Sale-a-bration 2015 workshop cards

 

Happy Saturday! Hope you all are doing well! I'm sure glad it's the weekend and so happy I was able to do a Sale-a-bration workshop today for my friend Kaye.  We created the fun cards above and got to use some SAB and Occasions catalog goodies. It was a great time!  One thing though that I realized after the fact is that the Butterflies Thinlits are currently not available for order. Boo.  Fingers crossed though that they will be available again very soon, now that the port strike is over. I will keep you posted, but I am being cautiously optimistic. Let's keep it at that til I know more. :)

Now, here's a close up look at these beautiful butterfly thinlits...

 

Aren't they so pretty? I posted this pic on my instagram (@stampdiehler for those of you that want to check it out).  Hope to get some definitive good news this coming week!

I can't believe we're at the end of March already. Time sure does fly when you're super busy! I have a lot of things I would love to catch you guys up on, so I'm hoping to put out a few recap posts of the latest-goings-on-in-my-neck-of-the-woods soon. It's all good, just so busy - like frenetic pace busy! I'm hoping I get a chance to catch my breath and embrace and enjoy Easter week with the family. 

Thanks to you all for coming by and paying me a visit! 

Here's a quick list of the goodies I used in my SAB cards:

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

{Tech Tip Tuesday}: #7 - Using wax paper with Hexagon Hive Thinlit

Hello and happy Tuesday, blog friends!  This week's tech tip is using wax paper with the Hexagon Hive framelit, but it's definitely a tip that will make die cutting intricate thinlits much easier!  It's amazing what a little wax paper can do.  It does make using detailed thinlits much more enjoyable where you don't have to work so hard to peel off the DSP or card stock from the metal frame.  If you're like me, then you probably didn't read the packaging that recommends you use wax paper with the thinlits {heehee, packaging smackaging!}.  But, not to worry - once you make the discovery, you will definitely keep wax paper at your disposal! I had fun finally using the Hexagon Hive thinlit and taking it for a spin!  How do you like the 3 cards I created above?  What's cool is, you get all the cut hexagons from the thinlit as a byproduct, too, so you can definitely create more projects!  Now, here's the super simple process of using the wax paper:

1.  To create this cute and simple 'Gee, thanks' card, you'll need Real Red card stock cut at 4 1/4" x 11" and folded in half, a piece of wax paper, one sheet of Fresh Prints DSP, and the Hexagon Hive Thinlit.
2. Assemble your sandwich for the Big Shot starting with the acrylic plate at the bottom, then Fresh Prints DSP, wax paper, Hexagon Hive Thinlit, and acrylic plate on top.  Now you're ready to take it through the Big Shot!
3.  Your finished Hexagon Hive die cut!  The hexagons pop out and you'll be able to easily remove the die cut from the thinlit die.  Gently peel away the wax paper and you'll have your fun Hexagon Hive piece of DSP!
4.  Assemble your card.  Tip - I use SNAIL adhesive and apply it onto the Hexagon Hive die cut on the silicon craft sheet.  Why?  This way, I'm able to to put adhesive along the edges easily without making a sticky mess on my work surface!  For the sentiment, I used the Just Sayin' Clear Mount Bundle, which comes with the Just Sayin' stamp set and Word Bubble Framelits!  Just stamp it using the Coastal  Cabana stamp set, adhere it with dimensionals and you're done!

Easy peasy, right?  Here are the 3 cards I made for my first batch of Hexagon Hive projects:

Here's a bigger view of the card we just created.  Simple, quick and fun!

This card is my favorite of the bunch! I created the flower using the Pansy and Blossom punches.  For the center of the flower, I used the Linen Thread and Regals Designer Buttons and embellished a little with the Natural Chevron ribbon.  

Here's a bit of a closer look at the flower. The Pansy and Blossom punch make such a fun bloom!

For this card, I used the Crumb Cake card stock as the base and stamped the flower from the Nature's Hello hostess stamp set as my sentiment.  The ribbon is the Natural Chevron ribbon on the reverse side and the pretty button is from the Very Vintage Buttons.

