Monday, January 19, 2009

A second Sneak Peek...

**NOTE: if you had visited my site earlier this month, I accidentally posted these images prior to the catalog release date, which is against Stampin' Up! policy. I apologize!**

Here's is a sneak peek of one of the awesome hostess sets that are going to be in the Spring/Summer '09 Idea Book and Catalog. I needed to make a masculine birthday card for a good friend of ours and was looking through my stamp sets to see what I could come up with. I saw the birthday greeting in the "Goody Goody Gumdrops" Level 3 Hostess set in the new catalog and thought it would be fun to use the sundae and cherry with a window card. (Is that the correct term? I'm not really sure). So, I used the large oval punch to cut a window in the front of the card and then lined up the sundae and cherry so that you can't see the cherry on the front. I used Stampin' Write markers to have half of the greeting on the front and half on the inside. Oh - and I added the extra dimension with a "h" from one of the on-board chipboard letter sets and the Not Quite Navy patterns pack paper (a level 1 hostess item from the Fall/Winter IBC). (and yes, I need to work on my ability to stamp straight as you can see on the bottom picture which is the inside of the card!)

Supplies:
Goody Goody Gumdrops stamp set (Level 3 Hostess set available 19 January)
Party Hearty stamp set
Kraft and Night of Navy card stock
Patterns Pack (Level 1 Hostess set in F/W IBC)
VersaMark and Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Bashful Blue, Riding Hood Red and Going Gray Classic Ink
Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker
Large Oval Punch
Blender Pens
On Board Loads of Letters
Whisper White Note Cards
SNAIL, Sticky Strip and Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive




Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Extra! Extra! The new catalog is here!!!

I received the Spring/Summer Idea Book & Catalogs yesterday! I've been reading all the previews in the blogs of folks who attended Leadership - but after seeing it in person I'm even more "wow'd"! There are some great new stamp sets, AWESOME accessories (corduroy buttons/brads, textured designer series paper, and new ribbons!!), as well as amazing new Big Shot accessories (textured plates)!!! Don't wait, contact me to get your copy!!!

As an additional note, unfortunately we are having some issues with our primary computer. My husband is working hard getting everything fixed (and getting frustrated when things that should work, don't) but until then I can't post any projects. Just wanted to give you an idea of why I haven't posted... although the migraine I've had for the past two days hasn't helped either!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Anniversary Card


Just a quick post for tonight. I made this card a couple of months ago for my grandparent's anniversary. I completely took the design from page 6 of the Fall-Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalog. I just loved it so much I had to try my own version... I just changed some of the colors up. By the way, the outside two squares are done using bleach on the stamps.

I can't wait for the new catalog to come out... I'm looking forward to the great new stamps and papers! Don't forget about our great sneak peek you can get of the new catalog... the Love You Much bundle! Just send me an e-mail if you would like to order it.

Supplies:
Pocket Silhouettes stamp set
Hugs & Wishes stamp set
Very Vanilla, Elegant Eggplant, Always Artichoke, and Going Gray card stock
Chocolate Chip Classic ink
Curly Label punch
Always Artichoke 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon
Library Clips
SNAIL and Stampin' Dimensionals
Bleach

Friday, December 26, 2008

Merry Christmas!


Merry Christmas (one day late)! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that no one else was dealing with a vomiting toddler like I was. Unfortunately, Keila developed a stomach bug around 5:30 yesterday morning. We were hoping it was a fluke thing when she threw up at 5:30, but soon found out it wasn't. The will of a toddler is strong - she would throw up, then go back to open more presents; but you could tell that she wasn't as excited about everything as she would have been if she hadn't been sick. It was hard for me to deal with because this was her first Christmas she really understood the concept of Santa Claus - so it was a bummer not to have my non-sick little girl Christmas morning and not see all the excitement I knew she could have.

Anyway, I thought it was appropriate to put up our Christmas/Holiday card for this year as my Christmas post. I wanted to incorporate a photo of our kids this year, but still wanted to make our cards rather than going the photo card route. In past years we've included photos in our family letter - but I am always "iffy" about those letters. Don't get me wrong, they are great to hear what is going on in the lives of family and friends, but sometimes (not always) they can tend to the side of bragging. So, I looked for a different way to incorporate the kids' photo. I had originally thought I would use the Hostess set Window Dressing and have the kids looking out through the window, but I couldn't get that to turn out in any way I was happy with. So, then I turned to one of the layouts I'd been using for a couple of cards recently. I'm really happy with how the card turned out and using the Curly Label Punch for the photo of the kids.

A few reminders before I end with the supply list for the card: 1) Don't forget to check the retired stamp list to make sure you get your favorites before they are gone. The retiring accessories list comes out January 5th, so be on the look out for that. (Matey's Map Jumbo Wheel is a great candidate for that list!) 2) You still have one more week to order the Country Living Holiday set! This pack is awesome! I just make a TON of tags for my gifts with the die cut items in this kit and still have a bunch left over. 3) Check out the new Valentine's Day promotion that is going on now, until January 31st! There is a great bundle being offered that includes a brand new Valentine's Day stamp set called Love You Much, a pack of beautiful Candy Lane Designer Series Paper, and an adorable new trio heart punch! All of these are also sneak peeks from the new catalog that is being released January 19th. One note: the Candy Lane DSP is currently back-ordered. Due to this back-order, you are currently not able to order this bundle on-line. If you would like to order this bundle pack, please e-mail me (memoriesbyvanda@gmail.com) and I can order it for you. I will let you know as soon as the DSP is back in stock and you can order the bundle on-line.

