A Touch From the Heart

A New Purse

Happy April everyone! It's the first Thursday of the month, and that means I get to share another Stamping 411 Color Inspiration Challenge with you!

This month I was inspired by an Easter card that my mom made for the grandsons. It's so adorable!!! I'll ask her I can share it with everyone here on my blog after Easter is over.

This month's colors are: Island Indigo, Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron and Calypso Coral.



This month I thought I would make a cute 3D project using the new Petite Purse Bigz die from the Summer Smooches suite.  

The Summer Smooches suite of products (with the exception of the stencil and the brads) will be in the new big catty coming June 1st.  Stampin' Up's April promotion allows all its fabulous customers to be given an opportunity to order some of the new catty items early.   Thank you Stampin' Up! 

I kept my purse pretty simple as I wanted the colors to be the star of the project. But, as I've been blog hopping I've seen purses that have been made with dsp, embossed cardstock, faux alligator and so much more!!!! I love, love, love this die!!!  I look forward to playing with it and making many more fabulous things with it!

My base purse is made with Island Indigo cardstock. Two pieces of Sticky Strip is all that's needed to construct this baby!

I also just picked up the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch. I just change the switch on this punch to punch out different portions of the flower. When you layer them together, it makes the perfect decoration to embellish my purse. The center of the flower is a circle cut using my Owl Punch and some of that fabulous Silver Glimmer Paper.

I also added some pen stitching with my Island Indigo marker to add a little whimsy to my project!

Click HERE to place your order through Patti's Stampin' Up! Store

Project Recipe

paper: Island Indigo, Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron
accessories: Petite Purse Bigz L die, Island Indigo Marker, Owl punch, Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch, Silver Glimmer Paper, dimensionals, Silver Mini Brads

Thanks a Bunch

TGIF!!!!  This week seemed to drag on forever!!!!  How about for you?  

I am very excited for the weekend as the weather is supposed to be in the 70s tomorrow and the 80s on Sunday!  Woo hoo!!!

My weekend always starts with debuting my Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge card.  

This week I made a card for a very good friend who did me a favor.    I don't get to see her that often, but when we get together, we have a grand 'ol time!  

My base card is Lucky Limeade.  It measures 4 1/4" x 8 1/2", scored down the middle and folded.  

My Pool Party cardstock layer measures 4" x 4".  I ran it through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice embossing folder.  This layer is matted on a 1/8" larger piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock.  

My circles are all punched using the 1 3/4" circle punch.  The dsp comes from the Sale-a-bration Everyday Enchantment pack.  I love each and every pattern in this pack.  And, that's no "lion". ...ha ha!

Enough of the "lions" because this cutie patootie card is all about the monkeys!  They come from the Kidoodles stamp set.  Oooohhh.....how I love this stamp set!!!  

The monkeys are inked with Jet Black StazOn ink.  I colored in the monkeys using my Aquapainter and markers scribbled on a stamp set case.  Just pick up the ink and swirl the ink onto the cardstock.  Keep the darker color closer to the lines and blend into the center of the image.  

I kinda deviated from the sketch with my center circle element, but it needed something to pull it all together.  I punched a 3/4" circle from So Saffron cardstock and added a brad from the Sale-a-bration Everyday Enchantment Ribbon and Brad pack.  I think it just ties everything all together!!!!

So, did you go bananas over my card?  I know...I know....Patti enough of the animal humor already!!!

Well, I am off to start the weekend.  I hope you all have a fabulous one and maybe can play along with this week's Stamping 411 sketch.  

See ya later alligator............(sorry, couldn't resist)!!!

Lovin' this Bunny

As I was blog hopping one day, I came across Beth Rush's blog.  Her adorable bunny inspired my Easter decor project.  

I have this little wall space between the entrance to the mudroom and Dennis' office.  My papercrafted decor item will work perfectly!

I used the Designer Rosette die from the Occasions Mini Catalog to make the Certainly Celery rosette.  

The bunny sits upon a 3 1/2" So Saffron circle.  

The punch art bunny is created using the following punches:  Ornament Punch, Build a Blossom punch, Owl punch, 3/4" circle punch, Heart to Heart punch.  

So cute!!!!!  

P.S.  I just noticed that his bow tie fell off!  Oh no!!!  It was a bow tied with Pink Piroutte Taffeta ribbon.  

There's just a few more days of Sale-a-bration!!!  Have you placed your Sale-a-bration order yet?  You can easily do so by emailing me your order or by placing an online order on my demonstrator website!!!

Thanks for choosing me as your demonstrator!!!  I truly appreciate it!

A Touch of Spring

Although it's been a gray and gloomy week, Spring has definitely sprung.  The trees are budding, the grass is greening up and my nose is itchy.  Ahhhh......allergies!!!   Gotta love 'em......NOT!!!!!

