Paper Dolls First Friday Stamp Group

Recently, I was asked to become part of a stamp group in Hot Springs Village (I actually belong to THREE!)  The time I spend stamping with these ladies is priceless! 

Lucy, the leader of the Paper Dolls and Inkerbelle's groups, showed a technique that is new to me.  I have stamped with bleach before but never with Stampin' Up!'s stamp cleaner.  You read that right, using stamp cleaner! 

To do this technique, you need to sponge your color onto white cardstock using a "circular" motion.  Make sure you don't leave any white spaces on your card stock.  For this card I used four different colors.  Next, take SU!'s Stampin' Cleaner and spray generously onto your stamp (lined stamps work the best for this technique).  Press your stamp onto your sponged card stock and hold for about 3-4 seconds and lift your stamp off.  As the image dries, it will lighten and have a bleached effect.  So easy! 

For this card, the inks are from Stampin' Up and so is the sentiment (Sweet Essentials). 

Thanks for stopping by!

Lori

Flower Shop with lots of bling

Today's card combines bright and cheery with LOTS of bling!  Sometimes a friend will come to mind and what better way to let them know than sending them a hand-stamp card! 

The flowers were made using the Faux Diamond technique (see previous post).  It's sooo easy to do but will definitely WOW!  Did you notice the butterfly?  I just couldn't resist! 

Products used to make this card:  Flower Shop, Secret Garden, and Fabulous Phrases stamp sets; Melon Mambo, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, and Versamark ink; Wild Wasabi, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, and Whisper White card stock;  Pansy, Bitty Butterfly, Word Window, and Modern Label punches; Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder,  Heat Tool, Stampin' Dimensionals, Snail Adhesive, and Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Lori

Regarding Dahlias and Faux Diamond Technique

Today's card is made using the Regarding Dahlias stamp set and the Faux Diamond Technique.   This stamp set is becoming well-loved.

The technique is easy to do. 
1.  Stamp your image on whisper white card stock.
2.  Cut your stamped image to the size you want either using a paper trimmer, framelit, or punch.
3.  Cover the stamped image with Versamark ink, making sure to apply ink over the ENTIRE surface.
4.  Sprinkle with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder and heat emboss. 

Products used in this card are:  Regarding Dahlias and Perfectly Penned stamp sets; Whisper White, Calypso Coral, and Coastal Cabana card stock; Coastal Cabana, Versamark, and black Staz-on ink; 3/8" Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, and Snail Adhesive.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Lori

Have A Heart....

On Sunday, July 7, would have been Arielle's 20th birthday.  Since she was celebrating in heaven, we celebrated on earth by doing something nice for others that day and asked people on Facebook to join in.  We called the event "Have A Heart For Arielle".  It's not that hard and doesn't take a lot of effort to do a kind deed for another person.  I chose to send some cards to family and friends back home in Michigan!

These cards were made using the Flower Shop, Papillion Potpourri, Secret Garden (leaves) and Really Good Greetings stamp sets.  The punches used were the Pansy and Bitty Butterfly.  I also used the Framed Tulips embossing folder (as you can tell, one of my favorites!).  The embellishments in the middle of the flowers are made using Stampin' Up!'s Simply Pressed Clay and Buttons & Blossoms Clay Molds.  After the clay flowers were dried, I embossed them with Iridescent Ice embossing power to give them some sparkle!  Colors used were Whisper White, Strawberry Slush, Garden Green and Pistachio Pudding.  Daffodil Delight was used to color the clay flower on the last card. 

 

 

Thank you for stopping by and I hope everyone has a great day!

A Time to Give Back....

Last month I had the privilege of going to our local retirement community and teaching a class on card making.  Since we didn't have much time, most of the prep for the cards was done ahead of time.  The ladies (and one gentleman) had a great time putting their cards together.  I was asked if I could come back again in August.  Oh, you know I will! 

 

One of the cards I chose to have them make is very simple but pretty.  I got the idea from Mary Fish's Stampin' Pretty blog.  I used the Framed Tulips embossing folder (121809) and added another layer to the Elegant Butterfly (punch, 127526) using velum and the Bitty Butterfly Punch (129406).  The sentiment came from the Sweet Essentials stamp set (132085, 126457). Card stock colors used were Whisper White, Pistachio Pudding, Coastal Cabana, and Strawberry Slush.

