An Amazing Birthday card & BLOG CANDY

I got to play a little this weekend with my new Stampin' UP! stamps and paper. This week I will be participating in a card swap and no, it's not for convention this week (although I wish it was).

This week's card features many new products from the 2014-2015 catalog with it's bright and fun coordinating colors!

The bright and bold colors used in the card coordinate with the new Flashback  designer paper are so much fun and can be used for ANY occasion and for BOTH genders.

My tips:

• i used the deconstructed sketch #143 as my card layout

• the top and bottom triangles are cut in half diagonally from a rectangular piece of paper that measures 1.5"x4".
• the middle smoky slate piece is a little more tricky.... there are two options: 1) cut the cardstock to 4"x5.25" then use the top and bottom triangles as your template to cut the top and bottom edge. OR 2) measure 1.5" from the top of the cardstock and cut diagonally from that point to the top corner. 
• make sure you do all your cutting before you do any embossing.
• the black designer paper is cut to 2.75"x3.5" and adhered at the same angle as the triangular pieces.
• I separated the "make today ridiculously amazing" phrase when I stamped it on my paper so I can cut out the 1st part with my 2" square framelit.
• the phrase that I stamped is matted with a 2 3/8"x3.25" black cardstock piece.
• as a final touch, I cut a 2.5" piece of chevron crushed curry ribbon and tied the center with the crushed curry twine and adhered it to a regular office paper clip.
• the inside of the card (as shown on the right in the picture below) is quick and simple with plenty of room to write a personal message to the recipient.
  

Supplies Used:

•  in addition to the supplies below, I also used the  stampin' write markers in the following colors: smoky slate, basic black, pool party, and crushed curry.

Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$8.50

Crushed Curry 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Flashback Designer Series Paper

$10.95

Amazing Birthday Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$20.95

Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Crushed Curry 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon

$8.95

Crushed Curry Baker's Twine

$2.95

Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

$7.95

Polka Dot Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

$7.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

I bet you were wondering about that BLOG CANDY...... well, here it is...........post a comment below on what NEW stamp set or product you've used in a project lately and I will randomly select 1 winner to receive the 1 1/4" Crushed Curry striped grosgrain ribbon PLUS the Flashback DSP(designer series paper)! Please comment by July 15th.
 
Thank you for taking the time to read this week's post! I will be announcing the winner on Wednesday July 16th. Best of luck to you!!!

baby, birthday, retirement and wedding

This summer has been my busiest in a long time since I had much to accomplish with invitations and special cards for special people.

Below are just a few pictures of the projects I've been working on lately. Please note that I did use some retired Stampin' UP! products as shown in red.

A good friend of mine is expecting her second child in August and I was super excited to be able to make her this girly card! I'm really loving the color combo here. The special part about this card is that I used the shoes from the Baby we've grown digital brush set for My Digital Studio (MDS), enlarged it, then printed it out on vellum.  

 Supplies Used:

• cardstock: whisper white, primrose petals 
• paper: vellum
• inks: basic gray, primrose petals, versamark
• stamps: sweetest gift
• templates: baby we've grown (My Digital Studio digital brush set), chevron stencil (from the simply created build a banner kit)
• ribbons: white baker's twine

 A co-worker just had his 30th birthday and it was definitely a pleasure to create a masculine card for him to enjoy! I used Studio Calico's sunday card sketch. 

 Supplies Used:

• cardstock: smokey slate, pear pizzaz, whisper white, pumpkin pie
• inks: basic black, smokey slate (for sponging the edges)
• stamps: six sided sampler, another great year (for the cupcake), word play 
• punches: hexagon 

We've had quite a few retirements this year and it makes me a bit nervous that we're losing so many experienced people at work. Nevertheless, I had to wish my co-worker  a happy retirement with a handmade card.

A couple of things about this card is that my Really good greetings  stamp set had not yet arrived and I really needed to make this card so I improvised by using my word document to create the phrase and alter it by leaving a space for my twine to go in between. The next thing is (which you cannot see very well) is that I clear embossed the base of the card front  using the background stamp from the Open Sea stamp set. It looks MUCH BETTER in person.....pictures just don't do it justice!

   Supplies Used:

• cardstock: whisper white, night of navy
• inks: night of navy, versamark
• stamps: open sea
• punches:  1 3/4 circle
• ribbons: baked brown sugar thick twine
• embellishments: silver brads

 And finally, these are some invitations that I designed for a couple whom will be having their 50th wedding anniversary. Wow, 50 years?!!! That is just golden! (pun intended).

Again, pictures do not do this card justice. When you look at these cards in person, the gold glitter that was incorporated with the clear embossing, give the cards some bling!


Supplies Used:

• cardstock: very vanilla, basic black
• special paper: gold foil sheets
• ink: versamark, black stazon
• stamps: memorable moments, sunflower
• gold embossing powder, gold stampin' glitter
• labels collection framelits

 THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY! I DO HOPE THAT YOU ENJOYED TODAY'S POST AND STAY TUNED TO THE NEXT POST..............BLOG CANDY IS COMING SOON.........

