Petal Cone Bat Box Tutorial

I fell in love with this bat on Shelli Gardner's blog and just had to make my own. I think Shelli used the Perfect Pennants die for the wings, but I just used the Petal Cone die and cut it apart.

Petal Cone Bat Box Tutorial (.pdf)

Don't worry, I took all the guesswork out of it and wrote up a little tutorial for you. I probably should have taken more photos, but I think you'll be able to figure it out with the detailed instructions. And if not, please leave me a comment and I will be happy to clarify!

Click here to view the free tutorial for the Petal Cone Bat Box.

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Gently Falling with Baby Wipe Technique

I am completely in love with the Gently Falling stamp set. (Click here to see other blog posts using this stamp set.) Here's a card I made with my Stamp Club this month using the Baby Wipe Technique. Fold a baby wipe into quarters and add drops of reinker to create an temporary "ink pad". Tap your bold stamp on the baby wipe and then stamp on cardstock for a beautiful multi-color image.

I love the layout on this card! I spotted it on page 27 of the Holiday Mini Catalog and new I would I just had to CASE it. Click here to view the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog online. The finished card is 3-1/2" x 5-1/2".

Check out the ribbon and button on this card. I used a marker to color the back side of the Very Vanilla Velvet ribbon to color it and then I used a tiny sliver of cardstock to thread the button (attached with glue dots).

Stampin' Up! Supplies: Gently Falling, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Cajun Craze ink refill & cardstock, More Mustard ink refill & cardstock, Pear Pizzazz ink refill, Chocolate Chip marker/ink pad, Very Vanilla cardstock, Spice Cake DSP, Very Vanilla Velvet Ribbon, Top Note die (Big Shot), Neutral Buttons, Mini Glues Dots

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Spice Cake Sympathy Card

These are the cards that I hate to make. And as it often does, it happened in threes again this month. I am praying for my friends and their families as they heal from the loss of their loved ones.

Stampin' Up! Supplies: Thoughts & Prayers, Pear Pizzazz cardstock, Chocolate Chip ink & cardstock, Pool Party cardstock, Spice Cake DSP, Fancy Flower Punch, Neutral Buttons, Mini Glue Dots

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Enjoy Every Moment Digital Card

Here's a digital card I created earlier this summer. I forgot about it until I went through some photos over the weekend. I've been meaning to print it and create a hybrid card, so I'll be sure t post a photo of the finished thing. I hope to play some more with My Digital Studio at our demonstrator retreat this weekend. There are so many projects that I want to work on but just never have enough time to do.

Stampin' Up! is sponsoring another My Digital Studio contest with separate categories for customers and demonstrators. You only need to submit two projects: one card and one scrapbook page created using only My Digital Studio. Click here for all the details.

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Faux Tile Horizontal Center Step Card

I just can't stop with these Horizontal Center Step Cards! Here's one I did for Karlene's workshop last week with the Faux Tile technique that I featured in this month's email newsletter. (Are you on my mailing list? Click here to subscribe to my monthly email updates for all the latest Stampin' Up! specials, upcoming events, and an exclusive monthly tutorial.)

Make sure to check out my Gently Falling version of the Horizontal Center Step with a free PDF tutorial that includes a template and detailed directions to cut and score your cardstock. It's much easier than it looks!

Stampin' Up! Supplies: Christmas Lodge stamp set, Heard from the Heart, Textured Jumbo Wheel, Crumb Cake ink, Garden Green cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Cherry Cobbler ink & cardstock, Early Espresso ink & cardstock, Simply Scored Tool, Early Espresso Quilted Ribbon, Stampin' Sponges

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Free Retired Stampin' Up! Catalogs

When I cleaned out my stamp room closet this summer, I came across some old catalogs. At this point, I need to just get rid of them. Their ultimate fate is the recycle bin, but I thought I'd offer them up to you guys first. Please email me at julie@the-davisons.com to acquire any of these catalogs to complete your collection. If you're local, you can pick them up at my house. If you're not, I'd be happy to mail them if you pay for postage.

