Friday, August 27, 2010

More of Christmas....

The samples I'm sharing today is very easy to make so it's a good one to do if you have to make ALOT of Christmas cards. It uses the new Contempo Christmas stamp set. I used Cherry Cobbler for the base card on this one. The background is our new Jolly Holiday DSP. There are many lovely patterns in this set of paper! I cut the oval using the Big Shot and the Ovals die. Then I stamped Merry Christmas using the Cherry Cobbler ink. The "tree" is inked with Old Olive and then the pot for it is inked with the Cherry Cobbler marker. The ribbon is layered behind the designer paper on one side and left out on the other--the oval will hold it down. I tied it off with 1/4" grosgrain ribbon to add some interest.

Thanks for stopping by today. Smiles, Laura

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Sick? Ick!

I love this new wording stamp--SICK with ICK highlighted in the middle! It is icky to be sick!! This is one stamp in the Word Play set--a new one in the new SU 2010-2011 Catalog. This is a cute card to send to a sick person to cheer them up. It uses the new SU Two-Step Owl punch. I tried to fix his eyes crazy like he feels sickly. I used Soft Suede and Baja Breeze with the new Elegant Soiree designed paper (his chest). Yes, the owl punch punches it all out! What a great punch so you can make the owl so many different ways!I punched a limb/leaf from the Two-Step Bird punch for our little fellow to "sit" on.

Here (below) is a close up of the SICK words. I stamped them first on Crumb Cake and then again on Baja Breeze and cut that out. I wanted the "ick" to stand out! Isn't this a neat card? Thanks for stopping by today. Smiles, Laura

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Yes, let's think Christmas....

Some of my customers are already asking for Christmas cards, so I have starting thinking about designing some for class. Here is one I made using the new Come to Bethlehem set in our new catalog. I asked SU several times for a stampset with wisemen and camels and they gave us this one. I'm so excited about using it. It is very hard to tell the colors in this one, but the card itself is Elegant Eggplant and Blissful Blue with a mat of Brushed Silver in there. It looks so elegant in person. The stamp of the wisemen is a bit hard to ink because of the solid space and I am still working with mine to get it to ink well. All the wording shown is also in the set as two words stamps.
I used a sponge dauber to brush eggplant around the edges of the blue to make you think of night. This star comes on the same stamp as the wisemen, but I cut mine off because I wanted to use it separately and color it differently. All of my words and images are stamped with Elegant Eggplant except this star. I used Encore Silver on it and it shows up so pretty. I put a Jewel in Basic Rhinestone in the center and does it twinkle!! It finished off this simple card perfectly.
We'll be doing this one in class sometime soon. I hope my ladies like it!! Smiles, Laura

Monday, August 23, 2010

Owl Goblins

I have finaly started working on Halloween cards and saw on another blog some "goblins" made using the Owl punch. I just had to try making some different "goblins" myself with my punch. Here is the card I came up with.Can you tell my "goblins" are Zorro, a ghost and a devil? What fun! I'm telling you, if you do not have the owl punch, you should order it. Owls are the rage right now; I see them in all the stamping magazines. I have to make some swaps and while making all three on it are time consuming, I think I could do a Zorro for everyone. Show me what you make, OK?

Thanks for looking! Smiles, Laura

Supplies used:
Stamp sets: House of Haunts, Grateful Greetings
CS: Basic Grey, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White, Crumb Cake
Inks: Old Olive, Basis Grey, Basic Black, Elegant Eggplant
Accessories: 2-Step Owl Punch, Sponges, 1-3/8" circle punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack,

Folded Flower....

Today I wanted to share with you a card we made at my August classes that has the neatest flower on it--and one that's easy to make. The card itself is made with Soft Suede CS topped with Baja Breeze and Crumb Cake. There's lot of new supplies used on this card. I embossed the Baja Breeze background using the new Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. That gives it the delightful raised effect. I punched the three bands to go across that using the new Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch. It looks like real ribbon and is an easy punch to use. I cut the oval using the Ovals die in my Big Shot.

The wording on this one is from the Level 2 Hostess set, Apple Blossom. I inked it first in Baja Breeze and then used my suede marker to color certain words. I like it two-toned like that.
These flowers were fun to make. For each one, you punch 4 circles from the designer paper using the 1-3/8" circle punch. I used the new Elegant Soiree DSP for them. Fold each one in half and then fold that in half, so it is a quarter of a circle. Crease it well. Then unfold it, and fold it on the diagonal so that the two creases form an "X"--just do this one way, not both ways. Open it back up and tuck those little folds inside to make the quarter flower again. See that in the picture above. Glue all 4 quads onto another circle and you have the flower.

