Getting punchy...

Louise made this big, gorgeous card for me. Isn't she sweet? I love all the little ribbon knots, the Ginger Blossom dots, and all of the 5-petal flowers punched out and decorated with big silver brads, buttons and half pearls. Did you notice the pretty flower with a brad? Cute!

The only wacky thing about this card is I took a photo of my shadow over it. Oops.

It's a cascading bouquet of flowers....

Simplicity at its best...

Sometimes it's the simplest of things getting the most attention. That's how it is with my customers and this nail file holder.

The holder is a 3 3/4" x 6" piece of Certainly Celery card stock, scored twice to make even 1 1/4" panels.

Stamp what you wish (here I used A Beautiful Thing in Real Red ink), then fold on the score lines and adhere one side to the other.
Punch part-way with a 1 1/4" circle punch.

If you wish, you can add a 1" x 1 1/4" piece of So Saffron designer paper (shown here) and wrap some linen thread around the holder and through three stamped and cut out Certainly Celery/Real Red flowers. That's it!

Trivia: A nail file is a tool used to gently grind down and shape the edges of nails. They are often used in manicures and pedicures after the nail has been trimmed using appropriate nail clippers. Nail files may either be emery boards, ceramic, plain metal files or metal files coated with corundum (sapphire). (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nail_file)

Garden Whimsy emerging color...

This is a card that uses the emerging color technique featured in a recent SU! demonstrator magazine, Stampin' Success.

First you stamp the butterflies and ladybugs from Garden Whimsy in Ruby Red on Very Vanilla card stock. Then you heat emboss the circle with VersaMark and clear embossing powder, and brayer over the top of everything with Cameo Coral.

Take a tissue to wipe off the excess ink from the circles and finish up the card. I used Basic Black card stock, ink, gingham ribbon and a black button, as well as a strip of Ruby Red card stock on a Very Vanilla card.

Now it's your turn to see what you can come up with!

Chipboard Ginger Blossom...

Ruby Red and Chocolate Chip are yummy colors together. The Polka Dot background stamp was used on the bottom of the card, with wide chocolate grosgrain knotted and adhered over that.

The phrase comes from a stamp set in the Occasions Mini, and chipboard is still on special thru May 31! You save 25% off select chipboard when you order $30+.

The chipboard flower was covered with Ginger Blossom paper and then sanded using a sanding block. The chocolate chip layer was colored using a sponge dauber and the pad, and the half pearl was adhered with mini glue dots. It comes from the Pretties Kit. When you order any chipboard item, you get plenty to play with! So order some today and have fun creating wonderful one-a-kind projects of your own!

Boho Backgrounds mosaic...

This mosaic technique was something I saw on the Stampin' Up! channel while on the cruise to Bermuda. (It's fascinating TV!)

I used a shipping label and scraps of Western Sky paper and Blue Bayou card stock. Randomly stick the scraps to the sticky side of the label, then pour silver embossing powder in the "cracks" and heat.

I layered the label on Blue Bayou card stock and added a knot of double-stitched Soft Sky ribbon. Then I finished the card with a scallop punch-out from Blue Bayou layered behind a Boho Background stamp stamped in Blue Bayou on another Western Sky scrap. The Ruby Red brad finishes the embellishment and is stuck on with dimensionals.

The birthday greeting comes from All Holidays and is stamped in Blue Bayou.

Trivia: Mosaic as an art form first thrived during the Greco-Roman period, from Alexander the Great until the fall of Rome. (Source: http://www.tutcik.com/mosaic.html)

Pretty Peony...

This card is the same-only-different one as in the big catalog on page 90. It was nice to get back to 2-step stamping - here with Purely Pomegranate.

The card is River Rock with some Ginger Blossoms designer paper dots and double-stitched River Rock ribbon. The saying is from Morning Soft.

The leaves and the flowers were cut out and put on with dimensionals.

Trivia: The peony is among the longest-used flowers in ornamental culture and is one of the smallest living creature national emblems in China. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peony)

Time for summer!

The best thing about these two swaps is how they evoke summer images - a picnic with fresh fruits, and brightly-colored flowers.

