Mini Butterfly Cards and Box

So, I've been on a bit of a butterfly kick lately.

That's not exactly a bad thing - I don't know about you, but I am SO ready for butterflies for real! Summer can't get here fast enough, so in lieu of warm temps and sunny skies, I've been creating my own private summer here in the studio. And sadly, yes, that includes a few moments of a real private summer! (If you are of a certain age - you'll totally get that reference!)

Anyway..........today's project is one that I saw part of this project on the blog of a talented demo from Australia, Bronwyn Eastly. She created these cute little Butterfly Easel cards and as soon as I saw her idea, I knew I had to make my own version!
This entire project - including the box I designed for them - was one that we did at my downline team meeting two weeks ago. And for all my stamping clients, you'll be seeing this at an upcoming class as well!

The project included four of the sweet little butterfly easel cards with the coordinating box and envelopes. Just adorable!

Here's a close up of my box design with the Pear Pizzazz card:

I used the Springtime Vintage Designer Paper to pull my color palette from - Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Crumb Cake - Love those colors! And I combined the color palette with one of my all time favorite stamp sets - Elements of Style - that one gets so much use in my studio, I should just leave it out on the counter!

Here's a close up of the Baja Breeze card:

Aren't they just cool~!?

My downline loved making these and I know they were anxious to do them with their stampers too! If you are one of my stampers - be watching for class info in April! Spring is on it's way!

Have a wonderful day everyone!
Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Butterfly Birthday

Hello stampin' peeps!
Have you wondered where I've been today? Sorry it took me so long to get around to posting, but I've been a busy, busy bee in the studio getting ready for Stampin' Fun at the Firehouse tomorrow night! There's still time to RSVP if you want to come stamp with us. 7 pm - 9 pm; $15 class fee, all supplies and fun included!

Oh, and we'll be making this sweet butterfly card as one of our projects!

I actually created this pair of projects over a week ago. My friend Lissa had a birthday on March 1st so I made this sweet card and cupcake box for her. I loved how the card turned out so much that I recreated it for my downline meeting swaps AND decided that my stampers should get to make it this month too! That's a lot of mileage from just one card ~!
Oh, and Lissa liked it very much, but I think she liked the cupcake best! :)

Isn't this the cutest little box?

I got the pattern from my friend Becky Roberts blog and I kind of did my own thing with it. The little box liner was made with parchment paper from my kitchen. I just cut it out with the Scalloped Circle Die and my Big Shot. I thought it would help keep the cupcake from making a mess on the inside of the box so Lissa could use it for something else if she wanted to. The box itself is constructed with Crumb Cake cardstock and I stamped all over it before assembly with the swirl from Elements of Style in Not Quite Navy ink. I used Window Sheets for the clear windows and finished it off with Baja Breeze Seam Binding.

Here's a photo of the card again:

It was really easy to do. Layers of Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy cardstock and First Edition DSP. A Crumb Cake Butterfly cut out with the Beautiful Butterflies Die and my Big Shot, then texturized with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. It's sponged lightly with Baja Breeze ink and then I added the Baja Breeze ribbon bow with Mini-Glue Dots.
I used a couple of the stamps from Nature Walk to stamp on the First Edition DSP and the greeting from Birthday Bakery was added after punching it out with the Modern Label punch.

So, there you go - proof that I really have been working and creating! And if you like the card, come on out and stamp with me tomorrow night!
As always, all the supplies I used to create these projects can be found by visiting my Stampin' Up! online store. It's open 24/7 for your convenience! Just click the SHOP NOW button at the top right of the page!

Have a great evening stampin' friends!
I'll be back tomorrow with another project for you!

Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

The Same - But Different!

Happy Friday everyone!
It's a beautiful, sunny day here - even if the temperature doesn't match the view - and I'm looking forward to the weekend! How about you? Any big plans? I'll tell you what is NOT on our calendar this weekend - skating! WooHoo! As much as I love my daughter's chosen sport, it's so nice to finally look at a weekend where we don't have to spend any time at the rink, especially one that we have to drive over an hour one way to! Can you hear the sigh of relief? Yeah......

So, in the spirit of a nice easy weekend, how about a nice easy card or two? Ok! Now we're talkin'!

