Are you ready for the “shortest” post that I have probably ever done! Well…today it the day….BUT – I will say that you will be getting another post from me later today because Stampin’ Up! has something up their sleeve!
What is it???…I honestly do not know…
Later today Stampin’ Up! is going to reveal something fun that will only be for 5 days…that’s all I know but when I find out…you’ll be the 1st to know and guess what…
Blog Candy Time…WOOT-WOOT!!!
You love Blog Candy and love to give you the opportunity to win it! Heck – it’s Easter…and that means candy but your candy will be 10 handmade cards and envelops from me!!!
Let’s go to the card…it’s going to be quick…but I think it is fun, clean, sophisticated and creates a WOW factor with a minimal amount of product!
The base is Strawberry Slush scored at 5 ½” making a vertical card!
The Crumb Cake is 3 ¾” X 5” and then the White is a “peek” larger….3 7/8” X 5 1/8”
I must admit…I have not used the Pleasant Poppies Stamp a bunch and I thought – think out of that box and “just do it”!!! I inked it up using the White Craft Ink!
TIP ALERT: – You have heard me before blogging that I am not crazy about this ink…but for this I likes it as it gives good coverage….BUT…I stamped it before I went to bed and then finished my card when was having coffee! (It does take some time to dry…you could use the heat tool…but a good nights sleep does the trick for me!)
The sentiment was all about using up scraps! We love our scraps! The sentiment is from the Sweet Essentials Stamp Set !
The only other thing is the envelope…the DSP is the Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper and it was the perfect choice for this simple card! True…I used the Envelope Liner Framelit…but remember – I have lined envelopes from the start…well before this super tool!
That’s it…and I am making a wish….that each of you have a fabulous holiday weekend and that you can still find time to “squeak in” viewing my blogs….and hopefully win the blog candy of cards!
I hope you know how much I appreciate you and I am so grateful for the great comments you leave me! From my “Project Life” post…there were many that warmed my heart !
The main thing to remember is….it IS important to leave a legacy behind…I ALWAYS did great clean and simple pages when scrapbooking but it WAS time consuming…I am excited to see how this whole system will work into my life! I am super excited!
You’ll hear from me later…hang on to your hats as I am equally excited…what do you think it will be????
Enjoy your coffee…enjoy this great card….and thanks for being YOU!
Until later…
p.s. - I hope I make you laugh…well did you notice a difference in the pictures? well…after work I stopped a Jeanie's house and she did not answer the door….I had another meeting and was afraid that it would be dark when I returned home…..so I used her steps to take my pictures!!
I wish you would meet Jeanie – she would make you laugh…one that LOVES life!
It’s Thursday and you know what that means…It’s time to play along with the PALS Paper Challenge and this is a special week for us as it is our 200th challenge! That in itself deserves a big WOOT-WOOT!!!!
This is a fabulous challenge that everyone can do…look at it and go to town as in honor of this 200th milestone for PPA…one lucky winner that participates will win all 20 of the cards!!! You can see that both Design Teams came together today for this challenge!
You can see that we are all doing monochromatic cards and my color is Soft Suede! I have learned to love this neutral as it blends so well with many colors! (Sorry Crumb Cake…I still adore you)
Let’s get to the card…but please POP by the Pals Paper Art Website and see all of the amazing cards…and then make sure that you enter your project because I know that it will be equally amazing! Remember, you can email me if you need help uploading your project!
A regular A-2 card in Soft Suede with some fun and then the inside is Very Vanilla!
The “polka dot” piece is fun and I bet you are wondering where that “dot” came from…it is from the Eye-Catching IKAT Photopolymer Stamp Set! While I was in Arizona, I swapped a card with someone that used this set….and I thought – I have never used it…but I know that it would be a perfect and fun addition to the card!
The side vertical Very Vanilla piece is 5 ¼” X 2 ¼” and then ran it through the Big Shot using the Dots Embossing Folder from Sale-a-bration! Whenever I emboss a piece of paper like this…I like to adhere it down flat rather than using stampin dimensionals – personal preference but I think it always looks “cleaner this way”!
