Swappin' Polka Dots!!

We are less than a month away from school starting again! I knew this summer was going to be crazy before I even started, but it has gone by more quickly than I even imagined!!

I have not only working on my monthly projects for Spellbinders (which you will be seeing SOON!), but I have also been trying to get my swaps done for SU Convention!! (I am having a group about 26 of my friends from SCS over for a party on Friday night . . . CAN"T WAIT!!) The only swaps I am making are for my party. I just decided I didn't have the time for general swapping this year . . . .

Which brings me to this post . . . this is the card I made for my swap on Friday night (and it even kind of matches my blog colors!). What do y'all think??? I'm hoping that not too many of my dinner guests will get this sneak peek (if you are peeking, girls . . . HI!!). My daughter actually had the idea for all the fun polka dots in different colors . . . brilliance goes both ways, eh??? (hehehehehe!!) I realized it has been AGES since I did a card made with nothing but SU products. It proved to be more difficult than I thought, as I was trying to keep with stamps and everything that are current!!

I get to see the new catalog in just a few hours. I feel kind of like the woman in that old Mervyn's commercial who is standing at the door early in the morning, "OPEN-OPEN-OPEN!!!" It's going to be AWESOME!!

Hope y'all have a great day! I will have some more butterflies to share with you in a day or two . . .

Stamps: It's All Good, Polka Dot background
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Basic Black
Accessories: Scallop circle punch, 1 3/8", 1 1/4", 1", 3/4", 1/2" and 1/4" circle punches, rectangle hand-held punch, 1/4" Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon, paper piercing tool/mat

Birthday Challenge

I was the LSC hostess on Splitcoast today. The challenge was to do a birthday-themed card using only paper, stamps and an ink pad . . . no markers, pencils, pens, or crayons, etc., allowed. For line art images, I had encouraged the challengees to do paper piecing. It was really fun. I also said that they could use ribbon as the only embellishment and limit their use of punches!

With that said, this first card I did with Big Bold Birthday and some Bella Rose dsp. I LOVE that stuff! It's really making me like the new In Colors. I sooooo wanted to add some Stickles to the hearts on top of the cupcake, and/or glitter the cupcake top. But since this is a limited supply challenge, I had to restrain myself!!

Stamps: Big Bold Birthday, Crosshatch
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Bella Rose dsp
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red
Accessories: Chocolate Polka Dot Satin Ribbon (Papertrey), 1" circle punch, word window punch, dimensionals

This second sample I did with a line art image. I had a lot of fun paper piecing this little turtle (the toenails just crack me up!!). I used more of the Bella Rose dsp, too. I like how Kiwi Kiss and Old Olive are the same color, but different shades. It's nice to use them together to create a little dimension.

Stamps: Older and Wiser, Sweet Stars
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Bella Rose dsp
Ink: Basic Black, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Pumpkin Pie striped grosgrain ribbon, large and small oval punches

Once again, I had my darling daughter, Amelia, help me with a sample for this challenge. She and I both totally love this little puppy from Ruff Day. SU hasn't had a decent doggie set in years. I really hope there is one in the new catty (I'll find out at Convention next week!). She finished this card before I had finished either of mine. She knew what she wanted to do and just got 'er done!!

Stamps: Ruff Day, Polka Dot bg, Send a Celebration (Papertrey)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Summer Sun, Night of Navy, Whisper White
Ink: Summer Sun, Real Red, Brilliant Blue, Espresso Adirondack by Ranger
Accessories: Red Double Stitched ribbon by Offray

I {{HEART}} Sock Monkeys!!

I was so excited when I saw this little sock monkey stamp in SU's preview catalog! I think sock monkeys are just kind of one of those things that are so ugly that they're cute! My kids have always liked them, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this little stamp set!

Busy, busy, busy card!! I've got some old, new and in between stuff going on here. I was able to combine my own "Follow the Butterflies" challenge with SC186 (see link and/or slideshow on sidebar at right for more info). Threw in a retiring stamp (Dilly Dally Friends wheel) with a new stamp (Sock Monkey), a couple of "hanging on" stamps (Twill and Polka Dot bg's), and some unknown butterfly stamp, so I've got a lot happening here.