Hope you liked the projects today and hope this week's tip helps make your crafting with framelits and thinlits much more enjoyable!  Thanks for stopping by today!

ETA: So excited to play along in the Happy for Hexagons Challenge in the Moxie Fab World!

Sale-A-Bration 2014 is HERE!

Hi there blog friends!  Sale-A-Bration 2014 is HERE!  It's Stampin'Up!'s annual promotion where you can earn Free product with every $50 order.

To kick off this promotion, I'm excited to host my very first Virtual Workshop!  Now, you're probably wondering, what's a virtual workshop?  Well, it's where you all can participate and submit online orders by entering this special code in the promotions section at checkout: EMS7CAYP.  
This workshop will run until Friday, Jan 31st and any orders submitted for $50 or more will be entered into a raffle to win the Banner Blast punch from the Sale-a-bration catalog!  I'll announce the winner on Sat, Feb 1st!

Here's a peek at one of the adorable card kits you can earn for free with a $50 order - the Go for Gold card kit:

This super cute kit comes with all the supplies to create 8 cards - complete with envelopes and embellishments!  Here's a closer look:

If you happen to be local to the South Bay/Los Angeles in Southern CA, I am also having a LIVE workshop this Saturday, Feb 1st!  If you're interested, please email me here and I'll be sure to send you all the deets!

The Fox says...

Hi all! Have you guys watched that viral video on "What does the fox say?"  Well, today, he's saying "Thank you so much!" Before I left for Leadership, I was determined to make Thank You cards so I could start writing them to our family and friends for all the fun holiday gifts we got (yes, I know, I'm way behind!).  Not to mention, another motivating factor was the package of goodies I got from the Occasions catalog that I couldn't wait to use!  I created the card using the Life of the Forest stamp set, the Starburst Framelits, and the Arrows Textured Impressions embossing folder. Wanna see a view of the full card?

I actually ended up doing 2 versions - the first with the twine {a sneak peek from Sale-a-bration!} and centered "Thank You"...

And a version sans the twine, which I thought would be cute for Thank Yous from our little guy. 

Either way, I was thinking simple and clean and I'm really happy with how they came out! Plus, now I have a stack of thank you cards. :)

Hope you like it!  Thanks for stopping by today.  I'll be posting more soon from Houston :)

Bey for now!

Fluttery cards and gift box

Hello there!  Are you ready for another project from Craft Project Central?  This fun project is from the amazing Monika Davis:

Make this beautiful greeting card set with a matching box to hold them. It is the perfect present for anyone. It’s easy to make and can be mass produced without any difficulties. The box can be re-used and filled with note cards or other stationery. Great for a stamp camp, or as a class project.

This is a great go-to present to have at the ready.  You never know when you'll need a quick gift...and better yet - a hand crafted one!  If you'd like to get all the details for this project, please visit Craft Project Central and subscribe to August!

Thanks So Much!

Happy Monday, blog friends!  I am so excited that I got to play and create with some fun new stamps and products from the Stampin'Up! Spring Catalog!  Not only that, but I am also slowly getting acquainted with my new Mac and figuring out how to work things in MDS2!  So, for starters, how do you like the project above?  It's the gift box that holds the set of Thank You cards I created using the Oh, Hello Stamp set.  Love love love the tea lace paper doily! Here's a look at the inside of the box:

And, here's a closer look at the Thank You card:

I really love this stamp set.  I love the sentiments and that fun oval background stamp with chevrons in it.  And, how about that flower?  I love the vintage feel of it. So cool, don't you think?  Did you notice the subtle embossed trim on the edge of my card?  That sweet embossing edge is from the Spring Catalog, too!  It's called Needlepoint Border.

