DSP Butterflies

Today is a very simple card and a quick post - one that has been sitting in my "drafts" for months now. :)

Using scraps of DSP (Designer Series Paper), I punched using the two butterfly punches from Stampin' Up!. I wasn't concerned about which patterns to use, I just punched and glued two different patterns together. There really wasn't a match that didn't work.

After embossing my card layer with the Honeycomb TIEF, I adhered my butterflies and added some pearls for extra texture and interest.

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph


RECIPE:
Paper: Naturals, Very Vanilla, Various DSP Scraps
Tools: Big Shot, Honeycomb TIEF, Butterfly Punches
Accessories: Pearls

Golden Congratulations for SSC76

Welcome to another great challenge at Sunday Stamps! It's a sketch this round, my fav!

I switched the sketch slightly, but all the elements are still there. The biggest change I made is the main shape. I used the positive & negative images from the Lattice Bigz Die to create a larger square focal point. I LOVE this die and I'm so sad that it's retiring this year!! I added some flowers from some leftover trim and fancied them up a bit with some pearls. To keep with the gold tones, I heat embossed the sentiment. I left the inside blank so that this card could be used for either a wedding or anniversary.

Hope you'll join us this round. Check out the other DT designs for inspiration. You have until Friday, May 30th to add your link. We always love seeing what you come up with!


RECIPE:
Paper: Naturals Cardstock, Very Vanilla, Gold Foil, Gold Specialty
Ink: VersaMark
Stamps: Bitty Banners
Tools: Big Shot, Lattice Bigz Die, Heat Tool
Accessories: Flower Trim (retired), Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon (retired), Pearls
Challenge: Sunday Stamps

Not All Superheroes Wear Capes.

Well, only a week and a day late for the Sunday Stamps sketch! I had a very busy time preparing for my last show, then I developed bursitis in my shoulder (wouldn't wish that on anyone!), got sick and then my youngest got sick. That was just in the last week! ha.

I flipped the sketch on it's side and worked from there. I omitted the sentiment because I just wanted a single letter on the front. I found this awesome quote all over Pinterest (although, not sure where it's from) - "Not all superheroes wear capes." I thought it would be particularly true for parents.

I'm putting this past week behind me and moving forward. This coming week should be especially awesome because I'm attending the Catalogue Launch Party for Stampin' Up! So excited!! Stay tuned for more detail on that... whatever I can share with you, of course.

You have until Friday at 6 p.m. to play along. Hope you will! Check out what the other designers on the team have created to spark your creativity!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

RECIPE:
Paper: Soft Suede, Whisper White, Melon Mambo
Tools: MDS, Printer, Rotary Addition + Scallop Edge
Accessories: Flower (retired), Pearls, Doily, Fabric Tape (non SU!)
Challenge: Sunday Stamps

DSP Series: Card and Envie

This is Day 3 of my series on DSP and today I've created an adorably cute 3-½" x 5" card with coordinating envelope, all from DSP! This is made super easy with SU!'s Envelope Punch Board.

I made my card base from two scraps of card stock - Primrose Petals & Basic Grey and then layered with DSP. I accessorized with pearls and coordinating ribbon.

If you've been following along, I hope you're enjoying this series. Also, if you look back over the last several posts, have you noticed I've been using the same DSP and stamp set to make cards and projects for different occasions? Stay tuned for more on that also. :)

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

RECIPE:
Paper: Primrose Petals, Basic Grey, Birthday Basics DSP
Ink: Basic Grey
Stamps: Petite Pairs
Tools: 1-¼" Circle Punch, Artisan Label Punch, Envelope Punch Board
Accessories: Pearls, Summer Starfruit Stitched Satin Ribbon

Sketch Saturdays

Welcome back to another segment for my posts I'm calling Sketch Saturdays. This is my second one, and I'm really enjoying doing this. It's opening my creative mind…

This week, I'm featuring a sketch I created myself for a One Sheet Wonder series I'm working on (more on that in the coming weeks). It's a simple sketch, but check out what I did with it!

Well, I did a few things with it, actually. First, I flipped it. Next, I created four designs with it, from the very simple (for someone with very limited supplies, for example), to the more elaborate, using tools that one may not have access to.

I wanted to showcase that a simple sketch, doesn't always have to be so simple… and that you can create with just using the very basic of tools. The first card only uses a paper trimmer and a marker to ink the stamp. There's not much more to the second one, but just switching to a couple of basic punches and you've got a different look!

