Marla's Stampin' Spot

My Very First Blog Hop!

2012-02-02T06:00:00.006-05:00

Welcome to the Stylin' Stampin' Squad Blog Hop Sale-a-Bration and Valentine edition! This blog hop will take place on the first Thursday of each month. The blog hop started a couple of months ago, but I decided to take the plunge and hop right in beginning this month! I'm really excited to be participating with this fabulous group of stampers and I hope that you will stop by each month to take a look at all of the projects! If you are following the blogs in order, you just arrived from Linda's blog. If you get lost anywhere along the way, there is a complete list of all of the blogs at the bottom of the page. Happy hopping!

This month the theme of the blog hop is Sale-a-Bration and Valentines Day. I did one project for each theme. My first project is a fun folds card. I have to admit that I really have never branched out and done fun folds, but I saw a great video tutorial on Mary Fish's blog on Tuesday (yes, two days ago- I am a procrastinator and sometimes it pays off!) that showed how to make a really great (and easy) fun fold card and I decided to give it a try. I wanted something a little bit different and special for my very first blog hop! If you would like to try making a card like this, go check out the tutorial that Mary Fish posted.

Here is the card when it is tied closed. I used lots of different products from both the SAB and Occasions mini catalogs. For a complete list of products, see below.

And when the card is all opened up to reveal the hidden panel...

What do you think? I really like the way that this card turned out. I am LOVING the DSP in the SAB catalog! I have gone through almost an entire pack already, but have no fear- more is on its way! Although I was a little hesitant to try a different fold, I have to say that this one is really easy and this card went together very quickly. If you have never done a fun fold, give this one a try. It is great for a first fun fold card!

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: Fresh Vintage (SAB), Tiny Tags
Paper: Crumb Cake CS, Calypso Coral CS, Baja Breeze CS, Very Vanilla CS, Everyday Enchantment DSP
Ink: Calyspo Coral, Baja Breeze, Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Simply Scored, Big Shot, Labels Collection Framelits, Everyday Enchantment brad (SAB), Victoria Crochet Trim, Color Spritzer, stampin' sponge

I did some sweet and simple Valentine's Day lollipop holders for my 3D project. I saw some made by Angie Juda on Pinterest and followed the easy instructions in her video tutorial to make them. I used the Sweet Shop DSP from the Occasions mini catalog as well as the Fashionable Hearts embosslit to embellish these little treats.

This one was my favorite. I love the color combination on this little treat. So bright and cheery!

Stampin' Supplies Used:
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Pool Party, Island Indigo, Calypso Coral, Poppy Parade, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Sweet Shop DSP
Ink: Island Indigo, Poppy Parade, Wisteria Wonder
Accessories: Simply Scored, Big Shot, Fashionable Hearts embosslit, 1 3/4" Scalloped Circle punch, 1 3/8" Circle punch, sticky strip, white baker's twine, dimensionals

Well, I hope that you have enjoyed my projects! I have to give a special thanks to my friend, Rita. She gave me the vote of confidence that I needed that my projects were "blog hop worthy" as I was a little nervous about what to make. Thanks, Rita! :)

Thanks for stopping by! See you again soon! Hop on over to Michelle's blog next! Try to leave some encouraging comments along the way!

~Marla

Blog Hop Participants:

Shellie G. of Creative Electica

Annie L. of Love Me Cards

Pam S. of Stampin' in the Sun!

Nancy B. of Lady Stamps a Lot

Anji C. of Altered Scraps Blog

Rose C. of Stamp with Rose

Tonya B. of Stampin' with Tonya

Amanda H. of Live Laugh Craft

Dawn S. of Dawn's Creative Chalet

Patricia T. of Sunnyone Stampin'

Heather W. of Heather's Stampin' Blog

Pamela W. of Stinky Tofu

Linda O. of Stamp at Linda's

Marla R. of Marla's Stampin' Spot (You are here!)

Michele M. of Michele's Stampin' Blog

Darcy J. of DJ's Stampin' Place

Pam S. of Sunny Girl Scraps

Kim R. of Stamping with Kim

CASE of a CASE of a CASE

2012-01-18T14:24:00.000-05:00

Hello again! I hope I'm not too late to the game in posting this card. I have been seeing this card and versions of it EVERYWHERE! A card similar to this one was featured in Stampin Success magazine (a publication that Stampin' Up demonstrators receive monthly) and it must have been very popular. I decided to do my own, which you can see to the left (my CASE of a CASE because I saw a version of this card on Pinterest and that's what made me take notice of it in the magazine). I also decided to change it up a bit by using another sheet from the same pack of DSP (Everyday Enchantment- which is being offered as one of the SAB choices this year!). The design of the paper is the same, but the colors are different.

The card to the right is my CASE of a CASE of a CASE. I CASE'd the card above by changing up the colors to match the ones found in this design of the DSP.

There are tons of Sale-a-Bration sneak peeks in this card- the Everyday Enchantment DSP, the Fresh Vintage stamp set, and the brad in the middle of my stamped embellishment is part of a third SAB choice that includes two spools of ribbon and 30 of these adorable printed brads.

You can choose one of these awesome products or one of the many other amazing offerings each time you spend $50 during Sale-a-Bration. The fun begins on Tuesday and lasts until the end of March. I can't wait!

Here is a side by side of the two cards. Which one do you prefer? For the moment, I prefer the one on the right because the colors are a little brighter, but that could change if I keep looking at them long enough. Hehe! I think that we might make both versions of this card at my class coming up on January 28th, but the only way to know for sure is to show up for the class! I'm really looking forward to it! Hope to see you there!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Marla

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Fresh Vintage (SAB), Apothecary Art
Paper: Everyday Enchantment DSP, Lucky Limeade, Soft Suede, Calyso Coral, Pool Party, Naturals Ivory, Very Vanilla
Ink: Lucky Limeade, Soft Suede, Calyso Coral, Pool Party
Accessories: Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch, 1 1/4" Circle punch, sponge

Back in the Saddle!

2012-01-15T15:11:00.000-05:00

Hello again! I finally got a chance to sit down and play with some new goodies today. I held off on placing my Occasions Mini catalog preorder until after Christmas because I knew that as busy as things would be in December, that everything would sit neglected. There is nothing worse than having new goodies and no time to play with them! My order finally came on Thursday and I got to open it all up and play today- yay!

This card is a mixture of old and new. The embossed hearts were created using the brand-new embosslit from the Occasions Mini catalog called "Fashionable Hearts". I really like that with one run through the Big Shot I get five hearts that are embossed and cut out! So quick and easy.

The inspiration for this card came from a card that I saw on Pinterest. (Have you joined the Pinterest craze yet? I have found so many great ideas for both my crafty life and my home life on there. It is an awesome site, but be warned- it can be addictive!) Anyway, this card was my inspiration. I'm afraid that my card may be more of a copy than a CASE. I didn't intend for that to happen. I sat down and made my card having not seen the "inspiration" card in quite a while and when I went back to look at it, my card was very similar! Oops! I guess the idea got really stuck in my head!

This card (or some variation of it) will be one of the cards that we make at my "In with the New" card-making class on January 28th. I love that this card could be a valentine or a thinking of you card. I love versatility!

I hope to finish up my samples for the class later this week, so be sure to check back to see more previews! Have a wonderful week!

~Marla

Supplies Used:
Stamps: En Francais, I {Heart} Hearts, Easy Events
Paper: Baja Breeze, Rose Red, So Saffron, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake
Ink: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso
Accessories: Big Shot, Tiny Box and Envelope die, bakers twine, Fashionable Hearts embosslit, Heart to Heart punch, stampin sponge

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T07:57:00.000-05:00

Hello, stamping friends! I hope that all of you had a wonderful Christmas and that the New Year is off to a great start for you. I need to apologize (as always) for not blogging much lately. The past couple of months have been extrememly busy for me (as I'm sure they were for you as well). When life gets busy, stamping tends to get pushed to the back burner and other things take priority. We had a wonderful Christmas this year full of class parties, school programs, cookie baking, drives to look at lights, and spending time with family. Even though I stay very busy during December, it is always one of my favorite months. Lots of memories are made to be cherished for years to come.

Because I haven't done much stamping lately, I decided to do this post as a year in review and re-post some of my favorite cards from 2011. Here we go!

January- This card was pretty simple, but it used a set that I really loved from the last catalog (Because I Care). I liked the background as well. I stamped with a clear block to make it and thought that it gave a nice touch.

February- I made this card for a wonderful friend and customer. I loved the sparkle and the flower I made with satin ribbon that was heated with the heat tool to give it the curled appearance.

March- This is a card that I have redone in different ways many times, but I love each variation. So pretty and elegant...

No April posts, so we'll move on to May- This was the Mother's Day card that I made for my mom. I really liked the color combination and the sparkle.

June- I loved this card for several reasons. It used my three favorites from the new in colors and it was an unusual card for me because it was a large square card (5 1/2" x 5 1/2").

July- Lots of favorites from this month. (I'll blame it on all of the inspiration I got at Convention.) This was one of my cards for an organized swap I participated in at Convention. Loved the color combo and the cupcakes done with this technique.

I loved this little note card that I made using the Easy Events set. I really liked the color combo and the adorable little hearts give it such a cute touch.

This is a card that we made at my July Hostess Club meeting. I loved the cupcake "colored" using the paper piecing technique. I love this girly birthday card!

August- Doilies and my favorite new in color (Wisteria Wonder)! What's not to love in this card? :-)

September- How adorable is this little guy?

This was a challenge card that I made using my favorite set from the Holiday mini. I made this card within an hour of receiving this set on my doorstep and I just loved the way it turned out!

October- I told you it was my favorite Holiday mini set...

November- I LOVED this Christmas card. Welcome Christmas is a great set and I have used it tons!

I hope you enjoyed my year in review! I will hopefull have some new cards to post soon! Take care until then!

~Marla

Choices, Choices, Choices!

2011-11-02T21:29:00.000-04:00

Hello Stamping Friends! I need to start out with two apologies- first of all, I am SO sorry that I haven't been posting regularly. Life has been crazy busy lately. I was supposed to attend my first craft fair last Saturday and spent two weeks preparing for it and then- IT SNOWED! I didn't get to go the fair after all and was very disappointed, but I do have lots of cool things to use as gifts. I will get some pictures taken and show them to you very soon! The second apology is for the photography on this blog post. I promised to post my pictures for my next and final Christmas card buffet today and I didn't get finished with the last card until it was already dark. Nighttime card photography is definitely not the best, but hopefully you will be able to tell enough about the cards to make your choices.

Here is the mini muffin tin advent calendar. I was really pleased with how it turned out. I really like the Letters for Santa DSP for this project. Each numbered cover has magnets on the back, so it can be hung and the covers won't move. Because this is made with a muffin tin, you can give a little treat on each day as you count down to Christmas. The first picture shows the entire project and the next two are close ups to show a little more detail. I hope you like it!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: 25 & Counting
Paper: Letters to Santa DSP, Old Olive CS, Riding Hood Red CS, Marina Mist CS, Early Espresso CS, Whisper White CS
Ink: Early Espresso, Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Marina Mist, Blushing Bride, Staz On
Accessories: mini muffin tin, scalloped square punch, 1" square punch, Cherry Cobbler 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon

On to the card choices for the buffet! When ordering your cards, please call them by the name posted directly above each card. This will ensure that I prepare the correct supplies for you. Thanks!

Welcome Christmas

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Welcome Christmas, Netting (background), Pines and Poinsettas, Petite Pairs
Paper: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla
Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper EF, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Cherry Cobbler quilted satin ribbon, basic pearls, stampin' sponge
CASE of this card made by Jen Sannes

Wreath

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Perfect Punches
Paper: Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Brushed Gold
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Big Shot, Petal-a-Plenty EF, 2 3/8" scalloped circle punch, 1 3/4" scalloped circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, dimensionals, sponge
CASE of this card by Dawn Olchefske

Snowman

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Snow Much Fun, Christmas Greetings
Paper: Pool Party, Blushing Bride, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Staz On, Basic Gray marker, Pool Party marker, Blushing Bride marker, Peach Parfait marker
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Snowflake punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1" circle punch, basic rhinestone, shimmer spray (lots of it!)
CASE of this card made by LeeAnn Greff

Christmas Tree

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Bright Hope, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Island Indigo, Baja Breeze, Whisper White

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Island Indigo, Baja Breeze

Accessories: Silver Glimmer paper, Baja Breeze seam binding, Scallop Oval punch, Large Oval punch, shimmer spray (sprayed heavily!)

A Marla Reed Original! :)

OK, I hope that you like the cards and calendar. I tried to provide a mixture of traditional and non-traditional along with a couple of different styles. If you are coming to the class on November 19th, please email me (reedmarla@comcast.net) with you preorder no later than 9:00 p.m. this Sunday, November 6th. Thanks and I hope to see you there!

~Marla

Choices for Christmas Card Buffet #2

2011-10-05T11:31:00.008-04:00

Hello there! My second Christmas Card Buffet is coming up on October 22nd. Below are the choices. If you plan to attend, please email me at reedmarla@comcast.net to let me know which designs you would like to make as well as how many of each design. Please call the cards by the name posted above them. Thanks!

The Sounding Joy...
Supplies Used:
Stamps: The Sounding Joy
Paper: Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant
Accessories: Big Shot, Snow Burst EF, Crumb Cake seam binding
Case of this card made by Marie Shaughnessy

Snow Much Fun...
Supplies Used:
Stamps: Snow Much Fun
Paper: Baja Breeze, Island Indigo, Whisper White
Ink: Stazon, Baja Breeze, Island Indigo, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Big Shot, Northern Flurry EF, 2 Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds, Blender Pens, Baja Breeze seam binding
CASE of this card made by my friend, Rita Wright

Christmas Tree...
Supplies Used:
Stamps: Pennant Parade, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Lucky Limeade, More Mustard
Accessories: Big Shot, Petals-a-Plenty EF, brayer, 2 1/2" circle punch, 2 3/8" scalloped circle punch, Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, Cherry Cobbler quilted satin ribbon

Holly, Jolly Christmas...
Supplies Used:
Stamps: Festive & Fun
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Pool Party, Whisper White
Ink: Stazon, Riding Hood Red, Pool Party, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Stripes EF, Chocolate Chip scallop dots ribbon, Scallop Trim border punch, dimensionals, glue dots
CASE of this card made by Chris Smith

I hope you liked these cards! If you are local, please plan to attend this fun class and leave with a whole stack of Christmas cards to give to your friends and family!