Edited on 9/26/11 at 5:00 pm. Here's what's left:

Retired Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogs

• (6) Fall-Winter 2008
• (2) Spring-Summer 2009
• (9) 2009-2010

I'm dumping what's left on Sept 30...

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Christmas Lodge Bird Thank You Card

I loved this layout from Laura Yates' Holiday Mini swap and adapted it for a different stamp in the Christmas Lodge stamp set. I sent these Thank You cards with the Holiday Mini sampler gifts from my Labor Day special. I wanted to use the products in the sampler, but didn't want to make a Christmas card in September, so I pulled the greeting from Petite Pairs.

I colored the branch and birds with Stampin' Pastels and then added the Dazzling Details glitter glue to add some sparkle to the snow on the branch under the birds.

Stampin' Up! Supplies: Christmas Lodge, Petite Pairs, Early Espresso ink & cardstock, Garden Green ink & cardstock, Cherry Cobbler ink & cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Frostwood Lodge DSP, 2-1/2" Circle Punch, Top Note die (Big Shot), Gold Brads, 1/16" Hole Punch, Stampin' Pastels, Dazzling Details Glitter Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

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

Awash with Flowers Friend Card

I don't get many hand-stamped cards in the mail, so I was so surprised and delighted to find this in my mailbox a few weeks ago. Thank you Susan Beranek for such a beautiful card!

Stampin' Up! Supplies: Awash with Flowers, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Cajun Craze ink & cardstock, Pool Party ink & cardstock, Early Espresso ink, Crumb Cake cardstock, Very Vanilla cardstock, Top Note die (Big Shot), Stripes Embossing Folder (Big Shot), Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Subtles Buttons, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Hemp Twine

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

Top 5 of September 2010

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 2010 blog posts.


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Delightful Dozen Halloween Card

I created this card for this months' card club (=shoebox swap) with some of my stamping friends. I used the new Delightful Dozen greeting "Happy Halloween" with some retired Designer Paper to create this 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" card. The texture on the front was created with the Spiderweb embossing folder and the Big Shot.

Stampin' Up! Supplies: Delightful Dozen stamp set, Pumpkin Pie ink & cardstock, Basic Black marker, Old Olive cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, (retired) Halloween DSP, Modern Label Punch, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Perfect Pennants die (Big Shot), Spiderweb Embossing Folder (Big Shot), Smooch Spritz, Stampin' Dimensionals

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

Festive & Fun Halloween Card

I know it's been a few days since my last post. Sorry! Everything is just fine, I've just been busy with the family and ran out of projects that had been photographed and ready to share. I always have grand plans of really catching up over the weekends, but somehow there just aren't enough hours to make good progress.

On that note, I better get back at it! Here's a quick card to share with you tonight: a Halloween card with the new Festive & Fun stamp set from the Holiday Mini Catalog.

I watercolored the Concord Crush with a blender pen and used the Pear Pizzazz and Each Parfait markers directly to the stamped image. I used 2-Way Glue and Dazzling Diamonds glitter in the placed where I didn't color -- the bony "n" and the bottom of the candycorn "a".

Stampin Up! Supplies: Festive & Fun, Jet Black Staz-On Ink Pad, 2012 In Color Markers, 2012 In color Designer Paper, Whisper White cardstock, Basic Black marker & cardstock, Neutral Jumbo Brads, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Blender Pens

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Cupcake Birthday Gift Tags

The kids attended two birthday parties over Labor Day weekend and of course, I scrambled at the last minute to put together birthday cards. Kids don't care much about birthday cards, so I opted for these quick gift tags instead. They are 3x3 square, embellished with the 2-1/2" Circle Punch and Cupcake Punch. So quick and easy!

The colors are Tempting Turquoise, Poppy Parade, and So Saffron.

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Serence Snowflakes Horizontal Center Step Card

Have you tried the Center Step Card yet!? It's much easier than it looks, I promise! Make sure to check out my free PDF tutorial for complete step-by-step instructions and a template.