My Big Shot got a major workout for this week's Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge card!!!

I grabbed my brand new Blossom Party Bigz die and some cardstock (Pink Pirouette, So Saffron and Wisteria Wonder) and cut lots and lots of flowers.  I glued them onto a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock.  I then ran the entire layer through my Big Shot using the Square Lattice embossing folder.  This technique is called Inlaid Embossing, and it never fails to generate lots of "ooohs" and "aaahhhs". 

To make the embossing stand out, I dragged my Whisper White Craft pad over it.  I just love how it makes everything "pop".   Please allow this layer to dry before completing the card. 

Once dry, mat the layer onto a 1/*' larger piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock. 

The sentiment (from Teeny Tiny Wishes) is inked with Chocolate Chip ink and stamped onto some So Saffron cardstock.  I punched it out to create the tab. 

I have a few finishing touches on this card!  The first is some of that gorgeous Pear Pizzazz Satin Pleated Ribbon.  Although I didn't use green anywhere else on this card, it works.....just like the leaves and stems would be on a flower. 

My largest flower needed some work too!  I added a 1 1/4" Wisteria Wonder circle.  A So Saffron button tied with some Wisteria Wonder Baker's Twine finishes off my bloom perfectly! 

That's it......my Spring card is complete!  Pretty blooms without the pollen!  Love it!

If you want to play along with the Stamping 411 sketches, please link your project to our blog.  Just copy your project's web address to the Linky Tool at the bottom of the post. 

Saturday Sketch Challenge

How's the weather in your neck of the woods?  It's pretty glorious here in MN.  In fact, Dimples and I have been enjoying walks together on the days when it's been warm and sunny. 

The warm weather naturally makes me think of all things that come with Spring.  Pretty flowers are one such thing!  In fact, they were the inspiration for this week's card.  I used my beloved Field Flowers stamp set for this week's challenge.  I also picked a bold color combination for my flowers:  Rich Razzleberry and Peach Parfait.  I've seen a bouquet of cone flowers with these colors, and it was just exquisite. 

My base card is Crumb Cake....it's a color I find myself using over and over. 

Layer #2 is Rich Razzleberry that's been run through my Big Shot using the Finial Press embossing folder. 

For my focal image, I chose to stamp on some First Edition dsp.  Seriously, what did I ever do before this paper became available?  I just love it to pieces.  The leaf/stem are inked with Lucky Limeade ink.  The flower (two step stamp) is inked first in stamped off Rich Razzleberry followed by the same ink at full strength.  The center of the flowers are colored with a sponge dauber and some Peach Parfait ink. 

The edges are heavily sponged with Crumb Cake ink and distressed with my fingernail before matting onto a 1/8" larger piece of Basic Black cardstock. 

My banner is created with a strip of cardstock.  I easily made the banner edges by inserting the end of the strip into a corner of my square punch.  Easy peasy!  I sponged and added some dot work to add some visual charm!

The card's final touches are created with my punches.  The large oval punch cuts a scrap of Peach Parfait cardstock while my Modern Label punch creates a beautiful place to nestle a Basic Pearl.  So pretty!!!!

Is it really safe to assume that there won't be any more snow?  Probably not.  You never know what you're going to get these days!!!!  But, I can stamp my pretty flower creations anytime I want to!!!

I wonder if any of the other Stamping 411 operators were inspired by this week's weather.  I'm going to check them out at the Stamping 411 blog.  Care to check them out with me?   You might even be inspired to play along with us.  I sure hope you do!

Card Recipe

stamps:  Field Flowers, Thank You Kindly
paper:  Crumb Cake, Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black, Peach Parfait, First Edition dsp
ink:  Rich Razzleberry, Peach Parfait, Lucky Limeade
accessories:  Finial Press embossing folder, sponge daubers, Basic Pearls, Modern Label punch, Large Oval punch

 

What-a-Melon

Ooooohhhhhh watermelon and I go way back!!!!  It's been my favorite fruit since I can remember.  It's also quite yummy in sherbet too!!!!  

Here's my ode to my favorite fruit.......

So sweet.........

Card Recipe

stamps:  Mouthwatering
paper:  Wild Wasabi, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Basic Black, Pink Pirouette
ink:  Jet Black StazOn, Versamark
accessories:  Stampin' Write Markers (Melon Mambo, Wild Wasabi, Basic Black), Melon scented embossing powder,  Edgelits, Adorning Accents impressions folder, Scallop Oval punch, Basic Black scallop dotted ribbon, Square Lattice embossing folder, 2 1/2" circle punch

Place your order for these products through my Stampin' Up! website

Let's Go Fly a Kite....Up to the Highest Heights

Do you remember that song from Mary Poppins?  Oh, I think I went to bed many a night with that song in my head.  Amanda would watch it over and over!!!!  

