Welcome to the Royal Blog Tour! Blog Candy!

 So glad you have stopped by my castle!  This princess is so happy to welcome you!  This was such a fun project to work on.  I am featuring the Stampin' Up! stamp set Baroque Motifs on page 131 of the 2009-2010 Idea Book and Catalog.  This is such an elegant set.  I love how you can use the vine stamp as a background or as the focal image.  The flowers and motifs are great to use in groups or alone also. 


Read through to the end of this post to find out how you can win this stamp set!  Sorry but this prize can only be given to someone in the United States because of Stampin' Up! rules.


I have a purse box with 4 cards and a matchbox decorated for you to view on this Royal Blog Tour stop.  I thought this would make a great gift for Mother's Day.  I know I would love to receive it.  This was an easy project to make.  You can click on the photos to open a larger one to view.

Now on to the blog candy!  To enter for a chance to win the Baroque Motifs Stamp set (shown below) a $27.95 value, just post a comment with your email address in your comment.  I cannot contact you without the email address in the comment.  I will use Random.org to choose a number based on the total number of comments.

Don't forget to look for the clues to enter the drawing for the Big Shot or other great prizes!

Click on the red slippers below the items used list to take a ride to the next awesome castle!  You are not going to want to miss any of the stops on this lovely trip!

Featured Stamp Set - Baroque Motifs Item# 113490

Stamp sets - Teeny Tiny Wishes, Tiny Tags (available in the Occasions Mini until April 30 Item# 118091 - will be available in the next Idea Book and Catalog.

Card stock:  Bermuda Bay, Rose Red, Sahara Sand, Whisper White

Designer Series Paper - Bermuda Bay Patterns, Thoroughly Modern

Accessories:  Pretties Kit, Jumbo Brads, Finial Press Embossing Folder, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, heat gun

Punches:  Scallop Circle, Scallop Oval, Boho Blossoms, Word Window, Modern Label,1/8 inch circle, 1/4 inch circle, 1/2 inch circle, My Way, Corner Rounder, Scallop Trim corner and border punches, Medium Jewelry Tag punch (available until April 30 Item# 117190 in Occasion Mini)

Sizzix - Top Note, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Matchbox XL

Stampin' Up! Medallion Bird Card

Hi Stampin' Friends!

Hope you are having a wonderful day!  I finally was able to stamp and combined three challenges in one

card.  The Late Night Stampers Yahoo group has a photo inspiration challenge.  The photo is shown below. 

I chose to use some colors from the photo.  Late Night Stampers is open to anyone who loves Stampin' Up!

products.  I love the list and get so much inspiration and ideas from it.  Paper Pleasing Ideas had a

challenge to use Mellow Moss,  Sahara Sand, and Basic Grey.  And finally Card Scraps had a sketch

challenge.  Whew!  Three in one!  I love challenges as they give me a jumping off point to make a card.  It

feels so good to be able to stamp.  Sometimes life is challenging and stamping is a great therapy!  Try it and I am sure you will agree.

      

Supplies used on the Medallion Bird Card:

Medallion and En Francais Stamp Sets

Mellow Moss, Basic Grey, and Sahara Sand card stock

Sponges, Basic Grey satin ribbon, 1/8" circle punch, cutter kit, Stampin' Dimensionals, Finial Press Embossing Folder

Royal Blog Tour is Coming!

You don't want to miss this tour!  The Royal Blog Tour is starting Friday April 30 until May 3.  This will be a great blog tour.  You have a chance to win a Big Shot or other prizes for collecting clues. I will be giving away blog candy as well as many others in the tour.  Many talented stampers will have projects to share with you.  The stamp sets featured will all be different.  Just come to my blog on April 30 and start your tour.  Or you can go to http://www.theroyalblogtour.com .  Also there is a blog with information about the Princesses on the tour here http://www.royalblogtour.blogspot.com/  There are clues on there where you can guess and win another chance at the Big Shot.

Sunshine Award

Sunshine Award

A special thank you to the sweet stamper, Sharon from Sharon's Inkie Fingers 24/7, who nominated me for the Sunshine Award.  Go check out her blog.  She is so talented!


Sunshine awards are given to other bloggers who help spread Sunshine and a positive, upbeat attitude while sharing what we love and do -- stamping, of course!


The rules for the reward are this:


1. Put the award on your blog


2. Pass the award to other bloggers who bring you sunshine.


3. List the Nominees in your post.


4. Let the Nominees know you nominated them by leaving a comment on their blog.


5. Share the love and link to the person who gave you the award!


It is hard to narrow down these links and I believe we are supposed to link 12 blogs, but I do not have a lot of time as I have to go to work. There are so many wonderful deserving blogs I could list, but don't have time or space.

 My nominees are as follows:

Kelly of The Weekend Stamper
Karen of Krafting with Karen
Mary Jo of Techno Stamper
Jan of Stamps, Paper, Scissors
Nikki of "Bond Girl" Creations
Lynn of Learn to Stamp and Scrap with Lynn Larson

Butterfly Trio Card

So sorry I have not been posting.  Life has a way of getting in the way of my favorite craft - stampin'!
I have been traveling quite a bit lately.  My husband, one of our sons, and I were able to go to North Myrtle Beach last week for a few days.  We had a blast at the USS North Carolina, NC State Aquarium at Ft. Fisher, Ripley's Aquarium, and of course the beach! I love the beach and fun in the sun and sand.  One of my favorite duty stations was Hawaii when my hubby was in the Army.  Aloha!

