Happy Halloween!

I wasn't planning to make a new card today, but Elise had a great nap and the kids were busy making their own Halloween cards for my sister who just arrived to visit from Michigan. I don't have any Halloween stamp sets, so I had to use pieces of the Ghostly Greetings DSP to make this card for Stacey's Jewelry Color Inspiration Challenge.

Our Jack-O-Lantern shaped pizza is in the oven and the kids are anxious to get their costumes on to go trick-or-treating. I hope you are having a festive night, too! Happy Halloween!

Supplies: All Holidays stamp set; Ghostly Greetings DSP; Kiwi Kiss cardstock; Basic Black ink & cardstock; Scallop Edge Punch; 3/4", 1", 1-3/8"& 1-3/4" Circle Punches; Pumpkin Pie grosgrain ribbon; 1/8" Hole Punch

Color Challenge, Take 2

My first attempt at KWerner's weekly color inspiration challenge turned out exactly how I wanted it to...but not exactly in the right colors. I used Close to Cocoa instead of Pumpkin Pie and Very Vanilla instead of Whisper White. I felt it was enough of a departure that I should do another card. So, here's my "take 2":

Supplies: Ginormous Flowers, Ruby Red ink & cardstock, Pumpkin Pie ink & cardstock, Sage Shadow ink & cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Windsor Knot DSP, 5 Petal Flower Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch (cut tips of middle flower to round them), 1/4" Circle Punch, Love & Happiness Rub-Ons, White grosgrain ribbon

"For You" Top Note Card

I just love my Big Shot! I love it so much that I'm giving one away! There are just two more days to qualify for my Big Shot drawing. If you missed the details in my newsletter, here's the short of it: Place a $100 order through me (U.S. customers only) by October 31 and I'll enter your name in my drawing for a Big Shot die-cutting machine ($99.95 value). (One winner will be drawn on Saturday, November 1.) You may combine your order with a friend or two, but only one name will be entered in the drawing. All orders over $150 qualify for Hostess/Stampin' Rewards. Ordering is easy! Go to my website (http://juliedavison.stampinup.net/) and click on "Shop Now" in the upper right corner. Everything will be shipped directly to you!

Back to stamping!! Here is my latest Big Shot project:

I used the Top Note die with my Big Shot to make this unique shaped card. I cut my cardstock the long way (4-1/4" x 11") and folded it in half to make a regular card. Then I positioned the card on the Top Note die so that the fold was just a little to the right of the end of the die so that the fold wouldn't get cut. (See photo below; I used a white box to highlight the area, but it's hard to see the perimeter of the die.)

Click here for more project ideas using the Big Shot.

Supplies: Season of Friendship, All Holidays, Top Note die for the Big Shot, Ruby Red ink & cardstock, Sage Shadow ink & cardstock, Close to Cocoa ink & cardstock, Very Vanilla cardstock, Autumn Vine DSP, Large Oval Punch, Earth Elements brads, Crafter's Tool Kit, Twill Tape

Say It With Scallops Thank You Note

I'm working on thank you notes again today. And after getting two more packages in the mail for Elise today, I realized I need to pick up my pace a little! Here's a quick one I made up with the Say It With Scallops stamp set.

It's hard to see in the picture, but I cut out the square with the greeting in the middle and popped it up with Stampin' Dimensionals on the Scallop Square frame.

Say It With Scallops is the Ronald McDonald charity stamp set this year. When you purchase this stamp set, Stampin' Up! will donate $2 to the Ronald McDonald House Charity. Read more about how Stampin' Up! is Making a Difference. Say It With Scallops coordinates with the new Scallop Square Punch. Order them now by clicking "Shop Now" on my website: http://juliedavison.stampinup.net/

Supplies: Say It With Scallops, Regal Rose ink, Whisper White cardstock, Kraft cardstock, Sweet Always DSP, White grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Square Punch

[The finished card measures 3" x 5-1/2".]

