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

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 Pin It

Card Class Preview

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 Pin It

Teacher Appreciation Week

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 Pin It

Technique Club Cards #2

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

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Blue and Gold Baby Thank You

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 Pin It

Build a Blossom Birthday

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 Pin It

Elegant Birthday

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

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Technique Club Cards

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

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Christmas Card #1

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

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Emboss Resist

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 Pin It