A Beautiful Pin Cushion

If you have the Big shot then you know that it is not just for cutting cardstock. No, you can cut metal (pop cans), fabrics, plastic, leather etc... Here is a cute idea using felt.

Pam Pagel's Floral Pin Cushion

Accessories & Tools

• Big Shot
• Scallop Circle #2 Bigz die
• Blossom Party Originals die
• Bead
• Felt
• Sewing machine and thread

Sale-a-Bration Quick cards

I wanted to use up some of my Sale-a-Bration papers with the ladies I stamp with for our church. So I took the stack and we quickly cut and stamped them for some attractive and simple cards. These ladies are always so amazed at their finished products.

Great Friend card

Another really versatile saying is For You. That can go for anything as well. I made this little card up using my Pretty in Pink, Rich Razzleberry and Very Vanilla cardstock with some old DSP. I had to hand cut the little butterflies but since I just got my scissors sharpened, no problemo!

Thinking of You card

Thinking of You is one of the most versatile cards because you can really send it to anyone. I made this little cutie using the wonderful Sweet Pea DSP stack that totally sold out! It is not wonder with all the cute designs on it.

If you are getting and reading this blog...this card is for you! Enjoy.

Little Vase Pick Me Up!

I love the look and feel of having fresh cut flowers around the house but I am always struggling for a cute vase. Well, Stampin' Up! has the cure for that dilemma. Check out their quick and simple idea for a bud vase. I will be picking these up while you are looking!

Paper

• Greenhouse Gala Designer Series paper

Accessories & Tools

• Certainly Celery 5/8" satin ribbon

Instructions

1. Wrap Designer Series paper around vase, and adhere ends together.
2. Tie ribbon around vase.

Card Folio

I love making these little card folio's. They make quick, simple and elegant gifts for friends or hostesses. I make several up at one time and add the monogram as I need them. This one happens to be for my mother-in-law. If you want to know more about them or how to make them, drop me a line and we will get together for a little session.

Sense of Time

Well, school has officially ended for this year for me! I am finished with my post-planning days and now the summer is here! I always have grandiose ideas about cleaning, re-organizing etc...Oh well, you have to set your sights high or you will never go anywhere.

This was a quick and easy card I made for the manly-man cards I need for church. I love the Sense of Time set. The colors are Whisper White and Always Artichoke.

Want instant toe nail art?

I had my toes painted the other day and decided that they needed something but I did not want to pay the extra money for their art work. I came home, dug out my rub ons and clear nail polish. I now have cute little butterflies on my toes for FREE! Thanks for looking.

Gift for a Guy Friend

I made a quick little gift for a co-worker who happens to be a man. He is always asking about making things that a decorative rather than just cards, so I whipped up this little frame for him. His favorite colors are green, brown and orange. Sorry about the photos being a little blurry, I am doing this at 5 a.m. because I could not sleep and the light is not so great so early in the a.m.

Another Elements of Style Post

This card is just 2 colors, Whisper White & Rich Razzleberry. If these colors are not your favorites, just use this same format and change the colors. It is a simple yet elegant card.

Reverse Masking

Here are the directions for reverse masking. This is a surprising simple techinque that can give quite a pop to your cards.

Directions:

1) Stamp your frame image twice: once on card stock and once on a scrap piece of paper or sticky note.

2) Cut out the middle of the frame image on your scrap paper.

3) Carefully align the mask over the original image to cover up everything outside the frame.

4) Sponge ink or stamp another image over your mask.

5) Remove mask and finish your project.

Happy Birthday Card

Aren't birthdays great! Well, I love them. The way I see things is...you either get older or you get dead! So, being a true party animal, I love to celebrate any event that is reasonable. This card was made using the single stamp from the back of the new mini called, Birthday Block for only 7.95. Remember, you can order 24/7 from my website.

Elements of Style

I just love this stamp set and will be featuring projects done using it at my workshops in June. This is the box #2 die cut from the Sizzix products that are exclusive to Stampin' Up! This was done using a soon-to-be brought back color from Stampin' Up! the DSP is from the newest mini and is called Presto Patterns. I think it is just lovely.

