Paper Crafters Sampler May Issue ~ Wooden It Be Lovely

Panels, planks, pallets.  What do they all have in common?  They're all made of wood.

 

Wood, be it recycled pallets, old fences or barnyards, has evolved into home décor and arts and crafts.  It's the later of the two in which the design team was given a challenge to create projects with a wood theme.

 

The May issue, "Wooden It Be Lovely" offers project ideas using stamps and textures resembling wood.  We've really come through with an array of ideas, each unique.

 

Keeping in theme with the wooden theme, the template of the month is a Garden Bench with a sweet Hardwood background stamp.

Sneak Peek at what I contributed!!!

papercrafterssampler.blogspot.com

Stop by and pick up the latest issue for just $12.99. You won't be disappointed!!!

Paper Crafters Sampler ~ Holiday Fun

It's time for the release of the November issue for the Paper Crafters Sampler! This is a really, really fun one full of lots of great Stampin' Up! Christmas projects! You'll get full how-to instructions for each project. It will keep you busy all the way through Christmas!

Click {HERE} to go to Paper Crafters Sampler!

Sneak Peek!

Paper Crafters Sampler ~ Mischief Makings in September!!!!

How is it possible that I have the makings of Halloween decorations scattered all over my work space? I'm still basking in (whats left) of the summer sun!

This month at Paper Crafters Sampler, we're celebrating Halloween. What?!?! Yep, Halloween. We have put together an amazing collection full of spooky, clever treats. Stop by and pick up your issue and you'll see all the "tricks" we used.

~ Sneak Peek ~

Paper Crafters Sampler ~ June {Betrothed}

For those who may not know, I participate in a monthly crafter's blog. We design projects using Stampin' Up! materials and provide step-by-step instructions on how to recreate them. You can purchase these fabulous instructions each month.

I strongly recommend you take a look at what June's issue has to offer. This month we featured wedding theme'd projects. For anyone tying the knot or just simply attending a wedding, we have a lot of fun ideas to share. There are cards, invitations, table numbers and tablescapes.

Here is a sneak peak of what I contributed. I really REALLY wish I could share it here, but I can't. So if you'd like to see it... Just click HERE to visit Paper Crafters Sampler. You won't be sorry!

Paper Crafters Sampler

Just Released: April issue of the Paper Crafters Sampler!

Gardens are coming to life.  Budding trees and perennials will soon fill our homes with a burst of color and fragrance.  If your garden hasn't awakened quite yet, try decorating with a few paper beauties!

The April issue of the Paper Crafter Sampler, “Fabulous Floral”, issue shares an array of ideas for beautifying your home with flowers until your outdoor garden is in full bloom.  All projects in this issue are focused around a floral theme.  You’ll find cheery and feminine crepe paper poppies, pop-up flower box cards and several lovely cards with flowers popping off the front.

Stop by and pick up your copy today!

 {Sneak Peek}

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Sympathy Cards

Sympathy cards are never fun to make, but they feel good to give. I really like having them on hand because you never know when you will need one. Today at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration, some of our Design Team members are sharing what they have created. Please take a moment to stop by and check them out!

For this card, I chose to use {Ex Libris} as the background. I think that has to be one of my absolute favorites. It is so elegant. Because the background is fairly busy, I didn't want to over power the card with too many embellishments or layers. Sometimes less is more?

Supplies

Cardstock ~ Smoky Slate, Whisper White

Ink ~ Rose Red, Basic Gray

Stamp Sets ~ Ex Libris, Perfect Pennants

Tools ~ paper trimmer, paper snips, dimensionals, sponges, adhesives, stamp-a-ma-jig

Embellishments ~ Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack (Pool Party Twine), Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Pearls Basic Jewels

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration ~ Make a Flower tutorial!

Today at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration, we're celebrating the first day of Spring by showcasing flowers! I've been (not so patiently) awaiting Spring for a very long time. To me, Spring means lots and lots of outside time with my kids, riding horses, 4-wheeler rides, yard work, new baby chicks, green grass and lots of FLOWERS! 

I decided a while ago that I wanted to make a bouquet of flowers. What I thought would be an easy project, turned into a 2 1/2 week ordeal. I think I could probably make them in my sleep by now. My fingers have just about had it with the glue gun!  

Poppies are my favorite flower, so I started with that idea. One idea sparked another and I found myself with a huge bundle of flowers including Poppies, Artichokes, Peonies, Hydrangeas and Alliums. For today, I'm going to share my technique for making Poppies.

How to:

*I used coffee filters for all of my flowers. They color nicely and are easy to work with. You can cut LOTS of layers at once with the Big Shot.