Now, what I also wanted to share with you is how I created the box!  I don't know about you, but during the holidays, I had to assemble quite a few gift boxes and I noted that I really liked how the Nordstrom gift box folded.  So, here is my rendition, with the instructions for a 4" x 5 1/2" finished box {with a 1" depth}.  Hope you like it:

Here's the Thank You card recipe for you:

Thanks so Much!
*Stamp Set: Oh, Hello
*Cardstock: Summer Starfruit, Whisper White {3"x 5" notecard and envies}
*Ink pads: Chocolate Chip, Primrose Petal, Summer Starfruit
*Accessories:  Tea Lace Paper Doily, Primrose Petal satin ribbon, Needlepoint Border embossing folder, Big Shot

Thanks so much for coming by today.  Happy MLK day and Inauguration Day {for those of you in the US}!

Below are some of the key supplies for this project, for your reference!

---

Oh, Hello Clear-Mount Stamp Set	130733
Price: $18.95
Bold designs. Striking patterns. The wow factor is so easy to achieve with this amazing seven-piece set. Coordinates with our Ovals Collection Framelits Dies. Set Quantity: 7

Needlepoint Border Textured Impressions Embossing Folders 129383 Price: $7.95 Emboss a hand-stitched look along card edges. 2 folders: ea. 2-1/4" x 6-3/8". Embosses a single sheet of paper using your Big Shot, Multipurpose Platform, and Standard Cutting Pads.

Tea Lace Paper Doilies 129399 Price: $2.95 Delicate and dainty. Stamp ‘em, color ‘em with ink, or use ‘em as accents. 32 doilies: ea. 4" diam. White.

simply flat..with {tExTuRe}

Happy Friday to you!  Hope you all had a great week.  Just wanted to pop in with a simple card I created.  After making this one, I decided that I should sit down and make a stash of these simple one layered cards to have on hand..especially thank yous!  The inspiration for this card is actually from a couple things - 1) the chevron arrow stamp from the Border Banter stamp set and 2) the leaf from the Wonderfall stamp set, both of which are in the Holiday Mini catalog.  I've been wanting to play with both of these and I happened to have a white 3 1/2" x 5" card in close proximity to my computer, so, as I was sitting on a conference call, I thought I'd try these stamps out.  I found it to be very effective multi-tasking!  I was really pleased with how it came out - for no layers at all, it seemed to be chock-full of texture.  Here's another view, so you can see what I mean about flat texture:

So, what do you think?  I thought it had a nice retro-modern look to it, especially with these colors.  I used the brand new In Color, Summer Starfruit, and paired it with a classic favorite - Pumpkin Pie.  For the Thank You sentiment from the Itty Bitty Banners set, I used Early Espresso Ink to make it stand out, in a subtle sort of way.  Here's the recipe for you:

 

{Wonderfall Chevron Thanks}

• Stamps: Wonderfall, Border Banter, Itty Bitty Banners
• Cardstock: Whisper White Notecards & Envelopes (3 1/2" x 5')
• Inks: Summer Starfruit, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso

Now, the fun part.  Last but not least, I was blurfing {aka blog surfing} a little bit ago and saw that my sketch actually fits Pals Paper Art's sketch challenge for the week, so without even intending, by serendipitous luck, I'm actually getting to play in a card challenge!  Woohoo!  It's been awhile for me. :) 

 

In any case, I hope you guys like the card, or, at least come away with an idea for trying to create texture with a one dimensional card.  Patterns really do a lot - be it stamps or paper - and they're fun to dabble with!  Give it a whirl and see what you come up with.  Thanks for popping by and have a great weekend!

 



Everyday Enchantment is for the {BIRDS}!

Hello there bloggie friends!  How's your week going?  Hope it's a good one.  You're probably wondering what I mean with my post title....well, let me tell you..or maybe my sneak peek pic above will give you a hint.  I was determined to craft today.  Besides the fact that it's been a while, I also felt the need to release some creative energy, too.  Do you guys ever have those weeks? ;)  So up to my craft studio/office I go.  

