Tag Time!

Sweet and simple today stampers!

I love treating my party hostesses extra special and always give them a little product gift or something handmade by me. Well, these hostesses got both!

The pack of Note Cards with Envelopes got a little Ooh-la-la treatment with a clean and simple tag in Whisper White cardstock, stamped with the Eiffel Tower image from the Artistic Etchings stamp set. I cut it out with one of the Window Frame Framelits and my Big Shot. It's topped with an image from the Layered Labels stamp set, stamped in Raspberry Ripple and cut out with one of the Apothecary Accents Framelits.
I wrapped the gift with a piece of Primrose Petals Stitched Satin Ribbon then tied the tag to it with some Early Espresso Baker's Twine.
Super easy and best of all she loved it!

The second gift is a jar of Clear Embossing Powder. This hostess wanted to explore Heat Embossing at her party so I got her started with some Clear Powder of her own.
It's packaged in a Medium Cello Bag that has a piece of Comfort Cafe Designer Paper inserted into the back. The tag is another Window Frame Framelit cut out, this time in Very Vanilla cardstock. I used the sunflower image from the Creative Elements stamp set. It's stamped with the Rock n' Roll technique in More Mustard and Cajun Craze. The greeting is from the Perfectly Preserved stamp set and stamped in Old Olive on Very Vanilla. I punched it out with the 1 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch.
Both pieces were sponged with Crumb Cake ink, then attached with Stampin' Dimensionals.
I added the button (retired) with Early Espresso Baker's Twine by punching two small holes in the top of the cello bag and threading it through, tying it off in the front.
This hostess was excited with her gift too, especially the tag!

Both of these took all of 15 minutes to create - total. Stamping your own tags and creating your own packaging is fun and economical and best of all makes every gift more personal.

Here's a few of the products I used to create these tags:

#120573  Artistic Etchings $14.95

#122647  Creative Elements  $24.95

#127072  Layered Labels  $25.95

#127003  Apothecary Accents Framelits  $24.95

#129021  Window Frames Framelits  $26.95

You can purchase all these and more in my Online Store, anytime, 24/7!
Click this link: Robin's Online Stampin' Store 

Click the Shop Now button at the top right corner to begin shopping!

Hope you have a wonderful day - go stamp something fun!
~~Robin

Morning Cup in Plaid

Happy Monday!
Happy 1st day of October!
It's 48 degrees here with an expected high temp in the 60's - finally Fall weather!
Love it!

We had a very fun, full weekend here. I had two Ornament Classes in the studio and it was Emma's 1st Homecoming weekend in high school. I've got pictures for you, but first lets talk about the card, ok?

It's a pretty simple design really, but it uses a really fun technique with the Stripes Embossing Folder.

My color combo here is Riding Hood Red, Lucky Limeade with Naturals White as my neutral.

To get the cool plaid background, I used my Brayer to add Lucky Limeade ink to the  inside cover of the Stripes Embossing Folder. I ran it through the Big Shot with just the bottom half of the card front in the folder.
Next, I added more ink to the folder and ran the cardstock through the Big Shot again, but it was turned a quarter turn so the stripes would go the opposite way.
This created the fun plaid pattern on the cardstock.

I used the Morning Cup stamp set for my focal image, coloring the stacked cups with my Stampin' Write Markers. It's punched out with the 1 3/4" Circle Punch and layered on a Riding Hood Red Scalloped punched circle. Stampin' Dimensionals pop it up over the card front.

The Occasions Alphabet was used for the greeting and I just layered it on a Riding Hood Red Oval punch piece then pinned it to the Lucky Limeade Ribbon bow.


Well, as promised, here's some photos of Homecoming weekend.
Our High School experience has officially begun.

The football game was fantastic. The Patriot Pioneers had a decisive 57 - 0 win over Freedom/South Riding High School and crowned their first ever Homecoming King and Queen.
I think all that was lost on Emma and her gang of friends as they spent most of their time hanging out together in the stands, just having fun.
Emma has been in school with four of these girls since kindergarten and it's really cool to see that they are still friends through 9 years.

 Saturday night was the Homecoming dance (it was really the Fall Festival since Patriot will graduate their first ever class of Seniors this year - but it's still Homecoming to me.)

Emma and four of her friends descended on the mall last Saturday for dress shopping.
The sequins and tulle were flying as the girls just grabbed armfuls of dresses and took turns trying them on. But, they all ended up with something lovely and had fun which was the best part.

Here is my Emma in her selection:

Not your standard party dress to be sure, but with it's more vintage style, it's Emma all over and was the perfect dress for her. She picked it out and loved it and I don't think she could have done better. We chose some wide black lace to replace the thin belt that came with the dress and my friend Laura helped her sew it around the waistline. 

