More Peace at Christmas

Today's my last pre-catalog release post with a sneak peek of Christmas!  I am excited for tomorrow, September 1st, when we can start talking details and specifics!  One of the new bundles is a gorgeous set that recreates a city landscape in the Middle East at the time of Jesus' birth. There is so much to this set! You will have fun working with it and I'm excited to feature it soon!  Here's a look:

Be sure to check out my blog tomorrow and the store (shop now link on the right) as the entire new Holiday catalog will be uploaded and available for purchase!  There is a new, free stamp set available on all orders over $300 (have a party with your friends to get that big order!) and more.

Until tomorrow,
Sarah

Peace at Christmas

Hi Stampin' Friends,
I'm back today with another card featured at my Holiday Catalog Open House (open for a few more hours today from 9 to 11 a.m.!  Stop by if you can!) There are some really fun suites in the catalog representing many different themes and motifs. One that is catching a lot of attention is a quilting theme!  I will save the details for another post after September 1st, but it's a great set of paper, embellishments and framelits  that feature quilting designs and pieces. I used some of the paper in this card:

Those of you that have been around awhile might recognize a window box framelit I used as a shelf, a basket from the bicycle bundle and a tree from the Santa's sleigh set. All of you are probably wondering about the cat - it's a new punch!  As you can see, there are many ways to combine several different products in a fun and creative way which is a favorite way for me to design a project.

Only a couple of more days until the catalog goes live for real!  I'll be back with videos, more information about a hostess promotion and more!

Hope you have a great day!
Sarah

Silent, snowy night

Hi stampers!
Here is another favorite out of my recent burst of activity!  It's amazing what you can do when you spend a couple of days with your stuff and just let your mind take off!  While I was digging in a cupboard for something else, I found my leftover Sale-A-Bration glimmer paper from last winter/spring. Remember that? The Bermuda Bay, Sweet Sugarplum and Mint Macaron?  I immediately thought of the new tree dies in the "Carols of Christmas" set and the Mint Macaron glimmer paper. I decided to make it more Montana-inspired and add some snow with some embossing paste. Here's the fabulous result!

I have an option for those of you who don't have any of this glimmer paper anymore. You can always color some "Dazzling Diamonds" glitter paper with a mixture of ink from a reinker and alcohol in a spritzer!  I'll post this card again with more details in the future but I couldn't wait to show you one of my favorites!

Also, today is the big day!  My Holiday Catalog Release Open House! I promise it is well worth your time and this morning, I learned of yet another promotion coming our way on Friday!  It's a promotion for hosts. With any order over $300, you are entitled to get a brand new stamp set, not in the catalog, but unique to this promotion!  It's called  "Merry Patterns" and you will love it!


Isn't that deer the best?  Especially for where we live! I also love the candles! I'll post some samples and videos featuring this set after September 1st so watch for those!  You can host a party at your house with your friends in order to submit an order of $300 or more, OR, you can place an order yourself over $300, your choice!  Contact me to pick a date for your party if that's what you would like to do!

Stay tuned to my Facebook Page, Big Sky Stampin' for updates, photos and fun throughout the day!  Who doesn't love this time of year?!!

Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

Hello Fall! It's Pumpkin Spice Latte season ;)

Hi Stampers!

I'm so pumped about all the creative goodies in the new Holiday catalog!  It will soon be here (September 1st) and you can see it online and start ordering.  I've been trying to keep my blog posts focused on the Annual Catalog, but I can't stand it any longer!  This past weekend, the dam has burst and somehow I managed to come up with over 40 new ideas and designs for cards, featuring products from the new Holiday Catalog.  Here is one of my favorites!

I can't give you specific product information yet as the catalog is not released, but trust me, you will be very excited about the autumn/thanksgiving themed paper this year!  Another bonus is a cute set designed for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas that features the coffee stamps and framelits!  Yeah!  More ways to use what I already have!

Watch this week as I share my favorite new creations with you and we count down to September 1st!

