Have you met the newest In Colors?

Don't ask me which new color is my favorite because I absolutely can't decide yet.  My favorite seems to change on a daily basis.  This new set of colors is bright and cheery and they all go together so well.  Do you have a favorite yet?

I designed each card to be monochromatic, tone on tone and texture upon texture.  At first, I couldn't get much of an impressions with the embossing folder (Subtle TIEF), but then I spritzed the CS before running it through the Big Shot, as well as running it through both directions, so the texture looks like woven linen.  It doesn't show up much in a photo, but it's really nice in real life.

I added 3 little flowers on each card and placed a Glitter Enamel Dot on one of the flowers.

AUGUST HOSTESS CODE:   

36XNEJK9

   Aug. Hostess Code Special ($35.+ orders)
--- Surprise Gift 
--- Free Color Coach (new/updated) !!!

AUGUST 1 -31 --- BONUS DAYS --- 
    - SEE INFO ON LEFT SIDE OF PAGE.

REMINDER:
BEGINNING SEPTEMBER, YOU MUST PAY TO REGISTER AT LEAST ONE WEEK PRIOR TO ANY CLASS. 

SEPTEMBER EVENTS: 

Sept. 10 / Scraps and Prayers / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00
       Fall Project, showcasing the gorgeous colors of nature.
       PAY TO REGISTER ONE WEEK PRIOR TO CLASS. 
Sept. 15 / BONUS Saturday Stampers / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00
       Let's make some gorgeous Fall and Christmas cards.
       PAY TO REGISTER ONE WEEK PRIOR TO CLASS. 

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration.

- Let's create something beautiful today.

A Beautiful Set of Cards ... My Favorites ... And Some Lucky Winners!

THIS POST HAS LOTS OF IMPORTANT INFO, SO BE SURE TO CHECK IT OUT, ALL THE WAY TO THE END.  I have a lot to share with you today, so let's jump right in with a beautiful set of In Colors cards.  Since my guests had to try to guess my favorite, I thought this set of cards would be a good choice to share today.

The designs are all the same, so here's a close-up of one of the colors.

I love the delicate details of these thinlits.  I guess that's why they named them Detailed Floral Thinlits:)

And now ... the time has come.  Today, I'll reveal all my favorites ... along with some lucky winners!!!  First of all, here are some clues for my favorite In Colors.  See if you can figure them out.

Did you figure it out?  Berry Burst and Lemon Lime Twist!!!  They were such a close tie, that I'm letting all those who guessed either one to be a winner.  Some days, my favorite is Berry Burst and some days, my favorite is Lemon Lime Twist.  Mostly, I love how they play together.  I love all the In Colors, but these two make my heart sing.

Now, an even more difficult decision for me was choosing a favorite new stamp set.  I loved several that were just stinkin' cute.  The more artistic/nature related sets always speak to me.  Two sets stand out above all the others, and I'd say they were a close tie with me, also.  My favorites:  Colorful Seasons and Oh So Eclectic.  My favorite accessories were their coordinating thinlits... Seasonal Layers Thinlits and Eclectic Layers Thinlits.  These stamps and thinlits are very versatile and beg for your creativity to just flow into your projects.  I really love them and feel like I've just barely started exploring the possibilities of how you can use them.

I also had the furry babies help me choose 2 door prize winners for the party.  Here's a list of all the lucky winners, along with their choices.

Berry Burst --
 Nancy S.
 Alicia W.
Lemon Lime Twist --
 Jessica B.
 Linda B.
 Cherie L.
Colorful Seasons --
 no correct guesses
Oh So Eclectic --
 Dana B.
Favorite Accessories (coordinating thinlits for both sets) --
 no correct guesses
2 Door Prizes --
 Marsha W.
 Elaine B.

Wow!  That's a nice list of lucky winners.  I truly loved our time together at the party.  I loved that we could spend some time visiting together and talking and sharing about art and the fun of creating it.  I appreciate your support of my business, your enthusiasm for my cards and projects.  You inspire me to keep creating and I hope you'll sign up for more of my classes, to enjoy creating with me.

