Ooh La La! Yummy New Paper!

I am so in love with these new Petals & Paisleys Papers from the Spring Mini! Aren't they delicious! I made this Pocket Card with the also new and in the Spring Mini, Long Notes cards and envelopes. The Long Notes are cool because the open from top to bottom; meaning when open they are almost 14" wide. Closed they measure 6 5/8" X 3 1/4", with a matching Vanilla envelope... so hip! I sealed the sides of this Long Note with Sticky Strip; turning it into a pocket!

Prior to gluing it shut; I used my 1 1/4" square punch to punch the rectangle out from the base of the pocket. I cut the Petals & Paisleys paper in random strips for the top, and lined the envelope with the matching paper. As I already stated; the envelopes that come with these Notes are Vanilla toned; so matching them with the white in these papers was tricky. I used Twill tape to tie in the Vanilla, and then lined the envelope in a pattern that has some white stripes... it seemed to work!

The inner tag was created with the Tag corner punch, and stamped with Old Olive and Cool Caribbean Ink. I used the great set that ALL us demos got for FREE this Holiday season; "Polka Dots and Paisley". I finished the tag with a Large Oval Punch folded over the top and affixed with a Hodgepodge Hardware Hanger strung with Twill Tape. Viola!

"Bunny Love" Diorama Details

Just to give some further clarification/instruction for the card below... I snapped a picture that I thought would help you better understand this card's construction. This is a view of the base of the card; on it's back. Hopefully this picture will help you get a feel of the simple construction of this card.


As I was snapping away I though I'd share this picture, and a tip...

No... this isn't the ugliest card ever made... it's a template! I often use scraps to create basic construction templates for my work. After making this particular template I realized I needed to adjust the placement of the egg on the card, and score the sides differently. It would have been such a shame to waste my precious Celery Cardstock figuring out all those details!

These pieces of card stock were straight from my wastepaper basket. I assemble some parts of my templates with re-positionable adhesive so I can easily take them apart for measuring or tracing. I save all my templates in a box; so I can refer to them later; keeping my precious card creations safe and handy to tote to workshops!

"Bunny Love" Diorama Card

When I was a child the BEST part of Easter morning was receiving a lovely sugared egg in my Easter Basket. I wonder where my mother purchased them... so special... so rare! These little candy treasures weren't to be eaten; but to be saved... for days at least... too tempting to be saved forever! I would always begin to pick at the candy bits first, the flower on the top... then the royal icing trim along the edge of the egg's opening... Within a week the egg would be devoured! These precious sugared eggs were the inspiration for this card. I will admit; I am a bit thrilled with how it turned out!

Firstly; an egg shape, and the opening to the egg, was created using my Coluzzle Oval Cutter on a piece of Whisper White Cardstock. Then I cut two pieces of paper 4 1/4 X 5 1/2" and Scored them both in 1/2 an inch and then 1/4 of an inch. I used the Coluzzle to cut an oval in the celery piece that matched up with the White Egg. Then I embossed the egg; using a Versamark pad direct to paper and Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder... it's very glittery; just like a real sugared egg!

The scalloped pink inner boarder was made with 16 1/2" circles... tacked into the inside of the egg prior to layering it over the celery front. The Whisper White background layer was stamped with the tulips from "Bunny Love" (in the SU! Spring Mini) and they were colored with Stampin' Up's markers. A Celery base of "grass" was doodled in place. Mr. Bunny was stamped and cut out; then mounted in place with Dimensionals to make him pop forward a bit.

Lastly; I folded the front and back into a box with the help if the pre-scored markings; creating the diorama look of this card. The flat part of the fold was used to affix the two pieces with sticky strip... the back of this card sticks out as much as the front, so it is 1/2" thick, but presses flat for mailing!

I finished the card with flower punches in Apricot and Pale plum, the leaves were stamped with the set Bodacious Bouquet in Celery. The little eggs were stamped with the same set, colored with markers, cut out and glued in place. A window word punch made simple work of the card's nameplate style "Easter Wishes" title at the top!

Reminder: Last Minute Sell-a-bration Special!

It's not too late! You have 2 whole days to email or call me with your Sell-a-bration order and take advantage of my Last Minute Sell-a-bration Special! Be sure to visit my Stampin' Up! Website for the FULL SCOOP!

