You've Got This 2 Ways

I have a card for you today that has 2 different backgrounds ... all with my wonderful Brusho.  It's interesting how a color change can change the look of a card using the same design.

The first card has beautiful blues and greens mixed together.

The second card has beautiful blues and purples.  I think I like the first one the best, but I really like both.  It is so much fun to play with Brusho for the backgrounds because, to a great extent, it's always a wonderful surprise to see the end result.

April Events:
April 10 / Scraps and Prayers / Easter Egg Carton Project / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / I'll have a special treat for you, too!

April 22 / Saturday Stampers / Birthday Bonanza / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 / NOTE:  NEW DATE.

Be sure to look over on the left side of my blog for sneak peeks at the projects for my April classes!!!

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

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

A Polka Dot Birthday Card and Our Party Winners

I really enjoyed my Spring Open House Party yesterday.  Even with writing up orders, shopping and making our projects, it seemed like we had more time to sit and visit, talk about art and just enjoy each other's company.  In my book, that's a good Stampin' Party!  I'll share my card for today with you and then be sure to scroll on down to see the party winners and my next events.  Please note there is a DATE change for my Saturday Stampers in April.  Even though I looked at my calendar repeatedly, I still didn't realize I'd scheduled it for Easter weekend.  It has now been moved to the following week (April 22).  Here's my card.  This is one from my stenciling class.

It was fun to add the polka dots to the envelopes and the inside of the card. 

It doesn't show up well in the photo, but I added Wink of Stella to all the blue polka dots ... just for fun.

I really love this card and its soft colors for a Spring birthday.  So now, here are my party winners.

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SPRING OPEN HOUSE PARTY GAME WINNERS

The following questions are the ones I used for the contest.  Other  questions were solely for my information.  The purpose of checking out numbers of cards and naming projects was to get you to look around and soak up all the inspiration I could give you.  I hope you had fun!

1.  What is Stampin’ Up’s longest running stamp set?  Lovely As A Tree

          We had 4 winners:  Angie, Cherie, Deb and Dara

3.  What new In Colors are you hoping to see?  Can you invent a name for one?

          Best Answer --- Dara --- Yippee Yellow  (I love this one!)

5.  How many cards do you think are up on display?

          There were 74.  We had 3 winners:  Deb and Dara were right at 74 and Jessica was at 72.  (I thought that was pretty close!)

6.  How many paper crafted projects can you name that you see on display in my home (besides cards)?

          Best answers/most named:  Dara, Cherie, Sy, Angie and Nancy.

TOTAL SCORES:

Jessica - 1

Sy – 1

Nancy – 1

Angie – 2

Cherie – 2

Deb – 2

Dara – 4

OUR GRAND PRIZE WINNER IS DARA!!!

YOUR PRIZES WILL BE IN WITH YOUR ORDERS OR YOU CAN PICK THEM UP AT THE NEXT CLASS YOU ATTEND.

NOT EVERYONE TURNED IN THEIR PAPERS … MAYBE NEXT TIME.  I KNOW I HAD A GOOD TIME AND I THINK OTHERS DID, TOO.

MY NEXT PARTY WILL BE MY SUMMER OPEN HOUSE PARTY --- JUNE 25 / 2:00-5:00.  IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR THE PARTY (SPECIALS/ACTIVITIES/REFRESHMENTS) BE SURE TO LET ME KNOW.

April Events:
April 10 / Scraps and Prayers / Easter Egg Carton Project / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / I'll have a special treat for you, too!

April 22 / Saturday Stampers / Birthday Bonanza / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 / NOTE:  NEW DATE.

Be sure to look over on the left side of my blog for sneak peeks at the projects for my April classes!!!

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

- Come  back often for more creative inspiration. 

Another Stenciling Project

Here's another of my 'working with stencils creatively' projects.  And, before I share, be sure you've sent me your RSVP for my Spring Open House Party, so I can have a really fun gift waiting for you.  You'll never guess what it is! 

We made this card at my class to show how you can use stenciling as a background.  Be sure, when working with a delicate stencil like this one, that you sponge carefully so you don't ruin the design.  You could also try this one with one of our sponge rollers.

The flowers are all embossed (Black EP) --- on the card front, on the inside of the card, and on the coordinating envelope.

