Going, Going, Gone!

Stampin' Up released the list of stamp sets that be retiring with the current catalog on May 31st. Click on the box below to see the full list. The list is quite long this year and some of my favorites are retiring, but I know that there will be many awesome new things to come and can't wait to see them!

The sets listed will be available only until May 31st, so if there is something you want, please be sure to order it by then!

Here is a look back at some previous blog posts of projects using stamp sets that will be retiring. If you would like more information on the cards shown, click on the name of the stamp set above each picture and it will take you to the original blog post. Enjoy!

Vintage Vogue

Awash with Flowers

Totally Tool

For All You Do

Fifth Avenue Floral

Friends Never Fade

Welcome Christmas

Serene Snowflakes

 

Dasher

Inspired by Nature

Pendant Park

I hope you enjoyed this look back at some of the wonderful stamp sets that are retiring this year! If you would like to place an order, you can do so by clicking on the button in the right sidebar. Please leave me a comment if you have any questions.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Marla 

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April Blog Hop!

Welcome back for another edition of the Stylin' Stampin' Squad's monthly blog hop! This month the themes are wedding, flowers, and spring. I have a different project for each theme. I hope you like them!

My first project is a wedding card. I used the emboss resist technique and the Hello Doily stamp to make this very sparkly (although the picture doesn't show the sparkles very well), elegant card. I love the way it turned out and am really excited to say that I designed this one completely on my own. I just sat down and started to play and this was the result. I love it when it works out like that! If you have never tried the emboss resist technique, head on over to Splitcoast and take a look at the awesome tutorial (complete with a video) they have posted.

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: Hello Doily, Petite Pairs
Paper: Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy
Ink: VersaMark, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Big Shot, Finial Press EF, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Eyelet Border punch, Scallop Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Very Vanilla seam binding, Baja Breeze seam binding, basic pearls, sponge
Technique: emboss resist

My 3D project this month is an Easter/Spring decorative picture. It was inspired by this card made by Glenda Mollet that I found on Pinterest. I love the daffodils made from the Fun Flowers die. They were so easy to make! I added some pearls to the centers and scored the petals of the flowers and layered everything with dimensionals. The sky and grass in the background is sponged using Old Olive and Baja Breeze Ink. Easy peasy! I planned to add a "Happy Easter" sentiment, but decided that if I didn't, it could be a spring decoration rather than just Easter.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: none
Paper: Very Vanilla, Garden Green, Daffodil Delight
Ink: Old Olive, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Big Shot, Fun Flowers die, Simply Scored, basic pearls, dimensionals, sponge, 5x7 frame (non-SU)
Technique: sponging


My final project is a birthday card that I made for my little sister. Today is her 26th birthday! Happy Birthday, Marcy! (I hope she doesn't see this posting before she gets her card at her birthday dinner tonight!) I used this month's blog hop challenge as my inspiration for this card. The challenge is to use the Vintage Vogue stamp set and the colors Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade, and Elegant Eggplant. A challenge to use purple and green? Yep, I had to play along! I also decided to try another fun fold card. I have seen lots of center step cards and think they are beautiful, but I had never tried one myself. I was surprised at how easy it was to make. They are great because they are lovely cards that also make amazing display pieces. If you have never tried a center step card, check out the tutorial (complete with video) over on Splitcoast.

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Petite Pairs
Paper: Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White
Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Lucky Limeade
Accessories: Paper Trimmer, Scallop Trim Border punch, paper snips, Lucky Limeade ruffled ribbon, large pearls, basic pearls, dimensionals


Well, I hope you enjoyed the projects that I made this month. Thank you so much for stopping by. Please continue through the blog hop (Darcy is next!) and take a minute to leave a few comments. We love to read your feedback. The complete list of bloggers is at the bottom of this post just in case you get lost along the way. Happy Hoppin'!

Blog Hop Participants:

1. Shellie G. of Creative Electica
2. Annie L. of Love Me Cards
3. Pam S. of Stampin' in the Sun!
4. Nancy B. of Lady Stamps a Lot
5. Anji C. of Altered Scraps Blog
6. Rose C. of Stamp with Rose
7. Tonya B. of Stampin' with Tonya
8. Dawn S. of Dawn's Creative Chalet
9. Patricia T. of Sunnyone Stampin'
10. Heather W. of Heather's Stampin' Blog
11. Pamela W. of Stinky Tofu
12. Linda O. of Stamp at Linda's
13. Marla R. of Marla's Stampin' Spot
14. Darcy J. of DJ's Stampin' Place
15. Nicole B. of Creations by Mommy
16. Pam S. of Sunny Girl Scraps
17. Kim R. of Stamping with Kim

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Quick Easter Card!

