Autumn Leaves

 Hey Friends!

It's September and that means fall has started to peek it's head out from the summery bushes and flowers. I love this season for the colors, smells and themes. I also am so conflicted about color! I love the traditional color palette for autumn but also am intrigued by new, unexpected shades. What is your preference?

Traditional 

Or non-Traditional

So hard to decide!!!

by the way - there's a new mini Sept-Dec Stampin'Up! catalog with all the holidays goodies! Click on the catalog pic on the right ====>>>>  :)

Lighting the Way

 Hey Stampers!

Now that winter seems to be mostly behind us (hopefully!) I'm dreaming of camping! How about you? One of my favorite lasting camping memories is playing cards around a camp lantern until late in the evening and laughing my head off with my family and friends. On cold nights, the lantern also threw off enough heat to just take a bite out of the chill in the air. Now, my husband and I are sissy campers (toy hauler with allllllll the amenities) and the lantern doesn't get used so much. When I saw the "Lighting the Way" bundle, it brought back a lot of good feels and warm fuzzies for me. 

This week, I featured this bundle in a card class and we made this card:

This is a jam-packed set of outdoor fun but I only used a couple of stamps and the lantern die for this particular card. Can you spot 3 new colors in my card? I used bits of Moody Mauve, Wild Wheat and Bubble Bath and I got this color scheme from my Designer Series Paper pack "Fresh as a Daisy". I would never have thought to combine these colors so I'm always grateful when the SU designers think outside the box for me! My card also features some In Color ribbon and gems. The gals in the class loved the card and got really excited about the little lightning bugs that seem to swirl around the lantern, just like in real life! Here's an example of another idea, from the SU artists:

I thought you'd like to see what a fun bundle this is - so many possibilities!

Thanks for taking a peek at my blog and card for today. You can click on any of the products below for more information in the online store. Here's hoping your summer is full of wonderful, warm memories as well!

Keep on Stampin'!

Sarah

Crafting with You

 Hey Crafters!

If I know one thing, many stampers love to craft and they frequently craft  in other ways besides stamping! What are some of your favorites? Quilting.... knitting....painting.... the list is almost endless, isn't it! One of my first items on my wish list from the new Annual Catalog is the "Crafting with You" bundle because it features so much of what I love to do! Here's my first creation playing with it:

Some friends and I made this card recently which celebrates our love of papercrafting and in particular, card making. The stamps and dies give you lots of options to feature your favorite pasttime or hobby. I think the paper trimmer die is one of my favorites!  Here's a closer look at the bundle:

Is your head spinning with all kinds of creative ideas? I'm an avid quilter and semi avid knitter as well so this set really spoke to me. Here's a card featured in the online store that the SU artists created:

I can't wait to play some more! I hope you also noticed I prominently featured one of our new core colors, "Lemon Lolly". Finally we have a nice pale yellow that isn't too green! I really love it!

Be sure to check out all the new products in the online store by clicking on the "shop now" link (to the right). You can search for a specific product or browse all the categories. There is plenty to love!

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah

2023-2025 In Colors featuring "color on color"

 Hi Friends!

One of my favorite techniques is taking a background stamp and then using the same color ink on the same color cardstock! Depending on the color and the ink saturation, the result can be bold or subtle. I decided to try it with this years' new In Colors and it came out bold! Of course, if you wanted a more subtle background look, you could ink up the stamp, then stamp off once on grid or practice paper and then stamp on the card stock with approximately 1/4 - 1/3 of the ink still on the stamp.  

Anyway, here are all the new ones!

COPPER CLAY

WILD WHEAT

MOODY MAUVE

BOHO BLUE

PEBBLED PATH

I apologize for the picture quality - these were shot really quick while I was stamping. I plan to turn them into card fronts soon and then I'll take much better pictures.  In case you're wondering, the background stamp I used is called "Perfectly Detailed" and it's in the new Annual Catalog that launched TODAY! Background stamps are one of my favorite tools in stamping because it can add one more layer that hints at some color or texture and my little design heart is happy when that happens!

Hope you are having a great day! I'm mildly hopeful that our snow storms are a thing of the past at least for now and we are smooth sailing into summer!

Keep On Stampin'!

New Catalog Launch!

Hi Friends!

I've cleared some stuff from my schedule and one of my desires is to get back to blogging! I've missed it and would love to reconnect!

Today's the launch of the new 2023-2024 Annual Catalog and it's a beauty!  I've put up a link to a PDF copy of the catalog on the right sidebar ====>>> Just click on the picture of it and you'll be able to browse through it and even download it to your device.  You can also see all the products via the online store, also on the right side bar, just click on "shop now".