Have a wonderful day!

~Marla

Cookie Stamps for a Good Cause!

2011-10-04T15:23:00.003-04:00

Hi there, stamping friends! Stampin' Up! has a brand new product available- Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps! These stamps are not for paper and ink, but for cookie dough. All you do, is prepare your cookie recipe (there are two included with the stamps) and stamp the shape you want into the dough. These are great fun for kids and would make an excellent gift!

To make them even sweeter, I have decided to donate all of my commission on the sale of these stamps to two awesome organizations that assist families battling childhood cancer. A friend of mine has a little girl named Jessica who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when she was five years old. I am happy to report that Jessica is now seven years old and just completed her final chemo treatment. Her mom founded an organization called Jessica Rocks which supports another organization called Timmy's Fund. Timmy Quigley was diagnosed with a very aggressive brain tumor at the age of two and unfortunately did not survive. His parents founded Timmy's Fund to assist other families who were battling childhood cancer. They assist with transportation, food, and lodging expenses for all families who have children being treated for cancer at West Virginia University's Children's Hospital. The best part is that 100% of the donations collected goes directly to the families.

Any time anyone purchases this product from me, $3.39 will be donated to Jessica Rocks/Timmy's Fund. You can help by making a purchase or by collecting orders from your family and friends. If you are able to sell ten sets of the Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps, it could be entered as your own workshop order and you would raise $33.90 for these awesome charities and you would also earn $25 in free Stampin' Up merchandise.

Please click on the links above and read more about these incredible charities. Send me an email at reedmarla@comcast.net if you would like to place an order, collect your own orders, or you would like additional information.

Thank you!

~Marla

Spice Cake Lollies

2011-09-23T15:52:00.004-04:00

Hello again, stamping friends! I have a non-card project to share with you today. When I went to Convention, there were lots of incredible demonstrations where they made adorable boxes, home decor items, and gifts. I was very inspired to branch out a bit with my crafting and try to make some things other than cards.

I just loved this little project. I saw something similar on Heather Summers' blog and decided to try it for myself. I used the new Simply Scored tool to make these little lollies. They are easier to make than I thought that they would be. I finished off the project with a small terra cotta pot, a styrofoam ball inside the pot to hold the sticks in place, lollipop sticks, Spanish moss and a hot glue gun.

We made these at my first team meeting and I am going to give one to the hostess of my workshop that is later this evening. She is a good friend, club member, and loyal customer, so I wanted to do something extra special for her.

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Paper: Spice Cake DSP, Soft Suede CS, Pool Party CS, More Mustard CS, Very Vanilla CS
Accessories: Simply Scored, scalloped circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, Blossoms Triple Layer punch, 1" circle punch, antique brads, in color brads, sticky strip

I hope that you like this project and that my hostess likes it too! Have a fantastic weekend! Thanks for stopping by! Check back next week for more projects!

~Marla

The Sounding Joy

2011-09-21T15:19:00.005-04:00

Hello again!

Two postings in two days! Don't any of you go into shock! I'm trying to do better about stamping at least two or three days a week and stamping for fun more often (instead of just when I'm prepping for an event). I am loving all of the challenge sites out there. They are really great. I made this card for two different challenges- Freshly Made Sketches and Hand Stamped Sentiments. I haven't played along with Hand Stamped Sentiments before, but when I saw that this weeks challenge was to use embossing, I had to do it. I love embossing of all types. Nothing gives a card that WOW effect like embossing. I used two types of embossing on this card- dry embossing and heat embossing. I tried something that I had never done before on this card. I sponged the edges of the image panel using Versa Mark ink and then sprinkled silver embossing powder over the sponged ink and heat set it. I really like the effect that it gave. I don't think that I have ever seen this done before, but decided to try it because sponging with classic ink just didn't do it for this card.

I used a brand new stamp set, The Sounding Joy, on this card. It is in the holiday mini catalog and it arrived on my doorstep just about two hours ago. This has to be a new record for how quickly I made a card with a new stamp set! I also used another holiday mini item- the Snow Burst embossing folder. I love the super deep impressions that it makes!

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: The Sounding Joy
Paper: Not Quite Navy, Brushed Silver, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
Ink: Not Quite Navy (for sponging the edges of the stars), Baja Breeze, Versa Mark
Accessories: Big Shot, Show Burst embossing folder, heat tool, silver embossing powder, sponge
Techniques: Heat Embossing, Dry Embossing, sponging

I hope that you liked this card! If you need some inspiration, check out the challenge sites that I linked above. Have a great day!

~Marla

Halloween Treats

2011-09-20T09:58:00.008-04:00

Hello again! Can you believe how quickly time is flying???? My son has already been in first grade for almost a month! Fall is upon us and Halloween is just a few short weeks away! I have been busy planning for my next class on October 7th. It is a class to make Halloween treat holders and I'm really excited about it. It is the first class that I have ever done that is not a card making class- can you believe it? I think we will have a lot of fun and I really like all of the cute ideas I found when looking for projects to make. It had a hard time deciding, but I finally narrowed it down to these three choices-

Aren't they the CUTEST?

This class is being done buffet style. Everyone who is attending can make as many or as few of each treat holder as they like. They just need to preorder the treats that they wish to make by this Friday, September 23rd. Each treat holder is individually priced, but everyone attending can get them for half-price by placing a $20 order on the day of the class. Here are some close-ups and more information on each project.

The owl:

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Paper: Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze, Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Cajun Craze
Accessories: Big Shot, Pillow Box die, Fancy Fan Letterpress Plate, Hearts Trio punch, 3/4" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, Blossom Petals punch, basic rhinestones, glue dots, sticky strip

I originally saw this little guy on Pinterest and there was a link to a great little tutorial that you can find here. My friend, Rita Wright, also made her own version that you can see on her blog. I love the matching card that she made in addition to the little owl. These treat holders will hold several small pieces of candy or a small bag of M&M's and cost $1 each (or $.50 if a $20 order is placed at the class). If you are preordering this treat holder, please tell me how many you would like to make of "the owl".

The bat:

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: White Gel Pen
Accessories: Big Shot, Petal Cone die, Spider Web embossing folder, circle punch, shimmer spray

I saw this adorable bat on Shelli Gardener's blog. She is the CEO of Stampin' Up and demonstrated making one at a regional event. He is pretty large (about 4 1/2" tall) and will hold lots of candy. Each of these will cost $1 (of $.50 if a $20 order is placed the day of the class). If you would like to preorder this one, please tell me how many you would like to make of "the bat".

The bag topper:

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: Spooky Bingo Bits
Paper: Old Olive, Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Ink: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: 1x8 cello bags (not pictured), scalloped square punch, 1" square punch

These bag toppers will be perfect for making treats for an entire classroom of children. They will be used with the 1"x8" cello bags and will hold pencils, pixie sticks, smarties, etc. I will have the entire stamp set called "Spooky Bingo Bits" so that you can choose the stamped image that you would like to use. These treats will cost $.50 each (or $.25 if a $20 order is placed the day of the class). If you would like to preorder this treat, please tell me how many you would like to make of "the bag topper".

I hope you liked these projects! If you are planning to attend this class, please be sure to preorder no later than this Friday, September 23rd! Thanks for stopping by!

~Marla

Another Challenge Card!

2011-09-14T14:04:00.005-04:00

Hello again, stamping friends! Why didn't anyone ever tell me how much fun I would have participating in challenges? They are a blast! As it turns out, I do enjoy designing my own cards! Who would have guessed? I participated in the sketch challenge over at Freshly Made Sketches once again this week. I really like the sketches they have chosen. Go on over and check them out! Here is this week's sketch if you'd like to play along!

Here is my take on their sketch:

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Raining Flowers, Petite Pairs, Netting (background)
Paper: More Mustard, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Spice Cake DSP
Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Crumb Cake, More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso
Accessories: Simply Scored, Early Espresso satin ribbon (retired), Scalloped Oval punch, Large Oval punch, sponges
Techniques: grid technique, sponging, gathered ribbon

I decided to make a standard 4 1/4"x 5 1/2" card rather than the square because I don't keep a lot of 12x12 paper on hand. There are a few elements of this card that I tried for the first time. The first is the technique that I used on the stamped image. It is called the grid technique and you can find an awesome tutorial here on splitcoast. My card ended up being a CASE of the card shown in the tutorial although I didn't really intend for it to be. I had seen the tutorial a while back and thought "That would be a good way to use the Raining Flowers stamp set." I guess that idea stuck in my mind when I sat down to make this card because my finished product looks very similar to the example. Oh well! The second new element I tried is the gathered ribbon. It was very simple to do. I placed a piece of sticky strip on the front of my card where I wanted the gathers. I attached a short length of ribbon and then doubled a little bit over what was already attached and then attached a little bit more until I had the look that I wanted.

Overall I am pretty happy with this card and I'm thinking that I may try a few more cards using the grid technique. It is a quick and easy way to give the stamped image a little extra visual interest!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Marla

Two Challenges in One Card!

2011-09-09T05:41:00.004-04:00

Hello! Wow! It has been quite a while since my last post! So sorry about that! I hope to have more time to stamp and post now that we have settled back into our school routine!

I have decided to try playing along with some of the many challenges that are posted online each week. As you know, I CASE a lot of the cards that I make. While that isn't a bad thing, I think that it is time for me start doing more of my own designing. I want to spread my creative wings and challenge myself a bit.

There is a brand new stamping challenge blog called Freshly Made Sketches and I decided to try their very first sketch. This card is also for the challenge on the SUO Challenges blog. You should check out these challenges and play along. This card uses so many different products that I love- Spice Cake DSP, the stamp sets "Gently Falling" and "Petite Pairs". As soon as I saw the sketch challenge, I knew what I was going to use. OK, enough talk- here is the card!

Do you see the little embellishment in the lower left corner? It was made by punching a 1" circle of Very Vanilla cardstock, covering it with sticky strip, and then taking the Crochet Trim and gathering it and attaching it to the edges of the circle. I added an antique brad to the center and viola- a quick, easy peasy, and pretty little embellishment!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Gently Falling, Petite Pairs

Paper: Pool Party CS, Soft Suede CS, Very Vanilla CS, Spice Cake DSP

Ink: More Mustard, Soft Suede

Accessories: Crocet Trim, 1" circle punch, sticky strip, antique brad

Techniques: stamping off

I was really pleased with how this card turned out and I hope you like it too! I had a lot of fun making it and will definitely continue to play along with the challenges. Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon!

~Marla

Card Buffet #1

2011-08-24T07:41:00.007-04:00

Good morning! I have been a stamping fool over the past couple of days. I wanted to get the samples made for my first Christmas card buffet and I'm also working on prepping my cards for my Birthday Bash card class that is coming up this Saturday (check back later in the week for a peek at those cards). We are also having a busy week because my sweet boy started first grade this week! He has been doing great! He likes his teacher and is making new friends. I couldn't ask for more!

OK, you came to see the cards, so here they are! I tried to choose cards that are fairly flat so that they can be mailed easily and won't charge extra postage. I hope that you like all of them. If you plan to come to the card buffet, please email me (reedmarla@comcast.net) with the cards that you would like to make and how many of each you would like to make by this Saturday, August 27th.

Card #1

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Stitched Stockings, Woodgrain

Paper: Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight

Ink: Early Espresso, Not Quite Navy, Real Red, Garden Green, More Mustard

Accessories: Stocking punch, Blossom Petals punch, Big Shot, Square Lattice embossing folder, silver mini brads, mat pack, paper piercer, sponge

Techniques: sponging

CASE of a card made by the amazing Jackie Topa

Card #2

Supplies:

Stamps: Welcome Christmas

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Wild Wasabi

Accessories: Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, basic pearls

CASE of a card made by Shauna O'Donnell

Card #3

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Four the Holidays, Serene Snowflakes

Paper: Baja Breeze, Island Indigo, Whisper White

Ink: Baja Breeze, Island Indigo

Accessories: Snowflake punch, Baja Breeze seam binding, Champagne Mist shimmer paint (used in shimmer spray), Dazzling Diamonds, basic pearls

Techniques: Glitter Window

CASE of a card made by Ilina Crouse

Card #4

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Come to Bethlehem

Paper: Brushed Gold, Very Vanilla

Ink: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso

Accessories: small star punch (retired), dimensionals

CASE of a card I saw on splitcoast

Hope you like the cards! Please let me know soon which cards you would like to make and how many of each design. I can't wait to hear from you!

Doilies!

2011-08-19T09:46:00.006-04:00

Hello again, everybody! I'm sorry that it's been a little while since I last posted. August has been a very busy month in our world. I was out of town for a week visiting family and we have celebrated birthdays for both of our kids. My hubby's birthday is still to come and school begins for our son (who will be a first grader!!) on Monday, so the busy-ness will continue for a bit longer, but things should soon calm down and I can focus less on my busy-ness and more on my business!

I need to preface this card by saying that I absolutely, positively WAS NOT going to purchase the doilies. They WERE NOT my style and I DID NOT like them. Then my fellow demonstrator, Lyssa Zwolanek (who is AWESOME!) started a blog series all about the doilies. She is posting a different project using the doilies everyday for the entire month of August. You can check out all of her lovely creations here. It didn't take too many of her posts before my mind began to change. I don't always see a set's full potential until someone else points it out and that was definitely the case here. I broke down and ordered the Delicate Doilies and Hello, Doily sets and I have to admit that it is really easy to make beautiful, versatile cards with these sets. Here are my first two attempts using these sets. I hope that you like them!

I can't decide which card I prefer. Which is your favorite? Do you like the side ribbon or the top ribbon? Do you like the antique brad or the in-color printed brad? I think that some version of this card will be included in my birthday bash card class next Saturday. Today is the last day to register for the class. If you would like to come, please let me know soon!

For the large doily, I inked it in Wisteria Wonder ink and then used the Concord Crush marker on the edges to give the same effect that the rock & roll technique would give. For the smaller doilies, I stamped a few of them fully inked and a few of them were stamped off once before being stamped onto the card. I also did some light sponging over the card with Wistera Wonder and sponged the edges with Concord Crush. The sentiment, which is stamped in Concord Crush, is from another new set called Perfectly Penned. This is another set that didn't jump right out at me when I originally saw it, but has definitely grown on me. I love the font and the sentiments (Thank You, Happy Birthday, Get Well, Celebrate Today).

