When Life gives you Lemons....

Happy Hump Day Stampers!
Yeah, it's Wednesday!  There's always something about Wednesday that puts a little skip in my step if I'm faced with a busy and full week. I know that half the to do's are behind me and the rest will be over soon. Ever feel that way?  Taxes have been my main project this week and I'm almost done! Woohoo!!

One piece of advice for life has been around awhile. It's "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade". It's a catchy phrase designed to encourage us to make the best of things, even in tough circumstances. Stampin'Up! has a fun stamp set and coordinating "lemon-builder" punch that provide more options that making lemonade. I recently spent some time playing with it and wanted to share my results:

For this card, I used the Color Theory Designer series paper as my background piece. I love how it looks like crackled paint!

On this card, I fashioned a basket out of the new basketweave folder that is a special SAB freebie with a $100 purchase and includes a beautiful floral basket stamp.   I added some Wink of Stella on my leaves to put in a little sparkle.

For this card, I used some background DSP from the Bubbles and Fizz paper (also a SAB freebie) and some of our basic packs of washi tape.  Don't forget the Washi option when you are looking for just one more element to add to a card that seems sorta bleh.... I often use it to cover the "seam" between papers.

These were fun cards to make and will be fun cards to send someone.  I have to admit, I love punches!  There's something so quick and easy about stamping an image and then punching it out. The Big Shot and framelits are amazing and provide so many more options, but this is quick!  The leaves and whole lemon come from the lemon builder punch and the lemon slice piece is a 1-2/4" circle punched out image.  Here's a look at the stamp set and punch so you can get a better idea - and they are bundled in the annual catalog to save you 10%!!



The"slice" stamp could be used for all kinds of citrus fruit as well, not just lemons. With the versatile sentiments, you can make a birthday, anniversary or general friendship card that encourages someone who needs a day brightener.

Tomorrow is March 1st, the start of our last month of Sale-A-Bration. What's still on your wish list? There's plenty of time to plan an order and take advantage of some freebies! This is also the most beneficial time to join Stampin'Up! as a demo. During Sale-A-Bration, you not only can sign up for $99 and pick out $125 worth of product (your choices) but you get two extra stamp sets from Stampin'Up!  And, if that's not good enough, it's a no obligation offer!  You can sign up and see if it is something that works for you and all you have to do to stay active is continue to purchase at least $300 per quarter. This can come from you, friends, families, new customers, whatever. You just have to submit orders of at least $300 per quarter. If you decide it's not for you, you can simply quit submitting orders and you are done as a demo... no consequences, no contracts to break, no penalties.  Stampin'Up/! wants to make signing up as easy as possible and while we hope you stick around for years, it's easy to walk away from as well. In talking to people, that is someone's main hesitation for signing up. They want to make sure they can get out painlessly if they have to. Hey... life happens! Our lemon-themed cards today remind us of that, right?!

Contact me for all the details or with any other product or ordering questions you might have. There are several helpful links on the right and I'm quick to respond to email inquiries.

Thanks for stopping by in your busy week! Hope it's not full of lemons, literally!
Sarah

When you just want to color and color some more!

Hi there Stampers!
Today I'm taking another look at a fun new product Stampin'Up! introduced in the 2018 Occasions catalog - BRUSHO!  These are concentrated color pigment crystals that are designed to react to water and boy do they react!  It is so fun to sprinkle them on some paper and watch the magic. Here are a couple of ideas that used the Brusho product:

First, I need to mention a wonderful stamp set that lets you color all you want. You can stamp it or heat emboss it, either way. In both of these cards, I used some white embossing powder and heat embossed the butterfly and flower.The set is called "Beautiful Day" and what makes it perfect for coloring is the large areas in between the lines. You could use the Stampin' Blends alcohol Markers, Stampin'Up Watercolor pencils, any ink delivery took like a blender pen or Aqua Painter or Brusho. All will work to color these images easily.

