by Susan Itell | Nov 3, 2017 | Thank You |
I must say….today I have a “Susan kinda card” for you! I needed a super simple layout that I could make in the masses and yep, I think I nailed it. You know me…when I am on a mission I just try to figure out what will work and GO FOR IT!
To me…a super classic layout like this is always in style and one you get all of the cutting down….stamping a single image is a cinch….(plus thanks to the MISTI) I can crank them out in a jif….and then sitting and coloring is fun!
The below stamp set was the blue ribbon winner for me. I think that this stamp set and the pig stamp set were probably 2 of my favorites when the catalog was unveiled.
Because we all know that the “new kids on the block” – STAMPIN’ BLENDS are getting a huge pitch all around the internet right now….I just had to use them! They were a dream machine to quickly color.
I think that is one of the things I love best….they are super fast and easy to use and “heck with shading” if that is not your bag…..just color! I adore the fact of not having lines when you color…..total “smooth sailing”
The sentiment was from Thankful Thoughts…a goodies that has beed around a while but we all know that “oldies are goodies” and this one will get the milage with upcoming thank you notes that will need to be written during the holidays.
I adore this font (I really am a font geek) and matting it with a wee bit of smokey slate just gave it the right uumph!
I ask you, how can you go wrong with a BIG splash of DSP like I have done here? Let me help you out….YOU CAN’T! I invite you look at your stash and use your paper. I think that is one of the first things that grows and grows…..you bought it…..USE IT UP!
You know that whenever we have a new catalog that I offer product swatches of DSP’s….I adore them as with this card it was super easy for me to grab the swatch book and flip through….presto……works for me!
It will surprise you…..just because the name says “Birthday Memories” – the paper I used had a TOTAL different look and feel! I encourage you to look and see what you have….trust me, we all have gobs of paper to use!
One other tip I want to touch on…..the size of the white piece is 3″ X 4″ (so I was able to get (6) from a sheet of paper)….I matted it with Smokey Slate 3/8″ larger and then scored around on all sides…..
I think that this makes a difference…..how about you? I know that I do this a bunch but I can also say….to me, it is a simple touch that takes minimal time & effort to produce a great effect.
There you go….a card for the masses and I think any crafty friend would LOVE this! I know that I still have to tell you all about my adventure….I will – promise because I know that many of you will get a kick out of it!
Now for GREAT NEWS…..BLACK BEAUTY is OFF….and I am thrilled!!!! I start PT on Tuesday and wow, I did not think in a million years that someone as active as I am would feel sooooo darn weak. I “get it” – it will take time to get the strength back…..but I wish that you could see my poor thumb nail….
It has beed covered (as my thumb was totally immobilized) and it could use a little manicure. I still have a brace that I need to wear but I’ll take it……just to be able to take a shower without a trash bag was the best luxury I could ask for!
Please let me know how you like this card….I was super happy with the end result and I am looking forward to coloring the rest today and then popping them in the mail!
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Susan Itell | Nov 1, 2017 | Stampin' Blends |
Good morning… the calendar is telling us we have a new month on our hands! November 1st with Stampin’ Up! is a super exciting day as today is the first day that you can order the new stampin’ blends!
I know that you have heard the buzz all over the Internet about these alcohol-based markers and I am simply thrilled that Stampin’ Up! is offering them.
I’m a “gotta have it all gal” because when a collection comes out….I just want them all to take a test drive and have fun!
To me – coloring is fun, coloring is relaxing and coloring is rewarding!
Here is the Stampin’ Blends brochure for you to peek at. It will not only give you a super visual for the 12 colors but it will also give you tips on them.
In total there are (12) color families available and then (3) single markers to compliment…..(a color lifter, a bronze and an ivory). See the below chart to “visually” take in the beautiful array of the collection.
I shared with you that I’m a “wanted all kind a gal” but I totally understand, realize and respect that it is an investment to purchase the entire collection.
Stampin’ Up has grouped them all together to be able to purchase as a complete package with one item number saving you a ton of time in having to choose each and every item number (I hope this makes sense)
You can click here for that link but you will see that there is no savings in getting the BIG KAHUNA….it is a convenience to purchase and move on without plugging in a bunch of numbers.
I know that getting the BIG KAHUNA is not an option for some so how about joining my Blends Club and spreading it out (blending it out!!!) over 3 months!
HOW??? WHAT???…..Click here and put in the subject line BLENDS CLUB and I will send you a hostess code and the colors of markers for you to purchase for that given month. We will do this for the next 3 months….November, December and January. You need to email me saying that you want in “the club” by November 10th.
