OK so I am running VERY late but slowly catching up!!!

This past couple of weeks has been a whirlwind of activity – the neighborhood next to ours was evacuated due to wildfires and we thought we might have to go too…thankfully not…but unfortunately lots of the surrounding area has been affected…

I also had a whole lot of work to do before I came to Founders Circle including making 130 swaps which takes a long time…and they have to be good ones too as Shelli swaps with us…how cool is that?

So today & tomorrow I have free time to catch you all up with what’s going on here at Fabulous Founders Circle…

Day One – arrival day – Part 1…

The night before I was busy packing…and look who wanted to come with me…

Isn’t he cute?  But I hear he’s being a bit naughty at home…chuckle…!!!

So this is the hotel we are staying in – check out those red cliffs behind – my room looks over them and it is just gorgeous…

Now you won’t believe how all out Stampin’ Up! goes for this event…check out the hotel front doors…they even decorate the glass with beautiful themed decor elements…

It is just amazing…and every year there is a theme…this year’s theme is a Tea Party and just check out the beautiful decor elements on the glass below…

Isnt that attention to detail just amazing?!

Sooo I checked in and after lunch made my way to my room – we all get the fabulous treat of a room each – and look what we all have on our doors…

A beautiful personalized name plate…isn’t is gorgeous?  I love those ribbons and how they tied them all together…

And the last thing that delighted me on arrival – and if you are from Texas you will understand this…it was RAINING!!!

And I just had to go outside and stand in it for a little bit…it’s been sooo long since I’ve seen any of the wet stuff!!!

So that’s all from the arrival bit of Day One – check back in a little while for Part 2 of day one…

Today features a cute sparkly card that uses some brand new products featured in the Holiday Mini Catalog…

And these products are all amongst my favorites in that Mini…see that sparkly Silver Glimmer Paper, the cute little silver Jingle Bell and the fabulous Stocking Builder Punch?  They are all in there!

And this card is a great one to make if you are on a budget this Holiday season…read on for details plus info about this week’s Festive Blog Candy…

If you are on a budget, right now this is just the type of Holiday card that you can make a bunch of for a low cost – why?

• you can get 8 of these card bases out of one sheet of 12×12 cardstock!
• there is no Designer Series Paper – the focus of the card is that beautiful stocking
• once you purchase the Stocking Builder Punch you have it for ever
• with careful punch placement you get LOTS of stocking trimmings out of one sheet of Silver Glimmer Paper
• you get 48 Jingle Bells for just $2.95!
• the Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine costs just $2.95 for 25 yards!
• you can use any sentiment stamp that you already have in your stamping stash

How’s that for a budget priced holiday card idea?!

I love how this card turned out – my card base is simply a piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock sized 3″ x 6″…

To get 8 card bases out of one sheet of 12×12 cardstock simply slice that cardstock in half at 6″ – then place one of those pieces into your paper trimmer with the longest edge along the top, and cut at every 3″ – repeat for the other pieces and there you have 8 card bases!

I then added a mat of Old Olive & another of Whisper White and  I stamped my sentiment using a stamp from the set Holiday Happiness that you can find on pg 34 of the main Catalog…

That cute stocking? Punched out of Cherry Cobbler cardstock using that new fabulous Stocking Builder Punch that you can find on pg 34 of the Holiday Mini – and that gorgeous sparkly trim?  Punched out of the GORGEOUS new Silver Glimmer Paper that you can find on pg 41 of that mini…I added the stocking trim using a Dimensional to make it pop off the card…

That new Silver Glimmer Paper is just stunning – that paper glitters so beautifully and the best bit is that no glitter falls off of it when you cut it – it’s gorgeous and you only need a little piece of it to turn your card into a WOW card.

For finishing touches I added a cute Jingle Bell that you can find on pg 30 of that Mini – and let me tell you they are BARGAIN priced – you get a pot of 48 of them for just $2.95!!!  I threaded it onto a piece of Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine and tied a bow…

You can get envelopes to fit this size of card – Mini Envelopes – that you can find on pg 182 of the main Catalog.  And you could also use this sized card for a gift tag for your holiday gifts – how cute would that be?

This is a Card Kit that I am including for FREE with my Holiday Mini Catalogs!

