by Susan Itell | Feb 11, 2014 | PALS Blog Hops, Super Easy, Thank You |
Welcome to the Pals February Blog Hop. This month we are excited to share with you what we love about Stampin' Up! – our stamps, tools, accessories and techniques.
You may just be starting the blog hop or may have come from # 8… Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping on the Pals Hop. If you get off track at any time, the full lineup below will help you move along from blog to blog so you see all of the amazing creations.
This truly is one of my favorite times of the month….when we have our monthly Blog Hop!!! It is always such a treat to see what others come up with and I hope that you will pop by each and everyone's blog to see "what they love"!!!
This month's theme of "things we love"…WOWZERS – (can you hear me singing)…
"Where do I begin…..to tell the story….."
Well first… I just LOVE Stampin' Up! and today's card is a reflection of these things that I love! Here are some of the products that I used from Stampin' Up! that "I love" and that make is fun and easy to create the Clean and Simple style I like to do when card making!
- Sale-A-Bration – THANK YOU Stampin' Up! for offering such incredible "freebies" for us and our customers…and also the extra $$$ for hostess rewards!!! WOOT-WOOT!
Let's get to the card as this is such a cutie-pie and it is the card that I send to my customers this month…I am showcasing the DSP from Sale-A-Bration….an appropriate card for a "thank you" in the month of February!
I love white….did you notice that by now? I think white is always the perfect classic background to produce a wowzer card! The inset piece is cut at 3 1/4" X 4 3/4"
I knew that I wanted this to be super simple and super duplicatable….so out came the Stampin Trimmer and I used the vertical pattern on the DSP to guide me for the width!
- The vertical dimensions are 3 1/4" X 3/4" for the DSP and the pool party is 3 1/2" X 1/2"
- The horozontal dimensions are 3" X 3/4" for the DSP and the pool party is 2 3/4" X 1/2"
I just love my dots and dashes…and I often use the white gel pen….another must have and the price is right – just $3.95! No stressing….just dash away and the effect will be super-duper!
Next came the sentment! This "thank you" is a perfect size to fit in this area! I did not dare take a chance on not having a straight image so out came the Stamp-a-ma-jig ! The Stamp Set is called Peaceful Petals!
Taking the full heart punch and popping out a crisp cantaloupe heart….I ran it through the SAB Dots Embossing Folder and the end result is perfect! Popping it up with some Stampin' Dimensionals was all that was needed! The small heart punch with the DSP was just adhered with a glue dot!
THAT'S IT…..easy-peasy….right! Lining envelopes is so easy with the Envelope Liner Framelit….thank-you Stampin' Up……it is the perfect finishing touch/finale to a beautiful card!
(One question I have been asked…..can the new Textured Boutique Embossing Machine cut? NO – it can only emboss…..it is a dream with the embossing folders and because it is much smaller and light weight – it is a fun product….but the Big Shot is the Main Man to do everything…cut and emboss!)
A big, BIG thanks for popping by today!!!! I hope that I have inspired you and I hope that you will try this super simple layout and adapt it to many different themes!!! Please feel free to leave me a comment on how you liked this card and remember, you can email me too!
We are in FULL SWING with SAB so it is a great time to have a class, a stack-a-card event….or simply if you want a hostess code – I'll be glad to set that up for you!
The next stop is # 10…Nicole Watt at Pixel Maven's Retreat on the Pals Blog Hop! Nicole is the super-duper gu-ru that always designs our "Blog Hop Artwork"….one talented lady! Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you next month.
Until tomorrow…..
