Star Struck Stampers Sunday stamping adventures

Earlier this month I shared some of the cards we made at my upline's team meetings - here and here.  We met again today, and my fellow demonstrators brought some more awesome designs for us to make. Just look at these beauties:

 stamp set - Happy Easter Bunny; ink - Chocolate Chip, Calypso Coral, Coastal Cabana; Stampin' Write markers - Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry, Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake, Pink Pirouette, Wisteria Wonder, Wild Wasabi; Stampin' Chalk marker - White; card stock - Crushed Curry, Whisper White; Big Shot with Top Note Die, Dots & Stripes masks, sponge daubers, Stampin' Dimensionals

This one uses the Hand Stamped Sentiments colors - Calypso Coral, Crushed Curry, and Coastal Cabana, although I'm pretty sure I'm the only team member who plays along with challenges.  I sneaked in some extra colors while I was coloring that Happy Easter Bunny, though.

stamp set - So Very Happy; ink - Marina Mist; card stock - Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Marina Mist, Whisper White; punches - 1/2" circle, 1-3/8" circle, 1-3/4" circle, Word Window; Big Shot with Word Bubbles framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals

Isn't that just the cutest card?  I love punch art.  Nisha's design had the sentiment stamped directly on the Marina Mist "sky" but I stamped it badly and used the Word Bubble framelit "cloud" to recover.  

stamp set - Lotus Blossom; ink - Pistachio Pudding; Rich Razzleberry, Blushing Bride, Always Artichoke; card stock - Whisper White, Blackberry Bliss; Big Shot with Stylish Stripes embossing folder; 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon - Blackberry Bliss

Deb felt badly that her card wasn't specific to our themes of Easter or kids, but this beautiful & elegant design seems perfect for Easter.  She also thought she didn't have anything to offer as far as teaching us anything, but none of us had used this stamp before.  I  was a little put off by a three-step stamp but it was easier than I expected, and I love the results!

a piled-on Easter & spring adventure

I made another card - I had to, after I saw the colors at Pals Paper Arts  and Fell. In. Love. I'm not sure whether it's just the colors, or Beth Beard's beautiful card, but I had to, I tell you.  Plus, you know, there's that whole "make lots of cards" item on my to-do list today, and two is closer to "lots" than one is.

 stamp sets - Delightful Dozen, Everything Eleanor; ink - Rose Red, Versamark; card stock - Rose Red, Wild Wasabi, So Saffron; Big Shot with Framed Tulips embossing folder and Beautiful Wings embosslit die

These colors *needed* to be an Easter card, which fits the prompt at Pile It On that ends tonight, so I went looking for a few other challenges I thought I could fit in:
          Cut It Up - die cut (Beautiful Wings) plus green for spring
          Addicted to Stamps and More - anything goes
          Aloha Friday at kitty bee designs - things with wings
          Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge - emboss it
          Craftitude - add a little green
How fun!  Now, I'm feeling the need to try something a little different (and it's not homework) - there may be one or two more cards checked off that to-do list soon.

Sale-A-Bration Last Call Adventure

It's the Last Call to get FREE Stampin' Up!® products - offer expires Friday March 22, 2013!

And, it's a Stampin' Llamas Blog Hop!  If you haven't arrived from Marsha's Coffepot Cafe you can go back with the Previous button found at the bottom of this post.  You will also find button-links to go to the Next hop page at Stephanie's Please Pass the Snail or to the Stampin' Llamas blog hop Home page, which has a list of all the stops.

Just look at the adorable and useful Petite Curly Label punch you can earn FREE with any $50 order:

stamp set - One in a Million; ink - Basic Black; card stock - Basic Black, Naturals White, So Saffron; punches - Itty Bitty Shapes, Petite Curly Label, Curly Label; 1/8" taffeta ribbon - Basic Black; Big Shot with Finishing Touches edgelit

 

My "assignment" for our team meeting this weekend was "wedding or shower" so naturally I remembered the way the Itty Bitty heart shape fits perfectly on the Petite Curly label; with the coordinating Curly Label, they were perfect for the Paper Players sketch, which in turn had the perfect spot for the ribbon "dessert" option for the Dynamic Duos Black Tie color challenge! (Slightly less perfect is my timing, since Dynamic Duos challenges end at noon Thursdays...)