Can you believe that Easter is next Sunday? Wow! The winter just flew by (probably because we never really had winter weather)! Spring is upon us and I am so excited because that means that my most favorite season (Summer) will be here soon!

I have a sweet, quick, and simple Easter card to share today. We made this a a workshop last week and everyone really liked it. I will admit that I don't often send out Easter cards, but when I saw this post on Lee Ann Greff's blog, I had to CASE (copy) her lily Easter card. I may even send a few cards out this year!

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, Delightful Dozen
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Ink: Jet Black Staz On, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Big Shot, Framelits Labels Collection, Simply Scored, Diagonal Plate, White Gel Pen, Basic Pearls, sponge

I love this image from Fifth Avenue Floral. I love lillies! In fact, Tiger Lillies are my very favorite flower. I love driving along a country road (or any road really) on an early summer day and seeing the vibrant orange of the tiger lillies growing everywhere. They also bloom close to my birthday every year, so that only adds to my love of them. I will have to plan to redo this card in orange!

Anyway, back to the card... although it is a fairly simple design, this card uses a lot of Stampin' Up's awesome new products. It made for a perfect workshop card. Do you see the faint score lines in the background? I made them with the brand new Diagonal Plate for the Simply Scored tool. It is a really cool addition to the Simply Scored and it makes quick and easy work of a fun background. You can also use it to make your own envelopes! Contact me for more information on ordering the Diagonal Plate (or any other products).

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the last few hours of your weekend! Be sure to stop back by this Thursday, April 5th for the April edition of the Stylin' Stampin' Squad Blog Hop! Pin It

Three Challenges!

Hello All! I have a little Easter treat to share today. It is a quick little project, but oh so cute! This would be a great little treat to give to a co-worker or to hand out at your family Easter celebration. I made it using the Pillow Box die in my Big Shot and the Everyday Enchantment DSP (my favorite DSP of all time)! I also punched a window in the box with my Extra-Large Oval punch and used the oval folder from the Designer Frames embossing folders set (how awesome is it that the folder and punch coordinate perfectly?) to accent it a little. I used glue dots to attach a piece of window sheet inside the treat container (to keep the candy from falling out), added the Happy Easter sentiment, and finished it off with some sweet little flowers made with the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack and some pearls. What do you think?

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:

Stamps: Teeny, Tiny Wishes

Paper: Everyday Enchantment DSP, Very Vanilla CS, Wild Wasabi CS, Pear Pizzazz CS, Poppy Parade CS, Calypso Coral CS, Peach Parfait CS, Pool Party CS, Baja Breeze CS 

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Big Shot, Designer Frames EF, Extra-Large Oval punch, Window sheet, Word Window punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon punch, Itty Bitthy Shapes punch pack, basic pearls, glue dots

My Inspiration: This adorable Matchbox made by Jill Franchett

I made this little Easter treat for three stamping challenges that are posted this week.

1. HSS #111 at Hand Stamped Sentiments

2. JAI #111 at Just Add Ink

3. SUO Challenge #41 at SUO Challenges

Take a minute and go check out these fun challenges and try to play along. I really enjoy doing challenges and have gotten away from them lately but would love to get back to doing them more regularly.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

~Marla Pin It

It's time to hop again!

It's blog hop time again! I hope you enjoyed last month's blog hop. There were lots of awesome projects, weren't there? I'm sure that you will love this one too! Our themes this month are Spring, Baby, and St. Patrick's Day. If you have arrived here from Linda's blog, you are in the right place. If you are starting here, just click on the "next blog" button at the bottom of each post and it should take you all the way through. If you get lost, there should be a complete list of all of the participants at the bottom of each post as well. Have fun hopping! 