- Kerry Willard Bray at Peonies and Paper Chains
- Brian King at Stamp with Brian
- Janice Warhank at Janice's Papercraft Playground
- Shannon Hokanson at Paper Works
- Michelle Gleeson at StampinMojo
- Marlene Heringer at So Many Toys So Little Time
- Linda Callahan at Stampin' Seasons
- Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
- Susan Itell at Simple Stampin
- Nicole Watt at Pixel Maven's Retreat
- Rae Harper-Burnet at Wild West Paper Arts
- Sherrie Gross at Stampin Sunshine
- Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty
- Peggy Noe at prettypapercards.com
- Donna Kopenski at craftycardmaker
- Maggie Mata at Maggie Made Cards
- Natalie Bradley at Natalie Bradley Events
- Diane Roberts at Score at Four and a Quarter
- Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
- Jackie Diediker at Stampin Jackie
- Alison Bilohlavek at ribbon and brad
- Kelly DeTommaso at Kelly's Creative Corner
- Martie Pollard at The Crafty Bandit
- Angie Blake at Angie's Musings
- Dawn Tidd at Tiddbits from Dawn
- Shirley Sumption at Look at my Cute Stuff
- Debbie Mageed at Secret Stamper
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Susan Itell | Nov 12, 2013 | Fall Cards, PALS Blog Hops, Thank You, Watercoloring |
Thank you for joining us for the November Pals Blog Hop. We are thankful you are visiting today and hope you enjoy our thank you inspired projects.
You should have just left stop number 16 on the Pals Hop – Shannon Jaramillo at ezpeasycards. If so, you are in the right spot.
If you get off track, the full blog lineup below will help you move along
from blog to blog so you see all of the amazing creations!
I
think receiving a card at this time of the year is so special, as with the
seasons changing, the time changing, everyone seems to be “down–shifting” with
trying to get a “grasp” on the next time of rush!
To
me, this is such a time of Thanksgiving and letting friends, family and simply
people that touch your life and that you admire…sending them a card letting
them know that you are “Thankful” with how they touched your life is a powerful
and fulfilling gesture!
It
will be 3 years on December 1st that I lost my Mom and every year I
send her caregivers a card of “thanks” as they were so amazing and I still
deeply appreciate all that they did and they are always in my heart!
Today’s
card I wanted to do something different than leaves! This is from the Wetlands
Stamp Set and it is just elegant! Now you know what I am going to say…YES – you
need to use Water Color Paper when doing this technique of water-coloring!
Water
coloring is super fun and with the Aqua Painters it is a breeze! I get many
comments saying that they are not comfortable with water coloring. The best tip
I can give you is practice…practice and practice!!!
It
truly is easy and in time I have learned that it is important to get the
“puddle” of your ink color fairly wet as if you go over it again and again as
it dries, you will create a softer and in depth look! It’s kind of like
blending!
Look
at this picture (I know it’s kind of weird to look at) but before you open your
ink pad, give it a good squeeze to get a blob of ink on the top…then you can
see how I made a section much wetter with the aqua painter! I have found that I
like adding a lighter effect and it dries super quick and then going back over!
The
size of the water color paper is a 4” X 4” square and I stamped the “wheat
grass” in Soft Suede and then Goose in Black Staz-On Ink…. why did I do it this
way? Because the Soft Suede is not permanent, I wanted a bit of “bleeding” of
color as I was painting and then with the goose…I simply wanted the crispness
of him to pop! The total size of the card is 5" X 5"!
Here
are the colors that I used. I know it seems like a lot but truly you are “taking a little her and a little there”
to create an effect that you are comfortable with! Soft Sky, Old Olive, Cajun
Craze, Soft Suede for the grass area and Sahara Sand for the goose!
Remember
to gently squeeze your aqua painter and have a paper town handy to keep the
water consistently the way you like it. I only keep a tiny bit of water in
mine…a little goes a long way! Again, PRACTICE!!!
Because
this paper is meant to hold and absorb water, you still might get a bit of
“waviness” on the end result! Because of this, I would recommend using the
sticky tape to mat it to the soft suede…now as you can see it is super flat!!!
WOOT-WOOT!
The
simple sentiment of thanks is all that is needed! I love to write very
heartfelt notes of how and why they touch my life and let them know “I thank them for what the mean to me”
Because
the size of the card is not your traditional size…no worries – the envelope
punch board to the rescue! Just follow the handy dandy guide and a cut of the
paper…a punch of the board…a score of a line…PRESTO – all you need to do is use
adhesive and you are good to go!
