PETITE PETALS AND PRETTY FRESH PRINTS

During the time that demos were able to pre-order SAB and Occasions catalog products, I purchased the Fresh Prints paper stack and completely forgot that I had it!  The papers are so gorgeous--just as the name implies, the color palette is so fresh!  My sister came to visit last evening and, while she was busy sewing her quilt blocks, I was playing with paper.  Deciding how to stack the flags and where to place them, it occurred to me that a little bit of stitching would look nice on my card and Renee was so sweet to do that for me.  I asked her to leave some threads on each side of the flags and, on the left side, they just hang freely over the edge of the card; on the right side, I threaded the tails through the holes of that tiny heart-shaped clear button (the one you can hardly see--it's on the right side of the floral flag) and then tied the tails in a bow.  Other Stampin' Up! products used to complete this card include Expressions Thinlits dies, Petite Petals and Flower Shop stamp sets, rhinestone jewel, Real Red ink, Adorning Accents Edgelits and coordinating embossing folder, Small Heart punch, Pansy punch, and Petite Petals punch.  Card stock colors are Whisper White, Real Red, and Coastal Cabana.

"FREESTYLE FRIDAYS"

Today I'm flying solo with a Freestyle Fridays post.  Julie Beaulieu and I haven't posted for the past couple of weeks--first because of the Christmas holiday and then because she hasn't been well.  The card that I'm sharing is one that I made about a month ago, and it features Stampin' Up!'s brand new Blessed Easter stamp set, and the sentiment is from the So Sorry stamp set.  Bet you couldn't have guessed that, huh?  Blessed Easter could be easily described as a must-have and simply gorgeously beautiful set.  What's not to love about tulips????  These three beauties remind me of one of the first favorite stamp sets that I ever owned . . . Terrific Tulips.  O.M.G.  That was--and still is--a favorite of mine.  You might notice that I neglected to color that one side of the leaf on the right.  My mother would be saying, "Now why did you feel the need to draw attention to that?"  Well, I have plenty of opportunities to make a fool of myself without knowing it, and I suppose I feel that I can somehow redeem my intelligence by making it known that I (now) realize my error.  When the little bunch of tulips is first stamped, it's kind of hard to tell where to start and stop coloring the leaves.  And then, all of a sudden, you look at the photo of the card that [gasp] is incomplete but already mailed, and you want to turn into a vapor, seep into the recipient's home with a marker, and finish the coloring.  Oh well . . . at least I prettied up the tulips with Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  

 

This is a photo of the images in the set, which you can see/order HERE.

Have a happy Friday, a fabulous weekend, and say a little prayer that Julie will feel like stamping really soon.

NEW BLOG BANNER

It has been a while since I last updated the look of my blog, so I changed the colors and used Stampin' Up!'s My Digital Studio to design the new banner.  The following digital products were used in the design:

Embellishments

• One Big Sale-a-Bration 2014 Digital Ensemble (featuring "Sweet Sorbet" digital designer paper)
• Mis-Stitched 
• Paper Doilies
• Burlap Ribbon
• My Digital Class Hello Perfection Digital Kit (this is an AWESOME kit, which includes a video tutorial showcasing two follow-along projects and some innovative techniques; the kit includes 12 digital designer paper patterns, 28-piece stamp brush set, and 10 embellishments including the white frame that is featured on my banner)
• Accessory Cord Pack (Summer Starfruit Baker's twine bow)
• Staple & Stitching
• Basic Pearls and Rhinestones
• Soft Blooms

Digital Stamps

• Summer Happiness Designer Kit (butterfly image)

Punches

• Flag
• Curly Label

WASHI-ALTERED DIARY & PENCIL CASE

This washi-altered diary and pencil case is perfect for the creative person in your life!  The set features an altered diary, coordinating pencil case and pencils, and a matching gift tag.  A great way to keep track of your creative ideas, this set would also make a wonderful gift for an art-minded friend.

The tutorial for this project, which was designed by Michelle Wecksler, can be found at Craft Project Central.

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY" & WINNER OF THE FREE CPC SUBSCRIPTION

Mini coffee cups.  They're all over stampin' land, and you might even be tired of seeing them.  But I'll bet you've been wanting to get your hands on some of these adorable 4 oz. cups because there's something irresistible about them.  They're so easy to decorate, and don't they make a cute little gift? 