Supplies Used:

Stamp Sets: Delicate Doilies, Hello Doily, Perfectly Penned

Paper: Wisteria Wonder CS, Concord Crush CS, Whisper White CS

Ink: Wisteria Wonder ink pad, Concord Crush ink pad, Concord Crush marker

Accessories: Wisteria Wonder 3/8" ruffled ribbon, In Color Printed Brads, Antique Brads, Stampin' Sponge

Techniques: Stamping Off, Sponging

Thanks for stopping by! I will be posting the cards for my birthday class soon, so be sure to check back for those! See you soon!

~Marla

I love teaching techniques!

2011-07-31T19:43:00.007-04:00

Hi Stampers! I hope that everyone has had a wonderful weekend. Mine started with a fun night of stamping with a great group of ladies who make up my hostess club. I am blessed to have such a sweet group to stamp with. I really enjoy them! We focus on two different techniques at each meeting and make two projects using the new techniques. It wasn't intentional, but we used A LOT of glitter this time!

Here is our first card. It uses a technique called "Glitter Window". This technique is nice if you want lots of sparkle on a certain area of your card and you want it to stay on the card and not get all over everything! To do this technique, you punch a hole in your cardstock and then place a piece of clear packing tape on the back of the card so that the sticky side completely covers the punched hole. Then sprinkle glitter over it and you're done! The "bride" heart is done using this technique. This card is an anniversary card, but it would work just as well for a wedding. I have seen this card done many times and I'm not sure who had the original idea, but it wasn't me. Hehe!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White

Ink: Basic Black marker, Wisteria Wonder

Accessories: Big Shot, Elegant Lines embossing folder, Large Heart punch, Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Whisper White 3/8" taffeta ribbon, Champagne Mist shimmer paint (in homemade shimmer spray)

Technique: Glitter Window

This is the second card that we made. I really liked how it turned out. It is a nice girly card. It is a little bit hard to see in the picture, but I used the Fancy Fan letterpress plate to make the background. This is the first letterpress plate that I have purchased and I was a little unsure of them at first, but I really like the subtle color contrast and texture that it gives. The technique on this card is the paper piecing technique. I used it to color in the cupcake. To do this technique, you stamp the entire image first and then you stamp pieces of it on colored cardstock or DSP and cut it out and adhere it over the original stamped image. For the cupcake, the frosting is a piece of Blushing Bride DSP, the cupcake liner is Melon Mambo cardstock, and the cake stand is Brushed Silver cardstock. The string of pearls gives it an extra special feel.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Delightful Dozen, Easy Events (can't stop using it!)

Paper: Melon Mambo, Bluching Bride, Whisper White, Brushed Silver, Blushing Bride DSP (from retired hostess pack)

Ink: Stazon, Melon Mambo, Blushing Bride, Whisper White (Craft)

Accessories: Big Shot, Fancy Fan Letterpress Plate, 1 3/8" Circle punch, 1 3/4" Scalloped Circle punch, 2-way glue pen, Melon Mambo Scalloped Dots ribbon, stampin' sponge

Techniques: Paper Piecing, Sponging

CASE of this card

Thanks for stopping by! I am really making an effort to post more regularly, so be sure to check back soon to see what I've been working on!

~Marla

Easy Events Cards

2011-07-26T10:59:00.005-04:00

Hello! I have been using the new set called "Easy Events" like crazy lately. It was one of the sets that I received for free for attending convention and I really like it. There were display boards set up at convention with tons of samples using the sets that we received in our convention bags. This is a great, versatile set! You can use it to make wedding, baby, birthday, Christmas, thinking of you, thank you, and hello cards. Here are a few examples of cards that I have made using this set.

A cute baby card...
Supplies Used:
Stamps: Easy Events
Paper: Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Peach Parfait DSP (from retired hostess paper)
Ink: Tempting Turqoise, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Black Staz On, Peach Parfait, Lucky Limeade
Accessories: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, White Baker's Twine, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Aqua Painter
Techniques: Watercoloring
CASE of this card by Tessa Wise

A little thinking of you notecard...

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Easy Events
Paper: Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Regal Rose, Watercolor paper, Pocketful of Posies DSP
Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Early Espresso, Regal Rose markers
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Scalloped Dot ribbon, Owl punch (for the hearts), Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, glue dots
Technique: Watercoloring
My take on this card made by Mary Fish

A wedding card made in new In Colors...
Supplies Used:
Stamps: Easy Events
Paper: Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Wisteria Wonder
Ink: Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Rose Red
Accesories: Big Shot, Elegant Bouquet embossing folder, Decorative Label punch, White Taffeta ribbon, blender pen, basic rhinestones, dimensionals
Technique: Watercoloring with blender pens
This is a CASE of a display board card

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

~Marla

Hi, my name is Marla and I'm a swap-a-holic!

2011-07-20T08:56:00.009-04:00

Hello! Is anybody out there still checking my blog? I have been terrible about blogging lately. I really thought that once summer came, life would slow down and I'd have more time to stamp and blog and well, that just hasn't happened! I'm no longer used to having two kids here full time and my kiddos have kept me hopping! As some of you know, I just returned home from Salt Lake City where I attended my first ever Stampin' Up Convention. It was an awesome trip and something that every demonstrator should experience at least once! These are all of the cards that I made to swap with other demos at convention. I got some wonderful cards in return and I hope to share some of them with you very soon!

I made the card above for an organized technique swap. Does it look familiar? I have made this card over and over again because I love it so much. I just change a little something about it each time. This card uses two of the brand new in colors- Wisteria Wonder and Lucky Limeade. I absolutely love Wisteria Wonder, which shouldn't surprise you too much if you know me. I am a total purple freak!!!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Precious Butterflies (new hostess set)
Paper: Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla
Ink: Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Sahara Sand, Versamark
Accessories: clear embossing powder, heat tool, large oval punch, scalloped oval punch, Wisteria Wonder ruffled ribbon
Techniques: emboss resist, sponging

I made this card for the same technique swap. It is loaded down with techniques- wax paper resist, faux suede, and fork bow. I also sprayed it with homemade shimmer spray to give it a little sparkle. I love these colors together!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Precious Butterflies (new hostess set)
Paper: Basic Gray, Perfect Plum, Wisteria Wonder, Glossy Cardstock
Ink: Basic Gray, Wisteria Wonder
Accessories: Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Fun Flowers die, 3/8" Taffeta ribbon, antique brad, large oval punch, scalloped oval punch, champagne mist shimmer paint
Techniques: wax paper resist, faux suede, fork bow, sponging

I made this cute (if I do say so myself) card for a swap that was organized by Lyssa Zwolanek, who is an awesome demonstrator. I received the BEST cards from this swap and can't wait to participate in it again! It took some time to make fifteen of these cards, but I was really happy with how they turned out and LOVED the cards I got in return, so it was totally worth it! This card uses colors from the subtles collection, but I used the least subtle colors in the collection for this fun color combo.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Bring on the Cake, Create a Cupcake
Paper: Perfect Plum, Marina Mist, Rose Red, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White
Ink: Rose Red, Perfect Plum, Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi markers
Accessories: Big Shot, Square Lattice embossing folder, Extra-Large Oval punch, Scallop Edge border punch, whisper white 3/8" taffeta ribbon

This card was one of my general swaps. I used the new set called, "Pennant Parade" as well as the new scalloped dots ribbon. I think that this card will definitely be one made at my Christmas card classes. I made the background by embossing the Crumb Cake cardstock using the Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder and then brayering Cherry Cobbler ink over the raised flowers.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Pennant Parade, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Ink: More Mustard, Lucky Limeade (pad and marker), Cherry Cobbler (pad and marker), Early Espresso (marker)
Accessories: Big Shot, Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder, Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch, 2 1/2" Circle punch, Chocolate Chip 1/2" Scalloped Dots ribbon, brayer
Techniques: dry embossing, brayering, marker to stamp

I used the same brayering technique on the background of this general swap card. I embossed Melon Mambo cardstock in the brand new houndstooth embossing folder and then brayered Basic Black ink over the raised parts. This card also uses the new hostess set called "Happiest Birthday Wishes", which I love. I make tons of birthday cards, so I am a sucker for a birthday set! The sentiment has several punched out layers that are popped up with dimensionals. It gives a fun effect!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes
Paper: Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Melon Mambo
Accessories: Big Shot, Houndstooth embossing folder, Fun Flowers die, 1 3/4" Scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, Melon Mambo Scalloped Dots 1/2" ribbon, brayer
Techniques: dry embossing, brayering

This last card is a pretty simple one that I CASED from the Spanish edition of our catalog. I love this set (especially the little bench with the squirrels) and I haven't used it much, so when I saw this card in the Spanish catalog, I had to make my own version. This card combines two of my favorite things- squirrels and purple!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Pendant Park
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade
Ink: Lucky Limeade, Elegant Eggplant, Early Espresso
Acceories: White baker's twine
Technique: torn edge

Well, that's it for now! I hope that this extra long post will make up for the fact that I'm only averaging one blog post per month. I promise I will try to do better! My mind is swimming with incredible ideas that I can't wait to try. Have a great day!

~Marla

New In Colors!

2011-06-07T14:47:00.004-04:00

Hello again! I really like today's card. It uses three of the brand new 2011-2013 in colors: Wisteria Wonder, Island Indigo, and Pool Party. All five of the colors are gorgeous, but I really like these three together. This card also uses the Blossom Bouquet Layering punch from the summer mini catalog. It is not a standard sized card (at least not for me). It is a 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 card which is quite a bit larger than my usual 4 1/4 x 5 1/2, but I decided to try something different just for fun. Here it is- enjoy!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Happy Greetings (summer mini)
Paper: Wisteria Wonder, Island Indigo, Pool Party, Whisper White
Ink: Wisteria Wonder
Accessories: Blossom Bouquet layering punch (summer mini), Big Shot, Lots of Tags sizzlit, Wide Oval punch, basic rhinestones, white taffeta ribbon (dyed using my Wisteria Wonder ink pad)

Card Class Preview

2011-06-03T08:50:00.007-04:00

Hello! My apologies for not posting in a while! We had a little "incident" with our camera. My son knocked it off the top of our curio cabinet and broke it and we had to buy a new one, so I had a couple of weeks where I couldn't take any pictures. Let's face it- blog posts with no pictures just aren't much fun! I hope that you are enjoying the summer weather! We have had HOT weather here lately, but it has cooled off and been absolutely beautiful the last few days, so no complaints from me! To try to make up for not posting regularly, I have a HUGE post for you today. These are the cards that we will be making at my masculine-themed card class tomorrow afternoon. I always find masculine cards to be a challenge, but I am really happy with how this group of cards turned out! Enjoy!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Sail Away (summer mini), Thoughts & Prayers
Papers: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Night of Navy, Whisper White
Ink: Night of Navy
Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine (summer mini), Wide Oval punch
Techniques: Torn Edge
CASE of: this card

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Totally Tool, Woodgrain (background)
Paper: Cajun Craze, Chocolate Chip, Cake, Whisper White
Ink: Stazon, Cajun Craze, Basic Gray
Accessories: Blender Pens, Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, Silver Brads
Technique: Watercoloring with Blender Pens

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Something to Celebrate (Occasions mini), Itty Bitty Backgrounds (retired)
Paper: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White
Ink: Early Espresso, Early Espresso marker, Pear Pizzazz marker
Accessories: Big Shot, Square Lattice embossing folder, Tasteful Trim die, 2 1/2" circle punch
Techniques: marker to stamp, dry embossing
CASE of: this card

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Bring on the Cake (Occasions mini)
Paper: Marina Mist, Whisper White, Pacific Point, Cherry Cobbler, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, Daffodil Delight
Ink: Staz On
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Blossom Petals punch (for the flames), Decorative Label punch, Marina Mist 1/8" taffetta ribbon
Techniques: sponging, dry embossing
CASE of: this card

I hope you liked these cards! I'm so excited today because I have a shipment of all new SU! supplies coming today. It has all of the brand new in colors (they are gorgeous!) as well as a copy of the new catalog! I can't wait to see it! I've heard it is the best yet! Be on the lookout for posts containing all my new goodies! Have a great day (I know I will)!

~Marla

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T13:57:00.004-04:00

Happy Mother's Day! I wanted to write a quick post today to show you the card I made for my mom. (I hope she doesn't read this before she sees the actual card!) I saw a card very similar to this on splitcoast and wanted to make my own. The original was made by Cindy Major. I think it was the color combination that drew me to this card. I did change it up a little bit by using Concord Crush in place of the usual Perfect Plum, but it's still the same idea. I promise that I will post some cards that use a different color combination soon.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day! If you are a mom, I hope that your kids will be extra sweet and appreciative of you today. If you have a mom, I hope that you will get the chance to tell her how much she is loved!

Take care!

~Marla

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Something to Celebrate (retired hostess), Love and Care (level 2 hostess- Summer Mini)

Paper: In Color DSP (level 1 hostess), Pear Pizzazz, Concord Crush, Baja Breeze, Whisper White

Ink: Concord Crush, Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz

Accessories: Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, Scallop Trim Border punch, Big Shot, Beautiful Wings embosslit, Basic Rhinestones, Baja Breeze seam binding, shimmer spray

Techniques: Marker to Stamp

Teacher Appreciation Week

2011-05-02T16:35:00.004-04:00

Hello! Were you beginning to wonder if I would ever post again? April was an exceptionally busy and crazy month at our house and blogging, stamping, and a whole lot of other things had to get pushed to the back burner. I don't like it, but it's life. We are all back to normal now, so I hope to be posting a little more often.

Did you know that it is Teacher Appreciation Week? I am a former teacher and I just don't think it is possible to thank teachers enough for all that they do for our kids. I made a couple of little handmade gifts to kick off the week and thought I would share them with you. The picture above is a set of ten thank you cards that I made for my son's Kindergarten teacher and aid. I used five different color combinations (two cards of each combo) and the one shown is one of my all time favorites- Perfect Plum, Baja Breeze, and Pear Pizzazz. If you look back through my blog posts, you will find this combo used more than once! I used the marker to stamp technique to get the different colors on the stamped image. Don't you just love Stampin' Up's markers? They are so versatile!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: So Many Thanks
Ink: Perfect Plum, Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz markers
Paper: Perfect Plum, Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White
Accessories: Cello Bags, Big Shot, Top Note die, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, 1 3/4" circle punch, 2 3/8" scalloped circle punch, 2 1/2" circle punch
Techniques: Marker to Stamp

This is the gift that I made for my son's specialist teachers. I know that they sometimes get forgotten so I always try to do a little something for them as well. I made this bag topper using the Petal Cone die in my Big Shot. The white circle layer was punched using the 2 1/2" circle punch. The sentiment is from "Thank You Kindly" set. I filled the bag with M&M's and put a little poem that I found on splitcoast on a slip of paper inside the bag. Here is the poem:

Green is for the inspiration you give each day.
Blue is for your patience in showing the way.
Orange is for your warmth and caring style.
Yellow is for the way you always smile.
Red is for the lives you have touched this year.
You're a very special teacher, that is clear.
You place knowledge into our children's hands
And melt into their heas and lives forever.

