A Little of This and a Little of That...

You know how it is.  You're browsing in a store and suddenly you spot something.  It's nothing much, actually, but it totally grabs your imagination and you can already see your finished project in your mind.  Well, that happened to me when I was looking for a plain old Post-It note pad.  I found one but I found something even better as well---another Post-It note pad.  The other Post-It note pad was perfect!  It matched my Dress Up framelits and I was certain I could match the colours in the note pad.  So, of course, I bought that one as well.

Can you see what I mean about this being a perfect Post-It note pad?  Since I already had a standing acrylic 5"x7" frame which I had bought some time ago on spec, the ideas were just falling all over each other in my head.  I finally decided to match the image on the note pad as closely as possible but I would reverse the background colours.  I chose to put Bermuda Bay as the main background and then put a strip of the Certainly Celery from the Subtles Collection Designer Series Stack at the bottom.  The colour match was phenominally close.

I chose a piece of Naturals White cardstock to cut the dress dummy using the Dress Up framelits.  Then I used the same framelit to simply cut a piece of Basic Black cardstock, eliminating the bottom stand.  I hand cut the top to match the top of the dress on the note pad.  Once the Basic Black dress was adhered to the dress dummy, it looked perfect.  Since I didn't have a stamp for the shoes I decided to punch out a heart from a piece of Red Glimmer paper using the Small Heart punch and a tiny heart using the Owl Builder punch.  The large one, I adhered at the base where the floor would be and the tiny one, I adhered to the waist of the dress.

Then I drew a choker necklace using my Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Marker and covered that with the Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details.  Once that was dry, I was able to slip the completed design into the standing acrylic frame.  It was no work at all to put some strips of Sticky Strip on the back of the note pad to adhere it to the left of the frame.

This stands perfectly on my desk and is so much nicer in person.  And it all began with a Post-It note pad...

Playing with clay!

If someone had told me that I'd be making my own flowers and buttons and dozens of other things out of clay to embellish my cards, I'd have scoffed.  Why bother when there are so many embellishments available, right?  Well, guess what!  I'm making my own and loving it.

You're going to have so much fun when you come to my Open House!  We're going to make and colour our own flowers for the awesome card we'll be putting together.  Intrigued?  Well, you should be.

In my last order I received the White Simply Pressed Clay that will be available with the new catalogue.  It's so easy to use and stays flexible even after drying.  It can be coloured by kneading some drops of ink refill into the clay but I found it was easiest to get precisely the colour I wanted for my project by leaving the object the clean white colour of the clay and then using my Stampin' Write Marker to colour it (or an ink pad with a blender pen).

I went a bit crazy using the clay because it was so easy to use.  Not only did I use the Simply Pressed Molds that you can buy for the clay, but I also used a couple of my Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps.  Actually anything that you can push the clay into will act as a mold and once it's dry you have a brand new embellishment.

The card which I made features the clay embellishments as well as two of the new In-Colors and also the new Mosaic Punch that is also in the new catalogue.  This time, instead of using the punch with the Mosaic Madness stamp set, I used it simply to cut out six of the shapes from the Crisp Cantaloupe cardstock.  Using my Bone Folder, I curved the sides of the shapes to give them some dimension and sponged them with the same coloured ink.  I then layered them in threes to make a blossom.  I also used the leaves framelit from the Secret Garden framelits to cut out two sections of leaves from the new Pistachio Pudding cardstock.

For the rest of the card, I used the Pool Party cardstock as well as the Island Indigo cardstock.  They matched the piece of Quatrefancy Specialty Designer Paper perfectly.  I cut a window out of the designer paper using one of my Window Frames Collection framelits so that I could feature a piece of the printed window sheet from the same Specialty Designer Paper.  Love the result!

Put them all together and what do you get?

I have a hand-coloured clay flower inside the paper blossom as well as at the top left.  The L O V E is made out of the clay as well and then hand-coloured.  For the letters I used one of the cookie presses that was available for Demonstrators, saying "LOVE what you DO".  The "LOVE" letters were the perfect size for my card.  The ribbon I've used diagonally across the top left is some Island Indigo left over from Sale-a-bration.