I held my monthly team meeting last Saturday for my downline and we created a couple of projects together - we ALWAYS stamp when we get together! Here is one of the cards:

Ya'll know that I LOVE Clean and Simple design - even if I don't always do that style - and this card, to me, is the epitome of Clean and Simple!
We took a piece of Whisper White cardstock cut at 4 1/4" x 11" and folded it in half. The corners were shaped with the Corner Rounder Punch and then we took out the Bliss stamp set - one of the FREE ones you can get with a $50 Sale-A-Bration order! We inked up the main filigree image with Pretty in Pink classic ink and stamped it in a loose pattern on the card front. As you can tell, we masked off the lower 1 1/2" or so to leave room for the greeting.

The greeting itself came from the Something to Celebrate Hostess stamp set that you can also earn for FREE right now! (Gotta love FREE!) We stamped it in Rose Red classic ink and then pulled out the Color Spritzer Tool to add a little more interest to the card.

We used a Rose Red Stampin' Write Marker to spritz the card front, keeping the mask in place to keep the bottom area clean. And for a final touch, used a piece of Certainly Celery Satin Ribbon tied around the card and knotted off.

Isn't it lovely? Actually, this card would be perfect for a lot of occasions, but Mother's Day is coming soon, so it's never too early to share ideas for that great holiday! (I for one am looking forward to another Edible Arrangement! Last year, Mark and Emma got me a flower pot full of the most delicious Chocolate Dipped Strawberries! It was Yum-O! Ya'll can feel free to tell them that a repeat of that would not be pooh-poohed!)

So, moving on, the title of this post says the Same, but Different, right?
Well, here is the first card I'd made using the same idea template. It's actually a case of a gorgeous card by Mary Brown that I found on Stampin' Connection. Stampin' Connection is a private online inspiration site that's for Stampin' Up! Demonstrators only. It's a fabulous perk to being a demo - it's FREE for one thing - but there are literally thousands of great creative and business ideas there! Love it!

When I held my New Demonstrator training last week, we all made this card together. I love this one (and the one above) because they are simple, beautiful cards to make at parties to showcase how fun and easy stamping can be. You really don't need a lot of supplies to create something beautiful and you can also add embellishments as you wish to step up a simple card to something extraordinary!

This card used Sahara Sand cardstock, as well as the Bliss stamp set again. The greeting is in Cherry Cobbler and is from the Curly Cute greeting set. A fabulous set for all occasions! We tied the card with Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, added the Antique Brad and spritzed it with some Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spray. Simple, lovely and easy!

I hope you've enjoyed these cards today - I loved making them with my team members! As always, to purchase the stampin' supplies you need to recreate these projects, just visit my website and Online Store. It's open 24/7 so it's convenient for you! Just click on the Shop Now button at the top right of the page. And don't forget, you still have until the end of March to receive FREE Sale-A-Bration benefits for each $50 in merchandise you purchase!

Have a fabulous weekend - I'll be back with more stamping fun very soon for you! Look for a new video next week!!!

Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Love Letter from Paris

So far, so good - Thursday is starting out Migraine free! And I've already been on the computer for almost 2 hours. Let's hope it stays good!

I wanted to post this card for you yesterday, but you know, "stuff" got in the way! Hopefully you'll think it was worth waiting for! :)

Two weeks ago, I was designing for a class and had a leftover piece of Basic Black cardstock on my counter. So I pulled out a couple more supplies and came up with this:

I'm not sure what the name of this fold is, but I folded the piece of cardstock in half, then folded the front in half, back on itself. Does that make sense?

Here's a picture of it open, maybe that will help explain:

I really think the Love Letter Designer Series Paper is just the BEST! The patterns are wonderful and I love the color combo of Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black and Vanilla. Great for many styles and types of cards.

For this card, I used my Artistic Etchings stamp set combined with the frame from Notably Ornate. Can you see it in Crumb Cake on the main panel? Yeah, it's light on purpose, but it's there! I think my favorite part of this card is the Champagne Glass Glitter on the medallion:

I used a bit of Tombow Multi-Adhesive to apply it - worked like a charm!

This card has lots of little elements, but really, it came together pretty quickly. Want to find out for yourself? Well, if you attend my Just Cards class this month, you'll get to make one of your very own! The class is Monday, March 14th at 10 am and you'll create 5 beautiful cards for just $15. All supplies included! I hope you'll join me! Just send me an e-mail to RSVP!