If you DO NOT currently have a Demonstrator and would like a copy of this Catalog including this FREE card kit and some FREE samples of papers & ribbons, please email me by clicking HERE and I will get a package out in the mail to you.

If you DO have a Demonstrator, please contact them for your copy of this fabulous Mini Catalog.

Not got a paper copy and want to see it right now?  You can click on the picture of it below to view it online…

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR NEW HOLIDAY MINI GOODIES ONLINE!

QUICK NOTE FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR MY 32 CARDS USING A SIMPLY SCRAPPIN’ KIT…

I have had camera woes this week – my camera is not working properly and thus I have been unable to take the photos I need (fortunately I made & photographed the card featured today last week)…

I am in search of a replacement this weekend and hope to have everything up and sorted by Monday – apologies for the delay and thank you for your patience!

Yes, the day has arrived – from TODAY you can order from the fabulous Holiday Mini Catalog – and there are some amazing brand new items in it…

Not got a paper copy and want to see it right now?  You can click on the picture of it below to view it online…

So, what’s in it? LOTS of amazing products including:

• The brand new and fabulous Simply Scored Scoring Tool – YAY!!!
• Holiday themed Stamp Sets & a limited edition new Hostess Set
• Quilted Satin & luxurious Velvet Ribbons
• the new Snow Burst Embossing Folder
• an adorable Stocking Punch & co-ordinating Stamp Set
• a Die & Stamp Set for making an Advent Calendar
• adorable Jingle Bells & Stitched Felt embellishments
• a fun Stocking Holiday Bigz Die
• Mica Flakes & Shaker Frames
• Glitter Glue in a squeezable format
• Stunning Silver Glimmer Paper
• new Designer Series Paper packs themed for Thanksgiving & Winter
• Designer Fabric & Buttons
• A Card Keeper – that you get to decorate – it makes a great gift
• Gift Boxes, an Album, a Simply Scrappin’ Kit, Pewter Embossing Powder…and much  more!!!

And guess what my favorite new product is? Yep, that FABULOUS new SIMPLY SCORED SCORING TOOL – wow it’s amazing!

It comes complete with a Metal Stylus and 3 Place Markers and all for the amazing price of JUST $29.95 – this is a FAB deal – CLICK HERE to view it in the online store!

Here is it – can you see what sets it apart from similar ones on the market?

Here are a few amazing features that sets it apart:

• It has GROOVES EVERY 1/8″ – meaning you don’t have to keep taking your cardstock out of your score tool and measure with your ruler where you need to score
• It has an OPEN SIDE ON THE RIGHT making it easy to fit in papers that are larger than 12″ – this also allows you to easily remove your cardstock
• It has MOVEABLE PLACE MARKERS!  And I love them!  You simply pop the markers into the holes to mark where you are needing to score – this is fabulous for when you are making more than one item
• It has a METAL STYLUS which is double-ended so you are guaranteed to get nice crisp score lines – and unlike other brands, you never need to replace it because it is metal and will not wear down!
• It is sloped gently TOWARDS YOU when you work – this is a great feature that I didnt know about until I started using it

HOW DO YOU PURCHASE YOUR FABULOUS SIMPLY SCORED SCORING TOOL?  BY CLICKING HERE!

Here is that stylus – it has a non-slip grip in the center and also has a storage spot at the bottom of the score board:

And another thing I love is that you can purchase extra Place Markers – they come in a pack of 6 for just $2.50 and this is what they look like:

The Scoring Tool has a storage flap at the top where you can store these extra markers…

WANT TO VIEW ALL THE ITEMS IN THE BRAND NEW HOLIDAY MINI CATALOG?  Click HERE to see them in the online store – when you are there click on ‘show all’ and you will have them all on one page for easy viewing!

Want a FREE printed copy of the new Holiday Mini Catalog? Simply CLICK HERE to email me your US mailing address and I will get one out to you FAST – PLUS I’ll include some samples too!

Please note that if you already have a Demonstrator through whom you place orders, please contact them for your copy!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR STAMPIN’ UP! SUPPLIES ONLINE!

I hope you enjoyed this weekend’s Holiday Mini Catalog Blog Hop and that you came away with lots of things on your wish-list…

Just a few days to go…you can purchase items from that beautiful Holiday Mini Catalog starting on Thursday September 1st – and there are some gorgeous things in it!

