Demo M&Ts Boo Bats

 

This is such an adorable card.  This is a M&T card that Kim Becker brought to our American Ink demo meeting.  Even though I made this card at the meeting, I just now noticed that one of these cute little creatures is an owl!  Too funny.  How could I have missed that?!  The Boo stamp was stamped in Tangerine tango, and we used the black marker to color the dots in the center of the stamp before stamping it on whisper white card stock.  And those googlie eyes are killing me!  Very cute.

Demo M&T Evergreen Christmas

 

This is one of the M&Ts we were able to make during our last American Ink demo meeting in September.  Terry Blais designed this card.  It uses the new Core'dinations card stock.  She used the woodgrain embossing folder and sanded the design with our new sanding block.  Very simple card to make, and impressive as well.

 

 

You can join us at our monthly demo meetings too!  Sign up as a demonstrator under me today.  The Starter Kit is only $99 and you receive $125 in product!  You can customize the kit any way you would like as part of Stampin' Up!'s MY WAY promotion.  Sign up today!

October Special

 

Aren't you excited to find out about the 

October Stampin' Up! special?

 

 

Well, here it is! 

 

Dates: October 1-31, 2012

Promotion Details: It's only October, but Stampin' Claus is coming to town! Get a FREE Festive Paper-Piercing Pack when you purchase the Ornament Keepsakes Set and Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper.

Get your FREE paper-piercing pack by purchasing the Ornament Keepsakes Set and Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper or the Ornament Keepsakes Bundle and Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper. Remember: the bundle gets you an additional 15 percent off the set and the Holiday Ornaments Framelits Dies. So many options!

This promotion has no limits.  For every bundle you buy, you'll get a FREE Festive Paper-Piercing Pack. They make great Christmas gifts! 

Go to my website today to order!

 

 

 



Demo Swap Batty Halloween

 

 

Here are two more cards I received as swaps in the American Ink demo meeting in September.  Sharlene made the Bat card, and Terry made the Happy Halloween card.  Sharlene is one of my downline :o)

 

Aren't those googlie eyes the cutest things you've ever seen?

 

 



Demo Swap Grateful Frankenstein

On the second Saturday of every month, all demonstrators under Terry Blais, aka American Ink, have a demo meeting at her studio in Poulsbo.  (We all wish we had a studio like hers!)  It's a great time to get together with friends, share current Stampin' Up! news, and enjoy time stamping.

Some of us bring swaps, some bring M&Ts, some volunteer to teach a technique or share a WOW, and others bring food.  We've got all the bases covered, that's for sure.

These are two cards I received last month as swaps during our American Ink demo meeting.  Kim made the Frankie card, and Frankie made the Gratitude card.  Now, that pun wasn't planned, but makes me giggle :o)

If you'd like to be part of our American Ink group too, you can sign up as a demonstrator for only $99 and receive $125 in product!  That's fantastic, don't you think?  Go to my website and sign up as a demonstrator under me now!

Tricky Treats Halloween

This is another video I made with my friends, Terry and Kim.  I used the Tricky Treats stampset from our current catalog along with the Howlstooth and Scaringbone DSP.  I love this paper and think it works for other times as well, not just for Halloween.  The Festive paper-piercing pack from the Holiday catalog can be used on so many things, I don't know what I did before I had it!  Add to that the fact that it matches the design for the Labels collection framelits, and I'm one happy girl!



 

If you'd like to order the Festive paper-piercing pack, the Howlstooth and Scaringbone DSP or any of the other things used in making this card,

visit my Online store.

Essentials: 
Stamps:  Tricky treats [126327]
Paper:  Howlstooth and Scaringbone DSP [126906], Basic gray [121044],
Basic black [121045], Very vanilla [101650], Tangerine tango [111349]
Ink:  Tangerine Tango [126946]
Big Shot:  Labels collection framelits [125598], Houndstooth embossing folder [123134]
Accessories:  Paper-piercing tool [126189], Pierce mat [126199],
Rhinestone basic jewels [119246], Festive paper-piercing pack [127857]

Aviary Window Framelit Card

Here's my first video!  Kim Becker and I joined Terry Blais at her studio the other day and made videos.  You have no idea now much we laughed.  What a great time we had!  This card was one I CASE'd from our current Stampin' Up! catalog.  The Aviary set is quickly becoming one of my favorite stamp sets.

There are ideas on nearly every page of our catalog.  You can get a FREE catalog by buying at least $50 worth of product from my Online Store.