Louise modeled her tall card after one in a recent Stampin' Success, a special magazine demonstrators receive on a monthly basis. I love the way the faux stitching (done with a Uni-ball white gel pen) mimics the stitching on the Purely Pomegranate ribbon.

This pomegranate card uses the One of a Kind stamp set and coordinating Boho Blossom punch.

The Tart & Tangy card was put together by my downline Dani. I'm a huge punch-lover! And this set is ideal for that.

So many pages, so little time...

Every month I take part in a brag book swap with some of my downline. I love it! There are so many great ideas.

You need to use your imagination on some - till I get around to putting photos on them - but with a photo and some journaling, it's super easy and wonderful scrapbooking that covers any and every occasion.

Now a goal of mine is to print out photos to complete so many of these terrific layouts.

Have you scrapbooked today?

Graduation gift card holder...

Sherry provided this fantastic gift card holder as a make & take at our meeting. It went together very easily and is so cute!

The middle panels are adhered to each other on three sides, while the fourth side is punched twice with the Word Window punch and halfway in the middle with a 1 1/4" circle punch.

Sherry also had a cake stamp as one of our choices... you could change up this gift card holder for anybody and any occasion depending on the designer paper and stamp set you choose! I love it!!!

A couple of brag book swaps

The 6" x 6" scrapbook page at right uses textured River Rock card stock, a chipboard heart with chunky glitter, and the other colors Brilliant Blue and Only Orange.

Chipboard's on special this month!

There's nothing like bold colors and dinosaurs to evoke thoughts of little boys, is there? This double-page layout uses Prehistoric Pals.

Some of our meeting swaps...

Recognize this Simply Sent kit? These are wonderful gifts for new stampers, neighbors, teachers and relatives who might not consider themselves crafty. Not only do the kits have everything a person needs to create beautiful cards, but there are step by step instructions for two design variations!

Louise stepped up this kit by adding a chipboard flower we inked up and embossed. Cute, eh?

Michelle H. swapped this adorable "welcome, little one" card front above, while Holly embossed the striking "HAPPY" card front below.

My wonderful downline...

I really enjoy the relationships I've made through Stampin' Up! with customers, and most of all, with my downline. They're a group of special ladies and I consider them my friends.

And while there are lots of brilliant ideas they share on a monthly basis, I thought I'd share just a smattering of the talent in our group here.

I hope their stamping encourages you and inspires you as it does me!

This girly pirate card won my group's monthly card contest in April.

Round coasters from Bermuda...

Bermuda had some great pubs with wonderful tasting burgers and fish & chips. And two of the pubs we went to had thick, round coasters. Louise and I figured they'd make cute little albums... and I think we were right!

There's only 4 coasters here, each covered with Summer Picnic designer paper and sanded on the edges with a sanding block. I used glue stick to adhere the paper to the coasters.

I punched two holes in one coaster with a Crop-a-dile, then used that one coaster as a template to punch the others. The metal rings came from Office Max. Then I decorated them with Old Olive poly-twill ribbon, and red and bashful blue striped grosgrain ribbons.

Each side has either a cut or punched out image pumped up with Stampin' Dimensionals, or hardware and ribbon, or a die-cut bloom. Now all I have to do is adhere photos of my kids on each coaster and it's a purse-sized mini album!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Die-cuts & Spring paper...

Here's a 2-pouch purse I made for a friend of mine. I love using my die-cut blooms (all Real Red here) and Spring Silhouettes designer paper, along with double-stitched Soft Sky ribbon and card stock. I even put little flowers on each of the Love Note envelopes! It's adorable.

Diecut Blooms...

Have you played with the textured diecut blooms in the Occasions Mini yet? They ROCK! I punched out lots of blooms and circles, and mixed them with some rub-ons and Spring Break paper to come up with this 2-pouch purse with three Love Notes (3" x 3" cards) and envelopes inside.

Also along for the ride: some polytwill chocolate ribbon (also in the mini), 5/8" wide chocolate grosgrain for the purse handles, jumbo eyelets and lots of dimensionals.

This was a May Day gift for my son's teacher today. I don't have any real flowers growing yet... so paper ones had to do!