For my projects I used the brand new Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin’ Kit that you can find on pg 26 of that Mini Catalog – it features beautiful holiday themed patterned Designer Series Papers, sheets of Textured 12×12 Cardstocks in 4 co-ordinating colors and lots of beautiful die cut stickers and borders – ample for any project that you can think of…

My original blog hop post is below this one so that you can refer to it and the main photos of my project and in it I promised to post more details, photos, tutorials and my blog candy winner today so please read on to find out more…and remember that you can click on any photo to get a larger view…

Well lots of you loved my Lip Balm Card…

It is so much fun to make and what a great card with a little gift inside…here is a side view of it so that you can see that GORGEOUS brand new Quilted Espresso Ribbon – it is so lovely to work with and adds a touch of real elegance…

Almost everything decorating the front is a self-adhesive Die Cut Sticker from Christmas Lane – the stocking, the ric rac, the polka dotted border & the holly decal – ALL part of this kit.

I added a bit of White Bakers Twine to ‘hang’ my stocking and also added one of my new favorite embellies – the adorable little Jingle Bells that you can find on pg 30 of the Holiday Mini – and they are a bit of a bargain at just $2.95 for a pot of 48 – what a great deal!

So when you un-do that bow on the side this is what you get inside…

It is decorated with some fun Designer Series Paper from Christmas Lane and check out that cute Santa lip balm – I found him at Avon – they have lip balms available for all the seasons and you can theme your projects around them.

WANT MY FREE TUTORIAL SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN LIP BALM CARD ? Click HERE to find it in my Project Tutorials section where you will find a printable version too!

And remember I promised to show you a trick about how to use your stickers as embellishments?

I often want to add dimension to stickers to jazz them up a bit and there is a really neat easy trick to do this to avoid other bits of your sticker sticking to the page or card…so grab your self-adhesive sticker and attach your dimensionals to the back of it…be sure to leave the backing paper on those dimensionals as you don’t want to expose the adhesive yet…

Grab some talcum powder and sprinkle it on the back of your stick…move it around, blow it away and TA DAH!  One none sticky sticker!  Peel off those bits of backing paper and adhere to your project!

And if you dont want to add dimension but do want to use a sticker, for example, to hang from something and lose the stickiness, simply sprinkle on the talc – sticky is gone – cool, eh?

But judging by your comments, even more of you liked the next one – THE most popular item in my post…my Holiday Gift Album with a Twirl!

It is a beautiful Album that would make a fabulous Holiday gift for family members – especially for Grandma & Grandpa…it is made using 3 CD Folders along with solid & textured cardstocks, Designer Series Papers & Die Cut Stickers featured in the Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin’ Kit.

Here is the front cover with that gorgeous Cherry Cobbler Quilted Satin Ribbon tied in a bow at the side…that gorgeous Ribbon also comes in Early Espresso and you can find it on pg 30 of the Holiday Mini Catalog…

The front cover was made using Designer Series Paper from Christmas Lane and check out that beautiful piece of White textured cardstock – made using a BRAND NEW EMBOSSING FOLDER called Snow Burst that you can find on pg 33 – isn’t it stunning?  And aren’t those stockings just adorable?  Again, die cut stickers – CUTE!!!

Undo that bow and revealed are lots & lots of pages and also lots of slide up or slide out pages from pockets – 20 IN ALL – this gives you LOTS of room to add photographs, journaling or even a gift card…now you saw the photo of it half open…

Now here is the photo of it fully open and secured…imagine it filled with photos…what a great Holiday Display…I decided to call it my Carousel Album!  Those ribbon tabs all slide-up to reveal more pages to decorate…

Here is examples of the pages found inside…

The one with the ribbon tab simply pulls up and out – and the brown one with the holly leaves is one that slides out from a side pocket…

Here is another set of pages complete with a pull-out one – and see that little tab with the holly leaves on it?  The perfect size to house a gift card…

And another set…aren’t they adorable?

WANT MY FREE TUTORIAL SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN CD FILE FOLDER CAROUSEL ALBUM ? Click HERE to find it in my Project Tutorials section where you will find a printable version too!

TO MAKE IT EASY FOR YOU TO MAKE YOUR OWN CAROUSEL ALBUM:

I have put together a Carousel Album Kit!