Something Cool

If you like collage, digi-scrapping and stuff... take a look at this cool gizmo. You can make your very own scribbled on, pre-aged card catalog index card. Pick your own Dewey Decimal number too! Nifty!

Sarah's Oscar Picks

Edited to add: Well looks like I had a 58% accuracy rate... and no; I didn't win the pool. BUT I did beat Rick... which is most important. My pediatrician, Dr. Flynn, tied for first place with 17 out of 24 correct. He tied with someone I don't know.

And to answer some questions; no... I don't usually see ALL the movies... certainly not the shorts... I did see many of the nominated films. I made my pics after reading multiple industry reports, blogs and the picks of my favorite critics. I also don't vote with my heart... I vote for what I think will win. Lots of upsets this year really; and I was surprised by many of the results.

Just posting my Oscar picks... today is like the Superbowl for me. My mom organizes a huge Oscar pool with her work and Rick and I always play. I never win; but Rick has before... and he is very confident this year. I'm feeling pretty good about my picks... but Babel and The Departed have me a bit confused; I LOVED Babel... but many people seem to dislike it; saying it's like a rip-off of Crash. I totally disagree. I also hope this is Marty's year; Can you believe Martin Scorsese has never received an Oscar? It's a crime I tells ya!

Check back to this post for my "after Oscar" report tomorrow. By the way; if you want to play along... you can find a great printable ballot HERE. Good luck! I hope you all win your office pools! Next year I will try to get it together to coordinate a crafty Oscar pool for all us SAHS (stay at home stampers).

Sarah's Picks for the 2007 Academy Awards (my picks in red)
WINNERS noted in GREEN

BEST PICTURE
"Babel"
"The Departed" WON
"Letters From Iwo Jima"
"Little Miss Sunshine"
"The Queen"

DIRECTOR
Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Babel"
Martin Scorsese, "The Departed" WON
Clint Eastwood, "Letters From Iwo Jima"
Stephen Frears, "The Queen"
Paul Greengrass, "United 93"

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Blood Diamond"
Ryan Gosling, "Half Nelson"
Peter O'Toole, "Venus"
Will Smith, "The Pursuit of Happyness"
Forest Whitaker, "The Last King of Scotland" WON

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Penelope Cruz, "Volver"
Judi Dench, "Notes on a Scandal"
Helen Mirren, "The Queen" WON
Meryl Streep, "The Devil Wears Prada"
Kate Winslet, "Little Children"

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Alan Arkin, "Little Miss Sunshine" WON
Jackie Earle Haley, "Little Children"
Djimon Hounsou, "Blood Diamond"
Eddie Murphy, "Dreamgirls"
Mark Wahlberg, "The Departed"

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Adriana Barraza, "Babel"
Cate Blanchett, "Notes on a Scandal"
Abigail Breslin, "Little Miss Sunshine"
Jennifer Hudson, "Dreamgirls" WON
Rinko Kikuchi, "Babel"

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Guillermo Arriaga, "Babel"
Iris Yamashita and Paul Haggis, "Letters From Iwo Jima"
Michael Arndt, "Little Miss Sunshine" WON
Guillermo del Toro, "Pan's Labyrinth"
Peter Morgan, "The Queen"

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, Dan Mazer and Todd Phillips, "Borat"
Alfonso Cuaron, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, "Children of Men"
William Monahan, "The Departed" WON
Todd Field and Tom Perrotta, "Little Children"
Patrick Marber, "Notes on a Scandal"

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"After the Wedding" (Denmark)"
"Days of Glory" (Algeria)
"The Lives of Others" (Germany) WON
"Pan's Labyrinth" (Mexico)
"Water" (Canada)

ANIMATED FEATURE
"Cars"
"Happy Feet" WON
"Monster House"

ORIGINAL SCORE
Gustavo Santaolalla, "Babel" WON
Thomas Newman, "The Good German"
Philip Glass, "Notes on a Scandal"
Javier Navarrete, "Pan's Labyrinth"
Alexandre Desplat, "The Queen"

ORIGINAL SONG
"I Need to Wake Up", "An Inconvenient Truth" WON
"Listen", "Dreamgirls"
"Love You I Do", "Dreamgirls"
"Our Town", "Cars"
"Patience", "Dreamgirls"

