Rubber Stamping & Card Making with Yapha

There are seven new digital downloads available, just released today! They can be used in My Digital Studio, and also in Photoshop or any other digital scrapbooking software that imports JPGs and PNGs. Look at these great products! I can’t wait to download them and play!

118117 Berry Christmas stamp brush set $5.95

120880 Christmas Cocoa II digital kit $9.95

118118 Friend by Definition stamp brush set $1.95

120882 Icicle digital photo card kit $3.95

118119 Just Perfect Alphabet stamp brush set $9.95

120883 Merry Moments digital photo card kit $3.95

120881 Write Stuff II digital kit $9.95

You can order these online, and immediately download them and have fun! I’d love to see what you create!

One of the fabulous products in the Holiday Mini Catalog is this Holiday Mix Décor Elements.

It comes in your choice of four different colors — Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Black, and White. Stampin’ Up advertises it as containing the letters for “Joy,” “Snow,” and “Noel.” But surely there are other things that can be spelled with those letters… My friends over at Stampin’ Addicts and I put our heads together and came up with the following list of 65 (yes 65!) other words and phrases you can spell with one sheet of the Holiday Mix Décor Elements.

eon
eons
Joe
Joel
Jon
Jones
Jonny
Jose
Jowl
Jowls
Len
Lenny
Leno
lens
Leo
Leon
Lew
lone
Lonny
loon
loose
lose
low
lows
new
news
no
no lo (as in no lo contendere, but only a lawyer would love that one. . . .)
no se (Spanish for I don’t know. . . )
noose
nose
now
ol’
Ole (Old English)
Ole (Spanish)
oleo
one
Only
only one
ow
owe
owes
owl
owls
own
owns
Oy
sew
sewn
slow
sole
son
soon
sow
sown
soy
swoon
wen
woe
woes
won
Ye
yes
yo
yon

A big thank you to Holly for her amazing contributions to the list! Imagine what you could do with more than one sheet! Oh, and don’t forget these great wood blocks to put the letters on!

Here is a quick and easy Thanksgiving treat bag. It uses the single stamp, Gooble, Gobble, from the Holiday Mini Catalog.I love to use my Stampin’ Write markers to ink up these solid stamps in a variety of colors!

Stamps: Gobble, Gobble
Ink: Stampin’ Write Markers (Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie
Other: Small Cello Bags, Top Note Bigz Die, Big Shot

Happy Thanksgiving!

Only 24 days left until the first night of Hanukkah! Are you ready? Here’s another card to inspire you. It is one I made for a Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Mini Catalog swap.

Stamps: Let There be Light
Ink: Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, Crushed Curry
Paper: Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Crushed Curry Designer Series Paper
Other: Bashful Blue Brads

I’m trying to decide which color I prefer with the Hanukkah blues — Crushed Curry or Summer Sun? What do you think?

Whoo-hoo! I’m certified! (No, no, not certifiable, that would be entirely different.) I am pleased to report that I am officially certified in Stampin’ Up’s My Digital Studio papercrafting software. What does that mean? Well, it means that I have successly completed the webinars and quizzes from Stampin’ Up, as well as created projects in each of the different My Digital Studio design types. This includes cards, scrapbook pages, calendars, and multimedia projects.

This software is fantastic. It uses the same great artwork, colors, and accessory images found in Stampin’ Up’s current product line, but you never have to worry about running out! You can print your creations at home, send them to Stampin’ Up’s professional print service, or simply keep them as digital art. Imagine a digital frame constantly rotaing through your beautiful scrapbook pages! Stampin’ Up’s printer has specially calibrated their inks to be exact matches to Stampin’ Up’s colors. This means you can create “hybrid” pages, and add matching embellishments.

I am pleased to offer a complimentary  one-on-one My Digital Studio class to anyone who purchases the software from me. Interested in seeing it first? I’ve got it on my laptop, and I’m happy to show you this exceptional software!

More information about My Digital Studio is available on my Stampin’ Up Website. And don’t forget, My Digital Studio is part of the Holiday Gift Giving Guide. This means you can choose one FREE Décor Elements (up to a $16.95 value) if you purchase it by January 4th.

Want it cheaper? Through November 30, get 50 percent off My Digital Studio^™ when you host a $400 workshop! Plus, get any one item from the Holiday 2009 Mini Catalog for just $10 when you host a $250 workshop. Contact me today to schedule your workshop!

