Still Kickin'...

Just in case you were beginning to wonder, I am still kickin'. I just haven't stamped in almost THREE WEEKS!!!! Yikes! We were away on a wonderful beach vacation for a week and then last week I was very busy catching up from vacation and getting ready for my son's sleepover party for his seventh birthday (sniff, sniff) and this week we are preparing for a family birthday party for both of my kids (their birthdays are a week apart and my daughter will be turning four this Saturday- sniff, sniff again) coming up this weekend. We are also getting ready for my son to head back to school next Monday. August is an extremely busy month at our house, so it isn't really surprising that I haven't been stamping, but I sure do miss it. Hopefully, I will get a chance to stamp again in the next day or two.

In the meantime, here is a card I made over a month ago, but never posted. My mom is also a Stampin' Up demonstrator and is in my downline. She has a club that meets once a month and if it happens that I am going to be at her house for her club meeting, I will act as the guest designer and teach a new technique to her club. She requested the inset embossing (also called inlaid or embedded embossing technique) using the Papillon Potpourri stamp set and coordinating Elegant Butterfly punch. This is what I came up with. All of her club ladies really liked it. I hope you do too!

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Friendly Phrases
Paper: Melon Mambo, So Saffron, Gumball Green, Whisper White
Ink: Melon Mambo, Gumball Green
Accessories: Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Little Leaves Sizzlit, Elegant Butterfly punch, Scallop Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Gumball Green ribbon, basic pearls
Techniques: Inset Embossing

I really like this bright, summery color combination and it came straight from Color Coach. If you don't have a Color Coach yet, you really need to order one... NOW! :)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

~Marla Pin It

Papillon Potpourri x 2

Hello, stamping friends! I have the fourth card from my recent class to share today. It uses some of my most favorite new products- the Papillon Potpourri stamp set and the coordinating Elegant Butterfly punch! As a bonus, I have a "stepped up" version of my class card just to show you an easy way to take your project to a new level by adding a couple of elements. Here is the class version...

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Sweet Essentials
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Baja Breeze, Summer Starfruit, Whisper White
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Baja Breeze, Summer Starfruit
Accessories: Big Shot, Fancy Fan EF, Scallop Trim border punch, Elegant Butterfly punch, basic pearls


I think this was my favorite card that we made at the class. I absolutely LOVE this color combination, which came straight from the Color Coach. I liked these colors together immediately and have been looking for the perfect card to showcase them. I think they work wonderfully on this card. If you don't have a Color Coach, I highly recommend it. If I am stuck on a card, I pull it out and look for combinations that would work for the card I have in mind. There have been several times that I have tried a combination that I was pretty unsure of, but I loved the completed card. The Color Coach won't steer you wrong! :)

And here is the "stepped up" version of the card...

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Sweet Essentials
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Baja Breeze, Summer Starfruit, Whisper White
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Baja Breeze, Summer Starfruit
Accessories: Big Shot, Adorning Accents edgelits, Paper Piercing Kit, Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, basic rhinestones

I added a banner for the sentiment and used rhinestones rather than pearls to give it more sparkle and shine. I also skipped the embossing and used paper piercing instead. I love the look of paper piercing, but I have found that it is a little bit time consuming for a class setting.

I hope you liked the cards! I have one more set of cards to show you and they will post tomorrow, so be sure to check back then! Thanks for stopping by!

PS- I apologize for my pictures lately. This card was particularly difficult to photograph because I kept getting terrible shadows from the popped up butterflies. Add to that the fact that I am trying to learn Photoshop, and the pictures really didn't turn out great. I will keep working on getting better pictures and doing a better job editing them. Thanks for being patient with me! :)
~Marla Pin It