*I used circles and cut them with paper snips into hear shapes

*I used white cardstock and the Brayer tool to color these. Black on one side, Pumpkin Pie on the other. Then curled them with a Bone Folder.

*The "leaf" was made using the Floral Frames Framelit and I used Old Olive and Baked Brown Sugar to die them. 

*For the final step, I splattered the flowers with a toothbrush dipped in ink to give them the speckles.

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Crisp Cantaloupe, Old Olive

Ink ~ Crisp Cantaloupe, Old Olive, Baked Brown Sugar, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black

NO STAMPS

Tools ~ Circle Framelits, Floral Frames Framelits, Hot Glue & Glue Gun, Paper Snips, 1 3/8" Circle punch, 1 3/4" Circle punch

Other Supplies ~ Floral stems (from the craft store), coffee filters, dish or tray for dying, drying rack

I hope you've found this tutorial helpful. Don't forget to stop by Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration to see more flowers!

Liebster Award Nomination!

So, this morning I was notified that I was given the Liebster Award. What is that? Well, it's a really fun award given to you by someone that thinks your blog rocks! It kind of reminds me of Friendship Bread. Ha! Kind of a weird way to look at it I guess. But you get the idea. Pass it along, share the love, and inspire till your heart is content! Thank you Cynthia from Ink-a-Doodle Creations for passing on this opportunity to me! 

There are "rules" to follow for this nomination, and here they are:
1. Be sure to thank the blog that nominated you and be sure to link back to their blog;
2. Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you;
3. Nominate 11 of your favorite blogs with under 500 followers and ask your 11 questions;
4. Make sure to let each blogger know about your Liebster Award nomination on their blog (leave a comment and link back to your Liebster Blog post).

Now, I get to choose 11 blogs to share with you. These are some pretty amazingly talented ladies. It actually was really difficult to choose just 11. I have SO many blogs that I draw inspiration from. I hope you can check out each and every one of these blogs. Leave a little love, and sit back and just {be} inspired! 

1.  Breelin Renwick at Craft-Somnia Momma
2.  Heidi Boos at Stuck on Stampin'
3.  Diana Eichfeld at Stampin' Fun with Diana
4.  Erica Bass at Stamping Starlette
5.  Jenny Engelke at Giddy Stamper
6.  Melanie Schulenberg at Pockets of Inspiration
7. Cindy Brumbach at CindyLeeBeeDesigns
8.  Lisa Hensley at The Shabby Stamper
9.  Mui Hoang at Something for Everyone
10.  Karen Squires at Stampin' By The Bay
11.  Tanya Boser at Tinkerin In Ink with Tanya

Here are Cynthia's questions:

1.  How long have you been a demo with Stampin' Up!?
I have technically been a "Stampin' Up! Demonstrator" for 2 years. I don't really call myself a "Demonstrator" though. I think of myself as more of a Professional Crafter.

2.  What other hobbies do you enjoy besides paper crafting?
Ooooo that's a tough one. I think a list of the ones I don't do would be shorter. I enjoy just about ANYTHING that falls into the "crafting" category. Pinterest keeps me quite busy! I always have too many irons in the fire!

3.  What is your FAVORITE stamp set ever you just can't part with?
Hands down, Gorgeous Grunge! I use it for almost EVERY card I create!

4.  What is your favorite color combos to use?
This is a really difficult one for me because every new color combination I play around with becomes my new favorite. My CURRENT pick would have to be Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pool Party and Baked Brown Sugar.

5.  Where do you paper craft in your home (do you have your own room)?
Much to my husband's dismay, I've taken over his "Man Cave" Now, the only traces of Men are his bear rug and his buck hanging on the wall. Which, I'm working on moving. 

6.  What is your favorite technique to use on cards?
Distressing. I love to smudge, scrunch, tear, age, burn, roll corners and purposely destroy everything!

7.  Do you keep all your stamp sets when they retire?
Yes and no. I keep the ones that I continually use. The ones that go along with my "style" of stamping. I sell the ones I don't use at all. I keep a sticky note on each one and write the date last used. It's a little weird, but if I don't do that, I can't remember!

8.  Have you ever been to Convention with Stampin' Up!, if so how many times have you been?
Sadly, no. My husband is a Wheat Farmer and that is our busiest time of the year. With two little ones at home, it's impossible to sneak away for a week. I hope I can go in the next year or so when they're a bit older and easier on Grandma.

9.  How often do you get to paper craft?
Almost everyday. I CRAVE it. I am a night owl, so I sneak out to my craft room as soon as every one is in bed.

10. What is your favorite type of ribbon to use?
Hmmmm, that's a tough one for me. I don't use a lot of it. I guess I would say the Ruffled Trim. I've used it on the last few cards. It's so fun and versatile!