Supplies Used:
Stamp: Thank You Kindly
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White
Accessories: Cello Bags, Big Shot, Petal Cone die, 2 1/2" circle punch

Have a great evening! I'm so glad that spring weather has finally arrived! Hope you're enjoying it too!

~Marla

Sneak Peek!

2011-03-30T13:27:00.004-04:00

Hello! I have a little sneak peek to share with you today! This is a card that I CASE'd directly from Ronda Wade's blog. I love her style- she makes uncomplicated, but very pretty cards. Anyway, this stamp set is called "Four Frames" and it is from the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog (coming in July), along with this beautiful Designer Series Paper, which is called, "Paisley Petals". Demonstrators were able to preorder this set and DSP in March (just one of the things I love about being a demonstrator- we get to see and buy things before anyone else!) and customers have the opportunity to purchase the stamp set and paper in April. April hostesses can earn both for FREE!

Here are the details of the promotion...

In the month of April, customers who place a $20 (before tax and shipping) order will be eligible to purchase the "Four Frames" set for $20.95 (wood-mount) or $15.95 (clear-mount) and the "Paisley Petals" DSP for $9.95.

Hostesses will earn both the stamp set and the DSP for FREE when they have a $350 workshop!

This promotion is for April only. This set and DSP will not be available again until the new Idea and Book and Catalog is released on July 1st. You don't want to miss out!

I have the last weekend in April open for a workshop. If you would like to be a hostess and earn these free goodies, give me a call. I'd love to do a workshop for you and your friends!

Have a great day!

~Marla

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Four Frames, Silhouette Sentiments (level 1 hostess set)

Paper: Crumb Cake, Bravo Burgundy, Marina Mist, Whisper White

Ink: Bravo Burgundy, Marina Mist

Accessories: Big Shot, Beautiful Wings embosslit, 3/4" circle punch

Technique Club Cards #2

2011-03-21T06:35:00.016-04:00

Good Monday afternoon! I hope you had a great weekend! My technique hostess club met for the second time on Friday night and we had a wonderful time. I have been blessed with a really fun group of ladies in my club! We even had two new ladies join our group this time. It really was so much fun! At this meeting, we focused on techniques using heat embossing. The card above uses heat embossing only and the card below we used a technique called emboss resist. I was really happy with how these cards turned out. I hope my club members liked them too!

This card was a CASE of a card made by Michelle Hamilton that I found on splitcoast.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Because I Care (level one hostess)
Ink: Versamark
Paper: Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White
Accessories: Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper EF, Heat Tool, Black Embossing Powder, Basic Black Satin Ribbon

This was the second card we made. It is a redo of a card I posted back in November. I really loved that card and thought it would be pretty redone using bright, springy colors. This card was used to teach the emboss resist technique. The larger flowers were embossed using clear embossing powder and then we sponged Sahara Sand ink over the embossed image giving it the soft shadow around the edges. This is called emboss resist because once you emboss an image, it resists ink so it doen'st stick to the image. There is also a new set that will appear in the new Idea book and Catalog that will be released in July. It is called Four Frames. I used it on the sentiment image. I love that this set coordinates with one of my favorite punches- the Decorative Label punch. Customers will have an opportunity to purchase and hostesses will be able to earn it for free during the month of April only! Contact me for more information!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Four Frames

Paper: Rose Red, Sahara Sand, Whisper White

Ink: Sahara Sand, Rose Red, Pear Pizzazz, Versamark

Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Decoratvie Label punch, Heat Tool, Clear Embossing power, Basic pearls, sponge dauber

Techniques: Dry Embossing, Heat Embossing, Emboss Resist

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stop back by soon!

~Marla

Concord Crush Sympathy Card

2011-03-06T11:05:00.004-05:00

Happy Sunday! We are having a rainy Sunday here and I've always thought that Sundays should be sunny, but oh well! Sunday is also the day of rest and that's all I feel like doing on a rainy day, so I guess an occasional rainy Sunday isn't too bad.

This is another card that I made using the new Build a Blossom stamp set and Blossom Petals punch. I used Concord Crush ink to make the flower. To make the two-toned flower, I inked up the solid flower petal stamp in the ink, then stamped once on scrap paper (a technique called stamping off) and then stamping again on my Whisper White cardstock. I then used the petal accent stamp full strength (without stamping off) over the full petal. I then punched them out and layered them over a circle that I punched out using the 1 3/4" circle punch.

This is a sympathy card because I had a friend request a set of sympathy cards, but it could easily be made into any type of card using the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set in the Word Window punch.

We will definitely be using this stamp set and punch at my upcoming flower-themed classes on April 9th and 15th. If you have not already registered and are interested in attending, I have several openings for the April 15th class, but the April 9th class is full. Please RSVP and send me your $20 ($15 for members of my stamping club) class fee by March 18th.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Stop back by sometime soon!

~Marla

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Build a Blossom, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Concord CrushPaper: Concord Crush, Basic Black, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White

Accessories: Blossom Petals punch, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, 1/2" circle punch

Techniques: Two-step Stamping, Stamping Off

Blue and Gold Baby Thank You

2011-02-27T09:40:00.004-05:00

Hello! I hope that you are having a great weekend. Mine has been a blast! I had a card class on Friday night and there were eleven fun and fabulous ladies here andwe had a wonderful time.

My kiddos were away overnight last night, so I stayed up late and did some stamping. A friend of mine requested some baby thank you cards for her little one that is arriving this spring. She and her hubby graduated from WVU and are huge mountaineer fans, which inspired the color combo for this card. I used Night of Navy and Daffodil Delight to create the Mountaineer Blue and Gold. This is what is so nice about making your own cards- you can customize them to fit your personality!

This is a pretty quick card to make, which is the perfect type for mass production. The little baby outfit is from the level one hostess set in the Occasions mini catalog called "Slice of Life". I colored it with a blender pen in Night of Navy and Daffodil Delight ink. The card base was run through the Big Shot in the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. I really liked the way this sweet little card turned out and I'm glad my friend did too!

Have a fantastic Sunday! I have more cards that I will try to get posted over the course of the week. Check back soon!

~Marla

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Slice of Life, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Night of Navy, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, 1/8" Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon, Blender Pen
Techniques: Watercoloring with a Blender Pen

Build a Blossom Birthday

2011-02-17T14:12:00.004-05:00

Oh my goodness! I can't believe it's been over two weeks since I last posted. So sorry! I have been stamping, but I just haven't had much extra time to get pictures and write the posts. I will try to do better- how many times have you heard that?

We are having beautiful weather here today and I thought that this bright and sunny card was fitting to share on such a pretty day. I hope that you are having nice weather where you are, too!

I have been having so much fun with this new set from the Occasions Mini catalog called, "Build a Blossom". It also has a matching punch (Blossom Petals Punch) that punches out all of the beautiful petals and leaves. At first, I didn't think I needed this set, but my sister convinced me otherwise (thanks, Marcy!) and I'm so glad she did. I think it would be very difficult to make an ugly card with this set and punch. Did you notice the pretty frame around the border of the Daffodil Delight cardstock? It was made with the new embossing folder also in the Occasions mini. It is called, "Framed Tulips". These products will all be available until April 30th. Make sure to order everything that you want by then!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful evening!

~Marla

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Build a Blossom, Create a Cupcake
Paper: Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo
Ink: Melon Mambo, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Big Shot, Framed Tulips EF, Blossom Petals punch, Brights Designer Buttons, Linen Thread, Pear Pizzazz 1/2" Poly-Stitched ribbon

Elegant Birthday

2011-02-02T11:23:00.008-05:00

Hello again! I have a birthday card to share with you today. It was made for a family friend who celebrated her birthday over the weekend. The first one was made using a new technique that I found on Kelly Acheson's blog. It uses the satin ribbon to make a flower. The link to her tutorial is here. I was happy with it and thought it turned out well for a first attempt.

I sprayed the front of this card with homemade shimmer spray and added lots of rhinestones to give it lots of bling. The sentiment came from the new stamp set in the Occasions mini catalog called "Bring on the Cake".

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Bring on the Cake

Ink: Rich Razzleberry

Paper: Basic Gray, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White

Accessoris: Big Shot, Elegant Lines embossing folder, Wide Oval punch, Scallop Trim border punch, Rich Razzleberry satin ribbon, shimmer spray, heat tool

Techniques: Ribbon Flower

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

~Marla

Technique Club Cards

2011-01-30T17:51:00.004-05:00

Hello! Friday evening was the first meeting of my technique hostess club. We had a great time and did some fun techniques (and our hostess earned a level 2 hostess set, a Sale-a-Bration set, and $40 in free merchandise). Below are the cards that we made. The first one is a Valentine's Day card that we made for our hubbies. It uses the inset (or inlaid) embossing technique, which I originally learned about from Lyssa Zwolanek's blog here. It is a really simple but fun technique and it really gives a cool effect. To make the main image, we punched out some hearts and attached them to the Basic Black cardstock using Tombow multi adhesive. Once the glue was dry, we ran the cardstock through the Big Shot in the Square Lattice embossing folder. The pressure of the folder makes the punched images look like they are part of the paper. Cool, huh?

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Full of Life (for the "Love" sentiment)
Ink: Cherry Cobbler marker
Paper: Basic Gray, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Basic Black
Accessories: Tombow Multi Adhesive, Owl punch, Small Heart punch, Large Heart punch, Small Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Scalloped Oval punch, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Big Shot, Square Lattice embossing folder
Techniques: Inset Embossing, Marker to Stamp

This is the second card that we made. I CASE'd this card from Crystal Lenssen's blog here. It showcases the Rock n Roll technique. It is another simple technique that gives a nice "wow" effect. It definitely gives the stamped image a nice level of dimension. All you do is ink your solid stamp using a light-colored ink and then roll the edges of the stamp in a darker-colored ink. The flowers on this card were stamped using this technique. I think it makes the flowers look very pretty. I also really like this color combination (pear pizzazz, perfect plum, baja breeze). What do you think?

Supplies Used:

Stamps: For All You Do

Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Perfect Plum, Baja Breeze

Paper: Pear Pizzazz, Perfect Plum, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla

Accessories: Scalloped Border punch, 1 3/8" Circle punch, Pear Pizzazz poly-stitched ribbon, dimensionals, glue dots

Techniques: Rock n Roll

Thanks for stopping by today! Stop back by soon- I have a few other cards that I will be posting in the next few days.

~Marla

Sugar and Spice... Twice!

2011-01-23T19:51:00.007-05:00

Hello! Thanks for taking a minute to stop by my blog today. I have this super cute (and easy) baby card to share with you today. A good friend of mine had twin girls a few weeks ago and I made this card for her. On the inside, I wrote "Twice" to make it work for the twin girls.

I found the tutorial for this card a while ago on Lauren Meader's blog. It is such a quick and easy way to make a baby card. All you need is cardstock, two punches, a ruler, some scissors and a baby-themed stamp.

See the second comment below for a link to the photo tutorial by Lauren Meaders.

Have a great week! If you get snow, be safe!

~Marla

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Everything Nice

Paper: Regal Rose, Crumb Cake, Whisper White

Ink: Melon Mambo

Accessories: 1 3/8" circle punch, Scalloped Circle punch, scissors, ruler

It's a Great Time to Be a Hostess (and a Customer)!

2011-01-18T18:18:00.002-05:00

If you have ever considered hosting a Stampin' Up workshop, now is a great time to get one scheduled! Stampin' Up's annual Sale-a-Bration sale begins on January 25th and continues until March 31st. During Sale-a-Bration, customers receive a FREE exclusive item from our special Sale-a-Bration catalog or any set from the regular catalog valued at $14.95 or less for FREE for every $50 they order. Hostesses receive a FREE Sale-a-Bration item for every $300 in workshop sales! This is in addition to our regular hostess benefits including at least $15 in free products and at least one FREE hostess set. Hostesses will also receive a free gift from me at their workshop! If you have limited space or just don't want to clean your house, you are welcome to hold your workshop in my craft room. Please send me an email (reedmarla@comcast.net), call me, or leave a comment below if you are interested in scheduling a workshop. My schedule is filling up- don't wait! I hope to hear from you soon!

~Marla

Because I Care Thank You Card

2011-01-13T20:41:00.005-05:00

Hello! I hope that you are all staying warm and enjoying the winter weather! It is VERY cold here, but we haven't had much snow, so we aren't snowed in (which I am very happy about)!

I made this card this afternoon for a friend who requested a collection of thank you cards. I absolutely love this stamp set. It is called, "Because I Care" and it is a level one hostess set. It is my favorite of all our great level one hostess sets because it is so pretty and versatile. This image is great for lots of different types of cards.

I decided to try something a little different for this card. I have seen several cards online where people made a background by inking up the clear blocks that are used with our clear mount stamps and stamping with the block itself. I had never tried this technique... until today! I made the rectangle in the background by inking up Clear Block E with Crumb Cake ink and stamping it onto my Very Vanilla cardstock. I think it gives a very nice effect. What do you think?

To stamp the hydrangea image, I colored directly on the stamp with my markers- Cherry Cobbler for the flower and Pear Pizzazz for the stem and leaves. I stamped the flower again and popped it up with dimensionals. I finished the card by adding a knotted piece of Early Espresso satin ribbon and the "thank you" sentiment from the set "Thank You Kindly". I was really pleased with the way this card turned out, and I hope that you like it too!

Have a wonderful weekend and I hope to have more cards to post soon!

~Marla

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Because I Care (hostess), Thank You Kindly

Ink: Cherry Cobbler (pad and marker), Pear Pizzazz marker, Crumb Cake pad

Paper: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Clear Block E, Early Espresso satin ribbon, dimensionals

Technique: Stamping with Clear Blocks

Just Buzzin' By...

