Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge - Sweet Scoops!

Hey there stamping friends! So glad you stopped by the blog today - I have a fun little surprise for you along with the Stamping 411 sketch card today. :) heehee, I love surprises!

So, here is the sketch that Selene gave us to work with:

And here is my card:

Well, do you see the surprise?!
Yep - I've used Pink Pirouette and Riding Hood Red on my card today. What? They are retired In Colors you say?
Oh, not so fast my fine stamping friends.....
Just this week Stampin' Up! announced their fantabulous Color Renovation!
Beginning July 1st all of SU!'s color families are being revamped and updated to give us the best color line-up in the industry! And I am doing the happy dance because they are bringing back SEVERAL of the retired In Colors and the two I've used today are part of the pack! The best part - they will be part of the core color line-up so they won't be going away in a year! Yahoo!! Love me some Riding Hood Red! :)
If you are a regular read of my blog, I'll be back with full info and color charts for you in the next few days - I don't want you to miss a thing. But for now, on to my card details....

To view all my supplies and measurements, check out the supply list at the bottom of this post.
My card was built on a base of Kraft cardstock with a layer of Whisper White which had been dry embossed with my Big Shot and Perfect Polka Dots folder. I then used my Stampin' Sponge and rubbed Pink Pirouette ink all over the front to make the dots stand out.

The Pink Pirouette cardstock layer was punched across the top with the Eyelet Border Punch and I wrapped the bottom with a piece of Kraft Taffeta Ribbon. The bow is also in Kraft Taffeta and I stamped the greeting with the Tiny Tags stamp set in Riding Hood Red ink. It was also sponged with Pink Pirouette ink on the edges. It was punched out with the Jewelry Tag punch and I attached it to the bow with a Mini Glue Dot.

My focal image was stamped with a new stamp set called Sweet Scoops which is coming out on May 1st in the Summer Mini Catalog. You will love this stamp set!
I stamped the images using my Stamp-a-ma-Jig tool and then cut a mask for the ice cream so I could add the sprinkles. I just used a post-it note for my mask. The sprinkles were jazzed up with some Dazzling Diamonds and my 2 Way Glue Pen.
I sponged this image a bit on the edges with more Pink Pirouette, then layered it on a piece of Riding Hood Red cardstock. Both were punched with the Ticket Corner Punch before layering. The whole Pink Pirouette layer is popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals to make it stand out.

I was so happy because this card turned out exactly like I had imagined it in my head! It reminds me of an old fashioned soda and ice cream shop with the colors and those polka-dots, what do you think?

Be sure to hop over to Stamping 411 so you can see what the rest of the operators designed for us this week. While you are there, you can play along with us! Just create your project, upload it online and link back to the Stamping 411 blog using the Mr. Linky widget we provide for you - easy peasy! The hardest part is just getting started! :)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone -
~~Robin

Supplies - All SU!
Stamps: Sweet Scoops, Tiny Tags
Cardstock: Kraft 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" folded to make an A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Whisper White 4" x 5 1/4"
Pink Pirouette 3" x 4 3/4" before punching the border, finished length is 4 1/2"
Riding Hood Red 2 1/2" x 3"
Whisper White 2" x 2 1/2"
Inks: Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Soft Suede (stamped off one time for cone)
Accessories: Big Shot with Perfect Polka Dots folder; Ticket Corner Punch, Jewelry Tag Punch, Eyelet Border Punch; Dazzling Diamonds Glitter and 2 Way Glue Pen; Stamp-a-ma-Jig; Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals; Stamping Sponges

Blogger's Challenge #146 - Alter It!

TGIF!

That about sums it up about this crazy week! It has been full of ups and downs, mostly ups thank goodness, but I'm not sad to see Friday come. I have a date with my handsome hubby tonight and neither of us is working all weekend! Yahoo! We might even get our garden planted, I can taste those home-grown tomatoes now!

So this week, our Blogger's Challenge Mom, Lisa, gave us one of my favorite challenges - Alter It! I love to take something that is, well, not so great and turn it into something that is. And it's appropriate that one of my favorite challenges is this week - because it is my last with the Blogger's Challenge group.
I've been doing these Friday challenges for longer than I can remember and they have pushed me so very far creatively and made me a better artist and stamper in the process. But, in all honesty, I need to shed some commitments in order to focus better on other things. While I'll still be stamping and sharing here on Fridays (and all week), I won't feel bad if I can't meet this particular commitment each week. Someone famous once said that "Time is our greatest commodity" and boy, is that ever true. Now maybe I can redeem some of it! :)

Speaking of time, here is the item I altered this week:

And here is my final piece:

I KNOW! It was a shame to cover up Zac Efron's face, but he's in love with himself, oops, I mean Vanessa, so get over him already! :)
And really, don't you like the clock so much better now?
I was going to give this to my daughter for her bedroom, but I may just have to keep it in the studio since it turned out so cute!