In the top flower card, I heat embossed the flower image on watercolor paper. It's important to use watercolor paper if there will be a significant amount of water involved in your project. You need watercolor paper to absorb the water without damaging the paper.  After embossing, I "painted" over the entire area with an Aqua Painter filled with water. You can vary the amount of water you add, but the more water, the more the color will spread and the less control you have.   I used a medium amount, if that helps.  I then sprinkled some blue Brusho crystals in a few areas, then some orange, then some yellow. I just let the color "explode" all on it's own and didn't try to move it around with any tools.  In areas that seemed to need more powder, I used more. I then let the project dry completely before I continued with my card. I loved the results and as you can imagine, this will look slightly different every time due to the variables of water and Brusho amounts.

On the butterfly card, I also heat embossed the butterfly on watercolor paper. This time, I applied the Brush crystals BEFORE the water. I then used the Aqua painter to activate them and spread the color around a little. This was a more controlled way of using Brusho as I could spread the color where I wanted it. I also added more crystals for a deeper color saturation.  This method doesn't leave quite as much to chance, but again, most projects will look slightly different from each other.

Both sentiments used were also part of the "Beautiful Day" stamp set.  If you are interested in trying some coloring techniques, I would highly recommend this stamp set as a starting place. The images are versatile and timeless and as I said before, there are almost limitless ways to apply color.

You can see this set and all our other fabulous Stampin'Up! products by shopping online, looking at the catalog links or contacting me directly for more information. I teach many classes a month locally in the Bozeman, MT area but also coach via phone, email, FB or text!  Please don't hesitate to ask a question or seek some help. That's what I'm here for ;)

Off to more stampin' adventures!
Sarah

Some Bunny Fun!

Good Monday Morning Stampers!
I hope you have had a great weekend as you face the dawn of a new week. It's amazing how fast the time flies but hopefully you packed in some great moments that gave you rest, relaxation, reconnection with those you love and fun!

I'm back today with more from the 2018 Occasions Catalog. Stampin'Up! has figured out a technique that almost makes stamping look like a photograph. It is amazing!  In the current annual catalog, they featured this phenomenon with a bear stamp and in this Occasions Catalog, they used the same technique with a bunny. Take a look!

Isn't that amazing?  The way they do it is with three different layers of ink, different colors, produced by three different stamps.  Here are the stamps themselves:



This technique works with any color scheme, you just need three shades of a color, from light to dark. The tricky thing to remember is that you start with the full image (lower left corner of this picture) using the LIGHTEST ink. The second most dense image (lower right corner) is stamped with the medium shade and the least dense image (upper left corner) is stamped with the darkest ink. You will have to remind your self of this as you will be tempted to stamp the darkest image with the darkest ink, etc.

In my examples at the top I used, PINK:  Powder Pink, Blushing Bride, Flirty Flamingo; BLUE: Soft Sky, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay; GREY_ . Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Black.  Because the stamps are photopolymer, it is easy to line them up and stamp away!

Here are some pics of what I did with them:

When I went to look for Designer Series Paper for my background, I discovered this sheet in the Whole Lot of Lovely set. Believe it or not, it is the same paper, using different sides, exactly the color scheme I needed!  I featured these card options at my Saturday Stamp-A-Stack this weekend and it was by far the most popular card for people to make!

I hope Stampin'Up! tries some more stamps like this. They are super fun to use and create really impressive results.

Have you had time to check out the Sale-A-Bration freebies yet?  You still have over a month to do so and place an order totaling at least $50 to get a free product. This promotion only happens once a year so don't miss out. I've been stocking up on adhesives and white and Very Vanilla card stock which I go thru by the truck load ;)

Until next time, happy stampin'!
Sarah

Wonder what a card class looks like?

Happy Friday Stampers!
Are you excited the weekend is almost here? I sure am!  This week held some expected things, unexpected things leading to joy and stress. Sounds about right, doesn't it!  We all have plans and calendars and appointments and deadlines and then there's reality that doesn't care about what you were thinking your week was going to look like. In the end, I made it to Friday so that is awesome!

