Rubber Stamping & Card Making with Yapha

Welcome to the Stampin’ Addicts’ New Catalog Blog Hop, featuring sets that are brand new this year in Stampin’ Up’s 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog. You may have just arrived from Betty’s blog, where she featured the beautiful Sunflower background stamp, or you might be starting here. Either way, the links will take you around in a complete circle.

I am pleased to be featuring the new Occasions Alphabet, a 26 piece set with each letter of the alphabet and cute saying to go along with it. They are all fun and alliterative, which I love. The first project I have to show you today is a thank you card. I really like the K is for Kindness stamp. It’s a close fit, but it does work in the 1 3/8″ Circle Punch.

Stamps: Occasions Alphabet
Ink: Old Olive
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Whisper White, Big Top Birthday Designer Series Paper
Other: Old Olive 5/8″ Satin Ribbon, 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, 1 3/4″ Circle Punch, Perfect Pennants Bigz Die, Big Shot

My second project is somewhat similar. I needed a pack of cards to give as a thank you to the Assistant Head of School. I paired this set with the alphabet paper from the Just Add Cake designer series paper for a look that really said “elementary school” to me. I picked 6 different letters, so she would have cards for a variety of occasions. (You can click on the picture for a closer view of the sayings.)

Stamps: Occasions Alphabet
Ink: Early Espresso
Paper: Wild Wasabi, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper
Other: 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch

My third project would make great favors for a baby shower. Fortunately, most of the stamps fit inside the Four Frames stamp set, though some are too long. You could use the other stamps to make these cute little boxes for a variety of occasions. (Curious about what is inside the boxes? Stop back on Monday to see!)

Stamps: Occasions Alphabet, Four Frames
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Melon Mambo
Paper: Bashful Blue, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
Other: Chocolate Chip Scallop Dots Ribbon, Melon Mambo Scallop Dots Ribbon, Designer Label Punch  Matchbox Bigz XL Die, Big Shot

For my final project, I used the Stampin’ Write markers to ink up only the letter on the stamp. It is a super cute font! And guess what? It is just the perfect size to fit in the Petite Pennants Builder Punch! I used it to write the word “party” below, but you could use it for any three, four, or five letter name to personalize a card!

Stamps: Occasions Alphabet
Ink: Peach Parfait, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight
Paper: Peach Parfait, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Big Top Birthday Designer Series Paper
Other: Petite Pennants Builder Punch

Thank you so much for hopping with us today! Your next stop is the incomparable Holly! She makes the most amazing creations out of punches and Big Shot dies, and she does not disappoint with the new Perfect Pennants Die! My personal favorite is the Hanukkah spinner card she made! I love it!

Well, we made it to Massachusetts! I bet you didn’t know it, since I scheduled my blog posts ahead of time, but I just spent the past four days in a car driving across the country. I’m here at my parents’ house, and I just found a big box of retired stamping items that I need to sell. All of these must go by Tuesday, August 2, so make me an offer! Here’s what I have. (Prices do not include shipping, US only, PayPal only — no e-checks though.) Email me if you are interested in any of these. There is staining on some of the wood and rubber, so ask for a picture if this concerns you.

Stamp Sets:
Autumn Fest — $10
Big Deal Alphabet — $15
Big Flowers (really stained) — $8
Botanical Blooms (new, unmounted) — $10
Bundled in Love — $12
Comfort Food — $6
Congrats — $5
Cute & Curly — $6
Echoes of Kindness (new, unmounted) — $15
Happy Heart Day — $10
Holidays & Wishes — $6
Hugs & Wishes — $6
In Every Thing Give Thanks — $10
Just B — $10
A Little Birdie Told Me — $10
A Little Somethin’ (only 1 stamp mounted) — $6
Moose You — $8
Polka Dot Punches — $6
Power Up — $10
Punches Three — $6
Unfrogettable — $15
Wonderful Words — $8
Word Search — $10
Year After Year — $10
Yummy — $6

Wheels:
Daisy Field — $6
Lily Pad — $6
Spunky Spots (jumbo) — $6
Sweet Stars (jumbo) — $6

Ink Pads:
Blue Bayou — $5
Groovy Guava with Reinker — $10
Purely Pomegranate with Reinker (very messy! It leaked, but still 3/4 full) — $8
Soft Sky with Reinker — $10