I was able to preorder some fun products and have started playing. The big news is a color refresh that includes 5 new In Colors and 11 new Core Colors (some new and some returning old favorites). Here's a card we made in a class last week that features the new In Colors. These are quite a departure from the bright and vivid color spectrum of last years' In Colors  and I love them!

From left to right we have Pebbled Path, Wild Wheat, Boho Blue, Copper Clay and Moody Mauve. What do you think? I'm excited to see how these combine with some of our core colors as well. They look pretty good together, don't they!

I've got a couple of classes this week and you will get to test drive some of these new colors! There's a class on Wed at 1:30 p.m. and one on Thurs at 9:30 a.m.  Please contact me ASAP if you're interested in attending and get ready for you!

It's good to be back and I can't wait to see what this new stamping year holds!

Sarah

 

Top 10 favorites out of the new Jan-April Mini Catalog ;)

 Hey Stampers!

I haven't completely forgotten about my blog, just side tracked with other fun things. It's January 5th and a new Stampin'Up! Mini Catalog launches today,  as well as their annual Sale-A-Bration promotion!  If you check out the right sidebar on this blog, you'll see an image for both that you can click on. It will bring up a PDF of each that you can look at and also download to your own computer or device. Happy browsing!

As a demonstrator, I got to see this catalog in mid November and was able to order from it on December 1st, which is one of the perks of joining as a SU demonstrator. More about that in a minute....

I thought I would share my ten favorites out of the new catalog, no particular order:

1.    Enjoy the Journey suite, pg 58-59 - the WHOLE thing! I live in Montana and we are an active bunch, especially related to mountain recreation! This will be perfect for so many projects.

2.    Watercolor World background stamp, pg 61. I love maps and the fact that this is watercolor and includes the whole world is awesome.  I'm already thinking of combining it with a sentiment such as "You mean the world to me" etc.

3.    Delicate Desert Designer Series Paper, pg 43. This is a gorgeous, subtle color palate that will work perfect for wedding, anniversary and other occasions cards. The coordinating Dry Brushed Metallic paper on the same page really looks good with it!

4.    Something Fancy Bundle, pg 17. If you're new to stamping, this set has a ton of sentiments for all occasions as well as some great dies to cut them out with. If you aren't new, maybe your stash needs to be refreshed with a trendy  script font!

5.    Ready to Ride, pg 68-69. We always need ideas for guys and this has the motorcycle lovers covered!

6.    Easter Bunny bundle, pg 52. This is super hard to pass up - an adorable Easter Bunny stamp set and coordinating punch! You can also use the bunny theme on baby projects and more!

7.    Conversation Bubbles Bundle, pg 39.  I think talk bubbles are super fun. This set has some sayings but you can use the bubbles for any other stamp that will fit!

8.    Cane Weave embossing folder, pg 31. I always like new embossing folders. Easiest way to add some "wow" to any card!

9.     On the Farm Bundle, pg 34. Are you a farm gal? Make cards or other projects for those who are? This set has you all set up with all the livestock, feed and land you need!

10.    Enjoy the Adventure Memories and More cards. Great premade cards that you just stamp on and add to! Includes envelopes as well!

I have a few cards to share today too, my first attempts at playing with some new product! Check out my calendar for upcoming classes and be sure to contact me if you have any questions.

I'm excited for a new adventure in a new year and a new catalog! Hope you can join me!

Keep Stampin'!

Sarah

Fall back into Stamping!

 Hey Friends!

I've just come off of one of our busiest and most fun summers ever! We packed a lot of camping, adventure, family, friends and recreation into 3 months as the summers can be very short in Montana! I hope yours was spectacular and you enjoyed all the things that you love the most.

Now, my favorite season of the year is here... Autumn! I love the sights, smells, tastes and colors of Fall. When I was a little girl, I looked forward to fall because I knew my birthday was coming up in November. Now, I just love fall and don't worry too much about the birthday, other than be very grateful to God for another one. 

I'm having some fun with the fall-themed things in our Jul-Dec Mini Catalog. You can see a PDF copy on the right ===>>> 

I spent some time playing recently with the paper and ink representing this time of year.

The Designer Series Paper used here is called "Rustic Harvest". One side features very vibrant colors of fall on a black background. The other side is various black and white designs, one of which I sponged with daubers in the first card.  The large maple leaf in the first card was inked up with Crushed Curry and then I used a dauber with some Cajun Craze on it to add a little different color ink to the stamp BEFORE stamping. Being creative is easy with all of Stampin'Up!'s wonderful, relevant and quality products. Check out my calendar for upcoming events and classes or contact me if you're curious about stamping and card making!

Keep on Stampin',

Sarah