Wonderful Mother ...

Hello friends.  Today's sketch comes compliments of The Shabby Tea Room.  Such talent is worth visiting and I hope that you can stop by!  For this project I used scraps of various Designer Series Papers with colors that coordinated well.  The paper in the middle is at least three years old and I'm sure it's happy to have finally found a home on a card!  You can see that I pulled out shades of yellow with So Saffron, greens with Certainly Celery, and blues with Taken with Teal.  The chipboard frame is also covered in DSP - this time from our Holiday Lounge collection.  I love how the Taken with Teal adds a splash of color while the lace keeps the view soft.

Of course a "winged friend" from my Butterfly Punch just had to land in the right spot.  The half pearls are mounted with Crystal Effects and are from our Pretties Kit.  The heartfelt words are from Well Scripted and express our thoughts in a beautiful font.

Thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful evening and if you have a moment I'd love to hear from you!

.

A Journey ...

Hello everyone.  It's quite cold here and we have had frost warnings the last two nights.  My tulips are still holding on and are almost ready to open.  I love tulips and this is my first year trying to grow them here in a woods full of deer.  With a bit of luck I may be able to enjoy them after all!

Another sure sign of Spring is bicycles.  I've seen quite a few on warmer days riding through our neighborhood.  What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon, enjoying the warm weather and the beautiful scenery.  On today's project...I sprayed my seam binding with Smooch Spritz which is featured in the soon to be released Summer Mini Catalog along with this wonderful new stamp set called Pedaling Fast.  The Spritz (here I used Gold Glow) not only dyes the seam binding but also adds "stiffness" and that makes for some wonderful bows.  The papers are from our Tea Party collection.  The chipboard frame was covered with purple glitter from our Fine Cosmo assortment.  Our Butterfly punch added a winged friend and I created the pink flower with our Pretty In Pink taffeta ribbon plus a few seed beads.

Thanks for visiting and I hope it's warm where you are.  You can find other wonderful artistic creations using this layout at www.stamping411.blogspot.com.

.

Soft and Sweet

Good evening friends.  I hope you are all doing well tonight.  We were blessed with sunshine today and I was able to photograph my project that I so wanted to share with you.

I just love the soft colors and the bow is just wonderful.  The pink button peeking out from under the folds is very sweet.  Drops from an Almost Amethyst ink refill were added to water in a small spray bottle.  I sprayed a length of seam binding until it was dyed to my liking.  It was then wadded up, stuffed into the corner of a plastic bag, and tied up tight.  The next day it was dry and wrinkled to perfection.  The metal frame is from our Vanilla HodgePodge kit "stained" with brown ink.  The Butterfly Punch was used to create our winged focal point with it's wings gently curved using the shaft of a paint brush.  The soft purples and pinks of our Tea Party collection were perfect for this vintage look.  And the Spiral Punch along the edge added a touch of whimsy.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me.  You can leave a comment with this post if you'd like.  Simply select "comment" below and share your thoughts.  Good night!

I can't wait to show you!

I am very excited!  I have the most wonderful project to show you, however, I have a problem.  I arrived home so late today after work and shopping that I ran out of daylight!  I find that my photographs don't turn out as well as I expect when I use my craft room lighting.  So, to show my project in it's best light, so to speak, I'll be posting tomorrow evening.  I do hope you stop by to see what I have to share!

Memories ...

When I found these old photographs of my family back when we celebrated the Holiday's with our mother, I knew that I had to preserve the memories.  I can't tell you what year these are from but I would guess sometime in the early 1990's.  What wonderful treasures and I smile as I recall them.  I can almost hear the laughter and smell the scent of the tree.  My heart fills with joy.

This is the last of my six 2-page spreads planned for my Scrapbooking event.  I hope my guests enjoy creating them.  Isn't the lace wonderful?  It's gorgeous in real life and I am so glad that I found a spot for it on this page.  The pattern almost looks like Christmas trees when you see it up close.  How appropriate!  I used various stamp sets that I have which celebrate the Season.  Taken with Teal and Sahara Sand were the primary colors pulled from our Holiday Lounge designer series paper.  The Bella Blue paper along the bottom is beautiful.  Using both Very Vanilla and Whisper White cardstock added a vintage look that complimented the lace.  Circle, star, tag, and square punches made the embellishments simple.

Thank you for spending time with me today.

Stop back soon to see a new look for twill and our latest products!

