RemARKables 25th Anniversary Blog Tour - Best of Shelli

Hi everyone!
Thanks for stopping by my blog on your trip through the Best of 25 Years Tour with the RemARKable Stampers. You've just come from Anne Matasci's blog - Maui Stamper. 
I know she had some great ideas for you with this month's stamp set - the Best of Shelli. (Shelli Gardner's favorites)
Here are my samples for you:

I took a bit of a different direction with this card, going for something more masculine with the very vintage flourish image. This one is my favorite in the stamp set. 
My color scheme is Very Vanilla, Island Indigo, Basic Black and Gold. 
Black and Gold are coming back into vogue big time, so get ready to see lots of golden accents in the months ahead. 

To get the gold glitter stripes on my background paper, I used my 2 Way Glue Pen and drew on the stripes I wanted to highlight then added the Gold Glitter from the Holiday Catalog. 
The gold paper behind the stamped layer is a piece of the Gold Foil Paper also from the Holiday Catalog. 

The flourish is stamped in Versamark ink then heat embossed with Black Embossing Powder. I used an Antique Brad on the black circle accent and added a few pieces of burlap string to give some added texture. 
The new Burlap Ribbon from the Holiday Catalog is so easy to work with and unravel so you can take just a few strings to use as ribbon. 
Here's a photo of what I did:

I cut a 6" length of the ribbon then trimmed off the sewn edge of it, exposing the frayed edge. I simply removed 3 strands of the twine that makes up the burlap and used them to tie around the brad. 
Pretty cool, eh?
This ribbon has a TON of possibilities! 

On to my next project:

With this cute image of stacked gifts, I wanted to go for a more whimsical look, so I drew my color scheme from the Polka Dot Designer Paper and punched out circles in Real Red, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight and Marina Mist. 
The circles were attached to a layer of Whisper White cardstock then run through the Big Shot with the Chevron Embossing Folder to add some texture. I <3 span="" this="">

My focal image was stamped in Black Staz-On ink then colored in with Stampin' Write Markers. It's punched out with a circle punch then layered on a piece of Basic Black cardstock that was cut out with one of the Circle Framelits. 

The inside was decorated with the Birthday Candle Wheel. I had unmounted it from the roller and used our Cling Foam to be able to mount it on a clear block for flat stamping. I just used Stampin' Write Markers to color in the candles then stamped them on the inside for an accent. 
The greeting is from the Yippee-Skippee stamp set that we all got FREE at Convention last month!

I hope you've enjoyed your stop here at my blog on the tour, you've still got lots of great ideas ahead of you so be sure to keep going! Just click on this icon to go to the next blog, you're headed for Andi Potler's blog next.

Here's a complete line up of all the stops on the tour in case there is a problem with any of the links:

Nancy Amato           http://stampinallnight.blogspot.com 
Melissa Bolinger       http://www.stampinup.net/blog/2089191 
Jackie Bottomley      http://www.jackiebottomley.blogspot.com 
Susan Carlson          http://www.stampinmomoffour.blogspot.com 
Tamra Davis            http://www.thecardladies.com 
Lynn Embrey           http://www.possibilitiestamperstudio.com 
Kathy Hamrick         http://www.countryroads.typepad.com 
Crystal Kondo          http://www.card-ed.com 
Deb Lehigh              http://thestampinhut.typepad.com 
Anne Matasci           http://www.MauiStamper.wordpress.com 
Robin Merriman       http://www.trinitydesignstudio.blogspot.com 
Andi Potler              http://www.absolutekreations.com 
Michele Reynolds     http://www.inspirationink.typepad.com 
Sharon Tisdale         http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/coveredbridgesstamper/blog 
Janet Wakeland        http://www.remarkablycreated.com


Have a wonderful Sunday and Happy Stampin'!
~~Robin

A Digital Studio Hero

Sometimes I have the opportunity as a Mom to do something really cool.
Like today.

Emma has a friend whose birthday is coming up on Sunday so she put together a special skating program to the song Radioactive by one of their favorite groups, Imagine Dragons.
We were able to snag some free, open ice time to film it and she put it on a DVD as his gift.
So of course, she needed a cool, personalized cover for the DVD case.

Yep, you guessed it, Mom to the rescue!
:)

Here's the cover I created:

I was able to create a custom size canvas for my project and made it 5" x 7".
The background is a square punch that I stretched and filled with designer paper.

Next, I added photo blocks from the Downtown Grunge Kit, filled them with photo blocks and added my photos.
I then added images to the background from the Extreme Elements stamp brush set. They were re-colored, enlarged and lightened so the text would show up well.

For my text, I simply added two text blocks, filled them with my text and changed the font to one that I'd downloaded free from a Pinterest pin.
The whole thing took me about an hour, including choosing and editing the photos.
I'm no computer genius, not by a long shot, but this was a cinch to do and the best part was that Emma loved it!
Yay! Today, I'm the hero!

