A time for some gratitude

Whew.  I have felt like a hamster on a wheel as of late.  I am grateful that the wheel is slowing and I'm preparing to climb off the wheel and work toward more "normal"... if there is such a thing in Life.  One of the things that I am grateful for are the customers who have decided to stick with me as their point of contact for Stampin' Up merchandise.  I made this card for those that ordered from me this month. It's a simple card.

 

This is my version of a vase full of mums.  Ever since being back east during the fall color change many moons ago, I have adored mums.  If you're wondering, the vase is punched out using the owl builder punch!  Clever eh? 

 

Thanks for continuing to stop in and visit.  I am grateful for your support!

 

Kristine



 

 

Recipe:

Stamps: Apothecary Art

Inks:  Soft Sky (retired), Bravo Burgundy

Paper: Watercolor paper, Bravo Burgundy, Apricot Appeal (retired), Really Rust (retired), Creamy Caramel (retired)

Punches: Owl Builder Punch, Triple flower punch (retired)

Fun tools and embellies: Aqua painter, basic rhinestones (colored with a orange and yellow Sharpies)

It's just like riding a bike

Is there anything in your life that you wish you liked more than you do?  For me that is bike riding.  I think about bike riding...spinning wheels, wind in the hair, sun on my face and back, the ting, ting, ting of a bell on my handlebars.... It all sounds joyous.  Simple.  A quick trip to the store on my bike! A toodle around the neighborhood on my bike! Camping and exploring the park on my bike! Then I get on my bike.  And I begin to pedal.  Huff, puff...pedal pedal...huff puff...pedal pedal.  And the glory of a "bike ride" goes away.  Even at those times in my life when I have been in excellent shape, the bike ride has never been what my imagination foretells.  Whenever I see an old fashion bike, that whimsy enters my mind and I think I might just give bike riding another go.  And the cycle (no pun intended) begins again.  And so this leads to why one of my first purchases from the new Stampin' Up catalog has an image of a bike. 

Stamps: Summer Afternoon (2012-13 hostess)
Simply Scored with the Diagonal plate
Paper: Summer Starfruit, Very Vanilla, Comfort Cafe DSP
Inks: Summer Starfruit, Crumb cake
Basic Pearls, dimensionals

 Can you see why this image brings back that whimsical feel...the want to bike ride?  I can imagine myself climbing aboard, perhaps wearing a pair of white "pedal pushers" and a jaunty colorful blouse.  My Keds ready for the pedals.  I'm going to deliver the flowers to a friend.  Maybe visit awhile with the friend and drink some cool tea.  And then I realize that I really do not want to ride this bike.  Sometimes it takes years for me to let go of a notion.  Some would call that attribute stubborn.  I prefer to call it persistent. :-)  I do enjoy looking at this bike.  I can still enjoy all of my imaginings about biking knowing that I will not plant my back end on a bike seat any time soon.  And that is why this is a thank you card.  Thank you to whomever this card ends up being sent to, but also, thanks be to God that I have finally realized that riding a bike is not for me. :-)

Here is a view of the card from a different angle.  I stamped the basket image on a scrap piece of paper, cut it out and popped it up on a dimensional.  The colors of the card are inspired by the color challenge from Our Creative Corner last week.  I used the new SU color, Summer Starfruit as my yellow.  It's an interesting color.  Can I just say that it reminds me a wee bit of baby food squash?  Wonder why they didn't name it Baby Food Squash Yellow instead of Summer Starfruit?  Probably due to lack of alliteration.  I betcha Baby Food Squash Yellow would be a real hot seller. :-)

That's it for today.  Thank to my followers and subscribers.  See you soon! Ting, ting, ting!

A Potpourri!

I have such a back log of projects to share that I thought, "I'm going to post a bunch today!" So enjoy the potpourri of projects!

A Workshop card.  Uses the wheel Take a sip. What ended up being cool about this card was that each person's card looked a bit different depending on where in the wheel they were when rolled.  We each had a different grouping of cups!

This card was made at the same workshop.  I think that it is a CAS (Clean and Simple), stunning card.  The Chocolate Chip Card Stock is textured, which gives it a nice finish.  I saw this card on the display boards at convention in 2011.  Loved it!  I have no idea who to credit it to, however.  The base paper looks white in this photo, but it is actually Very Vanilla.  The stamp set used is called In Wilderness.  It is on the retiring list.  Don't miss buying this set.  It truly is beautiful.

The third card from this same workshop uses the set from the Occasions Mini called Sweet Cake.  It is a fun gate-fold card.  We used Dazzling Details to frost the cupcake and a Red Glimmer Paper cherry on the top.  This card idea came from my upline, Linda Gutierrez.  I think it is a super cute card.  When I saw her version on her blog, I had to buy the set.  Then I just had to do the card at a workshop.  Thanks Linda!

