Elements of Style

This is the last of my stamped vellum paper :-D, so I used it on one more card. The stamped vellum is adhered on top of Rose Red Designer Series Paper. You can still see the design on the paper, but it has a softer look color wise.

I used some Summer Mini items on my card. The Summer Mini goes live tomorrow- whoo hoo!! I used the sentiment from Elements of Style- an awesome stamp set, and the Square Lattice Textured Impressions embossing folder on my butterfly.

The button was created with Baja Breeze card stock (returning in July) and the 1" Circle punch. I punched out three circles, adhered the layers together, inked the edges with Baja Breeze ink, and punched the button holes with my Crop-a-dile. If you make your own buttons with circle punches, you can have a button in any color or Designer Series Paper to match your projects. They don't take long to make at all and they are super easy!

May is National Scrapbooking Month, so I'll have some scrappy projects to share during the month in honor of the celebration :-). Hmmm, I may even have a little give away during the month too ;-). Just a reminder... today is the LAST day for the Occasions Mini, so if there is anything you still want from that mini- please head to my online Stampin' Up! store and get it while you can :-). All righty- everyone have a wonderful weekend!!!! Thanks for visiting!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Flower Fancy- 111578, Elements of Style- 120045 (wood mount- 118611)
Paper: Rose Red- 102544, So Saffron- 105118, Baja Breeze (coming in July 2010), Rose Red Designer Series Paper- 112162, vellum- 101839
Classic Stampin' Ink: Regal Rose- 105211, Old Olive- 102277, Baja Breeze
Other: 1" Circle punch- 109046, Beautiful Butterflies die- 114507, Square Lattice embossing folder- 119976, Stampin' Dimensionals- 104430, DMC embroidery floss #471, yellow gems, Crop-a-dile- 108362

Mother's Day for Daughter

I have been working on my color swatch rings for the new Color Renovation palette coming in July 2010. I like to keep a ring of the colors handy so I can audition various colors together. While I was working on my swatches yesterday morning, I decided to play a bit and put together some different color combinations within each color collection and write them down for inspiration later. One of the combinations I came up with, I used on my card below. Bashful Blue and So Saffron look so great together- I love that combo :-). Since I was making this card for my daughter #2 and she loves green, I paired the two colors with Certainly Celery and Old Olive, with just a touch of Whisper White. I'll finish off the inside of the card with a "Happy Mother's Day" greeting.

This card could be used for many different occasions just by changing out the sentiment on the front, or leaving the sentiment on the front and adding a specific sentiment on the inside for birthday, Mother's Day, anniversary, thinking of you.... well, you get the point ;-).

Wow, I can't believe it's Thursday already! Where did the week go? It just flew by!

Our baby chicks are doing well. They have wing feathers now and are starting to grow their little tail feathers. It won't be too long now before they start to feather out on the rest of their bodies. They have gotten bigger in just one week, it's amazing how fast they grow.... and how much they can eat, lol! They really like my daughter. She climbs into their little area and sits down with them and they climb on her lap, snuggle down, and go to sleep. It's so cute. This is the first batch of baby chicks that have done that, but these are also the youngest baby chicks we have gotten. We special ordered this batch of chicks so they came straight from the egg practically. Not quite, but close enough :-). I hope everyone has had a great week so far and I wish you all a wonderful day! We have rain in our forecast for the day :-(.

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Wonderful Favorites- 115114, Well Scripted- 118601 (wood mount- 117072
Paper: Certainly Celery- 105125, Old Olive- 100702, Whisper White- 100730, So Saffron- 105118, Bashful Blue Designer Series Paper- 112151, So Saffron Designer Series Paper- 112152
Classic Stampin' Ink: So Saffron- 105213. Old Olive- 102277
Punches: Scallop Trim border- 118402, 3/4" Circle- 107217
Dies: Daisies #2- 114520
Other: Sponge daubers- 102892

Square Lattice Folder

Gosh, I really like the Square Lattice embossing folder coming out in the Summer 2010 mini on May 1st (just a few more days :-D ). For my card today, I used a scrap of the vellum that I stamped and used on yesterday's card, and picked up a hodgepodge of elements from my counter top in my crafting room to use as well. Might as well make good use of those bits and pieces laying around ;-).