I lightly sponged over the flowers on the envelope.  I love the look of crisp black and white with touches of bright yellow (Crushed Curry).  Once again, you could change the sentiment and have a great card for several other occasions.

Don't forget:  Sunday, March 26 -- 
Spring Open House Party / 2:00-5:00 / a 'no fee' event ' / RSVP by March 24 and I'll have a special gift waiting for you.  Come and join us for an afternoon of creative fun! 
ALSO:
Be sure to look over on the left side of my blog for sneak peeks at the projects for my April classes!!!

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

- Come  back often for more creative inspiration. 

Sometimes Simple is Just Simply Beautiful

This was one of the top favorites from my recent Saturday Stampers class where we worked on cards that used stencils creatively.  I just love how it turned out.

The stencil I used is actually not a stencil at all.  It is a framelit with 3 little square openings along the side (or the top, if used that way).  It actually had another opening that was a long rectangle, but I only needed the 3 squares.  I've had it a long time, so I'm not sure of the source.

I sponged slightly darker at one corner of the square and then used a lighter touch to complete filling in the square.  Notice that I chose a different corner of the square to be the darker portion for each of the 3 squares.  It just makes it more artistic.

I used Island Indigo ink for the sponging and the text.  After making sure the sponged ink was completely dry (heat set) I embossed a dragonfly over each square.  This would make a good sympathy, birthday or thinking of you card, just by changing the text.

Don't forget:  Sunday, March 26 -- 
Spring Open House Party / 2:00-5:00 / a 'no fee' event ' / RSVP by March 24 and I'll have a special gift waiting for you.  Come and join us for an afternoon of creative fun! 
ALSO:
Be sure to look over on the left side of my blog for sneak peeks at the projects for my April classes!!!

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

- Come  back often for more creative inspiration. 

What's Inside My Decorative Tins?

Are you ready to see what's inside the tins?  Here you go!

I 'decorated' some chocolates to place inside, along with a coordinating round card.  I let Aaron take one to school for his teacher.  Her birthday is next week.  He wrote the cutest message inside and added a darling little drawing.

I've had these wonderful tins in my 'stash' for so long that I can't even remember where I got them.  I knew they'd make great gifts and I love how they turned out.  The DSP was perfect for this project.

I'd love it if you'd leave a comment and suggest other ideas for what could go inside the tins.

Don't forget:  Sunday, March 26 -- 
Spring Open House Party / 2:00-5:00 / a 'no fee' event ' / RSVP by March 24 and I'll have a special gift waiting for you.  Come and join us for an afternoon of creative fun! 
ALSO:
Be sure to look over on the left side of my blog for sneak peeks at the projects for my April classes!!!

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

- Come  back often for more creative inspiration. 

Decorative Tins with Surprises

If you remember reading some of my earliest posts for 2017, you may recall that I've been trying to use up and enjoy some of my 'stash' of goodies, instead of hoarding it and just taking up storage space.  I made a bunch of these for a Vendor Booth I hosted recently.  I had a few left and my husband came to me needing some thank you gifts for his fellow actors from a play they all put on at the Oglesby Mansion.  They had sessions running for a week ... all for any area classes of 5th graders who signed up.  I'm so glad I had something he could give them as a thank you.  A simple gift like this becomes a BIG thank you and is as much fun to give as it is to make.

Would you like to see what's inside?  Well, come back for my next post and I'll share.

Don't forget:  Sunday, March 26 -- 
Spring Open House Party / 2:00-5:00 / a 'no fee' event ' / RSVP by March 24 and I'll have a special gift waiting for you.  Come and join us for an afternoon of creative fun!

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

- Come  back often for more creative inspiration. 

A Darling Puppy and A Quick Review

Today's post is a quick review of the cards we made at my March Scraps and Prayers class.  These were all really fun.   My class policy is on the left side of my blog.  This would be a good time to review how it works, in case you need the info.  I'll be sending kits for those who missed the class, so you can use this post as your guide and enjoy creating 5 fun cards.