Other:
Corner Rounder (old one, not 3/16″) — $4
Double Circle Punch (new in package!) — $8
Eyelets (approx 300, assorted colors) — $5
Metal Edge Tags, Vellum Squares (new! 6 each of 1.5″ and 2″) — $4
On Board Blossoms & Basics Chipboard (2/3 pack) — $4
Purely Pomegranate Double Stitched Ribbon (aprox. 5 yards) — $5
Wild Wasabi Double Stitched Ribbon (aprox. 1 yards) — $1

Thanks for looking! Be sure and stop back tomorrow for the Stampin’ Addicts New Catalog Blog Hop!

I needed to make a really elegant Thank You note for someone whose favorite color is red, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to try out my new Cherry Cobbler embossing powder. Wow! It is so rich and gorgeous! (Sorry about the glare in the picture, at least you can tell how shiny the embossed are is.)

Stamps: Medallion, Thank You Kindly
Ink: VersaMark, Early Espresso
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Other: Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder, Early Espresso 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon, Antique Brad

I am really loving the new colored embossing powders. I think I have to get the Tempting Turquoise one too!

I love the ColourQ colors this week! The two new blues in the In Colors are just fantastic!

I realized that these colors were just perfect for beach pictures, and thanks to Leo’s other aunt, I had some fabulous ones from last week! A big thank you to Stacey for allowing me to use her great pictures!

That adorable gingham paper is from the brand new Domestic Goddess designer series paper, available both digitally and in real paper. It’s a really fun pack!

Wow! I got so many nice comments on my Baked French Toast scrapbook page! Thanks! I have one more page that I made for that swap that I want to share with you today. This one is a super delicious dessert, Chocolate Chip Pie. It’s like a giant chocolate chip cookie, but better!

I didn’t like how the scallop square punch looked when I stretched it to fit the page — the scallops were too large. So instead I layered about 5 scallop squares on each side, to make a mat that I liked better. The corners are perfect because I place the squares in each of the corners first. Once you do one side, you can copy and paste it to the other. It’s a bit more work, but I’m much happier with the end result!

I always like to give my workshop hostesses something cute and fun as a thank you for hosting. When I saw the new Lace Ribbon Border Punch, I realized it could be easily used to dress up a little match box! I made this fun gift for one of my June hostesses who loves the color orange. This is what the outside of the box looked like:

And here it is filled with an assortment of buttons.

I love the Matchbox die, it just makes the cutest little boxes!

If you are interested in hosting a workshop to earn all kinds of free goodies, let me know. I still have some dates left in August and September. (And the Holiday Mini Catalog starts in September…)

Take a look at this fabulous clean and elegant sketch from Stamping 411 today. Isn’t it lovely?

Since we are leaving to head back East in a few days, I figured that I had better get cracking on the Thank You notes for my mom. So of course I had to use Daffodil Delight! As I was figuring out what to put in that wonderful shape at the bottom, I remembered that one of the stamps from the Four Frames set matches the flowers from Elements of Style. And the rest came together from there!

Stamps: Elements of Style, Four Frames
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Sunny Garden Designer Series Paper
Other: Designer Label Punch, Lace Ribbon Border Punch, Lucky Limeade Ruffled Ribbon, Beautiful Wings Embosslit

I am really loving this new In Color, Lucky Limeade! I think that it is my new favorite green!

Here’s another card I made way back on the 4th of July when I was playing along with the challenges on Splitcoast Stampers. It was for two of the challenges. One was to add some sparkle, so I used the Dazzling Diamond Dust technique. The second was a “melon” color challenge  – pink, red and green.

Stamps: Flower Fest
Ink: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Certainly Celery, VersaMark
Paper: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Other: Lace Ribbon Border Punch, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder

The Dazzling Diamond Dust Technique adds a lot of sparkle to any card! You first cover the entire stamped image with VersaMark, and then Iridescent Ice embossing powder. It is hard to photograph, though.

This is another recipe page that I made for the swap. This time it is super yummy Baked French Toast — a big thank you to my sister-in-law for this delicious recipe! In case you are wondering how different the JPG looks from the printed version, I will show it to you both ways. First, here is the JPG.