Have a wonderful day everyone!
~~Robin

Super Fun! NOVA Demonstrator Event!!

Edited at 12:30 PM est - links have been fixed so all can view them!

Exciting News! Fun, fun, fun!!!

Calling ALL Northern Virginia Stampin' Up! Demonstrators!!


Demonstrator ONLY Shoebox Swap!


Saturday, March 26th 10am-2pm


It's time for Northern Virginia demonstrators to come together!
For the past several months, Kimberly VanDiepen and I have been tossing around the idea of holding Quarterly events for ALL area demonstrators who would like to attend, regardless of group affiliation. The purpose would be to get together, stamp and truly, share what we love to do! Kimberly and I plan to share TWO business ideas at this event too!

All the details about the event can be found HERE! You can REGISTER for the event HERE!

Please take a minute to read everything and hopefully, plan to attend! Most of all, PLEASE pass this on to the other demonstrators in our area – anyone who lives within a close enough distance to come and have some stampin' fun with us!

We are so excited about this event!!! Will you join us?
(If you are mailing your registration, please contact me for my mailing address.)

Kimberly and I can't wait to stamp with you!

~~Robin

Migraine, Migraine Go Away.......

Sorry no post today! I woke up with a migraine and have tried to push through it, but it's relentless today.
I have exciting event information for Northern VA/Metro DC area Demonstrators, but my head hurts too bad to figure out how to put the PDF file here on the blog. I'm hoping to have Mark do it when he gets home, so stay tuned. If not, check back tomorrow and reserve March 26th on your calendar!

Going to find a dark room now......
~~Robin

Hey there, Cupcake!

I know I mention my Stampin' Fools here a lot! They are one of my party groups that meet each month to stamp, stamp, stamp - they love it! And I have to say that they are just a joy to be around. We always have the best evening together and they are so good for my ego - they love everything I make. This makes my heart so happy! I'm even lucky enough to see a few of them twice a month when they come to stamp with me at the Manassas Volunteer Firehouse. Stampin' fun all around!

So this last month, Pam was the "hostess" and I wanted to create something special for her. I'd just gotten my Create a Cupcake stamp set and coordinating punch and thought I'd pull them out and see what I could do with them. I ended up making this fun covered notepad just for her!

Since I've been cleaning out the studio and slowly rearranging everything, I've 'found' a LOT of alterable items that I'd bought because I just KNEW I could do a class with them! For Pam's gift, I started with a cute notepad that was printed all over with cupcakes! Perfect!
I removed the magnetic strip from the back carefully so I could re-use it. Next, I covered the notepad with a piece of Pretty in Pink cardstock that I'd run through my Big Shot with the Perfect Polka-Dots embossing folder. The cardstock wrapped around the back of the notepad, covering where I'd removed the magnet so it looked pretty. I then used my Tombow Multi-Adhesive to re-adhere the magnet. This way, she gets maximum hold when she puts it on her fridge to use!

Next, I focused on decorating the cover.

I kept it simple and used a piece of Early Espresso cardstock that was border punched top and bottom with the Scalloped Edge Border punch. I layered it with a piece of Whisper White that had two ribbons wrapped around it - Pretty in Pink 5/8" Grosgrain and 1/8" Early Espresso Taffeta.

The Pretty in Pink Scalloped Circle was punched out with the 2 3/8" Scalloped Circle Punch - I know, duh! And I layered it with a piece of Rose Red cardstock punched out with the 2 1/2" Circle Punch.
I stamped my cupcake pieces on Whisper White cardstock and punched them out with the Cupcake Punch. (I used long strips - it worked great!)
They were layered on the Rose Red circle and then I added some Dazzling Diamonds Glitter for just a touch of bling. So cute! I was really happy with the finished one! And the best part is that Pam loved it too!

This stamp set and punch are in the Occasions Mini Catalog which goes until the end of April. But, remember, if you NEED them and are placing an order for them, do it by the end of March so you can earn FREE Sale-A-Bration product rewards! For each $50 you spend, you get FREE Stampin' Up! That's a pretty sweet deal! My online store is open 24/7 for you, so pay a visit and find what you need to make lots of pretty things!

Stamped blessings,
~~Robin