Stampin' Up! retired list is here!!

 The annual retired stamp and accessory list is up! Stop by the following links to see if there is something you want...then go to my store and order. Remember - the retiring  accessories are only available while supplies last. Retiring stamps will be available until May 31, 2013.

Retired Stamp List

Retired Acessory List

Stampin" Up! retires lots of items each year to make way for new and exciting products. I just ordered my first sneak peek items and can't wait for them to arrive!

Thanks for stopping by Andrea

My first Digital layout!!

So I finally decided to try the Stampin' Up! My Digital Studio software (MDS) that has been sitting on my computer for too long for me to admit.

I had signed up for Heather and Kimberly's MDS 10 day class hoping that would get me motivated...and it DID. Thanks Ladies.

Here is a layout of my dog -using the This and That digital kit. I did not like an element of the background paper for this layout (it said Inventory) so first I make a photo box and filled it with patterned paper to cover it but I didn't like it. Once I moved the Calypso Coral paper block the word Inventory popped back up. So I used the chevron embellishment and grouped 4 of them together to make a border. 

I really enjoyed this process and do plan to make more digital projects BUT I still really love playing with real paper the best.!

Thanks for stopping by! Andrea

Paper Players Challenge #142 - CAS

I've been wanting to get back into doing some of the great card challenges again. This week I decided to play along with the Paper Players. This ended up being more of a "challenge" for me than I intended. This weeks challenge is to do a one layer card. YIKES!!! I am not sure what my "style" is but I can tell you I tend to add lots of layers and embellishements.

Here is my CAS one layer card.....

  

and GASP....I like it!!

I am going to need to send cards internationally to my DD next year - so the bulky blingy cards aren't going to work all the time...maybe this is the start of something new for me???

The base is Sahara Sand. I used Sahara Sand and Raspberry Ripple Ink. The stamp sets are Beyond Plaid from the Spring Catalog  ;Lacey and Lovely from the main catalog for the Miss You and Best of Butterflies, the butterflies trail is from Sent With Love where I put a piece of scotch tape over the airplane so it wouldn't get inked.

Thanks for stopping by!! Till next time....Andrea

Masculine Birthday

I know that I am not alone in having difficulty making masculine cards. One of my current goals is to overcome this. My Father In Laws Birthday was the other day and here is the card I made him.

 Here are the ideas that I kept in mind when making this card.

1.Choose colors that are "masculine" In this case I used the soon to be retired Not Quite Navy, Whisper White and Daffodil Delight Cardstock.

2. My friend and upline Deb does a great job of using pieces of patterned paper on her cards so my second tip is to use a strip of DSP. This is a strip of Parkers Patterns from the Spring Catalog.

3.  Cluster embellishments - I used
       a) argyles of the Beyond Plaid stamp set from the Spring Catalog (I hope this is carried to the new catalog because I LOVE it)
       b) Happy Birthday from Itty Bitty Banners in Cherry Cobbler Ink
       c) The gifts are from a retired SU! set

4.  "White Space"  Lately I've been trying to analyze what I like about a card when I say I like it. Frequently there is a lot of the background of the card that is not covered with designs (paper or stamped images). I call that white space because it is frequently left white when the base of the card is white. I think this lets the eye rest a bit and draws the attention to the focal point of the card.

All in all this card came together relatively easily.

Thanks for stopping by!!
Andrea

A few Cards and an update

Well - I'm back...can't believe its been so long but I'm back into regularly crafting and (hopefully) regularly posting. Lately I've become mostly a card maker - although scrapbooking is still in my plans for the summer. I just took the plunge and did something I've wanted to do for along time - signed up with Stampin Up as a demo. I love their stuff and mostly use it so....

Here are a couple of cards that I've made lately that I love

This card started as a way to use up my stash of buttons. This card uses two of my paper crafting obsessions - clouds and banners. 

I was so pleased with the above card that I decided to try it again. This time I used the SU! owl punch and the clouds are the tops of the SU! cupcake punch. I seem to love dimension on my cards - which makes for difficult mailing. As both my DDs will be away starting this summer I've tried to make more mailable cards. So instead of buttons I layered cardstock circle punches ontop of each other and punched holes to make them look like buttons. Once I had tied the bakers twine I covered with with crystal effects to look shiny like real buttons.

This is an old retired SU rose set. I've used two of my favorites - newsprint DSP and the new SU! hexagon embossing folder

This is not the best picture but I really like the dimension of the flowers created by curling the petals over my stylus. Again an attempt for texture without creating bulk. Hopefully this will be mailable.

Thats all for now. Thanks for anyone who may be visiting. 

PPA108-CAS-Elements of Style-Soften the Edges

Today's card is a result of using up some of the left over product sitting on my desk - if y'all saw my desk you would shake your head - I am one of those messy workers and always running so I never seem to clean up before the NEED to craft hits again. During the early part of this week I made a minialbum/card for DH for our 25th wedding anniversary. It was in blue and brown - hence today's colors.

I also did something else that makes me happy - I went to my little box of stuff I've stamped but rejected for other projects and found this tree from SU! Thoughts and Prayers. Added an owl from the retired forest friends. The card looked tooo plain so I took the little tree from forest friends and w/ versamark made my own patterned paper ....again!  A bit of HL ribbon and retired SU! brads and  I'm done.

c/s - SU! chocolate chip, one of SU! retired blues - not sure which one.

Patterned paper - scraps from the SU! MDS journaling I did for the card - its script in brown but I think my color ink was low so it doesn't match any specific SU! color

I haven't ever made a square card - but this was the size of c/s left over and I just scored down the middle and it was a square......

This morning I found the PPA108-CAS-Elements of Style-Soften the Edges challenge and it motivated me for todays card. Check 'em out - its a fun place.
 I didn't realize till after that the colors were blue and brown as well.
thanks for stopping by! Andrea

PDCC 95 and CFC 16

Playing along with challenges is fun!! I'm playing with two new (to me) challenges. The Play Date Cafe and CAS-ual Fridays

I haven't figured out how to make the picture link back to their website so here is the link
http://theplaydatecafe.blogspot.com/2011/08/play-date-cafe-challenge-pdcc95.html

http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2011/08/cfc16.html

Take 5 on this post LOL - I so need blogger for dummies (If it exists if not someone needs to write it LOL)

I wanted to make a thank you gift for a sweet woman - Florence who kindly brought and delivered a yummy gourmet dessert from red adzuki beans this weekend.

I let the above challenges guide my design decisions

Color for Play Date Cafe.

 Mine are SU! colors Not Quite Navy, Wild Wasabi, and Regal Rose

Embossing for CAS-ual Fridays

I used the SU! embossing folder dots and versamark and clear embossing powder. Embossing is my favorite technique so I had to play along!

Here is a post it note holder. I haven't made one of these in AGES. I had the blue focal point in a box of do-dads that never made it to other projects - I tried but I can't find the stamp set to see what the name is - I may have borrowed it or used it at a stamp party at one time.

 I made a coordinating mini legal pad. The butterflies are my fav part of it. I attached an extra piece of chipboard (i.e. cereal box) under the mini legal pad to give it extra stability.

Here is the thank you card - yet another center step card :).....They just make such a pretty presentation! 

Thanks for stopping by!!

Andrea