This shot taken from above the flower shows how the 4 quads fit together. I put a pearl from the Basic Pearl Jewels set in the center. Fluff up the flower to get the full effect, but laying flat it is a very "mail-able" card. And I also added 3 very small pearls at the bottom of the oval under the wording. I like how this card turned out!! Smiles, Laura


Sunday, August 22, 2010

We're having a party....

A Tropical Party, that is.... That's the name of this stamp set that retires at the end of August. I hate to see this one go because it has been such a fun one to play with. The card I'm sharing today using a layout I shared on August 5. I like this versatile layout! I stamped So Worth the Wait from the Word Play stamp set and put the tree and coconut with it. A vacation at the beach or on a tropical isle WOULD be so worth the wait, so the wording is appropriate.

The designer paper used on this one is from the Island Oasis, and it will be retiring at the end of August, too. But it has been so fun to play with! I like how the palm tree top spills over off the oval. And I popped up the coconut drink with dimensionals to make it stand out a bit. Doesn't this just make you want to go sit in the sun and have a "cool refreshing adult beverage?" Ha!
Come back again, ya hear! Smiles, Laura

Friday, August 20, 2010

New In Colors...

I know alot of you are waiting to see the new Stampin' Up! In Colors this year. Well, this card was made using the incolors Pear Pizzazz and Peach Parfait. They just sound delicious!! The designer paper on this one is the Patterns DSP Stack in 2011 In Colors. I showed you this layout in my August 2 post, but this time I've added the border trim on both sides. I love the SU Eyelet Border! This ribbon on this one is the new SU 1/2" stitched poly ribbon in Pear. It ties so pretty. The oval was cut using the Big Shot and the Ovals die.
Here is a closeup of how I cut the tea kettle out and popped it up with dimensionals. And again I colored with the aqua painter and SU inks. I prefer that to using markers for color.
I hope you like this one! Smiles, Laura

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Butterflies everywhere....

Hi! Today I wanted to share another card Jessica and I made last week. She punched all the butterflies for both our cards and one for friend Regina. I love having someone to use the Big Shot for me!! For this card, I used the new Cajun Craze CS and DSP from Woodland Walk. The card itself is 3" x 6" so it folds up pretty small.
Here is a close-up of the butterlies, so you can see the pretty detail on them. We put a rhinestone jewel on each butterfly.
Just for You is from the set Afterthoughts, which is a level 1 hostess set. I cut off "so you don't have to share!" from the bottom of the stamp because I knew I'd want to use the "Just for You" alot! Since this is a clear mount stamp, I can still add on the other words when I want them. That's a nice feature of clear munt stamps.
Come back soon!! Smiles, Laura
Supplies used:
Stamp set: Afterthoughts
CS: Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Ink: Cajun Craze
Accessories: Woodland Walk DSP, rhinestone jewels, 3/4" circle punch, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Corner rounder punch (retired)

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Hand Soap Holders

Have you seen these little holders somewhere else? If not, I thought I'd share them with you. The pattern for this little holder for waterless hand soaps from Bath and Body Works was first shared by Erica Cerwin. She showed Halloween ones on her blog. I modified the instructions a bit to make the box sturdier. I plan to teach this at my stamp club's September meetings, but wanted to show you here. Below is the front of the box. I decorated it using the For All You Do stamp set. I think what you call the technique I used on the top flower "kissing". I stamped the flower in Daffodil Delight ink and then rolled the edge of it around on Poppy Parade.

Here is a side view. And also a view of the inside.
I'll be posting the instructions later, after I teach this at club. I carry these little hand clearners in my purse all the time and could not resist ordering a bunch of them. I plan to make some to give out at little hostess gifts when we go to dinner with friends, too.
I decided the box needed a catch so I cut a circle Velcro closure in half to add at the bottom.
Thanks for visiting today. Come back often! Smiles, Laura
Supplies used:
Stamp set: For All You Do
CS: Poppy Parade, Whisper White
Ink: Popppy Parade
Accessories: Sunny Garden DSP, Large Oval, Gold Brads

Monday, August 16, 2010

New blog heading picture...

Did you notice my new blog heading picture of the mushrooms? You know photography is another of my hobbies and I have been waiting to show you some pictures I took of mushrooms around our house. These were taken in 2008 when I was walking Gabby so aften as a young puppy. I was amazed at how many mushrooms we had and how many DIFFERENT ones there were.

We live in a cove of upland hardwoods in western NC. We get lots of rain, usually. We've had 4" at our house since Friday night (2 days, 3 nights) so I suppose moisture is what mushrooms need to grow. I went out this morning and took more pictures of this year's mushrooms and will be sharing those another day. But take a look at these!




These are growing out of an old stump. Notice you can see 5 or 6 mushrooms in the picture.
I love the little layers on the bottom of this yellow one.
And this little white fellow is so neat with all his bumps and protrusions.



