If you are a regular visitor of my blog, you know that I do not normally make many 3D projects. I have to admit that when I decided to participate in this blog hop, I was a little bit intimidated by the idea of creating a 3D project each month. I make cards. I know cards. Cards are my thing, but something strange happened this month. I quickly and easily came up with not one, but TWO 3D projects. However, whenever I sat down to work on a card, I drew a blank. I don't have many supplies to make a St. Patrick's Day card and can honestly say that I have never sent one. I wasn't feeling inspired to make a new baby card, so that left Spring. I wracked my brain. All I came up with was flowers, but I didn't really want to make a flower card after making a whole stack of flower cards using the Mixed Bunch set and Blossom punch for my most recent class. I thought and thought and "butterflies" finally popped into my brain. Which lead to this card...

A side view so that you can see the butterflies in the background a little more clearly...

I apologize for the less than wonderful photography. I generally take my pictures outside but I just finished this card (it's Wednesday afternoon as I write this) and it is pouring the rain. It took me so long to come up with an idea that I was happy with, that I am once again writing this at the last minute. The card is prettier in real life than it is in the picture (due to it being taken inside on a gloomy, rainy day). I like the effect of the vellum butterflies layered over the cardstock butterflies. I simply used a line of 2 way glue pen down the center of the cardstock butterflies to attach the vellum butterflies and then placed a line of rhinestones down the center of each to cover the glue line.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Calypso Coral CS, Pool Party CS, Very Vanilla CS, Vellum CS, Everyday Enchantment DSP (SAB)

Ink: Calypso Coral

Accessories: Big Shot, Beautiful Wings embosslit, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, basic rhinestones, 2 way glue pen, dimensionals

My first 3D project is based on an awesome video tutorial that I found on Cristena Bagne's blog through pinterest. You can find her tutorial here. I thought her flowers made with the Blossom punch (available in the Occasions mini catalog) were just too cute! She used subtle colors to make hers, but I chose to make mine using colors from the Brights collection for a couple of reasons. 1. I tend to gravitate a little more to the Brights. I think that they are my favorite collection. 2. I had oodles and oodles of Brights buttons! This project was quick and easy to make and as a bonus, I actually had all of the supplies on hand! That never happens to me! I think this project fits wonderfully with our theme because the flowers are definitely Spring-y, and they would make darling centerpieces for a baby shower.

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Blossom punch, Daffodil Delight CS, Tempting Turquoise CS, Rich Razzleberry CS, Pumpkin Pie CS, Old Olive CS, Brights buttons, Rich Razzleberry polka dot ribbon (retired), white baker's twine, Simply Scored (to make little score lines in the "grass" because I don't have a paper crimper)
Other Supplies Used:
hot glue gun, bamboo skewers, clay pot, styrofoam ball

Because our next blog hop will take place just a few days before Easter, I decided to include an Easter 3D item so that if you wanted to make your own, you would have plenty of time. This treat bag is called a 2-5-7-10 bag and you can find an awesome video tutorial over on Splitcoast by clicking here. The little bunny was inspired by this one that I found on Splitcoast as well. I thought he was pretty cute and fairly easy to duplicate. I haven't done much punch art and find it a little challenging, but this little guy wasn't too tricky for me. This project also fits our monthly blog hop challenge to use Bashful Blue, Garden Green and Tangerine Tango.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Bashful Blue CS, Garden Green CS, Tangerine Tango CS, Crumb Cake CS, Pretty in Pink CS, Whisper White CS, Basic Black CS
Ink: Crumb Cake, Staz On
Accessories: Simply Scored, White Signo gel pen, Large Oval punch (for the ears and legs), Small Oval punch-retired (for the insides of the ears), Large Heart punch (for the head and the body), Heart Trio punch (for the carrot), Owl punch (for the heart nose and the eyes), Scallop border punch, Crumb Cake seam binding, paper snips, 2-way glue pen, dimensionals, sponge

Thanks for stopping by the blog hop! Please continue on through to look at all the projects (Michelle is next!) and try to leave a few comments as you go! We really appreciate your feedback! Have a great day and be sure to come back on April 5th for the next hop!