This is what it looked like after I matted it on Old Olive card stock. Not too shabby, huh?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I am so pleased with Stampin’ Up’s printing services. I love the quality I get back, and how the colors are calibrated exactly. Look at the printed Old Olive on the page compared with the Old Olive card stock — just perfect! The turn around time is super quick, and you can even earn hostess benefits if you print enough at once!

Yep, it’s Tuesday! That means there are some fabulous new digital downloads from Stampin’ Up!  My favorites this week are the  fabulous First Day Stamp Brush Set (love that book worm!) and the gorgeous scallop dots ribbon. Which are your favorites? These downloads work with My Digital Studio and any other digital scrapbooking program that allows you to import PNG and JPG files.

127338 Sun Garden Designer Series Digital Paper $4.95

Fresh and full of summertime, our 12 Sun Garden Designer Series Paper patterns will brighten your designs. Coordinating colors include Calypso Coral, Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Pink Pirouette, Lucky Limeade, and Soft Suede. Download also includes a one-page 12″ x 12″ designer template.

127350 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon Download $3.95

You’ll love this adorable grosgrain ribbon with its white polka dots and scallop edges with pinholes. Choose it to dress up any project in style! Download includes 30-pieces; 10 ribbon colors in 3 designs (flat, knot, and bow). Colors include Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Chocolate Chip, Early Espresso, Marina Mist, Melon Mambo, More Mustard, Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, and Tangerine Tango.

125836 Nursery Nest Digital Embellishments $3.95

These 56 cute embellishments are designed to coordinate with the Nursery Nest Designer Series Paper and Aviary Stamp Brush Set. Pair them with the paper patterns to create a photobook, or use them on your designs to quickly add a focal point to any project. Coordinating colors include Basic Gray, Blushing Bride, Marina Mist, Pear Pizzazz, Perfect Plum, and Whisper White.

127344 Create Every Day Designer Template (journal) $1.95

Re-create the beautiful journal from page 112 of the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog with this designer template! The journal template includes a 6-1/4″ x 8-1/4″ front and back cover. Coordinating colors include Blush Blossom, Crumb Cake, More Mustard, Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, and Whisper White.

127541 First Day Stamp Brush Set $7.95

Our First Day Stamp Brush Set is perfect for first-day-of-school photo pages, teacher cards or gifts, or back-to-school projects. Most of the images and numbers in this 25-piece set are individual elements, offering ultimate designing versatility. Download includes a one-page 8″ x 8″ designer template. (Note: there is currently an issue with this on the online store. I’ll remove this note when it is fixed.)

127340 Perfect Label Punch Digital Download $0.95

Add an elegant accent or frame an image or word with our one-piece Perfect Label Punch. Like all My Digital Studio punches, this is a vector file, which allows it to be scaled up or down without losing image resolution.

127355 Parlor Print Stamp Brush $1.95

Bring parlor elegance into your projects with our one-piece Parlor Prints Stamp Brush. This design is ideal for creating beautiful backgrounds and elements that can add color, depth, and dimension to all your projects. Image is sized larger than traditional stamp, offering more digital versatility.

127360 Houndstooth Stamp Brush $1.95

Our one-piece Houndstooth Stamp Brush is ideal for creating trendy backgrounds and elements that can add color, depth, and dimension to all your projects. Image is oversized, offering more digital versatility.

You can purchase these or any other digital downloads through my online store. They great news is that they are available for immediate use, with no shipping charges! Just click on Digital Crafting, then Digital Downloads, then Newest Downloads to see all of the recent additions! If you registered your copy of My Digital Studio, you may also receive end-of-the month emails from Stampin’ Up featuring that month’s digital releases.

There is a My Digital Studio tab to the top right hand corner of this blog. It is a handy reference to a variety of My Digital Studio resources, including a list of all of the downloads and a break down of the printing costs. There is also a new Resources pageon MyDigitalStudio.net that includes an MDS Catalog. It shows all of the MDS software artwork (contained in the boxed-version) and downloads from the October 2009 launch through July 1, 2011! The catalog gives a snapshot of the entire product line with artwork thumbnails followed by product details, which includes the colors of the designer papers! Because MDS is regularly coming out with new artwork, the catalog will be updated every month.