It's a New Ippity Release!

I am so excited to share 8 new stamp sets with you from {Ippity} that are being released today!  I am in love with these sets and have had so much fun playing with them this weekend.  You can view all the sets here: NEW RELEASE.  I have all of these in stock and will be adding them to my Ippity Sale blog later today so you can purchase them through paypal.  Until then, if you are like me and just can't wait to get your hands on these, then just send me an email with what you want! I can send you an invoice and get your sets in the mail and into your hands ASAP!  I will be selling these for $15 and $18 and if you order today via an email, the shipping is FREE!

And now to share some of the fun I've had creating with these new sets this weekend!
                                                                                                                                                                    The first set I had to try out is called What Matters Most - I  fell in love with these images immediately!  I am a sucker for butterflies, birds, flowers, trees and sweet sentiments - and this set has them all!

To make this card I began by using my new Palette Burnt Umber ink so I could check out how it performs when I color with copic markers.  I am happy to report I had no issues with smearing at all!  I used my new Martha Stewart grass punch with some paper patterned papper from the SU Sweet Pea paper pack and popped it all up with some dimensionals for a 3D affect (no special glasses needed!)  And of course, I had to add a bit of bling on the butterflies using stickles for a finishing touch.  Other supplies used:  Nesties Labels 1, SU Barely Banana and Chocolate Chip cardstock, adhesive gem heart.

Those of you who know me IRL, know that I have been involved in music since I was a child.  So of course this next set is a perfect fit for me!  And with this adorable bird added for good measure, I couldn't resist it!

For this card, I decided to try out my brand new DCWV Cafe Mediterranean stack.  Love the bright cheerful colors in this paper!  I paper pieced the bird on top of the music script stamps with SU Apricot Appeal ink onto ivory paper. I love how this songbird turned out! Other supplies:  Pallete Noir ink, SU Apricot Appeal and Cool Carribean cardstock, SU apricot grosgrain ribbon.

The final set I'll share in this post is an adorable springtime set called Sweet Thoughts of Spring.  When I first saw this set I immediately considered it an cute Easter set, but after playing with it I realize it is much more versatile than just Easter.  It will make adorable invitations, baby cards and just thinking of you cards as well.

So with Spring in the air here in Seattle (our Rhodies are blooming already!) I pulled out my Basic Grey Urban Prairie paper.  It coordinates well with SU Pink Pirhouette, and I just think this bunnie with his cute little heart bellie button is a keeper!  I added just a bit of color to the bunnie using Pink Pirhouette ink and a blender pen, then sponged a bit more around the edges.  Other supplies: SU oval and scallop oval punches, SU scallop trim border punch, adhesive gem hearts.

Well, it is now time for me to go play some more with my new goodies!  I'll be back to share more of my creations with you later this week.  Happy Stamping!

A valentine and a challenge for me and you

I have decided on a New Year's stamping resolution (I know, I know... but better late than never, right?) Anway, I decided I'd better post it because then I will be much more likely to actually keep it, because my friends will be able to tell if I am!  So, as I organized my stamp room over the past year, I discovered so many things I have purchased but never had the time to really play with.... you know the things I mean... those things you just couldn't wait to get that then sit there on a shelf or in a drawer waiting patiently for us to find the time to figure them out.  So I have decided that at least once a month I will use one of these poor unloved products, and post my creation on my blog.  I will also post how to use the product with the hope that anyone else who has one sitting unloved will get it out and use it too!  If you do, please post it on your blogs and leave a comment so I can come check out your creation as well.... deal?

So, now on to my post for today.  The cover of the latest Take Ten magazine really caught my eye with the non-traditional color combination on some valentine cards.  So, I decided I would create some Valentines using the same colors.... Red, Turquoise and Black... and here they are!

Technically, these don't really qualify for my challenge of trying new things... but they almost do, so I'm going to count it!   The heart nesties were new and so was the Inkadinkado Lots of Love set (but both belong to a friend, not me!)  The EK success heart chain punch was brand new and mine, and even though I've used many border punches, I think I'll cheat just a bit and call this my January catch up challenge since the color combo was new too.  I promise to really use new stuff for the rest of the year!  I think this is a great color combo for a change from the "usual" valentine. 

Thanks for visiting today, and happy stamping!

Brimming with Love

Today's card uses an adorable kitty stamp that Vicki brought along with her for a visit last weekend.  I couldn't resist making a card with this cute fella peeking over the brim!  It is a Penny Black stamp - Brimming with Love.... Ain't it cute?  I like this one because it makes a good valentine, but also just a  great everyday card too.  I used my new Basic Grey Sugar Rush paper on this one, along with SU Pretty in Pink cardstock.  The sentiment is from my Gel-A-Tins Coffee Break set, and I added some prima flowers and Amuse polka dot sheer ribbon to finish it off.  Hope this little guy brings a smile to you today just like he did for me:)

Happy Stamping!

Happy Birthday Cheers

Is it really February already?  It's been awhile since I posted, and actually it's been awhile since I've stamped!  It was a sad week last week, as we said goodbye to one of our kitties - Tabbytha.  She was a good kitty, and we will miss her.  On a brighter note though, my stamping buddy came up for a visit this last weekend, and we had lots of stamping fun!  So, I thought I'd share some of the cards we made with you all this week.  Here is one we'll be making at my card club this Saturday:

I recieved a birthday card using this image from an SCS friend last year, and fell in love with this little cheerleader turtle!  So, next time I ordered from Stamping Bella, this stamp was the first on my list. 

