Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Well, hello!

Hi, friends!  I am sorry I have been MIA in blogland this past week.  All is well -- just busy, busy, busy. 

I participated in a Crop to benefit Oncology Support Services at Greater Baltimore Medical Center on Saturday.  It was a fun day of crafting and some well-deserved "me" time for the ladies who attended.  I offered a Make & Take featuring the chalkboard technique (see my post from January 13 for directions).  I met so many wonderful women, including a few Stampin' Up! demonstrators (Hi, Ann!).  Here are a few photos from the event:




I have also been organizing my stamping supplies.  And, I found some really old stuff -- embarrassing make and takes from many years ago, old catalogs, and even some old products that have not seen the light of day for a long time!  (smile)  Let's just say that I have plenty of material from my early years as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator that I can share with my "Best of" 25th Anniversary posts in the months to come.

I will be stamping tomorrow, so come back soon for some new projects.  See you then!  


 

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Best Of Birthdays Blog Tour




Hello!  Welcome to the RemARKable Stampers 25th Anniversary "Best Of" Blog Tour!  This month we will be featuring products using the Best of Birthdays stamp set. This set features 5 images that were featured in previous stamp sets and one brand-new image -- how fun!  I made 2 birthday cards and a candy treat that I would like to share with you today.  (Yep....jelly beans are already in the stores!  lol)  Here is a closer view of my first card:



Using Designer Series Paper makes creating cards a snap!  You just pick the patterns you want to use, choose the coordinating colors of card stock, and your work is done!  This card features Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals, and Whisper White card stock and the Patio Party Designer Series Paper.  I added some Midnight Muse 3/8" Stitched Satin ribbon at the seam between the two pieces of Designer Series Paper.  I colored the cupcake with Stampin' Write Markers, and added a little Dazzling Diamonds to the icing to give it a little sparkle.  I like how the cupcake image coordinates with the cupcake sheets of Patio Party Designer Series Paper. 

Here is my second card:

I just love the new All Dressed Up framelits!!
Inside greeting is from the All Dressed Up stamp set.


I used some Designer Series Paper again on this card.  The dress was cut out with one of the All Dressed Up framelits and the Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper.  Isn't it just so cute?  I think it looks like a summer sundress -- can you tell I am eager for warmer weather to come?  The dress form was also cut with one of the All Dressed Up framelits and Real Red card stock.  I used the Extra-Large Oval punch to punch out the birthday greeting, and attached it to the front of the card with Stampin' Dimensionals.  I added a pearl "necklace" and some pearl accents to the oval with our Pearl Basic Jewels.  The Fancy Fan embossing folder adds a little flair to the Tempting Turquoise card stock.   

The last project I made was a little candy treat that is perfect for birthday party favors.  I used our 1" x 8" cello bags and filled it with jelly beans.  Our cello bags have an adhesive strip at the top that keeps the candy in the bag.  I used a small piece of  Real Red 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon to attach the Happy Birthday tag and tie a bow at the top.


You can order the Best of Birthdays stamp set now until March 31, 2014.  Here are all of the images included in the set:

Best of Birthdays
#132929  $14.95 Clear Mount only

As a special incentive to collect the Best of stamps, Stampin' Up! is including a collector's card and 25-year proof of purchase sticker with every Best of set. Collect six stickers, and send it in to redeem a FREE set of your choice valued up to $14.95! Free sets must be redeemed no later than April 30, 2014.

Thank you for visiting today!  Now it's time to click on the icon below to visit Linda's blog and see what she has created.  See you soon!  (Here is a link to Linda's blog, just in case the icon is not working:  http://www.inkstampandscrap.com.)




Saturday, February 16, 2013

Another RemARKable Blog Tour coming tomorrow!


Hello!  Just a quick reminder that I am participating in the RemARKable Stampers blog tour tomorrow.  We will be featuring ideas using the Best of Birthdays stamp set.  I cannot wait to see what everyone has created with this cute set!  Be sure to stop by tomorrow and see what we have created -- there are 25 of us participating in the tour to celebrate Stampin' Up!'s 25th Anniversary.  See you tomorrow!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Valentine's Treats!

Hello!  It is almost Valentine's Day, and I have been working on a little treat for the patients of a local cancer center.  I filled the Stampin' Up! 1" x 8" cellophane bags with conversation hearts and stamped a quick little tag with the You Are Loved stamp set.  Tie the tag to the top of the bag with some white ribbon, and you have a fun little treat perfect for co-workers, kids' school parties, neighbors, and loved ones. 
  
 
I hope this little treat brings a smile to the patients on Valentine's Day!  Stop by later this week for another new project.  Have a great day!    

Sunday, February 10, 2013

RemARKable Stamp of the Month: Collage Curios

Welcome to another RemARKable Stamp of the Month blog tour!  This month's stamp set is Collage Curios, a new stamp set that is available in the Occasions Mini Catalog on page 24.



Collage Curios
129099 $20.95 Wood Mount
129102 $15.95 Clear Mount

This stamp set coordinates with our 1" circle punch, 3/4" circle punch, 1/2" circle punch, and the new 7/8" scallop circle punch (see page 16 of the Occasions Mini Catalog) .

