American Ink team make & takes cover Halloween, Christmas and more!

I always ask for volunteers to bring make & takes to our American Ink team meetings, and am never disappointed. We all love to stamp, and we got to play with some great stuff!

Cheryl brought this Concord Crush Batty for You card for us to make. It's simple, with great colors and textures, and adorable!

I brought this Vintage Wallpaper-embossed stocking with Cherry Cobbler and Confetti White card stocks, along with the stitched felt in the Holiday Mini. It uses the stamp set Dear Santa.

Sherry's make & take featured the Best of Everything stamp set.

Mary Ann's make & take used Four Frames and the Flower Garden embossing folder with Calypso Coral and Craft White ink sponged on.

Variety of swaps from American Ink downline

Mary Ann's swap uses the Four Frames stamp set

Karen's swap uses Elegant Lines embossing folder, Strength & Hope, and Butterfly Punch

Barb's swap with Just Believe and Elegant Soiree dsp

All in the Family/Best Dad Ever swap by Terry S.

Alaska Cruise update: We'll be at sea all day. There'll be plenty of time for good food, swimming, stamping, taking in a show, and more!

Marie's egg-stra special Easter card for monkey challenge...

Marie used a lattice punch for the basket, threading through pieces of grosgrain ribbon and held together with mini glue dots and a solid backing of paper. The eggs in the basket were stamped on a separate piece of card stock, decorated with markers, cut out and glittered. Marie used markers on the greeting and the Four Frames stamp set (which fits perfectly with the Decorative Label Punch). Entries will be taken till midnight Thursday. I'd love to have you come and play! I'm giving away blog candy.

A Good Egg Easter card with Four Frames...

Happy Easter to you and your family! I love the chick in the egg from A Good Egg stamp set. I paper-pieced his shell with Play Date dsp, which is also on the front of the card. I stamped the bottom of the chick on the polka-dot frame from Four Frames and then stamped him on Whisper White card stock, colored and cut him out. He's adhered over his legs with dimensionals. The sentiment is from Teeny, Tiny Wishes. It was punched out with the Word Window Punch and then I added a Tempting Turquoise glimmer brad.

The Four Frames stamp set will be in the big new catalog coming out July 1, but you can purchase it this month! Click on the flyer at the top right of my blog under Spring is Blossoming.

Enjoy your day!

American Ink make & takes: From Four Frames to On The Grow...

Our American Ink team gathering yesterday was so much fun! Not only was the food plentiful, but there were new faces, great make & takes and swaps! Though there were six make & takes, I only got photos of these four.

Four Frames with Blueberry Crisp dsp by Karen

Greenhouse Garden and Something to Celebrate by Debbie

 

Sneak peek Summer Mini stamp set On The Grow by Barb

Plane & Simple by Heather



Prepping for a 10-card class for What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday...

It's been several weeks since I've participated in Julia's What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW) event at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/, and alot has happened in the meantime. I've had loads of events - including weekly 10-card classes that keep me hoppin', spring break for my kids, and starting a new challenge blog with a friend called A La Card Monkey. You'll definitely want to visit and participate because I'm giving away a BIG BUNDLE OF STAMPIN' UP! GOODIES - not only to the Nature Theme challenge winner, but to a lucky FOLLOWER, as well. Isn't the badge I made cute?

Now for the cards I'm working on prepping:

Stampin' Up!'s Easter Blossoms stamp set with Greenhouse Gala dsp, Early Espresso ink, and Real Red, Daffodil Delight and Pear Pizzazz card stocks. The circle is a 3" die for the Big Shot.

New Paisley Petals dsp with Four Frames and Fabulous Phrases stamp sets, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Cherry Cobbler and Baja Breeze card stocks with an Itty Bitty Punch flower, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, and rhinestones.

I CASE'd this card from Penny at http://penguinstamper.blogspot.com/. It's all Very Vanilla (including the 5/8" satin ribbon), with Basic Brown eggs from Nature Walk and a sentiment from Teeny, Tiny Wishes. I used an aqua painter and Baja Breeze pad to add the color to the eggs. The layer under the eggs was run through the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder in the Big Shot.

Plant Hope is the beautiful stamp set used on this card. I CASE'd - and simplified - an idea from Andrea Walford. The Woodgrain background stamp was inked in Crumb Cake and stamped on the Crumb Cake card front. The Early Espresso card stock layer was punched using the spiral punch, and the dsp is Woodland Walk. The sentiment is from Teeny, Tiny Wishes.