ART DIRECTION
John Myhre and Nancy Haigh, "Dreamgirls"
Jeannine Oppewall, Gretchen Rau and Leslie E. Rollins, "The Good Shepherd"
Eugenio Caballero and Pilar Revuelta, "Pan's Labyrinth" WON
Rick Heinrichs and Cheryl A. Carasik, "Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
Nathan Crowley and Julie Ochipinti, "The Prestige"

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Vilmos Zsigmond, "The Black Dahlia"
Emmanuel Lubezki, "Children Of Men"
Dick Pope, "The Illusionist"
Guillermo Navarro, "Pan's Labyrinth" WON
Wally Pfister, "The Prestige"

COSTUME DESIGN
Yee Chung Man, "Curse Of The Golden Flower"
Patricia Field, "The Devil Wears Prada"
Sharen Davis, "Dreamgirls"
Milena Canonero, "Marie Antoinette" WON
Consolata Boyle, "The Queen"

MAKEUP
Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano, "Apocalypto"
Kazuhiro Tsuji and Bill Corso, "Click"
David Marti and Montse Ribe, "Pan's Labyrinth" WON

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"Deliver Us From Evil"
"An Inconvenient Truth" WON
"Iraq In Fragments"
"Jesus Camp"
"My Country, My Country"

SOUND MIXING
Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Fernando Camara, "Apocalypto"
Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Ivan Sharrock, "Blood Diamond"
Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer and Willie Burton, "Dreamgirls" WON
John Reitz, Dave Campbell, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin, "Flags Of Our Fathers"
Paul Massey, Christopher Boyes and Lee Orloff, "Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"

SOUND EDITING
Sean McCormack and Kami Asgar, "Apocalypto"
Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Ivan Sharrock, "Blood Diamond"
Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman, "Flags Of Our Fathers"
Alan Robert Murray, "Letters From Iwo Jima" WON
Christopher Boyes and George Watters II, "Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"

VISUAL EFFECTS
John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and Allen Hall, "Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" WON
Boyd Shermis, Kim Libreri, Chaz Jarrett and John Frazier, "Poseidon"
Mark Stetson, Neil Corbould, Richard R. Hoover and Jon Thum, "Superman Returns"

FILM EDITING
Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise, "Babel"
Steven Rosenblum, "Blood Diamond"
Alex Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón, "Children Of Men"
Thelma Schoonmaker, "The Departed" WON
Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse and Richard Pearson, "United 93"

SHORT FILM - ANIMATED
"The Danish Poet" WON
"Lifted"
"The Little Matchgirl"
"Maestro"
"No Time For Nuts"

SHORT FILM - LIVE ACTION
"Binta And The Great Idea"
"Éramos Pocos (One Too Many)"
"Helmer & Son"
"The Saviour"
"West Bank Story" WON

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
"The Blood Of Yingzhou District" WON
"Recycled Life"
"Rehearsing A Dream"
"Two Hands"

Hey Bloggers!

I have a few spots left for "veteran bloggers" in the Spring Blogger's Swap I am organizing. If you have been blogging for over 60 days and/or have over 50 posts and at least 1/2 of them are crafty then you are eligible to play. Please join us! Take a look HERE on Splitcoaststampers to sign up! Please do not comment here or email me to sign up; you must be registered on SCS to play!

And a Little Bit Rock n' Roll!

So if my last card was a "little bit country"... this one is a little bit Rock n' Roll. I should add that I am so sick today... migraine, tummy troubles, and feeling a bit overwhelmed with things as a result... so I don't think I will post over the weekend; I really need a break! Ok... enough of my whining; back to the stamping!

I made these teeny weeny embellishments about a year ago; I used the set "Little Pieces" and I simply stamped the image on Artist grade PolyShrink with StazOn ink and punched the images out with a 1/2" circle punch. Then I used my Heat Tool to shrink the circles.



So I used my other scalloped circle to make this card. It's a fun combo of Big Pieces, Little Pieces, and the teeny weeny pieces I made last year. I found a lot of inspiration for this card in Japanese art and animation. The black center flower in the scalloped frame is embossed.

Stamps: Big Pieces, Little Pieces. Ink: Real Red, Basic Black, versamark. Paper: Real Read, Basic Black, Whisper White. Accessories: Slit punch, coluzule, PloyShrink, White Brads (not SU!), Black EP.