The sentiment is from the Friendship Preserves Stamp Set and it was a cinch to pop out using the Window Frames Framelits! We are sooooo darn tootin' lucky that Stampin' Up! has so many framelits for us and I hope that there are more to come!
Using the next size up I popped another one in soft suede and then paper-pierced it using the Festive Paper Piercing Pack…a fun element to a card and truthfully something I forget about but when I remember…I am all smiles as I love the effect!
Adding some dimensionals to the "dot" piece and the sentiment….and we are done – well with the card….but we have my favorite to do – the good old envelope!!!! Today I put a piece of "post-it"notes on the edge of the envelope and then carried the "polka dot" theme across the back – a super fast and cute finale!
I think we all can agree that this sketch is a super clean and simple one…so how about trying it out! I always get so excited when I have downline or customers give it a spin…and remember – if you "play withus" this week – you could win all 20 cards!!!! Now wouldn't that be THE BEST!!!
I know yesterday, I shared with you 2 posts….I had soooo many emails about the card and I was so pleased that so many of you are giving it a try! It really is not hard but it looks hard….it's just the best when things like this happen!
The other post that I shared about the Project Life by Stampin' Up!! Ever since I learned about this…my head has been spinning with ideas! I truly think that it is an answer to many of "time constrains"in life! Remembering special moments and more importantly documenting them are soooooo important!
Please click here to read that post in case you missed it!
In closing, I wanted to let you know that there are many people for some reason not getting their daily subscription to my blog in their in box! I am sorry and there are other demonstrators that are experiencing the same problem….hopefully the server will be fixed and the problem solved!
You know that I blog everyday so for some reason if your Simple Stampin' inspiration was not there with your cup of coffee…simply type in my blog address…. www.simplestampin.com and I'll be there to inspire you!
I shared with you this morning that I was going to do another post today…I am sure by now if you follow other Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators Blogs, than you have probably heard the exciting news of Project Life by Stampin’ Up!
I did not want to blog about it right away as I was so excited but I also knew that I wanted it to “sink in” as I wanted to share a story with you that is from my heart!
I have shared through my blogging that I was with a direct selling company for many, many years and developed a very strong and fun team and had wonderful customers!
What I did was scrapbooking…
I made the very hard decision to leave direct sales at that time as we were buying our farm and also I could see the direction that the company was going towards was not my style. I was very clean and simple back then…and still hold true to keeping it duplicatable for others to experience the fun!
It was a hard decision but I looked at it as a “life decision” at that time…my team members were very surprised that I made this decision as I had built up over many years a great business. My heart was telling me it was time to make “the break” but I knew deep down – I would be back to direct sales one day as I adore the relationships you build and the lives that you touch!
Over this past weekend being in Arizona…I did not know anything about Project Life (Stampin’ Up! is great about keeping things hush-hush) but as I flew home I was thinking of the fun and memories I had in my “prior direct sales life” and how happy and blessed I am to have made the decision to be a part of Stampin’ Up!
The weekend spent with such a great group of people "filled my tank" and I realized how important the friends you meet…the lives you touch…and looking ahead for the future…to me, being in direct sales is the best as you can make it what YOU want it to be…and I knew I had a void in my life that needed fulfilled!
I am coming up on my 2nd Anniversary with Stampin' Up! and I can honestly say that the day I decided to become a demonstrator, I did not tell anyone…not even John – I had reflected on it for months and then ultimately…I did it for me! I knew I found the right company and I knew I found the right team!
I am super excited for what is ahead…I am eager to learn…to embrace the concept and to once again, help people realize the importance of leaving a legacy behind.
Life is complicated enough…so to me this new venture is giving "us" – (you and me) the permission to leave memories alive…to document the milestones and to leave a legacy for generations to come!
I have not been able to "dive into" it yet but believe me, I will research this concept before it becomes available! As a SUD, I will be able to order on Monday the 21st – woot-woot!