My card is a very simple card today.  I have not had time to stamp much so I thought I would make an easy card.  I love Bermuda Bay Designer Series Paper and card stock and will miss it a lot when it retires.  I am looking forward to the new and returning colors.  I received a sample of the new colors and they are beautiful.  I do believe you will love the updated color families!  Can't wait to see the new In Colors, stamp sets, accessories...well everything in the upcoming new catalog.  Don't wait too long to order the retiring colors.  They will be available until May 31st for sure.  After that it will be while supplies last.  So order early!

Card uses Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp set, Beautiful Wings Embosslit (exclusive to Stampin' Up!)

Have a wonderful stampin' day!

Stampin' Up! Dreams Du Jour Card

Finally was able to stamp!  Yahoo!  I made this card late last night.  I was awakened by a lamp coming on in our hallway.  I knew I had turned that lamp off before going to bed so I got up and went to check on it.  I tried to turn it off and it was hissing.  First I smelled smoke and then I saw it.  I quickly unplugged it from the outlet.  I couldn't go back to sleep for awhile so I made this card.  I thank the Lord for waking me up!

I colored the Love You image from Stampin' Up!'s Dreams du Jour stamp set with the markers after stamping in Jet Black Stazon ink.  I only colored the shaded areas with the markers.  Next I used my aqua painter to pick up a little ink from the marker tip to lightly color the rest of the stamped image.  I also used the aqua painter to blend the colors.  The bottom of the card front and the tag are punched with the Eyelet Trim border punch which will be available in the next Idea Book and Catalog.  It was free during Sale-a-bration!  I punched 1/8" circles from Barely Banana and added them to the tag and bottom.  The Sage Shadow strip is punched on the end with the My Way punch.  This punch has arrows on them, but you can slide your cardstock in to only cut the v shape.  I used Organza White ribbon to tie on the tag.  The Barely Banana piece was run through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. Half back pearls from the Pretties kit are glued on the Sage Shadow strip.  You should be able to click on the photos for larger viewing.

Happy Stampin'

Stamp set - Dreams du Jour

Inks - Jet Black Stazon,  Sage Shadow, Barely Banana, and Orchid Opulence markers

Card stock - watercolor paper, Sage Shadow, Barely Banana, and Orchid Opulence

Accessories - flat back pearls from Pretties Kit, Organza White ribbon, Tag punch, My Way punch, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder

Card measurements are W x H

Card base - 5 1/2" x 8 1/2"

Barely Banana - 5 1/4" x 3 3/4"

Sage Shadow strip on outside - 4 5/8" x 1"

Sage Shadow strip on inside - 5 1/2" x 1"

Yesterday, April 6th was my 29th wedding anniversary.  I am so happy to be married to the most wonderful, sweet, loving, handsome hubby!  The Lord has blessed me with a great hubby!

Big changes were announced to demonstrators at 2 pm EST for Stampin' Up!  And it is exciting and fresh and fun!  I am tickled at the new core colors.  I will be sad to see some of the colors retire, but I can't wait to be able to order the new colors.  Change can be unsettling for some and that is understandable, but it brings in some updated new colors.  Fashion changes, home goods style changes, and many other things change annually.  I am happy that Stampin' Up! is keeping up with current trends.  They put a lot of thought and research into this change and it shows.  So here are the new core color families.

Personally I am happy to see the Brights toned down a little.  I found I didn't use those as often.  Also the subtles are updated and did you notice that some of the past In Color favorites are in our core colors now? Yahoo! I loved Riding Hood Red and Pink Pirouette!  Now I can use them again!

I will be sad to see some of the colors retire as I used some of the Earth Elements a lot and a few of the Soft Subtles, but I know I will love the new colors even better!  I will miss the blues, but looking forward to using some updated ones in my cardmaking and scrapbooking.

Stocks of these retiring colors will be replenished until June 1st.  After that it will be while supplies last.  I tell you that so you can plan ahead if you want to stock up on some of these retiring colors. 

 

Bold Brights

• Glorious Green

• Green Galore

• Gable Green

• YoYo Yellow

• Only Orange

• Pink Passion

• Pixie Pink

• Orchid Opulence

• Lovely Lilac

• Brilliant Blue

 

Earth Elements

• Close to Cocoa

• Creamy Caramel

• Really Rust

• Ruby Red

• Cameo Coral

• Summer Sun

Rich Regals

• Bordering Blue

• Brocade Blue

• Ballet Blue

• Taken with Teal

• Handsome Hunter

Soft Subtles

• Pale Plum

• Blush Blossom

• Apricot Appeal

• Barely Banana

• Mellow Moss

• Sage Shadow

• Almost Amethyst

• Lavender Lace

We will continue to offer the following: Brushed Gold, Brushed Silver, Confetti Cream, Confetti White, Glossy White, Naturals Ivory, Naturals White, Shimmery White, and White vellum card stock, as well as White vellum paper.

Some good things about this change means Stampin' Up! will be opening more warehouse space for future new products. The smaller core color families will be easier for new customers and demostrators. And we will be keeping our In Colors for two years starting with the 2010-2011 Idea book and catalog.

I hope you will be as excited about this change as I am. 

Happy Stampin'!

Good Friday

It is a wonderful Good Friday here.  Temperatures are warm and the sky is blue.  Love this weather.  More importantly though, I love my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Today we celebrate the day He went to the cross, because we know He arose!

I have been very busy and unable to post lately.  I have been making place card tags for our church's ladies banquet.  I made over 200!  I am including a photo of one stack.  I think they turned out cute!

Also I made 30 baby shower invitations for my step-sister.  They turned out so cute.  I have included two photos of the pieces used in those.  It took a while to glue everything together but they are cute!

I hope you have a blessed Easter!