For My Brother

I have a tool-rific card to share with you today using the Nailed It Bundle, which sold out WAY too fast.  I am glad I got it when I did and it goes to show you that is you like something then you should get it right away.  June is a very busy month for birthdays in my family, we have three of them with both of my brothers and my sister in law.  Here is a card I made for my brother:

I love the combination of the Urban Underground Designer Series Paper with the Nailed It stamp set and Framelits.  I played around with lots of the patterns but settled on these.  I did stamp on some Silver Foil sheets with the Basic Black Archival Ink and pieced together some of the tools.  For my sentiment I used the "Brother" from the Guy Greetings stamp set.  Here is a peek at the inside:  

The "Happy Birthday" came from the Guy Greetings set, but the rest of the sentiment came from the Nailed It set.  I added the little hexagon background stamps from the Urban District stamp set.  This really is a great set of products, perfect for all the masculine cards you  might need!  For more Masculine Cards, head over to SSI.

May INKspiration Challenge

Happy Monday!  Welcome to the May edition of the SSI INKspiration challenge.  I chose an image that would be perfect for Father's Day or a Masculine card  using the Nailed It Bundle.  This bundle is already sold out, so I am sorry if you didn't get a hold of it.  It is fabulous!  Here is the image:

I decided to create my own little workshop:

I love how easy it was to create these tools.  I stamped on Smoky Slate, Delightful Dijon and some of the brand new Wood Textures Designer Series Paper Stack.  I just did a little bit of fussy cutting after die cutting out the tools and put them together.  I used some of the Urban Underground DSP for the background.  I love the little die cut for the cute sentiment and finished it off with the Urban Underground embellishments.  This card was so easy to create and it will be perfect for either my dad or either of my brothers!  

I am looking forward to seeing what you create using this image.  Head over to SSI and upload yours today!

   

Nailed It

I have been trying to pace myself with ordering all the amazing goodies from the Occasions Catalog.  Especially since I have been short on time recently, it is hard to find the time to use all the amazing products.  But what is great about Stampin' Up's perfectly coordinated stamps and accessories is that it doesn't take a long time to create with them.  Stampin' Up! takes all the guess work out of matching colors and fussy cutting things out.  I created this masculine card using the Urban Underground DSP along with the Nailed It bundle:

I decided to create a Father's Day card because this set really is perfect for my dad who amazes me with his wood working abilities.  I started off with a Basic Gray card base and took a piece of the Urban Underground DSP and embossed it with the Hexagons Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  The picture here does not do it justice...the background literally pops off the base.  I took a skinny piece of the Delightful Dijon and cut and embossed it with the ruler die from the Build It Framelit dies.  I layered on some more of the DSP, those triangles looked pretty cool to me.  I then stamped some of the tools from the Nailed It stamp set on to some Delightful Dijon with the same color ink.  I stamped the sentiment with some Delightful Dijon, die cut it with the Build It Framelit Dies and then sponged around the edges.  

With the perfect sentiments and great colors  these supplies take all the guess work out of making masculine card.  Thanks so much for stopping by today,  For more masculine card, head over to SSI where that is what we are featuring today!

  

Masculine Monday with Some Pattern Fun

When I go shopping for clothes for my hubby, I always find myself so intrigued by all the different patterns in the tie section.  They get fun stripes, checks, paisleys, you name it.  So when we got the new Petals and Paisleys Suite, I immediately thought of those.  So I have a masculine card to share using these great brand spanking new products:

This would be a great card to give my father.  I love the striped paper and I made my own Delightful Dijon Paisley patterned paper with some tone on tone stamping.  I added a Night of Navy Paisley Die Cut which was super easy to cut with the Precision Base Plate and the Big Shot Die Brush.  I also used some of the stripe Mint Macaron ribbon for even more pattern and texture fun.  

Thanks so much for looking at my card.  For more masculine card ideas, head over to SSI.

July Technique Challenge

It's Monday already and we have a new challenge for you.  The 4th Monday of each month will be our Technique Challenge, created by Tobe.  She does a great job picking out awesome techniques to try out.  Check out this month's:

I had never done this before.  This might be very obvious when you see my card:

I had gotten this stamp set awhile ago and was happy to finally get some ink on it.  I decided to make a masculine card.  My color palette was Delightful Dijon, Cajun Craze and Dapper Denim.  I love the background stamping, I can't wait to try another technique with this stamp set (Triple Time Stamping).  All I needed was a little bit of linen thread to finish off this card.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Head over to SSI for more projects using this technique and then create and upload yours!