The wind is whipping here tonight in MN.   When it's windy, I naturally think of kites.  The best place to fly a kite is on the beach (or in London if you were Mary Poppins).  I remember watching beachgoers fly their kites on the beach at Ocean City, NJ.  Oh, how I loved our family beach vacations!!!  

For this week's Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge, I chose to make a kite card.  

This card all started with the circle element.  For my card, I chose to make a sun.  I punched a 1 3/4" circle out of a scrap piece of cardstock.  I inked up my sponge with Daffodil Delight ink and used the cardstock as a stencil to create my sun.

Next came the clouds.  They are inked with Baja Breeze ink and then filled in using my Aquapainter and the ink pad.  

Next, I stamped the kite strings using my Jet Black StazOn ink pad.  

The kite images are stamped onto some patterned paper (from the Pretty Posies dsp pack).  I then cut out the images and added them to the focal layer using dimensionals.  

The kites needed to be grounded......so using the blade on my Multi-purpose tool, I created a curve on the Old Olive dsp to simulate grass-covered ground.  

The sentiment (also from the You Send me Soaring stamp set) is inked with Jet Black StazOn ink and stamped onto Daffodil Delight.  I punched this image with my 1 1/4" circle punch.  I love how the shape and color just play up the importance of the sun on this card.  The sentiment is nested upon a trimmed piece of Night of Navy cardstock that's been punched using the Modern Label punch.  A Basic Pearl finishes off this embellishment.  

This card is going into my stash of "guy" cards.  You can never have too many of those!!!!

I wonder what the other Stamping 411 ladies have done with this sketch!  I'm going to head over to the Stamping 411 blog and find out.  Would you care to join me?  

A New Pretty and an Update

First of all, thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers on Dennis' surgery.  Dennis' surgeon was able to do a partial knee replacement.  Dennis is thrilled!!!  With a partial, he won't be as restricted with his activity after he heals.  He hopes to be able to do Taekwondo again with Christopher!

Dennis is home and resting as comfortably as he can.  We set up his sleeping area for the next couple of weeks in the living room.  We recently converted the guest room into a workout room.  So, the bed now has a (temporary) home in the living room.  That way Dennis has access to a larger shower, the kitchen and his office.  It seems to be working out great so far!

Anyhoo, I did mention a new pretty in the title of this post!  As I haven't stamped in over a week, I am going to share a card we made in my last class.  It uses the "You're My Type" stamp set which I completely adore!!!!  It's my new "go to" stamp set for guy cards!!!!  You can make it as masculine or as feminine as you want!

I used Lee Conrey's tutorial on the Stamping 411 blog to create the black mat.  I love how I can make a mat as narrow as I want to using my Framelits!

I'll leave you with the card recipe in case you want to recreate this card!

Of course, all the supplies used to make this card are from Stampin' Up!  If you need to place an order, just click here to go to my ONLINE STAMPIN' STORE.  

Card Recipe

stamps:  You're My Type, Netting
paper:  Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black, First Edition dsp
ink:  Crumb Cake, Jet Black StazOn, Cherry Cobbler
accessories:  Labels Framelits, Word Window Punch, Silver Brads 

Look Who's Four

Hey everyone!  This weekend is definitely the calm before the storm at our house.   My husband is having his knee replaced on Monday afternoon, and the weeks following will be filled with his recovery and physical therapy appts.  He should heal quicker than most patients as he is young for this type of surgery.  It's amazing how track and football from his high school and college days have taken their toll on his body.  Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery!!!

Anyhoo.....you didn't come here to hear about Dennis' knee.  You came to look at something pretty, didn't you?

For this week's Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge, we were dealing with angled elements.  They are definitely not my favorite, but it's fun to take a challenge.  So, here's what I came up with.......

This card is perfect for anyone who is celebrating their 4th birthday.  Do I know anyone who is turning four?  Nope!  It just happened that the number 4 was in the best place on the patterned paper.  LOL!!!

My base card is Early Espresso.

Layer #2 is a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of striped patterned paper from the Just Add Cake collection.  The stripe just reminds me of a pattern that might be on an awning of an old-fashioned ice cream shoppe. 

Layer #3 is a piece of Wild Wasabi cardstock.  I used the Direct-to-Paper technique on this layer using my Wild Wasabi ink pad.  I just love how dragging an ink pad adds so much to a simple layer!

For my angled layers, let's chit chat about the back one first.  I thought the dsp pattern with the numbers would make a fun and different way to include the birthday girl's age on the card.  I colored in the "4" with my Wild Wasabi marker.  I then outlined the 4 with the fine tip of my Early Espresso marker.   To accentuate the "4", I created a frame using my circle punches.  First punch a 1 1/4" circle from a scrap piece of cardstock.  Then line up the 1 3/8" punch so that it's centered and squeeze.  It's an easy peasy way to make a frame!  The entire layer is matted on Soft Suede cardstock.

