In Sickness and in Health

I have a quick post today before I head back to the hospital. My husband's foot surgery went well and we are in recovery mode. I am feeling more comfortable with driving back and forth to downtown Seattle and am spending my time with books, crocheting, Pinterest and Ipad games :)

I have a throwback Thursday card for you today. It was made recently but uses an all-time favorite stamp of mine featuring two sweet lovebirds on a bike!  I don't have the product information for you since I'm not home and don't have the time to research it on the web, but wanted you to know that I have not forgotten my blog and am missing my stampin' room and all my stuff!  All for now......

Sarah

Lumberjack Birthday

I'm taking a day long break from Valentine's Day with a birthday card for you today. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, we are in Seattle and secondly, my husband is on my mind. Seattle is a gorgeous city that we have enjoyed visiting often over the years. It's early history was full of lumberjacks and the timber industry. My husband is big, tough as nails, sweet as pie and loves flannel shirts. Now that you are thoroughly confused, here's my card!

This is a fun new Valentine set that is in the Occasions Catalog called "Wood You Be Mine?" I plan to make some awesome Valentines with this when I get back home, but for now, here's what I have. I love this guy's huge chest , big beard and skinny legs ;)  

As a bonus, here's a pic of us in Seattle (with borrowed Seahawk jerseys ...shhhhhhhhhhh  we are really Vikings fans )

That's it for now... I'll be back!

Sarah

You're Sweet #2

Here's a simple Valentine that puts the message right out there!  I like the different colors combined together and always love to accent my project with a little bit of linen twine. I am addicted! I should probably "just say no" to linen twine, but I don't.

If you look closely, you'll noticed a daubed the edge of the sentiment with a little red ink. I thought that set it out a little better from the background and is also one of my go-to techniques!

I'm composing this the day before it posts as we'll be on the road tomorrow. It's sunny in Montana and who knows what it's doing in Seattle. Pretty sure there's a whole lot of Seahawk fever going on though!
Have a great Friday!
Sarah

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

A Valentine for Horse Lovers (or Horses?)

Believe it or not, I have a significant demand for western/horse themed cards so I'm always keeping that in the back of my mind with different seasons, occasions, etc.  I don't make hundreds of them, but I certainly make quite a few and they are gone before I know it!  This horse image is retired from last year's catalog but I still use it alot. I framed it with stamping by using the foliage stamp from the "Sheltering Tree" stamp set... another use for that set! Anyway, it's kinda fun, makes me smile and so that's a winner in my book!  Hope you like it!

I'm hoping to continue my blogging streak this next week. I have a laptop, some pics on a flash drive and think I'm ready to roll. Pretty sure they have decent internet in Seattle ;)

Until next time,

Sarah

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

So Sweet

Today's card is more of a traditional valentine, even including some gorgeous new lace that Stampin'Up! has in the Occasions catalog (pg 43). This lace would be wonderful on a wedding or baby card as well, but since I have Valentines on the brain, this is what I thought of.   I experimented with 3 different reds/pinks but it is pretty subtle. I used Real Red, Strawberry Slush and Primrose Petals (retired color). After trying various punches and Framelits for the hearts, none of which were perfect, I actually cut the hearts out with scissors. I know, old school... ;)  Anyway, here it is:

Very simple, yet striking. In case you haven't noticed, I've been adding an additional feature to my blog, a supply list!  I'm striving to get better and better at using this blog site and teaching myself something everyday!

I'll be back tomorrow and then, we'll see. My hubby is having a pretty huge foot surgery in Seattle next week and I'm not sure what I'll have time for. Real life is what really matters... all these cards are just for fun!

Have a great Wednesday!

Sarah

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

You + Me = Love

This doesn't look like any equation you studied in math, but it's kinda fun for Valentine's Day!  This was an extremely easy card but I hope the various layers make it interesting. I also made a bold statement with Coastal Cabana as my main color. I used some more traditional black and Strawberry Slush to accent it. The pink ruffled ribbon and heart paper clip are retired items that I had in my stash. I won't make apologies for using up stuff ;)

I hope some of my cards are generating some ideas for you. By the way, if you like what you see and don't have the time or interest in making them yourself, I do sell my cards!  You can get them locally at Sola Cafe, the downtown Food Co-op, the Hospital gift shop, The Coffee Pot, The Posey Patch, Head West and Four Corners Saddlery. I also sell my cards via mail order. See my card packages listed on the right hand side of the blog and contact me for more information!