Masculine Monday - Party Animal

I have a fun under the sea masculine card to share with you today.  Check it out:

I love this fun summery color combo of Real Red, Pacific Point and Tip Top Taupe.  

I chose to use the fabulous and retiring By the Tide stamp set.  I sponged the background to make the water and then stamped some of the images right on there.  The lobster was stamped elsewhere, fussy cut and then popped up with dimensionals.  The sentiment is from the Party Animal stamp set which will be carried over to the new Annual Catalog.  Here is a peek at the inside:

I had to add the fish inside!  

Thanks for looking!  For more Masculine card ideas, head over to SSI.

New Catalog Countdown - Day 4 - Dapper Denim

Are you ready for more peeks at the new Annual Catalog?  We are only four days away from the start date of this fabulous catalog.  Today I am showing off a new bundle and a brand new In Color - Dapper Denim.  Here is my card:

I decided to combine this great new blue with my favorite old in color, Mint Macaron.  I decided to make a masculine card because I have quite a few men in my family with birthdays.  I used the Traveler stamp set along with a great new bundle with a stamp set called Thoughtful Banners and a cool double banner punch.  I embossed the Mint Macaron background and added some linen thread.

For more inside scoop into some new product head back over to SSI!  

May Mystery Challenge

Another Monday and we have a fabulous Mystery Challenge for you.  Check it out:

There are lots of fun options here.  I used the colors,circles,  an embossing folder, some metallic accents and the masculine theme.  Here is my card:

I loved the Going Places DSP stack and it included a few of these colors.  I decided to work with the nautical elements and added the seahorse from By the Tide which is sadly retiring.  The metallic element is hard to see, but I have some Gold Thread under the Hello Honey Deco Label (another retiring accessory).  

It is your turn now!  Let's see what you can make choosing any three elements, or go CRAZY and use them all!  Head over to SSI and upload your creation!

April Color Challenge

It is the first Monday of the month so we have our Color Challenge for you over at SSI.  Check it out:

I wanted to make a masculine card because I always need those.  And I had just gotten some new goodies, so I couldn't wait to use them as well!  Here is my take on this color combo:

I just order the starburst die and was so happy at how easy it was to use.  I can't wait to play more with it.  I kept this card pretty simple.  There is a Marina Mist card base with a Crushed Curry burst that is mounted onto some Whisper White.  I stamped the swirly lines on, but if they weren't close enough I just added some extra swirl with a Stampin' Write Marker.  I stamped the world onto some Marina Mist card stock with some Pear Pizzazz ink.  I layered that onto a Pear Pizzazz scalloped circle.  I added some of the burlap ribbon for some extra manly texture under the sentiment.

Thanks for looking!  Let's see what you can do with this color combo.  Head over to SSI and upload your project!

Guy Greetings meets Going Global

I love making flowery, sparkly brightly colored cards.  So sometimes I feel like I tend to struggle with masculine cards.  Thankfully Stampin' Up! has lots of great stamps and DSP to make this super easy.  I decided to combine two masculine stamp sets, Guy Greetings and Going Global.  Check out my card:

I also used some newer DSP with an older ribbon.  The Going Places Suite is great for guy cards but I thought I would pull out the anchor from Guy Greetings.  The strip of compass paper was actually some scraps I had left, so glad I kept it.  I stamped the compass from Going Global in Sahara Sand and then layered the anchor over top in Mossy Meadow.  All the DSP comes from the Going Places DSP stack, such great colors and patterns there!  Finally I added the Natural Chevron ribbon because it had a nautical feel for me.  Thanks for looking.  For more masculine cards, head over to SSI where it is Masculine Monday!  

World's Best Dad

It is never too soon to start working on Father's Day cards.  Or cards for your father's birthday.  I saw the sketch over at Mojo Monday and decided to take a more masculine spin on it to go with the challenge over at Stampin' Royalty which was a project created for a guy.  Here is that sketch:

And here is my manly take on it:

Going Global is my favorite masculine stamp set by far!  And the Going Places DSP stack works so well with it.  I started off with a Delightful Dijon card base and layered on two DSPs from the Going Places stack.  I stamped the world in Basic Black onto some Sahara Sand card stock and layered it on a Delightful Dijon scalloped circle.  I added a compass to the top stamped with Delightful Dijon onto Very Vanilla.  I made a little banner with the sentiment and layered with more Delightful Dijon card stock.  Finally I added a gold star cut using the Stars Framelits.  

Thanks for looking at my card.  Enjoy the rest of your Monday!  