The next card was made using the Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder (129984), Mosaic Madness Stamp set (130246, 130249),  Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set (128748, 127802), Word Window Punch (119857), Modern Label Punch (119849), Mosaic Punch (131267), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430), and Silver Sparkle Dazzling Details (127845).  Colors used were Whisper White, Pool Party, Night of Navy, and Daffodil Delight. 

 

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to make someone smile today!

Happy Fourth of July

Today is the Fourth of July but yesterday was my oldest son, Joshua's birthday.  We celebrated by having a nice dinner at Olive Garden and Sara brought cupcakes (to remember Arielle).  It was one of the BEST days I've had in a long time!  I love my family and it's growing with the addition of a daughter-in-law and a future daughter-in-law.  Besides God, there is nothing more important than family!

I made this birthday card for Joshua using Stampin' Up!'s Simply Stars Stamp set.  The Silver Glimmer Paper gives it some sparkle. 

Products used for this card include:

Simply Stars stamp set (130889, 130892)
Petite Pairs stamp set (128706, 122497)

Night of Navy Card Stock (100867) cut 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" and scored in half.
Whisper White Card Stock (100730) cut to 4 x 5 1/4"
Cherry Cobbler Card Stock (119684) cut to 1 1/2" x 5 1/4"
Silver Glimmer Paper (124005) cut to 1" x 5 1/4".

Night of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad (126970)
Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad (126966)
Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder (109130)
    
*Did you know you can sprinkle clear embossing powder immediately after stamping your image with the new Classic Stampin' Pads?  You have to be QUICK though.


Stampin' Trimmer (126889)
Heat Tool (129053)
Paper Snips (103579) these are a great size to flag ends and cut out the stars!
Snail Adhesive (104332)
Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)
Multipurpose Liquid Glue (110755) To glue Glimmer Paper to Cherry Cobbler Card Stock.

Thanks for stopping by and REMEMBER, to do something kind for someone today!

Lori

Acrylic Block Stamping

Butterflies, I just love them.  They remind me of my daughter, Arielle, who passed away last August at the age of 19.  She had Turner Syndrome and the symbol of Turner Syndrome is the butterfly.  Girls who have TS only have one X chromosome or one complete X chromosome and part of another X chromosome.  Researchers say it's not hereditary, but my niece, Nikki, also has it.  Approximately 1 in 2,000 live births result in Turner Syndrome.  It's one of those conditions that if it's not diagnosed early, can be fatal.  By the time we found out Arielle had it, she required a heart transplant (she ended up having two).  Not all doctors know about TS, so we need to be aware of it and the characteristics (short stature, webbed necked, etc.).  It took 17 years for  Arielle to be diagnosed.  You can find more information on TS here:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001417/

The background for this card is made by inking up acrylic blocks, the ones you use with your clear mount stamps.  I saw the video on Stampgoodness's YouTube channel.  I used Coastal Cabana, Soft sky, and Pool Party for the background.  I stamped the butterflies and sentiment with Stazon ink then spritzed the card front with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz.  I mounted this on a Whisper White card base.  Very simple card easy enough for beginning stampers! 

Thanks for stopping by...and Have A Heart For Arielle, do something kind for another today!

Lori :-)

SUDSOL Challenge #251 and Morning Meadow hostess set

I created this card yesterday morning around 5am...I woke up and had an idea to make this for a challenge.  The challenge is we can ONLY use four colors...Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Early Espresso, and Whisper White.  One of my favorite Stampin' Up! products is the Itty Bitty Punch Pack.  The flower punches in this pack are great for adding extra dimension.  To do this, punch out your flower and take the larger end of your embossing tool and push into the middle of the flower.  Instant beautiful! 