I absolutely love this card.  The new colours---the new clay embellishments---everything just comes together perfectly.

Introduced by "Madison Avenue"

Remember the Madison Avenue stamp set which you could get free with a qualifying purchase during Sale-a-bration this year?  Didn't you just love those tile-like influences in the design?  Well, Sale-a-bration may be over for the year but just wait a few days for the unveiling of the new catalogue and you may just be as delighted as I was to see the continuation of this design.  Of course with the brand new stamp sets (you'll have to wait for the new catalogue to discover the name) there is a wider range of stamps and designs to combine.  Intrigued?

For this particular card, I've used two of the new colours that have been added to the colour collections.  I love the richness of the colours, don't you?  I stamped right in the centre of the designs made by the brand new embossing folder and the stamped images just "pop" against the Whisper White.

For the sentiment I used one of those cute Round Array stamps that is available in a bundle at 15% off with the matching 7/8" round scallop punch.  If you want that bundle, be sure to order it before May 30th to get that 15% savings.

And this card uses some more new colours as well as the same new stamp set and embossing folder.  Like the sentiment?  It can be yours if you hold a workshop and choose it as one of your hostess gifts.  This sentiment along with five others make up a really versatile stamp set.

Remember, you'll be able to order from the new catalogue starting May 31st.  I'll be posting more of the tempting new products over the next week or so.

May brings us Brides and Babies!

What a terrific stamp set Stampin' Up! has just released for their May 25th Anniversary Best of Stamps!  It's a beautifully drawn set of five stamps, four of which have been released sometime during the past 25 years and one of which is brand new and never-before-seen.  You can check out the PDF flyer here.


Aren't the images great?  And they don't just have to be used on cards.  Can't you just see some of them embellishing your scrapbook page?  Or that special page or framed art you're making for someone you love?

These stamp sets are being released, one each month, for the full year of 2013 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Stampin' Up!  To sweeten the pot, Stampin' Up! is giving away a "proof of purchase sticker" with each stamp set in the 25th Anniversary collection.  Adhere the sticker to the Collector's Card that your Demonstrator gives you and, once you've collected six, you can send in your collector's card and redeem a FREE set of your choice, up to a value of $17.95.

What a deal!  Can't you see yourself using this set for your projects?

Would you like to see a "hidden door"? How about a Hidden Door card?

I love playing with different types of cards.  One card that I found a while back was called the "hidden door" card and I knew I had to try making one.  Well, I did and it was actually easy, but I didn't like the way the card looked when you opened it.  So, of course, I had to fix that.

This is the original card I made after seeing a hidden door card.

Number 1 is the front of the card with a girdle around it.  The card opens in the centre, like a gate, and because it is folded inside, it actually works best with a girdle around it.  Number 2 is the inside of the card as you just open the front cover.  I've also stamped on the inside of the front cover to give it more interest.  Number 3 shows what happens when you open the card along the centre line of the inside.  You see through the "hidden door".  I thought this was so terrific, but wanted something less checkerboardy for the inside of my card.

This is the card that I created next:

I wanted to make this card more striking and so I used colour for it.  Yes, the two blooms are different colours.  I used the Raspberry Ripple ink for one and the Primrose Petals ink for the second.  The leaves are stamped in Gumball Green for both.  I used the full flowers from my Fabulous Florets stamp set (love that set and am so glad it is not being retired) and cut them out before adhering them with dimensionals.

The girdle is simply made using a piece of Basic Black cardstock.  A hand-coloured butterfly from the Papillon Potpourri stamp set and cut out with the matching Elegant Butterfly punch was glued to the join in the cardstock and then I used my Itty Bitty Banners stamp set and matching framelit for the sentiment.  I was so happy with the front of the card, it didn't even have to become a "hidden door" card to be special.