Stamps: Sock Monkey, Twill bg, Polka Dog bg, Dilly Dally Friends wheel, butterfly (unknown)
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Barely Banana
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black (craft and classic), Ruby Red and So Saffron markers, Whisper White
Accessories: May Arts polka dot organza ribbon, glue dots

Isn't She Lovely??

I don't usually post scrapbook pages here. To be honest, I am sooo far behind on my scrapbooking, and have NEVER done 12x12 pages 'til I got on the design team for Spellbinders (we submit one layout for their gallery every month - along with a card and an altered/3D item).

I did this layout for May and really love how it came out! This photo I took of my daughter is one of my absolute favorite pictures of her ever! I just love all the colors from the flowers and the smile on her face. I knew I had to do something with it as soon as I took it!

The "border" that runs from top to bottom on this page is one of my favorite elements. I used the "Wreath of Hearts" die by Spellbinders. After cutting/embossing the heart, I left it in the die and used Whisper White craft ink to stencil it. After I removed it from the die, I cut it in half, and ran the "havles" down the page and covered the edges with ribbon (I placed some green cardstock behind the heart to fill in the heart in the center). I also used this same die to mat the sentiment circle. I just used my leftover halves and placed them strategically under the sentiment. Pretty cool, eh?

I am still out of town (my dh and daughter are sleeping, but we will be getting up soon to go and play). i will post some more when I return home.

Thanks to those who have been posting kind words on my projects lately. It really means a lot. The encouragement keeps me goin'!

Paper: Prism Prismatics Sage Dark, Sage Medium and Classic Purple; Whisper White by SU
Ink: Whisper White, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss Craft Inks
Spellbinders Dies: S4049 Wreath of Hearts, S4116 Classic Circle Nestabilities (Small), S3039 Postage Stamps, L209 Julius Alphabet
Accessories: Green Silk Ribbon by Creative Impressions, 1/8" circle punch, 2 Peas Ditzy font, Pop-Up Glue Dots

Honorable Mention . . . Not Bad!!!!

I was soooo excited when I discovered this morning that a project I submitted to Papertrey for their Guest Star Stamper contest for July had received an honorable mention! Wahoo!!!! I had almost decided NOT to enter this month, as I have been out of town so much and I literally had less than 5 minutes left before the deadline to upload my project onto their website after I had finished it!! Soooo glad I did!

I have been meaning to do a gift like this project for my niece, Gwen, who just got married on May 27. When I saw the Boards and Beams stamp set, I knew that I had found what I needed to complete it (just had to find the TIME to do so!!).

I used my large scallop rectangle Nestabilies to create a mat. Basically, I just took one of the rectangles, started on one end of the Brocade Blue cardstock I had chosen to mat the project, and just kept sliding the die over after each cut with the Wizard, until I had created a large rectangle "hole" for the mat. I then stamped it with the Polka Dot Basics stamp set (also by Papertrey). Nothing else really tricky about this little housewarming gift. The only sad thing was that I lost the little "8" stamp from my Simple Alphabet set (another shout out to PTI!!) after I had stamped everything. It was only when I was cleaning up my "creative" mess that I discovered it missing!! (Insert frowny face here!!)

I'm headed out of town, yet again, to pick up my 17 year old son in Nauvoo, Illinois. He has been playing the bagpipes for a church pageant there for nearly three weeks. I am really excited to go and see him perform and to have a nice, long, cross-country drive (just like the ones my family used to take when I was a little girl). I have some fun books to listen to, a portable DVD player, and of course, my favorite pillow, so I should be all SET!!

I do have a project I am going to try and post while I am on the road at some point. I'll cross my fingers and hope it works!!

Stamps: Boards and Beams, Polka Dot Basics, Simple Alphabet - all by Papertrey; Rough Texture jumbo wheel by SU
Paper: Brocade Blue, Red Riding Hood, Night of Navy, Whisper White
Ink: Pitch Black Adirondak by Ranger, assorted Copic Markers, Brocade Blue, Night of Navy, Ruby Red, Bordering Blue
Accessories: Large Scallop Rectangle Nestablities, red stitched ribbon by Offray, large oval punch by SU, Stamped Cricut Cartridge

Busy, Busy, Busy!

