Today is the anniversary of the first telephone call by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, just three days after he received the patent for his invention. This is the day he spoke the famous words into the transmitter, “”Mr. Watson—Come here—I want to see you!” and his assistant, Mr. Watson, was able to hear them in the next room. He had an interest in the deaf as his mother and the woman he married were both deaf.

Do you think Alexander Graham Bell would be amazed at how far his invention has taken us? Even from the time I was growing up the telephone has changed so drastically! Do you remember the rotary dial, party lines, and toll calls a few miles away? We used to call my grandparents by letting the phone ring only once as the signal they should call us back so the phone call wouldn’t be counted against our monthly allotment. I think maybe it was called the 40-call phone or plan or something. And of course the phone company owned the phones and you would have to wait for them to come out to install one or fix one.

To commemorate this telephone anniversary, I found this punch art smart phone made by a Canadian demonstrator named Allison.  She made them for Valentines. I thought they would also make darling birthday cards for teenagers, and I might just make another one for that purpose! It’s simple to cut the paper and the words come from the Just Sayin’ Stamp Set and the Word Bubbles Framelits Dies. You can also buy this stamp set and framelits in a bundle and save 15% by buying them together.  Choose wood- or clear-mount.

• To make the phone, cut a piece of card stock 10″ x 3″, score at 5″. Use the 3/16″ Corner Rounder punch to round the edges.
• Cut Whisper White for the screen 3 3/4″ x 2 1/2″. Round the corners.
• Punch a 3/4″ circle for the button and sponge around the edges.
• Cut a tiny strip for the ear piece at the top.
• Stamp whichever sayings you like from Just Sayin’ and die cut with Word Bubbles Framelits. I used Smokey Slate card stock and Black Stazon ink.

This is a fun and easy card to make!  I hope you will try one and think about the changes in the ways we use telephones!

To purchase that great bundle with the Just Sayin’ Stamp Set and the Word Bubbles Framelits, just go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store. Remember, your $50 purchase counts toward Sale-A-Bration and you will get to choose a free product from the Sale-A-Bration Brochure! Only a few weeks left! Sale-A-Bration ends March 31.

This Peachy Keen card is an example of how the Stampin’ Up! catalogs are really idea books. I simply copied this card from the Stampin’ Up! Occasions Catalog (except for using Crumb Cake as the card base!). I doubt I would have thought of all these elements without getting the idea from the catalog!  I used the On Film Framelits Dies to make the “polaroid-look” picture frame. If you look closely in the photo you can see the embossed diagonal lines. You can also ink up the framelit and that will make the lines more pronounced. The little banners I punched from the Retro Fresh Designer Series Paper with the FREE Banner Punch in the Sale-A-Bration Brochure!  This is the month for Sale-A-Bration which ends March 31 so don’t let it slip by! Just purchase $50 in current product from Stampin’ Up! and choose a free gift from the SAB Brochure. The little camera is stamped and then cut out with Paper Snips. I used a little Retro Fresh This and That Designer Washi Tape on the top of the banner. The stamp set is called Peachy Keen, amazingly enough!

All of these products are together in the same suite, Retro Fresh, in the Occasions Catalog.

If you would like to make this Peachy Keen card and more projects just go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store to check out all these products and more!  Be sure to look at the Weekly Deals and Clearance Rack to find some bargains!

I can’t believe I haven’t really played with the Retro Fresh Designer Series Paper but it came out today to make this card along with the Starburst Sayings Stamp Set and Starburst Framelits Dies.  I decided to make a 6″ tall card.  Just cut your card base 3″ x 6″ and fold in half. Just something different. I also used the Decorative Dots Embossing Folder for the Very Vanilla piece on the top of the card.  You can get the Decorative Dots folder FREE with a $50 purchase during Stampin’ Up! Sale-a-Bration during March.  It’s really a cute folder! The scalloped strip is So Saffron.  The ribbon pieces are Baked Brown Sugar Ruffle Stretch Trim.

Just get out some designer paper and card stock and play!  See what patterns appeal to you that day and then see what the coordinating colors are that go with it.  Before you know it, you will have a lovely card or other project!

You can purchase the Starburst Sayings Stamp Set and the Starburst Framelits TOGETHER in a Starburst Bundle for a 15% savings!  Be sure you choose some Retro Fresh Designer Paper as well just because you will really like it!  You can find my Stampin’ Up! Online Store right HERE.

It’s time for Mardi Gras! Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday” in French and is the celebration the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins. Mardi Gras is the last night of eating rich, fatty foods before the religious obligations of Lent. Of course everyone has heard of the parties and parades in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, but actually celebrations are held in lots of places. There are big, fancy parties with delicious food and parades with floats and throwing of beads and other trinkets. These are just a few of my beads, not from going to the real Mardi Gras, but from going to Mardi Gras parties for a few years. The man who hosted the parties was from Louisiana so the food was great and the live music great! Not to mention the little parade through the tables of the party when they would toss some beads!

My card is made from a base of Very Vanilla with a Brushed Gold card stock layer (hard to tell in the photograph). I decided to make little Mardi Gras banners with the Triangle Punch “strung” on Gold Baker’s Twine and then I just hand-lettered the banners. To jazz up the card a little I decided to add some Watercolor Wonder Designer Washi Tape at the bottom. I also punched a few stars from the Goil Foil. Can you figure out how I made the little mask? I folded a piece of the Gold Foil and stuck it in the wing piece on the Bird Punch, just so the fold line would not be cut. I thought it kind of looked like a mask! I dug out the retired Crop-A-Dile to punch a hole or two in the mask to make the eyes.  Then I added a string of Rhinestone Jewels to decorate the mask.

Make something with gold, green and purple today to celebrate Mardi Gras. The colors have meaning: purple for justice, gold for power and green for faith. There are lots of interesting articles online to read about Mardi Gras! It’s quite the day and celebration!

Here are the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals:

These are good through next Monday night! Have fun shopping at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!