The third looks a little more in-depth, but it really isn't. You might think that I used some fancy tools, maybe a punch, but all I used were paper-piercing tools! I pierced the holes first in my triangular piece and then cut a small border free-hand following the shape of the pierced holes. The heart is also done the same way.

Lastly, the fourth uses the Big Shot and the Floral Frames Framelits, as well as the the Modern Mosaic TIEF. I heat embossed the sentiment, scattered some pearls and added an In-Color Dahlia.

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

RECIPE:
Paper: 2012-2014 In Color Card Stock, Very Vanilla, Basic Grey, Birthday Basics DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Basic Grey, Raspberry Ripple
Stamps: Petite Pairs
Tools: Big Shot, Modern Mosaic TIEF, Floral Frames Framelits, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Artisan Label Punch, Paper-Piercing Mat, Paper-Piercing Tool, Paper-Piercing Essentials Pack, Heat Tool
Accessories: Pearls, In-Color Dahlia

Coral Floral for Sunday Stamps

I know, it's Monday and I'm late with my post! The truth is, I have come to realize that many of my photos were extremely dark. I spent yesterday retaking all my photos, and took several of this card. I was finally happy with it, but now dropping it into Blogger, it seems very off.

Paper: Pistachio Pudding, Naturals Ivory, Gold, Calypso Coral
Tools: Big Shot, Honeycomb TIEF, Blossom Punch, Boho Blossom Punch
Accessories: Pearls

Can I just say that I'm in love with Pistachio Pudding! Such a yummy colour, and I think that paired with Calypso Coral and Gold is a super sweet combination! I will definitely be using this one again.

This card is very simple. No stamping, just punching! I still had several flowers left over from a kit I had (that happened to be in Calypso Coral) and then all I did was pair some with some punches with the Blossom Punch. I punched one in the Pistachio Pudding layer to let the card base show through and then used the punched out flower for the inside of my card.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the Design Team has created over at Sunday Stamps and I hope you love this colour combo as much as I do!

Until next time, stay crafty!


Steph

She Believed She Could...

I attended a Stampin' Up! workshop last weekend that was filled with business tools, techniques, projects & more. One of the projects was a canvas home decor piece. Check it out:

Ink: Blushing Bride, Soft Suede, Baked Brown Sugar, Primrose Petals
Stamps: Feel Goods
Tools: Big Shot, Gift Bow Bigz L Die, Oval Framelits,
Punches: Pansy, Bitty Butterfly
Accessories: Build a Banner Kit, Doilies, Buttons, Pearls

I'll admit that I wasn't too keen about this at first, but on second glance (and a little tweaking for the recipient of it), I started to get excited. Thank you Jamilla Ivits for creating this piece for the workshop because it's probably something that I wouldn't have otherwise thought about doing!

I hope I didn't offend by tweaking her design a bit. I don't know why, but I saw a plaid pattern when holding the stripe stencil in my hand (which is how Jamilla's banner was done). I'm thrilled with the way it came out! The plaid is really the major thing I changed. All the other elements are the same, I just moved them around a bit.

I surprised my daughter with this by hanging it in her room. She was so grateful and appreciative that I made this just for her. After seeing that, I was so happy that I gave project a chance!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Honeycomb for Sunday Stamps

It's Sunday and our bi-weekly challenge over at Sunday Stamps. This week is a sketch challenge (created by yours truly) and I hope you can play along with us!

Paper: Calypso Coral, Pistacio Pudding, Naturals Ivory
Tools: Big Shot, Honeycomb TIEF
Accessories: Pearls, This & That Washi Tape, Die Cut Flowers (retired)

I'll start by saying that I am really happy with this card - the 15+ pearls in the center of the flower and the pleated Washi Tape draws the eye, I think. But to be honest, I had been thinking for the past few weeks (since I created this card) that since it was my sketch and the challenge fell on my birthday, that I should create a birthday card with this sketch layout. I unfortunately never got around to it...

Well, maybe I'll create some belated birthday ones with this sketch. It's a simple & versatile one. So versatile, you should head on over to Sunday Stamps (if you haven't already) and check out how the rest of the design team used it & then play along! As always, they rocked it... and there are even a couple of birthday-themed ones too. :)

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Punched Cross

Today I'm sharing with you an old project... you can tell it's old because of some of the products used. However, I still wanted to show it to you because I think it's really cool.

