by Susan Itell | Jun 26, 2014 | Birthday |
Why am I happy about today's Pals Paper Arts Challenge? Easy -peasy…I am so darn tootin' proud of so many of you (and you know who you are) that have been embracing and trying the Make it Mine Mondays with me! I am proud of you trying to stretch your talents and at the same time, you are developing your style!
Guess what!?!? I "get it" as I am right there with you! It does take time to feel comfortable for your projects but it is a learning process…you learn what you like and you learn what you do not (and also what totally stresses you) – I say "dump it" if that is the case!
Here is the sketch and I say….GO FOR IT – I know you can do it!
Let's get going …. you can see that it is very straight forward and I can think of sooooooo many stamps…punches that could be used! Me…I needed a birthday card so here is my take!
- The base is a Whisper White A-2 card in the vertical and then accented with Lost Lagoon!
- The stamp set of the day is So Very Happy (this is a special stamp set to me as I received it free at leadership and I think of the fun that I had with the PALS) Isn't this a fun set…owl's are so popular and I adore the fun sentiments…
- I stamped it with Staz On as I watercolored it (oops – I did use water color paper and I highly suggest you to always use it when water coloring) and then popping it out was a cinch with the Blossom Punch (just LOVE our punches)
- After coloring the fun flower a simple POP up with stampin' Dimensions was easy-peasy! A quick stamp of the sentiment….and a tie of a simple "ribbon knot"….it's coming together!
- You know what is coming…envelope time!!! I did a double whammy today (it rained today so I thought the mailman deservd to smile) – I lined the envelope with the In Color DSP stack (love them) with the help of the envelope framelit (IT"S ON SALE) – click here to see the sale goodies!
- Taking it front and center….using my dear friend, Stamp-a-ma-jig…I stamped the front of the envelope! This just makes me so happy……I adore envelopes!
Fun…cute…simple….doable – what do you think? You can also see the stitching…I switched it up a bit = dash…dot….dash…dot! I love that white gel pen…just remember to store it on its side! (I always scribble with it before I take it to my project)
Have a great day and I am going to leave you today with a Daisy picture…I worked late last night and we had a terrible rain storm (many roads were closed with flooding) when I came home – I called John and he said we had power (which is great)….he said the animals were fine (which is great) BUT…he said that Daisy was out during the storm!
Needless to say he told me this to "get me going" but he reassured me that she was fine….here is a picture of her when I came home – true she was clean but she was cold! Pigs loved to be covered up…she pulled a dog bed over her – she slept all night!
I love this pig! (poor other dogs…she was front and center on the dog bed)
Until tomorrow……
by Susan Itell | Jun 25, 2014 | Christmas |
CHRISTMAS!
Can you believe that 1/2 of the year is already over!?!? I say WOWZERS so I had to kick off the reminder to you with a Christmas Card! This is my kind of card….simple but has a big and bold WOW to it! For those of you that are new to Stampin' Up! we will be having a holiday catalog which will be available to order August 1st.
Click here to see the "carry over" list of products from last year. There are some real keepers in this group and I am excited to see the new products later this summer! I was super happy that this stamp set is still available as it's a beauty!
It's hard for me to say that I hope this post gets you in the festive mood (I am sure that many of you are laughing) but if the 2nd half of the year goes like the 1st part…we better start pacing ourselves in preparing for the holiday season.
I can honestly say even though I have no idea what the new stamps will be…but I would be tickled for this to be a card that I would send out ! Let's get to it!
- The over all size of the card is from Crumb cake and the size is a 5" square card! The very vanilla layer is just 1/4" smaller and then the Always Artichoke is just a smidge smaller….that's 1 8' to me! (This color combination is always a favorite of mine for the holidays – there is something so warm and comforting about it)
- As you can see in the below picture, I do not waste paper whenever possible! I highly encourage you do try this…it becomes a habit and you will always be happy that you are not always going for full sheets of paper!
- Simply layer the card stock as shown and then I took a piece of the NEW Gold Satin Ribbon and adhered it to the back and then made a simple loop and then ties a very small piece of lineb thread around the center part – easy and beautiful!
TIP/COMMENT – We all know that Stampin' Up! came out with lots of new ribbon this year (yeah!!!!!) but I will say that when I saw this satin ribbon…there was an immediate WOW – it is luscious and is great to work with – remember today is the last day to order from my ribbon and paper share…I strongly say if there are 3 ribbons that I would order they would be…
- This satin ribbon…WHY??? it's beautiful and ties like a dream!
- The cotton ribbon – WHY??? the colors are spectacular and it is the easiest to tie (even for me!!!)