One of the highlights of this week was my monthly card class for some "regulars". We meet in a friend's home for one of the sessions and in my home for the other. This is a monthly class focused on making three cards and learning new techniques, trying out new product, etc. Most of the gals have been around the rubber stamping block many times so it can be hard to show them something new. I like to surprise them with original ideas that are not on Pinterest until I put them there!  I thought you would like to see what we were up to this month. My overarching theme was to feature the soon-to-be retiring In-Colors of 2016-2018. They will be gone May 31st, but likely sooner so I wanted my ladies to stock up on ink, refills, markers and paper if there are any of these colors that they truly love.

The first card uses the "Apron of Love" bundle in the new 2018 Occasions catalog. While it is mainly focused on cooking and baking, there are a few other reasons to wear an apron, like when you are crafting!  I decided to go that direction since we are all diehard crafts.  I combined this set with the "Crafting Forever" set found in the annual catalog. Both have lots of images and sentiments suitable for our crazy passion! I featured the In-Colors of Emerald Envy and Flirty Flamingo.

And I put a super creative surprise in the inside of the card!  Watercolor with markers and Aqua Painters!

This was a fun way to show off some of our tools; ink, rubber, color, water, etc.  I hope you subscribe to the motto of "Do Something Creative Every Day" - I know I do!

For my next card, I turned to a big hit in the Sale-A-Bration brochure of freebies - The Party Pandas!  I've seen so many cute ideas for this panda all over the place and one of the best was to have a juggling panda. For this card, I featured the In-Colors of Dapper Denim and Peekaboo Peach.

I resorted to a little bit of retired product for this card including the adhesive dots for "balls" and some retired orange glimmer paper. It's okay to use retired stuff. That's another one of my mottos for this year haha! This idea is the perfect birthday card for a kid!

On my last card, we worked with the Petal Garden Designer Series Paper stack and the In-Color, Sweet Sugarplum.  I also wanted to feature another huge hit with the SAB promotion... The Celebrate You thinlits!

In the right upper hand corner, we stamped the SAB stamp "Heartfelt Blooms" with Sweet Sugarplum ink on the same colored paper. It creates almost a watermark type image that I really love. The Petal Garden DSP is featured along the side and bottom of the card and the Celebrate thinlit really pops when using gold foil paper. One other SAB freebie was added, the ribbon on the side!

It's amazing what you can come up with when you have somewhere to start! Almost any of our products can launch your own creative adventure. I'm here to help!  Contact me with for questions, ideas or advice and I'll try to help.

You still have several weeks to take advantage of Sale-A-Bration so don't miss out! Update that wish list and get going!

Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

Congratulations with pizzazz!

Hi Stampers! Happy Hump Day!
Wednesdays are traditionally called "Hump Day" because we are half way through the week and just above over the hump so to speak. I think we deserve some congratulations each week for making it this far, right?

How many of you have seen the "Amazing Congratulations" stamp set in the Occasions Catalog (pg 51) and thought, oh boy, that looks complicated?  I will admit that I did!  At first I wasn't even sure what was going on but then realized there are three separate stamps used to create the word "congratulations". There is an outline of the word and two different stamps to color the inside. I tried it this week, using different color variations. I discovered it is best to stamp the outline first and then quite easy to add the color. This kind of stamp will be perfect to use for the Stamparatus tool when it becomes available later in June (more on that in the coming months!).

Here are a few of my projects:

On the card above, I used some Naturally Eclectic Designer Series Paper on the background and that determined my color scheme, Fresh Fig, Rich Razzleberry and Lemon Lime Twist.  I used the balloon punch for my balloons and added some Wink of Stella for a little shimmer.

For my second card, I incorporated one of the new Valentine stamp sets and framelits for a wedding theme. The hearts came from "Heart Happiness" and the background paper comes from the Bubbles and Fizz DSP.  I have never used Calypso Coral with Cherry Cobbler before, but I really liked how this turned out! Anything orange and anything red usually clash, but these were toned down enough that I think it worked!