This card came from a Stamp-a-stack I did at my home.  It was a CASE of the card in the Sale-a-bration Mini. 

Next up is a Thank you card I sent to the gals who placed orders with me in March.  The paper behind the image looks likes DSP, but it isn't!  I used Vanilla Craft Ink and stamped the image from the background stamp Weathered, which is a retired stamp, on it.  I think it came out great!  I used some Dazzling Details on this card as well.  Just makes the flower centers pop a bit.

For my thank you cards I allow myself to use anything in my stash.  If you want a special thank you from me, just place an order and a thank you card or gift always comes your way!

My final share is a card I made for a thank you in December. I don't think I ever posted this? Hmm.  I like for my customers to be able to reuse the cards I send, so I never put anything which marks me as the maker on the card.  The cards are meant for reuse, so they are a thank you and a gift in one!

If you don't already have a demonstrator, I would love to help you enjoy the hobby of stamping and paper crafting.  Please check out the links at the top of this blog to see my rewards program and card kit offers.

My thanks to my subscribers and followers.  I appreciate you.

Kristine





Everyday Enchantment

Good morning Stampers!  I really have a back log of projects to show you.  My bad. 

Today are two very simple cards which use my favorite DSP, Everyday Enchantment.  The card on the left uses my favorite pattern from the stack.  I really like the delicate look of the pattern.  I made two different versions of the card.  A change of paper and the whole feel of the card changes!  I think the blue/green gives a soft feel and the orange and blue says, "Hey y'all, let's have fun!"  Okay, maybe not the southern accent, but it is definitely more BaZing! Pop!  The orange and blue card is a close CASE of a card done by Dawn Olchefske.  The blue/green version is my personality speaking.  The Perfectly Penned sentiment finishes the card nicely.   

If you have questions of anything used, shoot me an email!

There are only 5 days left of Sale-a-Bration 2012!  If you want some of the delish DSP, place a $50 order with me, and it's yours FREE! Just click the link on the right sidebar to order.

Thanks for stopping in.
Kristine

Two shares

Long time no see!  So glad that you did not give up on me and came back for a visit.  Thanks!

Today I have two cards to share with you.  Both of them use the same color scheme, but have decidedly different feels--at least I think so.  The paper is a sneak peek at some of the DSP that you can receive FREE during the upcoming Sale-a-bration period, January 24th through March 31st.  I am telling you this...I LOVE this DSP. 

Here is the first card...

This card also uses the Enchantment Ribbon in Calypso Corral that you can receive free during Sale-abration.  I love the colors of Pool Party and Calypso Corral together.  Who'd a thunk?  Not my usual color combo.  But I was lead by the DSP.  See the Corral pearls?  Wanna know how I made those?  Simple!  Take our Basic Pearls and an orange Sharpie pen and color the pearls.  It is almost a perfect match for the Calypso Corral!  I was so excited when that happened. You, as a crafter, will understand the excitement.  My family, however, was non-plussed by the incredible luck of it.

There is something else I used that is pretty cool, but may not seem so at first glance.  The sentiment in this card is a retired set Friendly words.  But guess what! It is available in My Digital Studio (MDS) and can be made ANY size you want in that program.  Too cool.  So I used MDS to print out the sentiment in Calypso Corral (bigger than what it is in the real life stamp set) and then stamped the banner from the Occasions set Take it to Heart around the printed words. (Easy to do with a clear mount set.)  I cut the banner out and popped it up on dimentionals.  Take a look at the MDS.  The program is a wonderful tool for so many reasons. One of the coolest things about buying a download for MDS is that the brush sets, the DSP, the embellishments NEVER retire!  Never.  Nope, not even on December 21, 2012 when the Mayan calendar ends.  They will still be available. :-)  Finally, the heart is one of the images in the Take it to Heart set.  I wanted to highlight one of the images that might go unnoticed.  It is a very elegant little heart.

The second card...

Isn't this a simple layout?  This was my thank you card for December orders.  I had a bunch to make (Thank you again everyone who bought in December!) and these were the perfect answer.  I have used the same DSP as in the above card.  Guess I'm just drawn to this one, huh?  The stamp set is Funky Four and the sentiment from Trendy Trees. 

Thanks for looking at my creations.  You're the best!

Kristine

A little swishy dress

There is one thing that has always appealed to me...light, swishy, classic dresses.  Alas, I do not have the body build to wear them, but I love them.  Do you remember the dress Julia Roberts wears in the movie Pretty Woman?

