This IS Halloween! Everybody scream!

This morning I added a few new Halloween and Fall themed cards to my Avidly Stamping Etsy Shop and one of them has already been included in a treasury!

A big thank you to Melissa Ratner (heartwyre) for including my Silly Pumpkins Halloween Note Card in the This IS Halloween! Everybody scream! treasury!

Here is a closer look at my Silly Pumpkins Halloween Note Card:

This card and many other handcrafted goods are available in the Avidly Stamping Etsy Shop.  Check it out!

Special Order

A few weeks ago one of my customers contacted me and requested several custom mini-cards.  She puts them in her daughter's lunch box to let her know she is special and loved.  Isn't that sweet? My mom used to do that for me when I was a kid and I always loved finding those little surprises in my lunchbox.

My customer requested pink, turquoise, and anything with a Zebra/White Tiger print.  Here is what I came up with:

Aren't they adorable? My customer was thrilled with them and that made my day!

Mini-cards (3"x3") are available in sets of four and include envelopes for just $5 + S&H! If you'd like a set, custom made for you just email me at anglouise@gmail.com. They are a great way to show someone special that you care!

Falling For Fall

The warm weather the past week has made me long for fall.  I'm ready for the cooler weather, sweaters, soups, and cozy evenings on the couch.  To take my mind off of the heat I made two adorable fall-themed cards a couple of days ago. I'm looking forward to more fall themed projects, but I couldn't wait to share these cards with you!

Both of these cards are available in my Avidly Stamping Etsy Shop. For more info on these products (and many others) go to:

• Crazy Pumpkins Halloween Note Card
• A Time for Thanks Note Card

Please keep my paper goods in mind for the holidays! Gifts, favors, place-settings cards, invitations, Christmas, and holiday cards, etc. I love custom orders!

For My Navy Man

My hubbie has been asking for note cards for awhile.  As a manager he often comes across situations where a handwritten note is an appropriate gesture to thank someone for a job well done.

Recently I got my hands on a nautical themed stamp set and made a set of cards, just for him.

I really like how they turned out and loved using this stamp set and coordinating designer paper! I'm looking forward to making more nautical themed projects.

June Stamp Class

For those of you weren't able to make it to my June Stamp Class here is a peek what you missed:

All of this cuteness was made using stamps that are retiring in just a few days!

A Little Old - A Little New

Yesterday a big brown truck dropped off a box of goodies including the new 2011-2012 Stampin' Up! catalog and my pre-order! One of the things in that box that I'm most excited about are the new In-Colors.

In keeping with the theme of showcasing Last Chance products I decided to share a cute 3x3 card set made using a retiring stamp set (A Flower for All Seasons, item #111592) and the NEW In-Colors.

In-Colors: Wisteria Wonder, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade

In-Colors: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder

In-Colors: Calypso Coral, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade

I hope you like them as much as I do!  I can't wait to make more projects with these fun colors!

May Birthdays

There is never enough time to do all of the crafting I'd like to do...but I made time this month to make birthday cards for a few special people.  I love how they turned out and had to share!

Front: Happy Birthday

Inside: make a wish

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)

Stamps: Create a Cupcake, Well Scripted, A Little Birthday Cheer
Inks: Early Espresso, Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink, Delightful Daffodil
Papers: Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso, Whisper White
Accessories: Build-a-Cupcake Punch, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Stampin' Sponges, Rich Razzleberry 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Front: Wish Big

Inside: Happy Birthday

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)

Stamps: Word Play, A Little Birthday Cheer
Inks: Old Olive
Papers: Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Whisper White, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Green Tea DSP
Accessories: Corner Rounding Punch, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Basic Pearl Jewels, 1/2" Striped Old Olive Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Stampin' Sponges

Front: Make a Wish

Inside: Happy Birthday

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)

Stamps: A Little Birthday Cheer, Itty Bitty Bits
Inks: Basic Black, Riding Hood Red
Papers: Basic Black, Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla, Newsprint DSP, Love Letter DSP
Accessories: 1 1/4" Square Punch, Scallop Square Punch, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Modern Label Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic Pearl Jewels

I hope the intended recipients liked their cards!  Now, on to June birthdays...  :)

Custom Order Baby Card

Recently a friend asked me to make a gender neutral baby card for her.  I had a great time putting together a cute card that would be great for a baby boy or baby girl!

Front

Inside: Small Wonder

Envelope

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)

Stamps: A Slice of Life, Whimsical Words
Inks: Basic Black, Certainly Celery, Stampin' Write Markers in Certainly Celery and Daffodil Delight
Papers: Daffodil Delight, Presto Patterns DSP, Whisper White, Whisper White Envelope
Accessories: Daffodil Delight 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Stampin' Sponges

April Birthday Cards

Leave it to me, the maker of cards, to make cards for special birthdays at the last minute..uff!  I got them done, though and am pretty pleased with the results. I played along with a couple of challenges for crafty inspiration.

The first card was inspired by a sketch from Clean & Simple Stamping Sketch #136.  Here is the sketch:

 

And here is my inerpretation:

Front

Inside

The second card was inspired by the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 113.  Here is the sketch:

And here is my interpretation:

Front

Details

Inside

I hope the intended recipients like them!

Customer Thank You Notes

Happy Friday!  I just wanted to take a moment to share the cute little cards I made for my customers in March:

Super simple, and very cute!  These 3"x3" note cards are made using Pacific Point card stock, Good Morning Sunshine DSP (retired) and Pacific Point ink.  The stamps are from Short & Sweet and Four Frames (available through this month's Spring is Blossoming promotion).