But, of course, it did become a "hidden door" card.  When you take the girdle off and open the front of the card, this is what you see:

I discovered that I could fully cover the checkerboard as long as I left a cut down the centre so that the secret door could still be opened.  So for this I used the Early Edition Designer Paper as my background (I'm going to miss that paper since it's retiring with the current catalogue).  In the centre of that I stamped the chair from the Cherish Friendship stamp set (retiring, so get yours before it's gone at the end of May) on Very Vanilla cardstock.  I cut that out using my Labels Collection framelit.  Then I stamped the goose from the Cherish Friendship set on Whisper White and cut it out using my wonderful snips.  I loved the way it all looked after hand-colouring it, especially since the goose overlapped just slightly, taking attention away from the cut down the centre of the page.  I finished that page off using the Word punch to cut out the sentiment I put together using the Fabulous Phrases stamp set. 

Now, for the hidden portion that you reach by opening the page I just made.  You sort of bend it in the middle and pull the hidden door apart and, voila, you reach the hidden page:

As you can see:

I left this page in checkerboard because it allowed me to use a number of sentiments together.  It was such fun, especially finishing it off using the floral butterfly stamp from the Papillon Potpourri set.

You know, I think this is going to have to be one of the WOW cards in my next class.

Another "Bombs Away" Birthday Card

This is such a fun set to use!  I knew as soon as I saw the set, Bombs Away Birthday, that it would be great for use with the chalkboard technique.  This time, however, I combined the set with the original Photopolymer stamp set, Designer Typeset.  Talk about a card that's black and white and "red" all over.  (Had to say it!)

I'm sorry to say that the Spritzer tool which I used to get the spots all over the card is being retired this year. I love using mine.  At a reduction of 25%, this is the time to get this amazing tool.

A New Photopolymer Stamp -- Birthday with a zinger!

Well, Stampin' Up! is now offering two Photopolymer stamp sets:  Designer Typeset and the brand new Bombs Away Birthday (item #133411).  I really enjoyed making a card using the new one.

One of the things that I particularly like about this stamp set is that it uses some beautifully varied type.  I can see my next card using the set being a chalkboard style.  The sentiments are perfect for that technique.  The sentiment I decided to use just begged me to use the Music Notes wheel.  They go together perfectly.

In looking through my Designer Paper, I found a piece in the Patio Party which just "spoke" to me.  It's simple, primarily Baja Breeze with tiny Whisper White hearts all over it.  So I used the Baja Breeze as my base cardstock and combined it with the Designer Paper and also some Midnight Muse and Whisper White cardstock.  For my stamping and a bit of sponging around the sentiment, I used the Midnight Muse ink.

What appeals to me about this new set of Photopolymer stamps is that all the sentiments are light-hearted and offer the sort of zingers you would feel comfortable making to really good friends.  This card, for example, is perfect for one of our friends who would be totally mortified if the staff in a restaurant ever came to the table and sang "Happy Birthday" to him.  I'm sure you have friends like that, too.

The beauty of this set of 7 stamps is that it costs only $16.95.  That made it a must have for me.

Specials Ending April 30th

Yes, there are some time-limited specials which you may not want to miss.

One of those is the special-release package called "Sent With Love".  The Designer Paper is perfect for all those travel spreads you may wish to scrapbook and also for those special cards you're itching to create.  You can get all the products in this bundle separately, but why would you wish to when you can get the entire bundle for 20% off.

Another specially priced bundle that you will be excited about is the "This and That" line.  All the products in this bundle can be bought separately now and in the brand new catalogue which debuts June 1st.  What you won't be able to do after April 30th, however, is to buy all the products in a bundle, saving 15%.  No, this offer does not appear in the new catalogue, where you will have to buy each product in the line separately.

Remember, you can either contact me and include these bundles in my current open Workshop Order or you can click on the link I've provided (the name of the product is your "hot" link) and order them online.  If you type in the Hostess Code, 9EDMJAPY,  you will be eligible for one of my free give-aways.

My Thanks to YOU!

Hi everyone!  The retirement lists are out and you can click on the hot spots in my last posting to see what is leaving Stampin' Up! that you might be interested in buying before it's gone forever.