She is at the race track and has on a brown and white, spotted dress along with a wonderful floppy hat.  I love that dress!!  My daughter and I were at Stein Mart Department store last week, and they have a wonderful breezy dress with this same color and pattern.  It was a filmy material in a shirt waist style.  Oh, if I only had the kind of figure that could pull it off, I would have bought that dress!  {sigh}  I have thought about that dress ever since seeing it on the rack. 

Then as I went through my DSP, I came across the polka dot pattern in the Mocha Morning Specialty Designer Paper.  It was kismit!  It was a way for me to express my love of the dress!  So, long story shorter...I made a card.

I wanted to keep the card clean and simple, and I wanted that polka dot design to be a main focal point.  I blinged up the card just a smidge by adding some Champagne stickles to the flower centers. (Didn't Julia's character sip champagne in the movie?) The flowers come from the Posey Punch set.  A piece of Espresso Satin Ribbon to cinch the card's "waist", and a Curly Cute sentiment finishes it off. 

Maybe not as glam as Julia Roberts in her dress, but I likey.  Plus, it's easier to make this card than shed the 30 pounds needed to fit into the dress at Stein Mart! lol!

Still for sale:

I am still taking orders for this Christmas Card/Tag workshop.  The next order will be placed on October 1st and will ship to you by mid October.  Please click HERE to see the full details.

And a final note:

I have added a few items for sale in my Selling Spot Blog.  Click on the link on the right side-bar with the For Sale sign to see the retired items I am selling!  Thanks!

Thanks for spending time with me today.

Kristine





Hello Again

Sorry to be MIA for a little time.  My husband had the last three weeks off, and we have been enjoying time together as a family.  Blogging didn't make it into the timeline!

This is a card whose color palette is different for me.  I started with the DSP paper Berry Blossom and then went to my Color Coach to coordinate some card stock.  The colors used are Calypso Coral, Baja Breeze and Daffodil Delight along with the basic Whisper White.  I think it's a happy card!  A customer of mine, Kimberley, gave me a subscription to Better Homes and Gardens Magazine this past Christmas. After making this card, I realized that the color combo is used in the magazine as a room makeover! How cool is that! This will be my order thank you card for August.  I thought it would be a quicker card, but it took me and my daughter, Olivia, some time to run all the pieces through the Big Shot and to punch the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch for each.  There is a learning curve on that punch--at least for me. :-)  The original design came from a convention card swap made by Arlene.  (Her last name has been smudged, and I cannot read it!  No blog address to refer you to. Sorry.)

One of the reasons I decided to CASE this card is the use of the Ornament Punch used as the vase.  I have seen this idea before, but I have not used it.  If you look closely at the flower, you will see that it has been run through the Polka Dot Embossing Folder.  First I adhered the flower pieces together and then ran them through together.  The littlest part of the flower, punched out in the Baja Breeze, is the flower punch found in the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack.   The card also uses one of the new triple punches Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch. Finally, the sentiment is from the set Curly Cute. I masked the thank you to make it run vertical rather than horizontal.

Next up is a card we did at the class I held on August 13th to show how to convert wood mount sets to the clear mount style.  Man, did we get sticky!  This is a card that came from Convention, too. Stampin' Up in their +One program gave each convention attendee not only the Make and Takes that we could complete during a workshop time there, but also gave us a gift bag filled with materials to do a workshop at home, including a hostess gift, a demonstration card, and 10 make and takes. We did the make and takes at the class. I think they're pretty cute! Very simple, but I like that.

What I like about the whole thing is the use of the open envelope with the circle cut out of it.  I also like the ribbon tied around the envelope and not the card.  Makes it feel like a present!  One of the new items SU will have available in the new Holiday Mini Catalog is dazzling diamonds in a little bottle.  I love adding shimmer and bling to cards, but it can get messy.  This new product works like stickles and putting it on a card ain't nothin' but a thing!  Can you see that the frosting is glittery as well as the pompoms on the platter?  The coloring of the image was done with a blender pen and classic inks.  One thing I have to mention is that this stamp set is really a great one.  It is called Easy Events and it was one of the FREE sets given to convention attendees.  (Aside: One thing I really like about SU is that there are always opportunities to get free things as a demonstrator.  Since I joined SU I have received more than 100 sets free. That's a conservative guess.  It could be more than that.  Isn't that cool?!)  If you want to buy one stamp set that will cover many occasions, put your money in Easy Events.  It's worth your money.

Alrighty all.  I should be back to my weekly postings now.  Thanks for sharing some of your time with me.

Kristine

My hand at a vintage look

The New Year has started, and I can feel it in my bones that it's going to be a good year.  So far each day in 2011 has brought me a little, nice surprise.  What fun!

