This fall card was made with the a la carte stamp, Tweet Leaves, in the holiday catalog.  

Stamps: Tweet Leaves, wood grain background, So Happy for You (retired)

Card stock: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla

Ink: Crumb Cake, Stampin' Write markers for coloring

Accessories: Chocolate Chip ribbon, ribbon slide (retired), corner rounder punch,

It is beginning to look and feel like Fall where I live so Halloween will be here before we know it.  I saw a treat topper made by Angie Juda which inspired this Frankenstein card.

 

 

Card stock: Old Olive, Basic Black, Whisper White

Inks: Basic Gray Classic ink pad and Basic Black Stampin' Write marker

Accessories: Sizzix Big Shot and Top Note die, 3/4" and 1" circle punches, white gel pen, Dimensionals, sponge

 



No new technique on this card.  Just wanted to CASE a pretty card I saw by Sandy Mathis on SCS. 

Stamps: French Foliage
Card stock: Always Artichoke, Early Espresso, Naturals White
Inks: Early Espresso, River Rock, Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke, Old Olive
Accessories: Early Espresso ribbon, Antique brad

I've been experimenting with new techniques from one of my Technique Junkies CDs.  The one on this card is Marbled Smooch from CD #9 and creates beautiful backgrounds.  This one has pink and green marbling and turned out a little light so may be a bit hard to see here.

Stamps: Just Believe

Card stock: Naturals White, Regal Rose, Garden Green

Ink: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green Stampin' Write markers; Taffy and Green Apple Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink

Accessories: Eyelet border punch, Melon Mambo dotted ribbon (both retired)



This card was inspired by one I saw on Shelli Gardner's blog. I love the new In Colors and used two of them on this card.  I also love the Elegant Bird Bigz die!  The bigz dies are able to cut so many different materials that the possible projects with it seem endless!  I can't wait to try some of the ideas I have for this one.  

Stamps: Reason to Smile* and Very Vintage wheel
Inks: Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit
Card stock: Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit
DSP: Paisley Petals (retired)
Accessories: Elegant Bird die, Scallop Edge Border punch, Antique Brad

*The Reason to Smile stamp set is brand new and will be available only in July for $5 when you spend $50!! 

A Father's Day card for my wonderful father in law. 
Stamps: Packed for Dad (retired) and Woodgrain
Paper: Always Artichoke, Soft Suede, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Soft Suede, Pacific Point, SU markers
Punches: Word Window, Modern Label
Accessories: Twill Tape

Did you know that making cards is good for you?  Hobbies such as painting, sewing, scrapbooking, woodworking, and photography are more than just ways to have fun or make gifts for others.  They are powerful art forms that can “distract the mind, soothe the soul, and de-stress the body.”  A few of the ways they contribute to the mental, physical, and spiritual health of people of all ages are that they:

• Develop fine motor skills
• Give an opportunity for self expression
• Reduce stress
• Increase confidence
• Provide a sense of accomplishment
• Distract from the stress of work
• Provide an opportunity for social interaction
• Offer an excellent way to express feelings that might be difficult to put into words

Arts and crafts that include mental challenges, such as the math and geometry in quilting, protect us from cognitive decline as we age.  The rhythmic repetitive movements of knitting help prevent and manage stress, pain and depression by activating the same areas in the brain as meditation and yoga.  And, using bright colors in arts and crafts is uplifting!

So stop putting crafting and creativity at the bottom of your "to do" list or feeling guilty for taking time to relax instead of doing something productive.  According to Robert Reiner, PhD, a New York University psychologist, "the act of performing a craft is incompatible with worry, anger, obsession, and anxiety.  Crafts make you concentrate and focus on the here and now and distract you from everyday pressures and problems. They're stress-busters in the same way that meditation, deep breathing, visual imagery, and watching fish are."

http://www.family-friendly-fun.com/therapy/crafts.htm

http://aging.ohio.gov/news/boomerang/2012march/myfamily.asp

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2002862/Why-quilting-uniquely-good-us.html

http://iheartartpdx.com/2010/08/23/the-healing-arts-and-crafts/

http://www.prlog.org/10179509-knitting-and-crochet-offer-long-term-health-benefits.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Health-Benefits-of-Knitting&id=6551073

A Mother's Day card featuring the heart Framelits, retired DSP, Very Vanilla card stock, the Modern Label punch, and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.  Cased from a card posted to SCS by Inkpad.

This card is a case from a card posted to SCS by zipperc98.  It features the set Morning Cup and So Saffron, Soft Suede, and Whisper White card stock.  The ribbon is So Saffron and the images were colored with Stampin' Write markers.  I used the Stampamajig to "stack" the cups neatly.  Inside is a pocket to hold a gift card; probably one from Starbucks!

Here's a link to the list of stamp sets retiring May 31, 2012.  Don't miss out on any that may still be on your Wish List!  And here's a card made using one of my favorite retiring sets, Nature's Nest.

Stampin' Up! has some big changes to the catalogs coming up this year. The new annual Idea Book and Catalog will be available June 1st and will have fewer pages. Instead of three mini catalogs there will be two seasonal catalogs that are larger in page size and content. The Holiday catalog will be out in August and run through early January and the Spring catalog will run from early January through May. I'm excited about the changes and think they will provide us with many more choices and fantastic products for scrapbooking, cardmaking, and other fun crafting projects. 