Starring You Trio

Thomas and Claire attended a birthday party yesterday. It was actually a double birthday party for Thomas' preschool friend and his younger brother. I made three cards to go on the gifts we gave to the boys.

I used Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge for the first card. When I first saw the sketch, I thought of the large circle stamp from the Starring You stamp set. I took the color scheme from the Rock Star Card Elements Kit which coordinates with the Starring You stamp set.

I was happy to discover that The 1-3/4" Circle Punch fits perfectly in the large Metal Edge tag! I used scraps from the first card to make this 3x3 card.

Jim was getting on my case as I finished this one -- "What's taking so long? I've seen you whip up a card in a few minutes!" True, True -- but it felt good to just sit and create. I was running out of time though because they needed to leave for the party. So while he was situating car seats in his car, I whipped up the third card...in just a few minutes. (See, he was right! I can do it when I need to.)

In hindsight, I would have added one more small blue star off center of the mustard star. I think. Maybe I'll recreate the card and see how it looks. I was thinking this card would like great in other colors too -- or with flowers instead of stars.

Supplies (all cards): Starring You stamp set, Brilliant Blue ink & cardstock, Old Olive ink & cardstock, More Mustard cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Kraft cardstock, Metal Edge Tags, Large & Small Star Punches, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Crafters' Tool Kit

Onesie Card

Several weeks ago, before Elise was born, I got a special care package from my Stamp Club members in Springfield. It was such a wonderful surprise! The package included some things to pamper myself while I waited for the baby -- some magazines, lots of chocolate, and warm fuzzy slipper socks. There was also a super cute sleeper for the baby and a gift card to go shopping for more! I felt so spoiled!!

I wanted to make special thank you cards for each of my stamp club members, so I made these onesie cards. (I made them before Elise was born, so I didn't know at the time whether to make pink or blue.)

I was inspired by two of my downline: Tara and Cindy. The original artist posted a tutorial on how to make this adorable card.

It was super easy to create the white "collar" and leg holes. I first punched the 1-3/8" Circle Punch on Whisper White cardstock and then punched the 1-3/4" Circle Punch around it. I glued it around the punched card and cut off the excess.

Supplies: Polka Dot background, Classic Backgrounds, Sage Shadow ink & cardstock, Whisper White ink & cardstock, white eyelets, Crop-a-Dile, Paper Cutter with Scoring Blade, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Large Star Punch

[The finished card measures 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" and fits in a regular, Medium sized envelope.]

Holiday Peace Card

I have a whole slew of Christmas cards that I'm waiting to post. It just seems too early to be posting Christmas stuff. But, on the other hand, now is the time to start thinking about your holiday projects so you can order the supplies and get started next month. It's a little scary to think that Christmas is just two short months away!

Place an order of $100 with me by the end of October to get your name in the drawing for a Big Shot! (Combined orders are welcome -- but only one name goes in the drawing!) Ask me for details.

Supplies: To You & Yours stamp set, Ski Slope DSP (Holiday Mini), Kraft cardstock, Baja Breeze ink & cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Versamark ink pad, Vellum Cardstock, White Taffeta ribbon, Pretties Kit (Rhinestone Brad), 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, Heat Tool

Celebrate You Card

I was trying to catch up on cards this afternoon. I wrote and sent 12 cards and stamped 3 more. Sounds good, right? Unfortunately, I'm not even half way done! Hopefully I can finish catching up this weekend.

Inspiration for one of my new cards today came from Kristina Werner's Color Challenge. It was a pretty open challenge, so I selected Riding Hood Red and Pink Pirouette for my colors this week. The stamp set, Party Hearty, is one of the 20% off stamp sets this month.

Supplies: Party Hearty stamp set, Bella Rose DSP, Riding Hood Red ink & cardstock, Pink Pirouette ink & cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, 2-Way Glue, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Stampin' Dimensionals

[The finished card measures 3-1/2" x 5".]

