Feathered Flight Thank You Cards

Earlier this week, I took some time to "just stamp" and I turned to Stacey's Curtain Call Color Challenge Act 49 for some inspiration.

Supplies: Aviary, Fundamental Phrases, Basic Black ink & cardstock, Real Red ink & cardstock, Hugs Love Notes (retired), Soft Suede cardstock, Autumn Harvest DSP (retired), Real Red Satin Ribbon

My first attempt used white instead of vanilla. The whole time I kept thinking, "these colors would look better with vanilla" and when I double-checked the challenge, I found that Stacey was on the same wavelength, so I tried again using vanilla instead of white.

Supplies: Fundamental Phrases, Basic Black ink & cardstock, Real Red cardstock, Very Vanilla cardstock, Sahara Sand cardstock, Soft Suede cardstock, Newsprint DSP, Dotted Ribbon Border Punch, 2-1/2" Circle Punch, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Two-Step Owl Punch

Do you like that owl punch? Don't miss my Owl Punch class in October -- it includes a punch to keep and four different projects using the punch in different ways! Click here for more information.

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Watercolor Floral Card

We made this card in Stamp Club this month. The main image is stamped in Staz-On, colored a little with markers, and then watercolored using the Aquapainter. I little Smooch Pearlized Accent adds some sparkle to the middle.

Supplies: Fifth Ave Floral, Watercolor Paper, Jet Black Staz-On Ink, Elegant Eggplant ink/marker & cardstock, Garden Green cardstock, More Mustard marker & cardstock, Bashful Blue marker, 2-1/2" Circle Punch, Smooch Pearlized Accent, Stampin' Dimensionals

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Outstanding Owl Punch Class

When I first saw the Two-Step Owl Punch from Stampin' Up!, I wasn't that excited. It just seemed like too many pieces to fuss about. But as I expected, once I started seeing all the different ways you could use the punch, I just had to have it!

This is the first card I designed with the Owl Punch.


Supplies: Heard from the Heart, Concord Crush ink & cardstock, Poppy Parade cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Crumb Cake cardstock, Soft Suede cardstock, Two-Step Owl Punch, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Top Note die for the Big Shot, 1/4" Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

I originally intended it to be a class project, but ended up designing something a little different for the class.

Outstanding Owl Punch Class
Tuesday, October 26th, 7:00 pm
Champaign, IL
Make four cards using the Owl Punch in different ways
AND get your own punch to take home!

Sign up with payment by October 15th to reserve your seat.

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First Snow

I should bite my tongue...I'm not ready for snow! I'm not a huge winter-person, but now that it's getting cooler, I'm starting to think about Christmas and making holiday projects, so here's the "first snow" of the year for my blog!

Supplies: Northern Hearts (Holiday Mini Hostess Set), Christmas Greetings, Northern Flurries Embossing Folder, Bashful Blue ink & cardstock, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Rhinestone Jewel Accents

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

Love Birds Card & Box

My friend Lisa got married last weekend. (Hi Lisa!) She was a gorgeous bride and I loved being witness to her magic fairytale day. Her colors were pink and brown, so I made this ensemble to coordinate.

The love birds card was inspired by the Clean & Simple Stamping Sketch FTL99.

I die cut the Box #2 with the Big Shot to make this matching gift box for a personalized stamp with Lisa's new name!

Supplies: Aviary, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Pretty in Pink ink & cardstock, Sahara Sand ink & cardstock, Chocolate Chip ink & cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Box #2 die for the Big Shot, Rhinestone Jewel Accents, Whisper White Organza Ribbon

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

Top 5 of September 2009

It's time to rewind! I looked over my posts from last fall and choose my top 5 favorite projects to share with you again. Click on each photo for more details about the project. Click here to see all my September 2009 blog posts.

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Love What You Do Card

Each month, I make a special card for the top sales achievers in my downline. My favorite part of doing this is that there's different people each month. It's not always the same five. In each card, I include a little note that says something like: "Congratulations! You were number ___ in August" and I stamp the appropriate number in the blank. One of my downline, Brenda, told me recently that she loves getting these cards and she compared the little notes inside to the checkpoints on The Amazing Race ("You are the 1st [2nd, 3rd, etc] to arrive..."). I love that analogy!

The cards for August used the "Love What You Do" stamp that was a available at Convention this year. My mom picked one up for me since I couldn't be there. Thanks for "sharing what you love", Mom! Here's another version of the card:

Supplies: Love What You Do, Poppy Parade marker & cardstock, Peach Parfait marker & cardstock, Basic Black marker, Whisper White cardstock, Sunny Garden DSP, 2-1/2" Circle Punch, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Stampin' Dimensionals

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

Birthday Party Favors

I whipped up these little favors boxes for Thomas' party using the Bitty Box & Envelope die. I originally was going to put the ride tokens in the box, but they already had them in little bags, so I put candy in the box instead.

I was inspired by these bags that my upline made for the kids at our recent downline picnic. The Scalloped bag comes from the Holiday Mini Catalog and is just perfect for larger party favors!

Supplies: Party This Way, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Pacific Point ink & cardstock, Old Olive cardstock, Real Red ink, Whisper White cardstock, Bitty Box & Envelope Die, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Bold Brights Brads, 1/16" Hole Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Scallop Edge Bags

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

It's Your Day Card

I made Thomas' birthday card to match his invitations. Come back tomorrow to see the coordinating party favors we gave out!

The finished card size is 3-1/2" x 5-1/2".

Supplies: Party This Way, On Your Birthday, Pacific Point ink & cardstock, Real Red marker & cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Celebrations DSP, 2-1/2" Circle Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Brights Brads, Top Note die for the Big Shot,

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

Party This Way Invitation

I am all partied out!! What an exhausting weekend it has been! We had company stay overnight, a wedding on Saturday and an all-day celebration today of my son's 7th birthday. I'm pooped! Wish I could just crash on the couch and veg, but I am working, working, working to prep for Stamp Club and finish up some class projects to take photos and send my newsletter. There just aren't enough hours in the day!

For my quick post tonight, I will share the invitation I made for Thomas' birthday party. I used the new Party This Way stamp set, which I received for FREE as an award for my sales achievement last year. I love free stamps!!

I stamped the balloon and drew the strings by hand with the fine tip of my coordinating Pacific Point marker.

Here's the inside. I printed the text and then added a little of the Celebrations DSP to tie in the design from the front.

The finished card size is 3-1/2" x 5-1/2".

Supplies: Party This Way, Pacific Point ink & cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Bashful Blue cardstock, Celebrations DSP, 1-3/8" Square Punch

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Aviary Thank You Card

I combined the same layout as yesterday's card (the FTL107 sketch) and Stacey's Curtain Call Color Challenge Act 47 to create this card with the ever-popular Aviary stamp set from Stampin' Up!

Supplies: Aviary, Flight of the Butterfly (greeting), Always Artichoke ink & cardstock, Crumb Cake ink & cardstock, Early Espresso ink & cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder (Big Shot), Scallop Edge Punch, Rhinestone Jewel Accents, 1/8" Early Espresso Taffeta Ribbon

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Extreme Guitar Birthday

I broke out the Extreme Guitar stamp for my brother-in-law's birthday card. This may look familiar because I made a similar card for my nephew earlier this month. I'm trying to break away from doing "stars" all the time for their birthday cards. Hopefully they both will their their cards are cool.

This time I used the FTL107 sketch from Clean & Simple Stamping. I really loved the sketch the first time I saw it. So much so that I made two cards with it! I'll post the other one tomorrow, so come back to check it out!

Supplies: Extreme Guitar, It's Your Birthday, Early Espresso ink & cardstock, Pear Pizzazz cardstock, Baja Breeze cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Greenhouse Gala DSP

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Starter Kit Technique Videos

This is such a great resource for new demonstrators! Stampin' Up! made several stamping technique videos using only products in the Demonstrator Starter Kit. You don't need a closet full of stuff to get your business started! Click here to check out these technique videos on my website.

This is only one of the videos! Make sure to check out the other two by visiting my website here.