I am right in the middle of the two busiest weeks of my whole summer, so I hope you will excuse the sporadic nature of my "posts." I was out of town last week from Wednesday to Sunday, then I am leaving town again this Thursday and won't be back until next Monday or early Tuesday! I plan to post at least two more times between now and the time I get back (which means I have to get my act together).

So, here I am back to a butterfly card. This makes card #47, for those of you who are counting!! (See the link on the sidebar to the right if you don't know what I am talking about!) I also combined SCS challenges for this card - CC175 (Almost Amethyst, So Saffron and Wild Wasabi) and TLC177 - to use a grid in your design somewhere. I stamped the "gridded" amethyst cardstock with the Linen background stamp, but it is hard to see the detail in the photo. It looks pretty cool!

Stamps: Dreams Du Jour, Linen bg
Paper: Wild Wasabi, Almost Amethyst, So Saffron, Whisper White
Ink: Black Adirondack by Ranger, So Saffron, Almost Amethyst, Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Crystal Ice Stickles, Scallop Border punch, Large Classic and Scallop Circle Nestabilities (S4114 and S4124), black gingham ribbon, double rectangle punch, Scor-Pal

"A" for Effort?

Although I had EVERY intention of trying to upload this post so that it would show up while I was out of town, I just ran out of time! I DID get the card made before I left . . . does THAT count???

I recently started playing and making butterflies with this Spellbinders die called "Bugs" . . . I really like how the butterflies come out when then are "reverse stenciled." For a tutorial on how I did this, click on the link below:

Reverse Stenciling

This makes card #46 in my "Follow the Butterflies" challenge (there is a link at the right for more info). I swear, it feels like sometimes the only cards I make have butterflies on them!! I still have 58 more to go . . .

I also did a two-fer card as far as SCS challenges go on this one. CC174 - Groovy Guava, Barely Banana and Chocolate Chip; and SC184.

I stopped on my way home from river rafting by Jackson Hole at our family's condo in Bear Lake. I think I am trying to have WAY too much fun this summer! I'll only be here 'til tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon, then I'm back home again . . . 'til next weekend!! It sure is making the summer fly by!!

Be sure to check out the butterflies on Donya's blog today! Can't wait to get my hands on THOSE!!

Puckish by Donya Schroeder

Stamps: Heartfelt Thanks, Fancy Flexible Phrases, Twill bg
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Barely Banana, Groovy Guava, Whisper White
Ink: Barely Banana, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Groovy Guava
Accessories: Spellbinders S4008 Bugs die, chocolate chip taffeta ribbon, large and small oval punches, horizontal slot punch, dimensionals

Playing with My New Dies!!

I made this card the other day with TWO of my new Spellbinders dies (which will be released at CHA in just a couple of weeks)!

The Pinking Pierceabilities die was featured on Ellen Hutson's blog on July 3. Here is a link to see what she did:

Simple Dreams

And the Pinking Nestabilities were featured on Michelle Wooderson's blog on July 7. Here is HER link:

Mish Mash

For some reason, when I had the two of these die sets sitting on the table next to each other the other day, the idea for this Christmas ornament just jumped out at me!!! I used the Pinking Pierceabilites in both a traditional and non-traditional way. As you can see, I bordered the edge of the medium green cardstock with the die as it was designed. The band I created on the ornament was the idea that did the jumping at my brain . . . I cut/embossed the die as you normally would, then turned the cardstock around, so that the "embossed" edge was placed on the cutting-edge side. I ran it through my Wizard again, so what came out was and embossed imaged that was cut on BOTH sides! I embossed it again just so that the embossing would be nice and crisp . . .

Then, I added a little bit of Stickles glitter to give this ornament the added bling it needed to look Christmas-y. I used one of my good ol' standard circle Nestabilites to emboss a little circle in the center of the ornament as well. It takes a little extra time to add the piercing to this die, but the results are TOTALLY worth it!! I think I'm in LOVE!!!!

