Pinwheel and another 24-7 Pretty Postage note

These are the last of the Pretty Postage notes shown to us on the cruise to Alaska by Shelli Gardner. The top note uses Newsprint and silver brads, while the bottom one uses a handmade pinwheel with Playdate dsp.

To make a pinwheel:

1. Cut a square out of patterned paper (you choose the size).
2. Pinpoint the center of the square and cut to within 1/8" of that from each corner of the square.
3. Add a dot of adhesive (mini glue dot works well) in the center and fold each corner to the center (this is where you decide which pattern you want showing).
4. Add a brad and adhere to a candy stick and add to your project.

Sweet thanks with more Pretty Postage notes

Here are more ideas using the Pretty Postage stamp set (in the Summer Mini Catalog) and the Postage Stamp Punch. Scraps of ribbon are plenty big for 3" x 3" notes. The berry stamp is my favorite! These cards were shown to us on the Alaskan cruise.

Pretty Postage notes with Postage Stamp Punch

You can make an entire set of notes as a gift for someone special using the Pretty Postage stamp set and the Postage Stamp Punch. What's great about the punch is that it makes good use of your scraps. These two 3" x 3" cards and envelopes were shown to us on the SU! cruise to Alaska.

Sneak Peek: Button Buddies cherries

Here's another photo of some cute 3" x 3" notes from the cruise to Alaska, provided by Shelli and Stampin' Up! staff. The top left note uses the new stamp set Button Buddies, along with "Enjoy" from You're a Gem. The other card and envelope use Beyond the Garden dsp with Pretty Postage. The dsp flower is made by punching two Postage Stamps and crumpling them and adding an antique brad in the center.

Sneak Peek: Button Buddies vase

Here's another peek at the new stamp set Button Buddies. You can see the buttons were placed as flowers coming out of the vase. Cute, eh? Have you made a Twist Container (aka Sour Cream Container) lately? I love it here - embossed with the Square Lattice folder in the Big Shot. And that 1-1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon is yummy.

Twist Container instructions:

1. Crank a 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" piece of card stock through your favorite embossing folder for the Big Shot.
2. Place Sticky Strip on one short side of card stock and roll it into what'll look like a toilet paper roll, adhering it in place.
3. Place 1" of Sticky Strip near edge of one side of the roll and squish sides together at end only.
4. Fill with treat (a few Hershey Kisses, Starbursts or other item), and squish open end down so it's opposite bottom - see photo above.
5. Add ribbon and tag.

Note: You can also staple the ends as shown in the photo. It just depends on the "look" you want your goody to have.

Sneak Peek: Button Buddies pig

I love, love, love this pig! He makes me want to squeal with glee! I took this photo on the cruise to Alaska. It uses a new stamp set called Button Buddies. With each image, you can add a button. This is one of the first stamp sets I'll be buying from the new 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog. We can order July 1. That's only a couple of days away now. Oh, and the words are from You're a Gem.

Tootsie Pop flower pot

How cute would this be to give a friend? It uses Tootsie Pops and punches, as well as a variety of patterned paper and a pot. I took a photo of this on the Alaska cruise. It would make a unique centerpiece for a birthday party, or a pick-me-up for a sick kid. The sentiment is from Word Play.

3" x 3" customer thank-you notes



Mary Ann was kind enough to not only save these Thank You cards I've put in her orders, but to take a photo, as well! Typically I grab card stock and dsp out of my scrap box, though the little acorn card was a project at the Portland Regional Seminar a couple years ago. I think it's important to let my customers know how much I appreciate their orders. If you've ordered from me or come to a class in the past year, THANK YOU! I hope you'll come back for more!!!

Saying goodbye to some of my favorite stamp sets

I love Stampin' Up! stamps! It's tough to let go of some of my favorites, but exciting to ink up some new rubber. You have till Thursday to order retiring stamp sets, accessories, and decor elements. Once they're gone, they're gone!