Paper: Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla, Beau Chateau DSP (retired)
Stamps: Crosses of Hope (inside)
Tools: Scallop Trim Border Punch & Corner Punch (retired), Little Leaves Sizzlit
Accessories: Pearls, Flower Trim

What happened is that (over a year ago!) I came across an awesome tutorial video from Frenchie on how to make a beautiful cross with punches. I was so excited that I made a few, but then never did anything with them. As you may have read, I had to do a major clean up of my craft loft as we're selling our house and during this clean up, I came across my crosses. :)

I hope you've enjoyed this share and if you've got these punches (or perhaps similar ones would work?), head on over to Frenchie's Blog linked above and show her some love!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

What's New and MM?

I'm still here... have you been wondering what's going on in my life? Well, my littlest one hit the 3-month mark over the weekend (can't believe that!) and life with kids is pretty busy, but on top of that, we have also decided to sell our house, so that makes life pretty crazy around here lately! Having to keep the house spotless for showings is near impossible with little ones! haha.

Being kicked out of the house for showings and raising two kids has left me little time for designing, but I also didn't want to craft much because my space becomes buried in mere seconds when I'm working. :) It's an organized chaos though... but I didn't think potential buyers would appreciate that.

Anyway, some of the projects I'll be showing you over the next few posts are ones I've done a while back, but haven't yet had the opportunity to showcase them here on my Blog. Here is one CASEd from one seen on Pinterest:

Paper: Basic Gray, Pool Party, Silver
Ink: Basic Gray
Stamps: One in a Million
Tools: Big Shot, Fancy Fan TIEF, Punches: Heart, Owl,
Apothecary Framelits, Typeset Alphabet
Accessories: Pearls

I added a few more layers and dimension then the one I saw and I'm happy with how it turned out. Although, many ask me what "MM" stands for. I thought it was pretty clear that it stood for "Mr. and Mrs." but maybe I'm wrong... what are your thoughts?

Thanks for sticking with me during this time where I'm horribly neglecting my Blog. I appreciate your following and comments!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Calypso Coral Stays... and Saying "Hi" at Sunday Stamps!

Good morning & happy Sunday! I was so excited to hear that Calypso Coral is sticking around when Stampin' Up! announced their Colour Refresh a couple of weeks ago. I was just as excited when I saw the Colour Challenge this week at Sunday Stamps with Calypso Coral, Basic Grey & Very Vanilla. Such a sweet combo!

Paper: Calypso Coral, Very Vanilla, Epic Day DSP (This & That)
Ink: Calypso Coral, Basic Grey
Stamps: A Round Array
Tools: 7/8" Scallop Circle Punch, 1/4" Scallop Circle Punch
Accessories: Washi Tape, Pearls

This card is filled with product from the NEW 2013 - 2014 Catalogue. The best part is that you can get these products now! The DSP & Washi Tape (so excited for this!!) is from the new This and That line. It's available for purchase in a bundle (with a discount!) or on it's own until the end of the month. Then it won't be available again for purchase until June.

The stamp set is also new - A Round Array - and is available in a sweet bundle with the coordinating punch for 15% off until May 30th. The bundle price will not be available in the new catalogue.

This card was quick & simple to piece together. I cut the card layer from the DSP and then stamped various images from A Round Array on a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock. I adhered the VV piece with Washi Tape (awesome product & totally re-positional!) and then double popped-up my sentiment.

Hope you like my card and will play along with us this week. Don't forget to get some inspiration from the other Design Team members too!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

For the Babes at Sunday Stamps

Kathya's got a great sketch challenge this week over at Sunday Stamps... perfect to get your creativity flowing!

 Paper: Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Basic Grey
Stamps: Patterned Occasions (SAB), That's the Ticket, Itty Bitty Banners
Tools: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots & Stripes TIEF's, Scallop Circle & 1-1/4" Circle & Ticket Duo Punches
Accessories: Pearls, Ribbon

When SU! announced their "Colour Refresh" last week, I thought that I should use up and showcase some of the retiring colours. These three are perfect for baby cards - soft & subtle! I played around a lot with texture and dimension. I popped up the elephant image and if you think the little pearl accents aren't SU!, think again! I coloured our pearls using Sharpies. :)

Check out what the rest of the wonderful design team has created and then post your design. We love seeing your creations. You have until Friday evening.

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Here Comes Baby

I've got babies on the brain... after all, I'm due with my second in just a couple of weeks! Here's a card I recently created:

Paper: Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz (retired), Nursery Nest DSP (retired),
Whisper White
Ink: Basic Gray, Early Espresso
Stamps: Ciao, Baby, Cuddles & Kisses
Tools: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots TIEF, Postage Punch,
Owl Punch, 7/8" Scallop Circle
Accessories: Pearls

The idea to use the Owl Punch to create these adorable tiny overalls isn't mine... there are many samples floating around the WWW. I just couldn't resist creating some! I used some of the smallest pearls to create little "buttons" on each pair of overalls and the new Ciao, Baby stamp set with the coordinating 7/8" Scallop Circle Punch to create a nice cluster of images as a focal point.