At this point, it looks like I can hold all my classes before a surgery I'm having later in July.  My other surgery will be in August.  I will be able to have the Scraps and Prayers class, but had to cancel the Saturday Stampers (for August 19).  I'm planning on teaching both classes in September and will keep you posted if I need more time to recover.  Be sure to keep checking my blog to get all the up to date news.
MORE GOOD NEWS:
By popular demand, I'm changing our August Scraps and Prayers project to sharing with you how to make my book box.  That was a huge hit at the party.  I look forward to sharing this!
More good news --- Several of the cards that people especially likes were the tri-shutter, the 'hugs' card and the front step card.  These will all be included in our July Saturday Stampers class!!!

BE SURE TO SIGN UP EARLY BECAUSE CLASS SIZES ARE LIMITED AND ARE FILLING UP FAST!!!

July News Coming Up Next ... Stay Tuned:)

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

Another Set of In Colors Cards

How about another set of In Colors cards ... in a beautiful design?  I love these.

These are designed to be used to drop a quick note to a friend and send a whole lot of happy ... right in their mail.  All the cards are the same design.  I just changed the colors.

I stamped the flowers to look as though they were sprinkled across the card and then I embossed them with white EP.

I stamped and embossed the daisies, also and then added a clear glitter 'gem' to the center of each.  I felt it needed a little something else to bring out the daisy, so I punched some of our new label shapes, using watercolor paper, painted a little background over them and added them to my cards.

Before you go...
I'm working ever so hard to get ready for my big Open House/New Catalog Party (Sunday, June 25).  I hope you've put it on your calendar, if you live in the area.  My goal is to have the absolute best party ever.  Get ready for some creative fun.  Let's party!!!  RSVP by June 23.  If you can't come, you may order online through my website, using this HOSTESS CODE:

YAGNA44P

YOUR ONLINE ORDER, USING THIS HOSTESS CODE THROUGH MY WEBSITE, WILL BE SHIPPED DIRECTLY TO YOUR HOME.

Remaining June Events:
June 22 / EARLY BIRD GARAGE SALE / 5:30-6:30
June 23 + 24 / GARAGE SALE / 8:00-5:00

June 25 / Open House New Catalog Party / 2:00-5:00

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

The New In Colors Meet the Banner Punch

With all the health issues and challenges I have facing me right now, I'm focusing on trying to work in my studio every free minute I have.  Things are beyond my being able to 'fix' them, so I'm leaving it to God and to my skilled and wonderful doctors at the Springfield Orthopedic Clinic.  I'm working on healthy eating and doing the exercises that are ok for me to do ... and stamping and creating and working up a storm.  
Early in May, I decided to take down each and every card that I had on display in my studio.  Wow!  At that point, I had around 85 on display.  The next time visitors come to my studio, they will see all new cards.  I love a challenge.  I have a lot of display areas filled already.  In today's post, I'm sharing another card using all of our new In Colors.  I'm still trying to decide which color is my favorite.

I don't think the lighting in these photos really shows off how pretty these colors are in real life.  I had to battle a windy day and too much light in my usual locations for my photo shoots.

Have you decided yet which is your favorite new In Color?

June Events:
June 12 / Scraps and Prayers / All Occasions Cards / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Make some beautiful cards to add to your stash to send to special friends and/or family.  Sign up early to save your spot.  My Saturday Stampers classes have been filling up really early.  Your payment holds your spot.

June 17 / Saturday Stampers /  Mixed Media Patriotic Project / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 / REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June 22 / EARLY BIRD GARAGE SALE / 5:30-6:30
June 23 + 24 / GARAGE SALE / 8:00-5:00

June 25 / Open House New Catalog Party / 2:00-5:00

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

5 New In Colors All In One Card

Even with all the wonderful new and old ways to add coloring to a project, one of my favorite techniques is still using an ink pad and my Aqua Painter.  It's quick, it's easy and it's fun.  Make a puddle of ink in the lid of your ink pad.  Add a few drops of water, if needed.  Pick up your Aqua Painter and let the fun begin.  I used all 5 of our new In Colors for this card.  

