January Club - and kits available

Today was the first club workshop of the year - what fun! This club runs from January through November and we have 5 ladies returning with one new member (Welcome Cheryl - and so good to see Doris, Sharon, Theresa and Brenda again. Janis was skiing :-) we missed you! We had one guest, Judy - hope she had fun!)
These are the cards they made:

Valentine Cutie:
Card Stock: Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand
Ink: Melon Mambo, Whisper White (craft)
Stamp Set: Greeting Card Kids
Ribbon: 1/4 inch grosgrain Pretty in Pink, Always Artichoke seam binding
Punch: 2 3/8 inch scallop circle

Hanging Hearts:
Card Stock: Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla, various pink and red scraps
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Stamp Sets: Punch Potpourri, Filled with Love
DSP: Pretty in Pink
Bitty Buttons
Punches: Heart to Heart, Heart Small, Full Heart,

Glitter Vase:
Card Stock: Basic Gray, Pretty in Pink, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black, Red Glitter Paper
Ink: Basic Black
Punches: Ornament, Scallop Oval, Small Oval, Pinking Hearts Border

And we made a small basket for a little valentine treat.
Card Stock: Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla
Stamp set: Punch Potpourri
Ink: Soft Suede, Pretty in Pink
Punch: Boho Blossoms

Friday night was the first of my DSP - Half Sheet Wonder class. I am having a second on Monday and have room if anyone is interested. Of course, we are expecting another 3-6 inches of snow tomorrow - but DH should have the driveway cleared before Monday evening. :-)

I also have these available as kits. Each kit includes the pre-cut card stock, DSP, instructions and the template.

You also receive a sheet of grid paper marked for each piece of DSP to help with assembly. These were a great help when doing the cards.
Here are the kits available and the colors in each. Kits are $15.00 each (9 complete cards - all you add is the image or sentiment). Shipping would be an additional $5.00 if needed.
The pieces to each card are inside that card base which is labeled with a sticky note so you know exactly what is used for each card.

Jersy Shore (retired) - Card stock colors are Brilliant Blue (retired), Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Wild Wasabi (THIS ONE IS GONE)

Kaleidoscope (retired) - Card stock colors are Tempting Turquoise, Passion Pink, Green Galore, Only Orange

Haiku #1 (retired) - Card stock colors are More Mustard, Tangerine Tango, So Saffron, Old Olive

Haiku #2 (retired) - Card stock colors are Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, More Mustard and So Saffron (THIS ONE IS GONE)

Greenhouse Gala - Card Stock colors are Pumpkin Pie, Pear Pizzazz, Baja Breeze and Daffodil Delight

Georgia Peach #1 (retired) - Card stock colors are So Saffron, Old Olive, Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose

Georgia Peach #2 (retired) - Card stock colors are So Saffron, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive and Regal Rose (THIS ONE IS GONE)

Green Tea (retired) - Card stock colors are Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Old Olive and Baja Breeze.

These really are great fun and a quick way to make up a bunch of cards. I have done 7 sets and each one is more fun than the one before :-) To purchase Email Mary

One more Half Sheet Wonder set

Last night I played some more with my Half Sheet Wonder for the workshops on Friday 1/21 and Monday 1/24. I just can't get enough of these :-) It makes it so easy when you work with the same 4 or 5 colors and already have the basic layouts in mind.

These cards all use the Haiku DSP (retired) that I got from the clerance items.

The colors are Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, More Mustard and So Saffron.

I like these so much I think I will add them to my Color Coach.
Stamp Set : Birthday Bakery

Tools: Tag punches, Big Shot and Lattice embossing folder

Stamp Set: Birthday Bakery
Punches: Modern Label, Ribbon

Stamp Set: Birthday Bakery


When I put this one together, I goofed.
I wound up having to do something different
so I trimmed one edge with the Scallop Edge punch and
put some DSP behind that to make a little border.
Stamp set: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Tools:Scallop Oval, Medium Oval and Scallop Edge punches

This is the open card showing the DSP trim inside.

Stamp Set: A Word for You

Tools: Boho Blossoms punch

Stamp Set: Herb Expressions

Stamp Set: Afterthoughts
Tools: Curly Label Punch


Stamp Set: Herb Expressions
Tools: Oval Scallop, Large Oval and Ribbon punches

Stamp Set: After Thoughts

Tools: Decorative Label

We also got hit with snow last night. When I went to bed about midnight we had about 2-3 inches. When we got up at 6 am there was almost 12 inches on the patio furniture.

This is a small evergreen near our front door.
More snow than we have had for a long time - DH is happy!

DSP Workshop

I am hosting a DSP (Designer Series Paper) Workshop on 1/21 and 1/24. It's called "Half Sheet Wonder".(Check out my Calendar for details - Mary's Stampin Up Calendar ) Each participant receives a half-sheet of DSP (their choice of what I have available) and the coodinating card stock and embellishments to make 9 cards. Cost is $15.00 which also includes the template for cutting the DSP and general instructions for all 9 cards.
Last night and this afternoon I played with a couple different sheets of DSP to make some samples. What fun! I cut all the DSP and sorted it by card design. Some of the DSP required alterations to the original design but that is part of the fun :-)


This is the original set of 9 cards I made with a sheet of retired Georgia Peach. I tried to use a variety of stamp sets, tools and techniques.

This is another sheet of the retired Georgia Peach. I altered a couple just to give the participants some options.

Here I used a sheet of retired Tall Tales DSP. It coordinates with Chocolate Chip, So Saffron and Old Olive. I did do one Regal Rose card just to show how you can switch things up a little.

I am also trying to use up a package of Bermuda Bay retired card stock and pulled out a sheet of the retired Throughly Modern DSP. I love the colors in this - Bermuda Bay, Rose Red, Sahara Sand and Soft Suede.

