Quick and Easy Masked Tag

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Sometimes you just need a really super quick thank you card.  Today I thought I’d share a fun, quick and super easy way to add a custom background to your project.  Create your own stencil from whatever background you’d like, here you see a tag made from the Chalk Talk Framelit set by Stampin’ Up!, use a sponge to mask a background and complete your card!

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To see this project as part of the Creative Tips video series, be sure to join the Creative Tips list!

Creative Tips –

  • Create your mask out of copy paper.
  • Sponge lightly with Wild Honey Distress ink DSC01316
  • Stamp two step stamping images using Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive
  • Stamp greeting from Lots of Thanks by Stampin’ Up! in Memento Tuxedo Black
  • Spritz black ink from a dye based black marker and color spritzer by Ranger DSC01317
  • Pop up panel on dimensionals and add pearls.
  • Complete card – final dimension is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 DSC01322

To see even more tips and exactly how I did all the steps above, subscribe to the Creative Tips list and stay in the know!






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Filed Under: 10 Minutes or Less, Big Shot, Cards, Clean and Simple, One Layer Card, Techniques, Videos Tagged: , , ,

Stenciled Love

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It’s Easter today and I’m spending the weekend with my fun Italian In-laws.  It’s always a memorable weekend when I’m visiting in Canajoharie, New York.  Today I have one of my favorite cards for you – a giant stenciled and stamped heart.  I made this card a while back and have been waiting to share with you.  Since my weekend is busting at the seams with love and laughter, I thought I’d share my special heart with you. 

This weekend has been filled with food, laughter, more food, great stories, more food again, and lots of love – oh…and then more food!  When we sit down at the dinner table –a bout 6 or 7, we don’t get up until 1 or 2am usually!  The kids start to fall asleep (me too – figures, right?) and I roll off to bed thinking…why oh why did have that last dessert!

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Our weekend is filled with Easter traditions, one of them is on Saturday night  – it’s Grandma Amelia Ritacco’s Pizzagaina recipe which is held tightly under wraps (took me 10 years to get the recipe. And before you ask – since I’m not even allowed to give it to either of my girls – don’t even try and ask!).  And let me tell you – we look forward to this meal ALL year long.  If you aren’t familiar with Pizzagaina (aka Pizza Chena)– it’s stuffed pizza (more like a calzone, but it’s pizza).  It’s stuffed with meats, ricotta, cheeses and has not a pizza crust, but a sweet bread crust to hold all that yumminess in.  Here’s a photo just to make your mouth water.

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Most of all, I just love hanging in the kitchen, hoping that I get to help in some small way (not usually likely…lol), listening to stories of the old neighborhood, and spending time with my sweet Mother-in-law Vigie, and my Sister-in-laws Claudia and Donna.  There’s laughter from the other rooms as the kids play games, and the house is filled with loud Italian voices and more love than you can imagine.  It’s a great day.

I hope your Easter weekend is filled with love and laughter like mine!

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To make this card, I cut a stencil out of a piece of scrap paper using my heart framelits and my big shot.  I sponged the sides so you could see the heart shape on my card stock and added some stamped images.  I sponged the sides of a banner with the greeting to match my heart.  To continue the theme, I had a matching embossing folder for my stamp which I ran just along the bottom edge for a little interest.  I sponged the raised portion as well.DSC00287

Instead of ribbon, I used some fabric scraps to tie across the bottom.  They give it a cool look, right?  How many do YOU have in a drawer somewhere?

I love this card – it really makes me smile every time I look at it, I think I’ll send it to my Mother in Law when we leave.  That way I can leave my heart behind with her.  Have a great weekend!

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Filed Under: Big Shot, Cards, Personal Tagged: , , ,

Merry Christmas from the Black Forest

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The rain is making little pitter patter noises on our skylights and the early morning daylight has just begun to rise here in Germany.  The lights on the tree are twinkling as I listen to my Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr. and Jazz Christmas CD’s this early morning.  The house is quiet as everyone is sleeping.  The fire in the fire place is crackling and the presents are perfectly placed under the tree, that’s all Michael – not me, he has a gift for it!  I’m fighting off some sort a bug and refuse to let it dampen the excitement of this day!  You can hear nothing outside – no cars, no hustle and bustle and it’s nice.  Just the Black Forest, the rain and us!