Stamping 411′s Saturday Sketch Challenge this week was just perfect for the little turkey at the back of Stampin’ Up’s Holiday Mini Catalog. I can’t believe I hadn’t even used him yet! As soon as I saw the diamond on the card, I knew that the little gobbler would fit perfectly. Here’s the sketch:

One of the things I so appreciate about the Stamping 411 sketches is that they include suggested sizes for the various layers. It makes it so easy to follow the sketch and put together a fantastic card. Here is what I came up with:

Stamps: Gobble, Gobble
Ink: Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Dusty Durango (Stampin’ Write Markers)
Paper: Sahara Sand, More Mustard, Dusty Durango, Very Vanilla, To The Nines Specialty Paper
Other: Dusty Durango Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon

I am honored to be a part of Operation Write Home‘s Veteran’s Day Blog Hop. Operation Write Home is a fabulous organization. They are a group of crafters from across America (and beyond!) who make handmade cards for deployed heroes so they can keep in touch with their loved ones at home! They serve all branches of the military in all deployed locations, including those stationed aboard ships. Please visit their home page for more information on supporting this wonderful cause.

As part of the blog hop, I will be showing you two cards today. The first is an “Any Hero” card. It is a thank you card that will be going to one of our service men or women, in appreciation of the sacrifices they are making for our country. I wanted to make a patriotic card, but since Eve was writing the message for the inside, I chose a design that reflected that. It is both patriotic and kid-like. (The great shape at the top is made by turning the Top Note die cut 90° and running it through the Big Shot a second time.)

Stamps: Beary Best Friends, Beary Nice Wishes
Ink: StazOn Black, Night of Navy
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Jackpot Designer Series Paper (dress), Hostess Prints Pack Designer Series Paper (Night of Navy)
Other: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Top Note Bigz Die, Big Shot

Here is Eve’s note on the inside:

The second card I have to share with you today is one of the blank Valentines that will be sent to the troops. so they have Valentines to send home to their loved ones. It may seem early for Valentines, but when you figure shipping time abroad and back, it’s not too early. I wanted to make something that was not “lumpy,” so it would be easy to mail, as well as something that would be appropriate for a man or women. This is what I came up with:

Stamps: A Happy Heart
Ink: Real Red, Creamy Caramel
Paper: Real Red, Creamy Caramel, Very Vanilla, Jackpot Designer Series Paper
Other: Sponge Daubers

I hope you have enjoyed this stop on Operation Write Home‘s Veteran’s Day Blog Hop.

Your next stop is Cindy at Heart’s Delight Cards.

I can’t wait to see what she has made!

This is the third card that I made for the Stampin’ Addicts 3″x3″ holiday card swap. I changed the Designer Series Paper on it the same way I had on this Hanukkah card, by brayering Bashful Blue ink over the Night of Navy Designer Series. I love doing this! It really changes the feel of the card, by eliminating the stark white on the DSP and allowing the focal image to show.

Stamps: Shalom Sayings
Ink: Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, Summer Sun
Paper: Night of Navy, Summer Sun, Whisper White, Hostess Prints Pack Designer Series Paper
Other: Night of Navy 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon, Brayer

Be sure and come back tomorrow — I am honored to be taking part in Operation Write Home‘s Veteran’s Day Blog hop.

In direct contrast with yesterday’s elegant 3″x3″ Hanukkah card, today’s is a much more whimsical look. I used non-traditional colors to accent the funky nature of the candles on this card. It is another one I made for the Stampin’ Addicts Holiday 3″x3″ card swap. It also is a perfect fit for this week’s Pals Paper Arts theme challenge.

Stamps: Let There be Light
Inks: Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay
Papers: Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry Designer Series Prints Paper, Whisper White
Accessories: Slot Punch, Crushed Curry Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Tag Corner Punch

Thank goodness for the In-Color markers that make a fun card like this possible!

Today is Veterans’ Day, and I want to start out with a big thank you to all of the men and women who are serving or have served our country in the Armed Forces. Thank you for giving so much of yourselves. In celebration of this, I will be participating in Operation Write Home’s Veteran’s Day Blog Hop.  It starts this Saturday, November 14th.  Yes, Veteran’s Day is today, but the organizers want to give everyone plenty of time to visit the 100+ blogs that will be participating. Be sure to stop back on Saturday and check out the hop!

The card I have to share with you today is from a 3″x3″ Holiday Card swap that I recently participated in on Stampin’ Addicts. I was in four groups for this swap, so you’ll be seeing some more of these cards. I really like the 3″x3″ format. You can mail it in a regular size envelope for no extra charge, or use it as a gift card on a package. It is small enough to slip into a lunch box, but large enough to provide a canvas for some great art work. I was really pleased with how well Gold Embossing Powder showed the details of this stamp. It lends a more elegant look to this whimsical stamp.

Stamps: Let There Be Light
Ink: Versamark
Paper: Brilliant Blue, Whisper White, Brushed Gold
Other: Gold Embossing Powder, Gold Brads, Ticket Corner Punch