MDS Sale!!

Starting tomorrow (May 1st) and running through June 15th StampinUp! is going to be offering 25% off on a bunch of MDS products. The sale will include a selection of downloads as well as print projects. I can't wait to see what they include in the sale- I know I'll be checking first thing in the morning!

How about a Gift instead of Cake?

The last item we created at the Confetti Cake Occasions class was a gift you could give away for a birthday.

Although... it is so cute I'm not sure how many people will part with them. I know mine only went as far as my daughters room (there was the perfect picture of us that just had to go in it!).

I found the cute "Tempting Turquoise" frames on sale for $1 each, and then we dressed them up. The ribbon is looped around and just attached to itself using a glue dot. That way it's easy to put a picture in and the flower's location can be adjusted depending on the focal point of the picture inside (and also when I tried to attach it directly to the frame and glass... well let's just say that it didn't go so well).

Here's a tip- to give the flower petals and leaves some depth, use a bone folder to curl them up. By varying the amount of curl it really gives the finished project a lot more character than just flat paper. Also, you can add veins to your leaves using the Simply Scored tool- dress them up as little or as much as you desire :)

Hope this inspires you to make your own altered picture frame. Flutterback soon!

Recipe card (with links):

Mixed Bunch Stamp Set

Blossom Punch

Blossom Petals Punch Hurry this one is retiring soon!

Brights Buttons Hurry these are retiring soon too!

White Baker's Twine

Razzleberry Ribbon (This design is no longer available, but there are plenty of others to choose from)

Cardstock (Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, & Old Olive)

Ink (Rich Razzleberry)

If you don't already have a demonstrator pick me (Amber Swift) to ensure you get the preferred prices!

Who Wants More Cake?

For the second card at the Confetti Cake class we used my favorite stamp set from the current catalog- Summer Silhouettes. I just love how versatile the flowers in it are. You can really pair them with any sentiment had have a great card ready for all occasions. I love how the Daffodil Delight and Rich Razzleberry compliment each other (in both this card and the last). They make a great team :)

Flutterby again soon to see our last project of the night. Here's a hint... it was meant to be a gift to give to the birthday girl- so now you know it is "something" as opposed to a card :)

Recipe card (with links):
Summer Silhouettes Stamp Set
Sassy Salutations Stamp Set
Bright Stack DSP
White Organza Ribbon
1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch
1 1/4" Circle Punch
Basic Pearls
Cardstock (Whisper White)
Ink (Daffodil Delight & Rich Razzleberry)

If you don't already have a demonstrator pick me (Amber Swift) to ensure you get the preferred prices!

Who Wants Cake?

Yesterday we had our Confetti Cake Occasions class, featuring all things birthday! I don't know about you, but whenever someone has a birthday I'm always left scrambling for a card- so it will be great to know I've got a couple on hand now.

The first card we stamped used the new, HUGE Swallowtail butterfly stamp. I just love this stamp (of course, because I love butterflies right?). Pair it up with some Summer Smooches DSP and you've got a bright cheery birthday card for this summer. Isn't it grand?

It was unanimous agreed that the Swallowtail stamp looked great dressed up in Daffodil Delight, and that the combination would make for great stationary :)  Just in case you are looking for a gift idea for someone!

Flutter back tomorrow to see the second card from the class.

Recipe card (with links):
Swallowtail Stamp
Delightful Dozen
Summer Smooches DSP
Elegant Butterfly Punch
Bright Buttons
White Baker's Twine
Cardstock (Whisper White & Tempting Turquoise)
Ink (Daffodil Delight & Rich Razzleberry)

If you don't already have a demonstrator pick me (Amber Swift) to ensure you get the preferred prices!

Retired Lists are Out

It's that time of year again. Stampin' Up! has released the list of retiring stamps and products. Better stock up before they are gone :)  Just click on the links below for easy viewing.

Retiring Stamps (Available up to June 3rd)
Wood Mount
Clear Mount
Stampin Around Wheels

Retiring Products (Available only while supplies last)
Accessories
25% Off Accessories
40% Off Accessories
60% Off Digital Discs

It is always sad to say goodbye to some old favorites, but I know it must be done in order to make room for new 'friends' in June. And I have to tell you- I am so excited to introduce you to some of these friends! I've gotten a sneak peek at the new catalog and I am positively drooling :) Hope you are excited to see what is in store for the next year as well!