2011-01-05T21:51:00.004-05:00

I saw a card very similar to this one (made by Brenda Dean) on Splitcoast today and decided to try making my own version. I have to admit that when I first saw this set, it really didn't appeal to me very much. However, my friend ordered it and left it at my house, and I have to admit, it has definitely grown on me. I think those little bees are just too cute! This is another CAS (Clean and Simple) card because there really isn't much stamping on the front and the design is un-complicated. CAS cards are great if you are limited on time or supplies. They usually go together very quickly and it isn't necessary to have everything in the catalog to make them! I couldn't get a good picture of the inside of the card, but I stamped the "have a honey of a day" sentiment from this set at the top and the honey pot from this set in the bottom right corner. The inside is almost as cute as the front! Hope you liked this one and that you are having a honey of a day!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Just Buzzin' By
Ink: Black Staz On, markers- Daffodil Delight, Blush Blossom
Accessories: Dazzling Diamonds (on the bee's wings), 1/8" Daffodil Delight ribbon

Thanks for stopping by and make sure you scroll down and take a look at my last two Christmas cards designs. I posted them right before I posted this card and I don't want you to miss them (even though you've probably already taken down your Christmas tree!)

~Marla

Better Late Than Never?

2011-01-05T21:23:00.007-05:00

Well, here it is January 5th and I am just now posting my last two Christmas cards, but like the title of this post says- better late than never, right? I hope that all of you had a wonderful Christmas and that the new year will bring you much happiness!

Here is the second of my Christmas cards. I CASE'd this one from Heidi Baks. I saw a similar card on her blog and LOVED it so I had to make my own version. I was really happy with the way they turned out! What do you think of this one?

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Welcome Christmas, Come to Bethlehem (sentiment)
Paper: Soft Suede CS, Cherry Cobbler CS, Whisper White CS, Deck the Halls DSP
Ink: Soft Suede, Marina Mist
Accessories: Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Cherry Cobbler seam binding
Techniques: Masking, Sponging

Here is the third card design that I sent out this year. It is a CASE of a card made by Ilina Crouse. I added the glitter window technique to make the snowflake extra sparkly. These are definitely CAS (Clean and Simple) cards which means that the design is very clean and there is a lot of white remaining on the card. The first picture shows a close up and the second is the entire card front. Even though I don't often do CAS cards, I really like this one and they went together very quickly and easily. This card is done in Concord Crush, but I also did them in Cherry Cobbler and Not Quite Navy and they were all very pretty. I loved all the shimmer on this card. I used the shimmer spray on the card front to give the whole card a little sparkle!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Four the Holidays

Paper: Concord Crush CS, Whisper White CS

Ink: Concord Crush
Accessories: Snowflake punch, Rhinestones, Dazzling Diamonds, packing tape (non-SU), shimmer spray

Techniques: Glitter Window

Sorry that I didn't get these posted before Christmas, but better late than never- right? right?

~Marla

Christmas Card #1

2010-12-17T13:52:00.003-05:00

Why does it seem that every single blog post that I write begins with an apology for neglecting my blog? Well, here is yet another apology! I'm so sorry that I haven't been posting regularly. I have been up to my eyeballs in all things Christmas and am just now finally getting around to getting my own personal Christmas cards made and sent out. I am going to end up with four designs this year and this is the first one. It is being sent mostly to friends and family. It is a CASE of a card that I saw on splitcoast that was made by a member called jchill34. I loved the design of her card and wanted to make my own. I did make a few minor changes to make it my own and I love the way it turned out.

I hope that all of you are having a wonderful Christmas season and that you have been able to take a few moments here and there to relax and enjoy this wonderful time of year! I hope that all of you will have a very Merry Christmas and a new year filled with blessings and much happiness! I will be back soon to share the other three designs of my Christmas cards, so check back soon!

~Marla

Supplies Used: Welcome Christmas, Many Merry Messages (for inside sentiment)

Paper: Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Whisper White

Ink: Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso

Accessories: Scalloped Circle punch, 1 3/8" Circle punch, Scallop Edge Border punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon punch, Big Shot, Petals a Plenty embossing folder, Glitter Spray (homemade using Champagne Mist glitter paint mixed with rubbing alcohol)

Techniques: dry embossing

Technique Club Forming Now!

2010-12-01T08:40:00.003-05:00

Hello! Would you like to learn some new stamping techniques? Well, I am bursting with ideas that I would love to share with you. I am forming a hostess club where we will focus on techniques that will wow, but that are a bit too involved for my regular classes.

How does a hostess club work?

- There must be six members.

- We will meet in my home once every other month for one year.

- On the date of each meeting, each member is responsible for placing a minimum $25 order (before tax and shipping). The orders will be combined to form a workshop that will receive hostess benefits.

- There will be a new hostess for each meeting. Members will choose their hostess month in the order that they sign up for the club. The hostess is responsible for bringing a light snack for all members to share. I will provide drinks.

What are the advantages of joining the club?

- Each member will receive at least $15 in free merchandise and a free hostess stamp set on their hostess month. You get the benefits of hosting a workshop without having to clean your house!

- You can purchase stamping supplies on a budget.

- You will make two WOW! projects at each meeting that you can take home.

- You get a girls' night out six times a year. (Who doesn't need that?)

-Each member will receive a free copy of the 2011-2012 Stampin' Up Idea Book and Catalog when it comes out in July. (If you don't already have a copy of the current catalog, you will receive one of those as well.)

I am thinking that we would meet on Friday evenings or nights, but I am open to another day as long as everyone agrees on the day. I would love to begin our club meetings in January. Our Sale-a-Bration sale begins in January, so that would be a great time to order and be a hostess! More details on Sale-a-Bration to come. If you are interested in joining this club, please email me at reedmarla@comcast.net or call me (304) 904-5883. I look forward to hearing from you!

~Marla

Emboss Resist

2010-11-24T05:58:00.004-05:00

Happy (almost) Thanksgiving! I am visiting my parents for the holiday. We arrived last night after a long but uneventful trip. When traveling with two little ones, an uneventful trip is definitely something to be thankful for. I'm really looking forward to visiting with family and friends that I don't get to see often enough, and I am, of course, excited about all the good food!

Isn't this card so pretty? I saw a video on Dawn Griffith's blog where she made a card very similar to this one and decided that I needed to make my own. It used the emboss resist technique, which is where you heat emboss an image and then sponge or roll ink over it. The ink will not stick to the area that is embossed. The large flowers on the card were stamped with Versamark ink, then covered with clear embossing powder, then heat embossed with the heat tool. I then sponged over them with Crumb Cake ink on a sponge dauber. I think it turned out beautifully. I recently (finally) purchased the heat tool and it has been such a great investment. I have been using it all the time because there are so many really cool things that can be done with it.

Everyone have a safe and happy holiday!

~Marla

Supplies Used:
Stamp Sets: Occasional Quotes (level 3 hostess), Vintage Vogue
Paper: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Ink: Versamark, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Basic Pearls
Techniques: dry embossing, heat embossing, emboss resist, sponging

Happy Birthday, Hannah!

2010-11-22T06:54:00.004-05:00

Hello! Happy Thanksgiving week to all of you! I just want to say that I am very thankful to all of you who come and visit my blog, come to my events, and place orders through me! I have had a really successful year and it's all thanks to you!

This is a birthday card I made for my niece, Hannah. She is turning six next week and I knew I needed to get a card made now before life gets super busy with Thanksgiving travels. We made a version of this card (which is a CASE of one made by Tessa Wise) at the birthday card class I held back in September, but I don't think that card ever got posted. I made this one to fit the color challenge on Splitcoast last week, which was Perfect Plum, Baja Breeze, and Pear Pizzazz. I have to say that I love this combo! I really love Baja Breeze and any shade of purple, so this was a great one for me. It's hard to see in the picture, but I heat embossed the balloons with VersaMark and clear embossing powder to make the balloons appear shiny. It gives a cool effect!

Everyone have a wonderful week! I have a few other cards to post this week, so check back often!

~Marla

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Everything Nice, Crazy for Cupcakes
Paper: Crumb Cake, Perfect Plum, Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz
Ink: VersaMark, Black Staz On, Perfect Plum marker, Baja Breeze marker, Pear Pizzazz marker
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Scallop Border punch, Heat Tool, Clear Embossing Powder, Certainly Celery ribbon (retired), Linen Thread
Technique: dry embossing, heat embossing

This Deal is Too Good to Pass Up!

2010-11-16T06:03:00.005-05:00

Until November 30th, the Stampin' Up demonstrator starter kit is half off! The kit that is
usually $175 (and contains $310 worth of products and supplies) is now only $87.50!

This is what is included in the CUSTOMIZABLE standard kit:

ANY $33.95 or lower set

ANY $28.95 or lower set

ANY $18.95 or lower set

ANY $9.95 or lower set

***Note that the $87.50 kit cost has already paid for the 4 sets above valued at $91.80. That means that EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE IS FREE! ***

$19.95 Brights Patterns Designer Series paper stack (OR color of you choice) FREE

$16.95 Stampin' Scrub FREE

$8.95 Whisper White 5/8" Satin Ribbon (OR ribbon at same or lower price) FREE

$8.95 VersaMark pad (OR ink pad at same or lower price) FREE

$8.50 Whisper White card stock (OR color of you choice at same or lower price) FREE

$7.95 Small Chocolate Songbird Decor Elements piece (OR Decor Elements item at same or lower price) FREE

$6.95 Assorted 8 1/2 x 11 card stock (color assortment of your choice) FREE

$6.95 Clear Block C (OR clear block at same or lower price) FREE

$6.95 SNAIL adhesive (OR same or lower price adhesive) FREE

$6.50 Fast Flowers Stampin' Around Wheel (OR standard wheel of your choice) FREE

$5.95 Stampin' Around Self-Inking Handle FREE

$5.95 Classic ink pad (your choice of color) FREE

$5.95 Classic ink pad (your choice of color) FREE

$5.95 Classic ink pad (your choice of color) FREE

$5.95 Classic ink pad (you choice of color) FREE

$5.25 Uninked Cartridge (standard) FREE

$4.50 Stampin' Mist (OR StazOn cleaner) FREE

$3.95 Stampin' Dimensionals FREE

$3.50 Stampin' Write marker (your choice of color) FREE

$3.50 Stampin' Write marker (your choice of color) FREE

$3.32 Blender Pen (single) FREE

$2.95 Classic ink refill (your choice of color) FREE

$1.95 Decor Elements Applicator FREE

$1.17 Stampin' sponge (single) FREE

Catalogs ($29.95 for 8), business forms, and other printed business materials

Seen enough? Call me today (304) 904-5883 and I'll answer any questions you have about being a hobby or business demo. We have low quarterly minimums and great benefits for demos if you choose to remain a demo. I'm so excited for all of you who will take advantage of this awesome deal! Stampin' Up has never had a deal this good and probably won't again for a very long time! Hope to hear from you soon!

-Marla

A Color Challenge!

2010-11-05T13:33:00.003-04:00

Hello! I woke up super early yesterday morning and this is what I worked on. It is my customer thank you card for November, so if you have attended one of my events or placed an order with my in the past couple of weeks, keep an eye on your mailbox!

This card was inspired by one done by Julie Davison that I saw on Splitcoast. I changed the colors for my card to make it fall-ish and to make it fit with the color challenge #295 on Splitcoast, which was to use Peach Parfait, Early Espresso, and Cajun Craze (plus neutrals). I just bought the set called "Just Believe" that was new to the latest catalog and I love it! I have had my eye on it for a long time, but hadn't ordered it. I'm so glad I finally got it. It is a really lovely and versatile set.

Thanks for stopping by! See you again soon!

~Marla

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Just Believe
Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilly, Peach Parfait, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze
Ink: Peach Parfait, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze
Accessories: Scalloped Circle punch, 1 3/8" Circle punch, Word Window punch, Early Espresso satin ribbon

More Candle Stamping

2010-10-27T06:49:00.006-04:00

This is the other candle project that Denise and I completed yesterday. This one has a more everyday feel to it and could be displayed all year long. I think this one also turned out beautifully and I love the colors on this one.

This is the side view of the same candle. Isn't that image from "Just Believe" so pretty? I just love it!

Here are the step by step directions for stamping on candles. It is actually fairly easy once you get the hang of it.

1. Stamp your image onto white tissue paper. Color in the image with markers (if it is a line art image.)

2. Cut out the image leaving a small border.

3. Place the cut out image where you would like it to be on the candle.

4. Wrap a piece of wax paper tightly around the entire candle with the tissue paper piece in place.

5. Use the heat tool to melt the stamped image into the surface of the candle.

6. Remove the wax paper.

7. Add more stamped images, if desired.

8. Decorate your candle with ribbon or other embellishments, if desired.

Enjoy! Have a great day!

~Marla

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Just Believe

Ink: Markers in Pear Pizzazz, Perfect Plum, Rich Razzleberry, and Concord Crush

Paper: Whisper White CS, Rich Razzleberry CS

Accessories: markers, heat tool, tissue paper, wax paper, Rich Razzleberry polka dot grosgrain ribbon

Techniques: stamping on candles

Stamping on Candles

2010-10-26T14:40:00.003-04:00

Hello to anyone out there who still checks my very neglected blog! I held my first Christmas card buffet on Saturday and it was so much fun and a great success! I had six wonderful ladies here and they made a total of 160 cards! I'm already looking forward to the next one on November 19th! While this event was a blast, it took A LOT of preparation, which is why my poor blog has been so neglected lately. I finally got a chance to stamp for fun today with my friend Denise. We are planning to make some handmade gifts for Christmas this year and we decided to try our hand at stamping on candles. We were really pleased with the results. There is a great tutorial on splitcoaststampers in the resource section if you would like to try this for yourself.

Everyone have a GREAT day and I will try to post A LOT more often in the coming days and weeks!

~Marla

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Serene Snowflakes, Jolly Old St. Nick
Ink: Marina Mist
Paper: Marina Mist CS, Brushed Silver CS
Accessories: heat tool, wax paper, tissue paper, rhinestones, dazzling diamonds, taffeta ribbon, Scalloped Circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch
Techniques: stamping on candles

In Color Thank You Notes

2010-09-28T11:47:00.005-04:00

Hello! I hope that you are experiencing the cooler Fall temperatures where ever you are! It has been so nice here the past few days. Fall seems to have finally arrived! After a long summer of many days of 100+ temperatures, the change is definitely welcome!

I made these cards to send to my customers who attended my recent birthday card SAS. It was a fun event with a great group of ladies. I really enjoyed it even though I was coming down with a little cold that day. If you were able to join me for this event, watch your mailbox for one of these cards! They should be arriving in the next day or two.

These were very quick and simple cards to make. They are made using the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder in the Big Shot. I brayered over the ebmossed images with three of our new in colors- Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, and Concord Crush. You can brayer the ink onto either side of the embossed image, depending on which look you prefer. The two different ways are displayed in the first picture. I punched out the scalloped oval to make a little window for the sentiment. Easy, peasy- you've got to love that!