Here is Emma with her date, Hunter.
Boy, it is weird typing that word 'date'. Even weirder typing 'boyfriend', but there you have it - inevitable I guess.

They had dinner together at Hunter's house then stopped by here for pictures on the way to the dance. I love their flowers and it was cool that his tie matched her dress.

I know they had a marvelous time and that makes my heart happy.
My little girl is growing up so fast, it's crazy.
I just want to stop the clock, ya know?

Well, I'm gonna do everything I can to enjoy every moment of the next four years. I know it's gonna be gone in a flash and next thing you know, I'll be posting pictures of dropping her off at college. Sigh.

Happy Monday indeed friends.
~~Robin

Butterfly Hope

It's finally Friday!
And honestly friends, it couldn't come fast enough.
This past week has been full to bursting with activity and it's totally slayed me!
The icing on the cake was yesterday morning when I was trying to make my morning cereal with my eyes half open and poured orange juice on my Golden Crisp. Ugh!
Definitely NOT a great taste combination. I don't recommend it.

So, here we head into the weekend and the big highlight?
It's Emma's first High School Homecoming weekend.
Yep. Game tonight. Dance tomorrow.
She's growing up waaay too fast friends. Someone please tell me that I'll make it through the next 4 years with my heart intact. Sigh.

As more evidence my week has been overwhelming, here's yet another card that I created in JUNE and had yet to share. Hey, at least the products aren't retired yet - that's something, right?

I pulled the color combo from the Color Coach - Marina Mist, Tangerine Tango and Early Espresso. It's actually kind of fall looking, don't ya' think?

Lots of sponging going on here with the Crumb Cake ink pad and of course bling-bling-bling with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter and some Basic Rhinestones.

I used one of my favorite NEW stamp sets on this one - xoxoxoxoxo - LOVE that flower image!
The Early Espresso layer was embossed with the NEW Fancy Fan Embossing Folder and my Big Shot. The Marina Mist medallion piece was cut with the NEW Delicate Doilies Sizzlit Die - it was the perfect sized layer for the
1 3/4" Scalloped Circle Punch. I used the NEW Butterfly Punch with some Designer Series Paper for that accent. Yep, lots of NEW going on with this card.

Here's a couple of the products I used on this one:

#126422 - Blooming with Kindness Stamp Set - Clear Mount - $16.95 

#126999 - Delicate Doilies Sizzlit Die - $21.95

So, there ya go folks! Something creative to send you into the weekend. 

If you need supplies, you can visit my website anytime 24/7 to purchase them. 

Click here: Robin's Online Stampin' Store

Click the Shop Now button at the top right corner to get started!

I'll be back with photos of my weekend on Monday - no post tomorrow, I'm gonna be a busy Mom!

Happy Stampin'!,

~~Robin

Raspberry Merry and Type

Would you believe that I designed this card in May? 
Yep, waaay back then.

Guess it's time I shared it with you, huh?

Especially since that awesome Stitched Satin Ribbon is FREE right now with a $40 purchase! Oh yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about! That's like getting over 25% of your order back in FREE product!

I used Gumball Green on this card - love how it looks with Raspberry Ripple for Christmas cards.

This card is a great mix of old and new products - the stamp set is Merry and Type from last year's Idea Book. Really one of my favorites and if you took classes last holiday season, you know we used it a LOT.
Here, I've colored the ornament stamp with new In Colors Raspberry Ripple and Gumball Green Stampin' Write Markers. Summer Starfruit was used to color in the strings. I added Dazzling Diamonds Glitter with my 2 Way Glue Pen and a single Basic Rhinestone to the center of one ornament.
The sweet little bow was attached with a Glue Dot.

The Raspberry Ripple background was run through the Big Shot with the Stripes Embossing Folder and spritzed with the Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz.

All in all, a pretty clean and simple card with just the right touch of sparkle.

I'm off for another day - see you back here tomorrow!
Happy Stampin',
~~Robin

TGFS!

Sometimes you just need a little inspiration.

I've been up against the wall this week along the order of deadlines and personal commitments. Sometimes, the creative side of my brain just shuts down with all the craziness swirling around up there. That's when I look for a little help from my stampin' buds.

One of the best things about going to Founders Circle was the 120 card swap that we participated in. Not only did I return with a LOT of new ideas, I got lots of good, Clean and Simple card ideas which was just what I needed for my starting point for my Clean and Simple Christmas Cards class last night.
TGFS! (Thank Goodness For Swaps!)