- The 1 1/4" Grosgrain – WHY??? you are probably thinking exactly what I was thinking…there is no way that I would ever use a whole roll but when you see how it jazzes up a project – WOW
Click here and see my Ribbon Share and you can see how practical and affordable it is to get these above ribbons…this way you can "play" with them and see what works for your style of crafting before investing in a whole roll (sounds familiar)
- Heat Embossing is like Christmas to me…I still get as excited every time I do this technique…it's like "magic" and I feel like a real artist at heart! Isn't this just beautiful in the gold? I stamped the image using versa mark (a must) and then used the gold embossing powder over before hearting it with the heat tool…..I just smile every time I see the powder turn to the shiny finished product!
- Stampin' Ups! Vellum has a great weight to it and it is a breeze to "fussy cut" out…the raised part from the embossing makes it so easy and actually very forgiving. The hardest thing with working with vellum is adhering it to your project as you can always see the adhesive.
TIP: To conquer this problem, look at your project and see a place that you can add some sort of embellishment …like here, I used the small pearls! This allowed me to place a glue dot underneath and you will never see it.
- After using the pearls I looked at it and thought…this is a special card…and some more pearls are in order! I rarely use the pearls that are "connected together" on the sheet and this just did that special touch to the ribbon….love it!
- You know what's left to do….the envelope! The handy envelope punch board made it a breeze and then the gorgeous liner came from the Gold Soiree Designer Series Paper Pack…just beautiful!
I know that I always try to make cards for a purpose and guess what? This card has a purpose now! Every year my family goes to my dear friends home for Christmas Eve and we have the most amazing dinner, friendship and lots of laughter. We have been getting together for over 20 years.
My dear friend Emma goes "all out" as she loves this celebration of the 4 families! It was truly a highlight for my Mom as she always looked so forward to this special evening!
I thought it would be fun to send her a Christmas Card letting her know how special it is for our family to spend it with them each year and how we are looking forward to another year of memories!
Well….I hope that this card brought some cheer to your heart! When I hold this card in my hands I know that my Mom would have adored it…she would say – "It is so simple yet so classic" and it is indeed! Beautiful does not mean complicated!
Please feel free to email me and click here to see the Weekly Specials…..(woot-woot for the envelope liner framelits and the square framelits – my top 2 picks) Remember, have the basic tools and your projects will come together in a snap!
Enjoy the day…..please email me if you want any ribbon or paper…and until tomorrow!
by Susan Itell | Jun 24, 2014 | Super Easy |
This is a super new…useful, practical and fun product to our line of winners, it is the Gift Card Enclosure Pack and you get (10) gift card petal cards (with slots for the gift card) for just 5.95…that in itself deserves a WOOT-WOOT!
This new catalog is just wonderful and every time I see a new goodie and "play" with it, I even love it more and more! I have lots of pictures for you today and please do not hesitate to email me if you need further instructions!
I think that they are very self explanatory but you will see at the bottom of this post another "Susan Kit" that will get you in that Stampin' Up Rental Car for just $50.00.
We only have until June 30th to take advantage of the $50.00 kit – you can pick…
- $55.00 worth of product…Ships for FREE
- a Paper Pumpkin… FREE in your custom kit
- you will receive 30% off your 1st order and then you do not have to do a darn thing until September 30th!
If you want to return your Rental Car…the garage will be open – it's that easy…no obligation…I'll still be here and I will always be there for you with inspiration!
I would not feel that I am doing my job by not offering this opportunity to you. Email me, I would love to share and answer any questions!
Enough….let's get to these fun pictures! These masks are great, easy to use, easy to clean and create an instant wow factor.
This cotton ribbon is just a dream to work with! The colors are so vibrant, I just could not resist using it in this way! Remember, if you want to be a part of the Ribbon share…I am ordering on Wednesday (tomorrow) so here is your chance to get all of the new ribbon at a fraction of the price if you were going to order them. Click here. Please remember to put in the header of the email RIBBON & PAPER SHARE.
Now is this a cutie-pie or what! I was tickled pink (ha-ha) with it! You know I adore the DSP Stacks and they are my "go to" just about on a daily basis. To me…these stacks are a MUST HAVE for your stash of inventory!
I used them all the time to line envelopes…so darn handy – that's why I put them in my paper share….you can get a 1/4 sheet of each color in every collection to see how you like them!
TIP ALERT: Remember when you are making a belly band…not to make it too tight or it becomes a real pain getting it on and off!!! I simply take my paper and loosly wrap it around to get my "bend" – then I go back and give it a good score line!
I used the #7 Circle Framelit …1st made a template to have for the future (much easier than potentially ruining your DSP)….I just drew a pencil line at the half way point them trimmed it! PRESTO….easy-peasy!
I should have taken a picture on the inside…not only does the gift card fit in there perfect – you have room to write a message and even "jazz up" the inside if you wanted!