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Milk Carton Project

Here is a beautiful example of the great new milk carton die being used. I love the softness of teh colors and how the black just accents it so well. This project was done by Shelli at one of the workshops of a lifetime.

Punching a Long Tag

Here are the directions for punching a long tag like you might want to use as a bookmark. Enjoy~

Directions:

1) Cut a strip of card stock slightly narrower than the width of the Tag punch.

2) Pull the tail of the tag through the square end of the punch.

3) Punch the top of the tag.

New Mini Products

Here is a video from You Tube that shows a lot of the new things Stampin' Up! that are featured in the new mini. Call me to get your new mini or click on my website to order today.

I'm So Blue

I'm not really feeling blue but this card made me think of the blued because of the simple pallette of blues used on it. I know we are all going to love, love, love the new color renovation that Stampin' Up! has been cooking up for us. It makes me all the more anxious to get hold of the new catalog!

Stamps

• Hope Happens set

Paper

• Baja Breeze card stock
• Marina Mist card stock
• Night of Navy card stock
• Not Quite Navy card stock
• Whisper White card stock

Ink

• Basic Black Classic Stampin' Pad

Accessories & Tools

• Sizzix Big Shot
• Beautiful Wings Embosslits die

A Thank You Card

Aren't these colors striking? The red flower features one of the new In Colors that will be available on July 1st called Cherry Cobbler. This new color is yummy!

Stamps

• Thankful Thinking set

Paper

• Cherry Cobbler card stock
• Old Olive card stock
• Pumpkin Pie card stock
• So Saffron card stock
• Pumpkin Pie Patterns Designer Series paper

Ink

• Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad

Accessories & Tools

• Linen thread
• Playground Designer buttons
• Stampin' Dimensionals
• Mat Pack
• Paper-piercing tool
• 5-Petal Flower punch
• Extra-Large Fancy Flower punch
• Scallop Edge punch
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Flower Layers w/Leaf Bigz die
• Flower Layers Originals die

Paper Bag Scrapbook for Mom

This is a paper bag scrapbook I made some time ago to give to my mom. The only thing is, I don't have any photos of her! When visiting with her for mother's day she told me that they were too poor for cameras or pictures when we were growing up! So, I am going to have to embellish it as best I can with only a few shots of her. It will be a challenge. But I am sharing the book anyway. BTW, it is not Stampin' Up! papers. I still think it is a keeper.

Tropical Card Party

I have scheduled another class for the month of May and it features cards made from the Thoroughly Modern DSP and stamped using the Eastern Blooms set. I love the tropical look of this set and I think you will too. This class will be on Tuesday, May 18th at 7 p.m. We will be making 4 cards with envelopes, decorating a gussetted pouch and making a mini journal folder with matching pen all for only $20. Take a peek and sign up now for this fun class.

A Stampin' Up! Cake

With this beauty, you can have your cake, but I don't think you would want to eat it! I mean, how does one count the points in a paper cake? Stampin' Up! made this cake as an inspiration to demonstrators in their monthly magazine called Stampin' Success. I just thought it was so beautiful that I would share it with all of you. Enjoy!

Mini Scrapbook Class

I am promoting the National Scrapbooking Month by hosting a mini scrapbook class this Saturday, May 15th at my home. This class will start at 10 a.m. and you should be able to walk away with a completed 20 page, 6x6 mini scrapbook with everything but photos and journaling by noon time. The cost will be $20 and it will make a great end of the year teacher gift or a book for any occasion. The colors are barely banana, whisper white, certainly celery, old olive and baja blue. I hope you will be able to make this one. Please RSVP or you can email me. My address is:
judilsparks@hotmail.com. I hope to see you on Saturday.

It's Graduation Time

Working in the school system sure keeps me abreast of the graduation and end of school year times. Well, we always do a big celebration at our church for the graduates and I try to make and give cards to all of them. This little card I cased straight from the back of the latest Stampin' Up! mini catalog. I changed a couple of colors of cardstock to help me deplete my retiring colors. I used Confetti Cream for the base, then I used Pumpkin Pie, Real Red and Close to Cocoa. I colored the stamp using my Stampin' Markers, punched a star and added the red button from the Playground button assortment.