Each month you will order (4) color sets and a single marker that coordinates with the entire collection….so at the end – YOU will own the BIG KAHUNA….breaking it down for you….you will spend $40.50 each month to be in the “club”
Each month I will send you goodies/support training that will help you navigate the “in’s and out’s” of this product.
Here is a sneak peek of what I will send you for November….10 card bases and 20 overlays for you to practice with your blends and then I will send you a link for video support with tips and tricks! We will do this together as a group…so there will be support from others as well.
Now here is the other option you have….Life is FULL of options….and you know I like to put them out on the table for you…as I said, I am a I WANNA HAVE IT ALL KINDA GAL…..
I would get $99 starter kit and BE DONE with getting these blends!
You can get ALL of the Blends for just $99! You actually will have an extra $3.50 to spend and I would get white bakers twine ( #124262….just sayin’) to get the best bang for your buck!
Your Kahuna Blends would ship for FREE….(that is another $12.50 + savings) and you would not have to spend one more penny with Stampin’ Up!…YEP….promise!
CLICK HERE to get the KAHUNA BLENDS….. and you will save $38.00 ($22.50 (the blends) & $12.50 (shipping) + the bakers twine $3.00)
It really is that easy. Nothing complicated…promise!
Yesterday I shared with you that I was away for a surprise….well, if it were not for Stampin’ Up! I would have never met these 31 amazing women that I spent 5 days with. The reality is that I love to craft…I love sharing fun and laughter with like minded people….but I am also one that like a deal….email me if you have any questions…..
I have said this a ca-zillion times before….it is soooo darn easy to be a SU demonstrator and there are no obligations to sell/teach…what you get from it is a discount each and every time you purchase something….and smile lines from the people you meet! 😆
I will see you on Friday….please think about me tomorrow as hopefully BLACK BEAUTY will be off for good!
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Susan Itell | Oct 31, 2017 | 3-D Projects, Halloween |
Hello and Happy Tuesday! I guess I should also say Happy Halloween to each and everyone of you. Have you missed me? I must say… I have missed you but I will also say I have been on quite an adventure! 😀
I had planned to post this for you all last Wednesday but life got in my way with trying to get all of my ducks in a row to leave to go out of town. I had a fabulous time away and I will be sure to blog about it in the future but until then… Here’s a simple goody for you!
I totally realize that today is Halloween but I also want to inspire you to pull out all of the Halloween paper the you have from not only this year but go into the trenches and find your old stuff. (you’ll be sooooooo happy that you did) because trust me– we all have a grand intentions in doing something with “our stash” only to let the crazy schedule of life get in the way!
Since I have had my cast on my arm I have tried to organize many things in my craft area that have simply been piling up. If you arw anything like me… You have a ton of old Halloween paper. I ask you… Why is it that we keep it and look at it… and smile and say wow– that sure is cute!?
I decided to pull out everything I had and put it to good use. I have blogged about this adorable origami treat container many times but if you click here you will go to a post from eons ago showing you step-by-step how to make this with a 6″ X 6″ piece of paper.
I did a quick scan over that post from eons ago and the instructions are spot on as I still make these with the exception of using glue dots instead of the green glue.
You know me… Sometimes I think I’m a little slow out of the gate and you can tell back in 2013 I never used to glue dots. Please, use glue dots as it makes the process so fast!
I had a BIG TIME making these and you can see with that huge wooden platter that I made out bunch of them. These are always so much fun to make and they come together quick… but the wow factor is always there when someone sees a little treat for them to enjoy.
I invite you to pull out all of that paper that you have and if you do not have time to make these up now at least go ahead and cut all of your paper to 6″ x 6″ and just make one so you can get the feel of how easy they are to make.
The great thing about this would be – if you go ahead and make them up and adhere them all together… simply pull out the zip lock storage bag and presto you will be ready for next year! I ask you… How good would that feel!
With tomorrow, November 1 being the day that we can order the stampin’ blends… I have been trying to practice as much as I can to get a good feel for our new product! I used the Seasonal Chums Bundle to make this adorable project.
I admit, I have use this specific stamp and frame so many times this fall season and I am just itchin’ to dive into that adorable snowman and reindeer for the holidays upcoming ! To me… you know what I’m going to say– it’s a keeper!
The color family of markers that I chose were Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive and light Crumb Cake.These alcohol based markers are super fun to play with and they make the process of coloring very relaxing and enjoyable.