I wanted to try out a couple of the new dies I got from the Occasions Mini.  Plus, I wanted to play with the pretty Everyday Enchantment DSP from the Sale-a-bration set, too.  So, I came up with this brilliant idea to die cut a bunch of birds from the Elegant Bird Bigz die {4 of them is a bunch for me!} and create some cards all in one sitting.  I was soo excited how gorgeous the birds looked in that paper!  I loved them so much that I took pictures of ALL of them to share with you guys. Are you excited?  One last thing before I start the bird parade of pics...I was happy to see that this month's So Shelli Creative Challenge is to create projects using Sale-a-bration goodies.  Woot woot!  {BTW - You should definitely play along and share your projects if you've been in a Sale-a-bration state of mind!}  Anyway, back to the bird cards - my how they look enchanting in that DSP...

Here's my first card.  For this sentiment, I used the modern label dotted outline stamp from the Tea Shoppe stamp set and the greeting from the Apothecary Art stamp set.  I have to tell you that I have always been cautious about mixing too many patterns, but I really did like the effect of these multi-patterned combos that I used from the Everyday Enchantment DSP.  I used Calypso Coral twine and topped it off with a Designer Button.

For this card, I actually embossed the DSP background using the Square Lattice Embossing folder.  Such fun texture!  How about the fun pleated ribbon?  I LOVE this accessory.  I also used the Boho Blossoms punch for my little flowers and added some dimensions to them with the Basic Pearls and then the Jumbo pearls from the Mini.

This is my second most fave card of the batch.  I experimented making the flower, which is actually the smallest flower from the Flower Folds die.  At Leadership, we got to see one technique where you basically wear down the fibers in the cardstock so that they separate from each other.  The flower you see here is actually from one flower that I peeled apart after running it through the crimper every which way to get the fibers broken down.

And last but not least...my FAVE card of the bunch. 

First of all, I have to say that I was super excited that the bird's eye ended up perfectly centered in the flower print from the DSP!  That wasn't intentional, but I was happy that's how it happened to turn out! :) 

Secondly, I also really LOVE how the Pool Party seam binding ribbon looks with this the pretty bird and striped DSP, topped with a button and twine.  The seam binding is such a pretty and delicate texture, it was just the right touch I was looking for.  I also love the Happiest Birthday sentiment - this is from the Apothecary Art stamp set, too!  To vintage it up a bit, I used the Tea Stain stamping spot on the edges.

Hope you liked the cards! Thanks so much for popping by today :)

Simple Posy Punch Thanks

Hi all!  Happy Saturday!  I've still got a case of the challenge bug, so today I'm sharing a quick card I made for the Pals Paper Arts challenge - where you need to use 1 piece of DSP 1 punch and 1 sentiment.  Plus, the inspiration photo reminded me so much of my kitty when we got him that I was inspired to play along!  Here's the inspiration photo:

How cute is that little kitty cat?  It soo reminds me of my Ollie when he was super little!  Well, anyway, here's a look at my full card:

This card was super easy to put together and I think it packs a lot of punch, considering how simple it is!  I love the Posy Punch Hostess stamp set and if you're curious as to what DSP I used, it's actually a Hostess DSP as well called Cheerful Treat, and what a treat it definitely is!  I punched out the Fancy Flower punch from the DSP, then I stamped the Posy Punch image {the flowers from this set actually coordinate perfectly with the Fancy Flower punch!} on a piece of Whisper White cardstock and lined it up with the punched DSP.  I then used dimensionals to adhere my DSP to the stamped cardstock.  Viola!  All I did after that was add the cute little pom pom trim at the top and then the button at the bottom of my pennant.  I hand cut the little "V" at the bottom, which was easy peasy!  Lastly, I stamped the Thank You from the "Thank You Kindly Stamp Set and I was done!  I think I'll be making a few more thank yous in this design cuz I think it's a fun and easy one to mass produce!  Plus, love the DSP!!  Hope you like it!  Here's the recipe for you.

