It's my life

My Etsy Shop

I have discovered a cool new experience.  Etsy!   It is a crafter's dream shop.  I found just about everything that can be created with your two hands is in there.  I found so many interesting, beautiful, and yummy things to buy.  I was surprised to see Etsy shops that sold baked goods.  Yum!  So I thought why not open my own shop and sell my Stampin Up! cards.  So I did.  Here is one of the first set of cards that I am selling in my shop.

Here is the link to my shop.  I hope to have even more Christmas card sets in my shop soon.  I will also share some of my favorite Etsy shops with you.   I'd love to hear about some of yours.

Masking Technique

Once a month I get together with my hostess club members and we focus on a technique or a special project.  This month I showed them the masking technique.  The masking technique is actually an easy one but can be time consuming.  The cards that I will show you here use the masking technique.

Here are the directions for the masking technique using this card as an example.
Step1:  Stamp hearts in Blue Bayou on Whisper White cardstock
Step2:  Stamp 3 hearts on a post it note.  Cut out hearts as close to the edge as possible.
Step3:  Stick cutout hearts on top of the stamped hearts covering them completely.
Step4:  Using the Swirly wheel, stamp over the hearts and cardstock.
Step5:  Peel off the post it note and enjoy!

Here is another card using the masking technique. 

Very Merry

I just love this time of year.  I really enjoy creating cards in all of this season's themes, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas.  As I sat down yesterday to stamp I decided to pull out my new Christmas stamps from Stampin Up!  I really like the set Merry & Bright.  It's a small set, just 4 stamps, but they are so cute.  I started out recreating a project out of the mini catalog. I just love decorating these paper cups.  I have done a few before, and I really loved the color combination that SU! had selected in this particular project.  After making a couple I decided that they needed a card to go along with them. 

Here is a close up of the card.

Here is another cup up close.  I changed the tag and used the snowman stamp this time.  Each image has been watercolored with an aquapainter and ink.

   

If you would like more information on how you can purchase these stamps or any other Stampin Up! product please let me know and I will be able to help you out.

Supplies used:  Stamp set- Merry & Bright; Ink:  Basic Black, Soft Sky, Old Olive, River Rock; Cardstock- Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky; Misc- Watercolor Wonder Crayons, aquapainter
All supplies Stampin Up!

Oh, So Lovely

Here is a card that I made recently for a friend.  The sentiment on the card is Thank You.  I received a card for my birthday that used this stamp set and I was really surprised by how much I loved the effect of the background stamp and the flower.  So when I went looking through my stamps sets the other day I realized that I hadn't yet used this set and decided that it was time to break it in. 

The first step was to decide on a color combination.  Sometimes I just start pulling paper out of my drawer and see how they look together.  This time though I decided to color surf through the Stampin Up! catalog.  I don't look at the stamp sets or the design of the card but just focus on the colors themselves.  Stampin Up! designers are experts at combining colors so gathering ideas from the catalog is a great way to get started on a beautiful card. 

I think what I like best about this stamp set is it's simplicity.  The background stamp is subtle and the flower stamps have just a little detail. You can use it from thank you cards to get well cards and even birthday cards. 

Supplies:  Stamp set:  Oh, So Lovely; Cardstock:  Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla;  Ink:  Purely P0megranate, River Rock; Misc: Antique Brass brads, Purely Pomegranate double stitched ribbon

Lots of Birthday Cards

I been making lots of birthday cards lately.  It's been fun.  I have been exploring some new color combinations and I really like this one.  Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, and Purely Pomegranate.  This color combination really makes a bold statement and screams FUN! I am also thrilled with my purchase of this stamp set as well.  Big Bold Birthday is a great set and I really like the Make A Wish sentiment that is included. 

Of course I had to use my favorite background stamp, Polka Dots. That is another stamp that I could not live without.  Now if they could just make a wheel with the polka dot pattern on it.

Supplies:  Stamp sets:  Big Bold Birthday, Polka Dot background; Cardstock:  Purely Pomegranate, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise; Inks:  Purely Pomegranate, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise; Misc:  Metal Rimmed Tags - All materials from Stampin Up!

Homecoming

I love these pictures that I took of my daughter all dressed up for her first Homecoming dance.  The time is just flying by faster than I could ever imagine that it would.  It was a beautiful night, the Jags won, and she had a fantastic time. 

Another Birthday Card

Here is another birthday card that I made for one of my DDSS friends.  I took one of the cards in the Stampin Up! catalog and changed the color scheme and stamp set to suit my needs.  That's what I love about the catalog.  There are so many ideas to springboard from in there.  A lot of times I will take one design element from 2-3 cards and combine them to make something brand new. 

October wishes

Here is a card I made from one of my favorite Halloween sets made by Stampin Up! It is being sent to my new Lil Sis in my DDSS group. I hope she likes it and this post doesn't give me away. I used my Aqua Painter to watercolor the cat and my punches to create the details. The sentiment came from the wheel Batty. I cut the words apart to get that strip of paper. I've got more Halloween cards to share so stop by again soon.

Make A Wish

This card is being sent to a special birthday girl in my DDSS group. I hope she enjoys it half as much as I enjoyed making it. I really loved the color combination. Purely Pomegranate, Old Olive, Bashful Bue, Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard and Elegant Eggplant are the colors of Stampin Up! ink and paper that I used to make this card.