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Twitterpated!

Now comes the quirky valentine!  I came up with this one, thought it was HILARIOUS, showed it to one of my daughters and she thought, not so much! Oh well, to each his own. What do you think?

I used the You Plus Me set again for the "twitterpated" sentiment and then used the  new "Guy Greetings" set for my dude.  It was fun to do and still makes me chuckle! If you've been  a Stampin'Up! fan for awhile, the sharp eye will notice I'm using some retired paper now and then... I love to not waste stuff!

Happy Monday!

Sarah

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

You're Sweet!

One thing that is stretching me a little with my Valentine cards this year is choosing some different colors combos besides sticking to strictly red and pink.  How about some blue? How about some turquoise? How about some Crisp Cantaloupe?  It's always a bit of a challenge to think outside the box and color can be particularly tricky. Some accent colors bring out the best in a main color theme and others destroy it. How do you know?  I don't have a scientific answer although I suspect it has something to do with color theory which I know very little about. I have been a quilter for years and I know that honed my color choosing skills immensely.  Thankfully, using Stampin'Up! Designer Series Paper takes much of the guesswork out of color choice. They have designed the paper with the latest color trends in mind and I would bet they understand color theory really well too. The specific colors they have chosen are always listed on the paper pack so it just doesn't get any easier to figure out what to use. I love to add something else when I can. I have two cards for you today; a valentine and another birthday card where I added a 4th color that is not in the original color scheme, dictated by the Designer Paper.  First the Valentine:

I used the same supplies I did in my card yesterday, for the most part, as far as the paper stack and stamp set, but emphasized  the main color of Crisp Cantaloupe~~ kind different, but okay!

Here's my second card and you'll see what I mean about adding  a color that happens to compliment what I already had going on. In addition, the Designer Paper actually inspired my party hat idea!

There are some short thoughts on color and how I think through the process sometimes. I have to admit that other times I don't think at all and throw stuff together randomly until I like how it looks. That's a theory too, right?

Sarah

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Be Mine!

I'm ready to move on to making Valentines! I know traditionally it is mostly a holiday for sweethearts and elementary school kids but I still think it's fun to tell my kids, parents and some others that I love them. I like to make traditional and quirky valentines and will have some of both for you. I'm a big fan of this year's Stampin'Up! heart/love/Valentine stamps sets, paper and embellishments. It's easy to be creative when you have so many awesome things to work with! My first Valentine is very traditional. I layered some fun paper from our new "Stacked with Love" paper stack and used the "Be Mine" sentiment from the "You Plus Me stamp set. All of these goodies can be found on page 5 of the Occasions Catalog. See details below!

You may notice a layer of silver vellum I tucked in there.. I have a package of this, as well as the gold and forgot about it! So glad I remembered it this time.   Hope you have time to create a little this weekend~~ I have 2 more chores and then that's my plan!

Sarah

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Last of the seasons

Since I was on a seasonal roll, I made an autumn themed card with Sheltering Tree, even though I am not the least bit in the mood for autumn.  This was the least inspiring for me, but I still liked how it turned out. I DO have childhood memories of raking lots of leaves.. .not so much in our current home!  To break out of the typical color families for fall, I used a little bit of Lost Lagoon blue... I liked it!

I hope you've been inspired by my four seasonal cards featuring this stamp set!  All were versatile and could easily be adapted for any occasion. That always makes me feel like I'm getting a great value when I purchase a stamp set~~versatility!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Sarah

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Friendship is a sheltering tree...

 As mentioned, I did have a minute this morning and made another card with the Sheltering Tree stamp set, my current favorite from the Occasions Catalog (pg 22).  I had a couple of goals in mind for this card, 1) make it vertical as the others have all been horizontal, 2) play with color--I used 3 shades of pink and a little bit of white for the blossoms and 3) keep it sorta simple. How did I do?

The only change I would made is to use a darker brown for the sentiment... it's a little subtle !  Now, to anticipate spring and actually seeing some of these trees. Both my next door neighbor and the neighbor across the street have lovely flowering trees and because we live in Montana, by June 1st, they should be gorgeous! 

