Beautfy of the season, in watercolor

I had a chance to make a card with the new Beauty of the Season stamp set today.  This is a new release that will be in the upcoming Holiday Catalog.  You can find it in the New Arrivals section of the online store.  I love cardinals so I had to get it right away. 

I started out by stamping the cardinal onto some Naturals White Card Stock.  I have been using Naturals White paper a lot lately, just had to say that :)  The paper is heavy enough to watercolor if you use a light touch.  I used my Aqua Painters and Cherry Cobbler, Baked Brown Sugar, and Soft Sky ink.  I stamped directly onto a folded card base. 

I opened up the card and stamped the sentiment and smaller twig image on the inside.  I also colored the twig in Baked Brown Sugar and Cherry Cobbler.

I made a frame with Naturals White card stock and Cherry Cobbler card stock and the Oval Framelit dies. 

I popped the frame layer up a bit using dimentionals.

Are you checking out the ribbon?  Good eye, that is a sneak peek from the upcoming Holiday Catalog!  But, if you wanted to make something similar right now, you could substitute the thick ribbon for some thinner Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding ribbon. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Shaker

Hi everyone!  I wanted to share this shaker card that we made at Stamp Camp.  I just loved the new In-Color sequins and I wanted to use them in a shaker the moment I saw them in the catalog.   They are just so fun!  And what goes with a shaker card better than a birthday card?
This card uses the new Lullaby Designer Series paper from Stampin' Up.  I also used the Itty Bitty Banners stamp set and matching framelits, as well as the Larger Than Life Alphabet & Numbers Photopolymere set.  

To make the scallop frame it is best to first punch out the center circle.  This way you can then center the scallop circle around it. 

 I used the Shaker Frames and window sheets to complete my shaker.  The shaker frames really make this easy! 

I stamped the 6 right onto a circle of DSP and glued it to the card base.  I then added a shaker frame on top of that, and filled it with some glitter.  Next I topped it off with the scallop circle.  I attached a bakers twine bow with a glue dot to the side.

Very simple yet oh so cute!! The Lullaby DSP is part of the Buy 3 Get 1 Free paper packs this month!  There are only a few days left of this special!  Click here for the details!

Thanks for stopping by!!

MDS Blog Hop ~ What are we working on?

 Hi everyone! It's MDS Blog hop time again! The MDS Blog Hop is put together by a group of MDS enthusiasts who link our blogs together to share our love of My Digital Studio! This week we are showcasing what we are working on in MDS.  I wanted to share a swap that I made for the Stampin' Up! convention that was just last week.  As you know I love MDS and I wanted to be sure to include some MDS cards among  my swap cards.  I decided to make a card that uses downloads that come with the MDS software so that anyone who has MDS can make one just like it.  You can see all the included content here. The butterfly and newsprint background are on page 3 in the First Edition stamp brush.  The Thank you is on page 5 in the Thank you Kindly download.


I started out by opening up a 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 card template. I added the newprint stamp to my page, but I did not want it to stay rectangular, so I clicked on the "Crop" button and choose "Crop Shape". And cropped it into an oval.  I then added a punch oval filled with Very Vanilla behind it.  I then added a Thank you underneath and the card base was complete. 

 I also added the butterfly to the card base, but that was just for placement.  Here is the card base. 

I clicked on the print button and choose the "4 up card font option" so that one 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper would print 4 card fronts.   I printed them onto Naturals White card stock.   

I next printed up a sheet of butterflies in the same size as the ones I made on the card fronts.  I printed these onto Naturals White cardstock as well.  

I then colored all of the butterflies using my Blendabilities Markets in the two lightest shades of Night of Navy and the lightest Crumb Cake.  Blendabilities are going to be great for coloring in my Printed out Digital Stamps.   Stampin' Up! recommends using Whisper White paper for coloring with Blendabilities, but since I was not doing a lot of shading, the Naturals Card stock worked just fine and I love how they turned out.  Standard markers can leave lines across your image when you color them, but the alcohol  Blendabilities markers did not.








I used dimentionals to attach the butterfly to the card front with some linen thread acting as antenna. Some Rhinestones add a touch of bling to the card and draw the eye up the butterflies path. I hope that those I swapped with enjoyed my cards.  
Now I hope that you will follow the hop on to Holly's blog to see what she is up to in MDS!  I am sure she has something great to share!

Ray of Sunshine

Hi everyone!  I thought I would share one of my convention swaps today.  This is one of the cards I made for convention using the Ray of Sunshine stamp set.  I really liked this set not just for the fun images but I also liked the sentiments that came with the set as well.
I used So Saffron and Crushed Curry for this card.  I made the face with the "rock and roll" technique by first inking the stamp up in So Saffron, then rolling the edges around in Crushed Curry.

Next I got out my Stamp-a-ma-jig to add the rays.  With the Stamp-a-ma-jig you get a clear imaging sheet, which doesn't show up in the photo, sorry.  You place the stamp in the corner of the stamp-a-ma-jig and stamp onto the imaging sheet, which is also tucked into the corner of the stamp-a-ma-jig.