Elements of Style Telescoping

 

This is a card Karen Casper brought for our club's M&T.  She taught us the 'telescoping' technique.  Isn't it beautiful?!  This card uses the Labels collection framelits.  Karen had us stamp two complete images on Whisper white.  We used markers to color the images, then we used the first and third framelits to cut the first design, and the second and fourth framelits for the second design.  Each piece is layered with dimensionals to give it that 'telescoping' effect.  I think Karen chose the perfect flower design in Elements of style, don't you?

Ladies Club - September

 

 

This is another card my Club made in September.  Comfort Cafe DSP is one of my favorites.  I guess I'm drawn to the muted colors, and especially brown tones.  Spice Cake was my favorite before Comfort Cafe :)

 

This card was made with the faux pinwheel technique I shared previously.  I used the Color spritzer tool with my Soft suede marker to create the speckled background on the Very vanilla card base.  The Antique brads are some of my all-time favorite embellishments, and the new In-Color Summer starfruit is becoming one of my favorite colors too.

 

Stamps:  Sweet essentials

Ink:  Summer starfruit, Soft suede marker

Paper:  Comfort Cafe DSP, Summer starfruit, Soft suede, Very vanilla

Punches:  Scallop trim border, 3/4" circle

Embellishments:  Antique brads

Accessories:  Color spritzer tool

 

Day of Gratitude

 

Fall is in the air...finally!  We have had the dryest August on record, and today it was cool, breezy and you could feel that fall is just around the corner.  Nothing is more beautiful than the Pacific Northwest in the fall.

 

I hand cut the Pumpkin pie design in this card, used the 1" circle punch to raise the Lucky limeade center and embellished the design with Basic pearls for the finishing touch. The Decorative label punch was used for the sentiment as well as the layered effect behind the sentiment. I cut the label in half horizontally and staggered the pieces so they created the border around the original label.  This is a card I brought to our American Ink demo meeting as a M&T.

 

Although the colors on my card aren't the typical "fall" colors, they are part of the Pals Paper Arts Challenge #142.  I love this color combination!

 

Pink Paper Bakery has a Fall theme challenge, and I thought the Day of Gratitude set was perfect for this challenge. 

 

 

The card sketch I used was from Freshly Made Sketches #51.  This is a site I refer to often for sketches ;)

 

 

 

Stamp:  Day of Gratitude

Ink:  Pumpkin pie, Elegant Eggplant, Lucky limeade

Paper:  Summer smooches DSP, Elegant eggplant, Lucky limeade, Whisper white

Punches:  Decorative label, Scallop edge border

Accessories:  Basic pearl jewels

 

Ladies Club - September

 

 

This is one of the cards my club made in September.  This card uses a little of everything, but it's easy to make with the Bird builder punch and Bitty banner framelits.  I used the Fancy fan embossing folder on this card.  It reminds me of bird wings ;)  I started with the Twitterpated DSP and selected the Baja breeze color.  I then used the Color coach to choose other colors that coordinate with the main color in the DSP.  I would be lost without my Color Coach.

If you are interested in buying a Color coach of your own, it is Item #120148.  You can order it through my online store.

This card was made using Mojo Monday's Sketch #253.

Stamps:  Blissful bird, Itty bitty banners
Ink:  More mustard
Paper:  Twitterpated DSP, Cherry cobbler, Not quite navy, Baja breeze, Whisper white, Old olive
Big Shot:  Bitty banner framelits, Fancy fan embossing folder
Punches:  2 1/2" circle, 2 3/8" scallop circle, Bird builder
Accessories:  1/2" Cherry cobbler seam binding, Rhinestones

Great Pumpkin Blog Hop Week 6

 

This week I think I'm going "Batty"!



 

I was sad when Stampin' Up! retired the bat punch, but the punch art bat has much more personality.  It is so easy to make!  And what would Halloween be without the spider web and harvest moon?

 

The bat is made with the Owl Builder punch.  Cut the legs off of the owl (I promise he won't feel a thing...).  The bat wings are made with the Scallop oval and 1" circle punches.

 

 

Start by punching a small part of the scallop oval punch on the edge of Basic Black card stock.  Then use the 1" circle punch and place it about halfway into the scallop edge, and viola, you have your bat wing!

 

This card was made with sketch #50 from Freshly Made Sketches.

 

 

Please join The Great Pumpkin Blog Hop...