July Stampin' UP! Promotions

It is officially July 1st! There are many exciting and fun things happening at Stampin' UP! Here are a few promotions going on this month.....

During the entire month of July, when you purchase three Designer Series Paper packs, you'll get one free. That's like getting $10.95 off your purchase AND receiving an extra--did we mention FREE?-- DSP!

CLICK ICON ABOVE TO VIEW FLYER

Keep in mind:

• There is no limit to the number of free Designer Series Paper packs you can receive. For each three purchased, you (or your customer) will receive one free. 
• To get your free DSP, enter it in your order separately from the three packs you're paying for. For example, if you want four packs of the same type of paper, put in the three you're paying for and enter the fourth as a separate item.

These items don't qualify for the offer:

• Designer Series Paper Stacks
• Specialty Designer Series Paper
• Designer Series Paper ordered through hostess benefits

Item #	Description	Price
133698	Flowerpot Designer Series Paper	$10.95 US/ $13.50 CA
133699	Flashback Designer Series Paper	$10.95 US/ $13.50 CA
133693	Sweet Taffy Designer Series Paper	$10.95 US/ $13.50 CA
133692	Confetti Celebration Designer Series Paper	$10.95 US/ $13.50 CA
133694	Park Lane Designer Series Paper	$10.95 US/ $13.50 CA
133696	Maritime Designer Series Paper	$10.95 US/ $13.50 CA
133695	Lullaby Designer Series Paper	$10.95 US/ $13.50 CA
133700	Back to Black Designer Series Paper	$10.95 US/ $13.50 CA

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The first six Blendabilities color assortments (as well as the Skin Tones Assortment, Memento Pad, and Color Lifter) are now available!

CLICK ON THE ICON ABOVE TO VIEW THE FLYER

The following colors are available:

• Cherry Cobbler   (Item #130995 - $11.95)
• Coastal Cabana  (Item #131000 - $11.95)
• Daffodil Delight   (Item #130998 - $11.95)
• Old Olive   (Item #130999 - $11.95)
• Pumpkin Pie  (Item #130997 - $11.95)
• Rich Razzleberry  (Item #131003 - $11.95)
• Skin Tone Assortment (Item #129370 - $22.95)
• Memento Ink Pad (Item 132708 - $5.95 )
• Memento Ink Refill (Item 133456 - $4.95 )
• Color Lifter  (Item 129369 - $4.95 )

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Don't forget about this week's Weekly Deals and be sure to share it with your friends!

CLICK ON THE ICON ABOVE TO VIEW WEEKLY DEALS

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To start ordering, please go to my Online Store. Or for any questions, e-mail me at jretana06@gmail.com I do hope you will enjoy your 1st day of July! Thank you for stopping by!

Until next time....

A tasty treat using Stampin' UP!'s HELLO LOVE hostess set

It was a very joyous occasion for so many once the new Stampin' UP! catalog went live on June 2nd! I hear nothing but good reviews on all the amazing and fun products in the catalog.

I had to share my excitement with other stampers so I hosted an Open House and it turned out to be a success! They all enjoyed their time together and their cute make n' take they assembled. 

The make n' take featured the Hello Love hostess stamp set from the new catalog. This adorable stamp set (including the chocolate chip cookies that were placed inside) is perfect for bringing a ray of sunshine into anyone's life!

My tips:

• the coastal cabana Blendabilities markers made the cute little bird come to life! See the steps in the picture below on how I colored him in.

•  create a perfect "flagged" end on any square/rectangular piece of paper by finding the middle of the paper on the bottom edge then cutting about 1/4" up. Then cut both corners towards the top of the middle cut.

  

Supplies Used:

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$8.50

Moonlight Designer Series Paper Stack

$6.95

Vellum 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.50

Chevron Tag A Bag Gift Bags

$3.95

Baked Brown Sugar Thick Baker's Twine

$3.50

Clothespins

$3.95

Stampin' Blendabilities™ Markers Coastal Cabana Assortment

$11.95

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

$5.95

Tag Topper Scalloped Punch

$22.95

Window Word Punch

$15.95

Punch Corner Project Life

$7.95

Hello Honey Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Hello Love Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$13.00

2014-2016 In Color Stampin' Write Markers

$14.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Hope you enjoyed and are inspired to create your own Hello love project! Until next time....

 

2014-2015 Stampin' UP! Catalog

 It's an exciting day as Stampin'  UP! releases their new yearly catalog!!! Many people have been waiting for this moment so without further adieu....

behold, the 2014-2015 Annual Catalog and all it's awesomeness! Click on the image below to view the PDF.

Please note there are a few necessary corrections in the catalog as shown below:

2014-2015 Annual Catalog

Page	Item	Description
23	134797	The price for the Everyday Occasions Kit is incorrect. The correct price is $29.95.
60	132172	The price for the Envelope Liners Framelits Dies is incorrect. The correct price is $26.95.
97	133765	The price listed for the Basics Hodgepodge Clips is incorrect. The correct price is $6.95.