Click here for the Horizontal Center Step Card Tutorial

This one uses the Serene Snowflakes stamp set and some of the brand new 2011-2013 In Colors: Pool Party, Island Indigo, and Wisteria Wonder.

Stampin' Up! Supplies: Serene Snowflakes, Heard from the Heart, Pool Party ink & cardstock, Island Indigo ink & cardstock, Wisteria Wonder ink, Whisper White cardstock, 2011 In Color Patterns DSP, Rhinestone Jewel Accents, Paper Cutter, Simply Scored Tool

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

Pines & Poinsettias Horizontal Center Step Card

Have you tried the Horizontal Center Step Card yet? (Click here to see the Gently Falling version.) Here's another one that I made for Christmas using the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini catalog stamp set Pines & Poinsettias. Do you like it?

Click here for the FREE PDF tutorial with detailed directions and template.

Stampin' Up! Supplies: Pines & Poinsettias, Heard from the Heart, Chocolate Chip ink & cardstock, Real Red marker & cardstock, Wild Wasabi marker, Whisper White cardstock, Holly Berry Bouquet DSP, 2-1/2" Circle Punch, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Paper Cutter, Simply Scored Tool, Stampin' Dimensionals

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

Happy Wedding Day

A short, but sweet post. Today was my father-in-law's wedding. Everything was beautiful and went great! Here's what I've been working on all week to get ready:

135 favors using the Bitty Box & Envelope die. (See a close-up here.)

60 wedding programs.

Next up...thank you cards!

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Horizontal Center Step Card Tutorial

I was inspired by Connie Babbert's Center Step Card (like this one), but wanted to make one with an image that wasn't so tall, so I changed the measurements and turned the card so it was horizontal instead of vertical. I think I love it this way even more! Just like the original, it still fits in a regular size Medium Envelopes. Check out my free pdf tutorial to learn how to make this card at home!

Download the Horizontal Center Step Card Tutorial (.pdf)

Stampin' Up! Supplies (Shop online 24/7 here): Gently Falling, Heard from the Heart, More Mustard ink & cardstock, Soft Suede ink & cardstock, Crumb Cake ink, Very Vanilla cardstock, Spice Cake DSP, Paper Cutter, Simply Scored Tool

Fall Frenzy Party Goers from Craftaholics Anonymous-- thanks for visiting!! Click here to get back to the party!

Free Stamp Set of the Month: Happiness Shared

Thanks to everyone who placed a Stampin' Up! order with me in August! I drew one winner from all of the online and email orders and Cristi R. from Dixon is the lucky stamper to win the Turtle & Co. stamp set! Congratulations, Christi!

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 Happiness Shared, a beautiful line art stamp set that is perfect for watercoloring!

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

Fabulous Florets Center Step Card

I saw so many of these Center Step Cards before I actually gave it a try myself. It's easier than it looks as long as you are friends with your Paper Cutter! Here's one that I made with my Stamp Club last month.

I've been playing around with it and created a twist on the original (created by Connie Babbert). Watch for my detailed tutorial tomorrow with instructions on how to put your paper in your Paper Cutter to cut and score correctly!

Stampin' Up! Supplies: Fabulous Florets, Melon Mambo ink & cardstoc, Wild Wasabi ink & cardstock, Versamark ink, Whisper White cardstock, Peach Parfait cardstock, Beyond the Garden DSP, Melon Mambo Embossing Powder, Silver Brads, 1/16" Hole Punch, Paper Cutter with Scoring Blade


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

And the winner is...

I love giving away free stuff! I wish I could give a prize to ALL of you! But....well, I'm not Oprah! Sorry, folks!

I only have two prizes to give away this time! I used random.org to get a random number and then counted down that many comments on my original blog post and on my Facebook Fan page. And our winners are....