Season of Friendship 3x3 Card

I had a little extra time on Sunday, so I made a little card for Stacey's latest Jewelry Color Inspiration Challenge. I have an idea for another card, so we'll see how the week goes. Maybe I'll do another one!

Supplies: Season of Friendship stamp set (Holiday Mini catalog), Regal Rose ink & cardstock, Rose Red ink, Garden Green cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Basic Black ink, Vintage Brads, Scallop Edge Punch

[The finished card measures 3" x 3".]

Enjoy Life Card

More nap-time stamping yesterday. I was truly "enjoying life" -- ALL three kids were sleeping and I was stamping! Here's my card, inspired by Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge.

Supplies: Enjoy Every Moment stamp set, Tempting Turquoise ink & cardstock, Apricot Appeal ink & cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Rainbow Sherbet DSP, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Build-a-Brad, Apricot grosgrain ribbon

Halloween Gift Tag

My downline Stacey gave us this beautifully wrapped gift for Elise. I just had to take a picture of the tag before the kids "helped" me rip it open.

Appropriately, inside the box was a cute little Halloween outfit for Elise. My favorite part is the little pumpkin butt!

Thanks again, Stacey, for this adorable gift!

Scrapbooking with the Kids

It shouldn't come as a surprise that my kids (ages 3 and 5) also love to stamp! They have their own stamps and some kid ink pads.

I wanted to have some special time with the kids this week, so while Elise was napping on Tuesday, we got out "Mommy's stamps" and ink pads to make special scrapbook pages. (I wanted Thomas to have a page to bring to school and share with his class.) It was fun to watch them create. I let them choose the stamp set and the ink colors. (They picked the first color and I helped them choose a coordinating color.)

I think we're going to have to start a special album for each of them and do this a lot more often!

Supplies: Nursery Necessities stamp set, Taffy Alphabet stamp set, Lavendar Lace ink & cardstock, Pretty in Pink ink & cardstock, More Mustard ink & cardstock, Not Quite Navy ink & cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Basic Black ink, glue stick

Note: I printed "Me and My Baby" at the top of each page using my computer printer, then I stamped "sister" underneath it using then Taffy Alphabet stamp set.

Thank U Card

"A card a day keeps the Mommy sane!"

I've been thinking about Stacey's Jewelry Color Inspiration Challenge for a couple days now and my final card is a little different than what I thought it would be, but I still like the simplicity of it. The colors were perfect for the two pumpkin thank you cards I needed to make. I even broke out my Big Shot and the Serif Essentials alphabet that I splurged on. Ah...It feels good to stamp!

Supplies: Big Shot and Serif Essentials dies, Holiday Blitz stamp set, Fundamental Phrases stamp set, Basic Black cardstock, Tangerine Tango ink & cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, More Mustard cardstock, Tangerine Tango ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Just 1 card...

My mom said I should nap this afternoon. I told her I *needed* to stamp. "It's been a week! Just one card and then I'll lay down..." I really have missed my evenings stamping! You know, when the house is quiet and peaceful. Instead, I've spent the last couple nights on the couch with Miss Elise. Hopefully she'll unconfuse her nights and days soon so I can stamp some more. Until then, I'll settle for this one card. And hopefully I won't regret not napping when I'm up at the wee hours tonight. I did Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration Challenge, which inspired a birthday card for my niece Madeline, who turns one next month.

The Party Hearty stamp set used on this card is on sale!! Get it for 20% off in October with a qualifying purchase. Click here for details.

Supplies: Party Hearty stamp set, Rose Red ink & cardstock, Bashful Blue ink & cardstock, Wild Wasabi cardstock & ribbon, So Saffron cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Versamark ink pad, Clear Embossing Powder, Scallop Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Round Tab Punch, Rose Red Prints DSP, Simon Lower Chipboard number

Halloween Pillow Box

I just love the Big Shot! It's so easy to make up favors like this cute little pillow box. I used the Pillow Box die and then dressed it up for Halloween with the Ghostly Greetings DSP. I love that you can use the same die over and over with different colors to make treats for lots of different occasions -- Thanksgiving table treats, stocking stuffers, valentines for your child's class, favors for a baby or wedding shower. The possibilities are endless!