The vellum is backed with Pink Pirouette card stock, which is making a return as a core color in the new 2010/2011 Idea Book and Catalog. Whoo hoo! I loooooove Pink Pirouette! Lots of texture going on in this card- die cut/embossed butterflies, embossed card base, and the vellum was embossed too, just for good measure ;-). It's a beautiful sunny day here finally!! We've had lots of rain! I am going to enjoy this sunny day while I can because we have four more days of rain headed our way- boo hoo hoo!!!! Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Flower Fancy- 111578
Paper: Whisper White- 100730, Rich Razzleberry- 115316, Melon Mambo- 115320, Pink Pirouette (coming in July), vellum
Classic Stampin' Ink: Regal Rose- 105211, Old Olive- 102277, Baja Breeze- coming in the 2010/2011 Idea Book and Catalog on July 1st
Other: Square Lattice Textured Impressions embossing folder- 119976 (Summer Mini 2010), Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions embossing folder- 117335, Scallop Trim border punch, Beautiful Wings embosslit- 118138

Life Moments

I stamped an 8.5 x 11 sheet of vellum a couple of weeks ago with the Flower Fancy two step stamp set. You have to let the vellum dry after stamping it. I found it best to let it dry overnight because vellum takes a long time to dry! I knew that I wanted to use that stamped vellum for a background of some sort, but when I pulled it out this morning, I didn't like any paper that I placed behind it, soooo, I embossed Whisper White with the new Square Lattice embossing folder and sponged over it with So Saffron ink. I thought the embossed background worked out much better :-).

I stamped one butterfly die cut with the En Francais background stamp and sponged the edges with Regal Rose ink. I distressed the edges of the smaller butterfly die cut, sponged the edges with Regal Rose, crunched it up, inked over the wrinkles with Regal Rose and Baja Breeze inks. My sentiment and the small background flowers are stamped with Baja Breeze- a returning In Color that will become a core color in the new color palette coming in July. I gotta run- have a great day!!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Flower Fancy- 111578, En Francais- 109521, Elements of Style- 120045 (wood mount- 118611)- Elements of Style coming in the Summer Mini 2010 on May 1st
Paper: Rose Red- 102544, Whisper White- 100730, So Saffron- 105118, vellum
Classic Stampin' Ink: Regal Rose- 105211, Old Olive- 102277, So Saffron- 105213, Baja Breeze- coming in the 2010/2011 Idea Book and Catalog on July 1st
Other: Square Lattice Textured Impressions embossing folder- 119976 (Summer Mini 2010), Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die- 114507, Brads- 109109, Stampin' Dimensionals- 104430

Congrats to my Daughter!

My daughter took her first USA Roller Sports tests this morning. It was a long and stressful morning for all the skaters taking these tests for the first time in preparation for competing in roller figure skating, dance, and free style. They all did great!

I just wanted to congratulate my daughter on passing ALL of her tests this morning- to quote one of her coaches- with "flying colors"! Whoo hoo! Great job sweetie! You worked hard and all your hard work paid off this morning. Love you so much!

Mom

Sweet Scoops

I made a card this morning with an upcoming stamp set from the Summer Mini debuting on May 1st. The new set is called 'Sweet Scoops' and it really is a cute, cute set!

For my card base, I used a returning color, Pink Pirouette. Pink Pirouette was an In Color from the 2008/2009 Idea Book and Catalog and will be coming back as one of the new core colors in the Color Renovation Palette. Pink Pirouette was one of my favorite In Colors, so I am happy its coming back :-) ! The inside of my card is simple, Whisper White mat with a cherry stamped from 'Tart & Tangy'. I'll add a sentiment later when I get ready to use it ;-).

We had some rain this morning, but the sun is shining brightly again. I don't mind rainy days, as long as it isn't every day, and I especially like the days when it just rains part of the day :-). I hope you are enjoying a sunny day today where you live. Have a great one!!!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet Scoops- 120078 (wood mount- 117078), Tart & Tangy- 111514
Paper: Pink Pirouette (available in July 2010), Whisper White- 100730
Classic Stampin' Ink: Apricot Appeal- 105218, Gable Green- 101673, Pretty in Pink- 101301, Chocolate Chip- 100908
Stampin' Write Markers: Real Red- 100052, Garden Green- 100080
Punches: Scallop Border- 118402, Wide Oval- 112082
Other: Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions embossing folder- 117335, Stampin' Dimensionals- 104430, Score-it Board

Country Morning

In honor of our new little baby chicks ;-), I pulled out a hostess set, which actually is quite fitting to celebrate the arrival of chicks. The set is called 'Country Morning' and is a Level One Hostess set from the 2009/2010 Idea Book and Catalog. It was the very first hostess set I chose because I loved it so much. I used my Watercolor Wonder Crayons and a blender pen to color in my image. My image is stamped on Very Vanilla card stock. I added the sky and the ground colors with my Stampin' Pastels in Bashful Blue and Really Rust. I often mix chalks with ink or Watercolor Wonder Crayons because the chalk gives such a soft color. Anyway, here it is....