My Kit contains everything that you will need to make an album the same as mine – included in each kit are the following:

• 3 CD Folders
• Pre-cut Cardstock Pages
• Pre-cut & Scored Center Panel
  
• 4 sheets of 12×12 Textured Solid Cardstocks
• 3 sheets of 12×12 Christmas Lane Designer Series Papers
• 3 sheets of 6×12 self-adhesive Die Cut Stickers & Borders
• Pre-cut cardstock Mats
• Pre-cut cardstock Pull-out & Slide-out Inserts
  
• Quilted Early Espresso & Cherry Cobbler Ribbons
• Linen Thread
• Whisper White Cardstock pieces textured with the new Snowburst Embossing Folder
• Sparkly Rhinestones
• Pre-punched border strips

Additionally you will receive my very detailed step-by-step instructions showing you how to complete your album:

• These are different from the free tutorial below – you will be shown how to replicate my album exactly!
  
• They are easy to follow & a step-by-step guide to assembling your album to be just like mine
• They are complete with photographs of every page & insert making it easy for your re-create what I did
  
• These instructions will be emailed to you
  

Please note that you will need to supply your own Stamps, Adhesive Tape, Sticky Strip & Dimensionals.

And of course if you choose to decorate yours differently you can – you will have lots of supplies in this Kit to be creative with!

HOW DO YOU ORDER YOUR KIT?

Click on the ‘Buy Now’ button below…the price INCLUDES shipping to you – please note that I can mail this kit to residents of the US only.

Would you like to purchase the step-by-step instructions/3 CD Folders only, with or without the 3 CD Folders?  You have those options below too!

Perfect for demonstrators who are planning a class or for those who already have supplies…click on the ‘instructions only’ option below to purchase your copy and they will be emailed to you within 24 hours – the ‘instructions only’ option is  also available to my international visitors too!

What would you like?

Kit to make 1 Album $25.00 Kit to make 2 Albums $45.00 Instructions Only $7.00 Instructions & 3 CD Folders $10.00

 

 

Sooo onto my final project which was making 32 cards using half of a Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin Kit…

Because I want to show you quite a few photos of those cards I have decided to carry it over to tomorrow to avoid confusion & a very lengthy post with lots & lots of photos…I hope you don’t mind coming back to visit me to see them…

QUICK UPDATE – the photos are coming!  I have camera issues and until that is fixed or I have to purchase a new one, I am not able to upload my photos of the cards…stay tuned!!!

And finally onto the winner of my Blog Candy who wins their choice of my own retiring stamp sets! Drawn using random.org the winning comment is no. 6 by:

Kathy T – August 28, 2011 at 5:16 am – who said:

“Well, the album is very special, but I love the little lip balm card”

A BIG congrats Kathy– drop me an email with your mailing address and your goodies will be on their way to you!

Thank you SO much for returning to visit me…you can subscribe to me so that you will be notified by email every time I post new ideas – you will find my subscription box at the top of my blog in the right side bar…

ORDER YOUR STAMPIN’ UP SUPPLIES ONLINE BY CLICKING HERE!

A very warm welcome to Stop no. 9 on the Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Mini Catalog Blog Hop – you just arrived from Carmen at Stamping Addiction where she showed you some fun out of the box ideas using that brand new Holiday Stocking Bigz Die – isn’t she creative?

Every stop on this hop is showcasing a brand new item that is featured in the upcoming Holiday Mini Catalog and today I am going to show you things that I made using the beautiful Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin’ Kit…

Please read on to see my projects and for details of my delicious Blog Candy…and to get a better look, you can click on each photo for a closer view…

My first item is a Holiday Gift Album with a twirl…

It was going to simply be an album but…well…I got working on it and it got bigger and bigger and bigger…at which point it changed from just an album into a cool gift album that you can easily display.  And to make it, you use just HALF of the Simply Scrappin’ Kit with some leftovers too – a great economical gift!

It has a beautiful Quilted Satin Ribbon on the side (hehehe…another new product!) on the side that you tie in a bow…and when you untie that bow and start to open it out…

You start to see the beautiful inside pages which are decorated with papers and die cuts from the Kit -inside are also lots of little slide up or slide out pages to give you LOTS of room to add photographs, journaling or even a gift card…

Here’s a sneak peak of those inside pages…

And here’s the twist…you can flip through the book like a normal album but you can also display it – you simply pull the front cover around to meet the back cover and secure with those ribbons to hold it in place – imagine it filled with photos – what a cute holiday display!