Don't forget my Holiday Catalog Release party tomorrow. All my new samples will be on full display. There will be freebies, door prizes, retired rubber stamps for sale and more. You will also be able to place an order and all orders over $50 will receive a free gift bag of goodies, including a free class pass for a $10 class in the future. Contact me if you need more details!  It's Tuesday from 3 to 7 p.m. AND  Wednesday from 9 to 11 a.m.  (I've added a couple of hours on Wednesday since I've got it all set up and hope to make it convenient for as many people as possible!)

Happy Monday!,
Sarah

The Holidays are Coming!

Hi Friends!
I'm so excited!  I have been in a creative flurry the past couple of days. I have spent the better part of my waking hours letting the creative juices flow in whatever direction they took me with the new 2017 Holiday catalog products that I have been able to get my hands on so far. I've had so much fun working with new stamps and framelits and embellishments the way they were intended and also combining them with current products from the annual catalog for some nontraditional results!  Want a quick peek?  Here you go!

Quick peek at my Holiday card samples!

Most of these cards will be featured on my blog in the upcoming weeks as we move into the fall. Also, several are sure to pop up in my classes! The fall/Christmas season is the best time to make cards. The colors are lush, the themes are heartwarming and the results are so satisfying. I hope you can come join me either in person at a class or online via this blog and my Facebook page,

Big Sky Stampin' on Facebook


I can't wait to get started on more!
Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

You're the Best!

Hi Stamping Friends!
I have one more card to show you today from a recent class. I'm always trying to showcase different products and different techniques to keep people interested and expand their crafting horizons!  This card did quite a bit of both!  Here it is:

The background was inspired by a Stampin'Up! blog which reminded me about using the sponge brayers to get ink on some paper. I used Peekaboo Peach, Powder Pink and Berry Burst with the foam brayers on Shimmer White paper for some extra sparkle. They are fun to use because you have quite a bit of control over how much ink you wish to put on. I then cut out the center with a diamond pattern die from the Oh So Eclectic set.  Then, I ran my piece through the Big Shot with the Ruffles embossing folder and adhered some gold fold paper on the back of it, peeking through the diamond cutouts. That's a few steps for a background, but it was fun! I then used the flowers and leaves in the Oh So Eclectic set to decorate the top, added a sentiment and some gold thread. This was a fun card but it did take some extra time to cut everything out, especially in a class setting. I like to do both - whip a card out in a hurry and take some extra time to make a truly interesting and multi-dimensional card.

It's the weekend!  I will be getting ready for my Holiday Catalog Reveal party!  I hope you can stop by, it will be well worth it, I promise. It is next Tuesday, August 29th, from 3 to 7 p.m. at my home. Please contact me for the rest of the details!

Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

Pedal Power!

Hi Stampers!
I can't believe it is Thursday already!  I'm hosting a fun Holiday Catalog Release party next week, Tuesday, August 29th, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and I've been busy getting ready!  I took some time out for some classes this week and wanted to share one of the cards we made.  It features the fabulous bicycle stamp set and framelits!  They are so easy to use and have some many cute accessories!  Here's the card we made in class:

I wanted to do something special with the background, so we inked up the brick embossing folder prior to running it through the Big Shot. If you ink up the "brick" side and not the "mortar" side, you will get the right results!  I used a 1" strip of the wood grain paper for a floor and then built the bike! There are many choices, but no surprise, I chose a dog to put in my basket!

Here's another version with some retired paper:

If you love bikes, this could be a great addition to your stamping collection!  Here's a look at the stamp set so you can see all the possibilities:



It's easy to work with and between the stamps and framelits, you can create a wonderful bike-themed design!

Hope you enjoyed today's cards!  I'll be back tomorrow!
Happy Stampin',
Sarah

Consider Yourself Hugged

Hi Stampers!
I hosted a fun class last night for ladies who prefer night classes due to work, small children or for whatever reason! We had a great time and also a chance to make a little more complicated cards that took some patience along the way with fussy framelits!

When some Designer Series Paper is especially beautiful, I love to feature it. Another thing that is fun is to try to mimic it with stamping, which is what we did with this card:

This beautiful creation uses the "Whole Lot of Lovely" Designer Series Paper (DSP) and the "Lots of Love" Stamp set. There are stamps that help you recreate the flowers and leaves that are featured on the DSP, hand painted by a talented Stampin'Up! artist! This is also a great color scheme. Can you imagine a floral themed card with no reds, pinks, oranges, purples?  Here it is!  We took a 3"x 3" piece of white card stock and stamped it up, then cut out the circle, allowing us to place the framelit where we wanted it. It's fun to try and create the same overall design with stamps, that is on paper.