I have been having fun making up these "Rental Cars" for you…if you liked today's post, I figured up a great grouping of products that you could pick…just a hair under $55.00 – perfect!
I do hope that you consider doing something fun for yourself. Maybe it's just that you and a friend enjoy the products…I say GREAT…maybe you just want to get that big 30% off and be done…I say GREAT!
I have been in your shoes before…I probably had everything in the catalog and never was approached to take a test drive…being in direct sales before, I knew that there are always great opportunities…that's when I found Mary FIsh and I knew that it was the right fit! (go figure – I live in Maryland and Mary lives in Arizona…it truly does not make a difference)
I was just like Mary…going to get the big 30% and stock up on the basics (and more) and be done…well – that did not happen but the reason that it did not was because I decided I did not want to turn my rental car in. Being a part of the PAL community is great and YOU will have all of the same perks and inspiration that I get!
Click here if you are ready to do something for you! Email me if I can be of help…but it would be a joy to have you in the PALS fun community!
Have a GREAT day and please pop back tomorrow….you will love it and you will say really????
Thanks for your time….I appreciate it and f you want any of the products that I showcased today…click and presto – to my store it goes!
Until tomorrow!
by Susan Itell | Jun 23, 2014 | Make it MINE Monday |
WOWZERS…this is our 8th week of these fun personal challenges! I was going to stop them but I must say…I am sooo happy that so many of you are giving them a try! I smile from ear to ear when I receive an email with a picture of your take of the sketch…I am very proud of you!
For those of you that are new to my blog…1st welcome and 2nd, let me explain what these are about! I found that when I first started making cards I would get stuck. I would look and look at ideas, try to re-invent a wheel and many times just try a technique that ended up frustrating me…(sound familiar)
I also tried to participate in the Pal Paper Art Challenges on Thursdays and I really like the color challenges but found the sketches too intimidating (sound familiar)
I felt that when you saw a sketch you needed to take that sketch literally and do it exact…(and that too frustrated me)…then the light-bulb went on and I found the more I would try a sketch, the more I learned about my style and my likes and dislikes of paper-crafting!
So today is our 8th week of me providing you a simple sketch and let you play around with it and have fun…FUN is the key word to this…if it is not FUN than you are going to get frustrated and that is NOT fun! Here is your sketch for today! I think it is fun and there are lots of options here!
There are 2 stamp stars for today's card…one is new, Sea Street Creatures and it is a fun and whimsical stamp set but I see lots of possibilites with it!
Look at those 2 long stamps….wow, wouldn't these make great borders…I did a card with this adorable Octopus, click here for a smile! The school of fish are great to do a faint stamping behind a bold stamp! Fun!
I used the stampin Trimmer to make 1" squares and then I used the 1 1/4" square punch for the Night of Navy Squares. I know that it takes time in building up your punch inventory but they are lifesavers but to me there is nothing better than our stampin' trimmer….one great must have!
The other stamp set that I was doing the "happy dance" that it was carried over in the catalog is A Dozen Thoughts…hands down….if you do not have it than you need to hit that shop now button and get it! This is a very versatile set that always comes in handy. The sentiments are great and the fonts are fun!
When I looked at the sketch I felt that a ribbon was in order but in hindsight I should have just used the handsome stripe DSP and cut it into a 1" strip and BAM…a big and bold statement! (next time – I just thought about it as I was typing). The thick bakers twine did the trick…this is soooo great to work with – love it!
A bit of stitching around the edges is a fast and fun was to add dimension and interest! Please do not stress about making dots and dashes…just go for it…it works every time. I think we have a tendency to "over think" things….as my Mom would say, stick with your gut instinct!
The DSP star for the day is the big, bright, bold and just fun paper called, Martime…aren't these colors amazing and the prints so fresh, clean and crisp! I can see many cards with this gem!
A card would not be a card without a fun envelope! To me, this is as fun as doing the card. Why? Well…I like to make the mailman smile and would this fun envelope pit a smile on your face…it's all about the 1st impressions (another thing my Mom would say)
Jazzing up the envelope might take a bit more time…but it is time well spent as it makes the whole card. This is just a fun card to brighten up any ones day and let them know you are thinking of them!
That's it folks…one bright and cheery card! I do hope that you give it a try and if you do and want to share it with me, please feel free to email me! I love seeing your work!
Yesterday was so much fun being Mary Fish's guest stamper…isn't she the BEST! I feel so fortunate to have her as my mentor and a friend…one sharp lady! She is an endless tower of support to her SU business and team….
Let's have a GREAT week…and please do not forget that if you would like to take advantage of the Ribbon Share, please click here to see the post and remember to put in the subject line RIBBON AND PAPER SHARE….this was I can spot it quicker!