Stampin' Up! Modern Mosaic card using Aluminum Foil

This is a very quick and simple card!  I took a 4 x 4 1/2" piece of Whisper White CS and sprayed it with spray adhesive.  (You could also use the adhesive sheets Stampin' Up! sells in their catalog).  I applied the aluminum foil, shiny side up.and I cut off the excess. Next I ran it through the big shot with the Modern Mosaic Textured Embossing Folder.  I used three ink colors:  Island Indigo, Marina Mist, and Night of Navy and stamped the images from the Mosaic Madness set.  Next I punched out the stamped images using the BRAND NEW Mosaic Punch.  Don't you just LOVE how Stampin' Up! makes everything coordinate?  I adhered those to the card using Snail Adhesive.  I took the card front and applied it to card base (4 1/4 x 11" Whisper White) with Stampin' Dimensionals then I stamped my sentiment from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set. 

My husband said he really LIKED this card and he usually doesn't get too excited over anything that is stamping.  He said it reminds him of the metal tool boxes in the back of pick-up trucks. 

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to make someone smile today!

Lori

Holiday Carryover List

 

 

 

Some of you may be wondering why there aren't any Holiday stamp sets in the new catalog.  Rest assured that Stampin' Up! has that covered! They are so awesome!  On August 1st, the Holiday Catalog will be available with NEW stamp sets!  In the meantime, Stampin' Up! released a Holiday Carryover List of stamp sets that were featured in last year's Holiday Catalog and the Spring Catalog.  These sets will be available for the entire 2013-14 Catalog Season but will not be featured in the catalog.  Click the link to the left to see what those sets are. 

It's here! Stampin' Up! 2013-14 Annual Catalog!

Candy Dots, Simply Pressed Clay and Molds, Big Shot Magnetic Platform...those are just a few things featured in Stampin' Up!'s 2013-2014 Catalog. 

Today is the day you can start ordering!  YIPPEEEE!!!!  I have to say, this catalog is the most beautiful Stampin' Up! catalog I have ever seen.  The layout, colors, and ideas are fantastic!  If you haven't received your new catalog yet, please shoot me an email.  I can send one to you, Priority Mail, for $5.00. 

In the meantime, click the catalog picture to the left and see everything this catalog has to offer!  After looking, comment below and tell me what you think.

Everyone have a great day and don't forget to do something kind for another person today!

Lori

Swallowtail Framed Picture using Stampin' Up!'s MDS2

I am going to be painting and decorating a small bathroom soon and since I LOVE BUTTERFLIES...I want to use those to decorate.  I am a true Pinterest addict and I saw a similar idea but don't know who it was (if it was you, let me know!).

 

I found the frame at a local thrift store and repainted it white. For the picture I used Stampin' Up!'s MDS2 software program and printed the picture in black and white. I used a blender pen and a brand new in-color, Coastal Cabana, to add a touch of color to the butterfly.  

Stampin' Up! recently lowered the price of the MDS2 software. If you love photo books and scrapbooking, this is THE SOFTWARE to have. Stampin' Up! offers professional printing of cards, photo books, calendars, and single pages or you can print from your own computer. Check it out at

 

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/loriemerick/productline12

 

Go to www.loriemerick.stampinup.net to order from my store 24/7!

 

Everyone enjoy your day and don't forget to do something nice for someone today!

 

Lori

Flowers are forever....with Stampin' Up!

 

 

Stampin' Up! has a nice selection of punches for paper crafting. I saw this idea in the BRAND NEW 2013-14 catalog (which starts Friday, yeah!). I didn't have the same punch that was used but I used SU!'s Blossom Punch instead. After my cardstock was punched out, I ran the blossoms through the Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dots and Square Lattice Embossing Folders, to give them some texture. Using a bone folder, I slightly curled each petal then sponged around the edges with the same color of ink.  I used a hot glue gun to assemble the flowers (each flower required 3 blossom pieces). For the Centers I used the flower punch from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack and the coordinating Bitty Buttons for the centers. For the stems, those were purchased at a local craft store.

 

I love the look with the texture. 

 

For those of you who don't have the flower punches, Stampin' Up!, for a limited time, is offering The Blooming Bouquet Project Kit (134542).  It comes with everything you need to make 13 flowers.  Watch the video linked below to learn more about this product. 

Hurry! This kit is only available while supplies last!

 

Blooming Bouquet Project Kit 

 

To order Stampin' Up products, go to my site to order 24/7

 

www.loriemerick.stampinup.net

 

Everyone have a GREAT day and don't forget to do something to make someone smile today!

 

Lori :-)