Supplies listed below. Wishing you a GREAT evening!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Country Morning- Level One Hostess Set-115334
Paper: Garden Green-102584, Not Quite Navy-101722, Very Vanilla-101650, So Saffron-105118, Chocolate Chip-102128, Really Rust Designer Series Paper-116234 (Level One Hostess)

WaterColor Wonder Crayons: Soft Subtles- 106697, Earth Elements- 106696, Rich Regals-106698
Dies: Daisies #2- 114520
Stampin' Pastels:105542
Other: Blender pens-102845, 1/2" Circle punch- 104390

Awwww! Too cute!!

This morning we were up early getting a spot ready for our new baby chicks. When it was finally time to go and pick them, we were ready for them to come home. We got 15 baby chicks all together. We have four grown hens and three ducks, so these babies will join the group and eventually they will all become a flock. It takes the older hens time to accept the new chickies when they are old enough to run with the 'big girls' ;-), but eventually they do. I thought I would post some photos for you so you can see our new babies. The photos have a red tinge to them because the babies are under an infrared heat lamp to keep them warm and toasty. Each week we raise the heat lamp up a little more, until they don't need it anymore.

The one sitting right smack in the middle of the feed is a little Araucana baby. When she grows up she will lay colored eggs- turquoise and other colors. She is my daughter's favorite so far, although she LOVES all baby animals! In fact, she is a baby animal magnet (sigh). We have had more baby animals around here than we would like, but they have all come here all on their own, except for our horse and our dog (rolling eyes :-) ).

Yep, that is my daughter right in the middle of the baby chicks and she is holding another little Araucana baby.

This is another Araucana baby- we really did get other chickies, not just Araucana's :-D.

The little red chickies are Red Stars and Rhode Island Reds. The little black chickies are Barred Rocks. Aren't they adorable?!!! It's been a couple of years since we ordered little chicks and it's always so fun to watch them grow up. Well, at least until they get to the ugly stage where they start growing their first real feathers. Then they are a mixture of chickie fluff and feathers and they look pretty strange, lol! OK, I am off to see if I can get something created while my daughter names the babies. So far she has Ally and Cosmic- Cosmic being Ally's side "chick", rotfl! Hopefully, I will have something to post later on this evening.

Blessings! †
Barb

Post Cards

Sorry for being so late in posting today. It appears that my mojo has gone on vacation :-(. I did have on my to-do list, some post cards to make. Post cards are great for quick messages and are cheaper to mail than cards :-). You can use any sentiment from birthday to Christmas greetings. The only requirement for post cards are size and they need to be flat, since they don't use an envelope... although you could mail them in an envelope if you wanted, but you would pay regular postage. From one sheet of 8.5" x 11" card stock, you can make four post cards and they would be within the size limit for post card stamps. You would just cut your card stock in half lengthwise and then again crosswise. Easy peasy :-D. Here is the post card that I made today....

I thought I would use some colors from the upcoming color renovation. I used Pacific Point for the post card base. You can see the rest of the colors I used in the Supplies list below. I added some Iridescent Ice embossing powder on the Regal Rose flower and on each of the butterflies. Iridescent Ice embossing powder is perfect for adding sparkle to parts of your post card for mailing because it won't rub off. I tried to get a photo below so you can see at least see a little bit of the Iridescent Ice E.P.

I used a stamp from Winter Post for the back of my post card. You can leave it as is with the stamped image at the top of your post card or you can draw a line down the middle with a matching marker. The right side is for the address and the left side to add a short note if you'd like.

You can make post cards in any color, for any occasion, and use any stamps that you have to create the front of your post card. They are especially nice for 'Thinking of You' cards, just to let someone know they're in your thoughts. I hope you'll take some time to add some post cards to your card stash :-). Wishing you all a great day! Hopefully, my mojo will come back from vacation soon....

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Flower Fancy- 111578, Flight of the Butterfly-111564, Sincere Salutations- 115068, Winter Post- 111780
Paper: Pacific Point- returning in the 2010/2011 Idea Book and Catalog, Whisper White- 100730
Classic Stampin' Ink: Pacific Point- returning in the 2010/2011 Idea Book and Catalog, Baja Breeze- returning in the 2010/2011 Idea Book and Catalog, Regal Rose-105211, Rose Red-101778, Pink Pirouette- returning in the 2010/2011 Idea Book and Catalog, Pretty in Pink- 101301, Bashful Blue- 105209, Old Olive- 102277, VersaMark- 102283
Other: Iridescent Ice embossing powder- 101930, Heat Tool-100005 , Stamp-a-ma-jig- 101049

I'm Back

Whoo hoo! After a week long sewing marathon, I can play with paper again ;-). I did get 'a skate dress a day' (yes, you read that correctly- one skate dress each day-except for one day, but I made up for it) done last week, I sewed 'two' skate dresses on the last day. And, I got the black velvet one done too! As much as I enjoyed sewing skate dresses, I missed my paper and ink. I did, however, take a tiny break in the middle of the week to make a card :-D, but just today have the time to get it posted. Soooo, here it is.........