Ready to start your own business with this awesome new Starter Kit? Join now on my website with my special password: "juliedavison". Contact me or click here for more information this opportunity!

Plus, when you sign up by October 18 (while supplies) last, you'll get this Greenhouse Gala Craft Tote for FREE!

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

Downline "Christmas" Cards

"Life is a matter of moments"...sometimes those moments take five months!

I alluded to this project last weekend when I finally finished making one of each and every one of my Ju-bilant Stampers over Labor Day weekend. I started them five months ago...already much belated non-traditional "Christmas" cards. I usually send them in January, but got a little distracted this year.

(It doesn't show up well in the photo, but the Taken with Teal cardstock is texturized with one of the Big Shoe Texturz plates.)

This card ended up being more involved than I had originally intended when I designed it. I almost gave up finishing several times, but I love my downline and knew how much they would each love to get hand-stamped mail, so I kept working on it in little bits when I had time. I've heard from a few of them already and it sounds like it put a smile on their face.

Thinking about becoming a demonstrator? I would love to have you join our group! (You'll get one of my "Christmas" cards...hopefully this time in January as planned!) I've already helped two women get started this month. They will each get a Greenhouse Gala Craft tote for FREE with their starter kit! Click here for more details on this limited time promotion.

Stampin' Up! Supplies: Elements of Style, Certainly Celery ink & cardstock, Rose Red ink & cardstock, Taken with Teal ink & cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Top Note die for the Big Shot, Perfect Details Texturz Plate, Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

Just Believe Poppin' Pastels

This card was one of the make and takes at my downline meeting last week. I love the classic technique of Poppin' Pastels. It's always a "wow" to watch the color magically appear as you rub it over the Versamark ink.

I used the Dotted Ribbon Punch (#119275, $15.95) and tucked half of it behind the stamped image, so it looks like a mini scallop border. Love it!

Supplies: Just Believe, Baja Breeze ink & cardstock, Always Artichoke cardstock, Very Vanilla cardstock, Versamark ink pad, Stampin' Pastels, Dotted Ribbon Border Punch, Pearl Jewel Accents

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A New Sketch to Try

I'm stuck on a new sketch! I made the Aviary card from the other day based on this Island Oasis card from earlier this summer. That inspired two more cards with the same basic sketch.

Supplies: Seasonal Sentiments, Basic Black ink & cardstock, Tangerine Tango marker & cardstock, Crumb Cake cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Bat Punch, Spider Web Embossing Folder, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stapler

Supplies: Extreme Guitar, Extreme Elements, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Baja Breeze cardstock, Crumb Cake ink & cardstock, Pear Pizzazz cardstock, Real Red ink & cardstock, Early Espresso ink, Whisper White cardstock, Greenhouse Gala DSP, Gold Brads

Here's the sketch. You could change the proportions a little and it works great with designer paper or textured cardstock. If you make a card using this layout, leave me a comment and a link so I can go and check it out!

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

Big Shot Letterpress Plates Video

Here's another video from Stampin' Up! I'm so excited to see this demo of the Letterpress Plates from the new Holiday Mini Catalog. Stampin' Up! facilitator, Shannon West, demonstrates how to use our brand-new Letterpress Plates, which let you add an inked debossed look to a variety of projects, reminiscent of an old-world letterpress.

For more project inspiration and to purchase your own Big Shot Letterpress Plates visit my Online Store and select the Die Cutting category.

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

Butterfly Thank You Card FTL106

I wanted to make a special thank you card for Tracey for hosting the card class in Springfield a couple weeks ago. She had a great space for us to stamp in. Thank you so much, Tracey!

Sorry the photo is a little blurry! In case you can't read it, the sentiment says: "one person can make such a difference and that person is you".

For this card, I went back to my favorite sketch blog for inspiration: Clean & Simple Stamping, where I found FTL106. It was perfect for the Flight of the Butterfly images and sentiment. (I just saw they posted a brand new sketch tonight. I can't wait to try it out!)