My "Ladies Night" stamping class will be happening monthly so if that time slot works for you, join us some time!  You can keep up on all my classes and events by checking out the calendar on my SU website and even RSVP through the website.

Hope you are having a lovely week!
Sarah

Heartland

Happy Friday!
We are headed out camping shortly so I have a rather quick post for you today. When it comes to nostalgic, almost nothing beats the "Heartland" stamp set in the Annual catalog. I mean, really... a dog, a little boy in overalls, some geese and a tractor!  Here's my idea:

It's a gate fold card with a twist.  I cut my card stock 4.25" x 11" and scored at 2.75" on both sides (score on the left, flip card stock around and score again at 2.75"). I then turned my card stock 90 degrees on the score board and scored 1" in down to my score marks on both sides. I cut away that little section of the card stock "gates", lower one on the left, upper one on the right. I then did my stamping with Gray archival ink and used our watercolor pencils and blender pens to color.

Then there's the inside of the card!

This time, I used the large barn image!  I love this set!  I added some sentiments that can be seen on the outside and inside because of the cut away card stock. I am going to try this card layout again, with another theme.

Here are some more renditions of this set.  The first one is using a fussy cut piece of the "Naturally Eclectic" paper.

And my last one is a more traditional look. I intentionally left off any flowers so this card could be used for a guy!

I hope I've given you some inspiration.  The Heartland stamp set is more versatile than it would appear and believe me, it will touch every soft spot in your heart if you grew up in any kind of rural area or the Midwest!

Have a great weekend!
Sarah

TBT - WEDDINGS!

Hi there Stampers!
I love to take the TBT - Throw Back Thursday opportunity to revisit some old favorites with stamp sets, papers and embellishments. As excited as I am for new catalogs, I often feel like I barely got started with a former catalog and poof.... it's gone, all retired!  Consequently, I have a pretty huge stash of paper, stamps and embellishments that didn't get enough lovin' from me. I sell cards at several retail locations in the Gallatin Valley and I am quite sure my customers could care less if something is technically "retired" so it's a great way to dive into that stash and find some goodies. I have been in sore need of wedding cards lately so here are some of the fun ones I tried. You will see a mix of old and new. If you have any questions about a particularly product, just ask. I won't bother to list them as the list is extensive and as I said, much of it is "retired."  Enjoy the trip down memory lane!

Next up?  Thank you's!!  All out of those too ;)

See you next time,
Sarah

Whole Lot of Lovely

Hi Stampers!
How is your Wednesday going so far? Did you check out the Clearance Rack yesterday?  There are some great deals on last year's products. You can access it through the "shop now" link on the right.

I'm excited to share a fun card today that features the Whole Lot of Lovely Designer Series Paper. Boy, is it pretty!  It features hand-painted designs by a Stampin'Up! artist that are absolutely gorgeous. The paper is so pretty, it's hard to know what to do with it as you don't want to detract from it!  Here's my card:

As you can see, I combined the "Lots of Love" stamp set with the "Beautiful Bouquet" stamp set to try to get the right flower arrangement. I think the most striking thing is the black background on the Designer Series Paper. It really makes the colors pop.  Did you notice my embossed background?  I used a new favorite folder, the "Layered Leaves" folder which is a dynamic texture embossing folder and gives a really nice embossing with varying layers of depth.  This is a card where I wish my photographic skills and set up were more professional. The colors aren't quite perfect but I hope you get the idea!  Photography for my Stampin'Up! business is on my list of things to do!

Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you have any questions! I'm always ready to chat about crafting, haha!

Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

Daisies and MSU Bobcats!