A Wedding Card and a few Tradtions

I went to a wedding on Saturday afternoon and of course, I cried! Weddings are so emotional and there are so many traditions revolving around weddings. Here are a few of the traditions explained. Also, feast your eyes on this card I made.

1. Wedding Tradition: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Lucky Sixpence in Her Shoe

This popular rhyme originated in the Victorian area. Something Old - represents the link to the bride's old life and her family. Something New - signifies the couple's new life together as well as their hope for the future. Something Borrowed - originates from the idea that borrowing something from a happily married woman will impart similar happiness to the new bride. Something Blue - represents fidelity, love, and purity. Lucky Sixpence in her Shoe - signifies wealth, both financial wealth and a wealth of happiness.

2. Wedding Tradition - Bride and Groom Not Seeing Each Other Before the Ceremony

This tradition stems from the early days of arranged marriages - when the bride and groom's first meeting occurred at the wedding. The two were kept from seeing each other to prevent the groom from bolting should he not like the look of his new bride.

3. Wedding Tradition - Bridal Bouquet

The first bridal bouquet did not consist of wedding flowers. Instead, wedding bouquets were originally made of strong herbs such as thyme and garlic meant to ward off evil spirits.

4. Wedding Tradition - Throwing Rice

As rice is considered a "life giving" seed, it is thought that by throwing it on the couple they will be bestowed with fertility and have many children.

5. Wedding Tradition - Bridal Shower
Tradition states that the first bridal shower was given to a poor couple in Holland who was denied the bridal dowry because of the groom's lowly miller status. The miller's friends gathered to "shower" the bride with items she'd need to make a new home and enter into marriage.

6. Wedding Tradition - Getaway Car - Cans Tied To The Bumper

One wedding tradition of the Middle Ages was to ward off evil spirits by banging pots and making a lot of noise after the ceremony. This custom has been replaced by tying tin cans to the bumper of the car transporting the bride and groom.

7. Wedding Tradition - Garter Toss

Garter-throwing derives from an English ritual called "flinging the stocking." Guests would playfully invade the bridal chamber and grab the bride's stockings, and then they took turns sitting at the foot of the bed flinging the stockings over the heads of the couple. Whoever's stocking landed on the bride's or the groom's nose would be the next to wed.

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/weddings-articles/wedding-traditions-7-common-wedding-customs-explained-742941.html#ixzz0mFtWBZpL

Manhattan Flower textured rose card

I also shamelessly cased this card from Shelli. I may have changed the colors or words slightly to make it my own. I used Pixie Pink and Basic Gray for this card. I also used the Big Shot and embossed a rose with Whisper White. I then water colored the rose using a few colors of ink, added the Basic Gray taffeta ribbon and the words from the Nature Silhouettes stamp set using White Kraft ink.

A CASE from Shelli

I have been following Shelli's blog since she started it but lately she has been doing what she calls "The Workshop of a Lifetime" with a group of stampers who recruited the most recruits over a certain period of time. What happens is, she goes to their home and does a workshop for her friends. She asks that at least 1/2 of the guests be new to stamping. This is one of the cards she made at a workshop using the new set, Flowers Awash. It will be in the new catalog and I have it now (a pre-purchase). I used Whisper White, Basic Black and Crushed Curry along with the yummy 1 1/4" Basic Black striped ribbon. I love 2-step stamping because you stamp an image and stamp it with the colored part and boom...you are done!

Basic Scrapbooking Video

Preserving memories in scrapbooks can seem like a daunting task, but in this video Carrie Cudney reveals some secrets on how you can make scrapbooking easy. Isn’t it fun to get together with friends and stamp? If you book your own workshop, you could get all of your friends and family together, learn more stamping techniques, and earn free products!

Click here to see this informative video.

Instructions for above pictured page.