{Simple Posy Punch Thank Yous}

*Stamp Set: Posy Punch, Thank You Kindly

*Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Cheerful Treat DSP

*Inks: Melon Mambo

*Accessories: Melon Mambo Pom Pom Trim {retired}, Subtles Buttons, White Twine, Fancy Flower Punch

Hope you guys have a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by today ;)

{It's a Wrap!} for quick favors

Hi all!  How are you?  Hope you guys are doing well.  Last week was a busy one in the household - my brother and family were in town, so needless to say...I didn't get a chance to post!  Anyway, I did have some quiet time today and played with another fun new clear mount stamp set called It's a Wrap Occasions {#123592, $19.95} and it really makes making favors quick and easy!  Aren't those favors so cute?  The wraps fit perfect on Avery Labels {#5160} which measure 1" x 2 5/8".  They are just the right size to wrap the Hershey Nugget chocolates - now who woudn't want those yummy chocolates as favors, right??  I used the new In Colors again, too.  I can't seem to get enough of those colors!  I really love the Pool Party and Calypso Coral together, but all the colors look really good together, too, as you can see with the multi-color candies :)  Want a closer look at the favors?  Here you go:

For this "Thanks" favor, I used the Flower Folds Bigz XL die to create my flower.  I did 2 flowers and curled the petals on the bottom layer down and the top layer up using a bone folder.  For the center, I used the scallop punch to punch out the Thanks sentiment, which is from the Hostess set called Tagtastic.  Are you wondering how I got the scallop circle punch to look like that?  I notched out a small triangle in each scallop using my paper snips.  It gives it a more petal-y look, don't you think? The leaves are loops of the Lucky Limeade ruffled grosgrain ribbon - so pretty!  I used glue dots to adhere them onto the back of the flower and used dimensionals to pop them up. Oh - and of course, before I forget, the topper itself is made using a Top Note Bigz die folded in half!  I LOVE the Top Note.  It's a favorite die of mine that I keep going back to now and again!

Planning an upcoming shower?  This set has you covered too!  For this Congrats favor, I used the Decorative Label Punch and stamped the "Happy Shower" labels in Calypso Coral and Wisteria Wonder. I just finished it off with a bow using the Wisteria Wonder ribbon.

And lastly - I love these "Happy Cake Day" labels!  The design is so fun in the In Colors!  I also love the Happy Birthday sentiment stamp from Tagtastic.  It is so cute with the polar bear. The sentiment is stamped in Calypso Coral and I also accented the topper with the Calypso Coral ribbon.  It pops so nicely against the Pool Party textured paper!

Here's a look at the full stamp set for It's a Wrap Occasions:

Such a versatile set of sentiments to wrap those yummy nuggets in!  Well, that's it for tonight, folks!  Hope you liked these!  Ciao for now :)

Edited to add the type of bag I used: they are the small flat SU! cello bags (3"x5") and you could probably fit up to 6 nuggets in them if you wanted to!

Fox and Friends Thank You

Hey blog friends!  Happy July and Happy belated Independence Day! I know it's been a long time since I've last posted, but Denver has kept me and the hubs pretty busy behind the scenes!  We are really enjoying him and can't help but revel in all the new developments that we see every day in our darling little boy!  It's incredible to me that he'll already be a month old tomorrow!!  I truly can't believe how fast time flies!  I know many of you have told me, and I am in fact witnessing it to be all too true.

Believe it or not though, I have a card share today!  It's actually the thank you card I made (and continue to make..heehee) for Denver's Thank Yous.  I love the Fox and Friends set - especially with the tie in to our safari trip, too...I just love the adorable animals and I thought they would be great for these cards. Here's a closer look:

I've also been having fun dabbling with MDS - here's a few simple things I've created:

a little page commemorating my birthday this year with a family photo!

