Sunday, September 1, 2013

Stampin' Celebration #70




Hi all!  Sorry for the long absence. . . there's a big move on the horizon for our family, so between that and spending a good part of the summer visiting family I haven't been stamping much.  :-)  I'll post later more about all that, but for now on to this month's Stampin' Celebration challenge!  

This is an exciting month over at Stampin' Celebration since we have some new stampers who have been selected to join our Design Team!  So make sure to head over to the blog to see who's joined us.  There's lots of talent as well as great inspiration this month.  :-)  



It's been a while since I stamped anything, so I thought I'd go simple.  :-)   I loved the bold colors and simple style of these photos.  



I used my Pear Pizzazz and Coastal Cabana markers to ink up the flower image from the Morning Meadow (hostess) set.  (Side note:  I just love the hostess sets in the current catalog!)  Although the picture doesn't really show it, I added Crystal Effects on just the flowers for a little dimension and shine.  The rhinestones add even more bling.  :-)  

To get the little 'notch' in the Basic Gray layer, I used the edge of one of the framelits from the Apothecary Accents set:  



I ran it through the Big Shot twice--once on each end.  The card below uses the colors Calypso Coral and (again) Pear Pizzazz.  I enjoy making sets of cards that I can give as gifts. . . fairly simple and easy to change the colors up.  I'll make a few more of each of these, a couple in Wisteria Wonder, and I'll have a gift ready to go.  :-)  



Now it's your turn to play along with us at Stampin' Celebration. And also remember to take a look at what the other design team members created! 


You have until Sept 25th to play along. And don't forget to check back on the 15th for some more inspiration. :-) 

To follow along on this month's Blog Hop, simply click the links below:

Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs
Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style
Cori Kozak - Creative Chat
Allison Ohran - Sweet Impressions
Lauri Ingram - Paperville Crafts
Krista Jensen - Krista's Stamper Room
Anita Krul - My Paper Chronicles

Stamps:  Morning Meadow (hostess), Sweet Essentials
Ink:  Pear Pizzazz, Calypso Coral, Coastal Cabana (and markers)
Paper: Naturals White card stock, Basic Gray
Accessories: Subtles Candy Dots, Distress Tool, Crystal Effects, Apothecary Accents framelits, Big Shot, Rhinestone Jewels, dimensionals

Friday, June 7, 2013

Stampin' Celebration #67



Well I'm almost a week late, but I still wanted to make a quick something for the Stampin' Celebration challenge this month (I did choose the inspiration pictures after all, lol).  


I pulled out some of my items from the New Catalog!    If you haven't seen it yet, go take a peek. . . I used the new Mosaic Madness stamp set with the coordinating punch and Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder.  I did hand-cut the smaller gray images.  The Daffodil Delight seam binding ribbon is tied off with a little White baker's twine, and I also added a few rhinestones for a little bling.  

Now it's your turn to play along with us at Stampin' Celebration. And also remember to take a look at what the other design team members created! 

To follow along on this month's Blog Hop, simply click the links below:

Allison Ohran -Sweet Impressions (you are here)
Cori Kozak - Creative Chat
Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs
Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style
Jenny Peterson - Lakeshore Stamping

You have until June 25th to play along. And don't forget to check back on the 15th for some more inspiration.


Stamps:  Mosaic Madness, Delightful Dozen
Ink:  Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray and marker
Paper: Basic Gray, Whisper White
Accessories: Modern Mosaic EF, Mosaic punch, Daffodil Delight seam binding ribbon, White baker's twine, rhinestones, dimensionals 



Thursday, May 2, 2013

Stampin' Celebration #66

 
 
 
I'm running a little late this month, but I definitely couldn't miss out on playing along this month with the Stampin' Celebration challenge!  What fun colors! 