A
card would not be a card to me without a liner! Following my dear and wonderful
upline, Mary Fish, she created this great video that you need to watch! Click
here and see how easy it is to make a liner to fit the odd size cards!
Needed to be kind to the mailman and make him smile…so I stamped the Wheat Grass on the lower edge of the envelope! Cute…..right!?!?
John has aked me to make him up a new wave of cards as he is running low of the last batch I made him and he asked me if I would make a dozen of this one up for him! You might think – WOW….that will take forever…but it really is not a big deal….
TIP ALERT: – because you are layering these bases…take full advantage of cutting shapes out of the Soft Sky and the Soft Suede Paper…use punched, use framlits etc….SAVE PAPER when you can!
Water-coloring to me is total therapy! I am happy as a clam watching "The Voice" and I can easily color all of these for John!
Remember, break your projects down into steps…doing this will save you so much time and frustration! You can do it!!!
Now you have a lot to get to….since it is the PALS Blog hop…you need to continue to be inspired! I hope that I have inspired you today…Until tomorrow!!!
The next stop is Martie Pollard at The Crafty Bandit, stop number 18 on
the Pals Blog Hop! Thanks for visiting – and I hope to see you next month!
- Nicole Watt at Pixel Maven's Retreat
- Ann Schach at The Stampin' Schach
- Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
- Carmen Sublasky at The Creative Stamptuary
- Shirley Sumption at Look at my Cute Stuff
- Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty
- Connie Lindsey at Crafting a Joyful Life
- Michelle Gleeson at Stampinmojo
- Shannon Hokanson at Paper Works
- Colleen Mollema at Uncanny Crafting
- Lynn Kolcun at Stamping With Avery's Owlery
- Kerry Willard Bray at Stampgoodness.com
- Debbie Mageed at Secret Stamper
- Amy L. Lazzell at Just A Thought…Cards by Amy
- Lisa Davis at Cherry St. Paper Treats
- Shannon Jaramillo at ezpeasycards
- Susan Itell at Simple Stampin'
- Martie Pollard at The Crafty Bandit
- Donna Kopenski at craftycardmaker
- Rae Harper at Wild West Paper Arts
- Sherrie Gross at Stampin' Sunshine
- Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
- Linda Callahan at Stampin' Seasons
- Diane Roberts at Score at Four and a Quarter
- Brian King at Stamp with Brian
- Beth Beard at My little craft blog
- Debbie Crowley at expressivelydeb…
- Dawn Tidd at Tiddbits from Dawn
- Sue Becker at Sue's R n R Stamping
- Nancy Gleason at My Stampin Space
- Peggy Noe at prettypapercards
- Marlene Heringer at So Many Toys in Schertz
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Susan Itell | Oct 8, 2013 | Halloween, PALS Blog Hops, Super Easy |
Thank you for joining us for the Pals Halloween Blog Hop. We hope
you enjoy our virtual trick-or treat hop where you will either learn
great tricks for your creative projects or enjoy a blog candy treat.
This is one of most favorite times each month, the PALS hop…make sure you read to the end to see the TREAT I have for you! Leave me comment on your favorite Halloween Costume you remember wearing…and on Thursdays post, I will announce the lucky BLOG CANDY winner!
You should have just left stop number 21 on the Pals Hop – Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping. If so, you are in the right spot.
If you get off track, the full blog lineup below will help you move along
from blog to blog so you see all of the amazing creations.
Let's get to this fun, clean and simple card…
If you send out lots of cards or make treats to give to family and friends…this is a great card to make multiple of using a minimal amount of product!
You will see that this card is a 4 1/2" square and when you get down to the Blog Candy at the bottom of the post, you will see that I also adapted the same theme to a 3" square.
- Starting out with a 9" X 4 1/2" piece of Whisper White and sore it at 4 1/2"
- Ready for keeping it simple….the Pumpkin Pie pieces are 2 5/8" an a 3 5/8" squares, the Whisper White is a 2 1/2" square and lastly the Designer Series paper from the Neutrals Designer Paper Pack is a 3 1/2" square.
