Category Archives: Stampin' Up!

More soft thoughts…

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I liked the colors and overall look of yesterday’s card so well that I revisited the same general concept.  I incorporated a sketch challenge from SCS and added Mellow Moss to the Pretty in Pink/Soft Suede combination.  The end result is a card with a similar feeling but a unique look of its own.

I really enjoy the challenge of creating different looks from the same basic supplies.  I like stretching my perspective – it keeps things exciting.

Floral Thoughts_crop

  • Thought and Prayers stamp set, En Francais and Linen (retired) background stamps
  • Pretty in Pink and Sahara Sand Classic Ink
  • Soft Suede, Mellow Moss  and Pretty in Pink Stampin’ Write Markers
  • Soft Suede,  Mellow Moss and Naturals White cardstock and some very old Designer Series Paper
  • Kraft taffeta ribbon (it’s not nearly as yellow-hued in real life)
  • Vintage brads
  • Piercing tool & mat pack (to position brads), Stampin’ Sponges

Thinking of you

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Sometimes you need a card with a soft touch.  I’m sending this to a friend whose mother-in-law passed away this week.  It’s always hard to say goodbye, and when you’re saying goodbye to someone who has had a lot of ups and downs over the past few years, there are a lot of different emotions involved.   We had a chance to talk abut those conflicting feelings this week, but I know she’s still processing and I want her to know I’m thinking of her.

This card turned out the way I saw it in my mind.   I was inspired by THIS CARD by Lyssa at Stampin’ Addicts and used the colors from last week’s Color Challenge at SCS.  When looking at a card makes me feel good I think I’ve gotten it right.

Suede_Tree_thoughts_crop

  • Thought and Prayers stamp set
  • Soft Suede, Pretty in Pink and Pink Pirouette Classic Ink
  • Soft Suede and Pretty in Pink Stampin’ Write Markers
  • Soft Suede,  Pretty in Pink and Naturals White cardstock
  • Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon
  • Oval scallop and hand-held rectangle punch
  • Piercing tool, mat pack, Stampin’ Sponges, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Happy Hallow-Roo!

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I have had this cut-out Roo sitting on my desk just waiting to be loved for a good 6 weeks.  About two weeks ago I spotted THIS CARD and thought I might have found a use for my Roo.  I’ve never quite made peace with that bear (What?  You didn’t go look at the card?  Go see…) because, well, there’s something about his unibrow that bothers me.  But I love the Roo so the substitution seemed natural.

Halloween_Roo_crop

Happy Hallo-Roo

  • Build-a-Roo, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Pocket Silhouettes, and Holiday Best (hostess) Stamp Sets
  • Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie and Kiwi Kiss (ret) Classic Ink
  • Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive Stampin’ Write markers
  • Naturals White, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede and Kiwi Kiss (ret) card stock
  • Small oval and Slot punches
  • Kiwi Kiss stripe ribbon (ret)
  • Big Shot and SU Backgrounds 1 Texturz plate
  • Stampin’ Sponges, Dimensionals, Aquapainter

First, I apologize (I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry already!) for using Kiwi Kiss.  I couldn’t resist.  It was there on my desk, whimpering about being neglected, and whispering to me that it would be SO perfect.  You could use Old Olive and I’m sure it would be wonderful.  The Kiwi Kiss made me do it.

Second, I have to confess that there was surgery involved.  In fact, I had to cut the Roo in Two.  The pumpkin was too big and I would have had to hide those exuberant arms or those fabulous roo feet.

Third, the pumpkin in the patch is marked from the Trick or Treat stamp in the Holiday Best hostess stamp set.

There.  I think that’s enough commentary.

Happy HalloRoo to you!

Shimmery Dasher

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Are you ready for another Christmas card?  I know it’s early…but I like to get thinking about these things.  I like to simmer a bunch of ideas on the back burner and let the best one come to the surface.

This card uses the awesome Champagne Mist shimmer paint again.  I can’t get enough of this product – there are so many ways to use it.  I inked the Dasher stamp in Old Olive and then used a dauber to add a very light coat of shimmer on the antlers.  I stamped it on the ivory panel, then inked it again but didn’t add the shimmer and stamped it on a second piece of cardstock.  Finally, I used a dauber to add a very light layer of shimmer over the entire image.  This leaves messy edges, so I cut out the Dasher and layered it over the first image.  Finally, I used the Aquapainter with a little more shimmer to give Dasher a shimmery pool to stand in.