Be sure to check out the Free 30-Day Trial of My Digital Studio (MDS) on my website at www.robinstamps4u.stampinup.net
You'll have a full 30 days to play, create and print with the large variety of artwork and templates that are included. After 30 days, you can choose to purchase the full version of MDS for just $19.99.
It's got over $500 in digital content included and is a tremendous value.
If you need more information, just contact me via e-mail: stampwithrobin@yahoo.com or send me a message from my website.

Have a great Saturday!
~~Robin

Your Friends Just Know...

When you need a hug.

Like today. 

Even though my sweet friend Kristyne lives at least a 1000 miles away, she knew I needed a big hug and sent me this gorgeous one in the mail. 

And my friend Jan (she's one of my uplines too) called to check on me. Just because. 

Stampin' Up! Is SO much more than selling stamps, paper and ink. 

It's so much more than making pretty things. 

It's about the treasure trove of relationships we are gifted with in our stampin' family. 

And that truly is the most beautiful gift I've ever received through stampin'.

Have a beautiful Friday,

~~ Robin

Santa's List - Two Ways

There's a great new Santa image in the Holiday Catalog this season. 
It was among the first stamps I ordered because I knew the vintage feel of it would have me creating many, many projects. 
Here are the first two:

#131811 - Santa's List Stamp Set clear mount  $12.95

This card came together so easily - a simple layered color background - Cherry Cobbler cardstock - combined with  a focal image of Cherry Cobbler embossing on Crumb Cake cardstock keeps the vintage feel with a contemporary square card size. The focal image was cut out with my Big Shot and the Window Frames Framelits and I sponged the edge with Crumb Cake ink.

I used the new embossing folder Pretty Print on the background layer and covered a few of the embossed words with my 2 Way Glue Pen and some Gold Glitter. The ribbon bow is a piece of the new Cherry Cobbler 1" Stitched Edge Grosgrain Ribbon. It's adhered with a Glue Dot or two behind the knot.

Here's a slightly stepped up version of the same card:

On this one, I wrapped a length of ribbon around the front flap of the card, under the focal image and knotted it off on the right side. I added a greeting stamped in Soft Suede on Very Vanilla that I then hand cut with my Paper Snips and sponged with some Crumb Cake ink. A little extra step or two, but so worth it for some extra oomph. 

Most of these products are found in the Holiday Catalog and you can shop for any or all of them in my Online Store. 
Here's the link for your convenience:
Robin's Online Stampin' Store

Thanks for stopping by today, happy stampin'!
~~Robin

Inking with Masking Tape

This fun technique has been making the rounds on the internet lately so of course, I had to try it out!
I don't know if it has an "official" name, but I call it Inking with Masking Tape. 
Pretty self-explanatory, eh?

Ok, so here's my card:

To create the background, I just used three strips of masking tape - one for each color - and rubbed them sticky side down on the surface of an ink pad to pick up the color, one at a time.
Then I just rubbed the inked tape onto the cardstock piece to transfer the color - easy peasy, really. 

My color combo here is Pink Pirouette, Rose Red and Pear Pizazz with Smoky Slate and Whisper White as the neutrals. I stamped my greeting from the Yippee-Skippee stamp set in Black Staz-On ink and added a Large Rhinestone for an accent.
Love the clean and simple look of this card and it's a good one to switch out the colors and/or greeting for ANY type of card you may need. 
Give this technique a try and tell me how you like it, ok? 

As always, thanks for choosing me as your Stampin' Up! demonstrator and for shopping in my Online Store. 
Here's the link for your convenience:
Robin's Online Stampin' Store

Happy creating!
~~Robin

Masking Tape Block Technique

Hey friends, 
Before we get into the project today, let me share a few personal notes with you. After you read them, I'd love to get your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks!

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about how I divide my time between my life and my business and how I can best serve my family, my friends, my church, my clients and stamping friends. 
With the life changes we are experiencing and more of my time being needed to take care of my Mom during her illness and keep up with Emma's ever busier schedule, I find myself stretched so thin, you can see through me. (Well, not really, but it's a great visual, dontcha think?) We've recently made a lot of changes and decisions at home including the heartbreaking decision to adopt out our sweet pups. We anticipate that my Mom will be leaving the nursing home soon to spend her final months at home with us and that wouldn't be a good mix for her.

There have been a lot of gut checks these past couple of months and I've even considered stepping back from Stampin' Up! for a while as we sort things out. 
Since financially that's not possible (a relief to me because I LOVE my job!), I've had to consider other changes to decrease the demand on my schedule and allow me to structure more strictly in a way that will still bring in the income we need.