Check out that new embossing folder- isn't it cool? It looks like textured fabric to me. That new Textured Impressions embossing folder is called 'Square Lattice' and it's in the Summer Mini that starts on May 1st. I also used the Two Step Bird punch that is available in the current Occasions Mini that ends on April 30th. If you look at the daisy, you can see that I used the bird wings for the leaves behind the flower. Ya' gotta love punches- most of them have more than one use :-). The sentiment is stamped three times. I always stamp in the middle first and then align my stamp to the right or the left with my Stamp-a-ma-jig to get equal distance on either side.

My daughter likes this card and it will most likely end up in her card stash. She collects the cards that I make that she loves and adds them to a card stash she started a couple of years ago. All right then, I am going to head to my crafting room and pull out some pretty paper to play with ;-). See ya' tomorrow! Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Something Sweet-118589 (wood mount-117688)
Paper: Pretty in Pink-100459, Certainly Celery- 105125, So Saffron-105118, Almost Amethyst-102158, Old Olive-100702, Whisper White-100730, Tea Party Designer Series Paper-113992
Classic Stampin' Ink: So Saffron-105213, Almost Amethyst-101723
Dies: Daisies #2-114520
Punches: Two Step Bird-117191, Scallop Edge-112091
Textured Impressions embossing folder: Square Lattice-119976 (available May 1st)

The Update

In case you were wondering how the sewing is going, I am happy to report that I can sew a skate dress now without garment construction instructions :-). Yep, I have the steps permanently etched into memory now, which is a good thing, it's a great time saver. I have also gotten the whole routine down to a nice science from laying out the pattern pieces to cutting them, to pinning them together, to serging the seams, to putting in the zipper in less than half an hour (it has to be hand basted in first), to final garment construction. On day one, I made her competition figures dress. It's really cute if I do say so myself :-D. The main dress is a lovely shade of blue. It has a white underskirt, layered over with the blue top skirt. The bodice is pieced in blue, white, and silver, on front and back. Both mom and skater are very happy with the final result. Just need to add swarovski crystals now for some bling.

Day two did not yield any shouts of happy glee. It was a trial run dress, just to see if would work for transferring over to the black velvet. Although, the dress fit my skater perfectly, it just isn't the right style for her figure. When she tried on said dress, we both looked at each other like, "uh huh, scratch that- hate this one!" I tried a kick pleat skirt for the trial run dress. Thankfully I didn't serge the seams between the panty and the bodice so it will be an easy matter to take that one apart and replace the skirt that I used. So, all is not lost.

Day three. I spent half the day looking over the patterns to see which ones would work best for the required 'black velvet' dress I have to make for my skater, making various mental alterations to the pattern pieces. It needs to fall into a particular guideline of sorts. Day two did nothing to get us closer to our goal. Finally, I settled on a plan that may work for our goal, but I was out of fabric and we were hungry, so we loaded up the van with skates and skate related other stuff, and headed to our new favorite eating place- Jimmy Johns (thanks to another skater mom). After lunch we went to get some swarovski crystals (already bought the heat set tool last week), and then to get more fabric. We ended the day with a two and a half hour skate class, picked up pizza on the way home, and watched a movie.

I am on day four today. I have my pattern pieces cut out and have half of them pinned together. I am off to sew the new dress together- say a little prayer for us that this one works out for transferring to the black velvet.

Blessings!
Barb
PS- I did sneak in a card yesterday before I poured over pattern pieces. I just couldn't take the lack of paper anymore ;-). Have a great day!!