I added a few speckles from Awesomely Artistic and a greeting from Best Birds.  When coloring with the inks and Aqua Painter, you can lighten or darken the shades of colors depending on how much water you use.  I was using Whisper White CS, rather than Shimmery White or watercolor paper, so I couldn't use too much water or go over the same spot too long, or I would break down the fibers in the CS.

Did you notice the new Glitter Enamel Dots?  I am in love with them!  They come in varying sizes AND varying shades of Dapper Denim, Crushed Curry, Berry Burst and Old Olive.  Love!!!

SECRET MESSAGE:
If you live in the area, you can stop by and pick up your copy of our new catalog.  Call first so we don't disturb the baby's nap, please.

June Events:
June 12 / Scraps and Prayers / All Occasions Cards / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Make some beautiful cards to add to your stash to send to special friends and/or family.

June 17 / Saturday Stampers /  Mixed Media Patriotic Project / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June 22 / EARLY BIRD GARAGE SALE / 5:30-6:30
June 23 + 24 / GARAGE SALE / 8:00-5:00

June 25 / Open House New Catalog Party / 2:00-5:00

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

My In Colors Display ... Which color is your favorite?

Let me introduce you to our five glorious new In Colors.  I love them!  I'm still trying to decide which one is my favorite.  All my guests at my Open House in June will be trying to guess which one is my favorite, so I have until then to decide.  I won't tell though, until after the party.

My display shows off quite a few new products - all for our new In Colors:
- inks (used to watercolor the die cut piece)
- ribbons (tied in bows)
- card stock (CS) punched into daisies with our new Daisy punch
- Faceted Gems (I used the clear - for daisy centers.)
- Designer Series Paper (DSP) - Fresh Florals

In case you haven't been introduced personally, here are all the color names.  Pardon the slightly wonky photo.  I must have not held the camera straight enough when I took the photo of the frame hanging on my studio wall.  Aren't these colors just beautiful? 

SECRET MESSAGE:
If you live in the area, you can stop by and pick up your copy of our new catalog.  Call first so we don't disturb the baby's nap, please.

AND MORE CREATIVE FUN ... UP NEXT: 
May 20 / Saturday Stampers / Eastern Palace Suite Projects / 3 cards + a layout / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June Events:
June 12 / Scraps and Prayers / All Occasions Cards / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Make some beautiful cards to add to your stash to send to special friends and/or family.

June 17 / Saturday Stampers /  Mixed Media Patriotic Project / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June 22 / EARLY BIRD GARAGE SALE / 5:30-6:30
June 23 + 24 / GARAGE SALE / 8:00-5:00

June 25 / Open House New Catalog Party / 2:00-5:00

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

Thank you, Stampin' Up! ... and The Cutest Little Boxes Ever!!!

Thank you Stampin' Up! for all the great new video tutorials.  They are very helpful and super inspiring.  Are you aware of all the great resources you can find to help you with your stamping... besides my blog, of course:)

Here's a little project I made using a You Tube video to help me.  This is the cutest little popcorn box die ever!

I made one in each of our new In Colors.

I used our In Colors DSP Stacks for the strips to decorate the sides of each box.

Aren't these cute? 
I just added 'filler' to each box and no treats, so this is totally zero calories:)
Tip:
Want to know where to get a bargain on gift bag filler?  Go to Staples and choose a big bag of their 'packing' material for mailing.  It's only in this neutral color, but it goes with most anything and you get a big bag of it.

Click here to see the video for making this adorable box.

For more ideas and inspiration:

Click here to find lots of inspiring ideas.

Click here to find Stampin' Up! videos on

 

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- Click on the tab at the top to see my class schedules. 

- Look on the left for sneak peeks and registration policies. 

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It's All About The Color ... And Ribbons, Ribbons, Ribbons

For me, working with most any art project begins with choosing and playing with my color story for the project.  I LOVE playing with color.  After I've chosen the color story, I begin working on my design, choosing stamps, choosing color mediums --- watercoloring, embossing, using markers...
The possibilities are pretty much endless.  Yes, I often change out some of my plans as I get into the creative process, but that's part of the fun.  The colors and the design begin to drive the project.  As I go along, I decide what embellishments I may need to use to finish out my project.  For today's project, it's ribbons, ribbons, ribbons.

