Scrapbook Sunday? Use Those Scraps!

What I love about scrapbooking is that as soon as you finish a layout, you're thirsty do more.

After I finished the scrapbook page on Amy Winehouse, I wanted to do something a little silly and not so serious. So I decided to do a page about my newly acquired Blackberry. This is the big leagues Sister!

What I did is went through all my scraps of cardstock and embellishments that I bought and never used much. And there was a lot. All of it retired Stampin' Up supplies that I kept because as I said, paper is a big investment. You don't want to be throwing anything out and I'm glad that I was able to use what I had on hand for this layout. It's a great way of experimenting with colour and designs without feeling like if you make a mistake, you have to throw it all away. It's scraps!

I thought the buttons created texture and something fun without going overboard. And you'll often see the torn edge look on most of my layouts...gives a great texture and rawness to the over all feel and look of it.

Let me know what you think!

Scrapbook Saturday - Something a Little Different

Happy Saturday!
Well, I said yesterday that I was going to scrapbook about a subject outside my friends and family. I decided to document an event. Usually when something major happens, we like to remember where we were when we heard the news (when Michael Jackson died, when the Challenger Space Shuttle exploded) and what we felt when we heard it. Some things are important to us, some aren't. But that's what scrapbooking YOUR LIFE is all about. When you look back through your pages and read what was going on at that particular time, you will be amazed that you were able to capture that pivotal moment. As soon as you look at the picture and read the journalling, everything about that event should be able to come back to you just like it happened yesterday. Believe me when I tell you that you will appreciate documenting that moment. My subject matter was the death of Amy Winehouse. I liked her music but I wouldn't call myself a definite fan. But what I can tell you is how I felt when I heard the news that she died. I think those moments are good to remember and to capture. It doesn't have to be all about the kids or the trips you take. It's about what's going on in our life. Right now.

The colours that I used were all my favourites: Elegant Eggplant, Lucky Limeade and Wisteria Wonder. I'll have to use this colour combination on a card because it just gives it that elegant factor.

Hoped you like this layout. It was easy to put together and quick to finish. I challenge you to scrapbook an event that was newsworthy that touched you in some way. You'll be surprised by the results.

Freestyle Friday - Forever Young stamp set

As we go into the long weekend, I wanted to post a simple card that I did in response to a Colour Challenge that I sometimes participate in with my fellow Stampin' Up demonstrators. We're given a challenge to incorporate three chosen colours into a project and see what we come up with. Last week, I came up with this card.

The stamp is from the Forever Young stamp set which is just gorgeous and so versatile for any occasion. Again, I didn't put a sentiment because I don't like restricting my cards to a specific purpose unless I have a reason to. That way, I can pull out a card out of my stash at any time and use it as I see fit. My go to technique that I used is called Faux Silk which I love to do because of its simplicity.

The colours I used are: Rich Razzleberry, Pear Pizzazz and Tempting Turquoise. Great colours and definitely ones I wouldn't have put together. Challenges are great! Maybe I should come up with my own and post them. That way we can all join in the fun! Contact me if you want to put in an order for some great colour cardstock.

See you tomorrow as I put together a unique scrapbook page - something that was in the news last week and I wanted to document. That's your hint!

Sometimes You Just Need a Little Nudge

Hello my dear readers. I know, I have a lot to answer for. There has been a huge gap between today's date and the date that I left off. I could lie to you and say that I've been away in Europe having the time of my life. OR I can be honest with you and say that I hit a creative dry spell and my get-up-and-go picked up and went. Every time I sat down at my desk to create, I just couldn't put anything together. Well, nothing that I liked anyway.

And then I got a call today...a message really. My friend Esther wanted to know what's going on with my blog? Whoa, I actually have someone who reads it because they want to and not because I bribed them to? Well, I have to tell you, that put a spring in my step. I didn't create this blog for recognition. I did it because I love what I do and if someone out there reads what I write, well it's always gravy. It's always a nudge in the right direction if someone actually wants to see what you're up to next. And for that, my dear Esther, I say thanks.

My UPS man will be coming to visit me next week with a bundle of new supplies and I am on pins and needles waiting to experiment. There's nothing better than unwrapping a box of goodies!