A Little Bit Country...

Remember those Scalloped frames I made a few weeks back with the Stampin' Up! Slit punch? Well I finally used them! I have owned this stamp set; "Best of Cluck" for almost 6 months and have not used it until now. I just thought this frame shouted "stick a chicken behind me". (and yes, my stamping supplies are talking to me again... please don't tell the men in the white coats.)

Stamps: Best of Cluck, Canvas Background, Print Pattern Background. Inks: Sahara Sand, Basic Black. Paper; Sahara Sand, Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White. Accessories; Black Gingham, Slit Punch, 1/8" hand punch, corner rounder, Coluzle, Markers, White Uniball Gel Pen.

The Chicken was stamped in Basic Black; colored with Red and Black markers and then I used a White Uniball Gel Pen to make the feather speckles. A note about the SIZE of the card. This is a piece of 12 X 4 1/4 piece that was scored at the 4" mark and then at the 9 1/2" mark to achieve this tri-fold look.

This card really isn't my style... I'm not the least bit country, but I know the perfect person to send it to! Stay tuned for the "Rock and Roll" version tomorrow! (wink)

A Pocket Card

Just a quick post to show you a card I made with the Pockets and Pieces Template/Die Cuts available from Stampin' Up! This is such an easy card once you have the kit from SU!
























Stamps: Simply Said, Everyday Flexible Phrases. Colors: So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Real Rust, Spring Showers papers, and Basic Brown ink. Embellishment is just a Button tied to a paper clip with a bit of hemp. Hodgepodge hardware "hanger" used on the top of the pull out card, Twill tape used to make the tab on the left side of the card.

Last Minute Sell-a-bration Special!

I have having a Last Minute Sell-a-bration Special! Don't miss out on your free Sell-a-bration stamp set!

Check out my Stampin' Up! Website for all the details... or just email me!

My Ribbon Share is officially FULL! Thanks to all of you who participated!

Happy stamping!

Did you win?

I selected the three winners for the "Why I am a Dork" give-away! I used a very scientific process to choose the winners that involved asking my 2 year old to yell "STOP" while I scrolled up and down with my mouse... eyes closed! It just seems silly to print out all the names... or whatever else people do to give away Blog Candy. Heck, I'm not givin' away diamonds here, and you all trust me right? Thanks for playing everyone!

The winners are...

SewKnitter
Belinda
Crazy4MyCrafts

Ladies... email me your addresses... I have something fun to send!

Hey! That's Not Stamped!

This has absolutely NOTHING to do with paper or stamping... so what! It has EVERYTHING to do with an adorable bracelet my friend Shannon from Boogiebead sent me! I don't know where she gets these beads! I mean come on... MONKEY beads!?! I am so in love!

Is this not the cutest thing in the world or what? Just visit Shannon's website and take a look. She does personalized stuff too... great for gifts! Tell her you're my blogging buddy!

Tip of the Day Thursday :: A Perfect Frame

Just wanted to share a QUICK tip to help you make the PERFECT frame for your Shaker Cards or just for kicks. This is super easy... gather round everyone!

If you cut a 3" X 3" Square, then you can use Stampin' Up!'s 1 3/8" Square Punch to make a PERFECT FRAME. Just insert the punch in ALL THE WAY, and CENTER it visually in the punch; like this...


Use the frame to make a shaker card like this one; created a LONG time ago...

Or this card I made for a Sell-a-bration swap... That's a 1 1/4" Square that's fitting perfectly inside that easy-peasy frame!


And remember this project from way back when? While those are 1 3/8" CIRCLES not squares... it works just the same! Try this trick on your 3" X 3" note cards!


Hope this helps you create some quick and easy layouts!

I did it Julie!

Miss JulieHRR would be so proud of me! I made my first card with NO LAYERS! I might be hooked.

It was so fast and easy, and I love the end result! As most of you know I am a die-hard Stampin' Up! gal... but the A Muse images have been haunting me for sometime now. Besides; this sweetie looked to much like my own pumpkin... I couldn't pass him up! I am a bit disappointed with how these pictures turned out... so much for natural light! Can you see my brand new A Muse Oval "grounding" stamp... oh golly I love that stamp; I have all sorts of plans for it!