Skate Dresses

Just wanted to let you know that I have to take a few days off to make skate dresses. My daughter is taking her first USA Roller Sports artistic tests on the 25th. After her testing is done, she will be going to compete in her first ever skating competition the first week of May. We are excited! I have four skate dresses I need to make to prepare her for competition, at least on my end, lol! It's the job of her coaches (she has two) to prepare her for the competition part and they are doing a great job! To the end of making skate dresses... I spent the entire weekend bent over a table in my living room tracing and transferring pattern pieces to pellon. Oh yeah, a trip to the chiropractor will be in order at the end of this week :-(. I went through an entire pencil. You do not want to know how many pattern pieces I transferred to pellon and cut out this weekend! In case you are wondering why I was tracing patterns, I purchased a complete skate dress pattern system for her three months ago. This system allows me to design and make virtually any skate dress either of us could imagine, but they all come printed on regular paper- big paper, but regular paper all the same. By transferring the pattern pieces to pellon, I retain the master patterns on the paper and have matching pattern pieces on pellon- which makes for very durable patterns that will last a long time. 20 yards of pellon later and a full weekend, I have the complete system ready to go when I need it. This morning I have been pinning pattern pieces to the fabric, but because this skate dress has an underskirt and three colors of fabric in it, I ran out of ball point pins so I am heading out the door to get more pins.... and to get more pellon because I have a few ideas in my head ;-). I may or may not be working on things for the blog to take a break from sewing. It will really depend on how worn out I am when I am done with the sewing end of things during the day. I know I will be more than ready to get back to my papers and inks, but I thought it would be better for both mom (me) and skater (daughter) to just get the skate dresses all done in one fell swoop and KNOW that they are done before the deadlines. If I don't get anything posted during the week, I promise I will be back to regular posting next week :-). Thank you so much for visiting my blog! I very much appreciate your visits and I hope you understand my taking a short time off to sew skate dresses. We are saving a BUNDLE by me sewing them and I also have the assurance that my daughter is not going to be flashing anyone when she is skating because her dresses are made to fit her perfectly! Have a wonderful week everyone and if you don't stop by during this week to check if there are any postings, please check back next week!

Blessings!
Barb

Doodlebug Inspiration

If you have the May/June issue of Papercrafts Magazine, check out the cute, cute, cute cupboard on page 88! Gosh, I would love to have several of these on the walls in my crafting room! If you don't have the magazine go here to see the cupboard. At the website, the cupboard is just plain white (it's still so cute!), but you can add Designer Paper to the fronts of the drawers. In the photo in Papercrafts, they used the colors I used on my card for the drawer fronts. I'm tellin' ya', it would be worth a trip to the store just to open up to page 88 and see the cutest cupboard ever ;-). Wouldn't you know it, the colors they used match colors in the new Color Renovation palette- I love it!

Using that adorable cupboard for my inspiration, I scored lines 1/2" apart on my Whisper White card stock and across the bottom, just above the scalloped edge. I punched out three 1 3/8" squares from Whisper White, added a 1 1/4" punched square from Melon Mambo, Garden Green, and Regal Rose. Using Stampin' Dimensionals, I popped each square up off the card. The circles were punched from the 1/2" Circle punch and also have a Stampin' Dimensional on the back of each circle. The Regal Rose Designer Series Paper butterfly also has Stampin' Dimensionals on the back of the wings. I stamped my sentiment with Garden Green Classic Stampin' Ink. I really like this card! It looks so fresh and clean and reminds me of a sunny summer day. All I need is the icy cold lemonade ;-). Have a great day and thanks for visiting!

Blessings
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Hello Again- 113780
Paper: Whisper White-100730, Garden Green-102584, Melon Mambo-115320, Regal Rose-105130, Regal Rose Designer Series Paper- Hostess (retired)
Classic Stampin' Ink: Garden Green- 102272
Punches: 1 3/8" Square-103375, 1 1/4" Square-104400, 1/2" Circle-104390, Butterfly-116629, Scallop Edge-112091
Other: Stampin' Dimensionals-104430, Score-it Board

Masculine (?) Happy Birthday

My new son- in- law has a birthday tomorrow, so this card is in the mail on the way to him now. I kept it really simple because apparently the men in my family don't like a lot of 'fancy' stuff. I once made my husband a card that I thought was quite masculine, which I asked him if it was a good guy card, but he informed me it was a little bit 'girly' (sigh). Don't get me wrong- he liked the card and he really does like even the 'girly' cards that I make. He was just giving me his opinion :-). Everyone else that I showed it to thought it was masculine and to this day I still don't know what on the card made it a little bit girly. Maybe it was the tire swing in the tree, who knows. So hopefully, this one counts as a masculine card and doesn't have anything that could be considered 'girly', lol! What do you think- girly or masculine?