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Stamps:  Tiny tags
Ink:  Tangerine tango
Paper:  Howlstooth & scaringbone DSP, Neutral DSP, More mustard, Basic black, Tangerine tango
Big Shot:  Spider web embossing folder
Punches:  Owl builder, 1 1/4" circle, Scallop circle, 1" circle
Accessories:  Googlies

FREE Halloween Project Kit Extended to Sept 16

 

 

 

Dates: August 1 - September 16, 2012
Promotion Details: It's always more fun to stamp with friends! When you recruit by September 16, you and your recruit(s) will get a Howl-o-ween Printer's Tray project kit absolutely FREE-a $60 value! This exclusive kit contains the perfect elements of a spooktacular Halloween decoration!* Remember, you can only earn this special project kit when you add new stamping friends to your downline.
*Project kit does not include ink

Buy the Starter Kit Today for $99 from my website:  http://barb4stamps.stampinup.net.  Shipping is free and you'll save 30% off your first order.

Faux Pinwheel

 

This card uses the faux pinwheel technique.  It looks complicated and as if there are slits between the colors of paper, but it is made with squares which are layed on top of each other.  The last square is tucked underneath the first square.  Another very simple technique.  The stamp set I used on this card is called "I Am..."  This was one of the free stamp sets we received at the Stampin' Up! Annual Convention this summer in Salt Lake City.  This was the first convention I have attended, and I can assure you I will be there every year.  It was truly an amazing experience!

 

Stamps:  I Am...

Ink:  Real red

Paper:  Summer smooches, Real red, Basic black, Whisper white

Big Shot:  Perfect polka dots embossing folder

Punches:  3/16" corner

Accessories:  Brights designer collection button, White baker's twine

Cherish Friendship

 

This is a center step card.  It took some tweaking, and I won't say how much card stock I went through before I figured out the dimensions, but the end result will fit in a standard A6 envelope!  The background of this card is the Tile technique.  To me, the tile gives an antique feel.

 

 

This is the inside of the card.  I used the same background stamp as I did in the tile technique and I stamped off before I stamped the background.

 

Stamps:  Cherish Friendship, Everything Eleanor, Itty bitty bits

Ink:  Crumb cake, Cajun craze, Summer starfruit, Midnight muse, Gumball green, Daffodil delight (and others I can't remember...lol)

Paper:  Comfort cafe DSP, Soft suede

Punches:  Itty bitty shapes punch pack, 3/16" corner

Accessories:  Rhinestone jewels, Soft suede 3/8" taffeta ribbon

 

 

 

Great Pumpkin Blog Hop Week 5

 

Week 5 of Terry Blais' The Great Pumpkin Blog Hop!  Fun times!

 

My card is on a Tangerine Tango base and uses the Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP.  This is a penny slider card.  The center portion where the bat is, is raised with two dimensionals stacked on top of each other, and I placed four along the top and four along the bottom edges of the center portion.  There are also 2 dimensionals in the middle of the pennies.

 

What cracks me up about this card is the googlie eyes!  They weren't originally in the permanently cross-eyed position.  I think I've spun poor Mr. Bat around so many times he is dizzy!

 

Stamps:  Tricky Treats

Ink:  Basic black

Paper:  Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP, Tangerine tango

Punches:  1 3/8" circle, 1 3/4" scallop circle

Accessories:  1/2" striped satin basic gray ribbon, googlie eyes

 

My Grandbabies

I have to introduce everyone to my three precious grandbabies.  Tavin is 5 and Paeton is 3.  Tavin just started kindergarten yesterday, and he loves school.  Paeton wants to be just like her big brother, and she will start preschool on Wednesday.  Tavin is the spitting image of his daddy, who is the spitting image of his dad.  Handsome men, for certain!  Paeton, with her tiny button nose, looks exactly like her beautiful mom.  They are growing so fast!

 

Elijah is my youngest grandbaby, and he is 8 months old.  He just started crawling in the last few days.  I wake up most mornings with a new picture or video of Eli, and there is no better way to wake up than to the smiling faces of your grandchildren.  Elijah is the perfect combination of his mommy and daddy.  Absolutely adorable!

 

 

All of my grandchildren live on the East Coast.  Since I live in the Northwest, we don't see each other nearly as often as I would like, but they are always in my thoughts. 

 

My heart overflows with love for my family.  I feel incredibly blessed.





Aviary Hello

 

This is a card idea I got from the current Stampin' Up! catalog.  In the evenings after my family is in bed, I look through the catalog and get ideas, not just of card layouts, but also color combinations.  This card looks HAPPY, don't you think?  The sentiment is from the Penant Parade stamp set, and the stamp was the perfect height to fit right on the strip of whisper white.  I was able to free-hand stamp the word in alternating ink and it actually lined up pretty well!  It is hard to tell in the photo, but the Labels collection framelit is actually a frame around the stamped image.  I used the 2 1/2" circle punch to cut the circle in the center of the framelit piece and it is on top of the Whisper white card stock as a frame.  Cute, huh?