Want to see more photographs including the front cover, inside pages and what it looks like when folded all the way out?  Come back Monday when I will have LOTS more info & photos!

I think that Grandparents will flip for this mini album…what a perfect gift filled with photographs from the year…

And when you come back on Monday I will have more photos and a FREE printable tutorial for that Mini Holiday Album with a twirl so that you can make one too – it’s fun!

My second item features a Bunch of Holiday Cards…

Well, actually you can only see 3 here…but did you know that you can make 32 HOLIDAY CARDS using just half of this Simply Scrappin’ Kit?  Yes REALLY – I did it and it was FUN!!!

So sorry the photo is small – I couldn’t get it any larger and am limited to only having 4 photos on my post – but I will have close up photos on Monday so you can get a better look – for now please click on the photo above…

See those cute die cuts – the stocking, holly leaf and lights? They are some of the fabulous die cut stickers that you get in this kit – included in this kit are sheets of textured cardstocks, Designer Series Papers and sheets of die cut stickers & borders – including some super cute ric rac and scallop borders – they make it so easy and fun to make holiday projects – I just LOVE this kit!

Come back Monday to see all 32 cards that I made using just half of this gorgeous Kit!

And lastly my third item…a cute little Lip Balm Card…

I made this using leftovers from my Holiday Album with a Twist…I LOVE how many die cut stickers you get with this Kit…there are still lots left to use too…

Can you tell which die cut sticker is my favorite LOL?!  Aren’t those stockings just the cutest?  I often want to add dimension to stickers to jazz them up a bit and there is a really neat easy trick to do this to avoid other bits of your sticker sticking to the page or card…and I will show you how to do that on Monday!

So inside this beautiful little card is a festive Lip Balm – there is also room in there to add a note or even a gift card to a favorite store or restaurant – this card is again fun to make and whoever receives it will love it!

Want to know how to make my Lip Balm card?  Come back on Monday and I will have the FREE printable tutorial here for you!

Well, don’t forget to come back and visit me on Monday for more details, photos and tutorials about my projects…and of course to find out the winner of my Blog Candy…speaking of which…

Leave me a comment to let me know which item is your favorite and you will be entered into a prize draw – the winner will be chosen by random.org on Monday and one lucky winner will win a pot of the new fabulous Jingle Bells and a handmade Holiday card made by yours truely…

Thank you for visiting – now you’re off to visit Kim at Stitchin & Stampin on Paper where she will show you some beautiful things that you can make using Frostwood Lodge DSP…enjoy!

We have 3 friends with birthdays coming up in the next week and so I decided to get down and make some cards for them today…

And you know what color I decided to use again?  Melon Mambo – I have come to love this fabulous pink color as it gives a dramatic splash of color so easily.

My card today is very clean & simple and it would be very easy to make a bunch of them to have on hand…it uses a stamp from a brand new Hostess set called Happiest Birthday Wishes – that set contains 11 birthday sentiment stamps to cover all ages and stages and has become one of my go-to’s in my stampin’ stash…

Check out that birthday stamp…isn’t it cool? And it makes birthday cards like this so easy to make since that stamp on it’s own adds the focal point of your card.

So my card base is simply Crumb Cake – like that big scalloped trim edging?  Super easy to make – all you need is some pretty patterned paper and a 1″ Circle Punch.

The patterned paper I chose to use is a piece from the Brights Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack (pg 186) – the color is of course Melon Mambo and I used my circle punch to punch out 6 circles.

I then simply adhered each in place across my card – how did I keep my line of circles straight?  Simply by placing my ruler at the bottom edge – this makes it very easy to keep your line straight.

I then stamped my Happy Birthday sentiment from the set Happiest Birthday Wishes onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock, cut it to size and attached it to my card base using Dimensionals.

Then I got to thinking that my card needed a little something more…so I decided to add a little strip of patterned paper just at the top of my white center panel…but it still needed something else…

So then I decided to add a line of little holes that I made using my ruler and Paper Piercing tool…

You can click on the photo above for a closer view…

The Paper Piercing tool is such a neat way of adding an extra touch to your cards and once you have one of these tools, it costs you nothing to do so…

In fact you can purchase the Paper Piercing Tool for just $3.50 (pg 207) making it one of the cheapest re-useable ways to add an embellishment around!