Have a lovely day~~

Sarah

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

It's January, but I can dream of summer, right?

As promised, I'm back today with another post featuring the "Sheltering Tree" stamp set. I can already tell I'm going to have alot of fun with this set. Can you picture cherry blossoms in the spring, or crab apples as the case would be in Montana?  What about all the glorious colors of autumn?  Here's my card today:

I never grew up in a yard with a good climbing tree, but this looks like one, doesn't it?  My grandma's backyard in Big Timber, MT had a few green apple trees and this reminds me of them in the summer and they were very climbable!  Are you wondering how I made the grass?  Stampin' Up! sells fringing scissors (pg 215 of annual catalog) and it was a snap with those. The scissors have 5 blades close together and making grass is a favorite way to use them for me. Depending on how my day goes, I am going to keep going with my seasonal theme and Sheltering Tree!

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look at what I'm up to with my crafting. Happy Hump Day!

~~Sarah

Wintry Sympathy card

Unfortunately, I always need alot of sympathy cards. I love being able to send them, I just greatly dislike the reason. I have several "sympathy" stamp sets, but I also like to use other stamp sets and images that will work. A new set in the Occasions Catalog, pg 22, "Sheltering Tree" fits that role, as well as many others.  This is a build-a-scene set featuring a lovely tree. You can make your scene as full or simple as you want. For my sympathy card, I chose very simple, stark branches and added some sparkle. I even used glitter!  If you know me, a little bit of glitter goes a looooonnnng way with me, haha! My biggest hangup has always been the mess. Well, I finally got brave and tried it on a card. There is a way to get glitter on a card and not all over you. It's called "Heat and Stick" Powder. It works similar to embossing powder in that you stamp the image you want to apply glitter to with Versamark ink or a colored craft pigment ink.  Then, you shake on some Heat and Stick powder, shake off the excess and use your heat tool to activate  the powder. THEN, over a trash can, apply a little bit of glitter on top of heat and stick powder. Shake off the excess glitter into the trash and use your heat tool again to set the glitter. It really works! I almost couldn't believe it!  Here's my card:

I really like how this turned out and can't wait to get even braver and bolder someday with glitter. Maybe I will come to actually love it, who knows! Sometimes old dogs can be taught new tricks.

I'll be back tomorrow with a summertime scene using the Sheltering Tree set.  Maybe I'll even keep the four seasons theme going and try Spring and Fall!

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah

Cheerful Critters!

I don't know how many times I've thought I wish  I new about Stampin'Up! specifically and rubber stamping in general when my kids were young... I would have gone CRAZY!  I love the new "Cheerful Critters" stamp set for the whimsy, joy and fun it brings to mind. I made a card and also cut out some individual critters for cupcake toppers! I can imagine using the bunny or chick for Easter and any of them for a baby card or decoration.  Here's what I did:

What ideas are racing through your mind with this fun set?  It's on page 14 of the Occasions Catalog and sure to be a hit !  Enjoy your wintry day, wherever you are~~

Sarah

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Celebrate Balloons!

One thing that I've noticed the last year or so, Framelits are becoming very popular and also slightly less expensive as they proliferate throughout the crafting industry. That's good news for anyone that has a die cutting machine like a Big Shot and balks at cutting out lots of little tiny things with scissors, like me!  A great new set in the new Occasions Catalog is balloons!  We used this and the coordinating stamps (all on page 11 of said catalog) in a class this past week. Here are a couple of cards featuring these brand new products:

Here's the coordinating stamp set ~~ so many possibilities!

I'm off to make some birthday cards!  Be sure to check out all the new stuff in the store soon!

Happy Stampin',    Sarah

Occasions 2015

I've been busy making new cards with new products!  Here's one for you today!

It's Sale-A-Bration time!

Stampin'Up! most fun time of year is back... freebies galore!  For every $50 you spend, anywhere including Occasions Catalog, Annual catalog, Weekly deals, Clearance Rack; you get to choose a freebie from the Sale-A-Bration brochure!  This promotion goes through March 31st so you have lots of time to plot your strategy and earn as many freebies as possible!  Click on the Sale-A-Bration box to the right and check it out!