A History Lesson

If you have never been to Greenfield Village, I encourage you to visit.  At our school it is traditional for the second grade class to visit at the end of the year.  The kids dress up in period clothing and experience a day learning in the one room school house.  That includes fetching firewood and water from the well outside.  They all enjoy the day and gain a better understanding of how blessed they are.  This thankfulness and humility is a lesson to be learned by all of us.

Tea Party papers gave this page an old fashioned appeal.  This time I used the soft lilacs that come with the collection.  Coupled with So Saffron polka dot paper the results are eye-catching.  Once again, Mod Podge was used to "glitter-fy" chipboard.  This time birds from So Tweet were sprinkled with Orchid glitter from our Fine Cosmo assortment.  I thought the owl was a perfect choice for such a studious boy.  The Sweet Pea Stitched Felt flowers from our current Occassions Mini catalog are only available through the end of the month. You can order yours 24/7 with the link on the left.  Old Olive striped and Crushed Curry polka dot ribbon with a few buttons here and there finished the look.  One of my newest stamp sets is called Three Little Words.  Don't you just love the font?

I have updated the post below with color charts for your reference.  Thanks for spending time with me today.  It was nice of you to stop by!

Stampin' UP! Color Announcement

I am have some very exciting new for you friends!  Stampin' Up! announced that they would be making changes to their color families beginning with the release on July 1 of the 2010-2011 Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog. This change includes the return of some of my favorite In Colors to the regular line-up and a organizational overhaul. 

To download our New Color samples click here!

To download our Retiring Color samples click here!

WHAT'S NEW?

Reorganization into 40 Stampin' Up! Core Colors in four color collections (10 colors in each--no longer called color families): Brights, Neutrals, Regals and Subtles

In Colors (old and current) make the regular line-up of Core Colors: Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango (used on my card on the right), River Rock, Soft Suede, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi.  I loved River Rock, Baja Breeze, and Wild Wasabi and am thrilled to see them return!

Introducing five new Core Colors: Daffodil Delight (the perfect yellow), Early Espresso (deep brown and delicious), Cajun Craze (rich, rusty orange), Cherry Cobbler (relevant red), Marina Mist (not too green, not too gray shade of blue).  I can't wait to see Daffodil delight!

Brights Collection: Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Real Red.  I'm so pleased that Melon Mambo and Pacific Point are sticking around.  I do hope we continue to offer the wonderful matching polka-dot ribbon!

Neutrals Collection: River Rock, Chocolate Chip, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake (formerly Kraft), Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Basic Gray, Basic Black.  Crumb Cake vs Kraft?  A rose by any other name is still a rose - besides Crumb Cake is a lot more fun to say.

Regals Collection: Elegant Eggplant, Night of Navy, Not Quite Navy, Always Artichoke, Garden Green, More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Riding Hood Red, Cherry Cobbler, Bravo Burgundy.  Riding Hood Red is so rich - glad to see that color is staying with us.

Subtles Collection: Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Perfect Plum, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, So Saffron.  Bashful Blue is perfect for the vintage look and pair it up with Pink Pirouette - tres chic.


STAMPIN' UP! COLORS HEADED FOR RETIREMENT ON JULY 1:
Almost Amethyst, Apricot Appeal, Ballet Blue, Barely Banana, Blush Blossom, Bordering Blue, Brilliant Blue, Brocade Blue, Cameo Coral, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Gable Green, Glorious Green, Going Gray, Green Galore, Handsome Hunter, Lavender Lace, Lovely Lilac, Mellow Moss, Only Orange, Orchid Opulence, Pale Plum, Pink Passion, Pixie Pink, Really Rust, Ruby Red, Sage Shadow, Summer Sun, Taken with Teal, Yoyo Yellow.  I must admit that seeing Close to Cocoa, Mellow Moss, and Really Rust on this list makes my heart skip a beat.  But I trust the leadership at SU! and I am so excited to see some of my favorites return that I can adjust!  If you have colors here that you can't live without, be sure you stock up!

2010-2011 IN COLORS: 5 new In Colors will be introduced with the Idea Book & Catalog July 1 (you can be sure you'll see sneak peeks from me in June). The new In Colors will be available for 2 years! Starting next year, there will be a total of 10 In Colors with five rotating out and five rotating in every year. Make sense.

HOT NEW ITEMS: Watch for details on new color kits, Stampin' Up! markers for all Core Colore (including former In Colors and the newest colors), expansion of colors for Stampin' Pastels and Watercolor Wonder Crayons and an awesome Color Coach tool that will make color selection better than ever!

Enjoy your day!

The One That Didn't Get Away!