Darling Little Puppy Card
I knew we'd have our hands full with 4 cards, but I wanted to throw in the puppy card, too, because I wanted everyone to get to play with our new colored pencils.  Everything on this card was colored in with the new pencils.  After that, we blended the colors together with an Aqua Painter.  We also added a bit of sparkle on the balloon and the puppy collar with Wink of Stella.  You may notice some random sparkles over the top of my card.  To do this, I held my Wink of Stella horizontally over my card and lightly tapped it with my scissors.  It creates instant sparkly spatters:)

Here's a peek at our new pencils.  If I had to describe them in one word ... I'd say smooth.

 

 

... and now a review of our other cards we created:
Soft Dragonflies Card

Brusho Background Flower Card

Avant Garden Flower and Hearts Card

 Tip Top Taupe with Sparkly Dragonfly Card

So there you have it.  And now, we need to take a vote.  Which card is your favorite?  I'll tell you that mine is a tie between the Avant Garden card and the large dragonfly card (shown last).

My next event:
Sunday, March 26 -- Spring Open House Party / 2:00-5:00 / a 'no fee' event / RSVP by March 24 and I'll have a special gift just waiting for you.  Come and join us for an afternoon of creative fun! 

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

- Come  back often for more creative inspiration. 

Tip Top Taupe and a Pretty Doily

Here's another favorite of mine from our last Scraps and Prayers class.  As in my previous post's card, this one has a tiny sliver of black CS.  It pulls the front and the inside all together and makes the dragonfly pop.

I love these little doilies, from our Spring Occasions Catalog.  They are white on one side and vanilla on the other.  Of course, you could certainly spritz (or sponge) on a bit of color to coordinate with anything you'd like.  You'll be hearing more about these doilies in another post ... very soon:)

I added Wink of Stella to the dragonfly's wings.

I didn't add a text of any kind ... yet.  Whenever I create a card like this one, I love keeping my options open.  If I need a quick card for almost any occasion at all, this one will work beautifully.

My next classes and events:
Saturday, March 18 -- Saturday Stampers / 1:00-4:00 / Using stencils creatively (on cards) / $20. / Pay to register at least 2 days prior to the class. 
CLASS FULL / REGISTRATION CLOSED
Sunday, March 26 -- 
Spring Open House Party / 2:00-5:00 / a 'no fee' event / RSVP by March 24 and I'll have a special gift just waiting for you.  Come and join us for an afternoon of creative fun! 

Special Reminders:
As always, you must pay to register at least 2 days prior to each class.  If you are using a coupon, you still need to register at least 2 days prior to the class and present the coupon at that time.  I need it for tax records, please.
See the left side of my blog for sneak peeks on upcoming classes and events.  Class schedules and descriptions can be found by clicking on 'my classes' at the top of my blog.

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

- Come  back often for more creative inspiration. 

More About my Hexagon Stencil Card

The weather here has turned colder and more like winter again, so it's nice to see the bright, fun colors of my hexagon card.  I've always loved blues and greens together.  I used watercolor paper, just to give it some more texture. 

I made my own stencil for this card project.  It's cut from watercolor paper, using a retired Stampin' Up! die.

The sentiment (from One Big Meaning) seemed just the perfect size for this card.  If you're looking for a stamp set with lots of fonts and sizes to say thanks, this one is perfect.

I added a flower cut from our Succulent Framelits Dies and placed a rhinestone in the center, for the perfect finish.  I used a smaller flower on the inside of the card and added a few hexagons, from my stencil, to the envelope.  What a bright and cheery way to say thank you.  This would also be a great birthday card, by changing the sentiment.

My next classes and events:
Saturday, March 18 -- Saturday Stampers / 1:00-4:00 / Using stencils creatively (on cards) / $20. / Pay to register at least 2 days prior to the class. 
CLASS IS FULL.  REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.

Sunday, March 26 -- 
Spring Open House Party / 2:00-5:00 / a 'no fee' event / RSVP by March 24 and I'll have a special gift just waiting for you.  Come and join us for an afternoon of creative fun!

REMINDER:
Don't forget that SAB is nearly over.  As products run out, like the cute card tin below, that's just it.  They are done.  We also have an entire line of In Colors that will be retiring soon.  If you need anything that will be retiring, scoop it up now before it's too late.

RETIRING SOON:

Don't wait until retiring items are sold out. 

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

- Come  back often for more creative inspiration.