Delightful Decorations Goes Retro

I love how this card turned out! The bright color combo of Crushed Curry and Real Red is so eye-catching and festive! I used the Delightful Decorations stamp set, several punches, and...my Top Notz Die with my Big Shot! There are a couple of different ways to use the Top Notz Die for a different look. I'll try to get them shown to you eventually! Meanwhile...I have a little photo tutorial (below) for you so you can get busy using your Top Note Die for this cool look!

Isn't that super easy!!! It's two steps...but oh so worth it!

Ornament Punch Featured

Ornament Punch
116794
Price: $15.95
Punches are a quick and easy way to add interest, dimension, and color to your cards, tags, and scrapbook pages. You can glue punched shapes directly onto your projects or layer a sheet of card stock that has been punched over a coordinating card stock for a reverse effect. Our Ornament punch coordinates with the Delightful Decorations set and Merry & Bright Rub-Ons. It's slightly smaller than the ornament in the Holiday Windows die, making for flawless layering.■ Adds interest to scrapbook pages and cards ■ Has an easy-to-use thumb lever

This punch and it's coordinating stamp set Delightful Decorations are awesome! Scroll down to see 4 cards made using these items! Both of them are in the Holiday Mini - which means that you only have until January 4th to add them to your paper crafting collection!

Saturday Sketch

I haven't thrown a scrapbooking sketch at you for awhile...so here is a nice one for all those Thanksgiving photos that you took! It will make quick work of getting them scrapped so you can get some Christmas preparations done this weekend! Have a great one! (Actually - this would make a nice layout for a square card if you were so inclined!)

Delightful Decorations Elegantly Done

Okay...this is a complete Darla card! LOL! Simple - with elegant touches that do not overpower! I used Delightful Decorations and Four the Holidays stamp sets. My "tree" is the Elegant Boquet embossing folder highlighted with a little bit of glitter. My ornament is embellished with a crystal brad and hanging from the tree with some silver cord (secured in place with a Stampin' Dimensional). The Eyelet Border punch adds to the elegance without being too busy. The rich color of, what else? Elegant Eggplant! It completes the elegant look of this card like no other color can! Sigh...I am in love!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours. Enjoy your families and the bounty of the harvest of all your labors this past year! As I count my blessings today, I will be counting you. Sincerely,

Delightful Decorations Bring Joy

I love the elements of this card! I layered a piece of the Christmas Cocoa Specialty paper on a Real Red background. Then the focal point of the card is a piece of Whisper White that has been anchored with the Scallop Edge punch and red grosgrain ribbon. The ornament is from the Delightful Decorations stamp set and has been stamped in Real Red and then punched out with the Ornament Punch. To give the ornament a little more pop a "hanger" has been added using gold cord and a glue dot. Plus a gold brad was placed in the 'o' in Joy. Stampin' Dimensionals were used to place it on the card. I wanted a sentiment that would fit with the scrolls on the ornament and the word joy. The best fit that I could find in the catalog was in Christmas Punch. It is a level 2 hostess set. This is an awesome set and hosting a workshop gets you this set for FREE! I didn't want the border around the sentiment - so I used a marker to ink up just the greeting. We made this card at my Delightful Decorations card making class!

Delightful Decorations Hanging

I just love the simplicity of this card! I've done similiar cards in the past using an older stamp set and stamping the ornaments - but if you have a lot of Christmas cards to make...this is definitely the way to go! I punched the ornaments out of our Christmas Cocoa Specialty paper using our Ornament Punch (which coordinates with the Delightful Decorations stamp set). They are adhered to the card above the Merry Christmas sentiment which is from the Four the Holidays stamp set. A red grosgrain ribbon bow is put on the center ornament with a glue dot, and the hangers are drawn in with a Stampin' Write and ruler! I used Ruby Red ink as it coordinates with this paper really well. This card goes together in a snap and if you order your supplies today you will have no trouble getting all your Christmas cards done and in the mail before Christmas! We made this card at my Delightful Decorations card making class.

Delightful Decorations in the Window

Delightful Decorations is a great stamp set for the "window" layout! I chose the traditional color of Real Red. The windows are stepped up with the small dots Texturz plate (which is hard to see in my photo). The dots texture goes really well with the ornament and pulls it all together. The sentiment is from Four the Holidays stamp set. We made this card in my Delightful Decorations card making class!

Color Spritzer Featured

Color Spritzer Tool
107066
Price: $12.95
The Color Spritzer tool can turn a Stampin’ Up! marker into an airbrush. Use this technique to create beautiful airbrushed effects. It’s great for card making, scrapbooking, and all types of paper crafting. This is a must for your creative "tool belt!"■ PVC bulb with an insert for placing a marker with adjusting screw nozzle■ Black with matte finish■ Easy to use■ Marker not included

This is an awesome tool! Stampin' Up! took it out of the catalog for a couple of years...and I missed it so much! Especially this time of year...I really loved using it for fall cards and even some holiday cards! So...I am elated that it is back in the catalog! To see a card that has been air brushed with the Color Spritzer click on the title to this post.

Saturday Sketch

I am so excited! I created this Saturday Sketch for you in My Digital Studio! It even has the color combo built right into it! Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red, Old Olive, and Kraft! Take this to your stamp room this weekend and create some cards! Have a great one!

Holly Jolly Christmas

This card was made in My Digital Studio! It was so easy to do! And...now that I have it designed, I can have it printed...or I can use the design and take it to my stamp room and stamp them up with this as my layout! The really cool part was that I had originally tried using Old Olive Brads on the card...and then wanted to see how the Real Red Brads looked. Definitely Real Red! My color combo is More Mustard, Real Red, Soft Suede, and Old Olive.

