by Susan Itell | Jul 21, 2017 | Watercoloring |
Here is another super FUN stamp that is in the new catalog that I bet many of you have flipped right past! Quirky Critters is a super sweet set that has not only fun images..but the “quirk” in the sentiments is fabulous & fun!
To me…this stamp set is very similar to the stamp that I posted about on Wednesday (click here to see it) in the “whys” that I have in purchasing it….
- It is an affordable stamp ($17.00)
- It has large images that make a quick clean and simple card
- The sentiments are super
- You can do a quick watercolor and DONE! (works for me!)
When you go back to Wednesdays post you will see that the layout is very similar – you know what I say about that…..yep – WOOT-WOOT as really “who cares” – it is one of those “formulas” that I talk about often and I feel…there is NOTHING WRONG at all for having some great foundations to work from when you make cards!
Layers…shapes…straight lines….a bit of bling (ribbon) – what more could a card maker ask for? I chose to use the Aqua Painters to do a quick “makeup application” but I promise to try to break loose and use the colored pencils and blender pens more….I am a “quirky critter” myself – I like what I do over and over!!! (that comfort zone gets the best of us)
The strip of DSP adds that focal interest to the overall body of the card but it really is the layers and the simple lines that make the card “easy on the eye” This is something to think about as if something is too busy, your eye does not know where to focus!
How about that ribbon? How simple of a touch is that! Here is a tip…..I like to use glue dots to anchor ribbon like this down…..it doesn’t seem to “twist” as it might if you used fast fuse or snail. Those little dots sure do come in handy!
I think that this “coffee fun” that is in the new catalog has been a blue ribbon winner all around! Not only is the bundle stellar…..but the DSP is also over the top and you can see that this card has NOTHING to do with coffee!
This is a great example of why getting the “swatch books” when I do a Product Share are a huge helper. When you go to create, you have all of the samples at your finger tips to “flip through” and actually put it next to your project!
I totally forgot to list this Embossing folder in the below lineup….it is Polka Dot Basics – and it is a classic that goes the extra mile….each and every card! You all know I adore Polka Dots….they make me happy!
Hopefully we are back to our little piece of heaven, our home. It will be great to sleep in our own bed….it will be great to have my “critters” around me and it will be great to get back in the swing of things!
Now so fast…..this weekend I have another batch of “team posts” for you…..I do hope that you will pop back over the weekend for a sweet 2 day posts that will make many of you go grabbing for that sweet stamp set, Cool Treats!
Next week we are going to have some good old fashion Simple Stampin’ fun as I am going to share with you my adventures…..have a week long post of blog candy as you all are the sweetest in the world….for popping on and supporting my little Stampin’ fun….this trip would not have been possible without you!
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by Susan Itell | Jul 20, 2017 | Uncategorized |
You know what today is….whenever you hear the day of the week of “THURSDAY” than you know that it is time to play an old fashion fun game of Tic-Tac-Toe…but this time it is a FUN way….with the thing that we all love to do – play with paper! You see…there are still fun games when you are an adult!
Here is the challenge board this week and I hope that you popover to the Tic-Tac-Toe site to see what the other wonderful designers came up with!
I have to apologize in advance…I do not have many pictures for you today….I took all of the pictures of my projects before I left Randall Lane and for some reason I did not take many of this sweet card but I will do my best to shine that sunshine on you this morning to see the fun!
This card is from the below Bundle….and remember when you see the word bundle….than you know that you will receive an instant 10% off and if you would be a hobby demo…you would receive an additional 20% off…I say – why not?
You can clearly see in the below image all of the super die cuts that are with this sweet stamp set! Stampin’ Up! really did a bang up job this season with designing such intricate dies to make the interest even more special….
Can you see that the basic shape is cut out but look closer…you can even cut out the small flower to add some height and interest to “spot light” the flower even more….I say – WOOT-WOOT!
Now here is even a BIGGER timesaver….I stamped the whole thing in Pear Pizzazz and then “pieced” the So Saffron flowers over top so I did not have to worry about stamping and wiping off ink! Here comes another WOOT-WOOT!!!
Now you know I am simple….actually super simple as that is the way I roll and that is what comes naturally to me when I create! The base of this card is the Whisper White Note Cards….these not only are the best because they are already cut and scored but they are a great value!!!