The XOXO is from the Micheal's $1 bin. All other images are A Muse. Ink is Stampin' Up!; Bashful Blue, Pretty and Pink and Basic Black. Stampin' Up! Markers were used to fill in the image.

If your name is Rick Moore please stop reading!

I made this next card for my Darling Hubby... I will show you his other hand stamped gifts later... just too risky to post them here, as I know he is still reading after I told him not to! Really Rick, I mean it! Stop reading!

Don't you love this sentiment! I think I will use it a ton... and that cutsie "mod" couple... LOVE them! I thought they looked better in their own black and white... no need to color them in!

Images A Muse, Ink Stampin' Up! Bashful Blue, Pretty and Pink and Basic Black.

Making Valentines wasn't the only thing Andy and I did today; we were snowed in for goodness sakes! So I hopped into my Supermom outfit (da-da-DA!) and presto...

Did you just gain 5 pounds LOOKING at this yummy cupcake! I just used a regular White Cake Mix... added some sprinkles for confetti color inside...and the frosting is... oh... I am almost afraid to TELL you it's so decadent!

One Stick Unsalted Butter
One pound (yes... a whole pound) of Crisco Shortening
One Box of Powdered Sugar (also one pound)
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract

Cream shortening and butter until well mixed... slowly add powdered sugar until incorporated. Add salt and Vanilla... mix well... add food coloring if desired... thin with water if needed for consistency.

Consume cupcakes in secret and hide them from your family!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Blogger Valentines :: 5 of 5

Thanks to ALL of you who participated! If your are a stamping blogger who would like to participate in the NEXT Blogger Swap I am hosting, please sign up HERE in the Splitcoaststamper forums.

And now... the Valentines...

AnneMarie Zimmerer is the first person I have met through blogging alone whom I can call a friend. She is on the Design Team over at the The Shaker Box... a very busy forum for Scrapbookers, with a few cards and other things sprinkled in.

Don't you love this Card? The image (thanks for sending me some AnneMarie!) is from DeNami Designs. As usual, the picture does not do this card justice. The angel in the center is cut out and raised up on dimensionals so it really POPS!... and the coloring is so delicate and soft! Don't miss the matching envelope... splendid!

Take a look at AnneMarie's blog "One More Thing". She not only has some lovely designs, but she shares her thoughts and wonderful photography with her readers. Be sure to also visit her growing SCS gallery and her Shaker Box Gallery. Lots of terrific designs!



I need to make a confession... and if you tell anyone I will deny that I wrote it here (*wink*). ALL of the participants created AMAZING work for this swap... but this was my FAVORITE card in this whole bunch. It was just so original and surprising! Denise Foxworthy may have one of the smaller SCS galleries among the participants... but be sure to take a look. Each and every card is awesome. I just love the focal point image; a felt heart with the straight pin... fabulous! And felt is a new trend; mark my word! Denise... you are officially trendy! (gals over age 30 like me just love to hear that!) The color combo; right on the money, and the layout is SIMPLE but effective. It's everything a card should be!

Her blog "Sentiments by Denise" is so worth the visit; great layouts, unique color combos and yummy sounding recipes to boot! I am a subscriber!


I hope you have enjoyed this series of Swap posts. I really loved playing hostess to these amazing artists and getting to know them better through the process. I hope some of you sister-bloggers will consider joining our Spring Swap! Newbie bloggers are welcome to play!

Blogger Valentines :: 4 of 5

Hey! Have you been to Craft Critique today to see their review of the Crop-a-dile? Check it out and tell your friends!


Now to the Valentines...

Keri Sereika is not only a wonderfully talented stamper; but she is a busy girl in stamper-cyberland! She is one of the dedicated Mods over at Splitcoaststampers, and she has a fabulous blog; "Pink Lemonade"... one of the best titles in blogland too! I adore this card. Don't you just love that puppy form Inky Antics too! SO CUTE!

I love the simplicity of this card. It just goes to show you; there is something to be said for just coming up with a simple layout that works! I think it's a tough thing to do. I am always OVER complicating a card. Keri did an amazing job with the coloring too... she is so talented! I also LOVE the color combo here, very springy!


I am ALL OVER these awesome Pocket Notes from Stampin' Up! I hope they make it into the next catalog! Colleen Laux did a GREAT job with her design. It just makes you want to cuddle up with a hot cuppa cocoa! First of all; who DOESN'T love Pink and Brown together! Second (and the picture doesn't do it justice) the layers on this card are perfect!