Here are some growing out of the side of a bank. I've put my hand beside one so you an see how thick it is--its stem is larger than my thumb. And you can't tell, but the top of this variety is a beautiful purple.

This one is peeping out of the ferns. Some like to be under cover more than others.











I have lots more pictures I could show and will during the fall. I had no idea so many varieties of mushrooms would grow in such a close proximinity to each other! My husband keeps suggesting that SURELY some of them are edible, but I'm not willing to risk it since some are also poisonous. Oh, well, I can enjoy them without eating them!!
Hope you enjoyed them, too! Smiles, Laura

Just dropping in....

I know I've been away a week. I've had fun but missed my blog. I have been dog sitting with Gabby's sister, Chelsea. Here are the two girls--Gabby on the left and Chelsea on the right.

Jessica was here with me, too, to play with the girls and to enjoy her last week before school starts back. We had a ball stamping!! The little dogs would both sit in their baskets (beds) beside our stamping table and Jessica and I had fun. You will be seeing some of the thing's we've made over the next few weeks--and in class. I'm SO GLAD my only granddaughter likes to stamp with me!! What a blessing.

I wanted to share a card we made. I've used the bear on the beach on a card, like others of you, and have been thinking about him. With his arms out, he looks like he's jumping or something so I decided to do him parachuting down to ground--Just droppping in to say hello....
What about this one? I used retired designed paper on his parachute and harness, but still think he turned out cute! I free-hand cut the harness and drew in the parachute lines.
Supplies used:
Stamp set: Under the Star, Pocket Silhouettes, and Fundamental Phrases
CS: Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Whisper White
Inks: Soft Suede, Always Artichoke, Craft White
Accessories: sponges, non-SU dies
Thanks for visiting today. I have more to post and will get them up for your enjoyment later.
Smiles, Laura

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Am I on a roll?

OK, I'm probably boring you with this color combination this week. I think I've used it three day--Wild Wasabi and Baja Breeze. And I've used the Morning Cup set before, too. But I do love the designer paper and made up a set of cards using it. So I'll share these last two today. This card uses a Martha Steward punch along the side. I love this one!! And it also has the same vertical strips I used on another card. I hope this shows you several ways to use this stamp set.
This card uses the Just Believe stampset from the new 2010-2011 Stampin' Up! catalog. This is going to be a set I use ALOT. I punched the corners of this one using a Martha Stewart corner punch.
Come back and see me soon---I have more to share. Smiles, Laura

Thursday, August 5, 2010

More of Morning Cup...

I have two more samples made using the stamp set Morning Cup that I wanted to share today. I used the same colors as on the card shown Monday--Wild Wasabi and Baja Breeze with some Early Espresso for accent. I think this is a pretty neat layout, too. (Designer paper purchased locally.) This card uses the coffee pot and mug in the stamp set. Neat, huh? For this card, I used the tea kettle and the coffee cup for the image. Nothing special about this layout, but I do like the colors.
Hummmm, this make me want to go make a pot of tea. See you later..... Smiles, Laura

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Drawer box....

Today I wanted to show you a drawer box I made using some retired Really Rust cardstock and some other papers I had on hand. I wasn't sure how it would turn out and didn't want to waste "the good stuff". But it turned out OK. The instructions for this box can be found on splitcoaststampers.com under resources. The idea is to make a box that has a drawer to pull out instead of the top that opens. The drawer will hold 6 or so cards and envelopes. This makes a great holder to give some of your personal creations to friends and family.I thought these little folded "flowers" would make a great "topping" for my box. We are doing these on a card in my August classes so I won't tell how to make them now, but will share that when I post that card. You'll have to come back to find out how to make them! Now if I could just get my cards made to go inside the box, I'd be set. Thanks for visiting today!! Smiles, Laura

Monday, August 2, 2010

Tea-rific!!!

Hi! Today I wanted to share a card I made using the new Morning Coffee stamp set. This is a fun set that can be used for coffee and tea drinkers for any occasion.The cardstock used is Wild Wasabi and Baja Breeze. This is a pretty versatile layout; one we'll be using at one of my August classes. The designer paper was purchased locally. I also used my Curly Label punch to make a label to put "tea-rific" on.
I love this little stack of cups. I colored them with my aqua painter and Stampin' Up! inks.
Thanks for stopping in today---I have more to share tomorrow. Smiles, Laura

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Punched Posies....

Here is a happy sample for you today!! I used the hostess set in the summer mini for this one--Punched Posies. There are ALOT of flowers in this one and they work with our punches. I stamped these flowers in Daffodil Delight, Rose Red and Certainly Celery. They are punched out using the Scallop Circle punch. The center for the flowers are using the Ittty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack. I can't remember the name of the background DSP I used, but it is from a retired pack. "You're on my Mind" is from the Upsy Daisy stamp set.

See you next time you stop by! Smiles, Laura