I have to be honest with you….I just do not “get it” why there are so many that do not grab them up and give them the love that they soooooo deserve! Remember…they now come in Very Vanilla and the best part…..the card stock weight is the “thick card stock”
For me, this size is the perfect size to write that “quickie” that we all need to do from time to time and they also make a great “gift” to give….I know that my dear Aunt Jean always appreciates when I give her cards made up with this product.
One thing that I know that I am “guilty as charged” is the fact that I do not use embossing folders as much as I probably could. They are a great bang for your buck and I am trying to be better!
This is a newbie called Garden Trellis and it gives such a rich and deep emboss…so quick and easy with the help of our main man, Mr. Big!
The simple scoring gives this rather “plain jane” a bit of pizazz…I think I should call her “sweet jane” ….what do you think? Please do not forget about scoring for a quickie…..face it – making a sweet card does not mean that it needs to take hours and hours….
That’s it for today! If I have figured it out correctly…than we will be starting the LONG trek home….
- we fly from Chiang Mia to Beijing (6 hours)
- a 7 1/2 hour layover…..
- then from Beijing to Dulles (15 hours)…..
- get the car and COME HOME TO MY CRITTERS!!!!!
I know that we will be super tired but we will have lots of tails wagging….I hope to see you tomorrow and there is a quirky little guy in the house!!!
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by Susan Itell | Jul 19, 2017 | Just Because..., Uncategorized |
Happy Hump Day and it is time for John and I to “EXPLORE” today as we are going to see some temples today in beautiful Chiang Mia (I think I have the day/date correct). This is stamp set that I would wager to say was “passed by” in the new catalog but I just love it! (it is on page 35 in case you want to know)
You can see that this is a “Susan kinda card” as I just love those stamp sets that lend itself to a clean and simple card. You can see that this is all about the basic’s…..and BAM – YOUR DONE!
- The Stitched Framelits
- The Aqua Painter for a quick and simple pop of color
- Layers of Card Stock (that always is an eye pleaser)
- Doing a simple tone on tone stamping to create an INSTANT interest
In the below picture you can see that I did a tone on tone stamping with the suitcase stamp (I thought this would be soooo appropriate as we are traveling) but just look at the fun feel it gives to this card!
You can also see the super quick coloring I did….the colors that I used are in the line up at the end of the post and how about that linen thread? Does the trick each and every time!
To me, I just adore the color combination of Pink, Grey and White! How about you? The icing on the cake is the envelope fun as always using the Whole lot of Lovely DSP!
I hope that this has perked yo your day and that you will take a look at this fun stamp set! I see lots of possibilities for the small images and then adding a BIG sentiment from another set….that will be for another day!
We are winding down on our travels and I am hoping to edit my pictures and share with you the fun we have been having…..I am sure that our critters at home will be wanting some LOVE from their Mom and Dad – we have never left them this long!
Have a great day and until tomorrow!
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by Susan Itell | Jul 18, 2017 | Tips and Tricks!!!, Uncategorized
Hi guys…..still away and today if I have figured it out correctly….today is the day that John and I are going to an Elephant Sanctuary! As you know I am a HUGE animal lover and this is truly a “pinch me” time so I am hoping that it will be a “heart filling and rewarding” day for us!
I am hoping to take lots of pictures and trust me, there will be a day that I will share with you some of the Thailand fun that we have been having!
You know that I love to share with you things that make my life easier when I am crafting and even though I am a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator at heart, there are times that we do not have a specific product and when I find something that makes like easier for me….I like to share it with you!
The below product is a must have (in my humble opinion). You can get them at a big box store so keep your eye out for a 50% off coupon or make it easier for yourself and hit that Amazon button and have them delivered right to your door!
Several weeks ago….peep Will was home – he is the Montessori Teacher in Boston and we had a big time doing “crafty things” together! He had asked me if I had another pair of the Craft Scissors that Stampin’ Up! used to carry and I said, I only have the ones that I used….as they had been discontinued…..
We went on a trek to the Craft Store and we found these…..I fell in love with them soooooooo much that I went back and bought a pair for myself and THEY ARE THE BEST!