I hope you have a wonderful day and week! Thank you for stopping by!

~Marla

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Thank You Kindly

Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Concord Crush, Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade

Ink: Concord Crush, Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade

Accessories: Scalloped Oval Punch, Large Oval punch

Techniques: Dry Embossing, Brayering

Christmas Card Buffet Choices

2010-09-17T14:22:00.000-04:00

Hello! These are the cards that you will have to choose from at my Christmas Card Buffet. I have chosen cards that will be quick to stamp and assemble and none of them are very difficult, so even a brand new stamper could make any of them. When emailing me to preorder your cards, please give the card number and then how many of that type you would like to make. Thanks! I am really looking forward to this event and I hope that you are as well!

Card #1

This card is a CASE of a card made by Michellet Surette. It has the most assembly steps of the ten choices, but each card should take about ten to fifteen minutes to complete.

Card #2

This card is a CASE of a card made by a poster called "basketballmom" on Splitcoaststampers. Each card couuld be stamped and assembled in less than ten minutes.

Card #3

This card is my original design. It could be made in five to ten minutes.

Card #4

This one is also my original design. It could be completed in under ten minutes.

Card #5

This card is a CASE of a card made by Ilina Crouse. The only difficult part of this card is the bow. It should take ten to fifteen minutes to complete.

Card #6

This is a CASE of Marie Shaughnessy's card. It would take less than ten minutes to complete.

Card #7

This card is a CASE of a card made by Christy Fulk. It uses non traditional colors- Rich Razzleberry, Baja Breeze, and Crumb Cake. It could be completed in five to ten minutes.

Card #8

This card was inspired by a card made by Mindy Backes. It could be made in about ten minutes.

Card #9

This card is a CASE of a card made by Jennifer Weide. It could be completed in five to ten minutes.

Card #10

This card is my original design. It is a little bit more advanced because it is a little tricky to get all of the layers straight. It could be completed in about ten minutes.

Thanks for looking! I hope that you like what you see and are able to make it to one of the card buffets. Have a great day!

-Marla

Fifth Ave. Floral in Neutrals

2010-09-04T05:40:00.001-04:00

Hello and Happpy Labor Day Weekend! I'm a little sad to see the unofficial end of summer come because this has been a GREAT summer, but I am ready for some fall weather. Mother Nature doesn't seem to understand that fall is coming. We have had 90-100 degree temperatures here for over a week!

This card is CASE'd from Ronda Wade. I love her cards- they are very simple in design and layout, but very nicely done and so pretty! This card is done in all neutrals and I think it is an elegant color combination. I stamped the flowers in Early Espresso and Crumb Cake on Very Vanilla CS and then sponged on some of the images using Crumb Cake ink and a sponge dauber. I then ran my stamped image panel through my Big Shot in the Square Lattice folder. I love the effect this gives. It softenes up the images really beautifully. I cut out the corners with my 1/2" circle punch (because I don't have a ticket corner punch, but that would have been easier) and mounted it onto Early Espress CS. I tied the ribbon on and added the sentiment from the retired set "Well Scripted" and punched it out with the scalloped oval punch and then used the wide oval punch and Early Espresso for the layer. The card base is Crumb Cake CS.

Hope you like this one and that you have a fun, relaxing weekend! Enjoy!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Fifth Ave. Floral, Well Scripted (retired)
Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Paper: Very Vanilla CS, Crumb Cake CS, Early Espresso CS
Accessories: Big Shot, Square Lattice folder, 1/2" circle punch, scalloped oval punch, wide oval punch, Early Espress ribbon
Techniques: dry embossing

Perfect Punches Meets Elegant Lines

2010-08-31T10:41:00.000-04:00

Hello again! I am finally getting used to my new daily routine and found a few minutes to make this very quick card this morning. I love this card and it literally took less than five minuutes to make. This is one of the cards we will be making at my birthday card class on September 18th. If you have not already registered for this class, please do so very soon so I can be sure to have materials prepared for you.

This card is a CASE of a card I saw on splitcaoast made by Jen Sannes. I didn't change much about it except that I used Rich Razzleberry ribbon and cardstock for the card base. I figure if you can use rich Razzleberry, you might as well! I love Baja Breeze and Rich Razzleberry together. It's one of my favorite color combinations! Soft Suede accents them both nicely, too.

Have a great day and I hope to have more cards to post soon, so keep checking back!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Perfect Punches

Ink: Soft Suede

Paper: Rich Razzleberry CS, Soft Suede CS, Baja Breeze CS, Very Vanilla CS

Accessories: Basic Pearls, Elegant Lines folder, Big Shot, Dimensionals, RR Satin Ribbon, Glue Dots, Wide Oval punch

Techniques: Dry embossing, sponging

FINALLY!!!!

2010-08-28T22:11:00.001-04:00

I finally got a chance to sit down tonight and stamp. Each day this week, I hoped to get the chance and it just didn't happen. Now that we have a week of school behind us and are settling into our new routine, I am hoping to get more opportunities to stamp.

This is an official Marla Reed original! I didn't CASE this one- can you believe it? My sweet boy started Kindergarten last Monday and I intended to make a card to send for his teacher and her aide on the first day, but it just didn't happen. I am going to send these in on Monday to thank them both for helping him have a great first week of school. I used the set from the Summer Mini catalog called, "First Day". I think it is such a cute set and I bought it mostly for scrapbooking, but it makes great teacher cards, too. If you are interested in ordering this set or any of the others from the Summer mini, please contact me as soon as possible because Tuesday, August 31st is the last day that we can order from the mini catalog. The Holiday mini starts the following day, September 1st. If you would like a copy of it, please leave me a message, give me a call, or email me and I will arrange to get a copy to you.

I hope that you enjoyed the card! I hope to have lots more for you in the near future. Take care until then!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Thank You Kindly, First Day
Papers: Real Red CS, Old Olive CS, Whisper White CS
Ink: Staz On, Real Red marker, Old Olive marker, Blush Blossom marker, Early Espresso marker
Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note Die, Stamp-a-ma-jig, 1 3/8" circle punch, Scalloped Circle punch

So Sorry!

2010-08-24T14:07:00.000-04:00

Hello! I just wanted to take a minute to say that I am so sorry I have not been blogging much lately! With everyone in my family having birthdays this month and also getting ready to send my son off to Kindergarten, August has been a whirlwind month for me. My daughter is going to Nana's house tomorrow, so I'm hoping to squeeze in a few minutes of stamping. I should have something to post later this week. Thanks for checking in!

Until later,
Marla

Holiday Mini Preview!

2010-08-13T07:29:00.001-04:00

Hello! Sorry it has taken me so long to get a new card posted. My camera battery died while I was on vacation and I didn't have my charger with me. I got home and realized it wasn't here either and that's when I realized that I left it at my parents' house. I had to wait for my mom to mail it to me before I could take this picture. I actually made this card a few days ago.

This card is made with a couple of products from the holiday mini catalog, which will start on September 1st. The background is made with the new spiderweb embossing folder. I brayered Whisper White craft over it. It didn't work perfectly because I had a few smudges and smears. Oh well! I will just have to keep trying until I perfect the technique.

That adorable witch and the sentiment are from a new set for Halloween called "Fangtastic" also from the Holiday mini. I have my holiday minis on their way, so let me know if you would like one and I will get one to you once they arrive. You will also be able to view it online beginning September 1st.

Don't forget: My tax free sale will end on Sunday. If you are interested in ordering, you must call or email your order to me by 9:00 p.m. on Sunday evening. Also, the sales period for the Summer Mini catalog will end on August 31st, so if you want anything from it, be sure to order before the 31st.

Have a great day! It is rainy here, so maybe I will get a little more stamping done today!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Fang-tastic, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Stazon, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Blushing Bride Stampin' Write markers, Whisper White Craft ink
Paper: Basic Black CS, Pumpkin Pie CS, Rich Razzleberry CS, Old Olive CS, Whisper White CS
Accessories: Small Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Big Shot, Spiderweb Embossing folder, Brayer
Techniques: Dry Embossing, Brayering

Tax Free Week!

2010-08-10T09:08:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone! I am back from the beach safe and sound! We had a great time and it is good to be home, but with all the laundry and unpacking, I feel like I need another vacation! I'm trying to get back into the swing of things and still have not picked up a stamp since getting home. I have an order arriving later today, so hopefully I'll have some creations to share tomorrow!

I did want to let you know that I am offering a tax free sale this week. If you email or call me with an order between now and Sunday, August 15th, you will not pay sales tax on your order. Online orders are not included in this special. Orders must be recieved by 9:00 p.m. on Sunday in order to qualify. If you do not have a catalog, please contact me to purchase one for $5 (or free with a $50 order) or you can view the catalog on my website (http://marlareed.stampinup.net).

Thanks for stopping by! Can't wait to have some new cards to post this week!

~Marla

Off to the beach...

2010-07-30T09:40:00.000-04:00

Hello friends! I haven't posted much this week because I have been crazy busy getting ready to go on vacation. We leave tomorrow for the beach, so I won't be blogging until at least next Monday (August 9th). Everyone have a great week! See you soon!

Birthday Invitation

2010-07-27T06:26:00.001-04:00

Oops! I didn't get this posted yesterday as I had promised! Sorry!

My daughter will turn two and my son will turn five in August (sniff, sniff)! I can't believe how quickly time is passing. Anyway, because their birthdays are one week apart, we are having one big party for both of them together. This is the invitation I made. I used the Sweet Scoops set from the Summer Mini catalog. I love this set! Isn't it so cute?

This invitation could easily be made into a birthday card. I have to admit that the patterned paper I used is not Stampin' Up. It is from a stack of paper that my sister-in-law gave me for my birthday and I loved the bright colors and knew it would be perfect for this invitation. It reminds me of the Island Oasis DSP from the Summer Mini catalog, so that would make an excellent substitution if you want to make your own version of this card. There was a good amount of cutting involved in making this card, but I had my mom and my sister here to help. Thank goodness for them!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Sweet Scoops, Afterthoughts (level 1 hostess set)
Paper: Marina Mist CS, Pumpkin Pie CS, Whisper White CS, non-SU patterned paper
Ink: Old Olive, Marina Mist, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Crumb Cake, Real Red
Accessories: Stampin' Write markers

Mascuine Birthday SAS #5

2010-07-25T12:28:00.000-04:00

Hello! This is the fifth and final card from my card class on Friday. It is a very simple masculine birthday card. I always try to include a masculine card in the mix when I do classes because I find them to be a bit of a challenge to make and when I need one, I don't always have one on hand. I CASE'd this card from one made by Bard Mullikin that I saw on splitcoast (of course!). It went together very quickly and easily. I love this pattern in the Greenhouse Gala paper because it isn't flowery and works well for masculine cards. Enjoy!

I worked on the invitations to my kids' birthday party (their birthdays are one week apart, so we can get by with just one party, how lucky is that?). I will post it tomorrow. Until then, have a great day and try to stay cool!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Perfect Punches

Paper: Pear Pizzazz, Early Espresso, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White CS, Greenhouse Gala DSP

Ink: Real Red

Accessories: Wide Oval punch, Big Shot, Lots of Tags Sizzlit, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack

SAS Card #4

2010-07-24T07:18:00.000-04:00

Good Morning! I had my card making class last night! It was great fun! This is the fourth card that we made. It is yet another CASE from a card I saw on splitcoast that was posted by a poster called mahodgman. I loved the simple layout. It was perfect for a class! This is a nice, quick, simple card with just a little stamping, a little cutting, and a little layering. That's about it! Hope you like this one!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Friends Never Fade, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Baja Breeze CS, Early Espresso CS, Pear Pizzazz CS, Whisper White CS, Greenhouse Gala DSP
Ink: Baja Breeze, Early Espresso
Accessories: Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, 1/8" Early Espresso ribbon, Dimensionals

Pendant Park Hello

2010-07-23T06:09:00.001-04:00

Hi there! Isn't this a cute little set? I've had my eye on it for over a year and I finally ordered it. I love that it is one of the few older sets that they made available in wood mount or clear mount. I am a sucker for squirrels (even tiny ones like these!) so I knew it was only a matter of time before this set would be added to my collection.

I CASE'd this card from one posted by a posted called LYP on splitcoast, but I did change mine up quite a bit. I used different colors and made my card landscape rather than portrait. I love the little strip behind the main image panel. It is made from one of the stamps in this set. It is only about 4" long, so not long enough to make it all the way across a card front, but I solved that problem by stamping it, cutting it out, layering it on a piece of Soft Suede CS, and then cutting the strip in half before adhering it to the card front. With the image piece layered on top, you can't tell that it is cut.

I also used a technique called masking on this card. Do you see that the tree does not show behind the bench? I did this by stamping the bench on the CS, then stamping it again on a post-it and cutting it out. The post-it is then stuck directly over the bench on the CS. I then stamped the tree and the part that is covered by the post-it is left clean. Lift up the post-it and it looks like the bench is blocking the view of the tree. Cool, huh? Sorry if my directions are a little confusing! Leave me a comment or send me an email if you want clarification. :-)

I think this card turned out cute and is a nice, somewhat masculine card. (I always need masculine cards!) The sentiment could easily be switched with one from Teeny Tiny Wishes, so if could fit any occasion. Well, hope you like this one! Card #4 tomorrow! Stop back by!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Pendant Park
Ink: Soft Suede, Old Olive
Paper: Very Vanilla CS, Old Olive CS, Soft Suede CS
Accessories: Small Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Scalloped Oval punch
Techniques: Masking

SAS Supply Storage

2010-07-22T15:28:00.001-04:00

Hello! I know this isn't a picture of a card, but I found these great bins at Wal Mart in the kitchen storage section and thought I would share them. I think they could be very useful for storing craft supplies. I also thought that my demo friends might like them for storing supplies for SAS's. Each bin in the picture is holding all the supplies needed to make each card. When it is time to make a card, I can remove the bin from the stack and everything is in there and ready to go. These are loaded with supplies for tomorrow's SAS. Best of all, they were very inexpensive. They were only $4.97 for a three pack, so I paid less than $10 for all six of these bins. Hope you find this helpful!

I'll be posting card #3 later today! Have a good one until then!

Love that Greenhouse Gala Paper!