Last night we went to a Christmas service in the actual Black Forest.  There was a live manger scene with an orchestra and about 800 people came from far and wide to stand out in the cold and listen to the Christmas story (even on big buses!).  A bonfire twenty feet high crackled in the background and you could hear a pin drop as the pastor enthralled the masses with this joyful story as children dressed as angels with massive wings and shepherds also looked on.  It was quite something. 

After, we ventured the 20 minutes back through the Black Forest back to the Bad Wildbad valley to the town center.  We gathered at the town square just outside the Church and sang German Christmas carols with 1000 other town folk while a 60 piece orchestra filled this quaint small village with beautiful music.  It was the perfect way to start our Christmas Eve.

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I would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas.  Thank you for taking the time to visit here and leaving comments this past year.  I hope you have enjoyed all the creative inspiration this past year.  I’m excited for all the great creative inspiration that will be shared in 2014!

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I made this special card just for you today.  The poinsettia flower is embossed and water colored from behind.  It is delicate, just like a stained glass church window.  The small details like just a tiny bit of gold embossing on the raised embossed words in the background really make this card special.  This card is my all time favorite of the 2013 season, and I hope you love it too.Christmas Eve 2013 027 edited_edited-1From my home to yours – I hope you have a safe and happy holiday this year! 

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Filed Under: Big Shot, Cards, Christmas, Flowers, Personal Tagged: , , , ,

Label Thinlit Flip Flop Card

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Have you ever just needed an really quick wow card?  Well then the new Card Thinlits are for you.  For one, they have an interactive rotating feature.  Second – talk about super quick!  You can literally make this awesome project in a matter of minutes!  Here’s how.Regarding Dahlias 004 (4)

Creative Tips –

  • First cut your cardstock to 6” x 5 1/2”.  Lay your Thinlit over.  Add a piece of Whisper White cardstock cut 5 1/4 x 2 3/4” to the left side with some adhesive lining up the outside three edges.
  • Run through your Big Shot to cut the card and flip flop cuts.
  • Cut the matching label framelits from this set and stamp with Raspberry Ripple using the Regarding Dahlia’s Stamp.
  • Cut a mask using the label portion of the Card Thinlit out of scrap paper – Keep your mask for future use with your Thinlit set!Regarding Dahlias 004 (1)
  • Stamp the Regarding Dahlia’s  in Raspberry Ripple on the left portion of the card.
  • Tie some linen thread and add Rhinestone Basic Jewels.
  • Stamp your greeting and send to someone you love!

Wasn’t that fast!  Be sure to tune in later this week for a video tutorial – I’m so excited to use my new microphone – yes, you read that right…finally better sound!  Have a fabulous day.Regarding Dahlias 004 (7)

New Creative Grove Classroom

Did you know that we have a new classroom for you to take all your online classes?  Check it out by clicking the Classroom tab up top or here.  Our latest class – Class of the Month : Festive Flurry has gotten some rave reviews!  It just launched and is packed with amazing projects that you’ll be able to use no matter what stamps or framelits you own. Check that class out here.

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Stamp Sets – Regarding Dahlias (130327c, 130324w)  Ink – Raspberry Ripple Paper – Whisper White (100730), Raspberry Ripple Cool Tools – Label Thinlits (133479) Finishing Touch – Linen Thread, Rhinestone Basic Jewels 

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Filed Under: 10 Minutes or Less, Big Shot, Cards, Clean and Simple, Flowers, Tools Tagged: , , , , , ,

A Big Shot Birthday

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My niece Chiarra is in Orlando for a visit for her 8th birthday.  I felt she needed a fun card with her name on it – since she never finds anything with her name!  So I took out my trusty Big Shot, some of my favorite BigZ dies and went to work. 

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I created a fun background with the Chevron Embossing Folder in Pink Pirouette and cut her name out using a retired set of BigZ dies in Rich Razzleberry.  For the greeting I used my Word program to write Happy  th Birthday in a fun font – Pea Mel in Between – it’s a handwriting font, and I added the Number 8 from the Typeset Alphabet BigZ dies.  I printed it on vellum and tore it before attaching it with two mini-brads.