Genuine Scrapbook Page
1. Adhere photos to 8" x 8" Old Olive textured card stock page.
2. Adhere ( 1/2" x 8") strip of Designer Series paper next to photos on page. Overlap strip with Old Olive 1/4" grosgrain ribbon and secure with staples.
3. Use Full Heart punch to cut out two hearts: one from Melon Mambo card stock and one from Melon Mambo textured card stock. Cut smooth card stock heart in strips and adhere strips in stripe pattern on textured heart cutout. Adhere heart to page using Stampin’ Dimensionals.
4. Stamp images and sentiments on Whisper White card stock in Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, and Tempting Turquoise ink.
5. Use Large Oval, My Way, and 1-1/4" Circle punches and Paper snips to cut out sentiments.
6. Adhere arrow, circle, and “you” stamped images to rectangle stamped image.
7. Use Trio Flower punch to punch small flower from Melon Mambo textured card stock. Attach flower to rectangle image using Silver brad.
8. Attach cut-out collage and large oval to page using Stampin’ Dimensionals.
9. Attach button over ribbon with Glue Dots.
10. Add journaling using an Old Olive Stampin’ Write marker.

May is Scrapbooking Month

May is National Scrapbooking Month--the perfect time for you to show your love to others by beginning a new scrapbook or doing a little catching up!

To assist you in this, Stampin' Up! offering a special promotion for the month of May: purchase a qualifying scrapbooking stamp set or the My Digital Studio software and receive a FREE package of Designer brads--choose from four designs!

Stamp sets

Page	Description	Wood-Mount Item	Wood-Mount Price	Clear-Mount Item	Clear-Mount Price
81	Extreme Elements	115181	$26.95	---	---
119	Framed with Love**	114389	$27.95	---	---
128	Certified**	113706	$27.95	---	---
129	Circle Circus	115778	$28.95	---	---
12*	Elements of Style	118611	$27.95	120045	$19.95
13*	Mementos	119910	$27.95	120105	$19.95
13*	Elements de style	119900	$27.95	120099	$19.95
14*	Rough Type	118659	$26.95	120072	$18.95
22*	Sentimental Journey	118513	$23.95	120075	$17.95
25*	First Day	118521	$23.95	120051	$17.95
25*	Camino a la Escuela	120152	$23.95	120154	$17.95

*From Summer Mini Catalog
**Last Chance stamp set!

My Digital Studio software

Page	Description	Item	Price
32*	My Digital Studio	118108	$79.95

*From Summer Mini Catalog

Designer brads

Page	Description	Item	Retail Price	Price with Qualifying Purchase
179	Flower Designer brads	112579	$5.95	FREE
179	Filigree Designer brads	112577	$5.95	FREE
179	Circle Designer brads	112571	$5.95	FREE
179	Star Designer brads	112572	$5.95	FREE

A Mother's Day card

We also made this Mother's Day card during our Stamp-a-Stack. Of course, not everyone still has a mom or a dad so I offered substitute words. This one used Pale Plum, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive and Whisper White cardstock and/or inks. The set is called Messages for Mom and the love you is from the Well Scripted set. In case you have forgotten, Mother's Day is Sunday, May 9th.

A Baby Card

I recently did a Stamp-a-Stack called...Babies, Brides, Moms, Dads and Grads. I posted last week the sneak peek of the Father's Day card and promised I would post more of the cards after the event. So, this is the baby card we made. I think it is really cute! I used a Whisper White card, Sage Shadow, Cameo Coral, Brocade Blue, and Apricot Appeal. I tied a satin ribbon at the top to add to the softness of the card. The stamp set is called Fox and Friends. I hope this cutie (stamp set) makes it into the new catalog!

A Fond Farewell

As the end of the Stampin' Up! catalog approaches, we need to take a good look at our color inventory. Is there a favorite color that you turn to over and over? Maybe an upcoming event that you were planning to use a color for? Well, I am posting the farewell colors here in black and white (actually in full color) so that you won't be able to say...You didn't tell me! The final day to order these color products will be June 30th. You might not want to wait until the last minute to order. I mean what if it is only until the inventory is depleted! That would be YIKES! Click here for my website or call me!