Next you line up your imaging sheet on top of your card where you want the image to be, tuck the stamp-a-ma-jig into the corner and remove the imaging sheet, keeping the stamp-a-ma-jig in place.  Now carefully place your stamp into the corner of the stamp-a-ma-jig and stamp.

 I worked all around the sun by placing the rays directly across from each other and then adding more in between, does that make sense?  I  think its easier to get better spacing that way.  

I used markers to ink up the tag so that I could get two colors on it.  The scallop tag topper punch was used to make the paper into a tag, love that punch.  I also added some pretty gold bakers twine and sequin ribbon. 
I hope my card was well received by those I swapped with!

I'm Back!!

Hi Everyone!  I am back from a super fun time at the Stampin' Up! convention! It was a fast few days that just seemed to fly by!  I saw stampers from the moment I stepped into the airport until the moment I landed back in Chicago.  I was going all by myself and wondered how that would end up, but everyone was so nice and friendly.  One demonstrator named Sara was particularly friendly and saved me seats during all the big events and invited me to dinner and adopted me for the few days that I was in Utah.  Have you ever met a stamper you didn't like? I don't think I ever have!

Well, I feel I must warn you, the upcoming Holiday mini catalog is just fantastic and full of great things, you are really going to put a dent in your wallet, but you will just love it all!  I have ordered copies to go out to all my customers and they are supposed to go out in the middle of  August, so get ready! Anyone who has ever toyed with the idea of becoming a demonstrator, this is the perfect time.  Demonstrators get to pre-order items from the Holiday mini catalog in August and get their discounts as well!  Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have about becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. 
There were so many great samples on display, I took so many photos.  I thought I would share a few with you.

Isn't this lamp shade so pretty?  and the wall behind?  At the home office there were several pretty vignettes that you could walk through, many of which you see pictured in the catalog.















I really liked the way this page uses the starburst stamp from Kinda Eclectic as a fireworks type background.
















Here are lots of cards made with this fun set.  We were given this stamp set as convention goes and I can't wait to make lots of cards and pages with it. 
Stamp campers, you can bet we will be using this set at upcoming classes!

Here is the Kinda Eclectic stamp set.
I love that large starburst! and the butterflies fit the punches we have had for a while now so I really like that! 

These are two of the make and takes we did at convention. 

Well, I guess that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by!!

Off to Convention!

Hi everyone!  I am headed off to convention today!!  This will be my first Stampin' Up! convention and I am so excited. I am sure I will have lots of fun and lots to share.  If I get the time I will post some photos here about all that we are doing this week at Stampin' Up!

Boys will be Boys

I am playing around with the Boys will be Boys stamp set as I prepare to head out for the Stampin' Up! Convention on Wednesday. I am participating in a card swap and I am supposed to use this set.  As a mom with boys, I think it will be nice to have some of these cards on hand!
This stamp reminds me of the Toy Story movie, which is a favorite at my house.

I made the background with the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set with Crumb Cake, Baked Brown Sugar, and Always Artichoke ink.  

I used the Tag Topper  Punch for the main image, and sponged the edges in crumb cake to make him a little more grungy.

I used the reverse side of the Natural Chevron Ribbon along with a button and some linen thread for my tag.

I used a skinny strip of Very Vanilla for the Happy Birthday.  I forked the ends with the Banner punch. 



















Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Pretty Sea Shells

Hi everyone!  What do you think of my pretty sea shells?  They are made with My Digital Studio!! Check out my "Beth's Digital Cuts" to see how to make this card!  I hope to inspire you to create with MDS too!!

Blooming with simplicity

I just love the new Hostess set, Bloom with Hope.  It is just so pretty! I have to admit that I rarely used hostess sets in the past, but I find that this year there are several that I will use for years. This is a "Hostess" set, so only available as a freebie with a qualifying order of $150 or more, as a way to thank our hostesses who have a card workshop. Another way to get this stamp is with my punch cards, so Stamp Campers, keep this one on your wish lists!

 I saw a card on Pinterest the other day that used this technique and decided to give it a take of my own.  Make a mask out of a larger sized Post-it Note and a circle punch.  Lay the Post-it note on top of your card stock and stamp.  I then used a sponge to add more color to the circle.  I used Naturals white cardstock for this card.

 Next I stamped my flower image right on top of the circle. I used an Old Olive marker for the stems, and Blackberry Bliss and an Aqua Painter for the flower petals.   The Naturals papers hold up nicely to the water from the Aqua Painter.

I then stamped the flower again on some scrap paper and cut them out.  I used dimensionals to pop them up on top of the base layer flowers.

I love the thicker twine in the new catalog!  I added a bow in Baked Brown Sugar and a few rhinestones for some shine and I was all done!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hardwood Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$13.95

Bloom With Hope Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$17.00

Naturals White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$7.50

Baked Brown Sugar Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Old Olive Stampin' Write Marker

$3.50

Baked Brown Sugar Thick Baker's Twine

$3.50

Rhinestone Basic Jewels Embellishments

$4.95

Aqua Painters

$16.95

Stamping Sponges

$3.50

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