Here are two cards that I did for some friends. The first one is from the Open Sea stamp set which is in the Summer Mini (you only have until the end of August!) and the House & Home stamp set which is in the new 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalogue. I love it because of how retro it is and you know me, anything old fashioned, I love!

Happy stamping!

Ta Da! Tuesday Delay

Is it hot enough for you? Let me tell you, I do not do well in the heat. It's been leaving me panting in front of the fan (no air-conditioning)and making me a small puddle on the floor. Which means that I have not been doing anything in the form of cardmaking or scrapbooking. I did however have Mr. UPS man come and visit me today with some goodies from the new Idea Book and catalogue. Looking at all that I ordered has sparked my creativity and kicked me in the butt to get moving. So I hope that I will have something to amaze and inspire (well, okay, let's settle on inspire)you tomorrow. Until then, keep cool!

Scrapbook Saturday

I know that I'm a day late on this post but I still wanted to keep Saturday's theme since I have not done a scrapbook layout in a while. Like most scrappers, we always seem to be behind in doing our layouts. I personally don't scrapbook in chronological order - I do it whenever I feel the need to document it. So there are tons of pictures that need layouts for, I just lack the time. This is one of them.

I decided to go with Melon Mambo as the cardbase and then Pear Pizzazz for the leaves to signify friendship. I used the Bird Punch to make a cute embellishment and then used some Melon Mambo ribbon at the bottom by stapling in pleats. The letters (in Brilliant Blue - a retired colour I believe) of the title as well as the leaves were done by the Big Shot. It was an easy page to put together. And usually, because I don't like my handwriting, I typed up the journalling on the computer.

I hope you like this scrapbook layout. One down, how many more to go...?

Simply Soft - Try It Thursday

One of the things that Stampin' Up has pleasantly changed is the hostess stamp sets that were only available if you were to host a qualifying workshop. This hostess benefits program used a chart that included a combination of exclusive hostess products and free merchandise based on the order total. But with the new Hostess Dollars program is all about simplicity, flexibility, and giving hostesses exactly what they want! Whether online, through a workshop, or even just a personal order, if you have a merchandise total of $200 or more, you get Hostess Dollars to spend on anything in any of the current catalogues. How awesome is that?

With the new Hostess Dollars program, you earn Hostess Dollars to spend with any order of $200 or more (merchandise total before tax & shipping). Orders of $200-$264 earn $35 Hostess Dollars, orders of $265-$329.99 earn $40 Hostess Dollars, and so on. No complicated charts to worry about. Plus, once your order total reaches $525, you also earn an item at 50% off! (More on that below). So what do you do with your Hostess Dollars? You get to spend them on anything in any current catalogue. Yes, anything! You can shop from both the Idea Book & Catalogue and the current Mini Catalogue. And, you can still choose from exclusive hostess products.

Stampin' Up has just improved the choices and value that you receive. With the new Hostess Dollars program, the exclusive hostess products are given a Hostess Dollar price and you can use your Hostess Dollars to purchase any exclusive hostess product you want with no more levels to worry about. The exclusive hostess products are specially priced at a discount so you get extra value when you choose them. Even though the hostess products have a regular dollar value listed, they can only be purchased with Hostess Dollars. Exclusive hostess products are available for as little as $10 Hostess Dollars and even the largest set is only $26 for wood-mount and $18 for clear-mount! So, with the smallest workshop order of $200 you could get the highest value exclusive hostess product and still have $9 left to buy some ribbon, ink, or embellishments. You choose if you want to spend all your Hostess Dollars on exclusive hostess products, on regular catalogue merchandise, or a combination of both.

With the dynamics of that arrangement explained, let's get on to this week's Try It! Thursday. I wanted to use the new Hostess stamp set called Simply Soft which is absolutely gorgeous. To showcase how pretty it is, I decided to use the Faux Silk technique. That's when you stamp an image on a piece of tissue paper and then crumple it up and very carefully smooth it out. It should have wrinkles and creases and this is a good thing! You're going to take your glue stick and use it to adhere this stamped image on a piece of Whisper White cardstock and then you can go ahead with finishing the card. I wanted to play around with my In Colours so I used a piece of Calypso Coral as the card base as well as using the same colour in ink and then a piece of Lucky Limeade to mat the image. I know I have said it many times but I really love the In Colours this year.

Let me know what you think!