The Perfect Polka Dots TIEF is just the perfect thing to use for baby cards... and when you have embossing, I find not much else is needed. Inside, I used one of the beautiful sentiments from the new Cuddles & Kisses stamp set - "A new little someone to kiss and to love, a happy addition from heaven above".

I created a baby girl version of this card that I'll share with you in another post. :) Stay tuned!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Let's Get Sketchy... Over at Sunday Stamps!

Welcome to another Sunday! Is the weekend almost over already?! Time is just going too fast around here... however, I do always love ending my weekend with Sunday Stamps! Holly's got a fun, simple sketch this week.

Paper: Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, First Edition DSP
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Pretty in Pink
Stamps: Elements of Style
Tools: Big Shot, Lacy Brocade TIEF, Scallop Circle Punches, 2-1/2 Circle Punch
Accessories: Pearls, Shimmer Spritz

I liked the simplicity of the sketch and when I saw the flower, I thought about punching that space with my 2-1/2" Circle Punch. I used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to stamp the floral image from Elements of Style so that it expanded from my card base to my Very Vanilla piece. I used two different colours to give added interest.

I wanted to keep the card fairly simple, so I did some embossing and then created a 3D flower using several of my scallop circle punches from First Edition DSP, crumpled them and then spritzed them with some shimmer spritz. It added some shimmer and colour, plus it dries hard. To finish things off, I added a couple of pearls at the top.

Hope you'll play along... head on over to Sunday Stamps to check out what the rest of the Design Team has created for you!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

It's A Scrap Yard Series - Post #2

Back again today with another card I created from just scraps. If you missed my post yesterday, you might want to take a look at how I went about organizing my scraps and my first card in this series.

Now, I mentioned yesterday that I was going to get rid of all my die cuts and punches... but because I was actually going to (finally) use them, I held on to the ones I had so that I could created cards with them for my week-long posts on using scraps. Here's what I came up with:

Paper: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, First Edition DSP
Ink: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler
Stamps: Established Elegance, Happiest Birthday Wishes (retired Hostess)
Accessories: Lace Trim, Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon, Pearls

Believe it or not, I had all the Cherry Cobbler & Whisper White (but sponged them in Crumb Cake) pieces cut from a Christmas card I made. They were punch outs from the Window Framelits. I just cut the Whisper White pieces into squares. I also had a large piece of First Edition Specialty DSP that I thought would work great.

I glued all the Cherry Cobbler pieces in a pattern and then used the Established Elegance stamp set on each of the Whisper White pieces. I stamped in Crumb Cake and then sponged in the same colour. I love this stamp set because there are so many different images that it works well for a collage type card!

The sentiment is from the retired Hostess set Happiest Birthday Wishes. I thought it was perfect because it was vintage looking and seemed to fit perfectly with Established Elegance set. I cut out the center circle and popped up the rest for dimension. To finish off, I added some trim, ribbon and pearls.

This card took longer than others I've created because there were so many elements and pieces to put together... but I'm glad that I finally got around to using these scraps!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Watercolor Easel

Today is another sketch over at Sunday Stamps... my sketch in fact! Hope you'll play along with us this week! Actually, you have TWO WEEKS to play along! The challenge closes Saturday, December 29th.

Paper: Whisper White, Brushed Gold Specialty, Neutrals DSP Pack
Ink: Soft Suede, Gold, Versamark
Stamps: Watercolor Winter, Come to Bethlehem
Tools: Lace Border Punch (retired), Heat Tool
Techniques: Heat Embossing
Accessories: Pearls

I'm just about at the end of making Christmas cards. I know you've probably heard me say that several times already, but I really am nearing the end. :) I still had a few more cards to make for clients, so why not show them off to you too.

I followed the sketch pretty closely and ended up making an easel-type card. I added lots of shimmer with the Brushed Gold Specialty Paper, gold ink and heat embossing. I did a lot of fussy cutting with this card, but I think it was worth it.

I hope you like what I've created and are inspired by the design team this week so that you can play along with us over the holidays!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

It's a Colour Challenge!

This week at Sunday Stamps, we've got a colour challenge for you - it's all about Fall, ya'll! How perfect this was for me because I needed to make some Thanksgiving cards for a client to send to her US friends who will be celebrating in a couple of weeks.