Hello friends.  We are lucky enough to live where there is a pond in our backyard.  Brendan loves the outdoors and fishing is his favorite summer activity.  He digs his own worms, baits his hook, casts the line ... he does it all.  I couldn't be more proud!  These photos are perfect for this page.  That's a bass he has on his line!

I still struggle with photographing my scrapbook pages.  If you look in the catalog (page 162) you will see how beautiful the Bella Bleu Designer Series Paper truly is.  Trimmed sheets of the Sweet Pea paper adds the color.  Splashes of Taken with Teal spice things up.  The Chocolate Chip corduroy buttons hold the ribbon and help direct your eye to the "big catch". 

Our Circle, Large Star, and My Way punches add embellishment.  The yellow stars are on Dimensionals.  Some elements received a stitch or two of brown floss.  "Way to go" and "Congrats" are from Starring You and Four Square stamp sets, respectively.  And "Things I Love" is from ... well, Thing I Love stamp set!

Be sure to visit my friend Ginny's blog to see more ideas with crepe paper.  Click here! 

I hope you enjoyed today's visit.  Thanks for stopping by.
.

In the Garden

Hello again, friends.  I have more to share with you today on this beautiful Good Friday.  I've been busy creating my pages for next week's Scrapbooking Event.  As you can see, the spring weather has me thinking of my garden.  I just love the garden and lots of flowers.  My favorites are in shades of blue, yellow, purple and pink.  A splash of white here and there makes everything sparkle!  These pictures are from last year and they make me smile.

You may have noticed that crepe paper is the latest embellishment in the world of paper crafting.  I am thrilled!  Remember making crepe paper flowers when you were little?  I created some flowers in white and pink for this page.  The green leaves are Certainly Celery cardstock and punched from our Extra Large Two-Step Bird Punch.  (You can find it in our Occasions Mini Catalog.  There is a link on the left.)  I toned them down a bit by painting on some Certainly Celery ink with an Aquapainter.  It helped to soften the starkness of the plain cardstock.

I also used crepe paper (4 lengths sewed together) as a soft feature on the page. The edges were punched with our Scallop Edge punch. My background papers are from our Tea Party collection. I adore this paper ... the colors are gorgeous. Don't you agree?


Thanks for visiting today. Be sure to see our April special promotion below. I can imagine beautiful projects created from our featured set and the other sale items. You'll be seeing Trendy Trees from me soon!

Celebrate Spring with a new Stamp Set!

Two-Step into Spring Promotion has begun! 

Stampin' Up!'s Two-Step Stampin' sets allow you to quickly and easily take your creativity to the next level. And now, from April 1-30 only, you can purchase the brand-new Awash with Flowers Two-Step Stampin' set--or get it FREE when you host a $350 workshop!

Item # 117062                    Awash with Flowers (wood mount; set of 18)             $39.95
Item # 120549                    Awash with Flowers (clear mount; set of 18)               $27.95

PLUS, purchase spring-themed Two-Step Stampin' sets at 20% OFF the retail price--no additional purchase necessary! Qualifying stamp sets are listed below -
 
Item # 113824           Page  94                Greenhouse Garden             Sale Price $20.76
Item # 113734           Page 98                 Fifth Avenue Floral              Sale Price $19.96
Item # 111578           Page 101               Flower Fancy                      Sale Price $29.56
Item # 113258           Page 112               Trendy Trees                       Sale Price $14.36

Shop on-line 24/7 by visiting my website - see the link at the left!

In Need of a Title!

Here is my second Scrapbook page set for my upcoming event.  The girls toured a historic home and had tea afterwards in the sunporch.  Wonderful old dresses, hats, purses were provided to "dress up".  It was all very vintage and just beautiful.  Of course, no one can have tea without their white gloves, beads, and wearing their finest!  Don't you agree?

I love how the soft colors pick up on the elegance of our afternoon.  Buttons and lace were added to keep it all very girlie.  However, I am missing a title and could use your help.  What would you suggest?  The background papers are from our Tea Party collection.  How appropriate!  My color scheme drew out So Saffron, Certainly Celery, and Pretty in Pink.  Punches made creating these layered flowers so simple!

I used our Scallop Circle, 5-Petal Flower, Extra Large Fancy Flower, and a 1" circle.  The friendly butterflies were made with our Butterfly punch and the gorgeous Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die.  Everything is raised on Dimensionals. 

The crown is from our Extreme Elements set.

I hope you enjoyed today's post.  If you are able to help me with a page title I would be grateful.  Leave me a comment below with your thoughts.