Of course, this set would also make great new baby cards and what better way to welcome a new one than with cute animals!  The animal stamp is from the "We Must Celebrate" set and the only reason I got this set was because the sentiments use the pronoun "we" instead of  "I". That will come in very handy!!! I snuck in a little bit of the Bundle of Love DSP on the sides of the card.

All in all, I was very happy with my experiments with this congratulations stamp. We should be congratulating people more, right?  I can't wait to think of some more ways to incorporate this stamp set.

As always, you can click on my supplies below and it will direct you to the online store! Stampin'Up! is known world-wide for high quality and coordinating paper and ink products to use with their unique stamp sets that you can only get from Stampin'Up!  Once you try our products, you won't settle for less!

Well, again, congratulations on making it to Wednesday and may the rest of the week sail along!
Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

How about some Dinosaur Love!!

Happy Tuesday  Stampers!

Hope your week is roaring along (pun intended as you soon shall see)!  In the midst of all the Sale-A-Bration excitement and even having the new Occasions catalog in our hands, I don't want to completely forget about the fabulous annual catalog. It is still current until June 1st and I have lots more to explore and share!  There is one set that has been around for about three years now that I haven't given nearly enough attention to - "No Bones About It" - a fabulous dinosaur set complete with dinosaurs, their bones and foliage and tracks. It's really fun to work with and I decided to spend an afternoon playing around. What inspired me this time is the Designer Series Paper set "Pick a Pattern" and its sheet of dinosaurs. You'll see it featured in the 2nd card!  Here are my ideas:

For my first card, I combined a eye popping color combination, Night of Navy, Perfect Plum and Lemon Lime Twist!

My second card is a more bright color palette with Emerald Envy, Crushed Curry and Flirty Flamingo. I had fun making my own background paper with the "bones" stamps and foliage.

For my last card, I grabbed some DSP and embellishments from last spring. It's okay to combined retired stuff with current stuff, I promise!  After 6 years with Stampin'Up!, I'm finding I rarely use all my ribbon and embellishments and DSP before it actually retires so one of my goals this year was to be generous with it and quit hoarding!!! 

If I were to do this card again, I would use black ink for the skeleton part. I used Pacific Point under Emerald Envy and it wasn't dark enough to really show through. I think the bones are the fun part as they combine what we see in museums and then we can stamp the flesh to imagine what they must have looked like in person. Fun to dream about... ask any kid!

I hope you enjoyed my detour back to the Annual Catalog!  I haven't forgotten about it and you shouldn't either!  My supplies are listed below so you can click on any item and it will take you right to the online store for shopping. Check out the Sale-A-Bration, Occasions and Clearance Rack sections while you're there. You never know what you have to have until you see it!

Have a grrrreat day!

Sarah

Celebrate and Celebrate some more!

Hi Stampin' Friends!
Here goes another week, right?  These Mondays always roll around and as I look at my week ahead of me, it's a little daunting. I hope I have some time for fun  in between all the "have to do" things. Do you ever feel that way?

If you've been visiting my blog at all in the past few weeks, you are well aware that it is Sale-A-Bration time, a huge promotion with Stampin'Up! every year. It kicks off with the Occasions Catalog and is coordinated to allow you to get some freebies when you purchase products in any catalog or Clearance Rack. It's fun and generates a lot of excitement because the freebies are exclusive products that can only be obtained for FREE with purchases of $50 or $100. This year, Stampin'Up! upped their game and offered a thinlit set and a stamp/embossing folder bundle. The thinlits and basketweave embossing folder are going to carry over into the 2018-2019 Annual Catalog (coming in June) so that is awesome news!  Meanwhile, I'm still playing with these freebies and seeing what I can come up with. I have some more fun samples today for you:

My first card features the Bubbles and Fizz Designer Series Paper that coordinates with the Bottles and Bubbles Framelits from the Occasions Catalog. It was easy to cut out the bottles from the DSP with the framelits! The "Celebrate" thinlit is one of the SAB freebies I was referring to.

