Casing in the Tropics!

You have to see this very fun card that I cased from fellow demo, Lynn Weiss. I just love her stamping and when I saw this card on her blog, I just knew my card camp gals would love it too!

My card is a bit different than Lynn's original version, I had to put my own little touches on it you know! :)
I loved the idea of carrying over the flowers from the background stamping onto the focal piece. So I stamped these with Rose Red ink on Whisper White cardstock and trimmed them out with my Paper Snips. They are attached with Stampin' Dimensionals.

I also replaced Lynn's brads with some Hemp Twine wrapped and knotted around the panel. I frazzled out the ends to make it look a bit worn and it really added something to the finished card.
The gals at stamp camp loved making this bright, fun card and I'm so happy that Lynn shared her original idea with us!

Have a great evening everyone!
Blessings,
Robin

Easy Breezy Birthday Card

Good morning stampers!
Want to see a super easy card?!

I received a version of this card in a recent swap and the original designer did not include their name with it. I'd love to credit you, so please let me know if it was your project, ok?

The card starts with a simple base of Whisper White. The next layer is a piece of Gable Green, which is retiring this month. That layer was stamped with the palm frond from Tropical Party in Gable Green ink.
I used my Big shot to cut out two pieces, the Melon Mambo Scalloped Circle and the Whisper White circle. I stamped the birthday greeting from the On Your Birthday stamp set on the white cardstock piece. The image was colored with Stampin' Write Markers - Gable Green and Melon Mambo. These two pieces were layered together and then onto the Gable Green panel and I used my Paper Snips to trim off the excess at the bottom.

A piece of Melon Mambo ribbon was wrapped around the panel and I added a smaller piece for a 'faux bow' effect. The flower is also from the Tropical Party stamp set and is simply stamped in Melon Mambo ink on white cardstock. I trimmed it out, added a green brad to the center and popped it up on a Stampin' Dimensional.
After stamping an additional flower on the inside of the card, it was done - super easy!
If you like this card, then come to Just Cards class this month - you'll be making this beauty!

Thanks for stopping in to visit today!
Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge - For Tiffany

Hey there stamping friends - I want to begin this post with a shout out to my BFF Tiffany Bauer and her daughter Jordan. Jordan was seriously injured in an ATV accident over the Memorial Day holiday and was airlifted to the nearest children's hospital for surgery and treatment.
God is so good and brought little Jordan (she is 8) through the surgery with flying colors and she has been improving daily! She is looking at a long recovery period, but thankfully, WILL recover! We have been praying hard for Jordan, Tiffany and the rest of their family and will continue to do so. Please join me and the rest of the Stamping 411 team in wishing Jordan a speedy recovery and her family the strength and rest they need.
Tiffany, we love you guys!

Now, how about some stampin'?!
Here is this week's awesome sketch:

And as you can see, I had to turn it MY way again! :)
I had so much fun making this card! I used a great combination of old and new products. You know, just because stamps and things retire doesn't mean they aren't cool anymore. There are some stamp sets that I will NEVER part with - they are just timeless, easy to work with and are very, very dear to me. Kind of like old friends, ya know?!
Kind of like Tiffany, who I made this for.

I started with a card base of Kraft cardstock (soon to be called Crumb Cake) and cut an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of cardstock lengthwise at 4 1/4" x 11". This was folded in half to make an A2 size card - 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". Next, I ran the card front only through my Big Shot with one of the Texturz Plates, creating this lovely vintage background. I then pulled out one of the new colors - Marina Mist - it is so yummy! Using a Stamping Sponge, I rubbed the ink on all four edges and across the card front to bring out the dry embossing.

Then, I cut a piece of the new Cajun Craze cardstock at 2 1/4" x 4 1/4" and layered it with a piece of the gorgeous new Designer Series Paper called Greenhouse Gala. This dsp is just da' bomb! I love every piece in it and that's saying something! You are going to just drool when you get your very own package, trust me!
Anyway, that piece was cut at 2" x 4 1/4" and they both were layered on the card front with SNAIL adhesive.

Now, check out the photo below. At the left, you see a little slit in the folded card edge. That was made by using the Horizontal Slit Punch and just barely nipping a piece out of the fold with it. It's the perfect way to run a length of ribbon around a card front without messing up the card. Now folks, this punch is on the retiring list and I can't tell you how often I use it for just this purpose, so contact your local demonstrator and get one if you don't already own one - it's a bargain and you WILL use it, I promise!

So, after I punched out the slit, I ran a piece of Kraft Taffeta (also retiring - a BIG BOOHOO about that!) about 19" long and knotted it off on the right hand side. The ends were trimmed with Paper and Craft Scissors, also known around here as the "ribbon" scissors. Nothing works better for ribbon than those!

For my focal image, I turned to an old stamping friend that is on the retiring list as well - True Friend. I have used the dickens out of this set and it was perfect for what I had in mind for this card. I first stamped the large medallion image on Whisper White cardstock using Marina Mist ink. Then I took a Sponge Dauber and added Cajun Craze to the center and used another dauber to add Marina Mist around the outside. This was stamped on a white scrap and trimmed out with my Paper Snips. I added a Vintage Brad to the center and popped it up Stampin' Dimesionals. After stamping just the stem from the flower image in Old Olive ink, I adhered it to the Whisper White panel, turning it slightly so the background flower would show.
The White panel was sponged lightly with my new Crumb Cake ink pad and then adhered to pieces of Marina Mist and Cajun Craze cardstock.

