SC340 Get Well Embossed

Fabulous Florets is one of my favourite new stamps and it's perfect for embossing. This card was inspired by the sketch challenge SC340 and the ways to use it challenge WT329 to combine something old and something new.

In terms of something old, the challenge suggested something older than 6 months. So, I used retired ribbon from when melon mambo was an "in colour" and not yet in the brights collection. I also used the Thoughts & Prayers stamp set that I have owned since it was released at least a couple years ago.

In terms of something newer than 6 months old, I used my new stamp set Fabulous Florets, and two new embossing powders (melon mambo and wild wasabi).

There are four different heat embossed elements on this card:

• the larger flower is heat embossed on whisper white paper with melon mambo embossing powder
• the small flower is heat embossed with white embossing powder on melon mambo paper
• the stem is heat embossed using wild wasabi embossing powder
• the sentiment is heat embossed using black embossing powder.

I love the look and feel that heat embossing gives to cards and I used to do it much more so now that Stampin' Up! has some great colours of powders, I plan on trying to use it more often again.

Stamps: SU Fabulous Florets, Thoughts & Prayers
Ink: Versamark
Paper: SU ww, basic black, malon mambo
Embossing Powders: whisper white, basic black, wild wasabi, melon mambo
Ribbon: SU 1/2" polka dot melon mambo grosgrain (retired), white bakers twine
Button: SU basic black from neutral designer buttons
Misc: SU heat gun, dimensionals

New Simply Soft CASE

I never even got around to finishing up making cards with all of my retiring stamp sets last month - I still had three more. Oh well, on to newer things!

As a demonstrator, we get a sneak peek of the new hostess sets in the new catalogue and are able to purchase a couple if we choose. I know it's another flower set, but I knew I wanted the simply soft set and I've had it in my possession for quite a while now but only just got around to stamping with it.

This is a CASE of this beautiful card by Karen. She always creates the most beautiful scenes like this using various techniques. This one involved what she calls "marker layering." It takes several shades of the same colour and layering them over one another leaving a little of each colour showing at the top. For this card I used pink pirouette, pretty in pink, regal rose and melon mambo. Karen also added a dot of white at the top of her flowers but it didn't look quite as nice without the dark contrast of her flowers so I opted to just leave it out.

Stamps: SU Simply Soft (hostess)
Ink: StazOn jet black, SU pink pirouette, pretty in pink, regal rose, melon mambo, certainly celery, lucky limeade
Paper: SU ww, pretty in pink, melon mambo
Ribbon: SU 5/8" pretty in pink satin
Misc: embossing folder

July $119 Starter Kit Promotion

Along with the new catalogue comes a great new promotion to become a Stampin' Up demonstrator. For the month of July, become a demonstrator for only $119. This limited time starter kit, a value of $205, comes with:

• Easy Events clear-mount set*
• Pennant Parade wood-mount set*
• Old Olive classic stampin' pad
• Pumpkin Pie classic stampin' pad
• Real Red classic stampin' pad
• Brights 8-1/2" x 11" assorted card stock
• Basic Black classic stampin' pad
• Whisper White note cards (20)
• Just Add Cake designer series paper*
• Chocolate Chip 1/2" scallop dots ribbon*
• Blender pen (1)
• Clear-mount block C
• SNAIL adhesive
• Business supplies
• Getting Started DVD
• Getting Started Guide
• Guest Invitation Postcards (100)
• 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalogue (8)
• 2011 Summer Mini Catalogue (8)
• Stampin' Up! logo vinyl
• Décor Elements applicator
• To My Hostess Envelopes (10)
• My Digital Studio Marketing DVD
• Recruit Folders (5)
• Recruit Brochures (20)
• Customer Order Forms (50)

* new to the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalogue.

Note that you can still purchase the standard or digital starter kits. Just like the standard and digital starter kits, you can change the $119 starter kit to an alternate stamp set of equal or lesser value, alternate card stock of equal or lesser value and alternate classic stampin' pads of equal or lesser value.

PLUS, if you join the Stampin' Up family in July, you will earn an exclusive Christmas Keepsake Project kit, a $50 value, that includes additional Stampin' Up products!

It's Here! 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalogue

The new 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalogue is here. Click here to view the catalogue.

Goodbye Best Bots Forever

I have to admit that this is one of the sets I've purchased that I had the best of intentions of using but never got around to even using it until now that it is retiring! Grant and I had picked it out to use for Valentine's for his class, but for several reasons I never got around to making them so I bought the similar boxes (seen in this post) for him to use instead. This is what I would have liked the cards to have looked like if I had made them!

The images were stamped using my stamp-a-ma-jig and Jet Black StazOn ink on watercolour paper. They were all then coloured using my stampin' write markers and an aquapainter. I created a little shadow underneath the robots using crumb cake ink to match the main cardstock. The designer paper is from the Nursery Suite set that is also retiring and, as seen above, is not limited to baby crafts!

Stamps: SU Best Bots Forever
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, SU regal rose, baja breeze, basic gray, crumb cake, real red, early espresso, pear pizzazz
Paper: SU crumb cake, baja breeze, regal rose, early espresso, nursery suite dsp, watercolour
Misc: SU aquapainter, dimensionals, stamp-a-ma-jig

Goodbye Sparkly & Bright

I know it's a bit early for Christmas cards, but it is exactly 6 months away now! Plus, the super cute Sparkly & Bright stamp set is retiring.

I decided to CASE this beautiful card by Stacey - I've had it in my favourites folder forever! I wanted to make it a standard size card instead of square because I don't have any satin red ribbon and I thought having a large card with skinny ribbon would look kind of funny. I was so annoyed because after the card was all assembled and all I had left to do was adhere the bow, I smudged the middle reindeer! If you are as picky as me, then you know this means I will probably never give this card to anyone but I was too annoyed with myself to make another! Maybe later!

It's a little hard to tell in the photo, but the one nose is coloured red,then  covered with crystal effects and dazzling diamond glitter.

Stamps: SU Sparkly & Bright
Ink: SU chocolate chip, real red
Paper: SU chocolate chip, real red, ww
Ribbon: SU 1/8" real red taffeta
Misc: SU crystal effects, dazzling diamond glitter

Goodbye Lots of Bots

Here's a card to send of the retiring set Lots of Bots. The ribbon and celebrations dsp are also retiring.

The robots were first stamped in black ink on whisper white paper and coloured using the various ink colours and blender pens. The middle part of the robot was then stamped again but this time in StazOn ink on watercolour paper, then wartercoloured with my stampin' write markers and aquapainter. Once coloured, they were cut out with my paper snips and glued on to the original stamped images.

The sentiment on the stamp was initially not coloured when I stamped the robots. Instead, I inked it up alone afterwards and used my stamp-a-ma-jig to line it up at the top where I wanted it!

Check out the little rhinestones on the bags too!

Stamps: SU Lots of Bots
Ink: SU basic black, pear pizzazz, bashful blue, real red, basic gray, StazOn jet black
Paper: SU ww, real red, watercolour, celebrations dsp
Ribbon: SU 5/8" real red grosgrain
Misc: SU aquapainter, blender pens, paper snips, rhinestones