 

Stamps:  Aviary, Penant parade

Ink:  Soft suede, Lucky limeade, Pool party

Paper:  Comfort cafe DSP, Pool party, Soft suede, Whisper white

BigShot:  Labels collection framelits

Punches:  2 1/2" circle punch, Boho blossoms punch

Accessories:  In-color 11-13 printed designer brads

Tri-Shutter Christmas Card

 

This is a card I made during Terry Blais' Christmas class.  Her blog can be found here.  She also has instructions on her blog for how to make this cute card.  This looks like a good one to use this year for Christmas!  It just has a couple rhinestones, so I think it will survive the USPS...

 

I love the dimensions to this card when it's open!

 

See Terry's blog for a complete recipe for this card as well as step-by-step instructions.

 

Flower Pot Birthday Wishes

 

This is a card, or flower pot as the case is here, that Kim Becker brought as a M&T to our club.  I have seen something similar where the card is shaped like a flower pot and there is an insert that slides out of the card and contains the sentiment.  That version lays flat.  Don't you just love the way this card stands on its own?!  This is super cute ;)  Kim's blog can be found here.

 

Stamps:  Bring on the cake

Ink:  Basic gray

Paper:  Twitterpated DSP, Real red, Old olive, Baja breeze

Punches:  Scallop edge border, Extra-large oval, Bird builder, Boho blossoms, Blossom, Fancy flower, 1-3/4 scallop circle, Itty bitty shapes

Accessories:  1/8" mini brads

Apothecary Wet Embossing

 

Isn't this card elegant?  There is just something about black and white that draws me in.  This was a technique class I gave for my club members, and it's called the wet embossing technique.  You put VersaMark on the embossing folder and run your card stock through the Big Shot.  This example used black embossing powder on very vanilla card stock.  When you heat set the powder, it gives the illusion of being wet.  This card looks difficult, but it is really quite easy.  I love that kind of card!

 

 

 

Stamps:  Apothecary Art

Ink:  Basic black

Paper:  First edition specialty, very vanilla, basic black

Accessories:   Vintage wallpaper embossing folder, Labels collection framelits, Boho blossoms punch, 3/16" corner punch, Vintage faceted designer buttons, 1/8" black taffeta

The Great Pumpkin Blog Hop Week 4

 

I am just joining Terry Blais' Great Pumpkin Blog Hop and it's Week 4 already! 

 

PLEASE JOIN THE BLOG HOP TOO!

 

I have grandbabies who will love trick-or-treating this year.  I can't wait to see their costumes!  Tavin is 5 and Paeton is 3.  Fun ages for Halloween :)  (Watch for pictures in the near future.) 

I really like the Howlstooth and Scaringbone DSP from the Holiday Catalog.  It matches so well with the Houndstooth Embossing Folder!  I used the Freshly Made Sketches #48 for this card layout.

 

Stamps:  Tricky Treats

Ink:  Tangerine Tango

Paper:  Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP, Tangerine tango, Basic gray, Basic black, Very vanilla

Accessories:  Houndstooth embossing folder, Festive paper piercing pack, Labels collection framelits, Piercer and pad, Rhinestones

Petite Smiles

I know I just posted a card with the Triple Time stamping technique, but it is my favorite technique right now, can you tell?  This weekend is the AI Demo meeting, and I will be bringing this as my M&T.  This card is on a Wisteria Wonder card base.  Flowering Flourishes background was stamped in Wisteria Wonder, and Fabulous Florets was stamped in Elegant Eggplant.  The sentiment came from the Petite Pairs stamp set and was stamped in Elegant Eggplant.  I used the Large Oval and Scallop Oval punches, and 5/8" White Organza ribbon.  There is a link in my previous post where you can watch Dawn's video on this technique.  Enjoy!

Ladies' Club - August

August Club Projects

This tea light birthday cake couldn't be cuter!  This idea came from Terry Blais.  Each "cake" was made with different colors from the Summer Smooches DSP.  Terry has instructions on her blog (under her Free Tutorial tab), which you can find here.

The Perfectly Preserved stamp set reminds me that fall is just around the corner.  Living in the PNW, fall has become my favorite season.  The Summer Smooches DSP provided the backdrop for the Top Note Big Shot die in So Saffron.  Early Espresso was punched with the Scallop Trim border punch and the Word Window punch.  The sentiment was cut with the Bitty Banner Framelet.  The Cannery Framelet set was used for the jar, jar lid, pear and stem.  These were stamped in Early Espresso and Old Olive.  Early Espresso Baker's Twine on the jar lid and pearls on the pear provided the finishing touches.

Our final project is something I had never heard of until Karen mentioned the technique at a club I belong to.  Karen always finds the neatest things!  It is called Triple Time stamping.  Dawn provides a video on the technique here.