 

 Your $50 order could include the fabulous new Cloudy Day Textured Impressions embossing folder, the Ovals Collection Framelits, the 48-piece Print Poetry designer series paper stack or Pool Party Core'dinations card stock and Stampin' Sanding System  from the Spring catalog, or any of other items shown below (available from the big annual catalog):

 

stamp sets - Everybunny, Teeny Tiny Wishes; ink - Crumb Cake, Gumball Green, Not Quite Navy, Primrose Petals, Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit; Stampin' Write Marker - Raspberry Ripple; card stock - Not Quite Navy, Pool Party Core'dinations, Very Vanilla, Watercolor paper; designer series paper - Print Poetry; punches - Large Oval, Extra-Large Oval; Big Shot with Large Scallop edgelit, Ovals Collection and Bitty Banners framelits; AquaPainter, Stampin' Sanding System, Stampin' Dimensionals 

I was at a big crafts supplies store this weekend and these little 4"x4" canvasses were on sale. There was a collage-style sample with a large chipboard initial.  I thought I might make one similar for my friend's birthday, but when I got started, I made a few changes.  Instead of a collage, I thought a quilt style would be more meaningful, since her mother taught us to quilt.  Then, instead of her initial, this phrase from the Feel Goods set in the Spring Catalog reminds me of her:

stamp set - Feel Goods; ink - Versamark; Stampin' Emboss® powder - Black; card stock - Vellum; designer series paper - Pear Pizzazz (retired); Big Shot with Labels Collection framelit and Honeycomb embossing folder

 

I used a retired color, but any Color Collection Designer Series Paper Stack will work - each color in the collections includes all four designs!

 

You can find more Spring and Sale-A-Bration inspiration at Stephanie's blog - please hop on:

 

Easter adventures

I was preparing for Stamp-a-Stack and went web-surfing through challenge blogs looking for a spring color palette.  I thought I was looking for something with Calypso Coral, but I think the suggestion at Color Throwdown worked even better:

stamp set - Delightful Dozen; ink - Certainly Celery, Pumpkin Pie, Pink Pirouette; card stock - Certainly Celery, Pink Pirouette, Pumpkin Pie, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla; punches - Bird Builder, Extra-Large Oval; Big Shot with Framed Tulips textured embossing folder and Apothecary Accents framelit; Stampin' Sponges

Then I thought it was time to try a bit of watercoloring, but since my skills in that area are still beginner-level, I wanted a small, simple image, which then needed a frame (as suggested at  Less is More) to make it stand out:

stamp set - Everybunny; ink - Crumb Cake, Gumball Green, Pool Party, PrimrosePetals, Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit; Stampin' Write marker - Raspberry Ripple; card stock - Watercolor, Raspberry Ripple, Naturals Ivory; designer series paper - Print Poetry; Big Shot with Ovals Collection and Window Collection framelits; AquaPainter

These cards will be repeated at Stamp-a-Stack Saturday March 23, as well.  The tulips card can be made as a birthday or Mother's Day card if you don't need many Easter cards.  There are two other designs, so we'll be making eight cards for only $10.

reclaimed time adventure

I've been slightly over-scheduled this month; I'm sure you're not really surprised.  I had a 10-for-$10 Stamp-a-stack event scheduled for this evening, but the only person who was signed up this month is my good friend and fellow demonstrator, Jan, so we decided to cancel the stamping.  I think I used my "reclaimed" time wisely by rebooting the exercise program that I'd neglected since I left for Colorado two and half weeks ago, finishing the last two loads of laundry, vacuuming, uploading four weeks of photos from my camera and updating Shuttercal. Plus, I'm finally updating my blog, and for my next trick, I'll complete the annual medical reimbursement request that's due tomorrow! 

This is one of the cards Jan and I made Sunday at our team meeting:

stamp set - Delightful Dozen; ink - Old Olive; card stock - Naturals White, Whisper White, Basic Black, Pink Pirouette; designer series paper (retired) - Island Oasis; punches - 1-3/4" Circle, 1-3/4" Scallop Circle, Large Oval, Small Oval, Boho Blossom, Cupcake Builder (sprinkles)

I originally planned to demonstrate this at the workshop I did yesterday evening, but at the last minute changed to this larger, simpler version that I first saw on Pinterest and CASEd from Crystal Rood:

 

Stampin' Write marker - Pink Pirouette; card stock - Old Olive, Basic Black, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette; designer series paper - Paisley Petals; punches - 2-1/2" Circle, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle, Extra-large Oval, Large Oval, Boho Blossom  

Which one would you rather make?  I have both available for Saturday morning's Stamp-a-Stack 10-for-$10 event, and it will be your last chance to earn FREE Sale-A-Bration products with every $50 order, so be sure to call or email me!