Blog Reader:

• DawnKathleen said..."OH MY GOSH! This time SU! out did themselves with the new mini catty. I'm so loving it all. The DSP spice cake with matching buttons AWESOME! The stocking punch, stamp set and die, TOTALLY COOL! To pick a favorite...hmmmmm I would have to say the Christmas Lodge stamp set with the awesome DSP Frostwood Lodge and the 3/4" quilted satin ribbon. Thank you for a chance to win an awesome blog candy!" (September 2, 2011 6:41 AM)

Facebook Fan:

• Dollie Evans said..."I love Thanksgiving-while we should count or blessings all year long-love that we set aside a day to give thanks-and I love love love the spice cake suite." (September 1 at 8:51pm)
  

Dawn Kathleen & Dollie, please email me with your mailing address so that I may send out your prize!

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

Embossed Christmas Lodge Card

Good morning, friends! What a busy weekend! I had a sick little one and spent many hours working on 135 wedding favors for my father-in-law's wedding this coming weekend. I didn't do it all myself...my hubby did most of the cranking on the Big Shot for me! He's also a pro at Stampin' Dimensionals now! Now this week, we have to do the programs. I'll post a picture of those later this week.

I had hoped to finish organizing my stamp room this weekend, but the honest truth is that I didn't even go in there...except to bring out supplies to work on my swaps for tonight's demonstrator meeting and the wedding favors. Soon, I hope! I can't wait to give you a virtual tour, but right now it's a huge MESS!

For your stamping inspiration today, check out this card I made with the Christmas Lodge stamp set from the new Holiday Mini Catalog. I stamped the tree in Pear Pizazz and then embossed the greeting over the top with Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder. I love the way it turned out!

Stampin' Up! Supplies: Christmas Lodge, Pear Pizzazz ink, Cherry Cobbler cardstock, Versamark ink, Whisper White cardstock, Frostwood Lodge DSP, Eyelet Border Punch, Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder, Gold Brads, 1/16" Hole Punch

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

"Hope Your Birthday Rocks" Card

Today is my nephew's birthday. He turns 15! Gosh, that makes me feel old! I originally bought this Extreme Guitar stamp to make cards for him, so you'll have to forgive me for using it even though it's retired. (This image is still available as a digital download.) I paired it with the Extreme Elements stamp set, which is not retired and is also great for teenage boy cards.

I have to show a close-up of the guitar guy. I love the way this turned out. I inked that stamp in Soft Suede and then used the dots from Extreme Elements to "kiss" it. But I didn't ink the dots, I left the stamp clean. So the effect is that it took the Soft Suede ink OFF the guitar stamp.

I really digging this layout too. I just pulled out some Marina Mist scraps and I happened to have two 2-1/2" Circles already punched, so I added those. I love the pop of color with the other neutrals: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, and Very Vanilla.

If you think this card ROCKS (pun intended!), leave me a comment and let me know!

Don't forget about my Labor Day Weekend special -- I'm giving away a Christmas Sampler away to everyone who places an order of $50 or more before Tuesday!

Stampin' Up! Supplies: Extreme Guitar, Extreme Elements, On Your Birthday, Soft Suede ink & cardstock, Crumb Cake ink & cardstock, Marina Mist ink & cardstock, Very Vanilla cardstock, 2-1/2" Circle Punch, Jumbo Neutral Brads, 1/16" Hole Punch

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

Gently Falling Thanks Card

Every time a new catalog comes out, our demonstrator group organizes a swap. We have some of the most talented stampers in our group! In the last year, two of the them were chosen as winners in the monthly Stampin' Success magazine for demonstrators!! I always love to participate in these swaps because I know I'll get fabulous samples back to share with my customers. And this time was no different! I couldn't wait to go pick up my bags of cards!

Here is one of the cards I made for the swap. I used the Gently Falling stamp set and Spice Cake Designer Paper from the Holiday Mini Catalog. Yummy! Check out these and other Holiday Mini Catalog products in my Online Store here.

Don't forget to enter my Blog Candy/Facebook Fan Freebie giveaway -- click here for details. You could win a free sampler of products that includes this gorgeous Spice Cake Designer Paper.