Here's one of the cards I created for class:

I used the Scentsational Season/Holiday Collection stamp/framelits Bundle and the Winter Memories stamp set; Sahara Sand, Cherry Cobbler and Very Vanilla cardstock; Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke and Chocolate Chip ink; Blender Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Basic Rhinestones and Stampin' Dimensionals.

Here's my card with my inspiration piece:

The card on the right was designed by my bud Stella Mackay in California. I loved the simple message and warmth of it so it was perfect for my CAS class.

Since I turned my mug into a mug of Hot Cocoa, I changed the base cardstock to Sahara Sand to give more of a cozy feel.
TDS Tip!: To make that cocoa quick and easy, just ink the mug image with a Cherry Cobbler ink pad.
Use your Blender Pen to remove the Cherry Cobbler ink from the top of the stamp where the 'drink' shows.
Re-Color that area with your Chocolate Chip Marker, huff on it to re-wet then stamp.
Easy Peasy!

The stampers loved this sweet little card last night and I hope you do too.
Here's a look at the Scentsational Season Product Bundle:

It's Item #129946 and is discounted in the Bundle to just $32.95!
You can visit my ONLINE STORE to purchase yours today.
Just click here: Robin's Online Stampin' Store

Simply click the SHOP NOW button in the top right corner to get started!
Remember for each $40 you spend in September, you get a FREE Roll of In Color Stitched Satin Ribbon. That's an $8.95 value - FREE!!

Happy stampin' everyone!
~~Robin

Opening the Archives Today

Now I'm really digging into the archives - this card was created for a swap I participated in back in May.
Yep, I've been holding out on you, I know.

My friend Diana Gibbs has a swap group that runs with each new catalog and this one was for the new Idea Book that started on June 1st.
It was one of my favorite swap cards I did that season and I've still got it on display in the studio. Maybe I'll put it in a little frame and hang it up in there. The 'Create' message is perfect for my happy place!

I used two of the new In Colors - Midnight Muse and Summer Starfruit - combined with Rich Razzleberry. The combination really puts me in mind of Fall, so maybe posting this now is timelier than I thought. Ha!
The Very Vanilla layer is stamped with the flower spray from the Forever With You stamp set. (#126727 $17.95) I used Summer Starfruit for that image.

The Rich Razzleberry cardstock layer and the Comfort Cafe Designer Paper layer were die cut with the Dresden Plate Die. (You know I don't sew, so I HAD to find something cut to do with it!)
I ran the Razzleberry layer through the Big Shot again with the Houndstooth Embossing Folder for texture and crumpled the Comfort Cafe Paper too.
The next layer is punched from the First Edition Designer Paper and crumpled as well.

For my center elements, I stamped the 'Create' image from the Layered Labels stamp set (#127072 $25.95) twice on Very Vanilla. Once in Midnight Muse and once in Rich Razzleberry. The Midnight Muse piece was cut out with the Apothecary Accents Framelits Dies in my Big Shot and I used the 1 3/8" Circle Punch for the Razzleberry layer. Lots of Stampin' Dimensionals pops up the top three layers.

I used my Spritzer Tool and the Summer Starfruit Stampin' Write Marker to spritz a little ink over the whole card front to add a more vintage touch. 

As a final touch, I made a bow with the Victoria Crochet Trim and tied a Vintage Faceted Button around the center with Linen Thread. It's attached with a Glue Dot to the card front.

Thanks for stopping by today, I've got a few other cards from the vault to share this week, so stay tuned!
And visit my Stampin' Up! website to purchase any of the products I've used here today - the online store is open for you 24/7!  http://www.robinstamps4u.stampinup.net

~~Robin

Special! - Limited Class Offering!

So, you may have seen these cool printer's tray kits over the past few weeks as an incentive for joining Stampin' Up!.
I was fortunate to welcome many new demonstrators into my team and because of that, I am eligible to purchase a limited amount of these kits to offer in a class to YOU!

Here, check it out:

Howl-O-Ween Printers Tray Class
Join me in the studio to create a fun and decorative Printer's Tray Kit that will add a spark to your seasonal decor!
Class includes the wood printer's tray along with all supplies to complete your work of art. You'll also receive ideas for creating more seasonal inserts so you can make your tray last all year long.
*I'll be holding a drawing from all registered and paid attendees for the stamp sets used to create our projects!

Class times: Thursday, October 4th 10 am - 1 pm OR
Friday, October 5th 6:30 pm - 9:30 PM
Payment in full with RSVP to hold your spot.

ONLY 6 SPOTS LEFT in either class! Hurry to hold your kit!

Class Fee: $50.00
Payable in full by cash/check when you RSVP