 
I'm always in need of tween birthday cards for my nieces, and with these colors I thought that would be the perfect combo.  I'm not sure if I ended up hitting the 'tween' age (maybe a bit younger?) but I have younger nieces too.  :-) 
 
I also wanted to pull out and use some of the stamp sets that will soon be discontinued.  All 3 of the sets I used. . . Mouthwatering, Distressed Dots (background stamp), and Made for You (sentiment). . . will no longer be available after June 3rd.  And, Pretty in Pink is one of the colors we are losing in the Color Refresh

To see the retiring stamps click HERE, for the accessories click HERE
 
This card is pretty straight forward, I just inked with a marker and stamped the top of the ice cream cone 4 times, hand cut, and then layered.  For the background stamp I inked it up, stamped off once, and then stamped on the card base. 
 
Now it's your turn to play along with us at Stampin' Celebration. And also remember to take a look at what the other design team members created!

To follow along on this month's Blog Hop, simply click the links below:

Allison Ohran -Sweet Impressions (you are here)
Cori Kozak - Creative Chat
Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs
Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style
Jenny Peterson - Lakeshore Stamping

You have until May 25th to play along. And don't forget to check back on the 15th for some more inspiration. :-)
Stamps:  Mouthwatering, Distressed Dots, Made for You
Ink:  Tangerine Tango (and marker), Melon Mambo (and marker) and Pretty in Pink marker
Paper: Tangerine Tango, Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Accessories: Pretty in Pink stitched grosgrain ribbon, linen thread, dimensionals 
 

Monday, April 15, 2013

Stampin' Celebration Sketch Challenge


 
Hi all!  There's a new sketch challenge over at Stampin' Celebration . . in case you need a break from thinking about taxes.  :-)  You'll notice I did kind of rotate the middle of the sketch a little, but I loved this sketch.  I also used this same card for one of our club meeting projects, and the ladies were pleasantly surprised at how easy this card was to put together. 
 
 
A few hints. . . . I used my brayer to easily add the Pretty in Pink ink to the Paper Doilie.  To color the flower, (one flower cut from the 5/8" Flower Trim) I dipped it into a mixture of about 5 drops of Rich Razzleberry reinker mixed with a little water.  Then pull it out and let it dry on some paper towels.  The splatter on the large Whisper White layer was made using the Color Spritzer Tool

The Secret Garden stamp set and coordinating framelits, flower, doilie, large Rhinestone Jewels are all found in the Spring Catalog

 
You still have time to play along with us at Stampin' Celebration. Be sure to link your project over at Stampin' Celebration by April 25 to be in the running for the "Pick of the Party"!  Remember you can use the sketch challenge, the inspiration piece, or a combination of both.   

Stamps:  Secret Garden, Petite Pairs
Ink:  Rich Razzleberry (ink, marker and reinker), and Pretty in Pink
Paper:  Pretty in Pink, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Sycamore Street DSP
Accessories:  Secret Garden framelits, Labels Collection framelits, Big Shot, brayer, large Rhinestone Jewels, 5/8" Flower Trim, Color Spritzer Tool, dimensionals

Monday, April 1, 2013

Stampin' Celebration #65


 
Hi all!  Happy Spring and Happy April 1st.  :-)  It's time for another Stampin' Celebration challenge!  This month  I had fun creating a 3D project.  I starting by using the picnic basket as my inspiration and then incorporated the flowers/basket as I went along. 


This basket started as just a plain white one that was meant to be embellished--it had been sitting on the desk in my craft room for quite a while and was just begging to be used.  I used some typing paper to trace one side of the basket and then used that as a guide to cut out pieces from Gumball Green card stock.  I did each side separately, so I cut out 4 pieces. 


Before I adhered the green pieces to the basket, I created the Early Espresso lattice-looking lines.  I created the lattice by first scoring (at 3/4" increments) in both directions, then folding along each score line.  While one line was folded, I ran the line through a Versamark ink pad. After unfolding, I heat embossed with Early Espresso Stampin' Emboss Powder.