You will get a blog post from me about the tips and tricks I have found to be useful when using them in the future. I am just thrilled that Stampin’ Up! has these alcohol-based markers for all of us to enjoy with our crafting endeavors that we all dive into!
Well, there you go! I am super happy to be back in your inbox.I can’t wait to share with you the adventure that I have been on since last Wednesday morning…I have been on a mission to surprise someone that is very special to me and I think I accomplished it!
I hope you have a wonderful Halloween and if you have trick-or-treaters coming to your door – I hope they fill your heart with joy. I have such amazing memories of taking the peeps around the neighborhood trick-or-treating.
Enjoy what’s left of your day and enjoy the last day of October… Yikes– time is flying!
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Susan Itell | Oct 23, 2017 | Paper Pumpkin |
I admit, I was amazed! I think that I could take it to the next step and say “they nailed it”!!!
What am I talkin’ about? A topic that seems to bring highs and lows with comments and feelings about this program, Paper Pumpkin.
I am sure that you have read from just about anyone’s blog that is a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator that the Paper Pumpkin for October and November go together.This is the first time that Stampin’ Up! has done something like this having two kits back to back that coordinate with each other.
Yesterday I took time to put together the October kit.I have some pictures of the kit that I put together and I think will agree…It is simply adorable! I will share with you any “changes” that I did…but seriously, it was so well thought out…it really does not need to be “re-thought’ something that I think many of us do each month.
Make sure that you read the information that I will share with you from the home office after you view the photos of the kit that I put together. That is why the title of this post says set an alarm…It will make total sense to you below!
If you haven’t seen the video….please enjoy, its only about 2 minutes long. I think after you view the video and see my pictures… You will set your alarm to make sure you secure this kit!
Here are the pictures of the kit that I put together yesterday. Enjoy…It was not only super fun to put together it was rewarding and something I was very proud of.
You can see that I made one as a Christmas Ball Ornament and one that had the sentiment lower. Do you have a preference? I couldn’t decide so I made them both….they both are BLUE RIBBON WINNERS!!
I did change up the sentiment… it is from Lawn Fawn, just a personal preference as I wanted a super basic font and I have fallen in love with their Bakers Twine ….(it has a bit more texture…making a clean and crisp look…they call it a cord))
Now to the next set of (5) cards…again, ADORABLE! I made these straight from the kit instructions.The sentiment here is the sentiment that is included in the kit. I think it looks beautiful through this Christmas ball.
There’s something about that pre-printed pine that just hangs so beautifully over the front of this card. Hopefully you can see in my photos that the white card piece is actually embossed as well. Stampin’ Up! really pulled out all stops for this kit… Making it super classic and super fun!
Well… What are your thoughts? For those of you that are used to paper pumpkin or at least read about paper pumpkin you will know that you need to be a paper pumpkin subscriber in order to get a kit or refills. This kit stamping up will not be offering any refills.
Below (in RED) you will see an excerpt from the home office that was communicated to demonstrators.If you would like to purchase this kit it will fly out the door and I can almost guarantee it will be sold out very quickly.
We’re thrilled with the great response we’ve had so far to our Season of Style October kit! In fact, you’ve loved it so much that we’ve decided to only offer FULL kits beginning Monday, October 23, while supplies last.
We’re doing everything possible to accommodate the demand and allow as many people as possible to get the Pining for Plaid kit, so we will not be offering refills for this kit. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and hope you are enjoying your super-sparkly Paper Pumpkin shaker cards!
The warehouse will build them on Monday, but to avoid availability issues, we will not make the kit available for purchase before 2:00 PM (MT) on Monday, October 23—ensuring all available kits are built and ready for purchase.
On Monday morning, when we have a better idea of the exact time the kits will be available, we’ll post another update.
I will pop back and update this post if I find out any more info to pass along to you. Remember, there will be no refills for this kit.It will only be sold as a full kit but again the price point is amazing.
After I put the kit together I still had leftover sequins (It comes with (3) colors….the white, pool party and the gold stars – I added some Red sequins in the mix for an extra pop of colo)0… as well as left -over Circle Shaker elements. The stamp set that is included in this kit is fabulous. You could easily make many other clean and simple Christmas cards with the sentiments that are included in the kit.
Here’s a great idea…This would be a wonderful gift to purchase for a friend.You and your friend could put together this kit and potentially make many more shaker cards as well.There’re simply nothing like having a kit with everything included that all you need to do is sit and create.
if I were you I would set a timer on your cell phone to remind you not to forget to order as I think we all know it will sell out very fast.