Finally I decided to add a flower as a cute finishing touch – to make it I simply punched out my flower shape using the 1 3/4″ Scallop Circle Punch.  I textured a piece of Melon Mambo cardstock using my Big Shot & Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder and used my 1 3/8″ Circle Punch to punch out my flower center.

For a finishing touch I added a button from Brights Designer Buttons and threaded through a piece of Espresso Bakers Twine and finished with a knot – and there is one cute but simple birthday card.

And here are the images in that set Happiest Birthday Wishes – it is available to you in both wood and clear mount versions as a Hostess choice when you place an order of $150+ – click on the picture below to view it in the online store:

And now onto the winner of my Festive Friday Blog Candy – drawn by random.org – and the winning comment is no. 30:

Linda U – who said:

“great idea. my daughter did this last year for her Christmas cards and they were beautiful and very well received by friends!”

A BIG congrats Linda – please email me your mailing information and I will get your goodies on their way to you!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR STAMPIN’ UP! SUPPLIES ONLINE!

Nope, not the Holidays…but for us today is BACK TO SCHOOL DAY!!!

After almost 3 months of the school summer vacation today the girls went back to school…it’s been such a long hot summer – in fact today is the 68th day of 100+ temperatures for Austin this year – and we are all happy to get back to our school calendar and look forward to the Fall…I can hardly wait…crisp mornings…furry footwear…mmm…

But today’s card is inspired by something else…there is one simple thing I so enjoy on this first day…and that is the sound of silence…it doesnt seem much but when you’ve had crazy children and their crazy friends screaming around your house for 3 months, silence is a golden treasure…

And oh yes my stampin’ friends…right now I am most definitely enjoying the simple sound of silence…

I wanted to create a bright happy card to celebrate the day and so went with the base colors of Melon Mambo and Old Olive…

And I wanted to use fun simple stamps and so dug out one of my favorite brand new sets Best of Everything (pg 103)…the flowers, plants, tree and bird are all stamped using stamps from that set.

Now I wanted my tree to be quite a bit taller than the surrounding plants and the tree stamp actually isnt alot taller – and so this is what I did to create the look I wanted:

I stamped it higher on my cardstock than the other plants – stamped my bird – punched him out with my 1 3/8″ Circle Punch – and added him to where the base of the tree would be.

I then found the PERFECT sentiment for my card in the set Touch of Kindness – you can find this set on pg 25 of the Summer Mini Catalog – and I thought that ‘enjoy the simple things in life’ was just perfect for today…and also in that set is one cute cat and a very cute bird bath…it’s so sweet…

Pssst – that set Touch of Kindness will RETIRE when the Summer Mini Catalog retires on AUGUST 31st – if you want it, get it before then because after the 31st it will be gone for good!

Finishing touches…I wrapped around a piece of Melon Mambo Scallop Polka Dots Ribbon (pg 195)  to continue my bright and colorful theme and then added a few embellishments…

I stamped a flower and cut it out and then added little Rhinestones to it and each of the pink flower centers…and then I added a little white bow that I made simply using a piece of White Bakers Twine (pg 194) to create a whimsical look.

I also wanted to show you little lunch note cards that I made for each of my girls…

I figured whilst I had these very cute stamps out I would make them a little note card each to pop into their first day lunch bags…

I popped each into a ziploc snack bag and added a little treat sized Hershey bar – guaranteed to bring smiles!

Very simple & quick and easy to make but I know they will love them…happy Back to School Day for all of you also enjoying the silence!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR STAMPIN’ UP! SUPPLIES ONLINE!

And here are the images in that set Best of Everything – its fast becoming one of my favorite sets because it is so versatile – it is available in both wood and clear mount versions – click on the picture below to view it in the online store:

Click HERE to view the Summer Mini Catalog online

You can order from the Summer Mini Catalog until August 31st – after that time most of the items in it will be gone for good!

Are you intrigued?!  Well for Festive Friday this week I wanted to show you a card that has a background made from something that you can find in your kitchen…

And that something is Aluminum Foil!  And what a stunning background it makes when you texture it using an Embossing Folder – wow!

