The Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus is in Houston, TX this week! I saw a story on the local news the other day about the elephants, and that plus this new Designer Series Paper Sunny Garden #119831 inspired me to make this card.  I used the Bigz Scallop Circle Die #113468 and cut a portion out to make the "bigtop" roof and then just a small square for the sides, cut a slit and turned back the "tent flaps" with a piece of Basic Black card stock #121045 behind it.  The elephants from Animal Stories #116716 are stamped with Basic Gray #109120 and one is cut out and adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals #104430 to pop up.  The words are from the stamp set Oval All #113790, punched out with the Scallop Oval Extra-Large Punch #119856 and mounted on the 2" x 1-3/8" Oval Extra-Large Punch #119859.

On the bottom I sponged a little bit of Soft Suede ink #115657 and for the sky I used Pacific Point ink #111837.  I just grabbed a scrap of the Scallop Circle, put that down on my Whisper White background and sponged the edges, moving it around to make it look like clouds.  Nothing scientific about it, I just did it!  You can too!  

Card stock I used:  

Whisper White #100730

Crumb Cake #120953

Poppy Parade #119793

You can get all your stamping supplies for this project and more at my Online Store!  Shop anytime!

In my box of new goodies from Stampin' Up! last night was this new Designer Series Paper, Sunny Garden #119831 and the new Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch #119275.  I wasn't quite sure how I would use that punch, but after playing around today, this is what I came up with and decided to do the three strips layered.  I really like it!  The flowers are stamped with Watercolor Trio (Summer Mini p. 16), colored with the Stampin' Write Markers.  The colors I used were Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, and Concord Crush.

Do you have your new colors yet??  You can email or call me with your order or you can shop at my Online Store.

Thank goodness stamping does not require electricity!  It has been raining and raining and raining all day here in Houston.  The power went off before 10:30 am, and threatened to even before that, so what is a girl supposed to do with no computer or TV all day??  I got out stamps, ink and paper since I could see pretty well at my kitchen table by the window and made this card!

So Tote-Ally Tess and I had a pretty good time this morning.  I just kept stamping away until I was satisfied with how the card turned out.  To begin I consulted my new Color Coach #121620 to find a color combination I wanted to use and Sahara Sand, Regal Rose and Tempting Turquoise is what came up!  You'll love the new style Color Coach!

I also got to work on switching out some of my retired stamp sets and markers and cleaned up a few things.  Good day for that, even though I needed a flashlight now and then!  The power finally came back on at 4:00 pm although they say on the news (now that I can watch it) that thousands are without power.  Naturally ours came on just in time to cook dinner, but probably better than being out driving because there are so many spots that flood.  Now if I can just drive to the Park & Ride to pick up my husband!  They even had to set off some of the fireworks downtown today that were being set up for the 4th of July display because the bayou was getting high, just to be safe.  Wish I could have seen that!

While trying to decide which retiring stamp set to highlight today, it turned out it was this Pink Flamingo Designer Series Paper #113976 that caught my eye.  The bold Real Red flowers really looked so summery and I was still in a red, white and blue mood.  The Brilliant Blue paper is retiring also in the Color Renovation.  In spite of all the colors that are going out, I can guarantee you are going to LOVE the new colors and color combinations!  Wait till you see them all in the new catalog in the new projects!  And the new Stampin' Up! 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog begins tomorrow!!!

For some reason I was happy with this card as is and didn't add a sentiment. But I always could later.  So if you ever just feel like making a card, leave off the greeting until you have a occasion for which you want to use it and you can add something later.  Hopefully you can see in the photo that I cut out a flower from another scrap of paper and popped it up with dimensionals over the same flower on the DSP.

Today is the LAST CHANCE for retiring Stampin' Up! stamp sets, accessories and Decor Elements as well as outgoing colors due to the Color Renovation.

Be sure you have want to need and want!  Click HERE to order Last Chance items and anything else you want!

I thought it would be fun to begin celebrating July 4th with Sock Monkey #111552! It's not the idea I started with, but once I looked over my stamp sets, this one jumped out at me. Sock Monkey is happy he isn't being retired tomorrow, too! But with the 4th of July coming up, I wanted to do something red, white and blue!  So here is Sock Monkey and a few things that are retiring.  What ever will we do without "Itty Bitty Backgrounds" #114996?  I've had that stamp set since I started stamping!

Tomorrow is the Last "Last Chance" Day!!!!!!!!

Check your list and get in your order!!

I thought I would make a Father's Day card for my husband in honor of our new Weber grill we bought recently!  Lots of people were making punch art bbq grills either for Father's Day, July 4th, or bbq party invitations, but our grill is a a different shape.  I just cut rectangles and rounded the corner of the grill top and used my Zig Painty pen to draw in the handles and doors.  I stamped the flowers and butterfly with the new Itty Bitty Bits stamp set in the Summer Mini. and the sentiment with Teeny Tiny Wishes #115370.  Just a quick little card!

Looking for some fun stamping ideas?  Check my Stampin' Up! website for projects!

Stampin' Up! Projects

Don't forget…..the Last Chance List and the $99 Mini Starter Kit Promotion both end June 30th!

I think this would be a fun project to try with your kids if they are out of school already.

Crayon Resist:

Stamp your image in Black Stazon on Glossy White card stock.

Color in some areas with your Whisper White Watercolor Crayon, some other light colored Watercolor Crayon or a regular crayon.

Apply ink to the entire piece of card stock using a brayer, sponge daubers or a sponge.  Where you applied the crayon, those areas will resist the ink.

Use a tissue to wipe off any excess ink.

Then you can go back and color in the areas you masked off with the crayon if you wish.

Try it!  I bet your kids will have fun trying all sorts of combinations!

And this is what I made after mounting my new stamp set, Because I Care. This is a new sneak peek set that will be in the new 2010-2011 Stampin' Up Idea Book & Catalog.  As demos, we were able to order some of the new products a month ahead of time!  What a perk!  I also used the new texture folder for the Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper, for the background layer.  I have seen some beautiful cards made with that.  You'll love it!