Paper: Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, WW, VV
Ink: More Mustard
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Tools: Big Shot, Square Lattice TIEF, Modern Label Punch, Word Window
Accessories: Half Back Pearls (retired), Baker's Twine

I hope you can play along with us this week... don't forget that every time you enter a challenge this month, you will be entered in a draw for a chance to win one of two $25 Stampin' Up! gift certificates!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

One Year for Freshly Made Sketches!

This week is the one-year anniversary for Freshly Made Sketches! I've enjoyed playing with the ladies over there a few times now and I just couldn't pass up celebrating their one-year.

The challenge this week is to use any of their previous sketches. How fun! Well, I ended up choosing the very last sketch since I didn't get a chance to play along last week. Here's the sketch:

It just so happened I was commissioned to create a special 25th birthday card and this sketch worked out well for what the client wanted. I flipped the sketch and came up with this:

Paper: Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Whisper White
Ink: Sahara Sand, Black
Stamps: Memorable Moments
Tools: Big Shot, Polka Dots TIEF, Paper Piercing Pack, Labels Framelits, Scallop Punch
Accessories: Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon, Pearls

The client wanted black, white/neutral, elegant and pearls. Memorable Moments is the perfect stamp set for such occasions. I find it to be very elegant... perfect for those special milestones and as the name suggests, memorable moments. :)

After some embossing, stamping and paper piercing (hard to see in the photos), I added a sleek bow and some pearls inside and out and the card was complete.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Freshly Made

Today I'm playing with the ladies at Freshly Made Sketches. It's my first time playing, but I liked the sketch and that this challenge site focuses on clean-lined and fresh creations. Here's the sketch:

It's actually quite fitting that I'm playing along today at Freshly Made because there's (finally) fresh air outside. It's been so hot and humid around here lately that I really missed having the windows open. Such a nice change!

Anyway, here is my card:

Okay, so I roughed up the edges just a tad. But not too much, so I think it still qualifies for "fresh" and "clean-lined", no?

I finally got around to using the Fine Feathers stamp set. It's one that drew my attention immediately in the new catty, but every time I pulled it out, I just couldn't come up with anything. This sketch certainly got my creativity flowing with it... and it's about dang time! :)

I started with a very detailed section from the Fan Fair DSP pack. It featured some lace, a flower, a washed out map and the Eiffel Tower (mostly hidden). I then layered with a piece of Island Indigo card stock that I embossed with the Fancy Fan embossing folder. Next, I stamped two feathers in Pool Party ink on Very Vanilla card stock and then cut one feather out and popped it up with some Dimensionals. I wrapped some Pool Party Bakers Twine around and added a punched tag. I stamped the sentiment from the Just My Type set and elongated the tag by pulling the paper up and through the Jewelry Tag Punch. The trick is to have your paper the same width as the punch. You can then make the tag as long (or short) as you want. Cool, eh?!

To finish off, I used the retired Lace Border Punch and added some pearls. I mimicked this on the inside too by stamping a couple of feathers and adding the border again with the pearls.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

So Many Reasons to Smile :)

July 1st is a date that brings a smile to my face, for many reasons. First, it's Canada's Birthday - Happy Canada Day! Second, it's the start of my Christmas in July Promo over at Hofkissed. Check out my Facebook page here for more details on that. Third, it also happens to be the start of the "Reason to Smile" campaign with Stampin' Up! If you spend $60 in July, you get the opportunity to buy an EXCLUSIVE stamp set for only $5.00!! Click here to learn more. Lastly, it's a beautiful sunny day here in Cambridge and I got some time to myself to get my hands a little inky... but only after tidying up my workspace - that was loooong overdue! :) Now, aren't those all reasons to smile?!

I can't quite get into the Christmas spirit (besides, I haven't yet ordered any new Christmas stuff from SU!), but I made a Christmas-ish card to start off my Christmas in July Promo. It also happens to fit the challenge over at The Paper Players!

So, like I said, I haven't yet ordered any new Christmas stuff from SU!, so I had to get creative. Here's my card:

Don't you just love when a stamp set can work for many different occasions?! I worked with some retired DSP - Jolly Holiday, and the Stippled Blossoms stamp set - not your typical Christmas stamp set, that's for sure. I think it turned out well, for a Christmas in July card anyway. :) To add some dimension and texture, I ruffled some Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon (retired), wrapped some Lucky Limeade Bakers Twine around it and added a tiny tag from the Tiny Tags stamp set and coordinating punch. I popped up my flower that I punched out with the 2 3/8 Scallop Punch and added some teeny pearls to the center.

What do you think?

Again, Happy Canada Day and Merry Christmas... in July!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph