Occasional Quotes...

Hi! Hope you are having a good day. The card I'm sharing today is made using the new Marina Mist and Wild Wasabi cardstock. I embossed the background with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. I stamped "I'm here for you..." from the Occasional Quotes hostess set and embossed it in white. I punched the flowers using the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack. I added the smallest pearls from the Jewels Basic Pearls set. I just LOVE the Jewels and you will too when you start using them. The backing for the flowers was made using a die from the Lots of Tags die set. That small ribbon is the new 1/8" taffeta ribbon in Marina Mist. (Can you tell I'm going to be using Marina Mist alot!! ha!) I love the white edging on this narrow ribbon.

Thanks for visiting my blog today! Smiles, Laura

Final Riot!

Ha! Did that caption get you? Final Riot? These are the final Riot of Petals samples I'll share with you. I know, I too wish you could still purchase this stamp. For this first one, I just embossed the flowers in white embossing powder on our new Marina Mist CS. I did color the leaves with my aqua painter and one of the greens. (I THINK it was Wild Wasabi but am not sure.)I thougth if the flowers looked pretty plain, how would they look colored with the white gel pen. So for this samples, I colored them with the pen. Doesn't this give them a great effect!! For this next card, I embossed the flowers in gold embossing powder and then colored them with the white gel pen. I like this one, too. I wondered how they would look embossed in silver but haven't tried that yet.

Here is a close up of the flowers and leaves. For this last one, I decided to color the petals with my aqua painter and bleach. I thought I'd like this one best, but it is not my favorite. I guess after seeing the white gel pen, the bleach is too subtle for me!Thank you for humoring me and letting me play with this retired set! I hope the techniques (coloring with the gel pen and with bleach) are giving you ideas for your own cards.

Come back again soon! Smiles, Laura

Another sample using Riot of Petals

Here is another card I made with a background just like the one I showed you yesterday, but rather than putting the "banner ribbon" across the top of this one, I used the current stampset, Friends Never Fade. I colored the flower on this stamp with the same colors--Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, and Certainly Celery markers. I sponged the edged with the Bashful Blue. And to this one I added Birthday Wishes from the level 3 Hostess set, Occasional Quotes. That set has tons of neat words and sayings in it. I tied the smaller image on using the new 1/8" ribbon in Daffodil Delight. I think the white edging on the ribbon goes so well with the background. I think this one turned out neat, too.

More Riot of Petals samples tomorrow.... I am so enjoying that retired stamp!!
Smiles, Laura

Yes, a retired stamp....

I know, I know, I should not use a retired stamp to show you today, but I just recently purchased the retired Riot of Petals stamp and have enjoyed playing with it. Here is a card I made for my step-mother for her birthday. I embossed the stamp with white embossing powder on white cardstock. Then I used sponge daubers to apply color to the flowers and leaves. I used Daffodil Dellight and Pumpkin Pie on the flowers, Certainly Celery on the leaves and Bashful Blue for the sky.

I stamped the words from the current stamp set Heard from the Heart in Pumpkin on Daffodil CS. I cut it freehand to look like a ribbon and smudged color along the edges to make them stand out.

Here is a close up of the flower. I think this will make a nice birthday card! I have more samples I made using this stamp and will be sharing those in the next few days.

Smiles, Laura

Three-Tiered Slider Card

My friend Regina sent me one of these three-tiered slider cards and of course I HAD to make one myself. I just KNOW my stamping ladies are also going to want to make one! I'll post directions later for this one. It is alittle complicated to make and you would want the dimensions and instructions for cutting it. For now, I'll just show you the card. I'll post instructions after I teach it in my class. This first shot is of the card closed.When you pull the tab on top, out slides the second tier.You keep pulling and then out comes the third tier. Isn't it a neat idea? Here is a close up of my front. I used the new Elegant Soiree DSP on this card and I'm telling you, this is one of my very favorite of the new DSP in our new catalog. I stamped this flower from new Just Believe stamp set using Soft Suede. It's a large stamp and one of the few that you need Clear Block E to stamp (if you purchase the clear mount set). Here is a close-up of the stamped image on the second tier. On this one, I cut my JUST FOR YOU stamp into two pieces, so that I can get it to fit inside this cute little curly box. I KNOW I will be using it this way often!

This Just Believe stamp set is one you will be seeing again on my blog! I love it!! The nice things about this card is that it will fit into our regular A2 envelopes.

Watch my blog later in August for directions. You will enjoy making this one and I'll try to write up some directions you can follow. Smiles, Laura

Save a cow--eat more pork!

Before his party on Sunday, Dad wanted to provide lunch for the entire family, so we wouldn't all have to go out to a restaurant for it and have to hurry. He catered a pork bar-be-cue lunch with cole slaw, etc. It was delicious. I wanted to thank Dad for the lunch, so I made him this card.

For all of his life, my dad raised registered Hereford cows (the Southern name is "white face" cows) for sale for meat production. So I thought he would like these cows on his "thank you" card. The label says "Save a cow--Eat more pork!" I thought he'd like that. Inside, I put, "Thank you for eating pork!!"Look at these cute cows. They are made using the Round Tab punch. I tore the "white face" for each cow, to go down the middle. The ears are made using the 5-Petal Flower punch, with each ear one of the petals. The inside of the ears are made from the leaf of the Two-step Bird punch. And for the nose, I used the Small Oval punch. I don't know if you can see it or not, but I scored the background to make the barn "boards". I think the card turned out pretty cute. I haven't talked to Dad since he got this card in the mail, but I know he is going to enjoy it!

(ED. note: I talked to Dad yesterday afternoon and he LOVED the card. He "got it" about beef and pork immediately . Glad I cheered his day.)

Thanks for stopping in!! Smiles, Laua

Have you missed me like I've missed you?

I know, I know, I haven't posted since July 4th! It's been a busy month so far. Of course the new Stampin' Up catalog came out and I was very busy pouring over it to see what I wanted to order. I have a TON of new stamps and designer paper to play with and share with you. So keep watch!

I have also been busy planning for a 90th birthday celebration for my sweet father! He is in great health for his age and we sisters decided back in January to have a party for him. Let me tell you, he has sure had fun anticipating it. I pulled out pictures of his childhood, his college and military service years, etc. from my mom's old photo albums, made up a couple of poster-sized collages, framed alot of 8x10 and 5x7 pictures, etc.

Since we were having the celebration at his church, we expected to have close to 200 people there (we ended up with 160-170, so a nice turnout). I designed and made the guest register shown here for our guests to sign. I used the SU July Fourth stamp set for it on Real Red and Night of Navy cardstock. (I told you I loved this set!!). Can you see the ribbons on the spine that I tied there? The fireworks are stamped in red, navy and silver (silver is hard to see). Across the top of each page inside, I stamped the same fireworks, just to decorate the pages.

I also decided to make name tags for each of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, sons-in-law, etc. showing each person's relationship to Dad. I decorated the tops of each name tag, again with the July Fourth stamp set. Everyone wore theirs and the guests especially liked seeing all the great-grandchildren wearing theirs around.

Getting ready for the party took my whole week before (party was on July 11) so that's where I was--working on party things. But what a fun day it was!!

Here is a picture of my dad with my sisters and me at the party. Happy Birthday, Dad!!!
Thanks for visiting today! Smiles, Laura

Happy July 4th!!

I love July 4th!! It's a totally American holiday and so much fun!  We try to never miss the fireworks in our little town.  Considering our town's size, they do a wonderful job with LOTS of fireworks.    Since July 4 is on a Sunday, fireworks will be on July 3 this year.  Yeah!! Less time to wait!  Here is the final July Fourth stamp set sample I'm going to share with you (I think).

We made this one in some of my June classes.  I used the Star and the Curly Label punches on it.  We added a Fire Circle Rhinestone brad on the "fireworks" for some dimension.  And all three curly labels and the star are popped up with dimentionals. 

Whatever you and your family do this weekend, please be safe and don't get hurt!  Come back my way soon.  Smiles, Laura

More Tropical Party....

Here is another card made using the Tropical Party stamp set. I made it a month ago, but waited t share it until I had my late June classes as they were making this one. For this one, I cut the oval using the Ovals die. I used two brayers to add color to it for the background. I used Tempting Turquoise for the "sky". Start by rolling your brayer back and forth across your grid paper and slowly move it forward onto your oval. You want to add subtle color. Make alot of passed over the oval to add more color. Same with the Creamy Caramel at the bottom.

I colored the palm trees using the Soft Suede and Old Olive markers. Stamp it once and then without inking them again, stamp again to get the lighter tree. Then ink the tree up again and stamp the other dark tree.

To get the pumpkin pie(PP) background shape, I used the Top Note die. I marked my die with a white gel pen like this, so I can tell where the middle is, going in each direction.Then, I cut the PP in the top note shape.Next, I turned the cut out note 90 degrees and put one edge up against the side of the die. Note that I did not turn the Top Note die at all. Use the white lines to make sure you line it up straight.Pass it through the Big Shot and it will cut off two sides like this.Then put the uncut side against the other side of the Big Shot--do not turn it at all--and run it through again.You will be a cut like this. This gives you the perfectly centered cut--if you are just careful how you line it up. It takes just a bit of practice but once you get the hang of it, it's fairly easy. And it gives you a totally different shape. You can make this as narrow as you want--just move the original top note more to the left and right.Here is another sample made similarly to the other , but on this one, I didn't put the three large flowers under the oval. I punched out R E L A X using the Naturally Serif alphabet die in various colors. I also stamped three smaller flowers and the coconut with the umbrella in it and cut those out.

I hope the samples today have inspired you to try this new cut. Thanks for visitng my blog. Smiles, Laura