Hi there Stampin' friends!
I have a couple of things on my mind today!  Daisies and Bobcats!  I know, I know... weird combo, right?  First about the Bobcats. It is time to buy football tickets for the season so of course that gets the Blue and Gold blood flowing. My husband and I are not alumni, but two of our kids are and we've been rooting for them for 30 years so we are almost diehard!  Secondly, about the daisies.  Stampin'Up!'s annual catalog features a wonderful suite called "Delightful Daisy" which has a wonderful new daisy punch. Apparently all of us like it a lot as they have had trouble keeping it in stock, but it is BACK and available again!  The coordinating Designer Series Paper is gorgeous and features such a pretty navy blue and yellow combination. Now you see where I'm going with the Daisies and Bobcats, right?  Here's my card:

So other than the color scheme, this card has nothing to do with football, Montana State or Bobcats. I don't know anyone that doesn't like the color combo of blue and white and when you add a pop of yellow, it is really pretty!  These daisies are easy to stamp and punch out. Although I didn't, you can punch out 2 for each flower, creating a thicker petal look. They look great stamped or just cut out of paper without stamping.  For you sharper eyes, that's some new ribbon tucked in the background too!
I hope you like my daisy card. It was fun to create and this will definitely go to someone who is a Bobcat fan. Just between you and me, we will see if they catch on!

Thanks for stopping by!  Oh, BIG NEWS!!!  The Clearance Rack has been updated and that means wonderful savings on all kinds of products!   Check it out here:



CLEARANCE RACK!!

Shop online your self or contact me and I'll submit an order for you... either way works great! I like to buy some of the less expensive products to give away as gifts to fellow stampers, customers and demonstrators on my team!  We all love more supplies and what a fun way to share some love!

Happy Stampin'!,
Sarah

Born to be Loved!

Good Monday morning stampers!

This is a welcome Monday in Montana. For the first time in weeks, we are getting some rain. Much of the state has been on fire for a month now and the rain is so very needed and welcome. It seems like October today and I know the sun and heat will be back but hopefully the smoke is gone!

Today I want to feature a fun suite in the Annual catalog called "Bundle of Love". There is paper, card packs, ribbons, an embossing folder and stamps. It is suitable for weddings or new babies! Here are a couple of samples I made while I was playing around with this suite:

The first card features Pool Party blues to set the tone. I used my new Marble background stamp and can't even believe how gorgeous that is. I also incorporated the "Moon Baby" set for both cards. The second card features the Bundle of Love embossing folder which has a heart shaped clear spot in the middle that lines up perfectly with the stamp set. It was fun to play with these new products and see what they can do!  I also incorporated some retired ribbon, buttons and washi tape. I have been hoarding way too much of this for years now and you are going to see these items pop up some in my samples as a way to whittle down my supply!

My holiday catalogs have arrived! If you live outside Gallatin Valley and would like a copy of one, please contact me and I'll get one to you. If you are local, sign up for a class or contact me and stop by to pick one up! It's amazing and I can't wait to show you what I've been up to with our new holida products!

Have a great, creative day!
Sarah

Life is a Beautiful Thing!

Hi Stampers!
I recently started a "Techniques Tuesday" class to explore different techniques with papercrafting. There are so many inventive ways to use ink, paper and other supplies that it is really fun to see what you can come up with!  At our first class, we used the new embossing paste and coordinating products on a card:  Here's the result:

We used the brick mask to create the pattern with the embossing paste. We then used the very edge of a dauber and some Cajun Craze ink to color the bricks. There are other ways to color the embossing paste, but this was easy and quick and you didn't have excess paste that is dyed a specific color that you don't need anymore. One more trick:  We colored the plant and basket with markers before we stamped, allowing us to use 2 colors, which is always a great result!

Another project included a fun fold picture frame featuring the "Foil Frenzy" paper. This paper is thick and stiff and to work with it, you need to score well, use a bone folder and then secure the folds with tear tape!  Here's the project:

By creating the folds on each side, it left some space for a picture to be inserted into the frame. The dimension for the front of the frame (Foil Frenzy paper) is 5" x 9". We scored at 1" and 1-1/2" on the left side, flipped the paper over and scored at 1" and 1-1/2" on the other side.  The folds are a Z pattern, then adhered down with tear tape. The back of the frame is a 5" x 8" piece of white cardboard that comes in every pack of Designer Series Paper. I always save those as you never know when you might need one!

Our last project was the card featured on my blog yesterday, using the "Ribbons of Courage" bundle and spritzing Dazzling Diamonds glimmer paper with reinker and alcohol in a spritzer.