The flowers were created using the Floral Frames framelits and Boho Blossom punch.  I wrapped the plastic handle with Daffodil Delight Seam Binding ribbon and then added the Early Espresso Taffeta ribbon over the top. 
 

To get the grass and flowers to 'stand up' instead of just flopping around, I cut a piece of card stock and then took an exacto knife and cut little, random slits.  Then I just poked the grass through the slits.  The 'platform' that is holding the grass is just set into the basket--it isn't actually attached to anything. 

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this project!  And, I hope you'll be inspired to play along with us at Stampin' Celebration.  And also remember to take a look at what the other design team members created!
 
To follow along on this month's Blog Hop, simply click the links below:

Allison Ohran -Sweet Impressions (you are here)
Cori Kozak - Creative Chat
Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs
Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style
Jenny Peterson - Lakeshore Stamping (taking a break in Grand Cayman this week!)


You have until April 25th to play along. And don't forget to check back on the 15th for some more inspiration.  :-) 

Ink:  Versamark
Paper:  Gumball Green, Daffodil Delight
Accessories:  Score Tool, Early Espresso Stampin' Emboss Powder, Embossing Buddy, Heat Tool, Daffodil Delight Seam Binding ribbon, Early Espresso Taffeta ribbon, Pearl Jewels, Neutral Designer Buttons, Boho Blossom punch, Floral Frames framelits, Big Shot

Friday, March 15, 2013

Stampin' Celebration 64--Sketch

 
 
Here in Houston, this week is spring break!  And it has been an absolutely beautiful spring break with perfect weather, not too hot (yet!) and not too cold.  I think this card is a reflection of that 'spring' feeling.  :-) 
 
I used the Mid-monspiration sketch and created this card using the Secret Garden stamp set and coordinating framelits.  I used Finishing Touches Edgelits to get the border along the edge of the Summer Starfruit layer, and added some of the large rhinestone jewels to the center of the flowers.  I stamped the Primrose Petals card base with Versamark ink and the (discontinued) Sanded background stamp.   
 
 
You still have time to play along with us at Stampin' Celebration. Be sure to link up to the main Stampin' Celebration site here by March 25 to be in the running for the "Pick of the Party"!  Remember you can use the sketch challenge, the inspiration piece, or a combination of both! 

Stampin' Celebration Blog Hop:
Allison Ohran -
Sweet Impressions (you are here)
Cori Kozak - Creative Chat
Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs
Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style
Jenny Peterson - Lakeshore Stamping

Stamps:  Secret Garden, Sanded
Ink:  Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, Versamark
Paper:  Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, Whisper White
Accessories:  Large Rhinestones, Lucky Limeade ribbon (discontinued), Finishing Touches Framelits, Secret Garden Framelits, Big Shot, dimensionals

Friday, March 1, 2013

Stampin' Celebration 64

 
Hi all!  It's time for another Stampin' Celebration challenge.  Look at the fun inspiration piece we have this month: 


I love butterflies, so that picture caught my eye immediately.  :-)  I also like the variety and combination of what I would call 'bold pastel' colors, so I tried to incorporate those as well. 

I used the Elegant Butterfly punch and the new Bitty Butterfly punch (from the Sping Catalog).  Some have a layer of vellum over the top, some have rhinestones, down the middle, and some are covered with Dazzling Diamonds glitter (using Mulitpurpose Adhesive Sheets).  Most are stamped with the Papillon Potpourri stamp (using Versamark) and a couple are pieces of Designer Paper. 

The background was made using the Fancy Fan Folder Embossing Die, and Perfect Plum 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon is tied around. 


We'd love to have you play along with us this month at Stampin' Celebration! You have until March 25th to link your creation (a card, 3D item, digital item, scrapbook layout, etc.) to the Stampin' Celebration blog and be in the running for the "Pick of the Party" at the end of the month.