  

Hats Off To You

I am trying to get back into Challenge Mode.  Today I was able to get two challenges done.  Up first is the absolutely adorable sketch from Freshly Made Sketches!  Check it out:

So fun right?  Although this one will definitely require me to face my fear, white space.  I did my best and have some on my card.  Here it is:

I decided to use a stamp set that hasn't seen ink in awhile, Guy Greetings and fussy cut those little hats.  I added some texture underneath with the new Timeless Textures stamp set.  And I needed to do something with the bottom so I layered on some washi tape and added a cute Lost Lagoon Arrow and a gold bow tie clip to finish it off.  Thanks for checking it out!    

New Catalog Countdown Day 1 - Going Places Suite

It's here!  Today you can have at the whole Occasions Catalog and earn some fabulous new Sale-A-Bration products!  Try not to break the internet!  We have been sharing peeks at new products and projects over at SS Inkspiration for the past few days.  Here is a out last special look for you.  Today I am showing off the Going Places Suite.

Here is a quick Circle Flip Card I made with the fabulous Going Places DSP.  I used a Mossy Meadow card base and layered more Mossy Meadow embossed with the Happy Hearts embossing folder.  Don't you love that map paper?  The Going Places DSP stack is full of awesome patterns!  

This is my favorite so far.  Don't you love that embossing folder of the world map?  The colors of this card are Sahara Sand, Lost Lagoon and Basic Black.  I loved that compass paper as well.  The world stamp and the sentiment come from the Going Global stamp set.  It is hard to see in the picture but on the scallop around the world I coated it with the Wink of Stella glitter pen.  I did add some splatters from the Gorgeous Grunge set on the background for some extra texture. 

This card is perfect for your favorite astronomer!  I love the star paper and the Big Dipper stamp.  I decided to use the Star Confetti punch with some Delightful Dijon card stock on top of the star paper for some extra star!  I added some gold sequin for some more sparkle!

This final card uses an AWESOME Sale-A-Bration stamp set that is only available until the middle of February.  It is call The Sky is the Limit.  I stamped the plane on some Going Places DSP with the Black Archival Ink and added Wink of Stella glitter in the heart cloud.  I added a vellum propeller.  This is such an easy card to make!  

There is it...5 days of sneak peeks of the amazing new products from the Occasions Catalog and the Sale-A-Bration Brochure.  If you missed anything, go back and check out all the great projects created by our design team at SS Ink!

A Masculine Birthday Card

Today I spent some time playing with the new Going Places Suite along with an exclusive Sale-A-Bration stamp set.  I can't wait to have my first Sale-A-Bration party.  Between the new Occasions catalog and all the fun stuff available to earn for free from Sale-A-Bration, 2016 is going to be off to an inky start for sure!  Of course I needed something to kick start my creativity, so I checked out Try Stampin' - Or Not - On Tuesday.  Here is the sketch:

Here is a great sketch to show off some fabulous DSP, right?  Here is my card:

I actually am using two stamp sets here, the Going Global set (that is where the globe comes from stamped on the Mossy Meadow DSP) and a Sale-A-Bration set called Sky Is the Limit (the plane and birthday sentiment).  The super fun patterned paper is from the Going Places DSP stack.  I just love these new products!  Thanks for checking out my project!   

The Open Sea

I feel like I need more masculine cards so when Stampin' Up! has 15% off stamp sets, I had to pick up the Open Sea.  Check it out:

Lots of great collage possibilities.  Here is a card I made.  It was also one of my swaps for the On Stage Stampin' Up! event I attended.  

I kept my color palette simple; Island Indigo, Tangelo Twist, Sahara Sand and Very Vanilla.  I just layered my stamping a bit and added bit of ribbon under the ship.  The Happy Birthday sentiment comes from the And Many More set.  

Thanks for looking.  For more Masculine Card and Project ideas, check back with SSI.  

A Sneak Peek

Happy Thanksgiving to you!  I am thankful for so much; family, friends, food, laughter, booze...these things all go hand and hand.  And I am also thankful for being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator where I can to use the best coordinating products for all my creative endeavors.  Today I am showing off some brand spankin' new stuff that will be out in the next catalog.  I am also showing some of the items on sale.  And of course I combined all that with a sketch challenge from the Paper Craft Crew.  Here is the sketch: 

Here is my card:

Okay so do you see that fabulous DSP?  That is a new paper stack and you are going to love it for masculine cards.  The stamp set goes with the paper as well and it has great sentiments and images.  The things on sale include the Sweetheart Punch, Venetian Crochet Trim (I sponged it Lost Lagoon), The Classy Designer Buttons, and the Chalk Talk Framelits.  Thanks so much for checking out my project  I am thankful for my blog viewers for sure!    

