Have you tried using Rub-Ons when creating your cards?  They are so quick and easy!  I ordered a package of Stampin' Up!'s Bright Delight Rub-Ons to see how I could enhance my cards without a stamp.  I am happy with how this card turned out.  The inside was decorated as well with Rub-Ons.
The button at the bottom is actually a Stampin' Up! cordoroy button with some Natural Hemp tied in the center!  

Supplies:

Stamps:  None

Ink:  None

Cardstock:  Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Very Vanilla, Bella Rose DSP

Accessories:  Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Chocolate Chip cordoroy button, Natural hemp, Bright Delights Rub-Ons

Order your Rub-Ons today and see what you can come up with.  They work great on paper and most nonpourous surfaces.  All of the Stampin' Up! Rub-Ons images complement SU stamp sets so your creations will be easy to coordinate!

Diva Sketch Challenge

We have another sketch challenge for this week's Diva Coffee Break Designs challenge.  It is a pretty basic sketch so it will be real easy for you all to play along!    All you need to do is upload your creation using this sketch to the Diva Coffee Break Designs blog using Mr. Linky.  It is super easy!  But, if you need help, don't hesitate to contact me and I will be happy to help you!  Here is my take on the challenge.  I chose to flip it around a bit.
Supplies:

Stamps:  Upsy Daisy

Ink:  Not Quite Navy

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Urban Garden DSP

Accessories:  Baja Breeze 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Horizontal Slot punch, Circle Cutter

What do you think?  It is really easy to participate in the Diva challenges, and lots of fun too.  Give it a try!

Good Morning!  Yesterday was a friend's birthday and this is the card I gave to her.  I also made this card for a workshop last week.  It was pretty quick and easy.  The stamp set used is Great Friend from the Occasions Mini Catalog.  I added another cut out butterfly to the lower left on the inside of the card as well.

Supplies:

Stamps:  Great Friend

Ink:  Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Summer Sun

Cardstock:  Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, Summer Sun, Good Morning Sunshine DSP

Accessories:  Pacific Point grosgrain ribbon, circle rhinestone brads, dimensionals

What do you think?

Would you like to join my team?  Through the end of May, Stampin' Up! is offering a Scrapbooking Starter Kit special of only $75.00!  This is an awesome deal.  

The business supplies are the same in each kit, only the retail products are different. And you do NOT have to make scrapbook pages with the Simply Scrappin'® Kit in the Scrapbooking Starter Kit, so don't let that bother you! There are tons of ideas I can share with you for cards or projects you can make with whatever Simply Scrappin'® Kit you choose!

Once you become a SU! Demonstrator, all your purchases are at least 20% off, and you also qualify to get 30% OFF on your first Workshop Order ($150 or more) that you place within 45 days of signing up.

- If you get the Scrapbooking Starter Kit for $75, and you want to be a hobbyist who gets their product at a discount, you are set up right away to order at a minimum 20% Demonstrator Discount.
- If you want to start a business to generate revenue, once you sign up with the $75 Scrapbooking Starter Kit, you can then plan to order any other startup products you want on your first Workshop Order, and get them at a 30% discount!
- Whether you only order products for yourself, or you submit orders from customers, all your sales after the $75 Scrapbooking Starter Kit will count towards your minimum sales quota to keep you active as a Demonstrator!

There are so many perks to becoming a demonstrator ~ whether you are a hobbyist or a business builder.  Most importantly, it is so much fun!  You can sign up online right through my website.  Click on "Join Now" in the upper right corner and my recruiter password is "stampinsteph" (without the quotes).  You also have the option of printing the forms and mailing in your application to Stampin' Up!.  Please be sure they receive your paperwork before May 30th in order to take advantage of this special.  Feel free to contact me with any questions by phone at (731) 513-0611) or email at stampinsteph72858@gmail.com.  

Friends 24/7

I am having fun playing with all of the stamps / goodies that I received from Sherrill Graff, creator of Late Night Stampers Group.  Sherrill "hired" me to make some samples for her display tables and charity work and in return for my samples, I received $150 worth of stamps and accessories of my choosing.  You just can't beat FREE stamps!  I am getting ready to send my samples to Sherrill, but of course want to post them first!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Friends 24/7

Ink:  Chocolate Chip marker, Close to Cocoa marker, Old Olive marker

Cardstock:  Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Parisian Breeze textured DSP, Whisper White

Accessories:  Kraft taffeta ribbon, Eyelet border punch, dimensionals

Don't Forget!!