Things I Love

Dream Gardens

Happy Together

Kimono Kids

Blowing Kisses

Graveyard Gala

From The Crypt

Don't forget - you may order through my Online Store at http://therubberroom.stampinup.net/ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

Just Buzzin' By thank you cards

I made several of these thank-you cards for my club members this month. It uses a retiring set - Just Buzzin' By - and some 1/8" Real Red taffeta ribbon and dsp.

Remember, you have till Thursday, June 30, to order anything on the Last Chance list!

Land of the Free for Red, White and Blue Monkey Challenge 62

I'm looking forward to the Fourth of July this year. We're traveling across the state for a family reunion with extended family. We haven't seen some aunts, uncles, and cousins for years. Anyway, about the card. The A La Card Monkey challenge this week is Red, White, and Blue + a Sketch. I used Marina Mist and Real Red markers to ink up the Land of the Free stamp, available in the Summer Mini Catalog.

I really love how this card turned out. I punched and sponged three big stars and adhered them to the top of the Marina Mist card. I used a Cutter Kit to distress the Real Red dsp and card stock layers, as well as the top two layers. I added Real Red and Marina Mist ribbon to make it look a bit like a firework. (In my head, it's a firework!) So pick up the challenge and create a project using the sketch, adding it to http://alacardmonkey.blogspot.com/.

Homegrown Countryside card for sketch challenge

This is only my second time participating in The Paper Players challenge, and I love sketches. To add a little interest to a simple sketch (my favorite kind), I "notched" the two main layers with the oval punch used to punch out the Homegrown oval. The colors used are Baja Breeze and Bravo Burgundy.

I love the pickup truck from Countryside stamped in a single color. I added some Crumb Cake seam binding to the front of the card after running more than half of the front through the Big Shot in the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. The sketch is below. You have till Friday at midnight to enter a card!

Edited on June 25 to add: Thanks to The Paper Players for selecting my card as A Cut Above!



Peek at upcoming hostess set, Tagtastic

Using the Inkspirations Colour Challenge, as well as the sketch at Technostamper, I came up with the card below. It uses a hostess set in the new Idea Book & Catalog (effective July 1). Stampin' Up! demonstrators are able to purchase a few new items - hostess sets included - this month.

I ran the front of the Old Olive card through the Big Shot in the Square Lattice Embossing Folder, added the Melon Mambo layers (Brights dsp pad), a 3/4" strip of Basic Gray and some 3/8" Whisper White Taffeta. I used markers to ink up the "Thanks" stamp from Tagtastic, adding glimmer brads and Basic Gray dots with a marker.



American Ink swaps use variety of tips & techniques

Mary Ann's rolled flower anniversary card.

Heather's pennant punch party card. (*New product alert!)

Bea's scrunched ink technique card.

Barb's Bold Blossom card.

Cheryl's Take a Sip wheel card.

Bernice's The Open Sea matchbook card.

Karen's lattice die Fabulous Florets card.

Kay's Charming card.

Michelle's French Foliage card.

Terry S.'s Swirls & Curls Verses card.

You're a Gem for Monkey Challenge #61: Girly-girl

When I think "girly-girl," I think pink and sweet and sparkly. So I felt compelled to use rhinestones and glitter, ribbon and silver flower filigree brads on my card. It was fun!

This is my card based on the A La Card Monkey sketch below. It uses 5/8" Pretty in Pink satin ribbon, Pretty in Pink and Melon Mambo inks, Artistic Etchings and You're a Gem stamp sets. I like it! Let me know what you think.

Stamps: Artistic Etchings, You're a Gem;
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo;
Paper: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, Love Pattern dsp;
Accessories: Scallop Border Punch, 5/8" Pretty in Pink satin ribbon, basic rhinestones, flower filigree brads, 2-way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots.