I also have an Open Workshop order right now and, if you're wanting to be included, you can contact me to place an order (it can be retirement items or current items or a mixture of both).  If you wish to be included but prefer placing your order online, you can choose to use the Hostess Code to be included in my Open Workshop, 9EDMJAPY, and for your order, you can even include Clearance Rack items.

Anyone included in the Open Workshop will, of course, receive a custom-designed card, but for this order only, if your order is $25 or higher (before shipping and tax), I will include a package of the Silver Glimmer paper

or a package of the Rhinestone Basic Jewels, your choice, as a "thank-you" for your continued support of me as your Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Stampin' Up! Retirement List---Get your favourites before they are gone forever!

You have until June 3rd, 2013 BUT if you're familiar with Stampin' Up! you know that a lot of the items on the list will not last until that date.  If you see something you've had your eye on, don't delay.  Once it's gone, you've lost your chance.

We're making room for all the fresh and fun new products in the NEW 2013/2014 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue which is coming out May 31st.  To do that we have to say goodbye to some of our old favourites.  Yes, it's hard to say goodbye, isn't it?  But you don't have to.  You can still grab those special items you love before they're gone forever.

*DOWNLOAD  Stampin' Up! Retired Accessories

*SHOP  Retired Accessories
       
              25% Off

              40%Off

              60% Off

*DOWNLOAD  Retired Stamp List

*SHOP  Retired Wood Mount Stamps

              Retired Clear Mount Stamps

If you're going to order online, remember you can add on any Clearance Rack merchandise as well.  Make a list of all your favourites and get them before they're gone, gone, gone!

Happy Earth Day everyone!

Stampin' Up! has some great stamps.  I didn't have any problems finding some appropriate ones for my Earth Day card.  Hope you enjoy it!

Remember, we'll be finding out which stamp sets made it into the new catalogue soon.  The retirement list will be out in a few days.  If there is a stamp on that list which you've had your eye on, it will be your last chance to buy it.

Sometimes a kit is the answer!

Have you seen that cute "dress dummy" framelit?  It's part of the Dress Up framelits that compliment the All Dressed Up stamp set.  I've used it for several cards and also at my last make-n-take for a charity Scrapbooking All-Day Crop.  It's a fun element to use on a card but sometimes, cute as a framelit is, you might not see a lot of continued use for it and be hesitant to buy it.

Stampin' Up! has come up with a great kit that lets you use the "dress dummy" element for a total of six cards at an affordable $17.95.  For that price you get everything you require to make six cards.  Everything! How great is that?

What is "everything", you ask?
        - Happy Birthday Photopolymer Stamp (1)
        - 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" Crumb Cake Cardstock (6 pieces)
        - 2" x 4 1/4" Very Vanilla Cardstock (6 pieces)
        - Very Vanilla Medium envelopes (6)
        - Tea Lace Paper Doilies (6)
        - Dress-Up die cut (6)
        - Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Spot (1)
        - Vanilla 5/8" Flower Trim (6 pieces)
        - Sponge Dauber (1)

As long as you have an acrylic block onto which to mount your stamp and some Snail Adhesive, you're good to go.  You can jump right in and begin making your cards.

What do the cards look like?  They're actually a great design and will blow the recipient away.  And the Happy Birthday stamp will come in handy for your future birthday cards as well.

Isn't that a terrific looking card?  You could buy the kit for yourself to make those next six birthday cards on your list or you could buy the kit for your crafty friend or relative and surprise them with a project that they will love making.  And it's only $17.95 (Item #133913)..

Remember you can order this through my online store or you can contact me directly.  I'd love to plan a workshop for you and your friends and introduce you to this kit and all the other wonderful new items Stampin' Up! is offering.

Spring is Timid this Year!

If the weather people are right, it will be snowing overnight.  This is simply wrong!  It is, after all, April 16th.  The white stuff should be melted and long gone by now, even here in Alberta.  Considering that the first flakes began falling back on October 23rd, I think Winter and its white accoutrements have had a long enough run.  It's time for a change--a warm change!