My first project is a vintage-style card featuring the script stamp and the butterfly stamp.  I wanted to make this card look old, and sponging with Crumb Cake ink is a quick and easy way to get that vintage look. 


I used the Natural 7/16" Trim Ribbon to make a ruffly-circle to back the stamped images.  Here is a close-up of the stamped  images:


I pulled 2 threads close to one edge of the ribbon to make it gather into a "ruffle."  I used a little Tombow Multipurpose adhesive to glue the two ends together.  What do you think?  Here are the supplies I used for this card:

Stamps:
Collage Curios
Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper:
Naturals Ivory
Soft Suede
First Edition Designer Series Paper
Ink:
Soft Suede
Crumb Cake
Accessories:
Linen Thread
Natural 7/16" Trim Ribbon
Square Lattice Folder
Word Window punch
Modern Label punch
3/4" Circle punch
1" Circle punch
1 1/4" Circle punch
Stampin' Sponge
Stampin' Dimensionals
Tombow Multipurpose Adhesive


My second card is inspired by my new little nephew!  I became an aunt again a few days ago, and I made this special card just for him.  I cannot wait to give it to the new little guy and his happy mom, dad, and big sister! 

 
I stamped the hot air balloon in Real Red ink directly onto a piece of Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper.  I punched it out with the 3/4" Circle punch and used Stampin' Dimensionals to layer it onto a 1" Circle punch out of another piece of designer series paper.  I used one of our new Soda Pop Tops as the "O" in BOY.  Here is a closer look:
 

Here are the supplies I used to make this card:

Stamps:
Collage Curios
Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper:
Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper
Whisper White
Daffodil Delight
Island Indigo
Ink:
Real Red
Island Indigo
Accessories:
Hearts A Flutter framelits
Ovals Collection framelits
Occasions Paper Piercing Pack
Paper Piercing Tool
Stampin' Pierce Mat
1" Circle punch
3/4" Circle punch
Word Window punch
Modern Label punch
Soda Pop Tops
Chevron embossing folder
Typeset Alphabet Bigz dies
Real Red 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon
Mini Glue Dots
Stampin' Dimensionals
Sticky Strip (use 2 small strips of Sticky Strip on the back of the Soda Pop Top to attach it to the card)

I hope you enjoyed my cards!  Just click on the icon to go to the next stop on the blog tour, Linda Bartolucci's blog.  And, be sure to come back next week for a RemARKAble blog tour featuring the Best of Birthdays stamp set.  See you then!


Here is a list of all of the links for the blog tour:

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Best of Love

 
Best of Love stamp set
 
Part of the fun of celebrating the 25th anniversary of Stampin' Up! is the "Best Of" stamp sets each month.  And, February's stamp set is the Best of Love (#132987, $14.95).  This set is perfect for Valentine's Day, weddings, anniversaries, engagements, and cards you send to say I Love You. 
 
This set contains some old favorites plus a new image -- the Read My Lips image is brand new and is only available with this set.  You can order this set directly from my online store http://nancyamato.stampinup.net or send me an email and I can place the order for you. 
 
I also wanted to let you know about another RemARKable Stamp of the Month Blog Tour on Sunday, February 10.  We will be featuring projects made with the Collage Curios stamp set (#129099, $20.95 Wood Mount or #129102, $15.95 Clear Mount).  
 
Collage Curios stamp set
 
I have been having fun playing with this new set and I cannot wait to show you my projects.  And, I cannot wait to see what the other ladies have created, too! 
 
I'll be back tomorrow to share a new project with you, just in time for Valentine's Day!

Monday, February 4, 2013

What a great weekend!

 
Hello!  I had a GREAT weekend!  Saturday was a fun day of stamping with some great ladies at my Love Notes stamping class.  Of course, Sunday was the Super Bowl, and we are so excited that our Baltimore Ravens won!  And then, best of all, I became an aunt again today!  So, no new stamping to show you today, but I will have some new projects to share later this week.  See you then!
 
 


Friday, February 1, 2013

Vintage Valentine

Here is the final card from my Love Notes stamping class.  I love to make vintage-looking cards, and this is an old-fashioned card that could be any type of love note you want -- Valentine, anniversary card, engagement card, or simply a love note to your honey!

 
 
 
 
Here are the supplies I used for this card:
Stamps:
Ciao, Baby!
Paper:
Riding Hood Red (4 ½ x 8 ½”, 4 ½ x 4”)
First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper (1 ¾ x 4” for 2 Full Heart punches)
Very Vanilla (scraps for Petite Curly Label punch)
Ink:
Riding Hood Red
Crumb Cake (for distressing)
Accessories:
Perfect Polka Dots Folder
Full Heart punch
 Petite Curly Label punch (FREE Sale-A-Bration item – woohoo!)
Small Heart punch
Crumb Cake ½” Seam Binding Ribbon
Mini Glue Dots
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Stampin’ Sponge
  

Ciao, Baby Stamp Set



This weekend will be exciting here in Baltimore!  The town has purple passion, that's for sure!  (Kind of sounds like a Stampin' Up! color, doesn't it?  lol)  The buildings are lit with purple floodlights, many people have decorated their homes with purple lights and Ravens gear, and everyone has been wearing their Ravens jerseys and purple all week long.  Let's hope our Ravens win the Super Bowl!  GO RAVENS!