I got a monkey on my back - Zoo Babies

 

I busted out the monkey and elephant from my Zoo Babies stamp set, which I haven't used for some time, for my 20-card class last weekend. That's what happens when I rearrange my stamp area - I "discover" stamps I've neglected for awhile.

 

I used Soft Suede and Wisteria Wonder ink pads and card stocks, along with a banner cut from Elegant Eggplant, and a retired designer brad (another discovery!). The birthday sentiment is from the Petite Pairs stamp set.

 

I've got nine more designs to show you in the coming days. Tomorrow is Tuesday, which means Weekly Deals, so come back to see those! I have an order going in tomorrow, so if there's anything you'd like, let me know and shipping will only be 10% instead of the minimum $6.95 (local orders only, and you pick up at my house).

Serene Silhouettes sympathy card

 

I saw this card layout idea online and thought it'd be great for a sympathy card. The thing is, it's easy (with 3 punches), makes great use of designer paper (who doesn't have a lot of that hanging around?), and it's quick. The butterfly/floral image is from the Serene Silhouettes stamp set.

 

This sentiment is from the Petite Pairs stamp set. This card is Sahara Sand, Basic Black and Whisper White card stocks. I can't wait to use this design for more cards. Sweet!

Truly Grateful wheat

 

Wheat always reminds me of home - eastern Washington. Nothing beats a sunset when you're in the middle of acres of wheat. It's gorgeous!

 

I couldn't do all Christmas cards at my last 20-card class. We needed a thank-you card, too. This one is Very Vanilla card stock with Watercolor Wonder designer washi tape and twine, the bundle of wheat from Truly Grateful stamped in Hello Honey ink, and sentiment from Petite Pairs.

 

I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday. I'll be out and about gathering auction items from local businesses who have generously put together gift baskets and gift certificates for our 2nd Annual Fall Fling Dinner & Auction on October 4. Let me know if you want a ticket! It's a fun event.



Coastal Cabana butterfly punch card

 

I'm a sucker for quick and easy cards that look great. I think this one fits the bill. It uses the Chevron embossing folder for the Big Shot, as well as both sizes of butterfly punches.

 

I started with a Very Vanilla card, and added a 2-1/4" piece of Coastal Cabana card stock, with a 2" piece of Chevron-embossed Very Vanilla on top. I used both sizes of Stampin' Up! butterfly punches with designer paper, adding them with dimensionals and finishing them with pearls. This would be an easy card to leave blank so you can stamp the sentiment of your choice later (thinking of you, get well soon, sympathy, etc.), but I need birthday cards, so I used the Petite Pairs stamp set with a Coastal Cabana ink pad.

Serene Silhouettes Christmas card; train case

 



I love simple and beautiful Christmas cards. This was one of the designs at my 10-card class this morning. I enjoyed visiting with each and every one of the ladies present. This card starts with a Very Vanilla card base. There's another vanilla layer (5-1/8" x 3-7/8") adhered to that one with dimensionals after being sponged and embossed with the Fancy Fans embossing folder, then the smaller layer of vanilla on top that was stamped with the bird/branch image from Serene Silhouettes (page 64 of the annual catalog). I love the Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details on the birds for that bit of sparkle and shine. The sentiment is from Petite Pairs. I CASE'd this card from a fellow demonstrator, Patty Bennett.

 

Time's ticking away for my August Special: Order the Tag It (Item stamp set from me by August 31 and you'll get your name entered into a drawing for the Pretty Print Textured Impressions Embossing Folder in the Holiday Catalog. I'll announce the winner on Sept. 1 AND if you use the following hostess code, you'll also be eligible to win the hostess benefits - GGQ2GJ3A.

 

I came upon this cute train case at a recent sale. I love the texture on the outside. I started a Facebook page of re-discovered treasures at http://www.facebook.com/booth6goods.

Sponged one-layer card uses Serene Silhouettes

 

Sponging was one of the first techniques I learned when I started stamping. It can make a dramatic impact on your finished creation with little effort.

 

First, I used my Stampin' Trimmer to cut a rectangle in a scrap piece of paper. That scrap was then placed over my card front so I had a guide to follow while sponging three different colors of ink - Pool Party, Crushed Curry and Pumpkin Pie. Then I stamped an image from Serene Silhouettes (page 54) in Jet Black StazOn over the top of the sponged area. I removed my template (in the foreground), then stamped a sentiment from Petite Pairs (page 73).

 

This clean and simple card is also called a one-layer card. Hope you like it!

 

Don't forget - you may win hostess benefits (starting at $25) when you place an order through my Online Store at http://TheRubberRoom.stampinup.net by August 31 using the hostess code below. And everybody who orders Tag It from me by August 31 will also have their name entered into a drawing for the Pretty Print Textured Impressions Embossing Folder in the Holiday Catalog. I'll announce the winner on Sept. 1 AND if you use the following hostess code, you'll also be eligible to win hostess benefits starting at $25. Here's the code - GGQ2GJ3A.

The photo shows a sample of the Pretty Print embossing.

 

This is a wire egg basket I bought at a garage sale. I have a metal hen basket on the washstand in my entryway that holds miscellaneous things like coupons, pens, and anything I want to remember to take with me as I leave the house. I think it adds a touch of whimsy to any decor. Have a wonderful day!







I'm looking forward to a Scentsational Season!

 

There's nothing like a Christmas tree to get you in the festive spirit! I used a Holiday Collection Framelit to die-cut this tree shape, then added some Old Olive paper from Polka Dot Parade dsp behind it and stamped a Daffodil Delight star from the Scentsational Season stamp set, which coordinates with the framelits.