Below you will see a trio of pictures that I have shared before on how I love to give my envelopes some love….but this is why I adore these scissors – they have a non stick on the blade so the adhesive does not get stuck on them….to me – a DREAM MACHINE!!!!
With all of the “sticky” that I have going on when I do my envelopes….these make the process a breeze…..I just had to share as why keep a great thing a secret!
Be careful though….they are really big – you can see that the blade is 9 1/2″ long….but you will be a happy stamper – PROMISE!
Until tomorrow! We are doing Temples tomorrow!!!!
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by Susan Itell | Jul 16, 2017 | Step it up Sunday!, Uncategorized |
Good Sunday to all! Well…here you go – the 2nd day of our FUN that we have on weekends! Todays card was made by Bridget Trefethen, a team member from the great state of North Carolina!
Well…thoughts???? You can clearly see that we have 2 different cards but at the same time used the same basic elements to create! This IS why I like to do these posts on the weekends…there are sooooo many different ways to take a stamp and make YOUR own mark on it!
A big thanks for the love that you gave Chris R from Iowa (her trademark name)….as her card was super sweet and I am sure that you will give Bridget the love that she deserves as well! I will say…..both of these ladies do not have blogs so this is a great example of being a turtle and sticking your head out….many thanks as I am super proud of them!
Bridget chose to make a fun fold card! I know that there are many of you out there that love fun folds and I was thrilled that Bridget chose to “step it up” with a technique.
Here is the scoop for the “ins and outs” in how she made this FUN card….
- The Marina Mist Card Stock is 5 1/2″ × 8 1/2″. Score at 1 1/2″ and 4 1/4″. Make sure that you fold and burnish the score lines good. (this really helps a bunch with the overall end result)
- There are (2) different white pieces. One is 5 1/4″ X 4″ and the other is 5 1/4″ X 2 1/2″. Using the Simply Scored score all 4 sides of each of the pieces at 1/4″. This simple scoring gives the card not only interest but it gives a bit of texture.
- The Eskimos were stamped with Basic Grey and popped out with the coordinating punch.
- The sentiment was stamped on a scrap in Marina Mist and then hand cut and popped up with dimensionals.
- Bridget used the markers to color….the fur on Eskimos with the Smoky Slate marker – trim on coat, mittens, and edges of boots with Marina Mist marker and give the Eskimos rosy cheeks with Pink Pirouette marker.
You can see in the above photo that the crisp score lines of the card is what makes it super special. It is adorable as it stands up but it is even more of a blue ribbon winner that it is just a flat card that fits perfectly in one of our regular envelopes! (now I know…this is something that you all really, really like)
On the narrow blue fold I adored how Bridget took white bakers twine to wrap around 3 times and added some excess behind the sweet Eskimo….the “tails” of the ends of the twine appeared to be “curled” – hmmmm...I like this and I think I am going to give it a try – it does add a bit of fun 😀
Do you remember that yesterday I shared…to keep in your memory bank the “heart” in the punch? Well….this card is a great example of why. The little hearts that are scattered between the sentiment came from the punch! Punches sure are life savers as they are zoom….FAST!
Trust me….with Halloween around the corner those circles will also come in handy for “eyes”…I think that there are times that we just look at the punch and say – oh, that is for that Reindeer or Eskimo….and not look at the other elements!
Well I think that we all can agree……this was a fun Christmas in July for all of us! I thank both of these gals for sharing. It was so much fun to let them have the podium! You all know that I love what I do and I am soooooo proud of them for sharing. Sharing IS this way that we all learn and trust me….when I get back and into the swing of things – watch out as I am ready to inspire!
Here is a fun fact about Bridget…..when she found my blog and we developed a relationship…she lived in France! How fun is that – her husband and her moved to France for a timeframe (I know it was well over a year) but the minute she came back to the states….she joined as a SUD! Actually Bridget flew over and met me in Salt Lake City for a convention before she became a SUD…a first time for both if us at the home office – fun times!
Also…this is a fun fact – her husband is a coach for a debate team and in August they host a “camp of some sort” for the debate students (I guess that is what they would be called???) Talk about a small world, my daughter went to college right by Bridgets home in Monroe, NC….so if you live in the area…..look Bridget up!
Now go have a great day and thanks for popping in and sharing some time and love with us!
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