Supplies: Flight of the Butterfly, Poppy Parade ink & cardstock, Peach Parfait ink & cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Sunny Garden DSP, Butterfly Punch, Corner Rounder, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Rhinestone Jewel Accents, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

Aviary Birthday Card

The hot new stamp set this season seems to be Aviary and after seeing so many cute samples, I just had to get it too! This is the first card I made with it, designed especially for my card class a couple weeks ago.

Don't you love the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder (#120175, $7.95)!? All the Textured Impressions Embossing Folders leave such a deep impression. Check out the selection of embossing folders in my Online Store for use with your Big Shot or other die-cutting machine. (Look under Die-cutting --> Textured Dies.)

Supplies: Aviary, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Cherry Cobbler ink & cardstock, Early Espresso ink & cardstock, Crumb Cake cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Stamp-a-ma-jig, vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Gold Brads, 1/8" Early Espresso Taffeta Ribbon

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

Designer Fabric from Stampin' Up!

Beginning with the 2010 Holiday Mini Catalog, Stampin' Up! is now offering Designer Fabric. This new product line combines our exclusive designs and colors with high-quality fabric—making coordination with our other products a cinch!

Designer Fabric details:

• 100% cotton
• Patterns coordinate with select Designer Series Paper designs
• Each assortment includes three coordinated designs in an extra-wide fat quarter size (28" x 18")
• Each assortment includes an instruction booklet highlighting five projects you can create using the fabric

Check out this video with Shelli Gardner's daughter, Sara Douglass, as she introduces our brand-new Designer Fabric and shares some fun project ideas. (Email subscribers, click here to view the video.)

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

Simple Sentiments Bird on a Branch Card

Whenever I need some inspiration, I tend to fall back on sketches or card layouts that have worked for me before. Does this design look familiar?

I made several cards with this layout earlier this summer after finding the FTL95 sketch on the Clean & Simple Stamping blog. (Click here and here to see my original posts.) When I went to prep for my card class, I had the Greenhouse Gala card out on my desk and decided I liked the layout, but needed to use something other than flowers! This bird on a branch image from the Level 1 hostess set Simple Sentiments was perfect!

Supplies: Simply Sentiments, Baja Breeze marker & cardstock, Soft Suede marker/ink & cardstock, Very Vanilla cardstock, Sahara Sand cardstock, Elegant Soiree DSP, Very Vanilla 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

Greenhouse Gala Cards

I'm catching up today...on email from last week, on prep work for our demonstrator meeting tomorrow night, on cleaning, on sleep...a little bit of everything! Here's another card from my All Occasions Card Class. I really like the way it turned out.

Supplies: Friends Never Fade, Sincere Salutations, Baja Breeze ink & cardstock, Chocolate Chip ink & cardstock, Certainly Celery cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Greenhouse Gala DSP, Dotted Ribbon Border Punch, 2-1/2" Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

If you love the Greenhouse Gala Designer paper, you will love the coordinating craft tote! Click here to find out how you can get it for free!

Here's the first draft of my card. I changed up the colors because I already had another card that was yellow and orange and I always strive to have a balance of colors among all the cards. Leave me a comment and let me know which of these two cards you like best!

Supplies: Friends Never Fade, Full of Life (greeting), Daffodil Delight ink & cardstock, Pumpkin Pie ink & cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Pear Pizzazz cardstock, Greenhouse Gala DSP, Dotted Ribbon Border Punch, 2-1/2" Circle Punch, Jewel Accent Rhinestones, Stampin' Dimensionals

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

Build-a-Bear Color-Your-Own Cards

My kids attended a birthday party this afternoon and I made up a couple of these cards (in different colors) to give to the birthday girls.

I've seen this concept before -- attaching the crayons to a "Color-Your-Own Card", but I just loved Jenn Sannes' "Simple and Sincere" style and her clean layout and had to CASE her card. Click here to see her original. They are so cute and fun! And kind of addicting. I picked up several extra boxes of crayons on sales for a quarter with the back to school supplies. I'm matching them up to all the scraps of DSP I have.