Among the changes I'm considering are consolidating my class schedule, doing more online business through videos and tutorials and eliminating some online groups I'm involved with. I've also considered shutting down my blog, but since that would be counter-productive when I ramp up my online presence with my video channel, I've opted to keep it - and I'm very comfortable with that decision. 
I love sharing my projects and ideas here with you - it's part of me, this posting of photos and essays. And the relationships we've built together here mean the world to me. I believe you'll continue to support me through the changes to come and the plans I've made for us. 
So, while things are still "under construction" I'm going to continue to share here with you - even if I can't always share all the details of each project. 
I figure hey, if there is something you want to know, you can leave me a comment - that's what that little comment box is there for - and I can reply back.
Whatcha think? 
Are you in? 
Oh, I sure hope so and I'm ever grateful for your support of my creative endeavors and this business that helps pay the bills. 

Now that you know what I'm thinking, let me show you a card I created last month for my Technique Geeks class:

We used the Masking Tape Block Technique for the background and I love how each project was unique! It's a super simple technique - just cover a clear acrylic block with either painter's tape or masking tape and ink it up like a stamp then apply it to a piece of cardstock. Cool, huh?

My color scheme was Island Indigo, Pistachio Pudding, Soft Sky and Whisper White. I used the Beautifully Baroque stamp from the Idea Book, some Silver Glimmer Paper and a Vintage Button with Island Indigo Twine. 

My geek girls loved it and I hope you do too! 

As always, you can order from my Online Stampin' Store at this link here:
Robin's Online Store

Thanks so much for choosing me as your Stampin' Up! demonstrator! 
Until next time, 
~~Robin

August Stamp of the Month Blog Tour - Tag It

Hello there stampers!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today on our fun tour of the Tag It stamp set. 
If you're following along, you've just come from Anne Matasci's blog - Maui Stamper. Here's a pic of me and Anne at Convention last month:

She's a ton of fun as well as a super talented stamper! (Love the glasses Anne!)

So, about my post. 
One of the things I LOVE about being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is all the really good friendships I've made because of it. I know, you've heard it before, but now you are seeing it in action. 
You see, I was able to escape to beach this week with my handsome hubby, Mark. And well, before I left, things were a little out of control with some life stuff with my Mom and her care. Soooo, I totally forgot about doing my project for the blog tour until Mark and I were in the car on the way to the beach. 
That's a little too late to get any stamping done - just in case you're wondering. 

Well, one of my dearest stampin' BFF's - Tiffany Bauer - just so happens to be a super-talented stamper too. And I knew if anyone would help me out of a jam, she would. 
And I was right - just one phone call explaining the situation and she came running, er, stamping to my rescue!
She whipped up an uber cute card and texted me the photo so I could still share a project with you here and not mess up the blog hop. 
Yeah, I owe her a good mexican food meal and some 100Thousand Dollar Candy Bars (her fave). She's the best! Here's a pic of the two of us at Convention last month:

And here's her sweet card:

I love all the fun elements that Tiffany used to create her card - 
and she incorporated new things from the Holiday Mini Catalog too! 

Her color scheme is Baked Brown Sugar, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler and Whisper White - taken straight from the new designer paper package - Season of Style. 
Check out the Washi Tape on the Designer Paper flag - that's a great way to add some texture and another element of color contrast to your project. 

And I think my favorite thing about this card is how she used just a portion of the Santa image from the Tag It stamp set as her focal point, in the center of the Blossom Punches. That's really out of the box designing and I LOVE it!
Did you see the sweet little Candy Dots Brads in the upper left corner? Yep, they are the perfect accent. 

I love this card so much, that I'm going to be offering a version of it in one of my upcoming classes - thanks Tiffany for the save and for the awesomely cute card! MWAH!

Now, it's time to head over to my friend (and downline member) Audra Monk's blog - The Crafty Yogi. I know she'll have something fun to inspire you! 

Happy stampin', 
~~Robin

And just in case you experience a broken link along the way, here is the complete list of our Tour Participants: 

Nancy Amato          http://stampinallnight.blogspot.com
Melissa Bolinger      http://www.stampinup.net/blog/2089191
Jackie Bottomley     http://www.jackiebottomley.blogspot.com
Susan Carlson         http://stampinmomoffour.blogspot.com
Tamra Davis            http://www.thecardladies.com
Connie Deibler         http://www.conniestamps.com
Danielle Denhardt    http://www.purrfectlycreative.com
Sherri Eddleblute     http://www.sweetestdesigns.blogspot.com
Crystal Kondo          http://www.card-ed.com
Deb Lehigh              http://thestampinhut.typepad.com
Anne Matasci           http://www.MauiStamper.wordpress.com
Robin Merriman       http://www.trinitydesignstudio.blogspot.com
Audra Monk             http://thecraftyyogi.blogspot.com
Maria Pane              http://www.stampinandscrappinwithriri.blogspot.com
Andi Potler              http://www.absolutekreations.com
Michele Reynolds     http://www.inspirationink.typepad.com
Vicki Soni                http://www.paperinkle.com
Pam Staples            http://www.sunnygirlscraps.com
Jeri St. John            https://jerrisgemtastics.blogspot.com
Jeannette Swain      http://www.stampsnwhatnot.com
Janet Wakeland       http://www.remarkablycreated.com