And don't forget about my Labor Day special -- get a free Holiday Mini Sampler when you order $50 or more. Click here for details.

Stampin' Up! Supplies: Gently Falling stamp, Petite Pairs stamp set, More Mustard ink & cardstock, Soft Suede ink & cardstock ,Very Vanilla cardstock, Spice Cake Designer Paper, Very Vanilla Stitched Velvet Ribbon, Stampin' Dimesionals

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

700K Blog Candy & Facebook Fan Freebie

This summer went so fast! I feel like I'm perpetually behind and just can't catch up. I'm a little late with this, but what better time to celebrate than with the release of the new Holiday Mini Catalog! (Click here to check it out!)

Thank you for being a "fan" and for following me either on my blog site or via Facebook. I like to celebrate and thank YOU when we hit milestones and sometime last month, we surpassed 700,000 hits on the blog and 300 fans on Facebook. So, that calls for TWO giveaways! Yay!

I have two sets of the same prize -- a Spice Cake sampler from the new Holiday Mini Catalog! It includes 6x6 pieces of the Spice Cake Designer Series Paper, Spice Cake Buttons, 1 yard of Very Vanilla Velvet Stitched Ribbon, and the Triple Treat Flower stamp (from the big catalog that coordinates so beautifully with the Spice Cake paper).

There are TWO ways to win.

1. Leave a comment on this post on my blog (go to http://www.juliedavison if you are reading this via email or Facebook). Tell me what product from the Holiday Mini Catalog is at the top of your wish list. (Haven't seen it yet? Click here!)
2. Visit my Facebook Fan Page and leave a comment on this post on Facebook. Click here to visit now. (Note: You must be a "fan" to leave a comment. Just click "Like" at the top of the page to become a Fan.) On Facebook, tell me what your favorite holiday is -- it doesn't have to be a fall holiday.

On Wednesday, September 7th at Noon, I will select one random winner from the comments left on Facebook and one random winner from the comments left on my blog. Each person will receive the Autumn Spice Sampler for free!

Thanks for playing along -- and thanks for being a "fan"! I truly appreciate the time you take to visit me each day!

Don't forget about my Labor Day Weekend special -- I'm giving away a Christmas Sampler away to everyone who places an order of $50 or more before Tuesday!

For my record more than anything else, here are the latest blog stats, as of today, 9-1-11:
Days Blogging: 1,162 (3+ years!)
# of Posts: 1,058
# of Hits: 714,368
Stamping Top 500 Rank: 72

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Special Offer: Free Holiday Mini Sampler with $50 Order

Are you loving the new Holiday Mini Catalog? I know many of you have already created big wish lists! I've put together a special Holiday Mini Catalog Sampler just for you! You'll get a little bit of several mini catalog products to help you start your holiday crafting -- and it's FREE! Get a free Holiday Mini Catalog Sampler gift from me when you order $50 or more in my Online Store (or by email). You'll get a 6x6 piece of each paper from the Frostwood Lodge Designer Series Paper, 1 yard of Cherry Cobbler Quilted Satin Ribbon, 1 yard of Early Espresso Quilted Satin Ribbon, 4 pieces of the Winter Wishes Stitched Felt, and 1 bottle of Dazzling Details Glitter Glue -- a total value of $9.50.

This offer is only available through me, Julie Davison, Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. U.S. customers only -- place a $50 order in my Online Store (before tax and shipping) and I'll send you this Holiday Mini Sampler for FREE! Gifts will be mailed by September 15th. Offer expires Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at midnight MT. Limit one gift per customer.

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

2011 Holiday Mini Catalog Starts Today!

It's here! 43 pages of holiday goodness! The 2011 Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog starts today! View the Holiday Mini Catalog online: Flash Version or PDF or visit my Online Store to start shopping now!

If you are a customer of mine and haven't gotten a copy of the Holiday Mini Catalog in the mail, please send me an email and I will send one out to you right away!

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