And before I forget . . . be sure to check out Beth Pingrey's blog today for her FABULOUS tutorial using Spellbinders new Daisy Border Grand die!!

Cookies for Breakfast by Beth Pingrey

I'm going to be out of town through the weekend (again!!)! This is the summer of insane traveling all over!!! Most of my trips are short little jaunts . . . this weekend I'm going river running in Jackson Hole!! What fun!! I'm going to try to complete a card before I leave and try to "schedule" the post to come up while I am gone. I'm new at this, so I hope it works out!!

Have a great rest of the week and weekend!!!

Paper: Prism Prismatics Deep Blush Red, ColorMates by WorldWin Deep and Medium Glorious Green, Silver Metallic paper (unknown), Whisper White by SU
Spellbinders Dies: S4116 Small Standard Circles (Nestabilites), S4165 Pinking Pierceabilities, S4172 Small Pinking Circles (Nestabilities)
Accessories: Silver Metallic Ribbon (unknown), Crystal Ice Stickles, Horizontal Slot Punch by SU, Silver Cord by SU, CK Holiday Spirit Font

Back to the Butterflies!

As our Spellbinders "Sneak Peek" continues, I knew it was time to throw in card #45 in my "Follow the Butterflies" challenge! For those of you who are new to my blog, I have a link with an explanation on the sidebar to the right of this post AND a slideshow of the butterfly cards I have done thus far!

I think this butterfly from Unity Stamps is so unique and lovely. I used my Stampin' Up markers to outline the image in black, then used some Fantastix by Tsukinedo to make my own "markers" of sorts with reinkers of Wild Wasabi and Purely Pomegranate.

I scored the background piece using my Scor-Pal. That tool is such a fun toy!!! I then sponged the score lines so that they would "pop" off the page a bit more. This card was actually a "triple-play" challenge card for me on SCS, combining CC173 (Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery and Purely Pomegranate), WT173 - to use scored lines in your creation, and SC183.

If you have missed it, the featured die today (Sunday) was the Mega Curved Rectangle Nestabilities. Visit Linda Duke's blog to see her WONDERFUL samples:

Linda's Works of Heart by Linda Duke

The featured die tomorrow (Monday) is . . . can't tell ya!! You'll just have to visit Michelle Wooderson's blog to see!! Here is the link:

Mish Mash by Michelle Wooderson

Stamps: Butterfly Beauty by Unity Stamps, Paisley bg by SU
Paper: Purely Pomegrante, Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi, Shimmery White, Basic Black
Ink: Basic Black, Purely Pomegranate, Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Me & My Big Ideas Icons, Stickles, keytag punch, Purely Pomegranate double-stitched ribbon, Scor-Pal, sponge

Nesties, Independence & a WINNER!!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, AMERICA!! I consider myself quite patriotic, so I had to get that out of the way (and a BIG thank you to all of my friends from all over the world for indulging me and letting me celebrate the day!!)!!

Okay, so . . . down to business!! The winner of the Bird dies is . . . GINGER DALBO from Illinois!!! Many congratulations to you, Ginger!! Here's what Ginger had to say when we told her she won:

"Really? Wow--I'm excited!! I realize you've probably heard this before, but really, I haven't won anything before. I hope I can honor the birds and create an elegant project with them as did Wendy on her wedding card!"

Thanks so much to EVERYONE for entering!! I really appreciated all of your nice comments, too!! They totally made my day!!

I made this Nestie card for the LSC on Splitcoast today (thought it would fit right in with celebrating the Nestabilities birthday, too!). It was all dedicated to the 4th of July . . . no more than four layers (and I did NOT cheat, as the flap is part of the bottom layer - all one piece - so it's only four layers, technically!!) We were to use red, white AND blue (the "and" was the 4th thing there), and no more than 4 embellishment-types of things. I used my large scallop circle Nestabilities, my Spellbinders Stars dies, a jewel rhinestone sticker AND some ribbon that I got from my friend, Ellen Hutson. (Okay so I DID cheat a little on this one . . . I used the flower clip to hold the card closed so that I could take a photo of it . . . what's a girl to do??)