As a result of this unseasonably cold weather, I couldn't help but create a card that made me feel more in tune with Spring.  That beautifully rendered stamp set, Nature's Walk (121997 Clear; 121925 Wood) simply cried out to be used.

For this card I decided to use my Watercolour Paper and Watercolour Pencils.  I love the way images look when I use those in conjunction with my Aqua Painter.  The butterfly, bee and flower looked as good as I had hoped they would.  I even used the blue watercolour pencil to create a light wash behind the images.

The colours in the images helped me choose the base cardstock and all the remaining Designer Papers and cardstock colours.  The perfect choices were More Mustard for the base, Midnight Muse as the next layer, the lattice design from the Print Poetry Designer Series Paper Stack, and, for my mat behind the Watercolour Paper, the Midnight Muse with script, again, from the Print Poetry Stack.  I love it when the choices are so easily made.

I knew I wanted to add the bird, as my Spring Robin, but decided to stamp it on the Glossy White paper to make it stand out against the Watercolour Paper.  To colour my robin, I used a selection of the Stampin' Write Makers.  I'm happy with the way it turned out.  The fussy cutting: a real chore, but when you have an idea in mind, you have to go with it.  Thank goodness for the Paper Snips.  They are so sharp and have that wonderful, tiny, pointed end which makes cutting a robin's feet not only possible but actually easier as well.

I wanted to have a sentiment on the card, but I really didn't want to take away from the images.  What a perfect time to use the brand new stamp set: A Round Array (129090 Clear).  I used it with the matching 7/8"" Scallop Punch and also used the 1" Circle Punch to create a background and the 1/2" Circle Punch to cut out the centre of a second image I stamped, to give the sentiment a layered look.

And the card was ready for assembly.  Just making it made me feel as if Spring might actually be ready to show itself.  How could there not be robins out there?

I love the way this card turned out.  The only thing that would make it even better would be looking out my window and seeing the scene as reality.  (Are you listening, Spring?)

A Colour Refresh---News Regarding the Stampin' Up! Color Families!

There is a real shake-up in the Stampin' Up! colors!  Ten of our colors are being discontinued.  The Color Families are undergoing a real change, with the Regals and Subtles experiencing a real "shuffle" as colors leave or join a new family collection.  Check out the chart below for the details!

Announcing Stampin' Up!'s upcoming Color Refresh! We love color and we know that you do too. Color is fundamental to who we are and what we offer. We are thrilled to share our updated line of colors, and hope you will be as excited as we are by the new possibilities!

• Brand NEW - Smoky Slate
• FOUR returning current In Colors include: 
  • Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Island Indigo, Wisteria Wonder
• FIVE returning past In Colors include: 
  • Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry (Both from 2009-10 In-Colors)
  • Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride (Both from 2010-12 In-Colors) 
  • Soft Sky (From the 2008-09 In-Colors) 

Check out these colors displayed in their new collections!

Colors Retiring/Discontinuing:

• Regal Rose
• Pretty in Pink
• Bashful Blue (re-inkers out of stock)
• Certainly Celery (re-inkers out of stock)
• Baja Breeze
• Riding Hood Red
• Bravo Burgundy
• Not Quite Navy (cardstock already out of stock)
• More Mustard
• River Rock
• Lucky Limeade (2011/2013 In-Color)

Playing with colour!

Things are so grey outside right now!  Maybe I'm just more conscious of colours (and the lack thereof) because even with very variable weather on our vacation, the colours in the Caribbean are so saturated that a bit of rain or cloud doesn't have the impact it has here.  Since I've come home, I feel as if my colour perception has gone wonky.  Shouldn't there be more colours in my world?

Well, if I don't see the colours I want when I look out through my windows, there is nothing for me to do but add some colours inside my room.  What better way than to create a card?

I've liked some of the cards I've seen where people have stamped flowers on Crumb Cake and then coloured them in with a layer of white craft re-inker.  Why not try it on something a bit more saturated, I asked myself.  I liked the idea of using Chocolate Chip as my background to really make the colours "pop"--and so I did!

Step 1:  Cut a piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock with the Top Note die.