More team make & takes with another Sneak Peek

Barb brought this Crumb Cake make & take for us Saturday. It uses a new hostess set called Faith in Nature. The sentiment is from Happy Greetings (Summer Mini Catalog). We burnished the pear using a sponge dauber, and used the Cutter Kit on the top two layers. You can also see the Framed Tulips embossing folder used for the front of the card.

Bea's make & take uses Paisley Petals dsp, which is going to be in the new catalog July 1. This card also used the Fun Flower die for the Big Shot, Scallop Trim Border and Modern Label punches.

Debbie brought this beautiful Very Vanilla square sympathy card, which uses a phrase from Thoughts & Prayers along with the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder and a piece of vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware with a few inches of taffeta.

Heather brought this clean and simple make & take, which uses the Cottage Garden stamp set with some 1-1/4" Old Olive striped grosgrain and basic rhinestones.

A handful of our American Ink group. (Top) Kay, Barb, and Bea; (Bottom) Karen and Terry S.

We have lots of fun at these gatherings! In addition to catching up on Stampin' Up! events and promotions and such, we enjoy great company, food, make & takes and swapping. If you'd like to come and see for yourself, email me at ericandterry@comcast.net and you can be my guest to our next American Ink gathering. We meet the 2nd Saturday of every month. Thanks!

American Ink team make & takes feature new product, Sail Away, Loads of Love and Tagtastic

Wow, were we busy at our American Ink team demonstrator meeting last Saturday. We had a total of nine make and takes! I'm posting a few today and I'll post the rest tomorrow. Plus, I have a bunch of swaps to show you too!!!

My make and take above uses a new hostess set called Tagtastic. The hostess program has been revamped, so it'll be easier than ever to earn the hostess and catalog stuff YOU want. The patterned paper is from a new pack called Pocketful of Posies, and I also used a stamp from Countryside, along with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder on this card with Island Indigo ink (new In Color).

 

Mary Ann brought this Loads of Love make & take on Pumpkin Pie card stock. It makes a nice and simple Father's Day card.

Kim created this Sail Away make & take with Crumb Cake and Not Quite Navy, as well as Cherry Cobbler/White Baker's Twine. The sentiment is from Three Little Words.

I really appreciate all of the people who volunteered to bring make & takes, as well as those who demonstrated techniques! It was an awesome gathering, so thank you!

Peek at this great Petite Pennants Builder Punch

There's some great new stuff on this fabulous birthday card that Kim made for me. You can see how she used the new Petite Pennants Builder Punch with an old alphabet (Classic), some 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon (Chocolate Chip), new Merry Medley chipboard under the "Happy Birthday," and new dsp called Just Add Cake. Oh, the mini clothespins are new too!

I love this card! It's a full 8-1/2" x 11" sheet of card stock, folded in half. The striped dsp has been diecut with the Tasteful Trim die for the Big Shot.

Now, don't all those sneak peeks give you lots to look forward to with our new catalog coming out July 1? I think so!

Say goodbye to these great stamp sets

I love this Engraved Greetings card - a little embossing (Vintage Wallpaper folder), a little ribbon and some coordinating dsp and ink and you've got a great card. I CASE'd this from another stamper. It looks great no matter what color you use!

This card is so soft and pretty in person. It uses the Level 2 hostess set, Fast & Fabulous, as well as First Edition dsp (carrying over to the new catalog), and a sentiment from Live, Laugh, Love.

Here are a few more fabulous stamp sets that will be retiring as of the end of the month - Petal Pizzazz, Defining Alphabet, and Define Your Life. I cut the Top Note from Greenhouse Gala dsp, and added a 3/8" Very Vanilla taffeta.

Pun Fun is another fun retiring stamp set. I used some Brights dsp, and the Eyelet Border Punch. I used markers to color the flower and a blender pen withi Basic Gray to color the skunk.

If you'd like any of these stamp sets, you may order them before the end of June! Just visit my Online Store via http://therubberroom.stampinup.net/ and you can see a complete list of retiring stamps, accessories, and decor elements.