So, the short story of how I did it was to first disassemble the clock and work with just the face and hands. Since the hands were already secured to the face, I had to work with them in place. Using the glass clock cover, I traced it with pencil on a piece of Sending Love Specialty DSP - which is NOT just for Valentine's Day! I then trimmed it out using my Paper Snips, cutting inside the circle so it would be sure to fit easily. Then, I lined up the edges and creased the paper slightly in the middle without actually folding it all the way. I opened it up and did this again the opposite way so it would make a little 'X' fold in the exact center. Once I had this mark, I took my 1/2" Circle Punch and folding the paper again on one side of the 'X' slid the punch up halfway and added my circle to the middle of the paper. Does that make sense? If not, let me know and I'll do it again on some other paper and take pictures for you.
Anyway, once I had that hole, I was able to simply bring all the clock hands together and slide the paper over them through the hole. I glued the dsp down with Tombow Adhesive and proceeded to decorate!

The little pink rhinestones were actually on the original clock, I just picked them off so I could re-use them. I stuck them down with Mini Glue Dots. The butterflies were made with a piece of Roof Flashing that I ran through my Big Shot with the Beautiful Butterflies die and then again with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. I bent them slightly at the center and curved the wings before mounting them to the clock face with more Mini Glue Dots.
That's it! All in all, very simple to do once I figured out the paper thingy.

I hope you've enjoyed my project today - I sure had fun making it - be sure to check out all the other Blogger's Challenge players by clicking the link on my sidebar. I know they will have some fabulous altered items to share with you!

Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

UDI Inspiration Challenge - Tiptoe Thru the Tulips!

So, as I mentioned yesterday, there hasn't been much stamping going on around the ol' studio this week, I've been working, you can count on that, but stamping - not so much! :)
However, here comes Thursday and I HAD to get creative for the UDI Blog Inspiration Challenge. Especially when I saw this photo that Maria chose for us to work from. I love the clean, crisp look of those brightly hued tulips against the white background - don't you?

As I was thinking about where to go with the photo creatively, I remembered a stamp set that I honestly hadn't used since Christmas 2008 - yes, really! I know, I could hardly believe it either!
So, I pulled out A Flower for All Seasons and was able to come up with this card here:

Do you likey? :) Me likey very much, I just hope my Mother-In-Law will!
Even though my card takes a more feminine, sweet turn than I had originally intended, I {heart} the end result! And the best part is that I got to use some supplies that I'd only glanced at since I'd bought them - with grand intentions mind you! Nonetheless, this is the first time I'd used either the Hugs or Kisses notes from the Mini Catalog and I for sure don't know what was holding me back - these are fabulous!

I stamped the basket of tulips with Black Staz-On on the little Kisses note with the help of my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig and colored it in with ink refills and my Blender Pen. Refills are so important in stamping because you can do so much with them besides ink your pads. They are great for watercoloring, dying ribbon, coloring Crystal Effects for colored, glossy embellishments, I could go on and on..... but I won't!

So, after coloring my image, I used Stampin' Dimensionals to mount it on a Hugs note that I'd run through my Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots folder. I'd used my Horizontal Slot punch to make two slots for the ribbon - top and bottom - and threaded it through before mounting my stamped piece. The ribbon was then wrapped around the piece of Creamy Caramel cardstock that I'd texturized with my Big Shot and the basketweave looking Texturz Plate. I sponged it lightly with Creamy Caramel ink to give it depth and texture. Do you ever wonder what you'd do without your Big Shot? I sure do - how did I ever create without it?
Anyway, the white strip beside the ribbon is a piece of Whisper White cardstock punched with the Eyelet Border punch and I'd adhered it to the caramel carstock before the other layers went down.

The two finishing touches on this card are the bow, which I tied using my simple bow tying technique - you can view the video tutorial here - and the greeting. It is stamped with a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes and punched out with the Word Window punch and layered on a piece of Melon Mambo punched out with the Modern Label punch. I love this punch layer combo!
And that's it for this card! It's a lot of steps, but really such a simple card to construct - maybe we'll do it at Just Cards this month, would you like that? Well be sure to let me know and be sure to RSVP - it's Tuesday, April 20th at either 10 am or 7 pm.