In my second card, I'm featuring the other two thinlits in the freebie set, "Amazing" and "You".  These are going to get a lot of creative time in the weeks and months ahead, especially the word "You". I can think of all kinds of ideas for that. I also used the "Amazing You" stamp set (another SAB freebie) for the flower. I cut off the leaves and just  featured the flowers. They are colored with the Stampin' Blends alcohol markers, a wonderful coloring tool. Don't miss the Scattered Sequins embossing folder on my yellow background!

For my last card, I turned to a favorite product with everyone, Glimmer Paper!  We have three new colors in the Myths and Magic suite, White, Bermuda Bay and Old Olive. I used my balloon punch to punch out some balloons, added some string and placed them on a Shimmery White card stock background that I also used the Scattered Sequins embossing folder on. My contrast color is Berry Burst which I used for the card and the word "Celebrate".  These cards are easy to make and fun to have on hand. I've intentionally left the inside blank so I can customize it at the time I use it.. i.e. birthday, graduation, whatever!

Interested in any of these products? Click on any of the links below and it will take you to the store where you can shop online and have convenient delivery right to your doorstep. Also, you can place an order via text, phone or email with me. Whatever works best for you works for me!

I hope your week is off to a great start!
Happy Stampin',
Sarah

More Sale-A-Bration Ideas!

Hi Saturday Stampers!
I don't often do a blog post on the weekend as I figure most of you are out and about, busy with life and wouldn't see it. However, who am I kidding? It's the middle of a doozy winter and I'm sure a lot of you are hunkered down at home, just trying to stay warm. We have yet another storm on the way so crafting and Netflix and the Olympics have been my mainstay!  What's yours?

I have been busy revisiting some of the Sale-A-Bration freebies again. I got pretty excited about them in December when I was able to preorder  product from the 2018 Occasions catalog (a huge perk of being a demonstrator with Stampin'Up! - early access to new stuff!) and qualify for some freebies. We are half way through the Sale-A-Bration promotion and I decided to go back and see what else I could make with some of these fun products! 

Here are the results!
The first card features the peacock set. This stamp set is a little tricky to use, but thankfully is a photopolymer stamp set so placing the peacock and his feathers aren't too difficult.  I did this two ways and one is definitely easier!  It is best to stamp the body of the peacock first (Night of Navy) and then add the plumage (Bermuda Bay).  I added some Island Indigo flourishes and some Pool Party dots to complete the stamping. There are two other awesome products to taken note of in this card.  The Bermuda Bay glimmer paper is new this spring as part of the Myths and Magic suite.  Also, I used the basketweave embossing folder on my background piece but reversed which side faces up for something different. That folder is available as a SAB freebie with any order over $100 and comes with a gorgeous flower basket stamp set!

My second card goes back to the Party Pandas! I've struggled a little bit with when to use Lemon Lime Twist ink and card stock but it always looks sharp with black!  My background DSP is from the "Whole Lot of Lovely" paper set and I sponged Lemon Lime Twist ink on the white polka dots to turn them green! I added some retired black glimmer paper and some black rhinestones (in current annual catalog) to complete the look. 

Next, I grabbed the "Happy Wishes" stamp set, again another freebie that is extra special and requires a $100 purchase to obtain. There are so many different combinations of greetings for this set, it's almost hard to choose!  I also grabbed some more background paper from the "Whole Lot of Lovely" DSP. Don't miss the cute grosgrain ribbon too!  It comes in all the 2016-2018 In Colors and will be retiring later this spring!

Finally, I was missing my son so I thought of him and made this card.  Guitars, headphones, brick wall (think Pink Floyd) and you will think this card is perfect.  The framelits are also a SAB freebie requiring the higher purchase threshold but the stamp set is is a SAB freebie called "Epic Celebration" and only requires a $50 purchase.

I hope you've had a chance to acquire some of the exclusive products in Sale-A-Bration. They are rarely offered again and that's what makes them so special!