Before you start playing with your new products, here's an updated list of coordinating colors for all of the new 2014-2015 Designer Series Paper (DSP)  for your use below.

You can use the list as is or you can include a sample of the colors under each DSP title as I did. I used the itty bitty circle punch (now retired) to create my color samples.

Don't have a catalog? Contact your local demonstrator or myself to receive your own personal copy.

Here's to another wonderful and exciting year of Stampin' UP! fun!!!.....

Until next time....

Stampin' UP! Retired List Blowout SALE

 Get excited! Stampin' UP! is currently offering a 25%-50% discount on many of the retiring products, not including those products that are no longer available. This will be live today (May 22nd), but you have to act fast, as this special offer is only available until June 4, 2014. If you missed out on a product the first time, this is your last chance to get it before it's gone for good!

Retiring Lists

• Retiring Stamps (Available April 21-June 4, 2014, or while supplies last)
  • PDF
  • Excel file
• Retiring Accessories (Available April 21-June 4, 2014, or while supplies last)
  • PDF
  • Excel file

To place your order, go to my Online Store. 

Father's Day Card

Alot of Stampin' UP! demonstrators (including myself) are having a blast with new products from the 2014-2015 Stampin' UP! catalog that will soon be available to customers on June 2nd!

Just like Mother's Day, Father's Day is coming very very soon and I wanted to make sure that I have my dad's card done before it's too late.

This card features a couple of new products from the  catalog which I will list below. 

 At first I wasn't sure about it, but I really like the color combination from the Moonlight DSP paper stack* which gives a masculine feel: Hello Honey*, Basic Gray, Blackberry Bliss*, Sahara Sand, and Whisper White....

My Tips:

• I used the thin cardstock that is packaged with the Chevron Tag a Bag gift bags. The thickness of the paper is perfect for creating a papercraft project. I always get excited when I recycle something that was included as part of the packaging!!!
• I didn't have enough space in my 2 3/8" white circle to stamp all three letters side by side so I improvised: stamp the D's next to each other, then stamp the "A" on vellum and pop it up between the letters with a dimensional.

Supplies used:

• cardstock: hello honey*, blackberry bliss*, whisper white, basic gray, kraft paper (from tag a bag packaging)
• paper: moonlight paper stack*, vellum
• ink: basic gray, hello honey*, soft suede
• stamps: morning post alphabet, simply stars, teeny tiny wishes (for inside greeting)
• punches: chevron border, 2 1/2" circle
• embossing folder: decorative dots
• framelits: circle framelits (2 3/8")
• embellishments: neutrals candy dots 

* denotes items from the 2014-2015 SU! catalog. 


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Want to see more of the new Stampin' UP! products?! If you're in the DFW metroplex, RSVP for my upcoming OPEN HOUSE here.
If you're not local but would like to receive a 2014-2015 Stampin' UP! catalog, e-mail me and I will get one to you ASAP!


I really  appreciate you joining me today! Until next time...

Stampin' UP! Project Life

 I was crazy excited when I found out about Stampin' UP's new partnership with Becky Higgins' Project Life: " it’s a super simple, totally affordable way to get your photos into albums: you just slip your photos into Photo Pocket Pages and add designed cards. It’s a back-to-basics approach to documenting your life".

As soon as I could, I placed an order for SU!'s first kit, Everyday Adventure, they released and couldn't wait to get started once I received it!
 
Here's my review on this new and fabulous scrapbooking craze from Stampin' UP!....

 My Experience:

• This was my 1st experience with Project Life and I must admit that once I received my supplies, it got to be a little overwhelming.....don't checkout just yet....
• The kit I ordered included:

Project Life: Pocket Pages

 

Project Life: Day to Day stamp set

Project Life: Accessory pack

Project Life: Card collection

Project Life: Point & Click stamp set

•  After getting familiar with what I had, I picked a pocket page and started inserting my design cards as they are into each pocket with my son's birth and adoption in mind.

• TIP!!! if you want a 2-pg spread of your event make sure to insert your cards into the back of one pocket page and the front of the other pocket page. I had to switch mine around after having them all inserted, which is not all that bad.
• now I started looking for pictures that I wanted to include in my layout and embellished and journal-ed as I wanted.
• This was so much fun and only took me 1 hour to create two pages! On a traditional scrapbook page, it would've taken me at least 1 hr per page......love the time-savings!
• I also love how all the designer cards are done for you. You just pick what you want. It keeps me from having to waste time figuring out a design and color combos.
• All in all, I give this kit a 10 out of 10! It's never been so easy and fun to capture those beautiful memories!

Project Life kits are now available and will also be included in the 2014-2015 Stampin' UP! catalog (to be released June 2nd). Become a part of my Stampin' UP! team and receive your very own copy of the catalog for FREE!

If you would like to experience this for yourself and just cannot wait for the catalog, place an order through your local demonstrator or if you do not have one, you may go to my online store HERE.


Thank you for stopping by! Until next time...