And remember to check back on the 15th to see what the sketch challenge is for this month!  We can't wait to see what Stampin' Celebration inspires you to create!
To see what the other DT members have created:

Allison Ohran -Sweet Impressions (you are here)
Cori Kozak - Creative Chat
Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs
Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style
Jenny Peterson - Lakeshore Stamping

Stamps:  Papillion Potpourri
Ink:  Versamark Ink
Paper:  Marina Mist, Perfect Plum, So Saffron, Rose Red, Wild Wasabi, Vellum, random DSP, and Whisper White
Accessories:  Elegant Butterfly punch, Bitty Butterfly punch, linen thread, 3/8" Perfect Plum Taffeta Ribbon, rhinestones, Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Fancy Fan Embossing Folder, Big Shot, dimensionals

Friday, February 15, 2013

Stampin' Celebration 63--Mid-Monthspiration




Wow, this month is flying by!  I've been keeping busy stamping lots of Valentines--for my kids' school classes, cousins, and grandparents, etc.  So, I was ready to take a break from Valentines creations for a bit and create a card using the Stampin' Celebration *sketch* challenge.  Yep, a fun new surprise.  :-)  For the mid-monthspiration, there will now be a sketch.  So you can use just the inspiration piece, OR just the sketch, OR both for more fun!  



I have also been wanting to use my Oh, Hello stamp set which has been neglected since I pre-ordered it all the way back in December.  The color combination was inspired by the colors found in the Sunshine & Sprinkles DSP in the Spring Catalog.  



As I was making this card I liked all of the different elements, but I wasn't so sure once I got them all together if I like the overall card.  One of the elements I thought was fun was the safety pin at the top.  I pierced two holes with my paper-piercing tool and then added the safety pin (from the Vintage Trinkets collection).  The ribbon--Marina Mist and Melon Mambo 3/8" Striped Organdy Ribbon--is also new in the Spring Catalog.  


You still have time to play along with us at Stampin' Celebration.  Be sure to link up to the main Stampin' Celebration site here by February 25 to be in the running for the "Pick of the Party"!
Stampin' Celebration Blog Hop:
Allison Ohran -Sweet Impressions (you are here)
Cori Kozak - Creative Chat
Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs
Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style
Jenny Peterson - Lakeshore Stamping


Stamps:  Oh, Hello
Ink:  Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray, and Lucky Limeade, Melon Mambo, Marina Mist, and Daffodil Delight markers
Paper:  Naturals White, Basic Gray
Accessories:  Marina Mist and Melon Mambo 3/8" Striped Organdy Ribbon, Vintage Trinkets, Ovals Collection Framelits, Big Shot, dimensionals

Friday, February 1, 2013

Soda Pop Love


It's the beginning of the month, which means it's time for another Stampin' Celebration challenge!  We have another great inspiration piece this month, and I took it pretty literally this time.  The wall in the top left photo reminded me of this Designer Paper from the More Amore DSP pack, so that's where I started. 


The large letters come from the Simple Letters Alphabet dies and the little letters come from the Billboard Alphabet die--(both discontinued).  I sponged some Real Red ink onto some of Natural Trim Ribbon (new in the Spring Catalog) and then used my Heat Tool to dry it.  I tied it off with some Linen Thread. 

 
I wanted to do something fun for the 'o' in love and decided on one of the new Soda Pop Tops.  I ran it through the Big Shot (platform with no tabs and a cutting plate on top and bottom of the pop top) to flatten it a little bit.  The image behind the Red Glimmer Paper heart comes from the Collage Curios stamp set in the Spring Catalog
 

We'd love to have you play along with us this month at Stampin' Celebration! You have until February 25th to link your creation (a card, 3D item, digital item, scrapbook layout, etc.) to the Stampin' Celebration blog and be in the running for the "Pick of the Party" at the end of the month. We can't wait to see what Stampin' Celebration inspires you to create!

