How could I have forgotten to tell you!   FREE digi stamps and paper this week and half off of digi kits.  The half off price won't display until checkout, so don't be discouraged, fill that cart!!  

Click here for free downloads!

Click here to see the half off Digi Kits!

Combine this offer with a 30-day FREE trial of MDS2, the latest and greatest version of Stampin' Up! digital design software.  Click the Promotions tab at the top of the page for more info!

Welcome to Wayback Wednesday

Wayback Wednesdays feature at least one retired product.  This Halloween card uses one of my favorite retired Stampin' Up! punches.  I CASEd the idea from Andrea Walford, but as most of us do when CASEing, I added my own twist to her card.  

Rather than mask a circle for the moon while sponging the background, I used a large circle punch on So Saffron card stock; stamped it in gray with the splotch from French Foliage, and sponged the edges with Pumpkin Pie and a touch of Cajun Craze for my harvest moon.  

She drew her bat, I made mine from black Shrinky Dink plastic and the Bitty Bat punch (retired but still available on the Clearance Rack; wink, wink).2


Clouds: Frost White shimmer paint

Sentiment from Delightful Dozen stamped in Craft White ink.  I used white embossing powder on the words and the Black Magic Technique to color the pumpkin (colored pencils on white ink on a black background).

Inks for night sky background: Basic Black, Elegant Eggplant, Midnight Muse and Marina Mist.

Fall Thank you

Here's a quick Thank You note I whipped up this morning using the always wonderful Day of Gratitude stamp set.  You can make this card without square punches, but I've found that I just LOVE how perfect the  smallest squares are when using a punch, and of course I love the ability to align the stamped image exactly where I want it within the punched shape.  I've used Confetti card stock, as well as Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze and Old Olive.  Each image is glued to a matching mat which is popped up with dimensionals.

You can't see one of my favorite things about this card, tho'... I have the marker in Cajun Craze, so I used the fine point to write my message inside.  Also, my handwriting didn't look too horrific today, so that was a big plus!!

Steampunk Birthday Card

I've been wanting to make a vintage card with Stampin Up!'s Moving Forward set, and I needed a masculine card, so here is what I came up with.  I stamped the blimp once in red and a second time in blue, cut out the red one, used colored pencils on the flags, sponged the edges and mounted the red one popped up.

     Stamp sets:  Open Sea, Moving Forward

     Colors: Cherry Cobbler (Core'dinations), Island Indigo, So Suede (ink)

                More Mustard 

     Tools:  Sizzix Big Shot, Stripes Embossing Folder, Button Embosslit die, 

               sanding block, Word Window punch, Heat Tool

     Other:  Gold Stampin' Emboss powder,  Stampin' Dimensionals 

 A close-up, so you can see some details.  I distressed the edges of most layers with scissors and sanded the raised embossed stripes.  The blue circle is the globe stamp from Open Sea.  The globe and the captain's log are stamped over the red background and the edges of the Very Vanilla card base.    

I dipped the yellow paper buttons into the embossing powder and tapped most of it off before heating, then inked the edges in an attempt to create vintage-looking buttons.

An early Christmas gift from Stampin Up!

It's only October, but Stampin' Claus is coming to town! Get a FREE Festive Paper-Piercing Pack when you purchase the Ornament Keepsakes Set and Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper.  You can get the bundle with or without the cutting dies, with stamps in wood or clear-mount.   Click here to take advantage of this great offer while it lasts!

Fall-i-days Thanksgiving Blog Hop

If you started our hop at the beginning with Debbie, you have no doubt seen some fantastic things today.   Hope you like what I've done for my version of a turkey card using the owl punch.  He's supposed to look like his eyes are closed in contemplation - not sure that's working, but there it is.

Colors:  Real Red, More Mustard, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Stamps:  Day of Gratitude, Lovely Little Labels
Tools:  Framed Tulips embossing folder, Window Frames framelits dies, Owl Builder Punch

I made the eyelids by punching out the medium circles, putting them onto a Post-it, then putting them into the punch again on the same circle, but offset.

The trimmed Window frame shape is most easily and thriftily done by lining up the corners on the die with the edge of the card stock.

One of our group wasn't able to join us on time due to technical difficulties, but since I'm at the end, I thought I'd add the link to her beautiful projects (click here).  She has a link back the main page for the blog hop, so you won't get lost if you visit her.  You can still get back to the beginning of the hop if you started somewhere in the middle.

To go back to the beginning of the hop, click here: 

To return to the previous stop on the hop, click here:

Calm Pink Cupcake

A dear friend of mine had a birthday this weekend.  She loves pink and bling and cupcakes, so while this was not my usual style, thanks to Stampin' Up!, it came together easily.  I used the grids available for the clear blocks to mount the two parts of the sentiment in perfect alignment, the piercing template added just the right amount of definition to the edge of the white panel, and frosting the cupcakes with Dazzling Details makes them totally scrumptious!

Stamp set:  Keep Calm (Hostess)
Cardstock:  Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Vellum
Ink: Melon Mambo
Tools:  Essentials Piercing Pack, Apothecary Labels Framelits, Big Shot, Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder
Accessories:  Dazzling Details, Basic Jewels Rhinestones