Have a wonderful weekend!

Spring is Blossoming!

I know I have been silent for a while - vacation with limited time to be on the computer will do that!  I'm back now, and playing catch-up.  Today I'd like to share a great sneak peek promotion that Stampin' Up! has right now, along with a simple but beautiful card I made from the products available through the promo.

Through April 30, 2011 you can purchase two Sneak Peek products that will be available in the new 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog! The Four Frames stamp set and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper are my new favorites.

For more info on how to purchase this beautiful stamp set and gorgeous paper click over to my Promotions Page.

And now, a lovely card that I made with these products:

Front

Inside

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Four Frames, Short & Sweet
Inks: Cherry Cobbler, Stampin' Write Markers
Papers: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Paisley Petals DSP
Accessories: Decorative Label Punch, Marina Mist 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon

I hope you enjoy this card as much as I do! If you have any questions about the Spring is Blossoming promotion or anything relating to Stampin' Up! please don't hesitate to contact me.

Sweet Card for a Sweet Friend

Now that her birthday has passed I want to share a cute card I made for a friend:

Front

Inside

So sweet and girly!  Perfect for my friend :)


Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)
Stamps: Create a Cupcake
Papers: Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Inks: Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo
Accessories: Build a Cupcake Punch, Basic Rhinestones, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, 2-Way Glue Pen, SNAIL Adhesive, Modern Label Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Owls & Birds

My workshop this past Sunday was a huge success! I had a lot of fun designing projects I knew my hostess would like (lots of owls & birds in her favorite colors), and everyone seemed to have a great time.

The make-and-take of day was an owl card using the Sale-A-Bration stamp set Punch Bunch:

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)
Stamps: Punch Bunch
Papers: Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White
Inks: Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango Marker
Accessories: Owl Punch, 1" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin' Dimensionals

I also demonstrated two other projects:

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)
Stamps: Aviary
Papers: Pear Pizazz, Concord Crush, Very Vanilla
Inks: Pear Pizazz, Concord Crush, Early Espresso
Accessories: Stampin' Sponges, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Scallop Trim Border Punch, SNAIL Adhesive

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)
Stamps: Aviary, Short & Sweet
Papers: Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke, Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso, Whisper White
Inks: Always Artichoke, Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso
Accessories: Stampin' Sponges, 1 1/4" Square Punch, Scallop Square Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Oval Punch, SNAIL Adhesive, Mini Glue Dots, Rich Razzleberry 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Rich Razzleberry Brads, Stampin' Dimensionals, Paper Snips, 1/16" Circle Punch

I hope you enjoy these projects as much as I did. A big thank you to my hostess for a great workshop!  It was a hilarious good time :)

Workshop Prep

Tomorrow I am doing my first Stateside workshop! It has been awhile since I did a workshop - several months before actually leaving Sicily all of my crafting supplies were shipped.  Now that we've been back a few months I finally feel organized enough (barely) to start trying to be an active Stampin' Up! demonstrator again.

As I was preparing for tomorrows workshop I had a ton of ideas, but not all of them really fit my hostess.  I'd like to share a couple of my "rejects" with you.  I like them, but I knew I could design something that fit my hostess' personality better. (I'll share those after the workshop)

I really like how the bird turned out on this one:

I love the simplicity of this card, but it was a bit too masculine for the occasion. I got the layout idea from Clean & Simple Stamping Sketch 132.

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into my creative process! Happy stamping!

Lucky

I finally got around to making a new card! This one is St. Patrick's Day themed with card stock pieced four leaf clovers, finished with designer buttons and linen thread. Inside I stamped the definition of lucky.  I love how it turned out!

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)
Stamps: Define Your Life
Inks: Old Olive
Papers: Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Whisper White
Accessories: Heart to Heart punch, Playground & Sherbet Designer buttons, Linen Thread

This card (and many others) are available in the Avidly Stampining Etsy Shop. Check it out!

L.O.V.E

I just wanted to take a moment to share the card that I made for my hubbie for Valentine's Day.  I really like how it turned out!

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Christmas Thank You Notes

I know I'm running a wee bit behind, but today I am catching up! (or at least attempting).  One of the things that has been sitting on my to-do list for weeks is making and sending thank-you notes for the wonderful gifts I received at Christmas.  I received gifts from several family members who don't live nearby and thus I wasn't able to thank them in person - they absolutely deserve a note letting them know I appreciate them and the gift that they thoughtfully sent.

I searched around a bit online for inspiration and came across the Clean & Simple blog's layout challenge #125.  Here is what I started with:

 

 

And here is what I came up with:

I'm glad I had a chance to pull out at least a couple of Christmas stamps.  With our move, and all of my supplies being packed, I never got a chance to make Christmas cards or do any Christmas crafting.  Now, not only am I checking something very important off of my to-do list, I got to do a bit of Christmas crafting, too!

When you don't have the right stamp...

One of the cards in the custom order I'm working on is a housewarming card for my customer's son.  She wanted brown and yellow, masculine, something with a house, and a specific greeting: "good times, noodle salad".  She said it is from a movie and that it is a common phrase she and her son use.

Well, I don't have a stamp that says "good times, noodle salad" so I had to improvise.  I opened up my word processor, typed it up, picked a color close to the soft suede ink that I was using, and stuck a piece of card stock in the printer.  I then used the curly label punch to cut out the words, distressed the edges a bit, and voila!  I think it turned out really cute!

What do you think?  Next time you need a specific greeting and can't find the right stamp, improvise!  Computers come in so handy, don't you think?