This card is on a black base.  The Everything Eleanor stamp set provided the background stamp detail in pretty in pink.  Melon Mambo was used for the flower.  I love this combination of colors!  When using a dark card base, don't forget to put a lighter piece of card stock on the inside of the card too.  The sentiment is from Perfect Punches and was cut with the Apothecary Accents Framelet.  Pearls and 1/4" Whisper White Grosgrain ribbon were also used.

Chocolate Thank You

What could be better than a Thank You with Chocolate?  I made these cute little pockets with Wild Wasabi and the Two Tags Big Shot Die.  I found that the chocolate square didn't fit well in a single tag, so I used two of the tags and cut each one 1/4 inch after the crease.  I attached them to each other with Sticky Tape.  The sentiment is from Kindness Matters and is stamped with Garden Green.  I used the Window Frame Collection Framelet to cut the design.  The

1 3/4" scallop circle provided just the right size Floral District DSP to highlight the sentiment.  Denim 3/8" ribbon tied the two tags together.  I have some very special ladies to give these to.  I can't wait!

Aviary Chevron Tag

This was a M&T card that I took to a club I belong to.  This card layout can be found in the current catalog.  This card is So Saffron, embellished with the Finishing Touches Edgelit in Marina Mist.  The Chevron embossing folder added just the right texture to the Gumball Green background.  The DSP is from the Subtles collection.  I love the Aviary set in this card.  The background for the bird cage is from Flowering Flourishes, and the friends sentiment was stamped with the Just Believe set and punched with the Word Window.

AIR Goodies

American Ink Rewards!

I am a member of American Ink, which is comprised of all the downline of Terry Blais.  There are so many inspirational and motivational reasons to join her group (I'm a second line downline), and one of them is her AIR program.  She sets quarterly goals for us to reach for, and when we achieve those goals, she treats us to a specially made lunch and goodies!  This time we had salad and baked potatoes for lunch.  Delicious!

This is a pouch Terry handmade out of Comfort Cafe fabric.  I wonder if she knew that's my favorite?!

Inside the bag was a Stampin' Up! notepad, spritzers, a blender pen, and a cute flower stamp.

We made four projects during our luncheon.  They are adorable!

This is a Birthday Cake Tea Light.  My hubby gives birthday cards (that I make for him, obviously) to all of his employees.  Now they will have a little birthday cake to celebrate their special day too!  Can you believe how cute this is?

We made an exploding purse with the new Core'dinations Card Stock from the Holiday Catalog.  You can order from this catalog now!  I love the look of this card stock when you gently sand the embossed design.

We made a Snips fabric holder, again, with Comfort Cafe fabric.  The fabric is cut with the Petal Cone Bigz Die for the Big Shot.  We used Stampin' Up! Fabric Adhesive to place batting between the two layers of fabric, then the standard blanket stitch with Baker's Twine was used to sew it together.  We finished it off with flowers and an Antique Brad.

You will have to wait to see my final project, as I'm adding final touches to it.  Check back in a few days!

Thank you, Terry Blais, for being such an Awesome Upline!!







New Demonstrator Spooktacular Promotion

Look at the new special for August when you sign up as a Demonstrator!  You receive this cute Halloween Project Kit.  How cute is that?

The Starter Kit is only $99!  And, you receive $125 in product, plus the Halloween Project Kit.  You can choose ANY products in the catalog worth $125 and only pay $99.  Almost too good to be true?  Believe me, it's true.

Contact me today to join my team!







Ladies' Club - July

These are the three cards that my Ladies' Club made when we met a few days ago.

Postage Due with Summer Starfruit In-Color.  I CASE'd this card from Terry Blais.  This is such a simple card, but I think it's got just enough quirkiness to be one of my favorites.  I used Summer Starfruit to layer the main design as well as in the smaller postage stamp.  I also used Real Red and Early Espresso.  Marina Mist provides the backdrup for the big postage stamp.  The postage stamp punch coordinates great with this stamp set.  Makes me want to take a trip!  Maui anyone?  (My favorite place on Earth!)

This card used the Reason to Smile stamp set, which was on sale in July for $5 with a $50 minimum order.  I absolutely love 2-step stamping.  You will also see the embellishment used on this card in the new Holiday Catalog which begins August 1.  If you're like me, you will want everything in this catalog.  Stampin' Up! doesn't disappoint with the new Bundles and stamp sets.

This is a Birthday Easel card.  I used the Mixed Bunch stamp set for the big flower and added a Primrose Petals Dahlia in the center.  They look much larger in the catalog, but they are very small.  Cute, cute!