I have to tell you, I FINALLY finished a project I started 5 months ago. It feels so good to get it done. I'll share more and a photo later this week, I promise. I don't want to spoil it. I'm so bad once a deadline has passed. And the deadline I set for myself was MONTHS ago and this keeps getting pushed to the back burner. Are you like that with deadlines too? I'm trying to get better, but the truth is with four kids, there's only so many hours in a day and not enough to get everything done that I would like.

On that note, I can still make it to bed before midnight, so I'm signing off! Come back again tomorrow for a new card!

Supplies: Beary Best Friends, Family Phrases, Basic Black ink, Very Vanilla cardstock, Poppy Parade cardstock, Peach Parfait cardstock, Crumb Cake cardstock, Baja Breeze cardstock, Elegant Soiree DSP, Sunny Garden DSP, Scallop Edge Punch, 1/8" Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, 1/16" Hole Punch

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

Virtual Garage Sale: 30 New Stamp Sets at 30-65%Off

I just added another 30 stamp sets to my Virtual Garage Sale! Some of these are much older, so be sure to check them out!

These stamp sets are "retired", and as such, just don't get used anymore at my house. These are wonderful stamp sets and some are old favorites...I just hate to see them sitting here! So I've marked them all down -- several are over 65% off the original price. Take a look and see if there are any that you'd like to add to your collection. Click here to view my Virtual Rubber Rummage Sale.

Prices are listed in the caption. First come, first serve. Please email me your selections and your zip code and I will send you a Paypal Invoice. Local Champaign-Urbana or Springfield stampers may arrange for pick-up/delivery. Otherwise, I will figure the exact cost for shipping the stamp sets you are buying directly to you. Sorry, U.S. Stampers only! (I am not allowed to sell outside of the United States.)

Sunny Garden Panel Card

It was a gorgeous day here in central Illinois. 70 degrees and sunny. I've had the windows open all days and unfortunately, now I'm feeling all the yucky symptoms of seasonal allergies. If it's not one thing, it's another!

And now that I got those computer issues worked out, my email is having some hiccups. I haven't gotten a single email since 2:15 pm this afternoon. Not even spam! That sounds great, but I know that's not right, so now I'm trying to figure out what happened. So if you sent an email and it's bouncing back, I'm sorry! I hope to get it all straightened out tomorrow when I consult with my IT guy (my brother).

Until then, here's another card from our card class last Saturday. I just love this Sunny Garden designer paper. It makes the card feel so bright and happy, just like the weather was today.

The finished card size is 3-1/2" x 5-1/2".

Supplies: For All You Do, Short & Sweet, Peach Parfait ink, Daffodil Delight ink, Pear Pizzazz ink, Whisper White cardstock, Crumb Cake cardstock, Sunny Garden DSP, Corner Rounder, Rhinestone Jewel Accents, Stampin' Dimensionals

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

Free Stamp Set of the Month: Scary Skeleton

Thanks to everyone who placed an order with me in August! I drew one winner from all of the online and email orders and Kathy from Springfield is the lucky stamper to win the Afterthoughts stamp set! Congratulations, Kathy!

It's a new month, and time for a new free stamp set giveaway! Each month, I will give away a free stamp set. To be eligible for the drawing, all you have to do it place an online order (email orders count too!) that is not part of a club or workshop. You'll get one entry for each order that you place with me between September 1-30. I'll draw a winner on October 1st. This month's stamp set is Scary Skeleton, a retired Halloween stamp set from the last catalog. Check out our brand new Halloween stamp sets in the Holiday Mini Catalog by browsing my Online Store here.

Ready to place an order now? Click here to go right to my online store and shop from the convenience and comfort of your home.

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!

Candy Wrapper Ghost

Here's another project with the Candy Wrapper die from the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog. I cut the flaps on one end and adhered them to make a flat box bottom.

You can tell it's a girl ghost because there's a bow in her hair! :) Here's a bottom view so you can see how I folded up the flaps. Make sure to use Sticky Strip with this box, like any 3D project, so that it stays together and doesn't come apart.

Supplies: Candy Wrapper Bigz die for the Big shot, Whisper White cardstock, Basic Black cardstock, 1/2" Circle Punch, Gogglie Eyes, Mini Glue Dots, 1/4" Basic Black Grosgrain Ribbon

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!