I colored the stamped tree image with my Stampin' Pastels because I wanted it to look soft, (uh oh! Does that make it girly?) and not really bright. I love this tree image and I wanted it to convey the feeling of a peaceful, summer day and I just thought that soft was the way to go :-). Well, at least I know my son-in-law appreciates and likes the cards that I make for him, even if this one might be a little 'girly'. Really, the ONLY thing that I would think would make this card a little girly is the Designer Series Paper I used, but as I mentioned, once before I thought I had accomplished a good masculine card, only to find out differently. I am such a girl (rolling eyes), lol! Have a great day today and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Lovely As a Tree- 115026, Teeny Tiny Wishes- 115370
Paper: Rich Razzleberry- 115316, Old Olive-100702, Whisper White- 100730, Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper- 115671
Classic Stampin' Ink: Old Olive- 102277, Chocolate Chip- 100908
Stampin' Pastels: 105542- Bashful Blue, Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss
Punches: Tag Corner-107215, Modern Label- 116630, Word Window- 105090

Photos of the New Color Renovation Collections

These are not 'complete' Color Collections because I don't have all the colors for each collection, but I wanted to give you an idea of how amazing these look together. The first collection is going to be the Brights Collection.

The colors from left to right are: Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point, Tempting Turqouise, Old Olive, (Missing is Daffodil Delight a new core color), Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, and Real Red.

The Neutrals Collection:

From left to right: (Missing is River Rock) Chocolate Chip, Soft Suede, (Missing is Early Espresso, a new core color), Crumb Cake- Kraft re-named, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Basic Gray, and Basic Black.

The Regals Collection:

From left to right: Elegant Eggplant, Night of Navy, Not Quite Navy, Always Artichoke, Garden Green, More Mustard, (Missing is Cajun Crave- a new core color), Riding Hood Red, (Missing is Cherry Cobbler- a new core color), and Bravo Burgundy.

The Subtles Collection:

From left to right: Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Perfect Plum, (Missing is Marina Mist- a new core color), Bashful Blue, Baja Breeze, (Missing is Wild Wasabi), Certainly Celery, and So Saffron.

All four Collections together: From top to bottom- Subtles Collection, Regals Collection, Neutrals Collection, Brights Collection

Even though my collections are not fully complete, don't they look awesome together so far?! Looking at these colors all together makes me smile :-).

I should be back to my regular posting tomorrow. On Sunday I woke up with a jammed back near my neck (painful!), so I had to go to the chiropractor on Monday and then rest the whole day with ice. Today I will be working on a skate dress for my daughter's friend, who is also on the Jr. Artistic Team. I hope you enjoy looking at those pretty colors! Have a wonderful day today!!!

Blessings!
Barb

Color Renovation Part 2

I wanted to get back on this evening, now that I have time and am back from my daughter's skating lesson, to update you more on the new color renovation. First, the color renovation is not taking place until July 1st with the release of the new Idea Book and Catalog for 2010-2011. Now, the reason for the color renovation. Stampin' Up! has done extensive research on many levels over the last two years. This move is not something that Stampin' Up! has taken lightly, but with all the research, they feel that it is time for a change that has been long overdue. Because Stampin' Up! wants to remain current and on trend with modern, bright, and fresh colors for the customer, the color palette has been changed drastically to reflect this. They are aware of just how drastic a change this is- both for customers and demonstrators. Part of the research they have done is by monitoring sales of products. Sales on the colors that are retiring have been very, very low for some time. This has told them that we are not purchasing some colors as much as others. If you read my post below this one, then you have undoubtedly noticed that some of the colors that are remaining have been moved into different color Collections. This was done to create the most pleasing color palette for each Collection. The new color palette will consist of 40 core colors divided up into ten colors in each of the four Collections. An additional 5 new colors will be introduced in the upcoming 2010-2011 IBC (Idea Book and Catalog) as the new In Colors. These 5 new In Colors will have a lifespan of 2 years instead of 1 year as previously done in past catalogs. When all is said and done, the new 2010-2011 IBC will consist of 45 colors- the 40 core colors and the 5 new In Colors. That now takes us to the 2011-2012 IBC. In the 2011-2012 IBC, 5 more new In Colors will be introduced bringing the number of In Colors to 10, since the 2010-2011 In Colors will still be available for one more full year. After the introduction of 5 more new In Colors in the 2011-2012 IBC, each yearly catalog after that will always have 10 additional colors along with the 40 core colors, bringing the number of colors to 50.

Stampin' Up! will be providing kits for demonstrators and customers alike, where we can purchase 'just' the new colors in the new color renovation palette. Some of the kits will consist of Classic Stampin' Ink pads and card stock in the five new core colors. Another kit will contain Watercolor Wonder crayons, another markers, and another will contain Stampin' Pastels along with updated tins to reflect the new color palette, so that those of us who already have these products can update them without re-purchasing everything new again. Another option that will be offered are kits that contain the five new core colors, plus the ten returning In Colors, for those of us who may not have some or any of the returning In Colors. The kits will be available for customers to purchase on July 1st.

