A Masculine Valentine

For my honey and my nephews, I made a heart card, but not in traditional colors. I'm not the only one thinking this technique works for Valentine's Day; check out Lily's Ink Pad for another version.

Stamp Set: Fundamental phrases.
Cardstocks: Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Mellow Moss.
Punch: Modern Label
Ink: Creamy Caramel
Big Shot dies: Heart Embosslits, Top Note

Easy-peasy! Even if you don't have the Big Shot dies or machine, you could do a variation of this card with square layers, punched out hearts, and assorted embellishments. And using the more masculine colors makes this a cinch to use for the men in your life this Valentine's Day!

Feel the love, people.

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I still have two spots open for Saturday's Stamp Camp! Contact me to reserve your spot.

Favor bags for Valentine's Day

On Saturday, I spent my afternoon with one of my favorite people: My niece, Katie. Katie is getting ready for her first school Valentine's Day, which will celebrate friendship. So I brought my Stampin' Up! stash, Big Shot, and punches to her house to see if we could create fun, friendly valentines.

Well, Katie fell in love with the favor bag we could create with the Big Shot. So we ended up with 20 favor bags, cut from card stock and decorated with stamps, stickers, and other die cut shapes, including the Embosslit Heart of Hearts and Beautiful Wings die shapes.

These fun bags will be filled with small treats, including candy, erasers, and bookmarks for Katie to bring to her new friends at school.

Hey, if I was a six-year-old kindergartner, I'd want one!

Beating the winter blahs with Stampin'

Well, today, faced with gray, gray weather and a decided disinterest in doing much of anything, I changed out my "SNOW" door decoration for the turquoise butterflies from our Decor Elements line. They look awesome, and remind me that, indeed, spring is just around the corner.



Come beat the blahs with me this afternoon! I still have room for three for stamping from 1 to 3. Three cards, $5, Valentine themes. Plus demos of some great gifts!

Thinking of You...

I was sitting down to do some basic correspondence today, when I realized I was fresh out of "Thinking of you ..." kinds of cards. So I created this one:


This is primarily a punch and die-cut card, with just one stamp set--Fundamental Phrases--used. One of the things I love about being a demonstrator is the freedom it gives me to have all these lovely tools in my tool box whenever I want to play!

Tools used: Circle punch, Circle Scallop punch, Modern Label punch, Embosslits Fluttering Wings die for Big Shot, SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Cardstocks: Whisper White (base and tag), Very Vanilla (butterfly), Green Galore (Grass and stems), and InColor colors Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, and Soft Suede.

I used a faux suede technique to make these fluffy sunflowers. I punched out the circles and circle scallops, then spent some time with my bone folder "stripping" the fibers of the card stock (much like you would to make a curly ribbon with scissors). I carefully peeled the card stock apart, so I got two circles from each punched circle. The interior side is fuzzy, like suede. Scrunch it up, and you get even fluffier flowers. But I liked this simple look.

Don't forget to register for the Valentine Stamp Camp, coming soon!

Relief for Haiti, Stampin' Up! style

From now until February 28, 2010, $2 from every I {Heart} Hearts stamp set you buy will be donated American Red Cross’ Haiti Relief and Development Fund. The Red Cross is already well-established in Haiti, and this money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.

Product Name	Item #	Price
I {Heart} Hearts – clear-mount (block D recommended)	118571	$18.95
I {Heart} Hearts – wood-mount	117010	$26.95

This is a beautiful set, and it's a great way to help make a difference to the people of Haiti. Contact me today to place your order.

Amy

Creating a Gate

I love this layout, which I spied on my cousin Sara's blog this week. So I decided to try it out on a card:
Materials: Soft Suede and Crushed Curry cardstock; Vintage Vogue stamp set; Basic Black and Creamy Caramel Classic Ink Pads; Circle Fire Rhinestone brads; Fundamental Phrases stamp set; Modern Label punch.

As I finished it, I thought about how easy it would be to turn this layout into a gate card, which involves having two flaps meet in the middle of the front of your card. So I created this:
Materials: Old Orchid and Very Vanilla cardstock; Vintage Vogue and Four Square stamp sets; Rich Razzleberry and Creamy Caramel Inks.

Gate cards are really simple to make. Start by cutting your card stock lengthwise, so that you have a piece of base cardstock 4.25 by 11 inches. Turn with the 11 inch long side facing you, and score at 2 and 7.5 inches. Fold on score lines, and adhere your next layer of paper to the front of each flap, like this:
Next, cut your center piece, which will hold the card shut when you're finished, and place your next layer, embellishing that piece, as you go. A plain gate would look like this:



Finally, adhere your gate to the left flap of your card, being careful that you only use adhesive on the left half of the back of your center piece. Below is the finished sample; I've embellished with more Vintage Vogue stamping, Rich Razzleberry and Creamy Caramel Inks, and two flowers embossed and die cut with the Flower Burst Embosslits die for the Big Shot. (Ignore my smudgy sentiment on this sample, please.)
There! Creating a gate is an easy way to breathe new life into your card designs.

Peace!

Amy

Sale-A-Bration Starts Today!

Stampin' Up! offers an amazing sale every year called Sale-A-Bration, and it starts today! For every $50 you spend, you receive free product, including stamps, punches and more, from the Sale-A-Bration catalog OR a free stamp set, up to $15.95 in value, from the main catalog.

It's also the perfect time to become a demonstrator. You receive a big discount on the starter kit AND a free stamp set up to $47.95 in value from the main catalog, in addition to your free Sale-A-Bration product. It's a fabulous deal--and exactly why I became a demonstrator almost a year ago!

Today we also introduce the Mini Occasions catalog, which features fun products just in time for the spring holidays, and introduces our new punch design. I'm thrilled with it! And you can see samples of projects made with the new Vintage Vogue set in the Mini on this page.

Check out my web site today to place your order, or contact me to set up your personalized workshop.