Be sure to take a peek at Colleen's Blog; "Stampin with the Goddess", the title is deserving too, Colleen has some terrific designs to share! And her Splitcoast Gallery is wonderful! I really like her latest post about random acts of kindness. And in honor of her post; my son Andy and I will be HAND delivering all the wonderful Valentine's the ladies who participated in this swap have donated to a local Nursing home. Originally I was just going to drop them off; now I think we will write a nice message inside and spend some time visiting some of the residents that don't have Valentine's Day visitors.

The "Why I am a Dork" Give-Away!

Imagine my surprise when I moderated the comments for my blog this morning and saw one from the one and only Daven! If you're into stamping and you don't know who Daven is then you are living in a virtual cyber HOLE. Here is why I am a dork... I am so flippin' excited that Daven left a comment on my blog... I actually feel like calling someone; mainly Angie... aka Anna741 who is the one person who's phone number I know who is as addicted to SCS as I am. It's like the blog was touched by a rock star! Daven read my blog!!! Whoo hoo! (see... that's pretty dorky right???)

So let's celebrate! Here is what you need to do... Find the comment that Daven left on my blog. I will randomly draw from all the correct answers and 3 people will get a "Spring Surprise" in the mail from ME! Just leave a comment on my blog in THIS POST when you find it and tell me WHERE it is... providing a link would be nice. You will NOT see your comment posted until NEXT FRIDAY when the contest is over.

The "Blog Archive" thingy on the sidebar is going to come in very handy with this contest... Have fun reading! :)

Daven made a card
Splitcoaststampers; Daven made it too

Blogger Valentines :: 3 of 5

Hey... have you been to Craft Critique yet??? Why the heck NOT!?! Win some free stuff why don't ya! And tell your friends!!! While you are there I recommend you subscribe... and then go put a ink up on YOUR blog! :) I just happen to know that we have some AWESOME stuff planned for the coming weeks. I would hate for you to miss out!

And NOW for the Valentines! From our Canadian participants!

First up we have Amy Rysavy's card. If you don't know "Prairie Paper and Ink" then you are just not reading enough stamping blogs. Amy is known for her awesome tutorials and her prolific card posts... I swear the girl must always be stamping... she posts a card or TWO almost daily! The thing you don't know about Amy is that her swaps smelled like CANDY! Seriously... it was the nicest thing to open that envelope from Canada and get a whiff of those cards.... not that I smell my swaps by the way... you just couldn't HELP but notice the sweet-tart smell of these cards. How do you do it Amy?

I love the HEART on this card; it's all glittered up and really bold. She also used a White Uniball pen to trace around the holes she made on the scalloped edges of the focal point circle... isn't that CUTE? And check out the doodled boarder she made... gotta love it! And I love the googly eyes too... nice touch! Thanks Amy!


Isn't this card by Terri Digness amazing! The layers on this baby are so thick and wonderful... that's TWO chipboard hearts there... count 'em... TWO! Plus she added a heart made with microbeads on one! Look at the heart in the center. She embossed around the edge... so lovely! Combined with the Brushed Silver paper, the ribbons, brads and faux stitching... WOW!

Terri has a terrific blog; "Stampin' Terri". Be sure to look at her Emboss Resist Glass Etching Tutorial. I thought it was particularly impressive.

Slit Punch + Coluzzle = Scalloped Circle

Ok... this is gonna take just a couple minutes.... gather 'round kids! Go get your Coluzzle, your Slit Punch and some Card stock... grab a cuppa joe too... it's early.

Now cut yourself a circle WITHIN another circle; this is easy with the Coluzzle... just keep it in place and cut TWO circles. Look at the bottom pic... see I used the THIRD and the SIXTH ring to make this Circle. Use a touch of adhesive on your Coluzzle mat to hold the paper in place if you need to.

Now just slide your slit punch inside and start punching! Punch right beside the prior punch! Wowza right?!?