The final card for class is this Very Vanilla card with a strip of Springtime Vintage dsp, Rose Red and Old Olive inks, with the sentiment, teacup and saucer from Timeless Treasures. I CASE'd and changed it a bit from http://ilinacrouse.blogspot.com/.

Now your reward for reading through this long post? A chance to win a BIG BUNDLE OF STAMPIN' UP! GOODIES from A La Card Monkey's inaugural challenge. So enter a card and put the monkey link on your own blog. Good luck!!!

Here is the List of Stuff:

• Garden Whimsy 8pc stamp set
• Goody-Goody Gumdrops 19pc set
• Picnic Parade 15 pc set
• Stampin' Fun for Everyone 7pc set
• Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon 5/8"
• Fresh Favorites 1 Buttons
• Baja Breeze Corduroy button brads
• Chocolate Chip Library Clips 1/2"
• Sweet Pea stitched felt flowers
• Welcome Neighbor DSP pad
• Baja Breeze 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock
• On board Blossoms chipboard

The bunny and basket are not included. Post this goody basket on your blog with a link to A La Card Monkey and tell all of your friends what great stuff I'm giving away! You'll get a chance at a second goody basket when you add yourself as a Follower (a photo of that basket will be posted Wednesday).

New blog! More fun! Getting back to Nature...

I'm starting a new blog with a friend called A La Card Monkey, and we're starting with the theme challenge of Nature. We picked a big number to start with - 50 - and I'm giving out a BIG BUNDLE of STAMPIN' GOODIES!!! There's paper, ribbon, brads, stamps and more!

Here's my nature card:

I started with a pretty flower on lined yellowish paper from the Botanical Gazette dsp pack, crumpling it up and distressing the edges with the Cutter Kit. To it, I added a bee from the Nature Walk stamp set on dimensionals that was colored with More Mustard (body) and Bashful Blue (wings), as well as one of the Four Frames stamps. For added interest, I put in a jumbo eyelet and threaded the 1/8" Early Espresso ribbon through the eyelet and around the first two layers before knotting it. The decorative label is adhered with dimensionals too. The "celebrate" comes from Fabulous Phrases. I cut it out, roughed up the edges with the Cutter Kit and adhered it to the label with dimensionals. You can see a close-up below.

Now it's YOUR turn! Stamp a card that has something to do with Nature, and add it to the http://alacardmonkey.blogspot.com/ blog. You could win BIG!!! Isn't the badge I designed with My Digital Studio cute?

http://alacardmonkey.blogspot.com/

Four Frames with Strength & Hope...

I really love this Paisley Petals dsp with the Four Frames and Strength & Hope stamp sets. All of these items are available to purchase tomorrow (Friday, April 1). Hope you're enjoying our last day of March! I have been!!!

Sneak peek: Four Frames and Paisley Petals dsp...

Here's a look at another of the stamps in the Four Frames set, available to customers April 1-31 when you first purchase $20 in SU! products. This stamp set and the Paisley Petals dsp will both be in the 2011-2011 Idea Book & Catalog, but you can purchase both next month! For this card, I used a Night of Navy marker on the bird and Cherry Cobbler on the frame before punching it out with the Decorative Label Punch. The card also uses Cherry Cobbler seam binding.

New! Four Frames stamp set and Forest Friends...

As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I get to pre-order items from upcoming mini catalogs and the main catalog. I just purchased the Four Frames stamp set, which is a set of four stamps that fit perfectly inside the Decorative Label Punch. You can see the adorable polka dots in the image behind the bunny from Forest Friends. The rest of the card uses Play Date dsp, Early Espresso card stock, and a greeting from Teeny, Tiny Wishes. You'll have an opportunity to purchase the Four Frames set next month with a $20 purchase. It's a stamp set that will be in the upcoming 2011-2011 Idea Book & Catalog. Forest Friends, by the way, is a stamp set you may select for FREE with a $50 purchase by March 31 during our Sale-a-Bration Event.

American Ink swaps from Easter Blossoms to A Slice of Life...

Kimberly's swap using Easter Blossoms and Lap of Luxury dsp

Frankie's swap with So Cute and Something to Celebrate

 

Karen's swap used Easter Blossoms and Thanks for Caring.

 

Mary Ann used Teeny, Tiny Wishes

Our newest team member (and already a senior associate!), Purple, created her swap using Clearly For You and Faux Tearing Technique.

Michelle offers a sneak peek of a new stamp set (Four Frames) and Paisley Petals dsp available through a special offer in April.

 

And when I posted the make & takes a few days ago, I forgot Mary Ann's! Sorry about that. It used the Finial Press embossing folder and A Slice of Life hostess set.