This is called "Project Life"…but to me it is "Project YES"
I have fallen WAY behind in my pictures and I adore taking pictures and I know my children love seeing them! This program will allow me to pick up where I left off…and that is so exciting to me!
Click below to watch a quick video! Thanks for reading my story and until tomorrow!
O.k – I know all of you well enough by now…you are looking at this and saying –
WOWZERS – THIS IS HARD…THIS IS soooooo un-Susan…
Hang tight! This is a great card and it is a card that is really not hard…you just need to follow it like a map! When you think of it as a map….it will work – you always end up at the destination that you are going for!
You know that I love odd size cards…and I made a custom 5" square envelope for it using the Envelope Punch Board…do you remember I shared with you that I forgot to take a picture of my dear friends Jeanie's card for the Spring Card Swap!?!?!?!?
Well…we took a class making this card and she was determined to make it into an A-2 Card so she could swap! Well…she did it and you will see her "beauties" at the end of the post!
It is a hard card to get a good picture of…but trust me – when it is in you hands…you will have the BIGGEST smile on your face out of pure pride and joy! It is a great card that can be adapted in many ways!
Let's go….today I am going to do this super easy…..listing the paper and sizes right off the bat!
Very Vanilla – Use the Square Framelits Scalloped frame for the outer edge…(you can see it "peek" out)….another piece at a 3 3/4" square for the inside of the card.
TIP ALERT: – The Square Framelits …I number them (I call #1 the smallest …then outward!) Doing it this way makes it easy when referring to sizes!
Baked Brown Sugar– 4 1/4" X 8 1/2" and then scored at 2 1/8" and then flipped around to 2 1/8" to the other side! Balanced ends of the card will make perfect sense to you later on! Fold and use your bone folder for crisp edges!
DSP – Retro Fresh Paper – a 2 3/4" square and then cut out with the #4 framelit! I also used this paper to line the envelope!
Tangerine Tango – 3" square and cut it with the #5 square framelit to mat the DSP!
Coastal Cabana – Cut a 4" square for the inside mat and then another 4" square but put it through the Big Shot Using the #5 and #7 framelits (remember…the smallest is #1 – see picture!) The circle for the cupcake is the 1 3/4" punch and then I did my "Susan dashes" in th white gel pen!
You can see that I used the Create a Cupcake Stamp Set...and using the fun colors of the DSP…a smile is on your face! How can a cupcake not bring a smile! The Cupcake Punch makes it a cinch!
TIP ALERT AND HOW IT COMES TOGETHER:
For the "outer frame"in Coastal Cabana.…1st fold the card together and then place a "thin"strip of Mono Glue to the "outer side of the right of the Coastal Cabana Square"…..center it and adhere. (You can see in the picture that the left side of the Coastal Cabana is NOT adhered!)
Go to the Tangerine Tango square that has the "cup cake" – place a "thin" strip of Mono Glue to the "left side of the Tangerine Tango Square"(the right side of this piece will not have any adhesive)
WHEW… – fold it together and IT WORKS!
All I can say is…try it..and if you need my help = please email me! I will do my best to help you! This card is one of those "Peanut Butter and Jelly" things I talk about – (once you get it…you get it!)
I must admit…this has been a hard one to try to "put into word" but I do hope you try it! !
I lined the envelope using the envelope punch board for a 5" square card WOOT-WOOT!!! What a great tool! Just look for the size of card you are making…follow the gude and presto – you can make your own envelope!
This is a great picture of an angle of the card! It is a fun card and one that I hope you try! I know that Vincent will have a HUGE smile on his face when he sees it!!!
Now let's get to Jeanie's card for the swap…..it's a keeper! Remember – this is an A-2 card size!
I hope that Jeanie will share with us the dimensions to make an A-2 card….I am sure she will as she is one talented person!
Today…you will get a double-whammy from me! Remember that I said that I had hopes of doing something fun for John….well…it is below 32 again and……it's not going to happen but "Plan B" is in effect!