2010-07-21T20:27:00.000-04:00

Hello again! Can you believe I'm posting two days in a row? Hehe! Here is card #2 from my SAS this weekend. This card is a CASE of one made by Kerin Sylvester. I saw hers on splitcoast and had to try it for myself. The main thing that I changed is that her stamped image is a circle with a scalloped circle behind and for mine I used the Scalloped Rectangle Clearlit to back my image. I think it worked well for this stamp. I did have to leave part of the flower off when I colored the stamp with markers. Otherwise, it wouldn't have fit on this fairly small rectangle.

One other thing I wanted to point out is that I created the little sentiment tag by using the small oval punch and then I made the little semi-circle for the ribbon using the scallop trim border punch. If you take the end of the small oval and line it up with the scallop in the border punch, it will give you a great little cut-out that is perfect for a little piece of ribbon. Anyway, I hope that you like this one. It's a fairly quick card to make.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Friends Never Fade, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Early Espresso CS, Crumb Cake CS, Cherry Cobbler CS, Pear Pizzazz CS, Whisper White CS, Greenhouse Gala DSP
Accessories: Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Scalloped Rectangle Clearlit, Small Oval punch, Scallop Trim Border punch, 1/8" Early Espresso ribbon, Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler, Pear Pizzazz Stampin' Write markers

I'm Back!

2010-07-20T23:48:00.001-04:00

Hello! Sorry that I've been MIA for so long! I was away visiting family and did no stamping. No stamping = nothing to post. I'm back now though and getting ready for a SAS (stamp-a-stack) that I am having this Friday. This is one of the cards that we will be making. It is a CASE from the front of the August Stampin' Success, which is a magazine that is published for SU! demos. I used the same layout and stamp set, but I did change a few of the elements of this card. The original had white satin ribbon and I didn't have any so I substituted a strip of Greenhouse Gala DSP for the ribbon. I also changed the colors so that I could play along with a recent color challenge on splitcoast. It was Baja Breeze, So Saffron, and Rich Razzleberry. I really like these colors together. I also added a tiny amount of Certainly Celery to make the stem and leaves for my flower. This is a pretty simple card, but I am happy with the way that it turned out. I hope that everyone coming to my SAS will like it too!

I have all my cards prepped for Friday, so I will have five cards to post this week. Check back often- I won't let you down! Have a great day! See you tomorrow!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: For All You Do, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Rich Razzleberry
Paper: Rich Razzleberry CS, So Saffron CS, Baja Breeze CS, Whisper White CS, Greenhouse Gala DSP
Accessories: Dimensionals

Sunny Flowers

2010-07-07T22:20:00.001-04:00

Hello again! I have been a crazy stampin' fool this week. My most recent order consisted mostly of new color markers, ink pads, and papers as well as a few tools that I had never purchased. I finally got the Color Spritzer, which I used on this card. If you are not familiar with this product, it is a tool that puts little speckles on your project using a Stampin' Write marker. I blows ink off of the tip of the marker and onto your project. I may have over-spritzed this one a bit as I was trying to get used to using this brand new tool, but I still like the way it turned out.

This card also features one of my favorite stamp sets, "Inspired by Nature". I just love those flowers and the other image in this set is tall grass. It is very pretty. I colored directly on the stamp with Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, and Early Espresso Stampin' Write markers and then stamped onto Whisper White.

Enjoy this bright and sunny card!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Inspired by Nature, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso Stampin' Write markers

Paper: Daffodil Delight textured CS, Early Espresso CS, Whisper White CS

Accessories: Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Early Espresso 1/8" ribbon, Color Spritzer

New Goodies!

2010-07-07T07:38:00.001-04:00

Here is one of the cards that I made while playing with my new goodies last night. I think it turned out really nicely. This may be one of the cards that we make at my card making class on July 23rd. We'll see!

I "colored" the flower and the leaves by using the paper piecing technique with the new Greenhouse Gala DSP. I saw this idea on Connie Tumm's blog- http://connietumm1.typepad.com/blog/ I thought her idea was just brilliant and had to try it out for myself! For the background piece, I ran a piece of Baja Breeze CS through the Big Shot in my Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. I then inked up my (brand new!) brayer with Early Espresso ink and ran it over the raised sections of the cardstock. I love the effect this gives!

Aside from the cutting out of the flower and leaves, this card is very quick and easy to make. I had a lot of fun working with my new colors and supplies last night! Hope you enjoy this card!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Because I Care
Ink: Early Espresso
Paper: Greenhouse Gala DSP, Early Espresso CS, Baja Breeze CS, Whisper White CS
Accessories: Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper emossing folder, Brayer, Large Oval punch, Scalloped Oval punch, Early Espresso 1/8" taffetta ribbon
Techniques: Paper Piecing, Brayering, Sponging

Grab Your Scissors!

2010-07-06T20:37:00.001-04:00

Hello! I hope that all of you had a safe and happy July 4th! I had a great time. My hubby had a five day weekend and we really took advantage of his time off. We went for a long family walk (not a small task with a 1-year-old and four-year-old in tow), went to see a movie at the drive-in, and went to my Father-in-law's birthday party where we set off a few fireworks. It was great fun! Now it's back to reality. I have my new catalog party coming up this weekend, so I am busy stamping and getting ready for that.

I made this card last night while waiting for my box of new goodies that arrived today. It is a thank you card for my parents, who very generously rented a beach house for our family vacation this year. It will be a full house with my parents, my brother and his wife, my sister and her boyfriend, and me and my crew. We are leaving in just a few more weeks and I can't wait.

Anyway, I made this little beach scene using the "Just Beachy" stamp set that was in last summer's mini catalog. I think it is the cutest set, and I haven't really used it much. I had to pull it out last night because it was perfect for this card! It's hard to see in the picture, but the sky is made from a torn piece of Whisper White CS that I sponged with Bashful Blue ink. The sand is Crumb Cake CS, and the water is a torn piece of retired Sweet Pea DSP. I thought the pattern sort of looked like ocean waves, so I went with it! There was a tremendous amount of intricate cutting involved in making this card, so I can pretty much guarantee that it will be a one of a kind (unless one of you wants to CASE it!)

Well, I guess I'll get back to playing with my new stamps that arrived today! I just love a visit from that big, brown truck! Have a great evening!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Just Beachy (retired)
Ink: Jet Black Staz On, various Stampin' Write markers
Paper: Whisper White and Crumb Cake CS, Sweet Pea DSP (retired)
Accessories: Scissors!!!, sponges
Techniques: Sponging

Sweet Scoops

2010-07-03T09:38:00.001-04:00

Happy July 4th Weekend! I thought a birthday card would be fitting for our country's birthday, so here it is! I finally got this set a couple of days ago. It is from the Summer Mini catalog and is only available until August 31st, so if you love it as much as I do, order before it's too late. I wanted this set as soon as I saw it, but I had other things that I needed to order first. I think that this set will be seeing a lot of use because I make tons of birthday cards!

The idea for this card came from one that I saw on splitcoast, but I don't remember who posted it... sorry! I used the color combo of Crumb Cake, Regal Rose and So Saffron. I made a second card using Bashful Blue in place of the Regal Rose, but it is just a little too subtle. I think I will redo it with Marina Mist when it arrives on Tuesday. I also want to try using the new Crumb Cake ink for the cone. This card also used the Square Lattice embossing folder. I think it gives the card a nice look and the pattern in it sort of reminds me of an ice cream cone.

Hope that you like this one and that all of you have a fun and safe holiday weekend! Happy Birthday, America!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Sweet Scoops, Very Versatile (retired)
Ink: Regal Rose, So Saffron
Paper: Crumb Cake CS, Regal Rose CS, Whisper White CS, Close to Cocoa CS
Accessories: Big Shot, Square Lattice embossing folder, Dazzling Diamonds, 2-way Glue Pen, Dimensionals, Wide Oval punch, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, 5/8" So Saffron Grosgrain ribbon (retired)

New Colors!

2010-06-30T13:01:00.001-04:00

Hello again! It is day four of VBS week and I am having a great time, but I'm so exhausted! I sat down this afternoon and made these two cards for our VBS coordinators. I hope they will like them and I hope you do, too!

These cards are direct CASE's of some cards that I saw on splitcoast. They were made by flowerbugnd1 and cjoman, but I don't know who had the original idea. These look like they would be difficult (or at least they did to me), but they were actually quite simple and quick to put together. The flower petals are made with the 3/4" circle and large oval punches. I punched the circle first and then punched the oval so that the circle was off centered. I made six petals and then layered them to make my flower. The yellow circle in the center was punched with the 3/4" circle punch as well.

These are three of our new core colors- Marina Mist, Cherry Cobbler, and Daffodil Delight. They can be ordered starting tomorrow when our new catalog year begins. I'm really excited about all the color changes that have taken place. The new color collections are all so pretty and work so nicely together. Can't wait to get all the colors!

If you are coming to my new catalog party on July 10th, you will be getting these cards as a little gift from me to thank you for coming and I will even show you exactly how they are made!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Thank You Kindly
Paper: Marina Mist, Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: 3/4" punch, Large Oval Punch, Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, 2-way glue pen

The More The Merrier

2010-06-28T06:27:00.000-04:00

Good Morning! This is the other birthday card that I worked on the other night. It is another simple card. I think it would be great for a little girl's birthday. We seem to have lots of summer birthdays, so I need to keep plenty of birthday cards on hand!

This card just involves layering and coloring. I layered a piece of Melon Mambo CS at the top of my Certainly Celery card base. The image piece is a strip of Whisper White CS layered over a piece of So Saffron CS that was punched at the top and bottom with the Scallop Trim border punch. The So Saffron is layered onto a piece of Perfect Plum CS. I stamped the row of cupcakes from the level 3 hostess set "The More the Merrier", which is retiring in a few days when the new catalog takes effect. I have used these little cupcakes like crazy this year, so I will be holding on to this set for a long time to come!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great Monday!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: The More the Merrier, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Whisper White CS, So Saffron CS, Perfect Plum CS, Certainly Celery CS

Ink: Jet Black Staz On, various Stampin' Write markers

Accessories: Scallop Trim Border Punch

Sweet and Simple

2010-06-27T13:05:00.001-04:00

Hello! Sorry that I've been neglecting my blog... again! I was out of town visiting my family this past week, so I didn't do any stamping at all. I finally found a few minutes to sit down last night and make a few cards. I went to a birthday party yesterday and realized that my birthday card stash is terribly low, so that was what I worked on.

This card is super simple to make! It has very little stamping and is mostly made using the Big Shot. I simply ran the Whisper White cardstock through using the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder and then cut out butterflies with my Beautiful Wings embosslit in the Big Shot. Stamp on a sentiment and adhere the butterflies and you're done! It doesn't get much easier than that!

We have VBS this week, so I probably won't have much time to stamp, but I do have a few pictures taken of the cards I made yesterday. Hopefully, I will find a minute to post them. I have some new goodies arriving later this week, so maybe I can post some sneak peeks from the brand new catalog soon!

Don't forget- this Thursday (July 1st) is the RSVP date for both my new catalog party on July 10th and my all occasion card making class on July 23rd. If you have any questions or are interested in attending, please leave me a comment or email me at reedmarla@comcast.net. Thanks and have a great day!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Well Scripted (retired- boo hoo!)

Ink: Melon Mambo

Paper: Whisper White CS, Perfect Plum CS, Marina Mist (brand new color!) CS, Old Olive CS, Daffodil Delight (another new color!) CS, Pumpkin Pie CS, and Real Red CS

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-18T11:48:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day weekend, everyone! I made this card this morning. It is for my kids to give to my husband. I also made one that says "Pop Pop" and another that says "Pappaw" for the grandpas. Isn't it handy that this tape measure makes such nice d's and p's? These cards were inspired by several that I have seen on splitcoast. I'm not sure who had the original idea, but I think these cards are so cute. I hope that everyone is able to spend this weekend with all the men who are near and dear to you! Have a great weekend!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Totally Tool
Ink: Basic Gray, So Saffron, Jet Black Staz On
Paper: Sweet Pea DSP (retired), Kraft CS, Whisper White CS
Accessories: Stamp-a-ma-jig (a must for this project!), blender pens

New Catalog CASE

2010-06-13T08:20:00.001-04:00

Hello! This card was CASE'd from the new catalog. I just love this little rocket ship from Pun Fun. It is the reason that I bought the set. This was a really fun card to make and I think a little boy would love getting this card for his birthday. The rocket is stamped on the less shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil glued down to a piece of cardstock. I have to give my sister the credit for that idea. She came up with it while I was working on this card. The inside is stamped with the circle stamp from the Starring You set and there is a border of stars stamped from the same set along the bottom of the inside. Sorry I didn't get a picture of the inside, too!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Pun Fun, Starring You, Whimsy wheel

Paper: So Saffron CS, Old Olive CS, Always Artichoke CS, Brilliant Blue CS (retiring)

Ink: Jet Black Staz On, Brilliant Blue (retiring)

Accessories: 2-way glue pen, 1 3/4" circle punch, 1/2" circle punch, 1/4" circle punch (non-SU), Large Star punch, Star punch, So Saffron brads, aluminum foil (non-SU)

For All You Do

2010-06-13T08:11:00.001-04:00

Hello! This is the third of the four cards I am posting from my card making event on Friday. This one was cased from splitcoast (as you will find most of my creations are!). I'm afraid that I don't remember who originally created it. It was a quick and simple card to make and I love the way it turned out. I love pretty much anything that has purple as its main color! The squares with the flowers are from the "For All You Do" set. Two of the squares are stamped normally and two of the squares were stamped of once to give them the lighter shade. Hope you like this one!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: For All You Do, Well Scripted (no longer available)

Paper: Sahara Sand CS, Rich Razzleberry CS, Whisper White CS

Ink: Rich Razzleberry

Techniques: Stamping Off

Masculine Birthday

2010-06-13T07:13:00.000-04:00

Hello again! Two days in a row, can you believe it? Masculine cards are a great challenge for me. That's why I'm so glad that I finally bought the "Lovely as a Tree" stamp set. It is definitely a classic in the SU catalog. It's been around forever and I was sure it was going to retire, Tbut it didn't. We get this one for at least another year. It is quickly becoming my go-to set when making masculine cards.

This card was cased from a card I saw on splitcoast. If you've never checked it out, the address is splitcoaststampers.com. If you go to the gallery, there are literally millions of pictures of cards, scrapbook pages, and gift ideas. There is even a SU gallery where you can search by specific stamp sets. It's a very cool site. Anyway, back to the card, I did change several elements from the original. The colors are different and I added the brads in the corner as well as adding the woodgrain.