Hostess gets the Mostess!

One of the benefits to having a Stampin' Up! party is earning rewards which can be used to buy anything in our catalogs, including the exclusive hostess stamp sets!  These are great sets that can be used in so many ways!  Today I am spotlighting two that can be found in the Annual Catalog. 

Up first is a birthday card using Happy Birthday Everyone:

Such a versatile set, right?  And that Happy Birthday sentiment is such a good size!

I was going for a romantic feel because this card is for my husband whose birthday is today!  It is hard to see, but the black is actually black glimmer paper and everything is embossed.  I love the Timeless Elegance DSP, it is so pretty!

I decided to try my hand at another card using a hostess set, this time Best Thoughts:

That flower is just so pretty!  I embossed it on some vellum and colored on the back with my Stampin' Write markers:

I also used the Timeless Elegance DSP here was well, this time pairing it with Mint Macaron.  

I guess I was in the mood for some fancy folds since I made a gate fold card and an easel card.

Be sure to go to SSI for more inspiration with the hostess sets.  A lot of the designers made projects using the hostess sets in the Holiday catalogs, which are also great sets!    

Homemade Project Life Cards

I love Project Life style scrapbooking.  It makes it so easy. But I also love to make things more personal (and sometimes more complicated).  So I thought I would try my hand at making my own custom made project life cards.  I decided to use the From Land to Sea and By the Tide stamp sets for a beach/travel themed page.  Here is the page (sans pictures though):

And here is a close of of each card.  I used Mint Macaron, Tip Top Taupe and Night of Navy for a previous beachy card and loved the look so I decided to do that for my pages.

The Hello Life stamp set has some perfect Project Life card sentiments!  

I love using the white perfect accents as bubbles!

I just picked up the Ornate Tag Topper punch from a weekly deal  I can't wait to use it for cards as well!  

Here I covered the Night of Navy with the beachy script from By the Tide and then embossed the sentiment in white over it.  I love those big bold saying from Feels Good!

The Traveler and the Let's Get Away stamp sets came together to make this card!

Here I used Let's Get Away and From Land to Sea.  I love the tone on tone look of the ship's wheel. I finished it off with some Night of Navy seam binding!

Thanks for looking!  Now who is taking me to the beach so I can fill in the pictures?  Be sure to check out the other Project Life projects over at SSI!

Watercoloring

Today I have some fun watercolor and watercolor inspired cards to share with you.  I had purchased the Aqua Painters a long time ago and finally broke them out for this post.  And I will be using them again because they are so fun!   And I got to use some fun new stamp sets as well.  

Here I used From Land to Sea and By the Tide along with And Many More for the sentiment.  That turtle is so cute and I had so much fun coloring him.  I used my favorite color Mint Macaron along with Tip Top Taupe.  I decided to add some Night of Navy accents as well.  I love how this card turned out.  I made a few to swap with at Convention!!!!

I used that beautiful flower from You've Got This and colored it with Watermelon Wonder and Mint Macaron.  I added some of that Watermelon Wonder Lace on the side as well.  And this doesn't show as well in the photograph but I used my two way glue pen and then sprinkled Dazzling Diamonds on the flower.  Ooooo sparkly!

And finally here is my water color inspired card.  I used the Watercolor Wash background in Pool Party and added the sentiment from Watercolor Words in Tip Top Taupe.  Then in Calypso Coral, I stamped and fussy cut some seahorses from By the Tide.  I finished the card off with some Linen Thread and the White Perfect Accents.  This was a fun card to make!

So are you into watercoloring now?  Whether you actually watercolor with the Aqua Painters or Blender Pens or just use some of the fabulous watercolor inspired stamps, the sky is the limit...or should I say the ocean?  Thanks for looking!

It Can Be So Easy!

I love the idea of a quick and easy card but because I love to embellish and layer and stamp a lot, I tend to be bad a creating them.  But today I have a good single layer note card with an awesome color combo.  Here it is:

First of all, I should say that I am using the Notecards here.  And I am super proud that I remembered to stamp the envelope!  I used two stamp sets, Traveler and You've Got This.  I think that background from You've Got This will be used for a lot of things.  The colors are Night of Navy, Tip Top Taupe and Crushed Curry.  I finished it off with some candy dots and a little bit of twine.  Super easy and probably designed and created in under 5 minutes.  Although I think the idea had been swimming around in my head for awhile!

Thanks for looking.  Be sure to check out everyone's quick and easy cards at SSI!