And to really shake things up I grabbed a sheet of First Edition. This paper and the Tall Tales were a challenge because the design has a definite top and bottom. This is the only set I made with current paper. First Edition is available through the Mini Occassions catalog and looks like pages from an encyclopedia or other reference book. I teamed it up with Basic Black, Basic Gray, Very Vanilla and Cherry Cobbler.

Stamp Sets: Herb Expression, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Tools: Scalloped Edge, Scallop Oval and Small Oval

Stamp Sets: Teeny Tiny Wishes and a non-SU set

but you could use the new Create A Cupcake stamp set and punch

or the Birthday Bakery stamp set with this idea.

Stamp set: I {Heart} Hearts

Tools: Scallop Edge Punch and Heart to Heart Punch

Stamp Set: Fast and Fabulous

Stamp Set: Birthday Bakery

Tools: Tag punches, both sizes, Corner punch (retired)

Stamp Set: Silhouette Sentiments

Tools: 3/4 inch circle punch

Stamp Set: After Thoughts

Tools: Curly Label punch

Stamp Set: Look Who's Turning

Stamp Set: Hello Again

When I finally came out of my craft room, guess who I found sitting in my chair?

He totally ignored me hoping I would leave him in peace.

Now - better get busy and get the instructions written up for the DSP workshop and the club cards for January. Busy days ahead!

New toys - full of love!

I am having so much fun playing with some new toys! I ordered the letter press plate Lots of Love during the pre-order period for the Holiday mini and just opened it. What was I waiting for?????

This is using it on card stock without any ink. This will make a nice background on a card.

This is a masculine valentine using the letter press and the Filled With Love stamp set. The Filled With Love stamp set is part of a promotion that ends 1/24/11. Check it out at Stampin Up. I pulled out the color coach for the accent color. I like the burst of More Mustard :-)

Card Stock: Bravo Burgundy, Crumb Cake, More Mustard.
Ink: Whisper White, Bravo Burgundy
Stamp Set: Filled With Love


This was an experiment. When I embossed the Pretty in Pink I put a piece of the white lightweight cardboard in the layers. The cardboard got embossed too - so I used the brayer to add some Pretty in Pink, Sahara Sand and Always Artichoke. The color coach gave me the idea of the Sahara Sand and Always Artichoke with the pinks.
Card Stock: Sahara Sand, Melon Mambo, Always Artichoke, Pink Pirouette
Ink: Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand, Pretty in Pink
Stamp Set: Punch Potpourri
Crochet Trim

For this one, I used Classic ink with the letter press. I like the way it looks.
Card Stock: Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand
Ink: Whisper White, Melon Mambo
Trim: Always Artichoke seam binding, Pretty in Pink 1/4 grosgrain ribbon
Stamp Set: Greeting Card Kids

This is another using the Filled With Love stamp set. I had the flower in my scrap pile. It was from a day when I was playing with vellum. I used the embosslit and cut flowers from vellum paper and Pink Pirouette card stock. I used some Pretty in Pink ink and daubed it around the edges of the vellum. Layered them with the vellum on top and added a pearl.

Card Stock : Crumb Cake, Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Vellum paper, Bordering Blue (retired)

Ink: Always Artichoke

More Filled With Love. This one uses the stamp set and the DSP from the Filled With Live promotion. I also used the red glitter paper from the Mini Occasions Catalog. How neat is that - all the bling of glitter without the mess. I love it!

Card Stock: Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink DSP, Red Glitter Paper

Stamp Set: Filled With Love

One more - another Filled with Love.
Card Stock: Pretty in Pink, Crumb Cake, Always Wild Wasabi, Pretty in Pink DSP

Ink: Wild Wasabi

So - order your Filled With Love soon! The promotion ends 1/24/11.

What to do with all those scraps?

I had a big pile of narrow strips of the inked embossed paper from my playing over the weekend. What do do with them?


I wove them and created a 'mat' of texture to add to a card. I think the embossing helped to keep the strips from slipping.


I did not want to cover it up so I made a simple card. What do you think?

I am offering a new workshop on January 21 and 24. This is a 'Half Sheet Wonder' class. In the class you will take a half sheet of Designer Series Paper (DSP) and make 9 cards using coordinating card stock. For the fee of $15 you receive the instructions for cutting the DSP and for assembling all 9 cards. This is a great way to add to your supply of cards and use up some of that DSP. The cutting instructions can be used on your own as you need new cards.

For these samples, I used the retired DSP Georgia Peach. It coordinates with Old Olive, So Saffron, Regal Rose and Pretty in Pink. DSP makes card-making so easy because you just grab the coordinating card stock and inks and you can't fail.

The sentiments can be replaced with the sentiment of your choice or an image for a plain note card.

Stamp Set: Herb Expressions

Tools: Boho Blossom punch
Embellishment: Pearl jewels


Stamp set: Herb Expressions

Stamp Set: Birthday Bakery
Tools: Tag punch (2 sizes) Big Shot with Lattice texture folder
Embellishment: 1/4 inch grosgrain ribbon - Pretty in Pink


Stamp Set: Birthday Bakery
Tools: Ribbon punch, Modern Label punch

Stamp Set: After Thoughts
Tool: Curly Label punch

Stamp set: Herb Expressions

Tools: Scallop Edge punch


Stamp Set: Oval All
Tools: Scallop oval, Large oval, Ribbon punch

Stamp Set: Hello Again

I also played with the Celebrations DSP which coordinates with Pacific Point, Old Olive, Read Red, Pear Pizzazz and Bashful Blue. These are a few of the cards I did using the same template for cutting the DSP.