Step 2:  Using Versamark, stamp selected flowers on die cut.  (I used some of the flowers from My Secret
             Garden and some from Fabulous Florets.)

Step 3:  Sprinkle stamped flowers with white embossing powder and heat emboss.

Easy, right?  Even at this stage, the flowers just "pop" against the deep, warm brown of the Chocolate Chip. My next step was to colour in each of the flowers with some of the Whisper White Craft Re-Inker.  I used my Aqua Painter for that.  Because of the intensity of the Chocolate Chip, I wound up using a second coat in order to have the pale base on which to add the desired colours for my flowers.

Once this layer is dry, it's easy to paint on the colours of the flowers using a Stampin' Marker or a Blender Pen and ink from a Stamp Pad.  I also like to use those terrific Watercolor Wonder Crayons.  Anyway you choose to get the right colour into those flowers is fine.  You'll just be blown away by the terrific contrast you have against the background Chocolate Chip.

Even with just one layer of colour and no shading, you can see how nice this is going to look.  I like to let the layers dry in between and then just deepen the colour towards the centres.  After I get everything the way I would like it to look, I add in some leaves using the Gumball Green embossing powder.  It just "pops" against the Chocolate Brown and adds dimension to the piece.

Finally I mounted the piece onto a base of Rich Razzleberry and a layer of Crumb Cake embossed with the Woodgrain embossing folder.  Add the sentiment and it's all ready to go.

This is such a fun way to have bright flowers on a dark background.  It takes a bit of time but it's definitely worth it in the end.

I'm Off!

Off on vacation, that is. :)  So please bear with me if my blog lags behind a bit.  I will be all rested up and raring to post once I get back.

One little reminder about the brand new product:  This and That.  I just ordered mine this morning before I shut down for vacation.  This and That should be a lot of fun and bring a new flavour to your journaling/scrapbooking.  Such an easy thing to take along on vacation and fill with "this and that".

Other than that, I'm off.  Off to what I'm hoping will be a sunny vacation (although apparently there will be rain and a thunderstorm on Monday---*sigh* I hope the weather gets the bad out of its system so the rest of the time will be warm and toasty.)

I've posted this card before, but it says it all.

For those who haven't seen this card before, I have a complete tutorial with pictures and a template here.

Huge changes for My Digital Studio!

Effective immediately Stampin' Up! is offering My Digital Studio (otherwise known as MDS) at an enormous savings of 75% off.  Yes, you can now buy the full package for only $24.95.  Astounded?  I certainly was.  And this isn't a special price for a limited time.  No, the MDS will be regularly priced at $24.95 from now on.

You're probably wondering if I'm calling it MDS because it's the original programme.  Nope, that programme no longer exists.  And since it doesn't exist, it makes sense to simply call it MDS instead of  MDS2 and MDS2+.

Why is Stampin' Up! offering MDS at such an enormous saving?  Apparently we have now moved to another level in the production of the programme.  The producer of the programme, because of the large numbers we are now able to sell, is giving Stampin' Up! a better price and Stampin' Up! is passing that new, much more affordable price down to its customers immediately.

There is no time like the present to try out your own hand at digital cardmaking or digital scrapbooking.  The prices for the finished printed product were dropped a few months ago, making it much more affordable to have it produced by Stampin' Up!  But you aren't limited to having your cards or photobooks printed by Stampin' Up!  Creations made in My Digital Studio can be exported and printed on your own printer or by other photo printing companies.

I enjoy making hybrid cards using My Digital Studio.  I print out part of the card and then add layers or embellishments, thus making it into a half-and-half, or hybrid.

This is the front of an Anniversary card that I made combining both "normal" card-making and digital card-making.

This is the next "page" of the card, showing the full figures of the bride and groom on the tandem bicycle.  The figures are actually a stamp brush set that wasn't available in a stamp.  I loved the look and so decided that having it digitally was better than not having it at all.  It printed out beautifully on my Whisper White cardstock and then I trimmed around the figures so that they would fit into the design of my card.

This is the whole card opened.  I love these double-fold cards.  I also love the fact that I was able to put together a card just the way I wanted because of My Digital Studio.

For more information on My Digital Studio, you can click here and check it out.

Faux Metal meets Need for Speed

I was trying to come up with an idea for a masculine card.  What is more masculine than a Quad and some bright and shiny metal?  Sounds like a match made in Heaven, right?   Using the Need for Speed stamp set and some embossed faux metal, I managed to make a card that just shouts out "I'm a masculine card!"

The faux metal is an easy technique, using some aluminum foil wrapped around a piece of cardstock and then run through the Big Shot in an embossing folder---in this case the Houndstooth folder.  A bit harder was cutting out the little Quad since there was some fussy cutting around the handle-bars.

The hardest part of making this card?  Taking the picture.  Without the flash, the darker colours simply became too dark.  With the flash, I had the worst bright centre and everthing else was too dark.  The solution?  I finally stood across the room, zoomed in and the flash was weakened by the distance.  It's still not quite right because of the colours the metal reflects, but it's mot bad.

This and That!

Oh my!  Another sneak peek!  This new catalogue won't have any surprises at this rate, will it?  Or maybe it's going to be such a big catalogue that some of the good stuff is simply spilling out.

Introducing This and That.  What is it, you ask?  Good question.  It's what could be called an un-scrapbook.  It's also an un-journal.  It's a bit of both, mixed together with all sorts of colours and pockets and surprises.  It's easy to take on a trip and make little comments and notes and stuff full of all those souvenir pieces of paper and things. It's one of those things that will make you smile and share all those great memories over and over again.  You can leave spots for photos.  You can do anything---fill it up with this and that and every other thing.  It's your choice.

This and That will be available for early purchase beginning March 23rd.  And as a special treat all five products in the This and That line can be bought separately or, better yet, bought in a bundle.  That won't last.  After April 30th it will go right back to being available only by buying the products separately.  So doesn't it make sense to get the bundle and save 15%?  With the money you save you can buy some of those other products you're always running out of.

Epic Day This and That Journal                         #131268    $13.95
Epic Day This and That Designer Series Paper  #130814    $13.50
Remember This and That Rotary Stamp            #130133      $7.95
Epic Day This and That Designer Stickers         #133271      $5.95
Epic Day This and That Designer Washi Tape   #131269      $6.50
Epic Day This and That Bundle                         #133350    $40.67  (15% off retail value!)

Remember---that's March 23rd.  You can order this terrific bundle of possibilities online or by contacting me.  I'll bet you can't wait to try this out!

Harbinger of Spring

I'm so ready for Spring.  For a few days it was actually beginning to seem as if Spring was around the corner.  I didn't even have to wear my winter boots for nearly a week.  I was daydreaming of wearing flip-flops.  And then it snowed again---and again---and again.  I guess Winter isn't quite ready to let go.

I've been picking up the Nature's Walk stamp set off and on but hadn't really decided what I wanted to do with it.  When it began snowing again, I knew I had to have a Robin in my life.  If they weren't ready to fly back to this snowy area, then I was going to make my own.  And so I did.

I really like my little robin even though cutting him out was a bit of a chore.  Still, he looks almost as if he's going to burst into song, doesn't he?  That's what gave me the idea to use the Natural Composition Designer Paper with the musical notes embossed on it.  A perfect background for one of the more musical birds.

I wanted flowers, too.  I have loved the Fabulous Florets stamp set from the very first time I saw it.  The flowers in that set are wonderful.  This time I decided to make some very delicate flowers using the Creped Filter paper.  Yes, that's very flimsy paper, but with a couple of layers of watered-down Crystal Effects on  the fronts of the flowers and a layer of the Frost White shimmer paint on their backs, they had a lot more body.  I loved the effect.

I used my watercolour pencils in order to get the very subtle colours in the flowers and also in the robin.

My finished card definitely made me feel a lot better.  If it isn't going to look like Spring outside, then I've at least managed to bring Spring inside.

Doesn't the card make you feel as if Spring is here?