I say….Way to go Stampin’ Up! for creating such a unique and fun kit this month.I can’t wait to see what next month’s Kit is…. as it is to coordinate with this keeper!
***REMEMBER**** You need to be a current subscriber to Paper Pumpkin in order to take advantage at 2 p.m. to get this kit****
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Susan Itell | Oct 21, 2017 | Uncategorized |
Hello and happy Saturday! I have a fun and different post for you today but as the title says–
Warning: it’s Addictive… Actually it’s SUPER addictive!
Last weekend on my fun with my friends weekend… We had a shoebox swap! I wanted to make a card that was very different…a new technique to both me and my “partners in crime” … something that was totally out-of-the-box!
I make no bones about it I simply adore Jennifer McGuire! She is such an inspiration to me and I always enjoy following her blog as well as watching her YouTube videos. Well, the truth to be told is…..I was trying to figure out what to do for my friends…It was Thursday afternoon and I saw that Jennifer had a new video out so naturally I watched it.
I was intrigued…actually so much that I thought – ” I should give this a try ” and that is what I did…..off to the store to pick up the products to make this technique. I was on an adventure and it was one that I am so glad that I tried.
You can CLICK HERE to see Jennifer’s post on this technique and then below I have the video for you to watch. I highly recommend you watching it as not only will you learn a ton…but the whole technique will make sense to you!
We had a ball….actually a BLAST playing with these inks. All rules are THROWN OUT THE WINDOW…as you can play, play , play and no two will look the same! You will see in my pictures that I have for you that I made….I preferred dropping the blending solution on to give a bokeh effect verses the paint brush…..
Here is an up close picture that will show you the depth and dimension that the various colors bring to the end result. It just is so much fun to see how they mix around and create a pattern of their own.
Anything goes….and that is what I adored about it. I just wish that you could have seen us… (5) 50+ women in Ramsey’s kitchen oohing and aahing over each others work….saying – add more drops…..now use the paint brush…..we had NO CLUE what we were doing but at the end we looked at each other and said….this is FUN!
Below are some of the masterpieces that I had fun with! The great thing is that you can use them for a big and bold backdrop or you can cut them with a die to make a super interesting focal point. There is no waste as you can always find a way to use the colorful scraps!
I think we all know that there are times That the camera does not do a photograph justice… And this is so true with the photos I have for you today.I wish you could hold one in your hand and tilt it back and forth to see not only the different textures but also the glimmer of the Gold and Silver throughout the patterns. It is just stunning and it is truly fun!
Just to give you a reference of size… The below was made with the very vanilla note cards and envelopes. Therefore the card size is 3.5″ x 5″. I used our Polka Dot Embossing Folder to add to this fun card.
I think this is simply stunning and you can see in the second picture a closer view of the details that I cut out. This die is from a company called Neat and Tangled. I love their products and you know me…..I have a super soft spot for sentiments….and this one makes a statement all on its own!
When was the last time you pulled this thinlet out? It is the Sunshine Wishes Thinlet and yep, it’s a keeper as again, I adore sentiments….and this beauty has 4 of them! I used it on the 1st card in the post as well as the one below.
Using the multipurpose sheets made stacking several of the “congrats” a breeze. This does give such depth and a WOW…instantly happens – well worth the effort! Under the “congrats” I did use a strip of vellum…this is a fabulous effect…..again, I wish that you could see it in person.
Well… There you go! A fun and different post with a technique that I highly suggest that you give it a try! Jennifer did a fabulous job listing the products that she used for this technique and even though we live in a little teeny tiny town… I was able to find all the products. Actually we have a “mom and pop” store in our town and it felt great to support them.
This you YUPO paper is so much fun to work with as it holds this ink and dries in a breeze. If you search for Alcohol Ink Techniques in You Tube, you will be shocked with how many different ideas and techniques there are using them. I look forward to more experimenting when BLACK BEAUTY flies off my arm! 😀
We used these HARD last week and we did not even make a dent in the bottles. A little goes a LONG way….and definitely get the gold and silver additives….they make the POP happen…..you will sit there and just tilt them back and forth with pride that YOU made this!
Have a great day and a great weekend.I hope I inspired you in a way that you can use products that we have with Stampin’ Up! as well as other products to make a work of art from your heart.
Please share a comment if you have tried this technique or if you have any questions and I will do my best to try to answer them. Remember… this was new to me as well and I have to say it was fun!
Like this:
Like Loading...