 



I stamped the "christmas cheer" from Sweet Essentials first and then embossed the card front in Perfect Polka Dots before adding a knot of 1/8" Old Olive taffeta ribbon. This was one of the three projects Courtney and her friends made at her party. I showed you the red/white/blue Joyous Celebrations card yesterday, and here's the third:

 

I saw this Christmas Deer card on Pinterest, designed by Patti Chesky. It's a Crumb Cake card with a strip of Cherry Cobbler card stock and some crochet trim. The sentiment is from Petite Pairs. I love the use of the Fancy Fan Folder on the card front, as well as the tiny bird on the antlers.

 

I'm looking forward to my holiday bazaar Thursday at an assisted care facility about half a mile from my home. The residents and staff are wonderful, and really provide a good experience for vendors. I'm thankful there are wonderful places like this that truly appreciate our elderly, and care for them with love.

Aviary with Thoughts & Prayers

When I saw this card, I just thought it was so cute, so I prepped it for my club members to make this month. First we stamped flowering branch from Thoughts & Prayers in Pear Pizzazz at the top of the card, then tried to match the stand from Aviary below it, lining up the stem and stand. The flower actually covers where they kinda meet. I love the combo of stamp sets, because it's unexpected. Thoughts & Prayers is pretty much a sympathy set, and Aviary has adorable birds and cages in it. I CASE'd the idea from LeeAnn Greff and also saw it on Pinterest. I used Baja Breeze, Peach Parfait and Riding Hood Red, with the Itty Bitty Punch flower and rhinestones. The sentiment is from Petite Pairs.

 

THERE ARE ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT TO BUY RETIRING STAMP SETS! More than 300 Stampin' Up! stamp sets are retiring May 31. Retired stamp sets will be available for purchase THRU May 31, 2012 and then they are GONE!

Retiring Stamp List by Page Number

ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT TO BUY WHAT'S LEFT OF RETIRING ACCESSORIES - SOME UP TO 70% OFF! Click below to see entire list. An "X" to the right of an item means it's no longer available.

Retiring Accessories by Page Number

ITEMS FROM THE OCCASIONS MINI YOU CAN STILL ORDER FOR 2 DAYS! Though the Occasions Mini ended April 30, you can still order from the list below until May 31, 2012.

Occasions Mini Carryover Items

Best of all, when you order $50 or more through my Online Store (open 24/7) you'll get a new 2012-2013 Stampin' Up! Catalog shipped directly to your home. Sorry, this is only available to my U.S. customers. Just click the SHOP NOW button and you'll be able to view everything from the above items to the Clearance Rack (only available for shopping ONLINE), Digital Downloads, retiring Decor Elements and more.

If you have any questions, please contact me at ericandterry@comcast.net or (360) 509-8041.

A Beautiful Season for Monkey Challenge #86: Holidays and BLOG CANDY!

I like natural and non-glittery Christmas cards, as well as the sparkly snowmen. This card follows a sketch on the A La Card Monkey blog. The bird image comes from the Beautiful Season stamp set, with the words from Petite Pairs. The big scallop circle came from the Perfect Pennants die for the Big Shot, and there's Hollyberry Bouquet dsp on the card too.

I'm providing the Warmest of Wishes stamp set for BLOG CANDY for this challenge. Whoo hoo!!!

Stamps: Beautiful Season, Petite Pairs;

Ink: Basic Brown, Wild Wasabi, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Sahara Sand;

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Early Espresso, Hollyberry Bouquet dsp (Holiday Mini);

Accessories: Basic Pearls, oval and oval scallop punches, Circles Die, Perfect Pennants die, Petals a Plenty embossing folder, 1/8" Real Red taffeta ribbon, aqua painter, dimensionals.

Pines & Poinsettias snowflake embossed card

I'm always looking for simple and striking card ideas, so when I saw a card like this Pines and Poinsettias one by Becky Johnson, I had to CASE it (Copy and Share Everything). The body is Early Espresso, and it's been run through the Northern Flurry embossing folder in the Big Shot. I used a strip of the quilted Cherry Cobbler ribbon, as well one stamp from the Pines and Poinsettias stamp set. Both items are in the Holiday Mini. The greeting is from the Petite Pairs stamp set. This was another 10-card class project.

Gently Falling card for Monkey Challenge 77

It was challenging trying to use the A La Card Monkey sketch and the theme of Leaves (which also includes autumn/fall/Thanksgiving). After much trial and error, I decided I'd go with this. It has three different kinds and colors of leaves on three different panels that are fanned out.

I went with this experiment - stamping the greeting on a scrap with a leaf on it. I like it! 

Stamps: Gently Falling, Petite Pairs;
Ink: Pool Party, More Mustard, Pear Pizzazz, Early Espresso;
Paper: Very Vanilla, Pool Party, More Mustard, Early Espresso, Spice Cake dsp;
Accessories: Early Espresso quilted ribbon, oval punch, scallop oval punch, and dimensionals.

Thank-you notes with Button Buddies and Out on a Limb stamps

I like to include a note of thanks with my club members' orders each month. I used some Cheery Treats dsp and the Button Buddies stamp set above, as well as Brights buttons, white twine and a sentiment from Trendy Trees.

Below, I used the Out on the Limb stamp set, along with some strips of Frightful Sight dsp I had leftover from a recent project. The sentiment is from Petite Pairs.

New In Color Array of Sunshine card

You can see Pool Party, Lucky Limeade and Calypso Coral (all new In Colors for 2011-2013) on this Array of Sunshine card. And I love the dotted brad, also in the new In Colors. I CASE'd this card, though I don't remember from who. I'm sure I'll come across it and be able to add a name or link to her blog. See the ruffled ribbon? Love it! And the sentiment is from a new stamp set called Petite Pairs. What's great about this set is you get a phrase for the front of the card, as well as one for the inside. Hope you have a great day!