Card Supplies:
Scandinavian Season stamp set (Holiday Mini)
Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke, and Perfect Plum & Mellow Moss regular & textured card stock (in order to limit the supplies I had to buy to make 100 cards I made half of the cards with textured PP and regular MM and the other half had regular PP and textured MM.)
Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, and Baja Breeze Classic Stampin' Pads
Ski Slope Designer Series Paper (Holiday Mini)
Alpine Ribbon (Holiday Mini)
Curly Label Punch
Cutter Kit (distressor tool)
SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sticky Strip

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

In Celebration of the Retired Stamp List...


In honor of the retiring stamp list being announced (see link to the left) I thought I'd show you this card I made as a mock-up for some good friends of ours. They had an adorable baby boy at the beginning of September and asked me to make their baby announcements. I used the scrapbook page that is on page 68 of the 2008 Spring/Summer catalog as inspiration. This set uses the Bundled in Joy set that will retire on January 18, 2009. By the way, the picture I used in this mock up is my own little boy who will be TWO next month! Time flies!!

Supplies:
Bundled in Joy stamp set
Whisper White and Bashful Blue card stock
Barely Banana textured card stock
Certainly Celery Prints DSP
Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Barely Banana and Basic Black Stampin' Write Markers
Dotted Lines Stampin' Around jumbo wheel
Tag and 3/16" Corner Rounder punches
Bashful Blue Stampin' Around jumbo cartridge
Metallic Eyelets
Light Blue Gingham Ribbon
Linen Thread
Crop-a-dial
Paper Snips
Paper Piercer
Stampin' Dimensionals

Friday, December 5, 2008

November Club Meeting & the BIG SHOT


For my November club meeting, we played around with the awesome new Big Shot by Stampin' Up! and Sizzix. I take no credit at all for the portfolio design that held the cards - that design came from another great demonstrator named Andrea Wolford (a link to her blog is on the left). I did design the 4 cards that went in the portfolio, however. The beginning of my card designs came from the "Join in the Cheer" Decorative Strip Die. I thought it would be neat to separate the 4 words and create four different cards with those words. Then I also used the Scallop Envelope and Top Note Bigz Dies. The new Big Shot is so much fun to use! If you are interested in finding out more about the Big Shot or ordering the supplies for the Big Shot or these cards, just contact me. You can also order on-line through my Stampin' Up! web site. The link to this site is on the left of this page.

Supplies for each card:

Cheer card - Scandinavian Season stamp set; Kraft, Textured Chocolate Chip, and Textured Riding Hood Red card stock; Baja Breeze and Old Olive Classic Ink Pad; Little Felt Flurries; Silver Elastic Cord, Baja Breeze 5/8" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon; Earth Elements & Neutrals Buttons; Paper Piercer; Top Note Bigz Die and Join in the Cheer Decorative Strip Die.
Joy card - Scandinavian Season stamp set; Whisper White, Chocolate Chip & Textured Riding Hood Red card stock; Autumn Vine DSP; Old Olive and Riding Hood Red Classic Ink Pad; Season of Cheer Rub-Ons; Silver Elastic Cord; Pewter Build-a-Brad; Little Felt Flurries; Earth Elements Buttons; sponges; Top Note Bigz Die and Join in the Cheer Decorative Strip Die
Love card - Scandinavian Season stamp set; Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, and Textured Riding Hood Red card stock; Baja Breeze Classic Ink Pad; Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker; Season of Cheer Rub-ons; Baja Breeze 5/8" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon; Pewter Jumbo Eyelets; Vintage Brads; Little Felt Flurries; Scallop Edge punch; Paper Piercer; Crop-a-dial; Scallop Envelope Bigz Die and Join in the Cheer Decorative Strip Die
Peace card - Scandinavian Season stamp set; Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Textured Chocolate Chip, and Textured Riding Hood Red card stock; Autumn Vine DSP; Baja Breeze Classic Ink Pad; Season of Cheer Rub-ons; Silver Elastic Cord, Whisper White 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon; Pewter Build-a-Brad; Silver Brads; Library Clips; Little Felt Flurries; Top Note Bigz Die and Join in the Cheer Decorative Strip Die; Paper Snips; Stampin' Dimensionals


Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Another Birthday Idea


I realized it had been a while since I had last posted. It is amazing how quickly time flies! We went to my sister-in-law's baby shower over the weekend and had a great time. I still have to scan or take a picture of the card I made for her, so I'll have to post that another time. For my post tonight I have a card that I made for the daughter of one of my best friends (and my downline) Jen. Katie (her daughter) actually shares my birthday and is only a couple of months older than my son. She just turned two at the end of October and we were invited to join in on her family birthday celebration. We had a great time - it was Elmo themed and adorable (see Jen's blog on the left for pictures of her Elmo themed birthday stuff). The card I made used the Party Hearty set that was part of the birthday promotion last month. The one cool technique that I used for this card was coloring in the brad from the Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware set. I saw this technique demonstrated at Convention. It is so simple - you just take your brad with the designs in it and smush it into a craft ink of your choice. Just take a paper towel and gently wipe off the top of the brad. This leaves the ink in the design. You'll probably want to repeat this step a couple of times to ensure a good color. Also note that it will take a while for the brad to dry - you'll probably want to let it set overnight.

Card Supplies:
Party Hearty stamp set
Pale Plum textured card stock
Pale Plum and Very Vanilla card stock
Sweet Always Designer Series Paper
Stampin' Write markers (Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Summer Sun, Rose Red)
Pale Plum Craft Ink
Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware
Cutter Kit
Stampin' Dimensionals