Speaking of Ellen . . . be SURE to visit her blog today, as she has some NEW Sneak Peek dies to show you!! You're going to love them AND what she has done with them!!

Simple Dreams by Ellen Hutson

Be sure to check the links on the right to go back and see what Debbie and Heidi have also done this week! AMAZING!!

I used a piece of navy cardstock as the base. It was cut to 10 1/2" x 3 1/2" and scored at 4 1/4" and 8 1/2". I only rolled my diecut sandwich into my Wizard partway and then reversed the direction and brought it back out so that I could cut just the edge of the flap.

Stamps: Patriotic background by Rubbernecker, Simple Stripes by SU
Paper: Night of Navy, Real Red, Sugar-Coated white by Doodlebug, red holographic stars by Sparkraft
Ink: Adirondack Snow Cap
Spellbinders Diecuts: Stars 5 (S4 092) and Large Scallop Circle Nestabilities (S4 124)
Accessories: Red Jewel sticker (ladybug) by Doodlebug, white ribbon with red edge (unknown), red flower clip by Creative Impressions

Spellbinders Pre-CHA Sneak Peek #4!!

Be sure to check out Heidi's blog today for the next sneak peek on the Frameabilities die! You're going to LOVE the amazing things she made with it!!

Here's a link:

Embellished Dreams by Heidi Blankenship

Be sure to check back TOMORROW MORNING (Friday, July 4th!) to see who the lucky winner of the Bird dies is!!!

Spellbinders Pre-CHA Sneak Peek #3!!

Let the party continue!! I am SOOOO excited to be sharing one of the new Spellbinders die sets coming your way at Summer CHA!! (Don’t forget to check out the “official rules” for the Spellbinders Birthday Celebration Sneak Peek Party Drawing – Wow! That’s a mouthful!! – at the end of this post!! Entering the drawing will make you eligible for the GRAND PRIZE – a new raspberry Wizard and $500 in Spellbinders dies – Hooray!)

The die set I am sharing with you is called “Nesting Birds” (S4 160), and has a suggested retail price of $19.99. As you know, birds are “oh-so-HOT” right now . . . and you KNOW we can always count on Spellbinders to be on the CUTTING edge!! (Sometimes I am too, too PUNNY!!) The smallest bird is 2” long from beak to tail and 1” tall; the middle bird is 3 1/8” long by 1 ¾” tall; and the “mama” bird is 5 ¼” x 2 ¾”.

I had a difficult time trying to decide WHAT kind of project to share with you with these fun dies, so I ended up making THREE different projects to give you the “full effect” of what possibilities are in store with this die set.

First, I made this gatefold wedding card. I wanted to give the bird a more “dove-like” appearance, so I cut the medium-sized bird from white sugar-coated cardstock by Doodlebug. It really isn’t covered in sugar, it’s just very sparkly! I then used an embossing folder to give the bird some swirls. I used some pink pearl paper by Sparkraft to add some iridescent wings (I actually cut off the bird's little beak to make this piece appear more like a wing.)



To create the “gates” for the fold, I used the largest of Spellbinders’ Mega Long Scalloped Rectangle Nestabilities. With a folded piece of cardstock (Perfect Plum), I ran the die through my Wizard, making sure to leave the folded edge slightly inside the die so it would not cut and would remain folded. I then “joined” the two halves of the card together with a 6” wide by 5 ¾” high piece of Pale Plum cardstock.

Next, I created a top layer for each side of the “gate” using a 2 5/8” x 5 7/8” piece of Pale Plum cardstock. I then stamped an image (using Perfect Plum ink) from the fun “Simply Stated” stamp set by Fancy Pants. The sentiment, which I created on my computer using the CK Bella font, was mounted on small classic and scalloped oval Nestabilities. I then added some 3/8” white organza ribbon and silver cord as a finishing touch.




Project #2 was created to show you what a full “nest” of birds looks like. These quick and easy “ornaments” would be a fun addition to any Christmas tree OR as a package topper for a Christmas package or wedding gift! I made all of the ornaments “two-sided”, so that if you DO decide to hang them on a tree, they will look lovely at ANY angle!