The following card stocks are also remaining: Brushed Gold, Brushed Silver, Confetti Cream, Confetti White, Glossy White, Naturals Ivory, Naturals White, Shimmery White, White Vellum card stock, and White Vellum paper.

Based on sales history, Craft Stampin' Pads will only be available in Basic Black, Very Vanilla, and Whisper White. Craft Stampin' Spots, however, will be available in the color Collections, as well as the Craft ink refills.

For those who have My Digital Studio, a download of the new colors will be available on July 1st free of charge.

OK, I think that pretty much covers the big news :-). Now let's talk! I will admit that when I first found out the news I was not happy about it at all. I slept on it overnight and when I woke up this morning I did what another demonstrator did. I got out my Scallop Circle punch and punched a circle from each card stock that I have in the new Color Collections. Obviously, I don't have all of them because my colors consist of the current 48 core colors, this year's In Colors, and last year's In Colors. I have only been a demonstrator for one full year and I just discovered Stampin' Up! when the 2008 In Colors were retiring, so I never got a chance to get them. I tried though :-). The five new core colors are not available to us yet. When I looked at the new color palette punched from actual card stock I immediately warmed up to them. As I played with my card stock circles, a whole new world of color combos that I loved opened up to me. Now I am excited about the new color palette! Yes, there are favorite colors that I will be sorry to see go. The other colors I will bid a fond good-bye to, knowing that all the beautiful 'new' colors will serve me as well as they did. To see the PDF of the new Color Collections, click here. I will try to get some photos of my new color palette circles together and get them posted for you tomorrow morning. Seeing them grouped together in person is really an "Oh Wow!" experience :-).

Blessings to you!
Barb

The New Color Renovation

Today Stampin' Up! has announced a new color makeover to the Stampin' Up! line of products. Some of the colors are leaving, but some of the In Colors are making a return, along with 5 new colors! The colors that are leaving us are:
Soft Subtles Family-
Barely Banana
Apricot Appeal
Lavendar Lace
Pale Plum
Almost Amethyst
Blush Blossom
Mellow Moss
Sage Shadow

Earth Elements Family-
Close to Cocoa
Creamy Caramel
Summer Sun
Really Rust
Cameo Coral
Ruby Red

Rich Regals Family-
Ballet Blue
Bordering Blue
Brocade Blue
Handsome Hunter
Taken With Teal

Bold Brights Family-
YoYo Yellow
Pink Passion
Only Orange
Green Galore
Glorious Green
Gable Green
Brilliant Blue
Orchid Opulence
Pixie Pink
Lovely Lilac

The In Colors that are returning:
Wild Wasabi, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, River Rock, Soft Suede, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point, Baja Breeze, and Tangerine Tango.

Introducing new colors! Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler, and Marine Mist.

The color families will now be organized as Collections. The new collections will be the Brights Collection, Neutrals Collection, Regals Collection, and Subtles Collection.

The Brights Collection will consist of:
Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, and Real Red.

The Neutrals Collection will consist of:
River Rock, Chocolate Chip, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake (Kraft re-named), Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Basic Gray, and Basic Black.

The Regals Collection will consist of:
Elegant Eggplant, Night of Navy, Not Quite Navy, Always Artichoke, Garden Green, More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Riding Hood Red, Cherry Cobbler, and Bravo Burgundy.

The Subtles Collection will consist of:
Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Perfect Plum, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, and So Saffron.

I will be posting more news about these changes later this evening. I have to take my daughter for a private skate lesson in 10 minutes. I have punched out a Scallop Circle in most of the colors according to the new color palette and they are gorgeous together! I can't wait to get started creating within the new palette!

Barb

2 Step Bird Notes

My project today is a CASE (Copy and Selectively Edit) from Anne Granger. I don't CASE often, but I thought her little note card was so cute! So cute that I made a full set of them with the 2009/2010 In Colors on Basic Black. I added a sky background with Bashful Blue and Barely Banana Classic Stampin' Inks, along with a Trio Flower to finish it up, and I used less layers.

Then I made a little box to house the note cards with my Scallop Envelope die, continuing the branch and flower theme around the outside of the box. I had to make my own 3x3 note card envelopes :-(. I really need to order some on my next demonstrator order since I seem to be into 3x3 note cards lately, lol! BUT, if you don't have any 3x3 envelopes around either, or you would like yours in Designer Series Paper, I have a tutorial to make your own envelopes following this post :-).

Here is a group photo of the note cards. The In Colors really do look pretty all together in a group, don't ya' think?

Easter is on Sunday already, can you believe it?! I wanted to do some Easter projects, but, wow! Time really got away from me! On that note (no pun intended :-D ), I wish you all a wonderfully blessed Easter/Resurrection Sunday. I am truly thankful for the work Jesus did on the cross on our behalf and that He rose on that wonderful day long ago.