I would love to be your SU demonstrator if you don't already have one!  Place an order through my online store (link on the right) and I'll make sure everything goes smoothly.  I'm available to answer questions, help with strategizing purchases and coach you through your next great idea if needed.  I'm on Facebook at "Big Sky Stampin" and even have a downline of fabulous stampers that amaze me with their creativity, big ideas and camaraderie. Join us!  It will be so fun!

Have a great Saturday!
Sarah

2nd Release Sale-A-Bration Freebies!!

Happy February 16th Stampers!
It's a great day to be a stamper and an even greater day to take advantage of Sale-A-Bration!  Stampin'Up! has released some new exclusive products, free with any $50 or $100 purchase. All the details are in the brochure on the right ---->>>

I love all of it and have had fun playing with most of it!  There's a really sweet basket stamp/basketweave embossing folder bundle, a great happy birthday set and the nicest paper with metallic embossed designs on it, all ready for you to color or leave alone! 

Here are some of my first ideas!

As you can see, there is some fabulous new metallic embossed paper that is sooooo fun to color with our Stampin'Blends alcohol markers!.  The color slides on perfectly and doesn't smear because it dries so fast. I also used the basketweave embossing folder on this card.

For my second card, I'm featuring the new basket of flowers stamp. Again, I colored it with the Stampin'Blends.  I added some Foil Frenzy paper for some sparkle in the background.

For my last card, I chose to sponge ink on the entire sheet of background paper. The metallic embossing does not take up the ink, so only the background is colored.

I can't wait to try some more fun with these new Sale-A-Bration products. See them all here:

Sale-A-Bration Freebies!!

I'll be posting through the weekend with some more fun so check back!

Happy Friday!
Sarah

This Little Piggy

Happy Thursday Stampin' Friends!
It seems like this week has flown by, right? It is crazy how fast time flies. What else flies, you might ask?  Well, how about pigs?  When do pigs fly?  When they are featured in a new stamp set from the Occasions 2018 catalog, that's when!  Curious?

I've heard pigs also like donuts!

And of course, they love to gaily skip around with spring flowers!

And a pig would never forget Valentine's Day, right?

Ok, enough of the silliness~ !  I wanted to show you several different ways to use the "This Little Piggy" stamp set for a variety of reasons. While we don't like to live in a pig stye or eat like a pig, they are pretty cute to craft with.

You can get your very own set of piggy stamps from the Online Store. Just click on "shop now" and you will be on your way!  Here's a link which is even easier!

THIS LITTLE PIGGY!

On to another subject... There is a 2nd release of Sale-A-Bration items coming tomorrow!  Watch for my blog spot featuring the new items and details on how to get them!  You won't want to miss them, especially the new selection of paper!  Come back tomorrow and check it out!

Happy Stampin',
Sarah

Love You More Than Chocolate

Happy Valentine's Day Stampers!
This is a great day to share some extra love with the special people in your life and I have a fun way to do that - with a card of course!  Do you have any chocoholics in your home?  I do and for him, the darker, the better. He has to have at least a bite, EVERYDAY!  When I saw the "More Than Chocolate" stamp set in the Annual Catalog, I knew sooner or later I would be buying it!  This is a very interesting set that works almost like a puzzle. First, here are the finished projects:

The puzzle part comes in on the candy design. Each piece is an individual stamp and you have to figure out how to fill up the "box" on your own. These were actually my first two tries so it wasn't too hard to give it a go. You need to have your "box" stamped first so you know what your outside perimeter is and then fill it up. I was very happy with the results. I think the more you do this, the better it would get.  The sentiments in this set are especially fun!

I thought you'd like a peek at the stamp set itself so you can see how intricate and involved it is!


I hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day, no matter what you have planned. I've loved the years with my husband and kids, but still remember back to elementary school, making the valentine box and then opening up all those valentines from classmates. That is still such a fun memory!

Thanks for stopping by! There's a lot of competition out there for your crafty dollars and screen time and I appreciate your interest in my creative endeavors!

Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

5th Anniversary of Paper Pumpkin!