Finally the greeting comes from the Hard to Say stamp set and was stamped in Cajun Craze ink on Whisper White. I added some more Crumb Cake sponging to this banner too before curling it with my Bone Folder and trimming the ends into flags. The banner was adhered to the main panel with Mini Glue Dots.

So, that's pretty much it for this week's card - I sure hope you like it and I really hope Tiffany will like it too - It's on it's way to you gf, with lots of love inside!

Be sure to visit the Stamping 411 blog and see what the other operators created this week too and while you're there, we've set up a special Well Wishes place on the right hand side bar so you can send your greetings along to Jordan and her family!

Stamped Blessings,
~~Robin

It's Elementary! - Once in a Lifetime Charity Raffle

Good morning Stampers!

I have something very exciting to share with you today!

Have you looked with longing at the beautiful Patent Leather Purse that was gifted to all the attending Cruise Achievers this year? Have you wished you could own one for yourself?
OR, maybe the idea of the purse doesn't do a thing for you, but the thought of owning a Big Shot Die Cutting Machine does!

Well, stampers and friends, read on and find out how YOU might be able to own what you've been longing for AND help out a worthy cause in the process......

I am holding a raffle to benefit the Emmanuel Christian School Elementary Art Department. Emmanuel Christian School (ECS) is a ministry of my church and is a fully accredited Christian School through ACSI. It has served the community in and around Manassas, VA for many, many years and is a full K-3 through 12th Grade school.
As a ministry of the church, ECS relies on student enrollment and donations to fund the schools programs. When there is a shortfall, some things have to be scaled back and unfortunately, the Art Department is one of them. I sing in the church choir with the Elementary Art Teacher and it came to my attention recently that art supplies were very much needed. So, thinking a bit about how I could help, I decided to give up one of my treasures in order to help the school and it's students create some of their own.

Here are some photos of the beautiful purse that was designed especially for cruise achievers:

This the purse along with the custom cloth storage bag - stunning isn't it?

A close up of the Silver Logo Plate on the front and the beautifully done hardware:

I love the sheen and the richness of the color on this bag!

Here is a view of that gorgeous tropical cloth interior!

This bag is so roomy, there are three pockets inside, two open and one zippered!
Enough room to hold all your essentials and then some!

Look, there is even a Leather stamped Logo patch on the inside! The custom details on this bag are amazing!

Just one more view for you from the side:

I thought the drawstring detailing was just so stylish and chic - really on trend!
It is so hard for me to part with this wonderful gift from Stampin' Up! but I so want to help ECS, I knew that by offering something as fabulous as this, it would make the raffle a huge success!

And for those of you who are more interested in something crafty, I'm also raffling off a Big Shot Die Cut Machine!Yes, there will be TWO WINNERS drawn!
The first winner will have the choice of EITHER PRIZE, the second winner will receive the remaining one!
The winners will be notified personally by me on Saturday, June 19th. The last day to purchase tickets is Friday, June 18th at Midnight est!
(The winner of the Big Shot must be a resident of the US.)

Please contact me to purchase your raffle tickets. I can accept cash or check only.

ALL proceeds from this raffle will be used to purchase needed Art Supplies for Emmanuel Christian School. This is your opportunity to open your hearts and help the kids at ECS create from theirs. I know and love you, my friends, stampers and faithful blog readers - I know you will help and I'm excited to see what we can provide for the school!

This raffle begins today and will end on Friday, June 18th at Midnight est.
So, spread the word, tell your friends, send them the link to this post but most of all, help me to help ECS!

Again, I can't thank you enough for what I KNOW you will do to help ECS!
You are all a blessing to me and I'm so grateful for you!

Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

UDI Inspiration Challenge - Foxes?

Hey stampers - how's it going?

I had a great Wednesday - had my FREE New Spicy Chicken Sandwich from Chick-Fil-A for lunch and it was yummy! I will definitely order it again even without the coupon! :) Then I got my hair cut, believe me, it needed it; came home and stamped, went to choir rehearsal and ended the evening with soft serve ice cream! Yep, a pretty awesome day!

So here we are at Thursday again and it's time for another Inspiration Challenge from the UDI Blog. When I opened this week's photo, my first thought was "Foxes in the henhouse!" then I went "Awww, they're so cute!" Because really, in this picture, they are.

But as you can see, my inspiration took me in another direction:

Ya see, I only have one fox stamp and its from the Fox and Friends set and it just wasn't calling my name, but I loved the colors in the photo and for some reason, I thought of the Owl Together Now stamp set (which is retiring, by the way!) so I pulled it out and got to work.
This stamp set is dear to me because it was given to us on the Bermuda Cruise, which was my very first one, and it's kind of been the Advisory Board's unofficial theme this year too. You know, we're "Owl Together Now!" And we have been, through thick and thin. Love those girls!