Envelope time….I am going to spend a little more time today on the envelope as when it comes to making envelopes we have a couple of different options!
We all know that the Envelope Punch Board is the best thing that has come down the pike….and if you do not have it…it's easy – YOU NEED IT!
Today I did not use it…I wanted to show you that if you do not have it you can still make your own envelope with the help of the Simply Scored Diagonal Plate. Click here to see Mary Fish's great chart on making envelopes…I use it often and I would suggest that you print it off as you will refer to it!
Before I get to the simple how to's did you notice my smile for the mailman? I love to make their day as well…that is a hard job and they are a big part of what we do…..there's nothing like going to your mailbox and having a card in your mailbox for you!
A question I get asked often is…how do I do the outside of my envelopes? Easy…I just take a piece of Designer Series Paper ( be careful if it has a pattern to make the pattern nice and even)…I use the 2 way Glue Pen – adhere and then using the paper snips cut around!
Here is the end result…one great card! Did you notice the little "trio" dots I randomly placed on the card…my trademark – just love this little fun and simple trick!
Ready for the Blog Candy? I think it is something that everyone will love…items that I have made and I am sure that you will put them to great use!
Simply leave me a comment and also let's have fun with sharing some of our costumes we wore in the past…I will randomly pick a winner and announce it on Thursday posting…you have a lot of blogs to HOP AROUND to so I thought I would give you some extra time!
Have fun hopping around…I just love to see what everyone comes up with! Many thanks for popping onto my blog and please….come on back! I blog daily and would love to inspire you!
Now go hopping….and until tomorrow!
The next stop is Shirley Sumption at Look at my Cute Stuff,stop number 23, on
the Pals Blog Hop! Thanks for visiting – and I hope to see you next month!
- Lynn Kolcun at Stamping with Avery's Owlery
- Angela Curry at Kindred Stampers
- Maggie Mata at Maggie Made Cards
- Kelly DeTommaso at Kelly's Creative Corner
- Debbie Crowley at expressivelydeb…
- Rae Harper-Burnet at Wild West Paper Arts
- Julie Trevett-Smith at The Stampin' Affair!
- Kerry Willard Bray at Stampgoodness
- Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty
- Martie Pollard at The Crafty Bandit
- Colleen Mollema at My Crafty Habit
- Lisa Davis at Cherry Street Paper Treats
- Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
- Nicole Watt at Pixel Maven's Retreat
- Nancy Gleason at My Stampin Space
- Beth Beard at My little craft blog
- Linda Callahan at Stampin' Seasons
- Sherrie Gross at Stampin' Sunshine
- Peggy Noe at Prettypapercards.com
- Debbie Mageed at Secret Stamper
- Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
- Susan Itell at Simple Stampin'
- Shirley Sumption at Look at my Cute Stuff
- Sandra Conner at Pretty Provisions
- Carmen Sublasky at The Creative Stamptuary
- Margaret Moody at Margaret Moody
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Susan Itell | Sep 10, 2013 | Christmas, PALS Blog Hops |
Thank you for joining us for the September Pals Blog Hop. This
month we are showcasing projects made with the Stampin' Up! tools we
love.
You should have just left stop number 22 on the Pals Hop – Barb Furlong at The Love of Stamping. If so, you are in the right spot.
Don't worry if you get off track…I'll have the whole line up at the end of the post and I do hope that you will treat yourself to 24 Blogs of inspiration and fun!
This is probably one of my favorite times of the month…the PALS Blog Hop! It is so much fun to see all of the inspiration but this month really had me thinking!
WHY?… Well, the theme, using tools we love….where could I possibly begin cause I love so many! I was really, really trying to do something super different and fun but honestly I became a bit stressed with myself and said…just do and show what you like! I listened to my inner voice and here you go!