Hey Stampers!
It doesn't seem possible, but it has been 5 years since Stampin'Up!'s launch of its monthly subscription kit of goodies, Paper Pumpkin! 

I've been a subscriber that whole time and have loved the creative ideas, exclusive stamps and leftovers that I get each month. There are always enough supplies to make the intended project and plenty more to make other things with!

Here's a quick video to get you excited!

If you used to subscribe or have never tried it, now is a great time!  To celebrate the 5 year milestone, there will be a special gift in the March kit along with the regular project and goodies. You must sign up by March 10th to receive this kit so don't delay!  Paper Pumpkin is a monthly kit that is sent to you however, you have the option of canceling it any specific month. You only pay for the months you receive and you can stop your subscription with no penalty or waiting period.

Interested?  Here's a link to sign up:

Paper Pumpkin Sign up !!

Paper Pumpkin is the perfect way to craft for so many people!  A lot of us like to craft but don't have the room or budget for a lot of supplies. Paper pumpkin keeps all that to a minimum and yet satisfies your creative urge!

In addition to the free gift from Stampin'Up!, I'll be giving out free stamp sets to all who sign up for the first time or re-sign up!  Now's the time!

Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

Myths and Magic!

Hi stampin' friends!
We are heading off into another week of fun and creativity, hopefully!  You just never know how some weeks are going to play out.  The mountains couldn't be any pretty today and the air couldn't be much colder so I'm staying inside and enjoying the view from the warmth of my home!

I want to share with you some fun cards today and have you take a look at a bundle that maybe hasn't caught your attention yet. If you have young kids in your life, you have surely noticed the "Myths and Magic" suite of products. They feature all sorts of fanciful creatures like mermaids, unicorns, dragons, etc, every thing a kid believes in and delights in!  I waited a few weeks to buy this set as I wasn't sure how much I would actually use it, but then I couldn't resist. It's one of those themes that only comes around once in awhile so I plan to keep this on hand for the future.

After playing with it for an afternoon, here is what I came up with! The first one features a two-layered wall, using the brick embossing folder. I cut out part of the foreground wall at the top to make it look more like a castle. It's hard to see in the picture. I also used a dauber to accentuate the brick motif.

This next card features Brusho color crystals for the fire coming out of the dragon's mouth!

Of course, I had to try a unicorn card!  I decided to just get as much bling on there as possible.

And my final card features a favorite... mermaids!  I remember wishing I was a mermaid when I was little because I loved to swim so much!  I added a small shaker window to draw some interest.

The Designer Series Paper in this set is so fabulous. If you don't like one side of it, you will like the other!  There's also coordinating Washi tape and Glimmer paper.  All in all, your work will sparkle when you try out this suite!

I hope you are enjoying Sale-A-Bration!  We are almost half way through and there are some new products available as freebies starting on Friday, the 16th. Here's a look at some of them:



I will have all the details and a link to the store on Friday!  The basket weave embossing folder is especially wonderful and you're going to love the new paper - lots of metallic embossed designs!

My downline team, Big Sky Stampers, had a fabulous Demo Day on Saturday. Unfortunately, I completely forgot to take any pictures because we were having so much fun!  We played some games including a "get to know you" guessing game and a scavenger hunt through the 2018 Occasions catalog. We ate some great food and shared some  treats and cards with our fellow demos. We also did a fabulous Make-n-Take and talked shop.  Stamping can surely be a solo activity, but it is so much more fun with friends that share your passion and delight!  Contact me to see how you can join us!  You don't have to live in Montana to be part of the group as we have an exclusive Facebook group which shares much of the fun and ideas. You'll get fabulous training, coaching and support as you continue your crafting journey. We would love to have more people!

Thanks for stopping by and looking at the "magic" of rubber stamping. It's a great time to be creative!
Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

Party Hat time!

Hey Stampers!
It's good to be back on my blog after a few days off. Life interrupted and I had to go out of town for several days. I've blogged on my Ipad before, but it just isn't quite as handy so I took a small break instead. I have been thinking about stamping most of the time I was gone, however!