Tip: Stamp the greeting on the pillow box BEFORE you assemble it!

The pillow box is small -- but perfect for little treats. This one holds 3 Hershey Nuggets perfectly!

Supplies: Sizzix Big Shot & Pillow Box Die, Holiday Blitz stamp set, All Holidays stamp set, Pumpkin Pie ink & cardstock, Basic Black ink, Old Olive marker, Ghostly Greetings DSP, Black grosgrain ribbon, Sticky Strip, 3/4" Circle Punch

I'm giving away a Big Shot this month as part of a special promotion I'm running during my maternity leave! Join my mailing list to get all the details of this exclusive offer!

It's a Girl!

I am thrilled to announce the birth of my new daughter, Elise Marie! She was born Friday night, October 10th at 10:24 pm. She was 8 lbs 9 oz and 21 inches long. I did give in and let the doctor induce labor, but everything went smoothly. We are both doing well and getting settled here at home.

Pulled Pastels Card

Here's another classic card with my old favorite "Lovely As a Tree". I actually ordered this stamp set as part of my Demonstrator Starter Kit over 6 years ago! I CASEd this card from one that my upline Kim Peck made several years ago. I just love the simplicity of it. It's easy and the trees just "pop"!

The technique used on this card is called Pulled Pastels. Started with the dark cardstock (I used Not Quite Navy) and use sponge daubers to apply Stampin' Pastels all over (I used Really Rust, More Mustard, and Old Olive). Ink your image stamp in Versamark ink and stamp it over the pastels. The ink will "pull" the pastels off the cardstock, leaving the image behind.

This is also gorgeous with Night of Navy cardstock covered with white chalk (pastels). It looks like trees in a flurry of snow!

Supplies: Lovely as a Tree, It's Your Birthday (greeting), Not Quite Navy ink & cardstock, Kraft cardstock, Versamark ink pad, Stampin' Pastels, Sponge Dauber

Happy Harvest Card

Here is a Stamp Club project from last November...or was it the November before that? It's so easy to lose track. Loads of Love has been around for a few years and it's such a versatile set! I paired it with the accessories set to make this fall card, but you could change the colors and put anything in the trunk to make this card for a different occasion.

I used the Hobby Blade to cut a slit at the top of the truck trunk to slide in the smaller piece of cardstock with the pumpkins and greeting.

Supplies: Loads of Love, Loads of Love Accessories, Pumpkin Pie ink& cardstock, Ballet Blue cardstock, Chocolate Chip cardstock, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, Hobby Blade

Snappy Birthday Card

Another blast from the past...here's a card we made in a Masculine Cards class two years ago when Crab & Company first debuted. (Now you can get it 20% off with a $20 purchase through the end of October! Order Online on my website: juliedavison.stampinup.net and click "Shop Now".)

Sorry the photo isn't better. I don't have the card anymore and pulled the photo from "archives". The watercolored crab looks a bit washed out. I used the Aquapainter to pick up color from the markers that I scribbled on the top of the plastic stamp case.

Supplies: Crab & Company, Real Red ink/marker & cardstock, Basic Black ink & cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Creamy Caramel marker, Bashful Blue marker, Aquapainter, Black grosgrain ribbon

"Welcome, Little One" Card

I am still very pregnant as I write up this post on Thursday night. I'm going to the doctor in the morning (actually, as this is being posted) and I don't think she will let me go any longer, so I anticipate being in the hospital sometime on Friday to be induced. I guess we forgot to tell the baby it was time to come. I tried a little Morse code on my belly, but I don't think the baby is getting the hint. I should have started teaching it Morse code a little earlier in the pregnancy. (It's the latest craze for pregnant women, didn't you know?! The first form of baby sign language! Just kidding...well, I think.)