I will be ordering the products on WEDNESDAY….so please shoot me your order if you would like to take advantage of the ribbon and DSP paper stacks offerings! I will 2nd day ship the product and turn it around to you next week! It is great to have the opportunity to have the new products but not having to buy them all – a BIG savings until you can see which products you think you will use!
Thanks for popping by…take a spin on this challenge and until tomorrow!
by Susan Itell | Jun 22, 2014 | Super Easy |
Happy Sunday to everyone and if you are popping onto my blog from visiting my dear friend & fearless leader, Mary Fish…welcome and here is a super simple "hello" to you!
Just over 2 years ago I made the best decision to become a SUD and have Mary Fish be my mentor. Not only do I feel blessed to be a part of such a dynamic group (the PALS) but I have built friendships, developed my paper crafting style and continue to learn and be inspired and I thank you for popping by today!
I am a very clean and simple gal…I like to make cards that are practical and duplicatable. I am a firm believer that when you have a card that you love and it simply "works" for you….do it over and over but make some color changes…perhaps a different stamp – I look at it as it is a "formula"!
For this card you could easily change up the sentiment, change the color of the card stock and the colors that I stamped the flower in…truly the sky is the limit – you will have a totally different look and it will be a great work art that YOU made from your heart!
Let's get going…this is really sooooo simple you really do not need me…
- The base is the Whisper White Notecard and Envelope…(a must have…click here to my post of favorite things that are under $10.00) and then the white piece is just 1/4" smaller - 3 1/4" X 4 3/4".
- The flower is from the single stamp, Bloom for you….another must have (I posted before that I adore the fact with this new catalog that we have many affordable single stamps that carry a BIG STATEMENT, this is a great example)
- The colors I used today were from the In Color Collection, Strawberry Slush, Baked Brown Sugar and Coastal Cabana.
- Stampin' Up has "hands down" – THE BEST PUNCHES on the market and wowzers, they make life so darn tootin' easy for us. The punches I used that coordinate with the flower are: Fun Flower, 1/2" circle and the 7/8" scalloped circle punches
- Let's talk about this sentiment…..adorable…right? This came from the "Hi There" stamp set and it too is super affordable…don't you love the 4 sentiments….these circle ones would be adorable on a 3 X 3 card! I simply stamped the "hello" on the lower part of the card so my flower would be balanced! Using Baked Brown Sugar…a quick and simple stamp is all that is needed!
- Now to the fun and "not so typical Susan part"…the loops and wisps of the Bakers Twine! I have seen many trends in doing this, especially with the linen thread so I thought – what the heck…why not give it a whirl!
As you can see in the picture below I simply used a couple of glue dots and then randomly placed the bakers twine.
TIP: – you could use my favorite green glue (again on my great SU products under $10.00) but I was not patient enough and felt the dots would do the trick! This is a great way to use up scraps and after you get the flower on the card, you can snip away the twine to the length you want!
- I did place some stampin' vitamins under some of the petals and then also placed them over the whole white piece….advice: do not skimp on Stampin' Dimensionals – they are so darn affordable and there is nothing more sad than a sagging card…too many times people just put them in the corners but remember, the center is super important as well!
- It wouldn't be a "Susan" card without a fun envelope! Envelopes just make me happy and make me smile as my Mom always adored beautiful envelopes – I get that from her…always line the evelope…it is so easy to do and it is a nice thing to do for your mailman….he'll smile too!
For those of you that do not have a Big Shot or the Envelope Liner Framelits, I wanted to share with you a simple way to make an envelope come to life! Simply put your adhesive around the edges…place a piece of decorative ot solid paper that is larger over top..and simply snip away! PRESTO – a perfect outer lined envelope!
QUESTION??? – (Now if you do not have the Big Shot…I ask WHY? I know that it is an investment but it is one that you will never, ever regret – and you can get it at 50% off with hostess rewards!!!)
Did you notice the front of the envelope? This is another thing I love to do…a simple stamp on the front and then add my "trio dots" makes me happy! Try it – it is fun and it becomes addictive!
Well as the saying goes….."That's all folks" I hope that you have enjoyed my post and I have inspired you to keep it simple! Please feel free to email me if I can answer any questions for you!
This is the card that I will be sending to all of the people that are taking advantage of my Ribbon and DSP Stack Paper Swatch…click here to see that post. I always love "tucking in something special" as my thanks!
I thank YOU for stopping by and I thank Mary for allowing me the opportunity to share my work with you! I have been guided by the best and I am always thrilled to be a guest stamper.
I do blog daily so if you are interested in getting a daily dose of inspiration, please feel free to subscibe to the right of the blog!
Have a wonderful Sunday and until tomorrow!
