OK, I just couldn’t resist making this card I saw on Splitcoast for my husband for Valentine’s Day!  It was some sort of challenge on SCS so there are a lot of examples.  Mine pretty much copies one by another ‘Karen’.  The base of the card is Blush Blossom.  You could use Designer Paper for the "fabric" and then doll it up however you like.  I chose to use Real Red cardstock which I embossed in black with the doodles from Doodle This.  I thought it looked Valentine-y.  For the lace I just used my Slit Punch to make a strip and then bent it a little to fit the curve.  I used the wide red grosgrain ribbon for the straps and the regular black grosgrain for the bows.  The possibilities are endless!  Have fun with it!  (You can click on any photos for a larger image.)  Here is a link to the SCS challenge and template:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=316869

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Here is another card we made at my Valentine’s stamp camp.  I’m afraid I don’t remember where I got the idea or how much I directly copied it, but I "think" a little of it is my own design….maybe just the words!  I love the card because while it looks like it is for Valentine’s Day it really can be used for other occasions.  In fact, I sent it to my sister-in-law for her birthday.  The card is made with Ruby Red, River Rock, Groovy Guava, and Very Vanilla cardstock as well as the new Designer Paper "Ginger Blossom".  To add some interest to the background I stamped the Ruby Red with some flowers in Embrace Life with Ruby Red ink (although you could also use Versamark).  The swirls from Priceless (what a great set this is!) are stamped on the Very Vanilla and the Priceless hearts cut out and mounted with Stampin’ Up! Dimensionals.  The words, ‘from the heart’, are from Holidays & Wishes.  And, of course, the ribbon is the double-stitched River Rock.  It was fun using these colors!

Yesterday our little group of SU Demos got together for our monthly meeting.  Not everyone is still a demo, but that’s how we met and we still keep it pretty much Stampin’ Up!-oriented.  I always say, "What could be more fun than getting together with other stampers, having lunch, stamping, and swapping?!"  One person is always in charge of a project we will stamp that day and everyone else brings a swap.  So fun!!  Most of these swaps were to copy something out of the    new catalog, Spring~Summer Collection 2008.  Thanks Anne, Nona, Dixie, Gerrie, Sandi, Joan, Diana, and Cindy!

I had so much fun making Valentines yesterday!  Naturally, it was a race against the clock to try to get them out to the mailbox before the mailman came.  I wanted to make some valentines for my eight nieces and nephews.  Normally I would spend at least half a day searching for all possible designs that I liked online before I would find something to copy….but I’m finding that if I just sit down and play around with my stamps and ink I can actually come up with things myself!  For these valentines I wanted just kind of the little "kid size" cards.  I got into my stash of retired items and found these Pretty in Pink Pocket Note Cards.  You can still buy an assortment of Pocket Notes in the catalog, just different colors.  They’re very cute and really suited my purpose.  On the one heart you can see some retired colors of beads, which I attached with the new Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive.   I used the Happy Heart Day stamp set, Simply Said, Tagger’s Dozen, and Holidays and Wishes to make the cards.  You’ll also notice some Dazzling Diamonds Glitter on a couple of the cards.  What’s a day of stamping without some glitter?!

And here are the kids they are going to!