Autumn Days Wreath Christmas Joy

I love how this card turned out! I wanted it to look like a wreath...but I had no idea just how well the idea would work! We made this card in my Autumn Days card making class. It was a big hit! Everyone thought that the Petals A Plenty Embossing Folder on the Soft Suede Scallop was so beautiful! And...layering it on top of the Close to Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper (which has a shimmer to it) seems to give it a golden hue.

Autumn Days Christmas Decor'

We made this fun card in my Autumn Days card making class. This is an out of the box idea for the Ornament Punch - turn it into a vase! Plus - it was fun decorating the vase by punching a flower out of a piece of card stock embossed with the Petals-A-Plenty Embossing Folder! The background paper is the Christmas Cocoa Specialty featured here: http://blog.inkheaven.com/2009/11/christmas-cocoa-specialty-designer.html

Autumn Days Turn to Winter

Most of the leaves have changed and dropped and Thanksgiving is in our sights! Soon it will be Winter and Christmas will be here! I saved this convention swap stamped by fellow demo,Tamie Ackerson just for that reason! It shows how the stamp set Autumn Days transitions from Fall to Winter with just the addition of a different stamp from the set!

Autumn Days are Pheasant

At the end of October I took a road trip to mom and dad's in MO. On the way I stopped for an overnight with a good stampin' friend who happens to live a couple of hours down the road. We spent a long night stamping, visiting and having a good time! I got a late start in the morning for the rest of my trip to mom's but it was worth it! This card is one that she stamped with Autumn Days and shared with me.

Designer Label Punch Featured

Designer Label Punch
107590
Price: $15.95
Punches are a quick and easy way to add interest, dimension, and color to your cards, tags, and scrapbook pages. You can glue punched shapes directly onto your projects or layer a sheet of card stock that has been punched over a coordinating card stock for a reverse effect. The Designer Label punch is perfect for layering punched images . ■ Add interest to scrapbook pages and cards■ Has an easy-to-use thumb lever

When it comes to punches...try to think outside the box...you will get a little more bang for your buck! To see an out of the box idea click on the title to this post to see a different way to use this punch!

Saturday Sketch

Here is a card sketch to help get you stamping this weekend! Have a great one!

Autumn Days for the Hunter

We made this card in my Autumn Days card making class. The pheasant in this set makes a nice looking masculine card. We used the Autumn Meadows Designer Series Background Paper, Twill Tape, and Jumbo Eyelets to keep the masculine feel to the card. I've made a variation of this card for a couple of my favorite men already! One for my dad on his birthday, and one as a special thank you to my youngest son and his unit serving in Iraq.

Autumn Days Bring Thankful Thoughts

Okay...I have to confess that I bought the Autumn Days Stamp Set because I loved the pheasant! But...that is the awesome part of buying sets from Stampin' Up! They are so versatile! We made this card in my Autumn Days card making class. A very simple and easy card - but they loved it! And they loved the additional use for their Designer Label Punch that they learned!

Below is a little picture tutorial on how to get those fancy ends on the focal point layer shown on this card:

Just slip both ends of the cardstock in and punch! Presto - perfect fancy ends on your strip of card stock!

Falling Leaves In Circles

This card was a spin off from an idea in one of our monthly Stampin' Success Magazines that Stampin' Up! provides to demonstrators. The original idea was a square card - and all the layers were square. It was okay - I just was wanting something different. Originally, I had worked on this card thinking I would use it for my Falling Leaves card making class. However, when I got done with it...I just wasn't sure how I felt about it. Perhaps as a 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 square card this idea would be perfect! At that size the whole scallop circle could be layered and then I would like it much better! So - I really like the idea...I just need to modify it some more! I tend to stick with standard size cards - so I didn't use it in class. A couple of the ladies saw the card and really liked it - so I think I will try the card in the 5 1/2" square size since they liked the card. What is your opinion? I'd love your feedback!

Falling Leaves...Just One

This card was fun! I really like simple cards - especially when you can add a few details to make them sizzle! We made this card at my Falling Leaves card making class. We used the Color Spritzer and the Texturz Plate from kit #4 again, however, this time the color was spritzed over the textured More Mustard background. The 1 inch double stitched Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon makes a bold layer across the top third of the card and it is layered over a strip of Very Vanilla just wide enough for the sentiment and the scallop circle which is the focal point of the card. The color combo is More Mustard, Really Rust, and Chocolate Chip.

Falling Leaves - So Thankful For You

I love fall, especially when it includes an Indian Summer! I like the smell of burning leaves and all the brilliant oranges and reds that pop out amongst the browns and golds. It is fun trying to capture these elements in my card making. This is one of the cards we made in my Falling Leaves card making class. The More Mustard background is textured with one of the Texturz plates from kit #4. The backround of the focal point is spattered with ink using the Color Spritzer Tool. The middle leaf has a "pop-up" to make it a little more interesting. The color combo is More Mustard, Real Red, and Crushed Curry. It is a simple layout...but the texture, ink spatters, and pop-up give it pizzazz!

Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper Featured

Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper
116770
Price: $11.95
Ring in the holidays with our Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series paper. This paper was specially designed for holiday invitations, cards, party favors, and scrapbook pages. The exclusive designs and high-quality card stock will add a touch of elegance to your special day. ■ 12" x 12" sheets■ 12 sheets per package, 2 each of 2 single-sided, flocked designs, and 2 each of 4 double-sided designs■ Coordinates with Stampin' Up! colors

Okay...this paper is really cool!!! I love the flocked paper! I haven't decided how I am going to use the flocked paper yet...but we did make some pretty cards in my last class with a couple sheets of this gorgeous paper!