11. What is your favorite DSP to use?
As I look through all of my recent cards, I see a lot of Sweet Sorbet. It is SUCH a fun and colorful series!

Okay, now it's your turn. Here are your questions. I can't wait to see your answers!

1. What do you enjoy most about being a part of Stampin' Up!
2. Where do you draw most of your inspiration from?
3. What is your main style?
4. Do you participate in card challenges (sketch or color)?
5. How do you share your creations?
6. What is your favorite stamp set?
7. Do you prefer wood or clear stamp sets?
8. What tools or stamps would you hate to see retired?
9. Do you like to make 3-D projects? 
10. What Holiday is your favorite to create for?
11. What is your "go to" product?

My Resolutions...

Well, 2014 is coming at us at mach speed. I've said it before and I'll say it again, where does the time go? Along with the New Year comes the dreaded list of personal resolutions. Like everyone else, of course I'm going to promise myself to lose weight, but lets be real. I've been saying that for the past 15 years (or so). I really don't see myself giving up chocolate for sweat. Nope. So, I decided to come up with something fun. Why not make it craft-oriented? Like clean and organize. Or better yet, craft for a cause, teach a young one, learn a new technique, FINISH my projects and maybe gain some recognition. Now those are a few that I might be able to stick to!

What are your resolutions? Are they boring? Or are they fun and exciting?

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration

Flyin' High

I recently was asked to join a fun little blog called SSINKspiration. It's a group of very talented Stampin' Up! ladies. I'm excited to see where this takes my creativity and I'm excited to meet all these wonderful gals. My first project for January (I'm not officially a member until January 1st so I'm jumping the gun a little) is a Color Challenge. It was a nice change of pace in the midst of the Christmas rush. 

The colors for this challenge are: Primrose Petals, So Saffron and Bermuda Bay.

Sketch is from Retro Sketches, challenge #94

I'm obsessed with feathers. I think they're fabulous. I created these by drawing them by hand onto Stampin' Up! cardstock, then cutting them out. Then I sponged White StazOn around the edges and cut the fringe with my scissors. Finally I added a little detail with my Stampin' Up! markers to give it a little more dimension. I got my inspiration from Stampin' Up! Fine Feathers. Boy do I love this! Was it time consuming? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes! 

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Bermuda Bay, Primrose Petals, So Saffron, Baked Brown Sugar, Whisper White

Ink ~ Bermuda Bay, Primrose Petals, So Saffron, Baked Brown Sugar, White StazOn

Stamp Sets ~ Gorgeous Grunge, Chalk Talk

Embellishments ~ Antique Brads, Crochet Ribbon

Cheers to the Season!

Gee, why didn't I think about this sooner? What does someone in Walla Walla, Washington give to friends at Christmas time? Duh, wine! I have given away SO MANY naked bottles of wine. So sad. I could have been doing this the whole time. I am in LOVE with this idea. It was so easy and can be customized for any occasion. I'm definitely doing this from now on!

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Real Red, Crumb Cake, Whisper White

DSP ~ Glimmer Paper (champagne)

Ink ~ Real Red, Smoky Slate, Craft White

Stamp Sets ~ Label Love, Pretty Petites, Hearts a Flutter, Daydream Medallions

Just for You!

I've been on a Christmas-card-making rampage lately! It helps that it's only 12 degrees outside and I'm stuck inside. Or at least until it's feeding time an the farm critters demand my attention. 

Supplies:
Cardstock ~ Real Red, Crumb Cake, Whisper White

DSP ~ Glimmer paper in Champagne

Ink ~ Real Red, Craft White, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake

Stamp Sets ~ Positively Chevron, Label Love, Hearts a Flutter, Pretty Petites, Daydream Medallions

Class Act

I freaking LOVE this card! I saw this stamp on Pinterest (eye roll) and just HAD to have it. However, it's expired. Why do they expire the really cool ones? I got into this whole stamping thing a little too late. Obviously. So, my mad hunting skills paid off and I found one for sale. SWEET!

I am addicted to purple and haven't done a Christmas card in purple yet so... it's about time! It was such a simple card and went together so quickly. I love the colored holly too! Even though it's red and green.

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Smoky Slate, Elegant Eggplant

Ink ~ Elegant Eggplant, Gumball Green, Real Red

Stamp Sets ~ Christmas Collage, Curly Cute

Tools ~ Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Square Punch, Sponge Daubers

Embellishments ~ Dazzling Details, Brads dipped in Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder

A Retro Kind of Sunday

I got to have a day all to myself! Well, it actually ended up to be more like 3 hours, but it was just enough time to get my design finished for Retro Sketches challenge #69. I had so much fun creating this card. It turned out pretty darn close to what I had pictured in my head. Love it when that happens!

