IDEAS FROM SWAPPED CARDS

Swapping cards is lots of fun and always generates ideas for me. For instance, Maree of Inky Moose - a member of our Atlantic Stampers Ink team, is really comfortable with oranges, rusts, and other bold colours. Now if left alone I would never stray from shades of pink! So receiving swaps from Maree challenges me to step out of my tiny box!

Here are two cards Maree has sent to me recently:

I love them both! But would I have thought to use those colours? Noooo.

The card on the left uses Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, and Very Vanilla cardstock, plus Crushed Curry DSP.

The one on the right uses Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, and So Saffron cardstock, along with Sweet Pea DSP and Always Artichoke and Only Orange markers. That flower is gorgeous, pops right off the page! But would I have done that? Nooo, I would have stayed with Pretty in Pink or Regal Rose...

But thanks to Maree I'm going to give those colours a try. I will attempt to fight my way out of my pink box. Stay tuned for the result tomorrow!!

PINK & GRAY

This is one of my favourite colour combinations, in clothes, in paint, and in cards. This project is a sympathy card but the combination can be used for many occasions.

The stamp set is Thoughts & Prayers, cardstock is Basic Gray, Pretty in Pink, and Whisper White.

Inside

MINI MILK CARTON DUO

I'm still playing with the Mini Milk Carton die, and this time I created a holder for the cartons using Patty Bennet's design for altering the Fancy Favour die:

I used Pretty in Pink cardstock for the Fancy Favour die, and DSP from the Sweet Pea stack in the Occasions Mini for the cartons. I decorated the holder with die cuts from the Eggcellent Eggs Kit. And while these little cartons are Mini, they still hold enough chocolate eggs to make a special treat!

MINI MILK CARTON MADNESS!

One of my super team members, Linda, has loaned me her Mini Milk Carton die from the Occasions Mini - what fun! Here are some of the ones I've come up with so far...

I patterned the carton on the left after the English Glasshouses (greenhouses) with the fancywork on the roof ridge. The carton on the right has a window to show off the chocolate eggs. The DSP is from the gorgeous Cottage Wall package, the cardstock is Old Olive, and the bird is from the Sizzlit 4 pack die Birds & Blooms.

On the other sides I added flowers.

Then I remembered the Country Morning Level 1 Hostess Set with the milk bottles and thought that would make a good embellishment, along with the woodgrain Texturz Plate from the Texturd Plates Kit #4. Cardstock is Creamy Caramel.

Thanks Linda - I'm having lots of fun!

ITEMS FROM THE HOLIDAY MINI CATALOGUE

Several items from the Holiday Mini Catalogue are still available. If you have any questions please email me.

Item #           Description                                Price


116794    Ornament punch                           $22.95

116806    Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint     $8.95

116854    Frost White Shimmer Paint             $8.95

116807    Platinum Shimmer Paint                  $8.95

116829    Décor Elements Blocks                $13.95

116824    Stampin' Up! Textured Impressions Folder Petals-A-Plenty        $10.95

116821    Stampin' Up! Holiday Windows Magnetic Movers & Shapers     $39.95

116819    Stampin' Up! Table Setting Bigz XL die                                       $57.95

116820    Stampin' Up! Embosslits Merry die                                             $15.95

116823    Stampin' Up! Sizzlits Merry Details die                                          $7.50

116822    Stampin' Up! O Christmas Tree Pop-Up Bigz XL die                 $57.95

118140    Stampin' Up! Tree Decorations Sizzlits die                                   $7.50

118108    My Digital Studio                                                                    $106.95

116519    Charming stamp set                                                                   $26.95

Contact me if you see something you like!

WHY I ENJOY HOLDING CLASSES

I really enjoy holding classes - both in my stamping studio as well as public locations. I try to keep the numbers down to about 7 people so that everyone has lots of space to work. The classes are fun and relaxing and the participants have a chance to get to know each other. Plus I always learn something from my fellow stampers.

I really enjoy preparing the kits for the classes, cutting and measuring and collecting all the supplies, so I'm planning to offer kits by mail in the next month or so. I'll let you know when they're ready to go!

Thanks for stopping by...

