Here it is Wednesday already....

Some days I just can't get over how fast the day flies by.  I'm so excited to share that I have 2 Gen Y friends who are about to take the plunge and join my Stampin' Up Team!  Can you say "Woo Hoo!!!"

Then there's the new release of our digital studio mds2+
I know I'm going to love it and can hardly wait to start teaching myself to use it in ways that I can only imagine.  Just watch this cute little video clip:

I have so many projects that are just begging to be worked on ---- my day job is just draining me of energy the last 4-5 weeks.  But we completed one of our BIG projects last week and I can honestly tell things are not quite as crazy this week.  Thank goodness!

Don't give up on me --- I have classes planned and can hardly wait to get together with you all again soon so we can start working on some fun projects!

New Stamps are in the House!

I've survived my first SU National Convention and put in a very full week at the office.  I was so excited to come home yesterday and find 4 boxes of new goodies waiting for me on my front porch.  I'm excited to have a full calendar of activities planned for us stampers for August.  So make sure you check back often --- I can't promise that my day job will allow me enough energy once I get home to create a new blog entry every day, but my goal is to plan on posting 3-4 times a week so you all don't think something terrible has happened to me.

Here I am with Jeanne Toewe, in front of the Salt Place Convention Center where all 3,500 of us Stampin' Up! ladies attended general sessions, classes, ate, participated in Make 'n Take Sessions and took in the sites of beautiful cards and 3-d projects submitted by many very talented ladies.

Here are a few of the Display Boards that caught my eye:

and here are Joanie and Jeanne as we walked into the Main Stage Area Thursday morning. The music was always pumped up and got everyone smiling and into the grove of a full day.

Back to the regular Saturday activities of a working Mama's schedule - laundry!

Studio Quality Product Photography With a $12 Set Up: Guest Post from Via U Photography Blog

Studio Quality Product Photography With a $12 Set Up: Guest Post from Via U Photography Blog

RS #7 - Creative Elements

RS #7 - Creative Elements

The vintage colors of Beau Chateau DSP seemed to be the perfect fit for this week's RetroSketch #7.  I created the flourish background with the large swirly stamp, using Crump Cake ink and added a few of the smaller Basic Pears.  The fleur de lis banner and the dahlia flower are also from the Creative Elements stamp set .... from vintage to elegant to delicate designs for weddings or showers - this set lends such an artistic flair!

Here's the sketch we were to follow for this week's challenge:

RetroSketch #7

What I used include:

Naturals White for the card base

Cardstocks:  Marina Mist, Crumb Cake, Blushing Bride & Very Vanilla + 2 small strips of Beau Chateau DSP.

Stamps:  Creative Elements, #122647-C

Inks:  Soft Suede & Crumb Cake

Accessories:  Scallop Border Punch and Basic Pearls

Here is a close-up of the floral/dahlia element:

and from the other side, so you can see the dimension created by adding Stampin' Dimensionals to the 2nd layer of the floral center:

Sorry I wasn't able to share a card or craft creation with you Monday and Tuesday ... Allen (my DH) has been out of town on business, followed by a 2-week personal trip to Africa.  He finally made his way home late yesterday evening after being gone 3-1/2 weeks.  I'll have to take a photo of my laundry basket after he unpacked!  OMG .... I need a laundry elf to come help out!

Thanks for taking time to look at my blog.  Leave a comment if you like what you see or to let me know other creative things you would like to see.  Have a great rest of the week.

Going, Going, Gone!

The Retirement List has been announced!

Retirement List is here

Hundreds of Stamps are retiring.  This is the BIGGEST list that Stampin Up has ever put out.


Why, because with the catalog transition, Stampin' Up decided to do an entire "refresh" of the product lines as well, so dig in and get your favorites before they are gone!….and hold on to your hat for the new exciting lines to be delivered in the new catalog.


Don't wait - if there are stamp sets on your Wish List, the Retirement List is only available from April 15th - May 31st, 2012.  (Select items are available while supplies last.) 