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes- 115370
Paper: Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay, and Rich Razzleberry Textured card stock- 115719 (all six colors come in one pack in the Textured), Basic Black- 102851, Whisper White- 100730, Old Olive- 100702, So Saffron- 105118
Classic Stampin' Ink: Melon Mambo- 115656, Crushed Curry- 115659, Dusty Durango- 115654, Soft Suede- 115657, Bermuda Bay- 115655, Rich Razzleberry- 115658, Regal Rose- 105211, Bashful Blue- 105209, Barely Banana- 101170
Punches: Two Step Bird- 117191, Trio Flower: 109183, Scallop Circle- 109043, 1/8" circle
Dies: Beautiful Wings- 118138, Scallop Envelope- 113462

3 x 3 Envelope Tutorial

In a pinch you can make your own 3x3 note card envelopes :-). You can use white copy paper- which is what I usually use, or you can make your envelopes with Designer Series Paper to match your note cards. They are really easy to make!

1. Cut paper 4 1/8" x 7" for each envelope.
2. With the 4 1/8" side at the top, score 1/2" on each side.
3. Turn the paper so that the 7" side is at the top and score 2 1/2" from the right end. Move the paper to the right and score 3 1/8" from the first score line.
4. In the photo below, I drew dashed lines to show the cutting area. The short flap at the top is the top portion of the envelope. Cut off the right and left sides along the dashed lines leaving the center area uncut.

5. Cut off the right and left areas inside the dashed lines at the bottom half of the envelope cutting at a slight angle as shown in the white circles above.
6. Corner round each corner as shown by the red dots in the photo below.

7. Fold in the center flaps to the inside of the envelope. Add some glue to the very outer edges as indicated (by the white arrow and dashed lines in the photo above) on each side of the bottom flap and fold the bottom flap up, pressing down the edges, to create the envelope.

The next photo below shows the completed envelope. Easy Peasy!!! Let me know if you have any questions! Have a great weekend!

Blessings!
Barb

The Card Book :-)

I was thinking that it was time to pull out my Curly Label Movers and Shapers die and make a card with it. With this die, you can die cut a perfectly cut card, with score lines, and a window die cut wherever you want one. It is way cool- it really is ;-). And it's been a while since I've used it! On the way to my scrap room, I had an idea that worked out perfectly :-). I made a Card and a scrapbook all in one! With just 'one' sheet of 8.5" x 11" card stock. I cut my one sheet of card stock in half on the length of the card stock so that I had two pieces measuring 4.25" x 11". Lining up one of those pieces in the Movers and Shapers die, I die cut the card with the Curly Label window die and cut it in half on the score line where you would normally fold the card. I took the other 4.25" x 11" piece of card stock and cut it in half so that I had two pieces measuring 4.25" x 5.5". Did you notice that that is the size of a standard A2 size card :-D ? You can totally mail this baby in a regular card envelope! I scored 1/2" on the short left side of each piece of 4.25" x 5.5" card stock, stacked them, added the front part of the binding, and punched three holes for eyelets. The binding is adhered to the front, holes punched for the eyelets, but the back is not punched so that the back covers up the ugly backside of the eyelets. The ribbon is threaded through the eyelets before the back of the binding is adhered, so the ribbon can only be seen on the front. Cool, huh :-D ?!

The cover

A peek of the book from the top. There are five pages all together.

Page one

Pages two and three

Pages four and five

This would really be a great little card/book to write encouraging words to someone or to add some uplifting scriptures to. You could put in some photos too :-). With five pages, you could even write a letter if you wanted to, lol! I hope you like my little card book/scrapbook and that you will try your own. It was a lot of fun making this and I have no doubt there are more in my future ;-). Have a great day!!! See ya' tomorrow!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue- 118598 (wood mount- 117690) Whimsical Words- 119119 (wood mount- 118386)
Paper: Regal Rose- 105130, Rose Red- 102544, Old Olive- 100702, So Saffron- 105118, Whisper White- 100730, So Saffron Designer Series Paper- 112152
Classic Stampin' Ink: Regal Rose- 105211, Old Olive- 102277
Punches: Two Step Bird- 117191, Trio Flower- 109183, 1/2" Circle- 104390, Scallop Trim Border- 118402, 5 Petal Flower- 109041
Dies: Beautiful Wings embosslit- 118138, Daisies #2- 114520, Curly Label Movers and Shapers XL Bigz- 114506
Other: Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions embossing folder- 117335, white eyelets, 1/8" white grosgrain ribbon, pink gems