One thing is clear, this baby is quite content where it's at! We are anxious to meet him or her and I know many of you are anxious to hear the news. I am scheduling several blog posts to last through the weekend. Stay tuned for baby news on Sunday or Monday when I assume I'll be back from the hospital.

In honor of baby, here's a cute card I made up last year. I CASEd it from a photo I took of my upline's swaps from Leadership last January. I feel horrible that I can't give credit to the original artist, but I didn't write down the name from the back of the swap card. I copied the card almost exactly, but changed the colors.

Supplies: Nursery Necessities, Kraft cardstock, Pretty in Pink ink & cardstock, Bashful Blue ink & cardstock, So Saffron ink, Certainly Celery ink & cardstock, Basic Black ink, Whisper White cardstock, Large Star Punch, So Saffron Prints DSP, White grosgrain ribbon

I CASEd the card again for a card class I did last year. I wanted to use a stamp set that was more versatile to other occasions, so I picked the Classic Backgrounds stamp set accompanied by the Fundamental Phrases stamp set.

Supplies: Classic Backgrounds, Fundamental Phrases, Sahara Sand cardstock, Taken with Teal ink & cardstock, More Mustard ink & cardstock, Old Olive ink & cardstock, Elegant Eggplant ink & cardstock, Whisper White Craft Ink, Rose Red Prints DSP, Gold Brads, My Way (Arrow) Punch

Masculine "Best Wishes" Card

Here's a quick card using some of the new Manchester DSP and the Curly Label Punch Bundle. I picked the colors from the paper: Baja Breeze, Always Artichoke, and Sahara Sand. I never would have put those colors together on my own, but they look great!

Supplies: Curly Label Punch Bundle (includes punch and Cute & Curly stamp set), Manchester DSP, Sahara Sand cardstock, Always Artichoke ink & cardstock, Baja Breeze cardstock, Crafters' Tool Kit (paper piercing)

Hidden Garden Card

I used the Hidden Garden Rub-ons for this card, inspired by Stacey's Jewelry Color Inspiration Challenge. Her colors this week are Old Olive, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, and Whisper White. The inspiration necklace is by TortillaGirl. Sorry about the picture; it's a little washed out.

Supplies: Heard from the Heart stamp set, Hidden Garden Rub-Ons, Old Olive cardstock, Kiwi Kiss cardstock & ribbon, Baja Breeze ink & cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Anniversary Card

Today is my 8th wedding anniversary! When Jim and I first got married, my mother (hi Mom!) started getting antsy about grandchildren. I told her our "5 year plan" was to buy a house, get a dog, and have a baby. In that order. And she wasn't allowed to bug us about a baby until after we had a house and a dog. Well, it's been a little more than 5 years, but we're on our 3rd house and our 3rd baby...and still no dog! We did just get our 3rd fish if that counts for anything.

Mom is driving down today to stay and help us out when the baby comes. She's coming early today so that Jim and I can go out to dinner for our anniversary. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll be doing that at a restaurant and not at the hospital. Although a baby would make a great anniversary gift, I'm hoping he/she holds out until Wednesday to have a day of his/her very own.

In the meantime, here is the card I made for Jim. I used Boatloads of Love again and cut off the very bottom edge to reveal the paper adhered to the inside.

Here's the inside before I signed it with mushy words. (wink!)

Supplies: Boatloads of Love, Happy Everything ("happy"), Fundamental Phrases ("anniversary"), Best Yet hostess set, Night of Navy ink pad/marker, Bordering Blue ink pad/marker & cardstock, Really Rust marker, Basic Black ink pad, Very Vanilla cardstock, Kraft cardstock, Cutter Kit (distressing tool), Blender Pens, Prestwick DSP, Stampin' Dimensionals

Easy Slider Card

These aren't new cards, but I just had to post them because this is my absolute favorite card with Crab & Company, which is on sale this month for 20% off! The first time I saw Crab & Company, I knew I wanted to make the crab move!