For the front-most angled layer, I used my Mouthwatering stamp set.   I am just a sucker for ice cream cone images, and this one is downright yummy!  I inked up my image using my Stampin' Write markers (Regal Rose (with some squiggles of Rose Red)  for the ice cream, Crumb Cake for the cone, Real Red for the cherry and Lucky Limeade for the stem).   This layer is matted with Daffodil Delight cardstock.

Now, if I did some chalking on the cone (with my Soft Suede stampin pastel) to darken it up a bit.  If I made this card again, I think I would use Soft Suede for the cone rather than Crumb Cake. 

To add a touch of whimsy, I did some handdrawn linework.  It's amazing what a cute little dash, dot, dot can add to a card? 

As per the sketch, my sentiment balances the two angled layers in the bottom right corner.  My birthday greeting (from Petite Pairs) is inked with Early Espresso ink and stamped on Regal Rose cardstock.  It's punched with the 1 1/4" circle punch.  I matted this with a 1 3/8" circle punched from Soft Suede cardstock.  Finally, this nestles on a scallop circle that's been embossed with the Square Lattice embossing folder. 

To complete my card, I added a cute Rose Red Seam Binding bow! 

So cute!!!  Now, I need to find a four year old to give it to!!!

 

 

Lumpy and Bumpy with a Touch of Vanilla

Whew!  We made it through another work week.  By Tuesday I was ready for the weekend to get here already.  Now that it's Friday, I am just itchin' to get it started. 

My weekend always begins with my project for the Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge.  This week's card will not fit in an envelope.  Nope...no way!!!  It's too lumpy and bumpy.  This is a card that needs to be hand-delivered. 

Besides being lumpy and bumpy, it also smells DELICIOUS.  I used some of the new Vanilla scented embossing powder on the cupcake.  Some vanilla scented items can be icky smelling (i.e. cheapie candles that smell like gross vanilla play-doh), but this embossing powder actually smells yummy! 

This card also features the new Designer Rosette Bigz XL die.  Making rosettes has never been easier because the die does all the cutting and scoring for me.  I just fold on those score lines (in an accordian fashion) and attach the ends with Sticky Strip. 

My base card is Chocolate Chip.......the perfect color for this confection card!!!!

Layer #2 is Peach Parfait.  It's a color that I've really come to appreciate and use a lot more over the past six months.  It's a shame that it's retiring on May 31st (along with Poppy Parade, Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz and Blushing Bride), but there will be five new colors introduced in it's place.

Layer #2 has been embossed with my most used embossing folder:  Square Lattice.  Before adding this layer to the base card, I wrapped two layers of ribbon around it.  I used Whisper White Satin Ribbon and Tempting Turquoise 1/4" grosgrain. 

The rosette is cut from Real Red polka dot paper (found in the Brights Patterns stack).

The focal image comes from the Sweet Cake stamp set.  I inked up the image two times.....first in Chocolate Chip (adding in some Real Red and Old Olive to the cherry) which is stamped onto Whisper White cardstock.  The cupcake image is cut out of this image.  Secondly, I cleaned the stamp and inked it with Tempting Turquoise ink.  Before stamping, I cleaned the heart off with a cotton swab and colored it in with my Real Red marker.  A quick huff is needed to re-moisten the ink and then stamp it onto some Whisper White cardstock.

The frosting on the cut out cupcake is colored with my Peach Parfait marker.  I then colored over the entire image using my Versamarker.  Once I sprinkle on the Vanilla scented embossing powder and heat it til melted, this confection transforms into complete yumminess!

All that's needed are the finishing touches:  popping the cupcake up on dimensionals, adding the layered buttons with the Whisper White Baker's Twine and adding the sentiment!

That's all there is to it......a yummy confection card without all the calories!!!!  With weigh-in tomorrow, the sniffing of yummies is much better on the scale than tasting them!!!! 

I'll be back soon with another project using scented embossing powder.  I played with the Melon scent, and it reminds me of my Maybelline rollerball lip gloss I loved in high school.   I wonder if there will eventually be a bubble-gum flavor?  That was my favorite Bonne Bell lip gloss!!!  Ahhhhh....the memories!!!!!

Have a great weekend!!!!!

Card Recipe

stamps:  Sweet Cake
paper:  Chocolate Chip, Peach Parfait, Whisper White, Brights Patterns dsp stack
ink:  Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise
accessories:  Stampin' Write Markers (Real Red, Old Olive), Brights Designer Buttons, Whisper White Baker's Twine, Vanilla Scented Embossing Powder, Versamarker, Designer Rosette Bigz XL die