I'm sure you've had the experience of getting a new catalog, racing through it the first time to just get an overall look-see, then pouring over it more slowly and starting a potential wish list. There are stamps and bundles that pop out right away as a "must have" and others that you think you have no interest in. THEN, you start seeing all the projects on Pinterest, Facebook or blogs and you find yourself changing your wish list. All of a sudden, something that didn't even crack the top 20 is at the top of your list. Does that sound familiar?  It happens all the time to me!  I'm featuring a set today that didn't catch my eye right away but has my attention now!  It's the "Party Hat Birthday" bundle!  Here are some fun ideas:

This is a 3 way stamp set. My first card used only the stamp that lined up with the cut-out portions of the framelit die. I stamped on white with Berry Burst and then cut out the hat/ cut outs on Peach Peek-a-Boo.

For my second card, I used all the stamps with different colors. I think the trick to this type of stamping is to cut out the hat first so you can have some guidelines, at least your outline, for where to stamp.

I had a little smudging with one of the stamps, I think because I was overly aggressive in inking up the stamp!  Remember to just tap your stamps on the ink pad and now squish them like you are killing a bug!  It's a little hard to see, but I used the Ruffled Embossing folder for my background as well. I also found a perfect setting for the string of pearls that don't get used that often, when I have to cut them all apart!

My last card features the "Picture Perfect Party" Designer Series Paper and the hats!

This paper is so wonderful. One side is actual photographs of birthday-related themes and the other side is a graphic in the same bright and cheery color scheme. This same paper was used on my first card as well!  I hope you noted the lovely banner in this set!  That can be used over and over!

Be sure to take a look at these fun products in the 2018 Occasions catalog. The birthday section is on pages 3-13 and there is a whole lot to love!

Thanks for stopping by!  It's a pleasure to share my ideas with you and I hope you've been inspired to try some stamping today!

Until next time!
Sarah

Happiest of Birthdays to You!

Hey Stampers!
I thought I would go back to the number one reason to send a card to someone in today's post... BIRTHDAYS!  It's always someone's birthday and how great is it to have a stash of homemade cards to help them celebrate!  I recently took a new look at an older set, "Birthday Blooms". This caught my attention because of the new alcohol markers we have, the "Blends". I thought this stamp set would lend itself to coloring really well and I was right!

The first card I have for you was a bit of an experiment. I heat embossed on vellum with black embossing powder. I then colored the images with the Blends, only on the reverse side of the vellum. I was hoping for a bit more subtle look. I used the Rich Razzleberry markers and the color was muted enough that it actually coordinated with the Sweet Sugarplum color, so I grabbed some of that for my background. What do you think?

For the next one, I stamped the floral image with Momento Ink on Whisper White card stock and colored it with the Blends, trying to incorporate more blending and coloring.

For the last card, I decided to keep it simple and not color, but just stamp.  This was just as fun but has a whole different look to it. You'll see I actually stamped right on the Designer Series Paper, using the "Coffee Cafe" set of paper.

I think all of these ideas work really well with this floral set. Any of them could be adapted to another color scheme as well. I always like to sneak in some Designer Series Paper in my cards if I can as that brings out my favorite design element... COLOR!

If you haven't done so recently, take a look through your stamp sets and see which ones have large open areas suitable for coloring. You might be surprised and realize there is even more to love in your stash!  If you haven't purchased the Blends yet, jump on board. They are wonderful coloring tools that give you hours of coloring pleasure. They can be used in adult coloring books or your own creative projects.

We are now into February, the middle of the Sale-A-Bration celebration promotion. New freebies are coming up on February 16th and all the current ones will still be available.  Start your wish lists now and don't forget to stock up on staples. When's the last time you took an inventory of your card stock, adhesives, ink refills, etc?  All those are great things to get during this 3 month long promotion. Contact me with any questions and I'll point you in the right direction!

Have a wonderfully creative day!
Sarah