UPSY DAISY

If you need a card in a hurry, this set will do it for you. All you need is one colour of ink, a Whisper White card front on a contrasting or coordinating cardstock,choose one of the three sentiments in the set, and you're done!

It came together so fast that I had time to add some ribbon and bling! (rhinestones from the Eggcellent Eggs Kit in the Occasions Mini catalogue)

OLYMPIC UPDATE

I am so proud of our Canadian athletes, and even if they don't have their 'race of a lifetime' on the day they compete, I still love 'em. Here's our medal standing after nine days:

YAY!!! GO CANADA!

A SPARKLING ATTEMPT

I had a vision for this card, but it hasn't turned out the way I imgained so I will try again. I wanted to give the illusion of a walkway into a secret garden, with a glittering, dreamy atmosphere:

It's 'sort of' there but not totally as I had envisioned it in my mind.

I used the Vintage Vogue vine in Old Olive to create the greenery, and then sponged the area to give it more depth. I used Creamy Caramel cardstock run through the Big Shot with the woodgrain plate from the Texture Plates Kit #4, and then punched with the Word Window Punch to create the fence. I covered the whole picture with a piece of our sticky pages and sprinkled with Dazzling Diamonds.

In real life it really sparkles, so you can't complain about that!! When I have more time I'll have another go - suggestions are welcome!

WHAT A TEAM!

And I don't mean the Olympics this time - I mean the "Atlantic Stampers Ink" - my team. Earlier I posted a card (one of many) I have received from Maree, and now I want to show you the purse that Linda made - one for each of us! She used the scalloped square die in the Big Shot to cut out the squares of course!

Isn't it lovely!!! And it's a perfect size to carry my Mini catalogues and cards, as well as those necessities of life (wallet, tissue, chocolate)

Thank you Linda!

SCALLOP TRIM BORDER PUNCH

I really like this punch and while using it to make a complete four sided border takes some practice, a single border is a breeze and still beautiful:

This card uses Old Olive, Rose Red, and Whisper White cardstock, the ink is Old Olive and Rose Red (the flower design from Close As A Memory has been stamped off to give more of a 'watercolour' look). The DSP is Rose Red, and the sentiment is from the Well Scripted set.

I also punched a border from the Rose Red DSP for the inside of the card:

Hope you like it!

A LOVELY CARD FROM ONE OF MY TEAM MEMBERS

I received a beautiful card from Maree (http://www.inkymoose.blogspot.com/) in the mail a few days ago. Maree has been a member of my team since August and her creativity and attention to detail always result in unique projects.

I really like this combination of colours - it's so crisp and happy.

Now I'm going to open it up:

Isn't that a neat fold!

And when it's fully open it looks like this:

Maree has stamped the background of the Taken with Teal cardstock and the side of the Whisper White with the Trendy Trees stamp set. You can visit her blog for more details.

Thank you Maree - I love it!!!

FOGGY OAK

As much as I love trying out new stamp sets I always return to the 'old faithfuls' eventually. And nothing is more reliable than Lovely As A Tree.

The cardstock is Kraft and Very Vanilla, ink is Soft Suede and Old Olive, sentiment is from All Holidays.

I used the Top Note die in the Big Shot to give it more oomph. I guess you could call it a card for a man because when my husband saw it he really liked it!

CANADA'S FIRST OLYMPIC GOLD ON CANADIAN SOIL!!!!

Can you believe it! It's been over 30 years since the Olympics first came to Canada, then again in 1988, and now finally in 2010 we've won our first GOLD medal on Canadian soil, thanks to

ALEXANDRE BILODEAU

in the Men's Freestyle Mogul.

THANKS ALEX!! YOU EARNED IT!

Now we have a complete set of medals! The Bronze was won yesterday by Kristina Groves in Speedskating.

PINKING HEART PUNCH

I haven't used this new punch very often as yet, but when I saw a card using it on Jackie Topa's blog, I had to give it a go. I've changed the colours and sentiment, but much of it is the same.

The stamp set used is Vintage Vogue and the sentiment is from Well Scripted, both from the Occasions Mini catalogue. The colours are Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, and Whisper White in cardstock. Ink is Old Olive and Rich Raspberry. This is a really easy card, but still packs a WOW!