I also made another version of Denver's announcement from the hospital photos we got:

and here's the back side:

Hope you enjoyed these!  Bye for now :)

animal inspired {THANK YOU}

Hi blog friends!  Good morning and happy Saturday to you.  It feels good to be able to catch my breath this morning!  I even had time to assemble my first animal inspired card from our trip to Tanzania, Africa.  It really was such an amazing experience.  Looking through our pictures brings a smile to my face each time.  The animals, the people, the scenery were all so incredible!  I'm sure you will continue to hear that from me for the next few weeks...so much to share!  Well, let's get started, shall we?  My card was inspired by all the beautiful elephants we saw on the trip.  For this card, I used the cute elephant stamp from the Animal Stories stamp set.  And, how cool is this - it's on sale this month for National Scrapbooking month!  You can check out the details on my Demonstrator Website.  {BTW - select stamp sets are 30% off til the end of the month!}  Wanna see my full card?  Here it is:

I had fun creating the background - can you guess what I used?  It's the Tasteful Trim die!  I used the large wavy ric rac and what I did was ran the piece twice through, and aligned the die slightly off set by 1/4" to make a narrower width of the ric rac pattern.  Then I alternated the resulting pieces - narrower and wider - and placed it on a diagonal to create the background.   Then I just trimmed the excess off and viola!  A fun new animal-ish pattern!  I am also into this Basic Gray and Daffodil Delight color scheme.  Just love this combo. Here's the recipe for you:

{Elephant Thanks}

*Stamp Sets: Animal Stories, Curly Cute

*Cardstock:  Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White

*Inks: Basic Gray Classic Ink, Basic Gray and Daffodil Delight Markers

*Accessories: Daffodil Delight Satin Ribbon and Pom Pom ribbon, Neutrals Buttons, Linen Thread, Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, Scallop Squares Duo Bigz Die

Hope you like the card!  Now, I'll share one of the many inspirational photos we have {we literally took hundreds of photos of these gorgeous animals -no joke!}.  I'm hoping to put together a slideshow of the trip that I'll be posting on the blog, so you'll definitely see more....hopefully soon.  For now, here's a cute baby and momma pic we snapped from the Tarangire National Park for you.  Isn't it so sweet?

Have a fantastic day!  Bye for now!

blissfully quick thank yous...

Hi there blog friends. Do these cards look familiar to you?  Well, I had some extras of the background paper from the butterfly cork card I created yesterday that I decided to make some Thank You cards!  I was so pleased with how these 3 came out, that I stamped one more sheet of the flourish to do a one sheet wonder!  The one sheet gave me enough pennants to create a cute stack of 14 quick and easy Thank You cards.

As you can see, it's so easy to create a pattern with the clear mount stamps.  I alternated Pumpkin Pie and Rose Red Ink to create this pattern.

Next, I cut the paper down to 1 1/4" x 4 1/2" strip.  Then, to create my ribbon tails, I used the 1 1/4" square punch to make them perfectly aligned {and streamline my process, too!}.  Then I stamped the punch border images using the sneak peek Four Frames stamps set {available April 1st!} and stamped the sentiment using the Fabulous Phrases stamp set.  Can I just tell you how much I am loving the Four Frames set?!  Too cute!  Here's a look at the 3 frames I used {I didn't use the bird one because it didn't center my "thanks" the way I wanted it to...but you can still see what it looks like in the first picture of my post}

Makes me want to do these Thank You cards in a bunch of different color combos!  So EASY!  So...after I put these all together, here are the cards I made.  Note that I didn't emboss the background paper in this mass produced version, but I still think this simplified version makes adorable quick Thank Yous!  Here's a look at the 3 versions I made:

Aren't these so cute and easy?!  Now, I'm starting to think about the next color combo I should do these cards in!  This is such a simple and clean design - it's definitely a great Thank You card to have on hand.  The stamp set I used is the Bliss Sale-a-bration set and the upcoming Four Frames stamp set that will be available in the Spring is Blossoming promotion starting on April 1st.  I'm telling you...if you don't have that Bliss stamp set, it's time for you to pick out your $50 of Stampin'Up merchandise so you can get the Bliss set for FREE!  Just sayin' ;)

Here's a look at the Bliss set:

It's too adorable to pass up!  Shop now at my SU! store so you can get it today.

I'll catch up with you guys in a bit!  Have to get to work.  Have a fab day!