I designed this gift cup for my class this month but, since I won't be having that class, I thought this would make a perfect project to share for MISM.  I used the Silhouette Cameo to cut the sleeve--thanks to my friend, Nancy Dawson, for sharing her cut file.  Stampin' Up! products used on this project include:  

Stamp Sets:  Label Love, A Fitting Occasion

Card Stock:  Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, So Saffron, Whisper White

Ink:  Coastal Cabana, Baked Brown Sugar

Punches:  3/4" Circle, 1" Circle, 1-1/4" Scallop Circle, Artisan Label, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack

Sizzix:  Circles Collection Framelits

Accessories:  Stampin' Dimensionals, Rhinestone jewels, Retro Fresh washi tape, Retro Fresh DSP

I didn't have a straw or stirrer for this project, so I made my own little decoration for the hole in the lid.  I cut a strip of Baked Brown Sugar card stock, wrapped it with Retro Fresh washi tape, adhered a punched Coastal Cabana heart at the top, and finished it with a rhinestone jewel.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I promised in THIS post that I would announce the winner of a FREE one-month subscription to Craft Project Central.  The winner is Penny Silva who left this comment:  "Regina, I love your work I have followed you for quite some time. Keep the ideas coming".  Penny, send me an email with "Free CPC Subscription" as the subject, and we'll get your subscription started.

CHAPSTICK & TISSUE HOLDER

Make this small “Feel Better’ survival kit that holds a tube of chap stick and a pack of tissue paper. This is the perfect little package for those sick days when you need those items within easy reach, and that box will look great on your desk.  

This cheery ensemble was designed by Monika Davis, and didn't she do a great job?  I think it was very smart to include the chapstick, and this is a perfect time of year to make a few "Feel Better" kits!  Monika's tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.

VALENTINE MINI CARDS & TREATS

This set of mini Valentine cards and treats are perfect for the children in your life or the young at heart!  It includes a cute tote bag to carry them for distributing or for children to use at school for collecting their Valentines.  It makes a great gift bag as well.

This clever project was designed by Yapha Mason, and her tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.  That gift bag is amazing and very useful for any occasion, and all of the little loves in your life will appreciate those adorable treats!

NEW PRODUCTS FEATURED ON SKETCH CHALLENGE #31

Each month, a new sketch challenge is posted at Craft Project Central, and I finally had a chance to create a card for Creating Pretty Cards - Sketch Challenge #31.  Did you know that if you participate in the challenge and if there are at least ten participants, you have a chance to win a FREE subscription to the site?  I hope that you will feel inspired to follow Buffy Cooper's awesome sketch, shown below:

Once you create a card, just post it on your blog and upload the link to it HERE.  This is the card that I made for the challenge:

Stampin' Up! products featured on my card include:

Stamp Set:  Hardwood (l♥ve this background stamp)

Ink:  Baked Brown Sugar

Card Stock:  Crumb Cake, Crisp Cantaloupe, Coastal Cabana, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White

Punches:  Pansy, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack

Sizzix:  On Film Framelits, Little Leaves Sizzlits, Label Card Thinlits

Accessories:  Tea Lace Paper Doily, Retro Fresh washi tape, rhinestone jewels

SWEATER GIFT CARD ENSEMBLE & A FREE CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL SUBSCRIPTION

My Craft Project Central project is featured today, and I'm excited to tell you about it!  Gift cards are the easiest gift to purchase, one of the most exciting to receive, and this ensemble is a fashionable way to present them.  From the sweater-shaped greeting card to the mini "shirt" boxes filled with gift card holders that resemble folded sweaters, you'll be anxious for the next occasion to give a special someone a gift card . . . or three.  My tutorial includes a template for the sweater-shaped greeting card, and the three gift card holders use the same color combination but are three different "sweater" designs.

I have a free one-month subscription to Craft Project Central to give away, and it's really easy to be entered in the drawing.  All you have to do is go to Craft Project Central and leave a comment on the January 7th post that features my project (the same photo as the one in this blog post).  I will use random.org to choose the winner and will announce the winning name with my Make-It-Snappy-Monday blog post on January 13th.

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

For today's MISM project, I turned to Stampin' Up!'s digital design software, My Digital Studio.  After printing the design onto Whisper White card stock, I added the pearl jewels, Baker's twine bow, and distressed the edges of the card stock.  The finished layer was added to a Wisteria Wonder mat, which was adhered to a Very Vanilla card.  Stampin' Up! digital products used include:

Embellishments

Paper Doilies

File it Fun Designer Kit (polka dot label "stapled" to the right side of the card)

Staple & Stitching

Soft Blooms

Stamps

Bunch of Backgrounds (Weathered)

*Petal Parade (flowers, leaves)

*Banner Blast ("hi" flag)

*These two stamp sets are from the One Big Sale-a-Bration 2014 digital ensemble

Colors

Daffodil Delight

Poppy Parade

Wisteria Wonder

Old Olive

Crumb Cake

Have a wonderful Monday!  Come back tomorrow to see the project that I designed for Craft Project Central this month!