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Chiarra loved the card and especially the gifts to go with it!  There’s nothing like a personalized birthday card to make you feel special.

Filed Under: 10 Minutes or Less, Big Shot, Cards, Clean and Simple, Personal Tagged: , , , , , ,

Expressions Thinlits Sneak Peek

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I’m in love with the new Expressions Thinlits.  What an awesome new product!  Starting August 1st, you will be able to cut cute little words just like this one with the new Expressions Thinlits – available in the new Holiday Catalog.  My mother always taught me it was rude to tease, but I thought you would love a little Sneak Peek of this fun and quick little card.  It literally came together in a matter of minutes.Expressions Thinlits 001 005

Creative Tips –

  • Definitely put a piece of wax paper between the word Thinlit and your cardstock.  It will help to pop it out after.
  • I used my paper piercer to help guide my word out from the back of the Thinlit.  It was super easy.Expressions Thinlits 001 007
  • Two spots didn’t punch through on my word – the loop in the second R and the Y.  I didn’t worry about it, because it gave me a place to drop a little multi-liquid glue.  It really is thin – you have to use the Multi-Liquid Glue.
  • To make my holly leaves I used a 3/4” and 1/2” circle punch.  I don’t own a thinlit to punch those out, so why not make your own.  It was super easy.Expressions Thinlits 001 006
  • I wanted to accent my holly and berries, but didn’t want it to focus too much on that, so I used a blender pen and the ink from my ink pads.  I squeezed my ink pad – love that you can do that with Stampin’ Up! inks, and the ink collected in the lid. I then picked some up with my blender pen and added some subtle highlights.
  • The background was made with the Chevron Embossing Folder and I popped the panel up on Stampin’ Dimensionals for some interest.

This card literally took 4 minutes to make, so if you need a great go to holiday card in a pinch in December – make sure you have the Expressions Thinlits.  You can use them with any embossing folder for a quick and easy card! Always a great thing.

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Filed Under: 10 Minutes or Less, Big Shot, Cards, Christmas, Clean and Simple Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Retro Regarding Dahlias

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I just got the new Deco Label Framelits and wanted to try them out.  So, what better stamp set to test the waters with than Regarding Dahlias.  Now I ended up altering my framelit to suit the card better, but I think in the end it worked perfectly!  You be the judge.Regarding Dahlias 002 Side

Creative Tips –

  • My trusty Color Coach gave me this combination – another one out of my comfort zone – Coastal Cabana, Calypso Coral and Smoky Slate.  I love the retro feel of the color combination.
  • For the flower, I stamped my Dahlia stamp in Calypso Coral two full times on scrap Whisper White and once just needing the center on a piece of scrap.  I also stamped it once fully on Calypso Coral.  Regarding Dahlias 002 Dahlia
  • I wanted the layered look, so I cut the flower out at three depths and cut in on several petals so that I could bend them upward. 
  • To attach them together, I used Tombow Liquid Glue.  It’s the best for textures and difficult items.
  • The number three Deco Label Framelit is the perfect size for a portrait card.  I cut one in Smoky Slate and trimmed off the rounded parts.  I matted it onto a piece of Whisper White trimmed to give me a 1/16” border.  I then used my circle punch from the Itty Bitty Punch Pack to notch out the corners.Regarding Dahlias 002 CU
  • For the greeting I made a banner using my 1” Square Punch and added a Calypso Coral banner for a pop of color as well.  View my video on how to make banner flags
  • This card needed a little texture, so I added a panel of Coastal Cabana popped up and run through my Big Shot with the Chevron embossing folder.Regarding Dahlias 002 Height
  • I added a little corner stamped in Coastal Cabana and the Dahlia stamp on the inside and on the envelope for coordination.