Supplies: Crab & Company stamp set, Sandy Shells wheel, Basic Black marker& ink pad, Creamy Caramel ink cartridge/marker & cardstock, Real Red cardstock, Bordering Blue cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, White Gel Pen, Word Window Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

The design of the card is very simple and easy to duplicate. It also works great for car, trucks, and animals. I made a similar card with Boatloads of Love:

Supplies: Boatloads of Love stamp set, Basic Black ink pad or Staz-on Ink, Soft Sky Classic ink pad & cardstock, Blue Bayou Classic ink pad & cardstock, Whisper White Craft Ink Pad & cardstock, Blue Bayou Double-Stitched Ribbon, Pewter Jumbo Eyelets, Crop-a-Dile, Word Window Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Directions:

1. Start with a 6" x 6" piece of Whisper White cardstock and fold in half for the card base.
2. Use the Word Window Punch to punch a long window on a piece of 2-3/4" x 5-3/4" piece of Soft Sky cardstock. You will punch once and keep moving the punch over and punching until you have a long window that runs the length of the card with 3/4" between the window and each edge. Using the 1/2" Circle Punch, punch a half circle notch on the right side of the card front next to the Word Window.
3. Take a 5-3/4" x 1-1/2" piece of Blue Bayou cardstock and punch the top edge with the 1/2" circle punch. Punch once and move it down, just touching the edge of the previous punch to create the look of waves/water. Slightly vary the depth that you punch into the cardstock.
4. Attach the Blue Bayou cardstock to the bottom of the Soft Sky cardstock on the side closest to the Word Window.
5. Stamp the boat from Boatloads of Love on Whisper White cardstock and watercolor using the ink inside the lid of the Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, and River Rock Classic ink pads and an Aquapainter. Cut out boat.
6. Cut a thin strip of Soft Sky cardstock slightly wider than the Word Window and just longer than the right edge of the card front to the left edge of the Word Window.
7. Place the strip of cardstock behind the card front and attach the boat to the strip with 2 Stampin' Dimensionals.
8. Punch a 3/4" Circle from Soft Sky cardstock and attach a piece of Blue Bayou Double-Stitched Ribbon. Attach the circle to the other end of the slider strip in the notch of the card front.
9. Adhere the card front to the Whisper White cardstock with SNAIL adhesive along all edges except over the slider strip. Be sure to use adhesive along the right edge of the card front so that the slider is tight against the card base. (The only thing the slider strip is attached to is the boat and the pull tab (circle).
10. Stamp sentiments in the open window and on the slider strip.

Flower Power Thank You Card

Were you counting the cards from my last post? I was one short! Here is the 11th card from my Flower Power stamping session yesterday. It's very similar to one of the cards I posted yesterday. I wasn't completely happy with my first version, so I did another. I used Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge as inspiration for the layout.

Supplies: Flower Power Simply Sent Card Elements Kit, Wow Flowers stamp set, Rose Red ink pad

Flower Power Cards

I did manage to get an hour or two of stamping in this afternoon and ended up making 11 cards and a tag! I used the Flower Power Card Elements Kit (20% off this week, see promotion details). This was the first time I had used the kit. Although you may remember, my hubby used it for my birthday card back in July.

The kit advertises that you can make 9 cards, but if you cut all the cardstock in half and make one of the layouts a little different than shown in the instructions, you can get 12 cards out of the package. I actually had some extra paper and pieces (thus the tag). The kit is great because it does include instructions to make 3 different layouts, but it's also flexible enough that you can create you own designs and make 12 different cards (like I did).

I used only the supplies that came in the kit plus the coordinating Wow Flowers stamp set, Rose Red ink pad, Old Olive ink pad, and Perfect Plum ink pad. (I did break out some scrap white cardstock for the tag.)