Hope you enjoy this one and I will try to post again tomorrow! Have a great Sunday!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Woodgrain background

Paper: Dusty Durango CS (retiring), Close to Cocoa CS (retiring), Kraft CS (being renamed Crumb Cake in the new catalog) Always Artichoke CS, Very Vanilla CS

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Always Artichoke brads (retiring), 1/16" hole punch

Another Awash with Flowers

2010-06-12T07:43:00.000-04:00

I had my card making event to benefit "From Our Hearts" last night and finally got a chance to take pictures of the cards we made this morning. I will be posting four of them over the next few days. We had great fun and made over 50 cards to send for our troops!

This card was a CASE from my upline, Melissa. She posted a similar card several weeks ago on her blog, and it inspired me to make this one. It was a quick and easy card to make. I ran the front of the card through my Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. I attached a small strip of So Saffron CS to the bottom of my Whisper White image piece. The images are stamped using the Awash with Flowers set and the sentiment if from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

Thanks for stopping by and I promise I will post more often this week! Have a great day!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Awash with Flowers, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Orchid Opulence CS (retiring this month), So Saffron CS, Whisper white CS

Ink: Orchid Opulence (retiring), So Saffron, Basic Gray

Accessories: White Taffeta ribbon, Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Certainly Celery Stampin' Write marker

Techniques: Two-Step Stamping

Graduation

2010-06-06T07:43:00.001-04:00

Hello! I am adjusting to my new summer schedule and have been very busy the last few weeks and have had very little time to stamp, but I did sit down and make a couple of cards yesterday afternoon. This is one of them. It is a graduation card. The school's colors are orange, white and blue- in case that wasn't obvious! I don't have any graduation stamps sets, but I think that this set works well for graduation.

I have a card making event this coming Friday night. I have a group of ladies coming to make cards for a group called "From Our Hearts". They collect handmade cards to send to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan so that they can send them home to family and friends. I am really excited about doing this and love that my hobby can be used for such a good charity! I will be working hard this week on samples for Friday's event, so I should have plenty of cards to post.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Starring You set (retiring this month)

Paper: Pumpkin Pie CS, Brilliant Blue CS (retiring this month), Whisper White CS

Ink: Brillant Blue (retiring), Pumpkin Pie

Accessories: silver brads, Wide Oval punch, Scalloped Oval punch, Large Oval punch

Two Challenges in One Card!

2010-05-30T07:37:00.000-04:00

Hello all! This card was made using two challenges I found. I haven't really done challenges before, but I am going to start so that my creations are more my own and not my version of someone else's idea! The color challenge I used was Rich Razzleberry, Dusty Durango, and So Saffron. I didn't think I would like the combo, but after looking at some examples, I decided to give it a try. I have to admit that Dusty Durango has not been a favorite, so I have an abundance of that color. I have to say that I do like it in this combo. This card turned out much better than I imagined. I also used a sketch from Stampin' Connection. It was sketch callenge 18. Combining a color challenge and a sketch challenge are a really good starting point if you are having a case of stamper's block and want to make something original. I think I may keep doing them and see what I can come up with!

Have a great Sunday!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Happy Moments set

Paper: Rich Razzleberry CS, Dusty Durango CS, So Saffron CS, Very Vanilla CS, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP

Ink: Jet Black Staz On

Accessories: So Saffron 5/8" grosgrain ribbon (retired), Scalloped Circle punch, 1 3/8 " Circle punch

Techniques: Paper Piecing (on the presents)

Simple Sympathy

2010-05-28T13:48:00.000-04:00

I am so sorry that I have been neglecting my blog lately. I have been really busy and haven't found much time to stamp. I made this card and a few others a couple of days ago, but I haven't had a moment to get pictures and write up blog entries until now. Whew!

This is a quick and very simple sympathy card. It came together very quickly. I made the grassy hill by tearing a piece of regular printer paper and then sponging Old Olive ink under the ripped part (if that makes any sense). It is a very simple technique, but gives a nice effect. I also did a little sponging around the brances of the tree to give it a little color.

Hope you like the card! I have a few pictures taken now, so I should be able to post more often over the next few days. Have a great day!

Supplies Used:

Paper: Soft Suede CS, Old Olive CS, Very Vanilla CS
Ink: Soft Suede, Old Olive
Stamps: Thoughts and Prayers set
Techniques: Sponging

Awash with Flowers... again!

2010-05-21T13:08:00.000-04:00

Is it Friday already? This week has gone by so fast. Probably because I have been so busy. One of my projects this week was to clean up our basement (where my stamping area is) and once I got that done, I made this card to celebrate my nice, neat space. Now let's see how long it stays that way!

I just love this stamp set and the card that inspired me to make this one. This is a CASE from a card I found on Stampin' Connection made by Tessa Wise. I thought her card was just beautiful and tried to recreate it, but I'm afraid that I did not do the original justice!

Supplies Used:

Stamp Sets: Awash with Flowers, Whimsical Words, Vintage Vogue
Paper: Sahara Sand CS, Rose Red CS, Very Vanilla CS
Ink: So Saffron, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Jet Black Staz On
Accessories: Blender Pens
Techniques: Masking

Bride and Groom Card

2010-05-18T19:31:00.001-04:00

I found the template to make this bride and groom card on Lynn Pratt's blog. Aren't they a cute couple? I think the template makes a beautiful wedding card.

Instead of typing out a detailed description of each card, I am going to simply list a card recipe. If you have any questions about how things are done, leave me a comment and I will answer your question.

One thing that I do want to share in detail (and that is very hard to see in the picture) is that I sprayed the bride's gown and the Mellon Mambo cardstock with shimmer spray, which is rubbing alcohol mixed with a few drops of Champagne Mist shimmer paint (from the Holiday Mini, but it's still available for order). I mixed it in a small spray bottle that you can find in the travel sized toiletries section at the drug store. I sprayed the shimmer spray on the pink piece of paper and on the bride's dress. The additional layer on her dress is covered with 2-way glue and dazzling diamonds glitter.

Supplies Used:

Stamp Set: Everything Nice (on the inside)

Paper: Mellon Mambo, Basic Black, Whisper White

Accessories: Big Shot, Beautiful Bouquet Embossing Folder, 2-Way Glue, Dazzling diamonds glitter, homemade shimmer spray

PS- Sorry that this picture isn't the greatest! I'm still working on perfecting my photography skills!

Butterfly Birthday

2010-05-16T14:43:00.001-04:00

Happy Sunday, Everyone! Hope you are all having a great weekend!

Today's card is a CASE of a card I saw on splitcoast by karcher70. I thought it would be a great card to make because I just love these little butterflies and I have a bunch of red ribbon left over from the Christmas cards I made. I don't often use a lot of red, but I really like the simplicity of this card and how nicely it turned out.

My card base is Real Red cardstock and the fold is at the top of the card. I cut the butterflies out of Real Red and Whisper White cardstock using the Beautiful Wings embosslit die with my Big Shot. I adhered the red ones in a pattern on the front of the card which is Whisper White cardstock. I used a tiny bit of SNAIL adhesive right in the center of the butterflies so that I could fold the wings up slightly and give them some dimension. I then stamped the Butterfly Accent stamp from the Occasions mini catalog with Real Red classic ink and then layered the large white butterfly over the stamped image and added a rhinestone brad (from the Pretties Kit) to the center of the white butterfly. I punched the bottom of the image layer with the Scallop Border punch to dress it up a bit and stamped "Happy Birthday" from a retired set called "Very Versatile". The ribbon is 5/8" red grosgrain ribbon that is tied in a simple knot at the top of the card. I couldn't get a good picture of the inside, so I didn't post it, but I did stamp "Hope your birthday is the wish-come-true-kind" that is also from the Very Versatile set on the inside on W. White cardstock. I also adhered the largest red butterfly to the corner of the inside of the card. I have been stamping inside my cards a little more often know. I feel like it makes the card feel a little bit more finished. Do you prefer the insides of your cards to be blank or stamped?

Thanks for stopping by! This is the last card from my stamping marathon earlier this week, so I will have to come up with something new if I'm going to post again tomorrow. We'll see how it goes! Have a great day!

~Marla

Sneak Peak

2010-05-14T19:37:00.000-04:00

Hello again! I decided to post twice today because I have a busy day tomorrow and may not have a chance to post. This is a sneak peak at a set that will be in the new catalog. It is a two-step stamping set called "Awash with Flowers". I think it is really pretty! It is called two step stamping because the outline is a separate stamp from the stamp that is used to color it in. To make this card, I cut two pieces with the Top Note die, one in Melon Mambo and one in Whisper White. I stamped the outlines of the flowers in Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, So Saffron, and Old Olive classic inks. To fill in the images, I stamped off one time before stamping and used the same colors that I used for the outlines. Stamping off is when you stamp once onto scrap paper before stamping on your card. It gives a slightly lighter shade of the ink. I then layered the two Top Notes so that the Melon Mambo one was vertical and the whisper white was horizontal. (I think I saw somone on splitcoast use this layout, but don't remember who it was, sorry!) I then cut a piece off of the left side so that it would fit onto the So Saffron card base. I stamped "thinking of you" from the sentiment set called "Teeny, Tiny Wishes" in Rich Razzleberry. I added three So Saffron brads before adhering the Top Notes to the card base. What do you think of this new set? Isn't it so pretty?

Thanks for stopping back by!

Marla

Quilted Top Note

2010-05-14T06:30:00.000-04:00

Hello Stamping Friends! I just love this card. If you know me, you know why- it's because I LOVE purple! It is my all time favorite color and I think the shades in this paper look so pretty together. My inspiration for this card came from one I saw on Stampin' Connection made by Jennifer Weide. I just changed a few elements to make it my own. That is called CASE (copy and share everything) and I do it a lot. I love to see what other stampers are making and find my inspiration in their work. It's encouraged in the stamping world!

I've been seeing these Top Note quilts for a while, but this is my first attempt at making one, and here's how I did it. I took 1 1/4" squares of Cottage Wall DSP (which will be retiring in June- boo hoo!) and used SNAIL (adhesive) to attach them to a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of cardstock (the color doesn't really matter because it will be covered, but I used Orchid Opulence) so that the entire piece of cardstock is covered with DSP scraps. (You will use four scraps across and three up and down, so you need twelve squares to cover the cardstock.) I then centered the cardstock on my Top Note die and ran it through my Big Shot. Once that was done I ran it through the big Shot again, but this time I used the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder (it's a little hard to see the dots in the picture) and centered it on a 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" piece of Orchid Opulence cardstock (which is retiring in June and currently being sold while supplies last) and layered that piece over my Rich Razzleberry card base. I stamped "You're too kind" from the Whimsical Words set (a set that was only available during Sale-a-Bration) in Rich Razzleberry classic ink and punched it out using my Large Oval punch and layered that over a piece of Orchid Opulence cardstock that I punched out with the Scallop Oval punch. I popped that up in the center of the card using dimensionals. The cute little butterfly is from the set called "For All You Do" (a personal favorite) and stamped with Rich Razzleberry ink and cut out and popped up on dimensionals. I didn't take a picture but I stamped "thank you" and another butterfly from "For All You Do" on the inside of the card on W. White cardstock.

I got lots of stamping done yesterday while my little one was napping and my bigger little one was at Nana's, so I may post two cards today. We will have to see how the day progresses! Have a great one and if you like what you see, please leave me a comment. I love to know that you are visiting my blog!

Marla

Soft Subtle Birthday

2010-05-13T14:26:00.000-04:00

Hello! Thanks for stopping by again today! I had a few minutes to stamp this afternoon and came up with this card. I hope that you can see it well enough in the picture. The colors are very subtle and I don't know that my camera picked them up very well. Today's card is a birthday card, which I find to be my favorite type of card to make. I think this one would be great for a little girl, but could be used for a woman as well.

My card base is Pretty in Pink cardstock and over the base is a piece of Whisper White cardstock that I ran through my Big Shot with the Perfect Polka dots embossing folder, which was in the Occasions Mini catalog and will be in the new catalog that comes out on July 1st. I really like the polka dots. I think they give an otherwise plain and simple card a little something extra. The image piece is a 2 3/4" x 4" piece of Whisper White cardstock that I stamped with an image from the set called Thoughts and Prayers, which is actually a sympathy and get well stamp set, but it has some really pretty images that I find very versatile. I colored the stems of the flowers with my certainly celery Stampin' Write marker and the flowers with my Pretty in Pink marker. I then stamped the image and added the "Happy Birthday" sentiment from the Well Scripted stamp set that was in the Occasions Mini (and I'm hoping will be in the new catalog) using Pretty in Pink classic ink. I sponged the edges in Pretty in Pink and layered it over a 2 7/8" x 4 1/8" piece of Certainly Celery cardstock and popped everything up with Stampin' Dimensionals.

My favorite part of the card is the bow. I made this bow using a piece of 5/8" ribbon that I got for free last year during Sale-a-Bration. This bow is called a fork bow because you use a fork to tie it. Knots and bows have been one of the most challenging things for me (I say it's because I'm left-handed, but that's probably not the real reason). Anyway, I found a tutorial on how to make these cute bows and I can't stop making them. If you would like to come to one of my classes, I can show you how they are made!

Thanks again for stopping by! I am trying to post daily (we'll see how long I keep it up!) See you tomorrow (hopefully)!

Marla

Thank You!

2010-05-12T16:16:00.000-04:00

Hello! Thank you for stopping by my brand new blog! For my first posting, I decided to show you the thank you card that I made for the teachers at my son's preschool. It was my very first attempt at making an "ornament punch rose" and I think it turned out nicely. The base of this card is a piece of Pretty in Pink cardstock cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and folded in half to create a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card (this is a standard sized card and the one that I make most often). I layered a 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" piece of Old Olive cardstock over the card base. The top layer is a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of designer series paper (DSP) from the Sweet Pea paper stack, which is sadly no longer available for order. The sentiment is from a set called "Thank You Kindly" and it is stamped using Old Olive classic ink onto Whisper White cardstock. The sentiment is punched out with the Scallop Oval Punch and layered over a piece of Rose Red cardstock punched out with the Wide Oval Punch. The petals for the rose were punched out of Pretty in Pink cardstock with the Ornament Punch and then I sponged Regal Rose ink onto the edges of the petals to give them some depth. The leaves were cut freehand from Old Olive cardstock. If you go to splitcoaststampers.com and search the gallery for "ornament punch rose", you will find a great tutorial for making the rose. I tried to post a link, but I couldn't get it to work.

Thanks again for stopping by! I am very new to blogging and somewhat technologically challenged (just ask my husband!), so bear with me as I attempt to figure this out!