Bird #1
Paper: Karen Foster “Ornamentation” and “Season Stripes” designer paper; Prism Prismatics Sage Dark; silver reflective paper (unknown)
Accessories: Spellbinders S3 138 Ribbon & Bells die; lt. 7/8” green apple silk ribbon by Creative Impressions; Glue Dots; Silver Ice Stickles by Ranger








Bird #2
Paper: Prism Prismatics Blush Red Dark; Sparkraft Circles Silver Silver and Red Stars; silver reflective paper (unknown)
Accessories: Spellbinders S3 138 Ribbon & Bells die; Silver Encore ink; Silver Tinsel embossing powder by Close to My Heart; ¼” silver metallic ribbon (unknown)










Bird #3
Paper: Doodlebug Beetle Black sugar-coated cardstock; Curious Iridescents Cyrogen White by Arjo Wiggins; silver reflective paper (unknown)
Accessories: Spellbinders S3 138 Ribbon & Bells die; Silver Encore ink; Simply Stated stamps by Fancy Pants; 3/8” organza ribbon by Offray







And last, but not least, I wanted to showcase that Spellbinders dies are NOT just for paper!! I created these fun and funky earrings using some white Polyshrink Shrink Plastic by Lucky Squirrel. I colored them with an assortment of red and yellow markers by Copic, punched a 1/8” hole in the top, then heat set them with my heat embossing tool (be sure to use a pair of craft tweezers or the tip of a pen or pencil to hold it in place so you don’t blow it away while it is shrinking!). I then sealed the color with some “Make It Pearl” Paint by Krylon. I now just have to fight my 14 year old daughter for these, as she seems to think she is going to claim them as her own!!

Need diecut help? Here is a link to some awesome tutorials on YouTube that show you how to use Spellbinders dies in a variety of diecut machines.

Check out the link on the sidebar at the right for a complete schedule of blog “sneak peeks” continuing through July 13. (And to go back and check out the sneaks by Debbie Olsen and Jennifer Ellefson done on June 30 and July 1.)

Please leave your comments on this post and tell me what you think about this fun new die set.

Questions about the contest? E-mail kim@spellbinders.us for “official” clarifications. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!!

Spellbinders Birthday Celebration
Sneak Peek Party Drawing Information

Spellbinders will randomly pick one entry from each of the 14 Spellbinders Sneak Peek Blog reveals as stated in the “Rules”.

This name will be drawn to receive the die being revealed on said blog. These entries must follow all rules stated below to be valid for the drawing.

Entrants visiting all 14 Spellbinders Birthday Celebration Sneak Peeks Blog reveals and correctly entering their information into the 14 separate drawings, as described below, will automatically be entered into a GRAND PRIZE give away of a new RASPBERRY WIZARD and a $500 retail value die package!

Rules

Any participant wishing to be included in the daily drawing for the Spellbinders Birthday Celebration Sneak Peek die give away must adhere to all of the following rules:

1) Participant must click on the provided drawing link on blog to enter each individual drawing on sneak peeks between June 30 and July 13.

2) Participant must type in the subject line the name of the die or dies being revealed.

3) Participant must send their entry for this blog before 12:00 midnight Central Standard Time on July 3.

4) Participant is only allowed to enter each of the 14 Spellbinders sneak peek blog give away drawings one time per sneak peek. Participant must use the same email address daily to be considered for grand prize entry.

5) Spellbinders Design Team members and employees are not eligible for drawing.

Any participant wishing to be automatically entered into the drawing for the Spellbinders Birthday Celebration Sneak Peek Grand Prize drawing, must enter the drawing from all of the 14 blog reveals and follow all the above rules.

Please note:
*Spellbinders will only use email information to contact the winner.
*Spellbinders will not share this email address with any other parties.
*Spellbinders will not use this email information for advertisements or communication other than to contact the winner.
*If you wish to be included in further communications from Spellbinders, please go to their homepage and sign up: www.spellbinders.us

The contest to win the Bird dies has now officially ended. Be sure to check the links at the right for more chances to win other fun, new dies!!

Thanks for stopping by!!