Supplies Used: 

Paper ~ Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Pool Party Core'dinations, Very Vanilla

Ink ~ Early Espresso, Crisp Cantaloupe, Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand

Stamp Sets ~ Gorgeous Grunge, Chalk Talk, Lovely Little Labels

Other Supplies ~ baker's twine, soda pop tops, basic pearl jewels, vanilla ribbon

By the Tide

Last night I realized that I needed to make one more Father's Day card. I got my on dad taken care of, even got my hubby taken care of... but forgot my father in-law. Oops! We  normally don't do gifts for my father in-law because he goes on a week long fishing trip that ends on Father's Day. He always says that's gift enough. But, it's me we're talking about and I have to break the rules. 

I received this stamp set today. I know it's been out for a while, I have just been on the fence about whether or not I would use it enough. I have to admit, I really like it. This card went together so smoothly. It was so much fun to do. I hope you like it. 

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Baked Brown Sugar Core'dinations, Whisper White, Island Indigo

Ink ~ Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Cajun Craze, Midnight Muse, Island Indigo, Sahara Sand, Crushed Curry

Stamp Sets ~ By the Tide, Family Reunion

Other Supplies ~ Sycamore Street ribbon in Island Indigo

In Colors are the BEST!

As you've probably already guessed, I'm a HUGE fan of anything vintage. The new Stampin' Up! In Colors were made just for me, I swear! I think I had a color orgasm when I first looked at the new catalog. I received my first order from the new catalog today. Of course I had to test out my new stuff, right? Here's what I came up with. I hope you like it. I'm in {LOVE} <3

 Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Strawberry Slush Core'dinations, Whisper White, Designer Paper Series (retired)

Ink ~ Crisp Cantaloupe, Strawberry Slush, Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand

Stamp Sets ~ Hello Lovely, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Lovely Little Labels

Other supplies ~ Designer Builder Brads, 1/8" brads, Soda Pop Tops, Designer Faceted Vintage Buttons, Pearl Basic Jewels, In Color Boutique Details, Doilies 

Countryside Birthday

I'm ADDICTED to watercoloring! To get the background effect, I drew on a clear stamping block with my Stampin' Up! markers, sprayed it with water, then stamped it on. I then used Black Stayz On for the pickup truck image. Then, I went to town with my blender pen. LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Supplies Used: 

Paper ~ Early Espresso, Baked Brown Sugar, Pool Party Core'dinations, Very Vanilla

Ink ~ Pool Party, Bashful Blue, Gumball Green, Certainly Celery, Stayz On Black, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Pretty in Pink

Stamp Sets ~ Label Love, Countryside (retired)

Other Supplies ~ misc. gears 

Happy Birthday Deere!

My husband is a farmer. He's obsessed, I mean OBSESSED with dirt and tractors. His birthday is coming up, so I thought I'd try to come up with something special. Hope ya'll like it! I had so much fun with this one. It went together so smoothly and so quickly. I love it when that happens!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Early Espresso, Baked Brown Sugar, Gumball Green, Very Vanilla

Ink ~ Early Espresso, Gumball Green, Baja Breeze, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Calypso Coral, Soft Suede

Stamp Sets ~ Harvest Blessings, Label Love

Other Supplies ~ misc gears

Best Teacher EVER!

I have fallen in {LOVE} with this layout. I know, I've driven it into the ground. It's just so much fun and is SO versatile. I'm also LOVING the fabric from last year's catalog. Unfortunately, they did not carry over into the new Stampin' Up! catalog. I have lots and lots to use up, so I'm sure you'll be seeing it for a while to come.

I created this card for my little girl's 1st grade teacher. I can't believe the school year has come to an end. It seems like yesterday that I was dropping her off at preschool. Where does the time go? Kylie came down to my craft cave this morning and gave me her approval of this card. Whew!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Designer Series Paper, Whisper White, Shimmer Paper

Ink ~ Baja Breeze, Island Indigo, Pretty in Pink, Riding Hood Red

Stamp Sets ~ Label Love, Family Reunion, Ciao Baby, Hearts a Flutter, Pretty Petites, Stippled Blossoms

Other Supplies ~ Vellum, Twitterpated Fabric, Soda Pop Tops, toothpicks, misc. ribbon

Thankful for Wisteria Wonder

I used the same idea from the last card. I just changed up the color and the size. I'm really not a fan of square cards. Honestly, because I don't have envelopes for them and I absolutely HATE making them. I know, kind of ridiculous. Here is what I created while I was doing "laundry." he he

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White

Ink ~ Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Stayz on Black

Stamp Sets ~ Stippled Blossoms, From My Heart

Other supplies ~ misc. white ribbon, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Vellum