Rubber Stamping & Card Making with Yapha

I joined in some of the convention swaps that were organized through Stampin’ Addicts. What is a swap? Let’s say you have six people in the swap. Each person makes six of the same card. Then they trade with each other so each person goes home with six different cards, one from each person in the swap. Make sense?

Even though I am not going to Stampin’ Up’s convention, I am able to participate thanks to Melina, my fantastic convention buddy!  One of the swaps that I signed up for is for Thanksgiving Cards. Instead of using a traditional Thanksgiving set, I decided to use the leaves from the set A Rose is a Rose to make some beautiful fall leaves. Here is what I came up with. (I turned the Dusty Durango Polka Dot Ribbon upside down, so the polka dots wouldn’t show. )

Stamps: A Rose is a Rose, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Soft Suede
Paper: Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Modern Label Punch, Dusty Durango Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Stamp-a-ma-jig

I can’t wait to see the cards I get back from my very talented friends!

In appreciation for all that she is doing, I wanted to give Melina some other little goodies for being my convention buddy. And what better way to package these than in little matchboxes?

First and for most, I figured chocolate would be essential. I covered each of these Hershey Nuggets with a strip of Whisper White card stock and a piece of the new Real Red Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon. They almost look too good to eat! Almost…

And I thought that some lotion and Purell wipes might come in handy as well. I used the scallop oval punch to make a hole in the top of each box, and lined it with a Window Sheet so that it is easy to see what is inside.

I put these all together in a cute little matchbox dresser, but I attached the boxes with Dotto Repositionable Adhesive, in case Melina wanted to use each one separately. Each drawer has a square red rhinestone brad as a handle, and I tied the whole package up with more of the Real Red Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon.

Paper: Real Red, Whisper White
Accessories: Matchbox Bigz XL Die, Big Shot, Scallop Oval Punch, Window Sheets, Square Fire Rhinestone Brads (red), Real Red Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Dotto

I hope Melina has as much fun receiving this as I did making it! Thanks again for being my convention buddy!

Happy Birthday Erin! When I told Eve that it was Mrs. S’s birthday today, she suggested that we make the Mojo Monday sketch into a birthday card for her. So I did! (And I’m pretty excited to actually get this done on a Monday!) This week’s sketch is pretty nifty, with a circle inside a square.

Here is my interpretation. Have I mentioned how much I love this Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper? Yum!

Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes
Ink: StazOn Black, Rich Razzleberry, Orchid Opulence, Old Olive, Real Red
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Orchid Opulence, Old Olive, Whisper White, Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper
Accessories: Rich Razzleberry Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Circle Scissors Plus

Erin is a great friend, neighbor, and colleague. And now I’m going downstairs to give her the card.

Unfortunately I am not able to attend Stampin’ Up’s national convention in Salt Lake City next week. Luckily though, one of my online stampin’ friends has agreed to be my “convention buddy.” What does that mean? Melina will be taking some swaps there for me, as well as texting me with interesting updates. She also offered to pick up a few of the special demonstrator items for sale. Isn’t she nice? You can take a look at her blog here. As a thank you, I included a few little presents for her when I mailed the box of swap cards.

The first one gift I made her is this adorable notebook! It uses the new Clear Scallop Square Bigz Die. I die cut pieces of an empty cereal box to make the covers, then covered then with die cut cardstock and Designer Series Paper. I used my Crop-a-Dile to punch the holes for the rings.

Stamps: Jumbo Outline Alphabet
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Orchid Opulence Stampin’ Write Marker
Paper: Orchid Opulence, Whisper White, Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper, Rich Razzleberry (inside front cover)
Accessories: Clear Scallop Square Bigz Die, Crop-a-Dile, Cereal Box, Loose-Leaf Notebook Paper, Binder Rings

Inside are sheets of loose-leaf notebook paper that I also die cut to match. Because this is a Bigz Die, I was able to run through a whole bunch at once.

I hope this is a fun way for Melina to take notes during Convention!

Another stamper tweeted about a new color challenge on Twitter last night, and I was so excited to find out about the brand new Pals Paper Arts Color Challenge! It is put together by a talented group of Stampin’ Up demonstrators. I decided to combine it with the Saturday Sketch Challenge from Stamping 411. Here are the colors and the sketch.

I think they combined really well to make a super cute card! I did add a tiny bit of Crushed Curry for the bird’s beak.

Stamps: Cheep Talk
Ink: Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Chocolate Chip, Crushed Curry
Paper: Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper
Accessories: Scallop Circle Bigz Die, Bermuda Bay Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Circle Fire Brad (pink)

I’m excited about the new Pals Paper Arts challenge and look forward to adding it to my weekly schedule.

Stampin’ Up has three great August specials that start today!

The first one is this fabulous Decor Elements Growth Chart (on the left)  that is only available until September 30, 2009. The colors are Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, and Taken with Teal. It is $24.95 and comes with a free Decor Elements applicator. I will be ordering mine very soon, and will be sure to show you the finished project. Since we are moving around a bit, I’ll be looking for a full-length mirror to put it on.

The second special is for free buttons! Whoo-hoo! Free is good, and buttons are fabulous! Spend $35 on stamp sets from the Growing Up section of the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog (pages 74-90) and receive a FREE package of Designer buttons–a $7.95 value! Eligible buttons are Playground Designer Buttons, Sherbet Designer Buttons, and Button Latte Designer Buttons. They can be seen on page 181 of the Idea Book & Catalog.

Important note:

• Growing Up section stamps include the Pirate and Princess Personalized Name stamps from the party kits but not the kits themselves.
• Stampin’ Around wheels do not qualify as a stamp set.
• There is no limit to the number of free buttons you may earn! For every $35 you spend on Growing Up stamp sets, you will receive a free package of Designer buttons.
• Spanish and French equivalent Growing Up stamp sets are also eligible for this promotion. In addition, the Quinceañera stamp set (item 113820) from Celebrando Creatividad is also eligible.

You can download the flyer for more information on these specials.

But wait! There’s more!

The Country Living Cookout Kit and the In Color Demonstrator Sign Up special are still available as well. You know, if you were a demonstrator you could start pre-ordering from the Holiday Mini Catalog today as well…

You can always check the Promotions Page on my Stampin’ Up website for the latest news and specials. Contact me to place your order, or visit my website to shop at your convenience.