For this stop on our blog tour, I would like to show you a few things I’ve done with Stampin’Up!’s new set Very Versatile. My first sample is a wedding favor made from our Pillow Box die out of the Silver Metallic Cardstock, Whisper white Organza Ribbon and a Tag out of Glossy Cardstock.

Next up is a simple Sympathy card. The stamps were all embossed on this card, the flowers with clear embossing powder and the text with black embossing powder. After embossing the text, I sponged the whisper white cardstock with mellow moss ink to match the base cardstock. I used our new Scallop oval punch to create and gold mat for the text on the front of the card and then embossed the inside sentiment in gold to carry out the simple theme. ( sorry , I forgot to snap a photo of the inside) 

And then I have another Sympathy card for you. This one uses Baja Breeze cardstock, Walk in the Park Designer Paper, SU Silver Cardstock , Whisper White and my inks were Baja Breeze and Cameo Coral. I had fun with 2 punches (the lace edge punch and the double circle punch), adding a no tie bow out of pretty in pink taffeta ribbon and creatting a shadow effect with my Stamp-a-ma-jig. (no, that is not the result of shaky fingers but done on purpose. It looks so kool in person too.) And for those of you who follow Monday Mojo, I used Week #86 sketch, turned on its side.

My final sample using this Very Versatile set is a Tri Shutter Card inspired by Bonnies different templates. I made each of her templates without embellishing, then figured out how to get the effect of the one that used 12″ wide cardstock with a piece of 11″ wide cardstock. (My photographer groweled at me as he took this photos. He said these kind of cards are so much harder to photgraph. ) Any how, here are 3 views of the fun card. I used the Crazy for Cupcakes stamp set for the graphic on the front and then used 2 of the sentiments from Very Versatile for the inside. As you can see I didn’t match them up the way we would think to match the sentiments in this set . But I like the combination. I hope you have enjoyed this little look at the Very Versatile Set from the 2009 Occasions Mini. 

Thanks for visiting – do come back. 

But wait, there’s more!

After you browse my examples, you’ll find a link to my friend and colleague Margaret Raburn’s blog. She’ll be showing you how to use the beautiful stamp set “Friends 24/7″ from our Spring/Summer idea book & catalog! The picture here is my version of that stamp set. Margaret has a wonderful way with bold bright colors. I am sure you will be amazed at Margaret’s take on the beautiful images in this set!

On Margaret Raburn’s blog, you’ll find a link to yet another blog and examples from a different stamp set in the mini or Spring/summer Idea Book & catalog! This will be a banquet of ideas and beautiful projects. There are 20 stops on this tour, and you won’t want to miss a single one!! The links will be available only on May 15th, so please don’t miss out!
Pack your bags on May 15th! You’re going to love the trip!

TOUR 2 – STOP 5 - “Summer Love Rub-on “

 This is stop 2 on a 19 blog tour of the offerings in the 2009 Mini Occasions catalog.  

I will be your hostess at this stop and share with you a few projects made using the too cool Summer Love rub-ons.

 Like all the Stampin’ Up rub-ons, they go on easily and look very nice. This set is one of 2 full color rub-on sets. See p.172 in the Spring Summer catalog for Bright Delights (#113887) if you like the look and want to see more options. The Summer Love Rub-ons have 4 sayings and a large number of colorful art that matches stamps, punches and dies available by Stampin’ Up! Use them together or just the rub-ons in the grouping provided by Stampin’ Up or in bits and pieces. Here is what the set looks like:

The first sample I would like to share is the handbag for carrying cards I made for my downline at Regional in Seattle.

Then I have a quick card that utilizes the framed text for the message and rub-on flowers to embellish a water-colored image of a carefree summer swing.

Last I have a quick mini card and envelope that replicates the scallop cards in our catalog but using the new lace border punch. I also used the new scallop oval punch with the smile  rub-on. What a sweet simple thinking of you card…

Thank you for stopping by and letting me show you the Summer Love Rub-ons. Please continue to the next stop on the Tour.

Stop 6 is at Lori Stilger ‘s blog, where she will be sharing the joy of the Oval All stamp set and the Scallop Oval Punch.

Katharina from Whiff of Joy is giving away cool Blog candy in addition to  a new Stamp Kit.  Her Whiff of Joy / Elisabeth Bell Summer Stamp Kit blog candy is so cool.

I am getting my pre order in right away. – pre-orders for the Kit are only open until May 4th. It includes 6 brand new, never before seen, main character stamps, 5 accessory stamps, designed by Elisabeth Bell and 4 text stamps, designed by Katharina (in english).

Is that too cool or What?!

Before I announce the winner of my Blog Candy, I want to thank everyone who left comments and tell you that all of the critiques were good and valid.  I deliberated long and hard and at the eleventh hour ( 10pm on Fri) I modified the design again.

However, I took the horizontal card to Regionals so …

the Winner is Julie Beaulieu !!

Julie, please send me your contact info including snail mail addy, so I can send you your tutorial and kit for making the final card which looks like this:

Stamps: Upsy Daisy, Under the Stars

Paper: Very Vanilla cs, Close to Cocoa cs, Old Olive cs;

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Always Artichoke, Close to Cocoa, Versa Mark, Whisper White (Craft);

Accessories: Black SU Twine, Jumbo Eyelets, Water Brush, Stampin Sponges, Chocolate Chip Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin’ dimensionals, Bleach

I am going to my very first regionals and am making cards to swap. One of these guys is going with me as my swap. And to celebrate I am going to give away a special blog candy (another first) to one of my readers. Leave a comment below and tell me which one you think will be in Seattle and why you think his is the best card choice. When I get home on Sat night I will do a random draw from all those comments that select the correct card. Leave a comment…

What can I do with left over bits? Say Thank you of course! After making the challenge #14 card aka my rendition of the Oval All and Scallop oval punch use, I was left with scraps of paper and cardstock , and stamped and punched out images I decided not to use. So Idecided to see what I could come up with to use them up in I hoped a creative way. Looking at the end result while I like it , I think my creative juices had dried up. Time to take a stamping break and STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER.

I don’t know where I heard that phrase but sometimes it just feels right. I used different colors on my clouds and grass than I have in the past. In this one I used Baja Breeze and Certainly Celery.

I used:

Stamp sets: Forest Friends, Oval All

Classic Ink: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Baja breeze

Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip DSP

Accessories: Eyelet border Punch

I needed to make a card for an Honor Night for a male Deputy Instructor, with fall colors and a maple leaf theme my only guides. And as usual, I waited to the last minute and couldn’t find the leaf stamp I wanted. So I pulled out  my Congrats set, and Very Versatile set and some cardstock that looked fallish only to discover one of the pieces of ‘cardstock’ was actually suede paper I had picked up from a local store to play around with. I stamped the images with Chocolate chip, More Mustard, Really Rust and Pumpkin Pie. And here is where I discovered that Suede paper moves. I had some shadows , very faint and very short but shadows nonetheless of the end of the stems on 3 of the flowers . What to do? I took out my chocolate chip marker and turned the shadows into grid hashes and added an extra to balance.  I then ran the marker around the suede paper to give a narrow mat effect. Not bad for a 10 min card.

I used:

Stamp sets: Congrats, Very Versatile

Classic Ink: Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Really Rust, Pumpkin Pie

Cardstock: More Mustard

Accessories: Stampin’ Write markers