One thing I know was that I wanted an odd size card (4 1/2" X 6") so naturally I could use the unbelievable Envelope Punch Board and if you do not have this…..you need to click here now as for $19.95, it is amazing all that it can do!
Hmmmmm….to get this odd size card….I needed a piece of paper measuring 4 1/2" X 12 and scored it at 6" – I know that I have posed before….please go and see how many 12 X 12 colors of paper we have! They truly come in handy! Love having the flexibility of ordering at this size!
Polka Dots make me smile…no matter what color they are, what size they are….I adore them! When the holiday catalog came out and I saw the Seasons of Style Designer Series Paper….I was doing the happy dance – love everything about this paper!
Another thing that caught my eye at 1st glance was this stamp! I think the font is fabulous and I instantly knew if would make it to my house – so bold, clean, crisp and classic! It is called "Love and Joy" (how unique) and it's a keeper!
Being that I have made cards before with this style/layout…I knew that another one of my favorite things are our framelits! Today I used the Deco Labels Framelits and this meant that I was able to use my Main Man, Mr. Big Shot….( just adore him) and better yet…the new Magnetic Platform!
Hang tight….I know that it has been SUPER frustrating that the Magnetic Platform has been on backorder…..but YOU can be Cindrella and at mignight on this Thursday September 12th, it is avaliable to order!!! Treat yourself…you will never regret it – an amazing tool! The item number is (130658)
Using the platform with the framelits is a breeze – you will love it!
One of the key ingredients in making this card have the WOW factor it has…is using a bunch of Stampin' Vitamins….Stampin' Dimensionals! These are the simple key factor to really making your cards have a clean, sharp and professional look! I just love them and use them all the time!
One tool that I did not use but I do consider it one of my favorites is our new Envelope Liner Framelits! This is a life saver and time saver! Please click here and refer back to my post that I did on using both, the framelits and the "Susan way" of lining (like I did here today) both work…both look great!
The one thing that is FOR SURE is that Stampin' Up! has sooooo many incredible products that all make us shine! They are not only the best on the market, they are very easy to use!
There is so much talent out there and I always love learning more and helping you reach your goals! Please reach out to me if I can help you with your projects! I am an email away and you can always order from my website anytime!
How did you like today's card?….please feel free to leave me a comment! I realize that the holidays are still far away ~ but they will be here before you know it! I think that this would be a card you would be proud to send!
Have a blast popping from Blog to Blog and be a sponge and take it all in! There is so much talent on Mary Fish's PALS group…it is a "happy land" and we have fun together!
The next stop is Rae Harper at Wild West Paper Arts, stop number 24 on
the Pals Blog Hop! Thanks for visiting – and I hope to see you next month!
Here are all the PALS that are participating today….also, a HUGE thanks to Pal Nicole Watt in making the badge at the top of the post! She is sooooo incredibly talented! THANKS for your time and energy!
- Kim Czenszak at Live Love Stamp
- Shirley Sumption at Look at My Cute Stuff
- Barbara Chatzkel at Take Out Paper Arts
- Debbie Mageed at Secret Stamper
- Lynn Kolcun at Stamping with Avery's Owlery
- Debra Simonis at Deb's Stampin' Grounds
- Kerry Willard Bray at Stampgoodness
- Maria Flores at Maria's Sandbox
- Diane Roberts at Score at Four and a Quarter
- Dawn Tidd at Tiddbits From Dawn
- Amy L. Lazzell at Just A Thought…Cards by Amy
- Linda Callahan at Stampin' Seasons
- Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty
- Peggy Noe at Prettypaprecards.com
- Beth Beard at My Little Craft Blog
- Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
- Sherrie Gross at Stampin' Sunshine
- Debbie Crowley at expressivelydeb…
- Maggie Mata at Maggie Made Cards
- Martie Pollard at The Crafty Bandit
- Nicole Watt at Pixel Maven's Retreat
- Barb Furlong at The Love of Stamping
- Susan Itell at Simple Stampin'
- Rae Harper at Wild West Paper Arts
Thanks for popping by and until tomorrow!
Like this:
Like Loading...