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It’s a cute card and works for any occasion.  I just love the Regarding Dahlia set – this flower is bold and fun.  I hope you enjoyed it too!  View my other card made with this great set here


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Stamp Sets – Regarding Dahlias (130327c, 130324w)  Ink – Calypso Coral (126983), Coastal Cabana (131175) Paper – Whisper White (100730), Coastal Cabana (131297), Calypso Coral (122925), Smoky Slate (131202) Cool Tools – 1” Square Punch (124094), Chevron TIEF (127749), Deco Label Framelits (130102), Color Coach (130118), 2013-2015 In Color Cards (130120) Finishing Touch – Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

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Filed Under: Big Shot, Cards, Clean and Simple Tagged: , , , , , ,

Mojo Simply Sketched

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It’s the first Mojo Monday of the new Catalog!  So today I thought I’d use a few stamp sets that are brand new.  You’ve seen a few sneak peeks from me with Simply Sketched before, but and I thought I’d have some fun with the new color Crisp Cantaloupe.  I decided to pair it with Midnight Muse – primarily because I chose one of the color combinations in the catalog layout – I love how they label the colors for our ease.  And I needed it, as my Color Coach is en route to me in my very first order – I can’t wait to get it to play with all the cool new stuff!

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Creative Tips –

  • I decided to keep the sizes of the circles simple.  This would have been much easier with my brand new Circle Framelits (there are 10 sizes!), but they are somewhere crossing the US from Utah to Florida as we speak.  So I used my 2 1/2” Circle punch as my main size. 
  • I stamped my flower in Versamark and Midnight Muse before embossing it with Clear Embossing Powder.  Of course I used my Embossing Buddy first!
  • I chose to water color my image using Aqua Painters in various shades of Crisp Cantaloupe.  To get the darker highlights, I just went over my original coloring two to three times.  The stems I did in Pear Pizzazz – a new fav! Simply Sketched 003 CU
  • I added a little texture by embossing my back Crisp Cantaloupe circle with the Chevron TIEF folder.
  • I originally had my Pear Pizzazz piece of card stock plain, but the card needed a little something.  Enter the best background stamp in the world – Travel Journal Builder Wheel.  I have three stacked here, which was the perfect dimension.  You can also unmount your wheels and use them as regular stamps, did you know that?! I wheeled my Jumbo wheel with the three builder wheels on it on a Pear Pizzazz Ink Pad since I’m still waiting on my ink refills to make a cartridge.  Simply Sketched 003 Side
  • Once everything was layered just as I wanted it, I paper Pierced my corners first.  I chose to add five punches to the top and three to the bottom.  You don’t have to always do the same.  I used my Paper Piercing Tool, Stampin’ Pierce Mat and Essentials Paper Piercing Pack.
    • I used the stamp For You from probably one of the coolest new stamp sets – Chalk Talk which has the best framelits in the catalog.  It’s a very cool new tag set that has endless options!  You can even get it as a bundle and save 15%.  I punched it out using our 1 3/8” Circle Punch and popped it up using Stampin’ Dimensionals.Simply Sketched 003 Height

  • For a finishing touch I added three large Pearl Basic Jewels, and one medium to the greeting.  I love the end result and think the colors work well together.

Today is the final day you can order from the retired lists and old catalog.  So don’t wait!!!  Of course you can order from the new catalog too. Smile  If you don’t have your very own copy, click here to find out how to get one shipped directly to you.

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Stamp Sets – Simply Sketched (129672c, 129669w), Chalk Talk (130634c, 130631w) Chalk Talk Bundle (132730c, 132731w), Travel Journal Builder Wheel (3) (126937)  Ink – Crisp Cantaloupe (131176), Pear Pizazz (131180), Midnight Muse (126860), Versamark (102283) Paper – Whisper White (100730), Crumb Cake (120953), Midnight Muse (126843), Crisp Cantaloupe (131298), Pear Pizzazz (131201) Cool Tools – Aqua Painters (103954), 2 1/2” Circle Punch (120906), 1 3/8” Circle Punch (119860), Paper Piercing Tool (126189), Stampin’ Pierce Mat (126199), Essentials Paper Piercing Pack (126187), Chevron TIEF (127749) Finishing Touch – Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430), Pearl Basic Jewels (119247)

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Filed Under: Big Shot, Cards, Challenges, Clean and Simple, Mojo Monday Tagged: , , , , , , ,
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