Stampin' Up! has some awesome May specials going on!

• Buy three packs of Designer Series paper - including Specialty Designer Series paper - or 12"x12" textured card stock and get one FREE!  Mix and match your packs - your choice!
• Buy the new Jumble Alphabet stamp set - a sneak peek from the upcoming 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog - at 20% off!  (set of 52, Reg. $43.95, on sale for $35.16)
• Become a demonstrator for only $75 with the limited-time scrapbooking Starter Kit!  Contact me and I will give you ALL the juicy details!  There has NEVER been a better time to join my team!

These offers end soon!  Don't delay!  Contact me today to learn more or place your order!  Have a great day!

How about a color challenge?

The Divas have a color challenge this week.  I love these colors together.  I think they are so striking.  I played with a set that is new to me, Soft Summer from the Occasions Mini Catalog.  This is a beautiful set!  

Supplies:

Stamps:  Soft Summer

Ink:  Regal Rose, Always Artichoke, Certainly Celery, Ruby Red markers, Jet Black Stazon

Cardstock:  Certainly Celery, Always Artichoke, Ridinghood Red, Whisper White, Bella Rose DSP

Accessories:  Certainly Celery ribbon

Why don't you play along and upload your creation using this color challenge to the Diva Coffee Break Designs blog?  Come on, you know you want to!  Hop on over to the blog to see the awesome creations of some of the other design team members.  Thanks for stopping by!

Fifth Avenue Florals Class

Add a touch of elegance and class to your card gift with this gorgeous Fifth Avenue Floral card set! The card set includes four trendy card designs packaged in a unique window box.

Date:  Thursday, May 28, 2009

Time:  6:30 PM

Cost:  $20.00

To reserve your seat and/or directions, please call or email me:  stampinsteph72858@gmail.com.

A week or so ago, I participated in a "mini" swap.  I say "mini" because it wasn't very big ~ which worked out very well for me!  Sometimes I get involved in a swap and I end up getting SOOOOO overwhelmed  because you know life just hits all at once and so many different things end up needing my attention.......you know how it goes.....

Anyway, this card is very similar to one of the projects for our Stamper's Club last week.  I just changed out some of the designer paper as I didn't have enough of the original paper I was using.  The swap itself focused on designer paper and so I have three different designs of paper on this card - all coming from the Bella Rose DSP pack.  The base of my card is Pink Pirouette.  

Supplies:

Stamps:  not a one!

Ink:  Ridinghood Red (sponged the edges of the butterflies)

Cardstock:  Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, Bella Rose DSP

Accessories:  Pink Pirouette taffeta ribbon, Pretties Kit, Beautiful Butterflies die, Big Shot

Thanks for stopping by!  If you would like to purchase any of the supplies used to make this card or any other Stampin' Up! product, you can order 24/7!

Welcome to

  Tour #6

  Stop #21

Welcome to the May Blog Tour.

  Nursery Necessities is the stamp set that I chose to showcase for my stop on the tour.  This is a new set to me and, best of all, it was FREE!  I received it for my Sale-A-Bration rewards.  So, I had lots of fun playing with it.  My first card utilizes Parisian Breeze textured DSP.  This designer

 paper is so pretty.  The picture really doesn't do it justice!  

Supplies:

Stamps:  Nursery Necessities

Ink:  Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip

Cardstock:  Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Parisian Breeze DSP, Whisper White

Accessories:  Hodgepodge Hardware, Large Star pun

ch, 1-3/8" and 1-1/4" square punches

Card Number two uses some textured DSP again, this time it is Sweet Slumber.  Stampin' Up! Designer Series Papers have some absolutely gorgeous designs!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Nursery Necessities

Ink:  Baja Breeze, Real Red

Cardstock:  Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Whisper White, Sweet Slumber DSP

Accessories:  Baja Breeze grosgrain ribbon, So Saffron brads, large and small star punches

My third card showcasing this adorable 12-piece set was inspired by Jan Tinklenberg.  

I really love how this card came out and I think the colors are all just stunning when put together!  Again, I used the Sweet Slumber DSP.  The water under the boat was made by not so uniformly using the 3/4" circle punch (half of it).  I just put two layers of it and sponged the edges to give more depth.