This is just the stamps list - the accessories list that will be retiring will be announced April 25th.  If you've been thinking about buying any of the sets on the list, I recommend you do it sooner rather than later, as supplies may be limited.


Here is a link to online shopping with me:  Shop Online With Karen

Blushing Bride Blossom

Blushing Bride Blossom

I love the  grey satin ribbon teamed up with the yummy colors of the Twitterpated DSP papers.  I've been working on my bow-making skills and find that it is a work in progress and that my results vary greatly depending on the ribbon I work with.  This double bow is tied with linen thread and capped off with a Blushing Bride button from the Twitterpated Designer Buttons collection, #125579 in the Mini Occasions Catalog.

You'll be surprised - but I used 5 punches to create this simple card!  Yes ma'am --- 5.  Here's a photo of two of the punches I used:

The Power of Punches 

The main embellishment is a flower, created by stamping a blossom from the Mixed Bunch stamp set, #125535-wood or #125537-clear, using Blushing Bride ink on Very Vanilla cardstock.  The center of the flower is created using the 1" flower center, inked with my Island Indigo Stampin' Write marker, then punched with the 1" Circle Punch, #119868.  I added a solid circle of Blushing Bride using the 1-3/8" Circle Punch, #119860 as a mat.  The Blushing Bride petals behind the stamped blossom were created using the Modern Label Punch, #119849.  I punched 3 labels, cut them in half and worked each "blossom" with my bone folder, then attached them in between the stamped blossom petals.  I added a Basic Pearl to the center of the flower, which is popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals, #104430.

To create the tiny and delicate scallop edge along the center embossed strip of Blushing Bride cardstock, I used  the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, then split that down the middle (cutting length wise between the 2 rows of tiny dots).  I added my Snail adhesive to the back of the embossed paper, then placed the scallop edges --- they were so narrow, I couldn't put the adhesive directly on them.

I will add a sentiment banner when I'm ready to use the card, but for now, I really like using up some of my Twitterpated scraps.

Summer Smooches Collection is only available during April.  You can shop with me online 24 hours a day.  Don't miss your chance to order the fun Bright Blossoms Stamp Set, the brightly colored Summer Smooches DSP and embellishments.  Fun Things come in small packages and this stamp set is filled with fun!

Bright Blossoms - Wood-Mount Stamp	125495
Preferred Price: $16.95
This sassy set is perfect for spring and summer projects. Create young and fun cards, scrapbook pages, tags, and more! Available now only for a limited time in both wood- and clear-mount. or Bright Blossoms - Clear-Mount Stamp 125497 Preferred Price: $12.95

Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper	125409
Price: $10.95
Perfect for all your sassy summer projects! Includes 12 sheets: 2 ea. of 6 double-sided designs. 12" x 12". Acid- and lignin-free. * Daffodil Delight * Island Indigo * Lucky Limeade * Real Red * Rich Razzleberry * Tangerine Tango * Tempting Turquoise Available now only for a limited time!

There have been 55 new items added to the Clearance List this week ---- if you like punches,  and who doesn't, you need to check out this list!

Clearance Rack

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and enjoy some creative time.  Let me hear from you with any Stampin' questions.  

Faith in Nature - retrosketch #6

Faith in Nature - retrosketch #6

I created this card using a new (to me) die --- the Bigz Clear Scallop Square die as my foundation layer for this week's retrosketch #6.  The quote and floral cluster are images from the Faith in Nature hostess stamp set.  They remind me of day lilies, so that's what inspired the colors I chose.  I colored the images with the aqua painter and fussy cut them so I could arrange me on top of the sentiment banner.  Cardstock colors are Peach Parfait, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight & Naturals White.  There is a hint of the orange patterned paper from the new Summer Smooches DSP for the sentiment mat.  The finished card is 5" square.

floral cluster close-up

Bigz Clear Dies are on page 223 of the IB&C Catalog.  Scallop Square - #115950
Faith in Nature stamps is a hostess set - #122490-wood, #122492-clear