Christmas starts NOW!

Hi Stampers!
Most of you have been stamping christmas items since September- or maybe July.  As you know I didn't start stamping again until November so I'm just a little behind.  I have started my Christmas cards, and those of you who know me know that they have a million steps for a card made in bulk, so I do a little every day and hope they will be finished on time to send before Christmas.  I do get them done every year.
In the meantime I have been stamping other projects.  My husband asked for a couple of cards for work associates so here is what I came up with:

I love the beautiful ornaments in this Ornament Keepsakes bundle.  I say bundle because it is so awesome to be able to cleanly cut the ornaments out with the Framelits on the Bigshot.  I used the Flurry embossing folder to give texture to the white on white background and I used some snowflake glittery stuff from last years holiday catalog.  The silver cord is also a retired item but I like the way the silver works with the cool colors of blue and green (Island Indigo and Lucky Limeade).  To get the bows in the right place I punched holds right behind the top of the ornaments and fed the cord through the holes.  Some dimensionals and rhinestones finished this project off.
Thanks for stopping by!

Good bye

Hi Stampers-
I've been doing a lot of Christmas stamping lately but before I'm ready to hit the holiday season I wanted to show one last card.  My neighbor passed away recently.  We weren't close, just neighborly for 23 years.  Good neighbors.  We moved up the street a couple years ago so we didn't see each other often and I never realized she was even sick.  But my heart was heavy when I heard the news and I thought of the many kindnesses she showed our family as a neighbor.  My daughter was born just after we had moved to the house, right before Christmas.  She showed up at the door with a Christmas gift for my daughter, pjs,- the first time we had met.  She continued the tradition with both my girls, giving them matching pjs every year until they were almost teens.  I reciprocated when she had grandchildren by letting them come pick pumpkins in my pumpkin patch and sharing our 4th of July sparklers.
I made this card for her husband.  I don't know exactly the right words to say inside it, but the process of making the card and thinking of my neighbor made me feel close to her memory.  Goodbye Dear Neighbor.
Thanks for stopping by-

Hi Stampers!

Online Extravaganza
November 19th-28th, 2012
Up to 50% Off! 

• There's no minimum purchase required to participate in this promotion. Sale on!
• For product bundles, you need to use the bundle item numbers provided. If you use individual item numbers, you won't get the discount--bummer. 

Here is the PDF with the required order numbers so you can get your wish list ready!

There are some one day items only so make sure you check those dates!



 

Hi Stampers!
I'm continuing on with the Summer Silhouettes Stamp set today.  There are a lot of vowels in "silhouettes" isn't there?  You need lots of vowels sometimes when playing "Words with Friends" so it's good to know those words- even though silhouettes is too long, but I digress.  I love the Argyle impressions embossing folder I used on the background banner here- it makes me happy!  I used the square punch for all the banner edges on this card, large and small.  I also wanted to show you the envelope because it is so much more fun to receive a card in the mail that has a stamped envelope.  Funny Story.  That's what my youngest says when she launches into a funny story so I thought I'd try it.  Funny Story.  I mailed out this card and forgot the envelope- so now I have a stamped envelope with no card.

Today starts the BIG SALE over at Stampin' Up!  Go to my website marystamper.stampinup.net for details!
Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday case

Hi Stampers!

Online Extravaganza
November 19th-28th, 2012
Up to 50% Off! 

• There's no minimum purchase required to participate in this promotion. Sale on!
• For product bundles, you need to use the bundle item numbers provided. If you use individual item numbers, you won't get the discount--bummer. 

Here is the PDF with the required order numbers so you can get your wish list ready!

There are some one day items only so make sure you check those dates!

Do you know the best place to get stamping ideas?  For me it is the Stampin' Up! Catalog!  I don't always use a card layout exactly as it is but I will often search the samples for ideas on how to dress up a card that I'm working on- what could I add that would give it just a little "wow" factor.  This card, however, I cased the layout- see page 83 and you will see the card.  I changed the stamp sets to use what I had- Summer silhouettes, Elements of Style (background), and Curly Cute (words).  I really like the way the "trellis" stamp looks stamped with white stazon ink in the background.  It adds a subtle, textural element that pleases me, especially with the flourish stamped on top, like a vine climbing a trellis.  Okay, so maybe not but that's what it is in my world ;O).
I didn't have a template to punch around the edge of the framelit so I freehanded it.  The spacing is a bit closer than the template I used for the background edge punch but I'm okay with that.  I give you permission to freehand any time you like as well.  Isn't that freeing?  Go for it!
Have a great day!

I'm Back!

Hi Stampers,
After a very long hiatus I'm finally back!  Did you know I LOVE stamping?  I'd forgotten.  Really.  When everything is put away, the stamp room is tidy, the surfaces dusted, it's hard to remember, but it comes back oh so quickly!
I had to stamp for my oldest- it was her birthday season.  Here is what I came up with:

She has a golden retriever puppy, she loves children's storybooks, so the Storybook Friends set was just perfect.  The puppy on the stamp has spots so I used a marker to ink up the puppy and omitted the spots making him the perfect golden color (I used more mustard).  I then took my aqua-painter and "bled" the ink from the outline to color him in.  Because puppies chew everything I used the triple flower punch to make a chomp in the corner, sponged all the edges, and then used the airgun thingy (yes, I'm sure that's what it is called, not)  with the cherry cobbler marker to spatter dots everywhere, because that's what puppies do!
The words are from Family Reunion- I love that set, so handy.  I used some of my new accessories for my bigshot- the embossing folder is called something and the eyelet edge is called Finishing touches.  The brad, alas, is left over from Sale-a-bration.  Did you know that we have a new Sale-a-bration coming soon?  Check back for details.
I love making banners- they are all the rage right now.  To make my banners I use the square punch and insert the cardstock in just the corner and punch- perfect banner edges and a great use for my square punch.
Thanks for stopping by!