I'm going to try and hold these classes monthly and would love to add an evening session if there is enough interest!  It's fun to play around with different ideas. I promise you will learn something new!

Hope you have a great weekend!
Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

Ribbons of Courage

Hi Stampers!
I hope your week is sailing along in the right direction. I know August seems like it goes pretty fast, especially is upcoming school is a factor. This is the first year in about 30 years that it doesn't matter to me! Kinda a weird feeling, but also nice to not be locked into that schedule and have a little more freedom outside of the school calendar.

Today I want to share some projects from the "Ribbons of Courage" stamp set. I purposely bought this bundle to keep on hand for cards/projects when the traditional "get well" sentiment just isn't appropriate. I love the sentiments in the set, but also the ribbons.  Here's my first card:

I wanted to use glimmer paper to have the ribbon stand out but I also wanted it to be pink, so I mixed about 8 drops of Powder pink reinker in an almost full spritzer tube of rubbing alcohol and spritzed the Dazzling Diamonds glimmer paper before cutting. I used my heat tool to make sure the glimmer paper was fully dry before I die cut it. I also decided to cut an extra ribbon out of white card stock to shadow the pink glimmer one. I think this helps it stand out a little better.  I was excited about how easy it is to color glimmer paper and get it just the right shade of pink!

Here are a couple other cards I tried with this wonderful set:

On the above one, I stamped with Smoky Slate on a piece of "Whole Lot of Lovely" Designer Series Paper with the ribbon image.

This card introduces a third color, Dapper Denim, and also features the "Bundle of Love" Designer Series Paper.

I understand that different colored ribbons are representative of different kinds of cancer or other meanings so this would really be a versatile set to work with to support any cause.

The best part of this set is that it reflects what rubber stamping has come to mean to me, which is reaching out to others and blessing them with thoughts, prayers and a hand made card. It's a simple pleasure in an era of complicated technology, geographic distances and hurried schedules.

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what I'm up to today!  I appreciate it and would love to chat if you have any questions about these projects or rubber stamping in general. I figure you can never have too many hand made cards in the world!

Happy Stampin',
Sarah Cade

Missing You

Happy Monday Stampers!

It's another week of summer that needs to be well spent!  We are getting a reprieve from the smoke so spent some time 4-wheeling yesterday south of Big Sky Montana. It was absolutely spectacular and so fun to be out in God's magnificent creation. You are going to think I'm crazy, but I get a lot of inspiration from nature. Sometimes it is specific colors that I see which are also in Stampin'Up!'s palette like Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist, Calypso Coral and all the greens!  I always make a mental note to remember that particularly color when I get back to the stamp room. Sometimes it is a particular scene that sparks my imagination and gets the wheels turning. I just never know when I will be hit by a good idea haha!

Today, the card I have for you was inspired by the Designer Series Paper I'm using, from the "Whole Lot of Lovely" pack. The papers that feature a black background are stunning and I knew I wanted to figure out something that used it. Here's my card:

I know many of you are curious about the creative process itself. I get lots of questions about "where do you start" with a project. My main two starting points are either a piece of Designer Series Paper that gives me my color scheme, OR a specific stamp set I want to use. Ideas pop in my head pretty quickly once I've chosen one of those two components. Sometimes I don't like what I make and most of the time, I do. Here's a look at where I started with this card... the Designer Series Paper, the stamp set and my card base.

I also had a technique in mind that I hadn't used for awhile.. sponging with dry wall tape as my mask. It works great and gives you a faint polka dot background.

I also wanted to use the "Oh So Eclectic" stamp set as it had recently come in the mail. This is going to be a favorite set to go back to, even though I already have a ton of floral stamps! You will see that my flower colors were determined by the Designer Series Paper colors of flowers.

I hope that helps a little with some sharing of my creative process. I know it's different for everyone, but this is the most often how it starts for me. Want some help? I'm always available to chat about papercrafting, Stampin'Up! products and more. Just contact me and I'll get right back to you!

Hope today is a creatively great day!

Sarah

Celebration Time!

Hi stampin' friends!
I have something fun and new to show you today!  I'm working my way through the new annual catalog and trying out some of the products that have been on my wish list. This particular stamp set and thinlit combo caught my eye because I always need birthday cards! It's called "Celebration Time".