Supplies:

Stamps:  Nursery Necessities

Ink:  Ridinghood Red, Baja Breeze, So Saffron

Cardstock:  So Saffron, Ridinghood Red, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Sweet Slumber DSP

Accessories:  Ridinghood Red taffeta ribbo

n, Word Window punch, 3/4" circle punch, Button Latte, Button Bouquet, natural hemp

Well, since all three of my cards seemed to be more on the masculine side, I felt like I needed something a little feminine to balance things out.

  So, I 

made a double spread scrapbook layout using textured Pink Pirouette 12x12 paper.  I know this is a horrible picture, but I wanted one of the two pages together as well as individually.  

The designer paper used in this set is, again, from Sweet Slumber DSP and most of my images were cut out and then adhered to give some dimension. 

 There is room for plenty of pictures as well as journaling.  The "beautiful" stamp comes from Beautiful Baby.

Supplies:

Stamps:  Nursery Necessities, Beautiful Baby

Ink:  Craft White, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette

Cardstock:  Sweet Slumber DSP, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Kraft

Accessories:  Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, large star punch, Button Latte, natural hemp, scallop circle punch, word Window punch, scallop envelope die, Big Shot

This is the first blog tour I have participated in.  It really was a lot of fun.  My hat is off to all of the organized women behind this tour!  I hope you enjoyed my creations.  Thanks for stopping by!  Don't forget to bookmark me because the links will disappear at midnight on May 16th.  And, please leave a comment to let me know how you liked my blog!

Are Your Bags Packed?

Don't Forget......

The May Blog Tour begins tomorrow, May 15th, at 8:00 AM and runs through May 16th at midnight.  You won't want to miss this!  Lots of inspiration to be found.  So, pack your bags.  We leave in the morning!

For You, Great Friend

Here is another card made using the Great Friend stamp set.  I just love these butterflies!  This is a "springy" color scheme too.  The Bashful Blue and Real Red go so well together.  I needed a darker base so I chose Basic Gray.  I also added a layer of Whisper White in the middle to add a little depth. 

Supplies:

Stamps:  Great Friend

Ink:  Basic Gray, Real Red, Bashful Blue

Cardstock:  Basic Gray, Real Red, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Bashful Blue DSP

Accessories:  Real Red 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, black hemp, snips, dimensionals, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig.

What do you think?  I love to hear your feedback and comments!  You can order any of these products online 24/7.  Simply click on "Shop Now".  Thanks for stopping by.  

Masculine card

Our challenge this week for the Late Night Stampers Group Design Team is to make a masculine card.  Since I am very much a flowers and swirly stamper, this really was a challenge for me.  I don't have many current stamps that are masculine in nature.  Lots of retired ones, but not many current sets.  So, I had to improvise.  My picture is very dark and really doesn't do the card much justice.  

Supplies:

Stamps:  Great Friend, Thoughts and Prayers

Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Almost Artichoke and Chocolate Chip markers

Cardstock:  Almost Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Bashful Blue DSP

Accessories:  ChocolSupplies:ate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Vintage Brads, Ticket Punch

Have you thought about stopping by the Late Night Stampers Group?  It is a wonderful group of ladies, both SU! demonstrators and customers,  who share ideas and encourage one another.  Check it out!

Order SU! product 24/7!

Are you ready for a sketch layout?

It is Wednesday again.  I don't know where my week goes!  There just never seems to be enough time in the day.  Oh well.  This week, we have a sketch to follow for the Diva Coffee Break Designs.  A nice and simple sketch to work with!    My designer paper is from the Sweet Slumber DSP pack.  Don't forget...during May SU! is running a special where if you buy 3 packs of designer or textured paper you can get a 4th pack free.  That is a great deal and is in addition to the discounted brand new alphabet set and the$75 demo kit.  Awesome specials you will definitely want to take advantage of!  Just contact me if you have questions about signing up to be a demo.  
Supplies:

Stamps:  Great Friend

Ink:  Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Ridinghood Red

Cardstock:  Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Ridinghood Red, Sweet Slumber DSP, Vanilla

Accessories:  Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Vintage brads, scallop edge punch

Drop on by the other Diva Design Team members' blogs and see what they have created with this sketch.  Then, make your own creation with this sketch and upload it to the Diva Blog using Mr. Linky.  It is super easy!

Order any of these products 24/7.

Pack Your Bags!

My blog is stop #7...

