Happy Spring!

I know some of my stamping friends back East are getting snow yet again, but it really is Spring, and it will arrive for them, too, soon! With that in mind, I had happy Spring colors on the brain. There are some great color combinations in the All Abloom DSP Stack, so I used them for inspiration for this card. I'm always in need of Thank You cards, and this was a quick and easy card.

I love this Simply Wonderful set from Sale-A-Bration, and if you love it too, you'd better act quickly because it's going away forever in just eleven more days! Place a qualifying order before March 31st, and you can get it for FREE!

STAMPS: Too Kind, Simply Wonderful (SAB item)
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Strawberry Slush
INK: Strawberry Slush, Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Pistachio Pudding
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Happy Heart embossing folder, Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack, Best Year Ever Accessory Pack (SAB item), Stampin' Dimensionals

New Team Member Welcome!

I absolutely love it when someone decides to take a chance on becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, and all the opportunity that goes with it. It's even sweeter to me when it's someone I don't even know who chose me to be their upline! I feel very honored, and then wonder how the heck did they hear about me, and what made them choose ME?

No matter what drove their decision, I'm ecstatic to have more enthusiastic stampers on my stamping team, and as part of the welcome packet I send, I include a card, a welcome letter with basic info they need to know right away, and a color sample chart of current Stampin' Up! colors (note: this picture is an older chart).

A few years ago SU had a great business stamp set called Workshop Words, with stamps pertaining to many aspects of the business. One of them is this wonderful stamp! I will never part with this stamp set!!!

Even if you don't need a "welcome to the family" card, this card could be used for other occasions, and it features the All Abloom DSP Stack, that's part of the weekly deals this week!

STAMP: Petite Petals, Workshop Words (retired)
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Strawberry Slush, All Abloom DSP Stack
INK: Strawberry Slush, Wild Wasabi
ACCESSORIES: Petite Petals Punch, Hearts Border Punch, Crushed Curry Ribbon from Best Year Ever Accessory Pack (Sale-A-Bration item, while supplies last), Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals

Aarrghhh!

Two things are making me tear my (already thin) hair out - the first is Stampin' Up! has decided to stop selling the Blendabilities alcohol markers. The manufacturer just couldn't meet SU's high standards consistently, so rather than have unhappy customers returning defective merchandise, they've been proactive and stopped selling it. They do realize how popular the alcohol markers are, so they are going to try to find a solution. I certainly hope so, because I love coloring with them!

The second follicle-threatening thing is I keep making cards and sending them before I remember to take a picture! (That's probably due to the fact that I'm frequently rushing to get them in the mail on time.) Poor planning on my part, but I'm going to TRY to be better about planning ahead!

This was one of the cards we made at my stamping team meeting last night. I try to show my downline cards that are cute, but don't take too long to make, especially if there are a lot of stampers making the card. People could get impatient waiting for the stamp and ink pad to came around, ya know?

So this was perfect for the project. The Love & Sympathy stamp is great for using the "marker to stamp" technique and, while the stamp set is geared toward sympathy cards, the image can be used for just about anything. And BONUS - the All Abloom DSP Stack is one of the weekly deals this week!


STAMPS: Love & Sympathy, Simply Wonderful (Sale-A-Bration item)
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Crushed Curry, All Abloom DSP Stack
INK: Old Olive ink pad, plus Old Olive and Crushed Curry Stampin' Write Markers
ACCESSORIES: Texture Boutique Machine, Beautifully Baroque embossing folder, Crushed Curry ribbon from Best Year Ever Accessory Pack (Sale-A-Bration item)

Have I Mentioned I Love Butterflies?

Yeah? Well then, it should come as no surprise that I'm having way too much fun with the Butterfly Bundle!

I've been seeing the layered and/or inlaid butterflies all over, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was really not hard at all! After I die cut the butterfly, I used the "negative" from the Basic Black piece to trace the butterfly on the Bermuda Bay. It was fussy cut just inside the lines, leaving off the swallow tail bits. That produced the back layer. The body of the butterfly was glued to the background, leaving the wings free.

Then a 2" x 2" piece of Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper was placed under the butterfly die where I wanted pieces for the inlay. Those were just glued with multipurpose glue on the Bermuda Bay background, fitting them into the appropriate holes of the butterfly's wing. It really is a "Wow" effect in real life!

The green growth was stamped on the lovely Soft Sky sheet from the Painted Blooms DSP pack using Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive.

STAMPS: Nature's Perfection (SAB item), A Dozen Thoughts
CARSTOCK: Basic Black, Bermuda Bay, Painted Blooms DSP, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer
INK: Memento Tuxedo Black, Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Butterflies Thinlits Dies, Liquid Multipurpose Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals