 24/7 (I absolutely ADORE this set, can you tell?). I colored directly on the stamp with Rose Red and Pear Pizzazz markers, then stamped my image. The 3 flowers are from the hostess set Punch Potpourri and punched with the super-cute coordinating Boho Blossoms Punch. I lightly inked the edges, added a few pearls and that's all she wrote!
I'll be sharing the last of my masculine birthday cards later this week - It's for my brother and I don't want to spoil the surprise before he gets it =)
DETAILS - All products available for purchase from Stampin Up!
Stamps: Friends 24/7, Punch Potpourri
Cardstock: Whisper White, Rose Red, and Springtime Vintage DSP
Ink: Rose Red, Pear Pizzaaz
Accessories: Boho Blossoms Punch, Basic Pearls, Sewing Machine, Stampin' Dimensionals
Monday, March 7, 2011
March Madness continued....
I had some serious studio time this weekend to try and knock out my crafting to-do list - (I have 3 non-girly, card-giving events at the beginning of March). The first was a birthday card for my father (which, he absolutely positively LOVED). The next card on the agenda was a birthday card for my Nephew.
Said card was a double whammy for me, because not only is he a boy (a challenge in and of itself), but he's also 11 years old. If there's one thing my crafting stash has a hard time supporting, its kid-friendly boy cards >.<
So I called in the troops! I got together with some of my gal pals, and we pooled supplies to create... (dramatic pause)
This card was a team effort if ever there was one! The owl is Stampin Up's super cute Two-Step Owl Punch punched from Soft Suede Cardstock. His little cupcake-toting wings were first punched using the Scallop Oval punch, and then punched again from the 1 3/4" x 7/8" oval punch. The cherry is punched with the Build-a-Cupcake XL punch , and the Sentiment is from A Word for You.
The most important piece of this card is the wonderful, awesome ladies who pooled their supplies together to help a sister out =) My upline, Kerry, provided refreshments, crafting space, the sentiment stamp and ink, Wendy contributed the owl punch and cupcake punch, Gayle provided girl scout cookies (Nom nom!), and Eileen provided entertainment and inspiration to get the job done!
And that cupcake stamp, you ask? Well, that was also courtesy of Wendy, but it's from a retired SU set that I didn't catch the name of >.< anyone have any ideas?
2 cards down, 1 more to go!
Said card was a double whammy for me, because not only is he a boy (a challenge in and of itself), but he's also 11 years old. If there's one thing my crafting stash has a hard time supporting, its kid-friendly boy cards >.<
So I called in the troops! I got together with some of my gal pals, and we pooled supplies to create... (dramatic pause)
This card was a team effort if ever there was one! The owl is Stampin Up's super cute Two-Step Owl Punch punched from Soft Suede Cardstock. His little cupcake-toting wings were first punched using the Scallop Oval punch, and then punched again from the 1 3/4" x 7/8" oval punch. The cherry is punched with the Build-a-Cupcake XL punch , and the Sentiment is from A Word for You.
The most important piece of this card is the wonderful, awesome ladies who pooled their supplies together to help a sister out =) My upline, Kerry, provided refreshments, crafting space, the sentiment stamp and ink, Wendy contributed the owl punch and cupcake punch, Gayle provided girl scout cookies (Nom nom!), and Eileen provided entertainment and inspiration to get the job done!
And that cupcake stamp, you ask? Well, that was also courtesy of Wendy, but it's from a retired SU set that I didn't catch the name of >.< anyone have any ideas?
2 cards down, 1 more to go!
DETAILS - All products are available for purchase from my website at Stampin Up!
Stamps: A Word for You, and a mystery retired set
Cardstock: River Rock, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Soft Suede
Ink: Soft Suede
Accessories: Embossing folder, white gel pen, owl punch, cupcake punch, scallop oval punch, oval punch.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Kindred Spirits in Unexpected Places
The other day at work, a casual conversation turned into an unexpected but most welcome surprise! I was chatting with a fellow coworker and we discovered a mutual enjoyment for crafty stuff! Finding a kindred spirit like this doesn't happen every day, in fact, it's actually a rare occurrence for me, so I decided to celebrate our newfound kinship with this card.
Since that fateful (lol) conversation, i've discovered that we are also Curly Girl sisters! (I'm a 3A and she's a really cute mixture of 3B, 3C with an occaisional sprinkling of 3A).
It's always nice to find someone that shares a common interest, but also feels your pain when you are having a bad hair day, amirite?
Details: All products are available for purchase from my website at Stampin Up!
Stamps: Simple Friendship
Patterned Paper: Elegant Soirée
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, Soft Suede
Ink: Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Victoria Ribbon, Pearls tinted with Copics, Elegant Lines Embossing Folder
Since that fateful (lol) conversation, i've discovered that we are also Curly Girl sisters! (I'm a 3A and she's a really cute mixture of 3B, 3C with an occaisional sprinkling of 3A).
It's always nice to find someone that shares a common interest, but also feels your pain when you are having a bad hair day, amirite?
Details: All products are available for purchase from my website at Stampin Up!
Stamps: Simple Friendship
Patterned Paper: Elegant Soirée
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, Soft Suede
Ink: Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Victoria Ribbon, Pearls tinted with Copics, Elegant Lines Embossing Folder
Sunday, February 27, 2011
For a Fabulous Father
March is a big birthday Card month for me. My dad, brother, and nephew all share birthdays this month, which is a triple whammy because I'm a flower kinda person and boys, typically, are not. So, masculine cards make me go "Eeps!" But nevertheless....
The Guiding Light and Antique map sets from Flourishes are my go-to stamp sets for classy, masculine cards. My father is both classy, and masculine, so it's a great match! The background is aged using Distress Inks, the ship is colored using copic markers, and the "Happy Birthday" sentiment plaque is edged in a blue glitter Gel pen.
So.... one card down, 2 to go!
DETAILS
Stamps: Antique Map and Guiding Light from Flourishes, Wreath for All Seasons from PTI)
Cardstock: Bazzill Card Base, Vintage Cream and Dark Chocolate
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa and Memento Desert Sand ("Happy"), Walnut Stain and Tea Dye Distress Ink, Copic markers
Accessories: Buttons from Buttons Galore, bakers twine, Oval Nestabilities, Blue Glitter Gel Pen, Stampin' Up Decorative Label Punch
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