There are a lot of cut out options for the framelits and the stamps nicely coordinate to use or not use!  You can make cakes, tags, packages, etc. by mixing up the different pieces. Here's a closer look at the set so you can see the variety.



Just staring at this for a few minutes, I think I could come up with 10 different ideas in a matter of minutes. You can die cut only, stamp only or combine the two for so many different images and possibilities.Of course, there is also the option of using this for any occasion to celebrate, not just a birthday!  I can see wedding cards with the fabulous cake images and even graduation, or a retirement party, etc. We love to celebrate and this bundle will inspire you!

On my two cards above, I also used some new products including the wooden plank embossing folder and some Naturally Eclectic Designer Series Paper. Don't be afraid to combine products from different suites when you are creating! That's a big part of the process, figuring out what goes together. Sometimes it isn't quite what you had in mind and other times you have a very happy surprise of creative genius. It's always fun to experiment.

Please contact me if you are interested in this set, receiving a catalog, talking about papercrafting in general or signing up as a demonstrator with Stampin'Up!  I always have time to answer a question or provide some help and inspiration. With the Internet, we are all connected in a way that makes the distances between us shrink and somehow, some way, it feels like we are right next door chatting about a shared interest!

Hope you have a great day today!
Sarah

Life is Still Beautiful

Happy Wednesday Stampers!
I woke up in a melancholy mood today as I realized the whole month of August is ahead of us and there is no end in sight to the forest fires that are burning up our beloved Montana.  All winter, most of us welcome the snow, the more the better, in hopes that it would produce really great spring runoff and give some much needed moisture to our parched land. There's always the threat of forest fires lurking for August, but this year, it started in July and is really roaring. Our skies are smoky and hazy and the sun is usually bright orange. It's hard to be motivated to be outside and hike, fish, boat, camp when the air is compromised and the views are almost gone. Our already "too short" summers are cut in half when this happens and this seems to be another one of those years right now.

So, what do you do when you have the doldrums?  There are a lot of options, some better than others for your health and sanity.  My craft room happens to be in my basement where it is still cool and I'm less aware of the smoke. That's where I go in the evening. I can take a break from what I'm seeing outside and focus on what I know to be true... Life is still a beautiful thing. Here's my card today:

This is a pretty simple card but the color scheme is what makes it shout. I used Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist and Night of Navy to make it pop. My stamp set/framelit combo is the "Colorful Seasons" set which is so popular!  I think sometimes we need to be reminded that life has its own beauty in all seasons, even fire season. I know I needed that reminder today and I'm feeling better as I blog already. I also know that making a card won't solve most of life's problems but the process does bring some joy in the midst of "whatever".

Thanks for stopping by today!  I appreciate you and your interest in my creations!
Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

Christmas is on its way!

Hi there stampers!
It is August 1st today, a day I've had marked on my calendar all summer!  Today starts the Christmas season at Stampin'Up!  There is a new Holiday catalog for 2017 and it will be in your hands as soon as I can get them in mine!  One of the perks of being a demonstrator is being able to preorder new product, see what's coming, take advantage of early release sets, etc.

There was a really amazing new bundle released to us in July and now, available to you!  It's called "Carols of Christmas" and features some bold stamps and extremely creative and versatile framelits!  I want to share a couple of cards I made, today, and then in the future will feature each card with all the details. Here they are:

As you can see, there is some wonderful creating going on here. My favorite is the first one because I love the sky, trees and deer. I plan to use this set for birthday cards and more and not just restrict it to Christmas season use. Are you curious about the set? Here's a closer look:



There are a lot of possibilities there! While the Holiday catalog products aren't available to purchase until September 1st, you can get a jump on Christmas with this bundle!  Go to the "shop now" link and you'll see Carols of Christmas as one of the options on the left side bar menu on the store website. Watch for future blog posts too featuring this fun set!

Ah, August.... it's still summer, but oh so close to not being summer. There's still a lot of fun to be had and even some creating to be done. I've loaded up my class schedule too so check that out on my website as well. Crafting is a great idea all year, right?!!

Happy Stampin'!
Sarah