Now, go check out the other UDI Inspiration Team and see what they were inspired to create this week! My supply list is below if you'd like it!
Happy Stamping everyone,
~~Robin

Supplies:
Stamps: A Flower for All Seasons, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Inks: Black Staz-On; Green Galore, Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, Lavender Lace, Ballet Blue, Creamy Caramel refill inks
Cardstock: Hugs and Kisses notes, Creamy Caramel, Whisper White
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Texturz plates, Stamping Sponges, Melon Mambo Polka-Dot Ribbon, Mini-Glue Dots, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, Blender Pen, Horizontal Slot Punch

A Little Stamped Love

One of the things I've enjoyed most about being a demo with Stampin' Up! is all the wonderful friendships that I've formed with fellow demos from all over the globe! I love my peeps and love to keep in touch with them via e-mail, phone and sending RAK's. (random acts of kindness cards)
Lately, I've been the recipient of many RAK's from my gal pals and wanted to share them with you here today.
Please know that I DID NOT create these cards, even though my watermark is on them - it is simply there to protect the artwork of the artist. (To tell you the truth, my pal Selene created my watermark for me and I don't know how to adjust it or recreate it with someone else's name on it! Hey, my skills are in paper crafting - not computers! LOL!)

Here are the gorgeous cards I've received lately, I've linked the artist's blog (if they have one) with their name so you can go check them out!

Easter Card by Tiffany Bauer

Friend card by Tiffany Bauer

Embossed Metal Flower card by Tara Bazata

Vintage Butterfly Friend card by Selene Kempton

Contemporary Butterfly Friend card by Selene Kempton

Embossed White Butterfly card by Karen Duke

Vintage Friend CD Folder by Jan McClurg

Aren't these just the most wonderful projects? You can see why I treasure them and the friends that made them!
Have a wonderful day everyone! I'll be back tomorrow with some wonderful news and this week's UDI Inspiration Challenge project!
~~Robin

AWOL.....Not Really!

I hope you weren't wondering where I was yesterday! I had planned to get some stamping done, but there has been a little buzz in Stampin' Up! land about this waaay cool Color Renovation and I was a little busy Monday and Tuesday........ :) More great info for you about THAT later!

So, no, I didn't stamp a THING the past two days and it about killed me, but I do have some fabulous RAK's that I've received lately that I'm going to post in a little bit just so you have some eye candy, ok?

For now, let me leave you with a funny, but oh, too true story that happened to me yesterday - if you are a busy Mom, or have been, you will sooooo relate:

This just proves that I am losing my mind:

(Picking up Emma at the bus stop to go to the ice rink in Fairfax)
Me: "Hey Em, I've got your snack and skating stuff, how was school?"

Em: "Great Mom, thanks! School was good." (puts in ipod earphones and tunes me out)

Now we drive 50 minutes to the rink.......
Pulling up at the front door with minutes to spare

Me: "Ok, hop out and go change while I park."

Em: "Ok Mom. Hey, where are my skates?".... ........ ..

Yeah, that's what I said too! LOL !

Back later with some great cards to show you!
~~Robin

Elegant Wedding Card

Happy Monday Stampers!
Is today your last day of spring break too? I am missing the slower pace of last week already - but the Stampin' Up! cruise is less than 20 days away now, so there is that to look forward to!

Today's card for you is short, sweet and simple! With wedding season approaching I thought I'd share a card you can literally make in less than 10 minutes! AND it uses heat embossing AND glitter! Yeah!

I started with a piece of 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" Shimmer White cardstock - love this cardstock for making more elegant cards - and folded it in half to create a standard A2 card. These fit in the Medium Stampin' Up! envelopes.

For the main image, I stamped the large flower from the Wedding Sweet stamp set using Versamark ink. I then added Heat and Stick Embossing Powder to it and with my Heat Tool, warmed it until it melted. The trick to this powder is to not overheat it or it loses it's stickiness.

Then, I took out my Fine Cosmo glitter and sprinkled it liberally all over the heated image, tapping off the excess into my Powder Pal tray. I then reheated it with the Heat Tool, setting the glitter into the image.

The greeting (from Teeny Tiny Wishes) was stamped with Black Staz-On ink onto a scrap of Shimmer White then punched out with the Modern Label punch. It is popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals. Lastly, my ribbon knot is simply a piece of White Organza ribbon tied around the front of the card and knotted by the greeting.
Clean, simple and elegant!
(Note: the only thing I added after the photo was taken was to round the four corners of the card with my Corner Rounder punch. I thought it looked better with the flowy image.)

I'll be filming another video this week and was thinking about showing you how to cover Chipboard, but maybe I'll do it on using Heat and Stick powder instead. Let me know what you would like to see!
Have a great Easter Monday everyone - stamped blessings!
~~Robin

The Miracle of Easter Sunday

"In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song.
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied.
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain.....

Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again.
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me.
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me.
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand,
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

Wishing you and yours a blessed, Glorious Easter!
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

~~Robin