Please read on to find out how I made it along with my free printable tutorial showing you how to texture foil to make your own backgrounds…and please leave me a comment to give you a chance to win this week’s Festive blog candy…

Now the photo does not do this card justice – that foil background is so sparkly and stunning in real life – its so hard to capture on camera!  And what I love is that this card is made using very few consumable products making it an economical way to make a bunch of holiday cards.

My card is simply a base of Night of Navy cardstock, a layer of embossed Aluminum Foil, a top layer cut using the Top Note Die and the images stamped on to that…easy…simple…fun!

That textured Aluminum Foil? You simply cut a piece of Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil to the size you want – and it is important that it is heavy duty as regular foil is too thin and will tear easily – I cut mine to be 4″ x 5 1/4″…and then you pop it into your Embossing Folder and run it through the Big Shot – open the lid carefully and voila – a beautifully textured piece of foil – GORGEOUS!

Be super careful when removing your foil from the folder to avoid tearing it – and then you simply adhere it to your base.

I know you are wondering…see that gorgeous textured design that I made on my foil?  Made using a brand new Embossing Folder that will debut on September 1st in the Holiday Mini Catalog – it is called Snow Burst and I LOVE it!

You know what else you can do with textured foil? You can use your punches & dies to punch shapes out of a textured sheet of foil – check out my shapes below made simply by using that cool Ornament Punch (pg 210) and Top Note Die (pg 222)…

Imagine the beautiful cards you can make using foil in that way?

Now back to my card…

So onto that gorgeous textured layer I added a die cut made using the Big Shot and Top Note Die – I added it using Dimensionals to give some depth to my card.

Those images? They are gorgeous and are from a brand new stamp set that will also debut in the Holiday Mini Catalog – it is called Comfort & Joy which features the most beautiful image of a dove along with two beautiful sentiments…

I stamped those images onto my die cut using Versamark Ink, sprinkled on Silver Embossing Powder and heated it using my Heat Tool – I added a Silver Brad as a finishing touch and there is one beautiful holiday card…

You can click on the photo above for a closer view.

If you have not used embossing powders before, I have a free printable step-by-step guide to Embossing which you can find by clicking HERE

It is so worth investing in a Big Shot, a couple of dies and some embossing folders to get you going – once you have a few of each you can do so much with so little – I use a combination of those items on almost everything I make!

WANT MY FREE TUTORIAL SO THAT YOU CAN TEXTURE SOME ALUMINUM FOIL TOO? Click HERE to find it in my Technique Tutorials section where you will find a printable version too!

Now finally onto my Festive Friday Blog Candy…leave me a comment to let me know what you think of this neat technique and you will be entered into a prize draw…

The winner will be chosen by random.org on Tuesday and one lucky winner will win a sampling of things from the new Holiday Mini Catalog including brand new embellishments and a felt die cut stocking cut using a brand new die from the that Mini Catalog!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR STAMPIN’ UP! SUPPLIES ONLINE!

Silver and black add a touch of classic elegance to anything and today I decided to combine that color combo with a stamp set from the Summer Mini Catalog…

That stamp set is Proud Peacock that you can find on pg 14 – it is a set of 6 stamps and features birds, a beautiful peacock and flowers, stems and leaves.

Now some of my customers tell me that whilst they want to use their stamps with images that need coloring, they find that watercoloring can be intimidating – and one of my customers really wanted to buy this set but was intimidated by the idea of coloring in that peacock’s tail features…

And so today I decided to make a card using this set to show her one of the ways you can use it without having to color in the images…and this is what I did…

Isn’t it cute?  I absolutely love how it turned out and think that Mr Peacock looks very elegant there in his silver & black finery!

And making this card was a great excuse to dig out my Silver Embossing Powder and Heat Tool – embossing powders are such an easy & fun way to give any card a WOW factor – and no coloring of images required!

So onto my card – the base is Basic Black onto which I added a layer of Brushed Silver (pg 181) – and then onto that top layer I did some silver embossing which is the fun bit…

Not used Embossing Powders before? You are in for a real treat!  You need a few basic supplies – a Versamark Ink Pad, a pot of Embossing Powder and a Heat Tool – then you:

• take your stamp and ink it up with Versamark Ink (which is clear)
• stamp it onto your cardstock
• sprinkle on your embossing powder and shake the excess off
• use your Heat Tool to transform it into a beautiful shiny glazed image

Something I love about Stampin’ Up!’s Silver embossing powder is that it is very fine – meaning you can get beautiful results on an intricate stamp such as this peacock one.