Use this as a frame, or layer OVER the center hole to use this as a background layer. Stay tuned to see what I do with this scalloped Circle. FYI; this works for ovals too... and if you get to the end of the round and find you have some space... just cover this boo-boo with a little ribbon tie. Pretend you MEANT to do it that way! :)

See; I used the THIRD and SIXTH Coluzzle rings to make this circle. I found this was the BEST way to ensure an even distribution of the scallops... if I punched RIGHT BESIDE the prior punch it ended up even-steven in the end with this size circle.

EXTRA TIP: Use a Sharpie marker to mark every OTHER ring for easier viewing.

Blogger Valentines :: 2 of 5

Before we talk Valentines, let's talk RIBBON! Stampin' Up! has the best ribbon EVER... and you can get a whole box full (225 yards) from me! Email me NOW for the details on how to join my Ribbon Club or view my Specials on my Stampin' Up! Website for more info. Club space is limited so contact me today... I would love to help you get your hands on ALL of the Ribbon that Stampin' Up! has to offer!



Now back to my blogger buddies! I have three cards for you all today!

First up we have this FAB card by Erika Martin (aka Sunshine Mama) ... Erika is such a great artist; and a total "Technique Queen!" She actually featured this "Double Resist" technique on her blog back in the beginning of January. This picture does NOT do this card justice. It's all sorts of shiny, and it she did a great job with the layers... raising one heart on two dimensionals to give it extra POW! Be sure to visit Erika's Blog "Erika Martin Designs" for the specifics on this card and to learn that cool resist technique! Erika is also planning a feature on little ole' me in the coming weeks... and I will be featuring HER! We are working on a little fun Q and A to make the whole thing extra entertaining. Stay tuned for more on my fave hippy stamper!



I need to tell you... I was so excited when Michelle said she would participate in this swap. Among us "B List" Rubber Stamp bloggers Michelle is the Blogging Queen. You can visit her blog "Ink Artist" for proof. She has almost 5 years of archives for you to sift through! Like Michelle; I hadn't yet mounted this set; "Much Love"... but this card changed my mind about it. Don't you love the glittery heart? I also really like the hemp with the beaded embellishment. It really helps to create a nice balance between the collage style of the card and the romantic "valentineyness" (new word) of it.

Be sure to look at Michelle's SCS gallery HERE, Michelle is SCS Dirty Dozen Alumni... so she is officially stamping royalty. She also rocks; and not just because she wears a cool hat... but because she is a wonderful artist who still takes the time to answer my cat related questions!



Something you should know about Amanda Sewell... her handwriting is as neat as a pin. Seriously, she should start a business hand addressing wedding invites. Her handwriting is so lovely she should never have to purchase a sentiment stamp for any of her cards. If you are a stamp designer... well, you might want to consider hiring her to design some sentiment stamps for you. I am so serious.

Don't you love this card? First of all; you can't go wrong with black and pink. Secondly; I love the black lipstick kisses! Sort of punky... very "hep", yes "hep" with an "E". This paper by Diecuts with a view is super cute as well... and the faux stitching; well, you just can't go wrong!

Be sure to look at Amanda's blog; INKSPIRATIONS. Not only does she have cute stamped stuff... but tasty recipes! Yum!


Stay tuned for more adorable valentines!

A Chipboard Valentine's Day Box

Before you enjoy Sarah and the Stampstars... please visit Craft Critique! It needs your LOVE and you need some free stuff right!?! Please tell everyone you know about Craft Critique!

Ok... on with the stamping...

How much do we LOVE these boxes made from chipboard coasters! See a tutorial on how to make them HERE. The large scalloped circle was made with the help of a small corner rounder; just remove the corner guide and work your way around the circle. The red glittery heart was created with Heat and Stick Powder and Stampin' Up! Glitter!

The stamp set I used is called "Happy Hearts". At only $14.95 it's a must have for Valentine's Day! Real Red ink and Basic black were used. Oh... and those cute little dots? I used a pencil eraser! The perfect dot, all the time!

These white chipboard coasters are so great at accepting ink. Feel free to email me for the source!

Last Year's Valentines

At the risk of being perceived as lazy; I have a few of LAST YEAR's Valentines. I am actually attempting to go to bed early tonight... so this will just have to do! I still like all these cards... although my style has changed quite a bit. Last year I was really into distressing and I wore my Close to Cocoa ink pad OUT with Direct to paper techniques. Lately I like a fresh, trendier look.
Each card will link directly to it's recipe on SCS. Just click on the card. Enjoy!