Today, I have a happy little banner that I made to hang in my studio.  I didn't have to do much planning with the colors because I wanted to use ALL the new In Colors.

My banner hangs where I do all my stamping and paper crafting, so it's a constant reminder of how much I love being an artist.

As new stampin' goodies arrive now, I am constantly inspired by what I chose from the new catalog.  It's a great time for creating!
 

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or look on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration. 

Another Pretty In Colors Card

I have another fancy card to share with you today, featuring all 5 of our new In Colors.  This one uses a wonderful new stamp set called You've Got This.  This set and the one I used in my previous card (The Best is Yet to Come) both feature large image flowers.  I love sets like this because they're versatile for cards, projects and scrapbooking.

For my envelope, I used some of our new Envelope Papers to line it and then fancied it up even more with a little gold doily on the flap.  Aren't our new Metallic Gold Doilies pretty?  They come in 2 sizes, as shown on my card.

Once again, I find that a photo can't pick up the elegance of the Shimmer Mist that I spritzed onto my flower blossom, but it's there and, in real life, it's stunning.  I colored the flower with ink and an Aqua Painter, my favorite way to color.

My allergies are really bad today, so I think I'll stay inside and keep up my creative work in my studio.  I also have to make some posters for Bible School.  I'll send Bill to watch the parade today and then tonight, we'll have fireworks to end our Forsyth Family Festival.  I'll have to sedate Toby Joe, as he absolutely has a melt down with fireworks or loud thunder.  It will be their first fireworks for the puppies, so I don't know how they'll do.  Fortunately, we can see the fireworks from our front porch, so I can keep a close eye on them.

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

Sparkles and Color!

In my last post, I mentioned that I would be working all day in my studio for the rest of the week.  Yesterday was very productive.  I completed 28 cards and a framed project!  I'm thrilled!   I'll be sharing it all in my future posts.  I'm very excited to share this card with you today.  In real life, it's just gorgeous, with a wonderful sparkle shimmer.

I created a very coordinated look with the envelope, including a bit of doily on the flap.  It is sandwiched between the CS layer and the actual flap, so there are no raw edges showing.

Look very closely and you can maybe see the beautiful shimmer on the flower.  I spritzed it with a Champagne Shimmer Paint/Alcohol mixture.  After it dried (only takes seconds:) I used my white gel pen to highlight the little delicate stamen ends.
Tip:
I attached the flower to my card with dimensionals.
I masked off the card areas behind the flower and then spritzed.
It's actually easier this way, so you're not handling it after you've spritzed it.
I didn't want any of it to rub off by handling it too much.

I've used all 5 of our new In Colors, so it makes for a very bright and cherry card.  I will save this for a very special thanks when needed.
Banner tip:
I stamped the text onto a scrap of Whisper White.
After it dried, I trimmed it down on my trimmer.
I used the Hexagon Punch to flag the end.

So that's my beautiful card for today.  I have lots more to share, so I'll be seeing you soon!

 

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

5 New In Colors... Framed

I've had a rough past week, filled with technology issues and sick puppies.  Here's hoping for a better week and fun stamping projects, using lots of new products.   I continue to be super busy getting ready for the big party and 'mini sale' and it's all a ton of fun! 

Each year, when our new In Colors come out, I like to make a few projects to highlight the new colors.  This year, I decided (since I love our Butterfly Framelits so much) to make a frame of butterflies.  This will be on display at my upcoming Open House/New Catalog Party, so everyone can see it 'in person' and admire the new colors. 

Whenever I do a project like this, I put the frame back together with the glass behind the project, so I can add all the dimension that I want to add to it.  The glass helps to stabilize the project and the frame can be reused again and again, because nothing is permanently attached to the frame itself.

This is one of my favorite frames.  I think the delicate cut work of the frame and the butterflies compliment each other.  Don't you love the cute little accessories that come in every new In Color?  They are attached with Liquid Tombow Adhesive.
 

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.