I have a free printable step-by-step guide to Embossing which you can find by clicking HERE

I stamped & embossed my peacock and cut a circle around him using my Circle Scissors Plus…I then mounted him onto a 2 3/4″ Circle using Dimensionals…

You can click on the photo above to get a closer look…aren’t those details just beautiful?

I then decided to add the flowers – this is another stamp in the set Proud Peacock – and stamped it once on the left, embossed it and then added the same image again, only this time slightly lower…

I also added a sentiment from the Hostess set Precious Butterflies (pg 15), added my Peacock and voila…one beautiful but fun card and I am going to be making a bunch more of them too!

Here are the images featured in the set Proud Peacock – click on the picture below to view it in the online store – it comes in both wood & clear mount versions:

BUT the Summer Mini Catalog ends on August 31st…meaning that THIS SET WILL RETIRE IN LESS THAN 2 WEEKS – if you want it, order it before then to avoid disappointment – after August 31st it will be GONE FOR GOOD!

Here is a list of the basic supplies you need to get you started with Embossing:

100005  Heat Tool – $29.95
102283  Versamark Ink – $7.50
Embossing Powders in a variety of colors – $4.75 each

Add-on’s to make it even easier:

103083  Embossing Buddy – $5.95
102197  Powder Pals – $19.95

You can find all of these items on pgs 201-203 of the Catalog and if you click on each item above it will take you to that item in the online store

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR STAMPIN’ UP! SUPPLIES ONLINE!

My card today is simply sweet…I have just been harvesting the chilli peppers from my back garden and it put me in the mood to make a card featuring fresh produce…

And so I came across that beautiful berry stamp that is featured in the new set Pretty Postage that you can find on pg 11 of the Summer Mini Catalog.  I also used that cool new Postage Stamp Punch that co-ordinates perfectly with this stamp set to make a simple but striking card.

And I have apologies to make – my post that was scheduled for Monday to announce my Festive Friday blog candy winner didn’t appear due to my putting in the wrong date – oops!  And being my birthday yesterday I was otherwise occupied and didn’t realise until this morning…so please scroll down to the bottom of this post to find out who that winner is!

Now onto today’s card…

A very clean & simple card that uses  two basic colors and one of my favorite new items…

I used the colors Whisper White and Rose Red- my rose layer measures 4″ x 5 1/4″ and the white mat on top of that measures 3 7/8″ x 5 1/8″.

I added a piece of striped Designer Series Paper from the Subtles Patterns Paper Stack (pg 186) to the top white layer and wrapped around a piece of the BEAUTIFUL Rose Red Seam Binding (pg 195) and tied in a bow for a luxurious look…

If you’ve never tried Seam Binding I HIGHLY recommend it - it adds a real touch of sheen & elegance to your projects and is so easy to use – it is soft and ties easily – I absolutely LOVE it!

And finally I stamped 3 images using the ‘sweet’ stamp from Pretty Postage with Early Espresso ink and I punched them all out using the fabulous new Postage Stamp Punch that you can find on pg 10 of the Summer Mini Catalog…

I colored one of those images using my Blender Pen and the following ink pads – Rose Red, Always Artichoke and Old Olive – and added it to a square that I punched out using my 1 3/8″ Square Punch (pg 212)…

When you use a Blender Pen and ink pads to color your images you get a more subtle look than if you use Markers – and I’m a subtle kind of gal!

And finally I added all of my punched images to my card base using Dimensionals to give some depth to my card.

Here are the images featured in that set Pretty Postage – click on the piccy below to view it in the online store – it comes in both wood & clear mount versions and paired with that Postage Stamp Punch, it is incredibly versatile:

And now onto the winner of my Festive Friday kick-off Blog Candy – drawn by random.org – and the winning comment is no. 12:

by June Ferguson on August 13, 2011 at 9:31 am who said”

“I love this project! I can hardly wait to make some of these as “early bird” Christmas gifts! Thanks so much for the wonderful and well done tutorial–you’re the best!”

A BIG congrats June – please email me your mailing information and I will get your goodies on their way to you!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR STAMPIN’ UP! SUPPLIES ONLINE!