To see what the other DT members have created:

Stampin' Celebration Blog Hop:
Allison Ohran -Sweet Impressions (you are here)
Cori Kozak - Creative Chat
Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs
Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style
Jenny Peterson - Lakeshore Stamping
 
Stamps: Collage Curios
Ink: Real Red
Paper: Real Red, Very Vanilla, More Amore DSP
Accessories:  Natural Trim Ribbon, Very Vanilla 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Soda Pop top, Linen Thread, Stampin' Distress Tool, 1" Circle Punch, Hearts Collection Framelits, Simple Letters Alphabet dies, Billboard Alphabet die, Big Shot, dimensionals

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Fancy Sycamore Favor


 
Today I actually have a non-Valentine's project to share.  :-)  This is a project that we made at my downline meeting this past month.  I got the idea for this project from Heather Klump--a very talented stamper! 
 
It uses several of the Sale-A-Bration items (ie FREE with a $50 purchase): the Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack, the Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper, and the Madison Avenue stamp set.  Note:  these are the 3 items you receive for free (in addition to all the other awesome hostess benefits) when you host a workshop or place a $400 order during Sale-A-Bration.  Yay! 
 

It's quite easy to make this fun little favor box.  I ran Island Indigo through the Big Shot with the Fancy Favor die to create the bottom of the box.  That part is assembled as usual. 

For the top of the box I used a 4" by 12" piece of the Designer Paper (so you can get 3 tops per 1 sheet of DSP) and ran it through the Big Shot again, but lined up so that you don't cut out the part that would become the tabs to make the bottom of the box.  Then adhere along the edges to make a tube, pinch the top together, punch holes, and tie it closed.  Here I used some of the Satiny Pool Party ribbon from the Sale-A-Bration pack. 


For the tag, I stamped with Summer Starfruit onto the same color card stock and then cut out using the smallest flower in the Floral Frames Framelits set.  I cut out a second flower in Pool Party to layer behind.  The sentiment was stamped with the Essentials set and then cut out using the Bitty Banners Framelits.  The Oval that creates the base of the tag was cut out using the Ovals Collection Framelits found in the Spring Catalog

I also wanted to remind you that this is a great time to join the Stampin Up family!  If  purchase the starter kit during Sale-A-Bration, you get an extra 25% in Starter Kit products for FREE.  So that means:

You choose $156 of any current Stampin Up products and pay only $99 (plus tax)!  Awesome!  You don't even have to pay shipping, which saves another 10%.  :-) 

By purchasing the starter kit, that means you join the Stampin' Up! family of demonstrators (and my team). From when you purchase the kit until June 30th, 2013 you get all the demonstrator benefits. But that doesn't mean you have any obligation to host parties, purchase anything further, or solicit orders from anyone. You literally can take advantage of this offer and walk away. There is no penalty to drop. However, if you do have $300 in sales or purchases between now and June 30th, then you renew your benefits for another 3 months. 

Intrigued? So what are the benefits of being a demonstrator? 
 
A few of my favorites are:
--an additional 10% off your first order of $150 or more during your first 45 days (on top of your 'normal' 20% discount)
--access to the Stampin' Connection website that has thousands of project ideas, forums, videos, etc.
--Stampin' Success (a bi-monthly magazine) full of ideas and tips
--the ability to attend demo-only events (convention, leadership, regionals) 
 
And of course you can attend my downline meeting (every other month) and make cute projects like this one.  :-)  Or if you live far away, I send you the projects. 
 
If you are curious and have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask me! I have loved my journey with Stampin Up and look forward to sharing it with you. This really is such a great deal that there's really NOT a reason to miss out on it! :-)  Ready to go?  You can learn more and/or sign up HERE
 
Stamps:  Madison Avenue, Essentials
Ink:  Summer Starfruit, Island Indigo
Paper:  Island Indigo, Summer Starfruit, Pool Party, Whisper White, Sycamore Street DSP
Accessories:   Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button pack, Island Indigo Baker's Twine, Fancy Favor die, Ovals Collection Framelits, Bitty Banners Framelits, Floral Frames Framelits, Big Shot