The paper is from the SU Sweet Pea paper stack.  I colored the turtle with SU old olive ink and a blender pen, added red rose using the SU marker... and of course had to add some bling with stickles!  A nestie classic scallop circle cut out of Taken with Teal and SU Saffron ribbon finished it off.  I think we'll have fun making this one on Saturday!

I'll be back with more cards to show you later this week... so stay tuned! 
Happy Stamping!

Time for some Ippity!

This last Saturday I had my first card clubs of the new year, and we celebrated by trying out some of the new Ippity sets. It was lots of fun watching everyone discover these great stamps and as always, they came up with some great designs on their own too! Here are a few of the cards I had as samples:
This card is made with stamps from the Devoted kit. I love this whimsical butterfly! I used SU designer paper and Bashful Blue cardstock. The butterfly is stamped in Night of Navy ink and the leaves in Artichoke. I added some bling with stickles on the butterfly and attached it to the card in it's center using a glue dot. The sentiment is punched using SU's modern label punch and flanked by some self adhesive jewels for a bit more of that "bling" factor (of course!) This is one of those cards that can be so versatile, and you can change the feel of it just by changing the colors you use.

This card is s sweet valentine's using Straight from the Heart and My Mind's Eye patterned paper. The cardstock is Barely Banana, Sage Shadow and Riding Hood Red from SU. I colored this image using a blender pen and reinkers for a softer watercolor effect that I think fits this card very well.... I just love those cute little blue birds!

Masculine cards are always a challenge for me, but I like to provide at least one for the group each month. This card uses stamps from Just Wanted to Say and patterned paper from SU. The cardstock is River Rock and Not quite Navy - 2 colors I rarely use, but work well for a more masculine look. I finished it off with some chord instead of ribbon - very manly!

All the stamps used on these cards are available in the Ippity kits I have in stock and ready for purchase... just click on the Ippity link in the upper right of this blog and check them out! And keep an eye out... there are new releases coming in February!

Happy stamping everyone!

Joan

Calendars to ring in the new year!

Happy 2010! It's amazing how fast the years go by.... it doesn't seem all that long ago that we were celebrating the new Millenium. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

For my first post of the new year, I thought I'd share a Christmas gift I made this year. I decided it was time to use some of my stash of Amuse stamps (I must admit that many had never seen ink...) and make some calendars. The size and style of Amuse is perfect for calendars, and I had so much fun finding the stamps to go with each month. Because I wanted to display the calendar using a Creative Memories magnetic display frame, I ended up creating a monthly banner that hangs below the calendar, giving me lots of room to stamp! I used seasonal trees as an ongoing theme, and pulled it all together with Amuse colored gingham cardstock as a mat.... so here is the final product!
I also had lots of fun finding the "doodads" (my Mom's word, otherwise known as brads) to go with the months too. I wanted to show you each month, but didn't want to post 12 pics, so in the interest of saving space, I've taken pics of just the banners for the rest of the year, but each banner also has a matching calendar:

I sure hope my family enjoys these calendars as much as I enjoyed making them. But even if they don't, the great thing about this gift is they still have a nice magnetic display frame to put pictures in - with our without the monthly banners. The only problem is now I still need to make one for myself!

Happy Crafting in 2010 everyone!

Joan

That Darn Christmas Cat!

As promised... today is Christmas Fluffles Day! This kitty is so much like our Napo (short for Napolean.) Always getting into mischieve.... and as a reward this Christmas, Santa has left him nothing but coal in his stocking!

The background paper on this card is from the Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses pad, and the leaves are punched from SU Garden Green using a Martha Stewart punch. The coloring is with copics, and the ribbon is retired SU Riding Hood Red satin ribbon. I am going to be so sad when I run out of Riding Hood Red ribbon and paper - it is my favorite red!

The next card has fluffles consoling himself after receiving his coal by eating everything in site (which I would never do of course;))

This background paper is from the DCWV Christmas Stack, and it is paired with SU Green Galore. The cute polka dot ribbon is from Amuse.

After gorging himself, it is time for a little exercise for Fluffles!

So here he is dashing through the snow! I used nesties to cut both the circle and scallop mat (pettite scallop cirle.) You can't really see the shimmer on the backgound in this picture, but after embossing SU Ballet Blue, the cardstock is spritzed with a mixture of SU Shimmer paint and alcohol. It really gives it a subtle shimmer that I love! Just put a small amount of shimmer paint (about 1/2 tsp) in a spray bottle, then add rubbing alcohol (about 1/4 of a spray bottle), shake and spray. It dries really fast due to the alcohol, so you can make your card right away.

The sentiment on this card is from Amuse, and i punched out using the SU modern label punch. I had to add a bit of extra sparkle with the snowflakes of course!

And for the last Fluffles card, it's time to do a bit of baking:

Back to the Riding Hood Red cardstock and ribbon for this card, and the background is from Debbie Mumm. I cut the mats from SU Old Olive and Riding Hood red using the nesties Labels. Maybe if Fluffles gives some of his baking as gifts instead of eating it all he'll get something other than coal in his stocking next year!

Hope you've enjoyed our Fluffles journey today!