Smooch Spritz - Versatile Wednesday

There are a lot of artsy products on the market today that are uber trendy. And there are a lot of products I look at and think "how do I use this?" and bypass it altogether. But since I've been doing this blog and showcasing products exclusively from Stampin' Up, I've learned that there's nothing in the cardmaking/scrapbooking world that you can't experiment with. You don't have to invent the wheel but you DO have to keep pushing the creative envelope and use products that are outside the norm.

One of the products that I gave a try yesterday was the Smooch Spritz.

I believe this product came out (but don't quote me) sometime last year and can you believe that I only used this for the first time yesterday? Here are the results.

Smooch Spritz comes in four colours: Gold Glow (item #118770), Silver Foil (item #118771), Vanilla Shimmer (item #118772) and the one that I used on my two cards, Log Cabin (item #119921). All are priced at $6.25 for a 0.37 fluid oz glass bottle.

You can use Smooch Spritz to add a splash of shimmer on any type of cardstock, embellishment and chipboard. For my first card that I used on Marina Mist cardstock, I spritzed a plain white flower and embellished it with an antique brad. I absolutely loved the rustic beauty of it. I also decided to use Smooch Spritz on some chipboard stars that I matted with Whisper White cardstock and the brand new Lucky Limeade (my new favourite colour - sorry Concord Crush!).

I was really pleased at how versatile Smooch Spray can be and how it always changes the look of your project just by how far you stand to spritz it. If you stand about 10" away from your project, you can get a fine mist. A little bit closer, and it will be a more concentrated look. But one word of advice. Get the Colour Catcher (Item #121093 $7.50) because it will go all over the things you don't want covered. It can get messy. I learned that the hard way.

Tell me what you think and then give it a try!

After Midnight Run

It's after 1:30 a.m. in the morning and I had posted a message on my blog about Versatile Wednesday and posted pics. And then it didn't post nor did it save. All that work went down the drain. So my dear friends, I will have to post tomorrow about the great project that I stayed up tonight/this morning to do. Thank you for your patience and see you soon!

Sail Away - Ta Da! Tuesday

Well, I'm a day behind with my Ta Da! Tuesday. But not because I wasn't prepared - I was just up too late to post it.

I am very excited about the new In Colour cardstock that Stampin' Up released in the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalogue. The colours are: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder and Island Indigo. It just screams summer. I wanted to use them right away and I did with this card that I made using the Sail Away stamp (item #123013 $11.95) that is found in the Summer Mini catalogue.

I used the Island Indigo colour as the cardbase and whisper white to stamp the image on. I also used the Island Indigo ink to stamp it. I decided to go with the nautical theme by using these star brads (retired unfortunately - sorry, I didn't know when I went to look for them in the catalogue)and the wonderful baker's twine (go and get this!) that is also featured not only in the Summer Mini but in the new catalogue as well (item #123125 $3.95 - also comes in White and White/Espresso colour).

I looked at the card and couldn't figure out where to put the sentiment. Then I decided to make have an interactive element to it. I stamped the sentiment and tucked it behind the White Whisper cardstock. You just have to pull it out by the brad attachment on the side. I kind of liked it even though it was a spur of the moment decision. Which at midnight, everything will be spur of the moment decision. But I'm happy with the end of result. What do YOU think?

On another note, one exciting thing that Stampin' Up is o

ffering the opportunity to become a demonstrator for only $119 and only during the month of July! This is how I started and it's a wonderful deal. The supplies you get and the support of the Stampin' Up family to either start your own business or to just pay for your addictive hobby! Seriously, it's a lot of product - valued at $205. I did and haven't looked back. Contact me if you have any questions or want to start on your way to earning extra cash.

Happy Monday! Happy July!

Hi there Stampers & Scrappers! I'm back from my long weekend and trying to find a new routine with the kids home for the summer. I'm hoping that there won't be big lapses in my blog as I try to balance doing what I love with doing stuff with the ones I love.

I just want to say first of all that the new 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalogue is officially out. And it's really beautiful. If you just sit and look at the ideas first, you will be so inspired. If you look at the products next, you will be "I want that, that, that and that!" I promise you, you will making a wish list starting on the first page of the catalogue. Let the games begin.

I'm super excited about using the new in colours and the new products that Stampin' Up has up their sleeve this year. It's a great time to be crafting.