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the list of retiring stamp sets. Since the annual catalog will be smaller, I anticipate a long list of stamps that will not be available after May 31. And this is the last month to order from the current Occasions mini catalog. Don't miss out on any that are still on your Wish List! If you don't have a demonstrator, you can place your order on my Stampin' Up! web site. There's a link to it and the Clearance Rack on the left.

And now for a card.  I really liked this one that I saw on SCS by snowmanqueen and decided to CASE it.  I used a different embossing folder and substituted Marina Mist for the Baja Breeze.  Otherwise, it's just the same.  The stamp set used was Upsy Daisy and the butterfly faux button is the Beautiful Wings embosslit.

I wanted to share these important dates of upcoming Stampin' Up! events with you:

Saturday, March 31, 2012

end of Sale a Bration - last chance to

get FREE gifts with each $50 purchase

Sunday, April 15, 2012

RETIRING STAMPIN' UP! STAMP SET

  LIST RELEASED

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

RETIRING STAMPIN' UP! ACCESSORIES 

LIST RELEASED

(remember.. these are first come first served.. many items can run out the first day!)

Monday, April 30, 2012

LAST DAY TO ORDER FROM THE

OCCASIONS MINI CATALOG!

 

Thursday, May 31, 2012

This is the LAST DAY for the Current

Stampin' Up! catalog!!!

(note: this is one month earlier than stated on the catalog)

Friday, June 1, 2012

First day of the NEW Stampin' Up! Catalog!

Contact me or your local SU demonstrator if you have any question.

Don't let this happen to you!!  If you don't have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, you can place your Sale-A-Bration order with me on my SU web site:  http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/veronica_miller/

I saw this card by mum_of_2_2 on SCS and had to CASE it!  I love the colors and how she spolighted that sweet dancing bear from Under the Big Top stamp set.  The sentiment is from a retired set.  A Texturz plate was used to emboss the Perfect Plum card stock.  Elegant Eggplant, Blushing Bride, and Whisper White card stock were also used.  The dancing bear was colored with Watercolor Wonder crayons on watercolor paper.  Can you see the Dazzling Diamonds glitter on the folds of her tutu?

This stamp set, You're My Type, in the new Occasions mini catalog is one I really like.  It may not seem so versatile at first glance, but I see lots of possibilities with it.  This card is made with Pool Party and Island Indigo card stock, two of the current In Colors from Stampin' Up.  Lucky Limeade Classic ink, another In Color, was used to create the Rolling Marble background.  The heart was embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder then punched with the Heart to Heart punch.

I can't really complain about our weather this winter.  It's been rainy and wet but we haven't had much snow or ice.  Yet, the dreary sky made me wish for spring so I chose pastels for this card -- Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, and Whisper White.  The polka dots are not ribbon or DSP but were stamped in Whisper White craft ink on Certainly Celery card stock.  The flower was cut and embossed with a retired Embosslit, the leaves cut with the Little Leaves Sizzlit, and the lace with the Eyelet border punch.  The center of the flower is a rhinestone brad.  The greeting is from the Short and Sweet set.  Card design CASEd from one posted to SCS by bon2stamp.

Welcome to the 10th stop on the SU STARS January blog hop!  If you are hopping along in order, you just left Raissa's blog Raissa Stamps where you saw her pretty Valentine.  A list of all the blogs in this month's hop can be found our our home blog.  This is our first hop in 2012 and the theme is Ebony and Ivory.  All project are Basic Black or Basic Gray and Whisper White or Very Vanilla.  Some projects may also have a pop of color.

I chose Basic Black and Very Vanilla for my project.  It is an thank you card CASEd from one I saw on SCS by Lisa Young. 

It features the Elegant Thank You ala carte stamp, Mocha Morning and Newsprint Designer Series papers, Chantilly crochet trim, Eyelet border, large oval, and corner punches.

Thanks for visiting today!  The next stop on our hop is Janice's blog where you'll see a lovely anniversary card.  Enjoy!!

I just love it when a quick and simple card is so pretty!  This one has a Poppy Parade card base and Everyday Enchantment DSP from the new Sale-a-Bration catalog.  (You can get this DSP free with a $50 purchase!)  The window was cut with the new heart Framelits in the Occasions mini catalog and the little heart was punched from the Heart to Heart punch.  A little rhinestone was added to the little heart to give it some bling.  The sentiment was stamped on the inside of the card in Basic Black and is from the Short and Sweet set.

This vintage style Valentine was made with Cherry Cobbler and Whisper White card stock, water color paper, Lots of Love letterpress plate, Paper Doily Sizzlit die, Coluzzle cutting system, Greeting Card Kids stamp set, Watercolor Wonder crayons, VersaMark ink, and Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details.

This card features the Take It to Heart stamp set from the new Occasions mini catalog stamped on watercolor paper in StazOn black ink.  The image was colored with Watercolor Wonder crayons.  The heart shapes were cut with the new Framelits also in the Occasions mini.  The Bashful Blue heart was embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots folder and the Pretty in Pink card base was embossed in the Framed Tulips folder.