~Marla

Blog Hop Participants:

Blog Hop Participants:

1. Shellie G. of Creative Electica
2. Annie L. of Love Me Cards 
3. Pam S. of Stampin' in the Sun!
4. Nancy B. of Lady Stamps a Lot
5. Anji C. of Altered Scraps Blog
6. Rose C. of Stamp with Rose
7. Tonya B. of Stampin' with Tonya
8. Amanda H. of Live Laugh Craft
9. Dawn S. of Dawn's Creative Chalet
10. Patricia T. of Sunnyone Stampin'
11. Heather W. of Heather's Stampin' Blog
12. Pamela W. of Stinky Tofu
13. Linda O. of Stamp at Linda's
14. Marla R. of Marla's Stampin' Spot
15. Michele M. of Michele's Stampin' Blog
16. Darcy J. of DJ's Stampin' Place
17. Nicole B. of Creations by Mommy
18. Pam S. of Sunny Girl Scraps
19. Kim R. of Stamping with Kim

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Mixed Bunch and Blossom Builders

Hello Stamping Friends! It is almost time for our next blog hop and I realized that I haven't posted since the last one. I am such a blogging slacker! So sorry (as always)!

Yesterday, I held my class using the Mixed Bunch stamp set, the coordinating Blossom punch, and the Blossom Builders kit. All of these products can be found in the Occasions Mini catalog. I really like this set and punch. You can make a whole stack of cards that look really different. Add in the Blossom Builders kit, and you have even more variety and versatility! The ladies who attended the class seemed to really like the cards that we made and I hope that you do too! I will admit that these cards (like almost all of the cards I use for classes are either CASEs or copies of cards made by all of the talented demonstrators and stampers out there)!

The picture of this card doesn't do it justice. It is a stunner (I can say that without bragging because it wasn't my original design). It has a very heavy spritz with homemade shimmer spray and every single piece is sponged. I just love this one!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Fresh Vintage
Paper: Everyday Enchantment DSP, Peach Parfait CS, Pool Party CS, Very Vanilla CS
Ink: Pool Party, Peach Parfait, Soft Suede
Accessories: Blossom punch, Big Shot, Beautiful Wings embosslit, Blossom Bouquet triple layer punch, 1" circle punch, Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, antique brads, Very Vanilla seam binding, Champagne Mist shimmer paint, sponge
Technique: sponging- lots and lots of sponging :)
CASE (ahem... copy) of this card made by Karen Squires

I did the next card in two color schemes because I think it provides my customers with a nice variety and honestly, I couldn't decide which one was my favorite.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Petite Pairs
Paper: Daffodil Delight CS, Rich Razzleberry CS, Whisper White CS
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Blossom punch, Blossom Builder kit, Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, paper snips, Brights buttons, white baker's twine, dimensionals
CASE of this card made by Cristena Bagne

The card is a CASE (ahem... copy) of a card that was featured in Stampin' Success, which is a great monthly magazine that demonstrators receive for free. It is one of the many awesome perks of being a demonstrator!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Something to Celebrate (retired)
Paper: Crumb Cake CS, Poppy Parade CS, Whisper White CS
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Baja Breeze, Poppy Parade, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Blossom punch, Blossom Builders kit, 1" Circle punch

I really like the color combination of this card! You can't go wrong with purple and green! I found this one on pinterest and it was designed by the amazingly talented Dawn Olchefske. I had to do a close up of the sentiment so you could see the cute mini pink rhinestones in the centers of all the flowers. How cute is that?

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Sprinkled Expression (SAB)

Paper: Lucky Limeade CS, Rich Razzleberry CS, Very Vanilla CS

Ink: Rich Razzleberry

Accessories: Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Curly Label punch, dimensionals

CASE (ahem... copy) of this card made by Dawn Olchefske

Last but not least- the final cards! I REALLY like these cards. The original card that I CASE'd was done in Pool Party and I loved it, but I felt the need to do it in Wisteria Wonder as well because of my love of all things purple. I'm not sure which one I like the best. I think they are both beautiful. The original card didn't have a sentiment and I wasn't sure if my customers would like that so I added a tiny one using the Tiny Tags stamp set and the coordinating Jewelry Tag punch. 

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Tiny Tags
Paper: Basic Black CS, Pool Party CS, Wisteria Wonder CS, Very Vanilla CS, First Edition Specialty DSP
Ink: Staz On, Pool Party, Wistheria Wonder
Accessories: Big Shot, Lattice die, Blossom punch, 3/8" ruffled ribbon in Pool Party and Wisteria Wonder, Jewelry Tag punch, Large Pearl Basic Jewels
CASE of this card made by Sharon Burkert

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you liked these cards! They were so fun to make!

The March Blog Hop begins at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday. I hope you will stop by and hop through all of the fabulous projects!

~Marla

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My Very First Blog Hop!

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

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