Anyway, this card ended up being kind of an homage to the retiring list since there are so many things on it that are going bye-bye. I used Close to Cocoa cardstock (which is already sold out) for the card base, Handsome Hunter cardstock and Creamy Caramel cardstock for the layers and Whisper White for the focal image panel.
I stamped the images with Basic Brown ink and colored them in with Stampin' Write Markers - Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Really Rust, More Mustard, Mellow Moss and Old Olive.

Once all the coloring was done, I adhered the panel to the Handsome Hunter layer. Then I attached the greeting which was stamped and punched and layered with the Word Window and Modern Label Punches. Next, I used my Paper Piercer to add a hole through all four layers of these pieces and threaded a piece of Linen Thread through it, wrapping it around and knotting it off.

Once I had that done, I added a 5/8" Chocolate Chip Brad to the hole. The entire focal panel was then mounted with Stampin' Dimensionals on the Creamy Caramel layer which I'd run through the Big Shot to texturize. For that, I used that wonderful new Lattice Impressions Folder that's in the Summer Mini - Love it and in this case, it MADE the card!

And it also finished the card!
So, no foxes, but some really cute owls! I wish they weren't retiring this set, but at least I have mine and I'll be holding on to this one, so if you want it, you need to order it, ok? :)

Take a minute to stop by the UDI Blog and check out what the other designers did with those cute foxes! I'm sure there will be some great ideas shared!
I have a fun announcement planned for tomorrow, so be sure to come back and read all about it - it's your chance to help out a very worthy cause and maybe get something fun for yourself in the process!
Blessings everyone!
~~Robin

On the CASE - Graduation Card

Happy Wednesday Stampers!
I know it's been since FRIDAY night that I've posted an actual stamped project for you - oh, the horror! Actually, I know you will understand when I tell you that I had a very enjoyable, relaxing holiday weekend spending time with my family and some friends too. We putzed around the house on Saturday, working in the yard and doing laundry and cleaning - then it was off to Emma's synchro team practice. We haven't spent time with her team in a while and it was very fun to go out to dinner with a few of the families afterwards and catch up.
Sunday we had church which was AWESOME! Our youth pastor delivered the sermon and it was, well, AWESOME! Then we had a picnic on the grounds and had a wonderful time visiting with friends. It would have been really wonderful if I could have gotten an entire piece of Laura's Peanut Butter Pie, but our worship pastor decided he needed to take it all home with him, so I only got a forkful! That's ok Pastor Scott once on the lips, forever on the hips! :) Better yours than mine!
And Monday, my Mom and Dad drove up and barbequed with us - baby back ribs and chicken - Yum-O! The best part was seeing my Dad actually eat a decent meal. After his terrible health ordeal over the past months just seeing him actually be able to eat was the best memory of my Memorial Day this year.
So, did you have a great weekend too?

Now that you've seen all the news that's not really fit to print - how about a card?!

When I spoke at Jan Wakeland's meeting last month, I noticed a beautiful graduation card done by Keri Blake and I loved it so much I took note of it so I could CASE it for my May Just Cards Classes. Well, this is my version and I hope I did her original card justice. The gals in card class just loved it and I know you will too!

The folded card base is Basic Gray, layered with Naturals White (inside layer as well). The left panel is Sahara Sand stamped with the Medallion background and heat embossed with the Heat Tool and Silver Embossing Powder. I matted this on a piece of Real Red. The center piece is the compass image from Sentimential Journey - I loved how Keri turned the Medallion into a large compass, that's what really turned my head about this card. I've stamped my compass with Real Red ink on Sahara Sand cardstock, punched it out with the 1" Circle Punch and added a Silver Brad to the center before popping it up with a Stampin' Dimensional.

The ribbon accent is Basic Gray Satin Ribbon wrapped and knotted around the Naturals White layer. I used my Paper and Craft Scissors to flag the ends. The greeting is simply the single stamp Happy Grad from the Summer Mini Catalog. It's inked with Basic Gray ink, stamped on a piece of Naturals White and layered on a piece of Real Red. I used my Mat Pack Template and Paper Piercer to add two Silver Brads then mounted the entire piece on the card front with some more Stampin' Dimensionals.

So there you go - another example of why when you are a demonstrator, you don't have to come up with all the ideas yourself! I hope Keri likes my version of the card as much as I liked hers! Thanks for the fabulous creativity Keri!

And thank you blog readers and friends for stopping in today! I'll be getting some stamping done this afternoon so be sure to come back tomorrow to see what the UDI Inspiration challenge has inspired me to create! Should be fun!
Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Stampin' Up! Last Chance Lists are Here!

This is it stampers! The Last Chance Lists are here!
Retiring Stamp Sets, Retiring Accessories, Retiring Decor Elements and Definitely Decorative Items - Some items are even on SALE up to 50% off!
Simply click on the photo above to visit my website. There you can use the SHOP NOW button to view all of the LAST CHANCE items available to you.

Remember, Accessories will sell out QUICKLY, so move those to the top of your wish lists!
If you are on my client list and didn't receive the Special Offer e-mail I sent this morning, please contact me!

Happy Stampin' and Shopping today folks!
~~Robin