For this week's card, I was going for a vintage look.  You know, vintage is all the rage.  But I am a pretty simple girl who goes more for the clean lines.  BUT, I thought I'd give it a try.  I don't think I made my goal of a vintage look (other than the distressing of the card stock), but I do like the way it turned out.  The stamp set is one of my favorites, Friends 24-7.  I like the Fleur-de-lis in the set.  As you can see, I used that as my background.  The little tag hanging off the ribbon is stamped with a sentiment from a new set in the Occasions Mini catalog called You're a Gem.  I like phrase sets.  I tell ya, this Occasions mini is packed full of things I want.  I am really having to hold myself back from breaking the bank buying everything on my wish list!  Anyone know where the line is drawn between something being a hobby and when it becomes an addiction? :-)

Have a lookie:

It's hard to see in the picture (geesh, when will my photography improve?) but there are "smudges" of ink on the background as well as on the vanilla floral piece.  I used the Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon which has a light feel to it.  It reminds me of the kind of ribbon I used to find in my grandma's sewing basket.  The card stock I used is Soft Suede and Pear Pizzaz.  There are also mini Basic Pearls in the flower centers.  Me likee. You know what would have made this card more vintage?  More schtuff.  Ahh well, not vintage, but I like it.  :-)

Thanks for popping in.

Kristine

Greenhouse garden in concord crush

This is a card I did for my demo swap group.  Something about the concord crush and the espresso spoke to me.  I tried a different layout (yeah, some of us tend to get in a layout rut) and I really like how the flower focal point pops off the card.  The background is embossed and then sponged with espresso ink to make the design stand out a bit.  Baby pearls along the side add a little somthin' somethin'.  The DSP behind the flowers is from the Patterns Paper Pack that is the Hostess Level 1 gift.  You know, those packs are great.  I am always pleasantly surprised by what's in them!  To finish the card, I punched three 1/4" circles, adhered them with mini glue dots and then put some shine on them with crystal effects for the faux brad look.  The sentiment is also a hostess level 1 set called Afterthoughts.  It's true...I do love being spoiled!

If you would like any more details on the card, drop me an email.  If you would like to receive the hostess paper patterns pack or the Afterthoughts set, contact me about hosting your own workshop!

Thanks for stopping by.

Kristine

Day of Gratitude

This stamp set was the first one to catch my eye when the Holiday Mini came out.  It reminds me of one of my favorite retired stamp sets called True Friend.  Both sets have the same design style--a little western, a little ...Scandinavian?  At least that is what I think when I look at them.  I really like the sample card that is pictured with the set in the mini, so I decided to stick with the Cajun Craze color.  The layout is courtesy of Stampin 411 blog Saturday Sketch Challenge #171.  This will be one of the cards for my club this Friday.  I like the rich, warm colors of it. 

The DSP is the Autumn Spice.  Doesn't that sound wonderful?  Makes me think of warm apple cider.  The ribbon is in Early Espresso, and I used the lattice embossing folder on the Cajun Craze panel for some extra texture.

Here is the inside of the card.

Wonderful sentiment, yes?  I sometimes need the reminder that everyday is a blessing and a reason to be grateful. 

Thanks for stopping in today.  Remember to feel the gratitude today for all of your blessings!

Kristine

Merry

Merry Christmas! All the presents are wrapped, and the festivities planned and now I just get to enjoy! Ahhhh.

I'm still learning about blogging. I continue to forget to take pictures of what I create. That is something I need to remember! But I remembered a couple of times, so here is a little of what I have created in the past few days.

My friend asked me to make some thank you notes for a Secret Santa exchange she was participating in at work. Her person likes angels, green and spring, and "could I come up with something incorporating those things?" I do not have an angel stamp (that's odd huh?) and so I created my angel out of punches. Her skirt is the scallop circle punch, her arms are from the 5 point petal punch and her wings are the butterfly punch. Her head and hair is just circle punches. I embossed the vellum before punching out the shapes, so it looks like her skirt and wings are swirling! I think she is adorable! I forgot to take pictures of the cards up close before I had all tucked away in the box I made. There are 8 cards in the box...all different layouts of the same colors with the angel as the focus. Dang I need to remember to take photos!

Next is a card I made for my trainer. She works me hard, but I love her dearly. I made her cards out of tempting turquoise since that is a favorite color of hers. I used half-back pearls and stickles to add a little bling and sparkle. A girl's gotta have a little sparkle and bling!

I made five of the same design for her and then wrapped it all up in box to match.


I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with love filling your hearts, good food filling your bellies, and laughter filling your days.
Thanks for stopping in today.
Kristine