Olive Shimmer Dasher

  • Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Basic Black and Very Vanilla Cardstock
  • Old Olive and Encore Gold ink, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint
  • Dasher and All Holidays stamp sets
  • Old Olive 1 1/4″ grosgrain stripe ribbon
  • Aquapainter, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Cutting paper for the Big Shot

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I had a MAJOR a-ha! moment last night.  I was cutting out a long decorative sizzlet strip for a swap and I needed positive and negative images.  A bunch of my strips kept cutting in half – the image at the very end was cut off just a smidge and the negative image was split.

Big Shot with Decorative Sizzlet

I finally went in and measured a piece of 12 x 12 cardstock.  Whoa!  One side was just short of 12 x 12 and one side was just long of 12 x 12.  I am talking about a hair – literally – but it was enough to make all the difference in my sizzlet strip.

I didn’t do a scientific analysis here.  It was late and I just wanted to finish my cranking so I cut the strips I needed from the hair-long side instead of the hair-short side and finished.  But next time I’m using those long strips you better believe I’ll pay attention.

Daffodils to bring a smile

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Buzzin by Daffodils Ikebana style
Buzzin by Daffodils Ikebana style

We took Sara to the airport last night…she’s headed back to Boston.  I know she’s ready and I know she’ll be happy but it was still a sad good-bye.  Even though we’ll see her in October.  Even though she’s been home all summer.  Especially because she’s been home all summer!  I’m gonna miss that girl…

To cheer myself up, I went looking for flowers – and not just any flowers – I needed Daffodils.  So what if they’re out of season!  Daffodils are the cheeriest flowers I could think of and that’s what the doctor ordered.  I borrowed a concept from InkingAddict and used the ornament from Delightful Decorations to make a vase.  My stems didn’t line up so instead of a nice narrow necked vase I used the small oval punch to make mine more of a bowl.  Think Ikebana.  OK, Ikebana without the style.  I call it creative license.

  • Just Buzzin’ By stamp set
  • Delightful Decorations tamp set
  • Ornament Punch
  • Small Oval Punch
  • Whisper White, Bermuda Breeze, and Barely Banana cardstock
  • Thoroughly Modern Designer Series Paper
  • Soft Suede polka dotted ribbon
  • Soft Suede, Barely Banana and Bermuda Breeze Classic ink
  • Aquapainter and Stampin’ Dimensionals (gotta love ’em!)

Looking for inspiration?

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The Stampin' Up! Build a Bear

The Stampin' Up! Build a Bear

I’m always looking for new sources of inspiration.

Stampin’ Addicts is a relatively new forum with a focus on Stampin’ Up! products…you can visit my gallery under the screen name Hianna.

To celebrate the release of the Stampin’ Up! Build-A-Bear Workshop collection, Stampin Addicts dot com is giving away an exclusive Build-A-Bear teddy bear that was only available at the 2009 Stampin’ Up! convention. To enter all you have to do is write about it and join the Stampin Addicts forum.

Let’s get it started…

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Let’s begin at the beginning.  I’ve thought about a blog for months, but many things – not the least being fear – have kept me from publishing.  About 2 weeks ago I logged onto wordpress and signed up…and within 24 hours, I’d gotten a call asking if our family would be interested in hosting an exchange student for the school year.  Oh, and by the way, could we let them know today?  The young lady is waiting…

Our answer was yes, and what followed was an insane amount of activity based on one fact:  our new daughter is allergic to cats.  If you know me, you know that we’ve got a cat, and he has the run of the house.  Further, he sheds a ridiculous amount of hair.  After a week of vacuuming, carpet shampooing, laundering, and vigorous cat brushing, we felt as though we’d done our best.

The Feline Hair Machine

The Feline Hair Machine

To all of our relief, Kseniya and the cat are co-existing well.

But this isn’t the point of this post…it’s an excuse for its belated debut.

One of my primary purposes is to share my paper crafts.   My first love is card-making, but I do some 3-D and some scrapping.  The card I want to share today is a simple one, and it’s inspired by a sample in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini catalog.

Bird in a Berry Christmas Wreath

Bird in a Berry Christmas Wreath

  • Real Red, Always Artichoke, Brushed Gold and Very Vanilla cardstock
  • Berry Christmas and Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp sets
  • Stampin’ Up! Perfect Details Texturz plate, Stampin’ Up! Merry Details, and the Big Shot
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals
  • Rhinestone from clear Rhinestone Brads
  • Black Stampin’ Write Journaler
  • White Uni-Ball Signo Gel Pen
  • Stamp-a-ma-jig

I don’t promise to blog every day although I do have a goal of regular posting.  I also don’t promise to stick to one topic or another.  It may take me a while to find my voice here.  What I do promise is variety, whimsicality, and the occasional moment of lunacy.  Pretty much the way I live my life.