April Showers bring May flowers, but if you join us on May 15th and 16th, you'll see more than lovely blooms! Pack your bags 'cause you're going on a trip! Take a tour of 20 beautiful blogs, and you will see creations that will amaze and delight you. But it's only a two-day trip! It begins at 8:00 a.m. EDT on May 15th and ends May 16th at midnight!

You don't want to miss this!

Diva Big Shot Wednesday

Hello Stampers!  It is Wednesday and that means it is time for another Diva Coffee Break Design Team Challenge!  This week, we have a Big Shot Challenge.  If you don't own a Big Shot yet, you need to get your hands on one and try it out!  You will be amazed at how quick and easy it is to make beautiful die cut images!  There is just so much you can do with your Big Shot and it cuts through 50 or so different materials!  Fun, Fun, Fun!!

I received the Beautiful Butterflies die in my box of goodies this week and couldn't wait to give it a try!  I placed some vanilla half pearls from the Pretties Kit to make the center of the butterfly and all of the paper (including the butterfly)  is from the Candy Lane DSP pack.  The corners of the red DSP are all paper pierced.

Supplies:  
Stamps:  None

Ink:  Ridinghood Red (for edges of butterfly pieces)

Cardstock:  Base of Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, Candy Lane DSP

Accessories:  Pretties Kit, Big Shot, Beautiful Butterflies die, glue dots, Ridinghood Red taffeta ribbon, Tool Kit.

Stop on over to the Diva Coffee Break Designs blog and see what the other design team members have created for your inspiration.  Then, why don't you play along with us and upload your creation to the blog using Mr. Linky...?  It is easy.  

Go to www.stampinsteph.stampinup.net and click on "Shop Now" to purchase any of the product used for this card.  Don't forget the specials Stampin' Up! is currently running.....Buy 3 packets of DSP or textured paper and get a 4th pack FREE!  Buy a new alphabet set coming out in the next catalog at a discounted price!  Sign up to be a demo for just $75!  Can't beat those specials!!!

Are you running in circles...?

Does life have you running around in circles? I know it has me going - ALL the time! Challenge #18 for the Late Night Stampers Group is to create something with circles. This is a card I had created for a class several months ago and it just happened to fit this week's challenge. How convenient!

Supplies:
Stamps: Big Flowers, Sincere Salutations
Ink: Real Red, Real Red marker, Only Orange marker, Bashful Blue marker
Cardstock: So Saffron, Real Red, Washington Apple DSP, Whisper White
Accessories: Apricot Appeal grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals

Why don't you play along? Anyone can play! You don't need to be a demonstrator. Simply click on the Late Night Stampers link and you will see what this wonderful group is all about! It is full of encouragement, samples, ideas, contests, etc. for demonstrators and their SU! customers.

Would you like to purchase any of the product used to make this card? Simply click on the "Shop Now" button, 24/7. If you need some assistance or ideas, contact me. Thanks for stopping by!

A Project Peek ...

These are two of the three projects our monthly Stamper's Club will be making on Thursday night. (The third item will be shown on Wednesday as our weekly Diva challenge is displayed.) Want to come and play? Just contact me! We will be happy to make room for you. You will have lots of fun and go home with three beautiful creations. All of the club members take turns being the hostess which means that they get to chose a hostess set and FREE merchandise when it is their turn. We meet once a month - though coming to Project Night is not mandatory - and make three items (no charge) and all members commit to a minimum $25 (before tax and shipping) monthly order. It is a great way to get the items on your wish list without breaking the bank! If you are interested in joining us (email subscribers are also welcome!), simply contact me.

Another CASE Sample

This morning's card was inspired by Fran Sabad. She took the Mini Note Kit from page 208 of the catalog and added some cardstock / image to create a beautiful little notecard. My Mini Note Kit is on order, but I don't have it just yet, so I adjusted this plan a little and used a regular A2-sized card. Needless to say, mine is a bit bigger! I added some rhinestone brads and ribbon. This was my first attempt at using the Aqua Painter with some refill ink. It wasn't too bad, but definitely something you want to practice at!

Supplies:
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, Sweet Little Sentiments
Cardstock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive
Ink: Chocolate Chip, White Craft ink, Old Olive
Accessories: Old Olive grosgrain, Chocolate Chip grosgrain, circle rhinestone brads, Summer Sun reinker, Aqua Painter, clear embossing powerder, heat gun, embossing buddy

Would you like to purchase the supplies used to make this card? Simply click on the "Shop Now" button, 24/7. Need some help? Simply contact me and I will place the order for you! Thanks for stopping by!