Digital Kissing Technique

I've got quite the treat for you today! Do you know about the "kissing" technique for stamping? If not it is essentially this: You take a bold image stamp and ink it up in a light color and then you take a patterned stamp and ink it up in a dark color. You then press the two stamps together to transfer some of the patterned ink onto the bold image stamp, which you can then stamp onto your paper. Patsy Waggoner has a great example and video of this technique HERE if you want to see.

So where am I going with all this... wait for it... I figured out how to do it DIGITALLY! Yes, that is right. You can now use the kissing technique in MDS (squeal!).

The main trick to this technique is that the "bold" image must be in the new svg stamp format. Here is an example using the "Meant to Be" kit to create an elegant wedding card:

The flourish on the doves is done using this new technique. Cool right?! It is even an improvement over the "real" rubber stamp technique because you don't have to worry about which ink is light or dark ;)

So do you want to learn how to "kiss" too? Then watch this video.... and don't worry- it is approved for all audiences ;)

Flutterby again soon for more crafting inspiration!

SVG File Format

Are you confused about the new "SVG" style stamp sets? If so you are not alone. But here is what you need to know- when StampinUp! decided that the majority of their stamp brush sets would have the .svg file extension it was a happy day for digital designers :)

So, why are these files so fantastic? Well, SVG file types are completely scalable- which means you can make them as big as you want without having to worry about pixelation! Isn't that the best news ever!

But wait, there's more. Perhaps my favorite trick is that now you can turn a stamp into a punch. WHAT WAS THAT?!? Yes, you heard me right. StampinUp has always used the .svg format for their punches, so now that the stamps are in this format they can also function as punches!! All you have to do is place a copy of the stamp file in your punches folder and ABRACADABRA the magic happens.

So now have SVG files completely changed the way you think about designing in MDS? I hope you can think of all sorts of new uses for this fantastic upgrade from StampinUp!

For more details, check out the video I shot to explain the new file format to you. Grab some popcorn and enjoy :)

Flutterby again soon. I've got a cool new trick to show you, made possible by SVG file types :)

April Showers

Ha. I wish we had April showers... this year all we are getting is SNOW! And you know what April Snow brings? A lot of grumpy Minnesotans :)  Hopefully it will still bring flowers too, but that is yet to be seen.

In honor of the missing April Showers I wanted this swap card to be the first I shared with you. It was designed by Roxane Waggoner and it is so bright and cheery it makes me want rain!

Our theme for the swap was Spring/Summer cards, and I have to say she really managed to capture spring for me :)

Hope you have a fantastic weekend. Flutterby on Monday for your next MDS video!

Recipe card (with links)
Bootiful Occasions Stamp Set
Spring Sampler Stamp Set
Framed Tulips Texture Folder
Cloudy Day Texture Folder
Extra Large Oval Punch
Scalloped Oval Punch
Secret Garden Framelits
Basic Rhinestones
Summer Smooches DSP
Daffodil Delight Stitched Ribbon
Cardstock (Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive)
Ink (Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight)

If you don't already have a demonstrator pick me (Amber Swift) to ensure you get the preferred prices!

MDS Hybrid "My Friend"

This past weekend I had so much fun meeting with my fellow Demo sisters. We had a shoebox swap at the end of our meeting, and I came home with a bunch of cute ideas! I can't wait to share some of my favorites with you in the following weeks.

I, keeping with my favorite of course, choose to bring a Hybrid card for my project. It was inspired by a catalog sample, and I am absolutely thrilled with how it turned out:

I was so happy to find out that printing directly onto a non-white cardstock worked so well! I had actually never tried this before, and just always opted to make my designs for white or vanilla cardstock. But this time I really wanted a colored base... so I gave it a shot and it worked!

The digital parts of this project include the flowers printed onto the pink base and the punched out label. I love, love, love the fact that we can now color stamps in MDS- that is how I made the "hello my friend" vines and flowers a different color from the text. If you don't know how to color a stamp yet you are missing out! You NEED to learn this cool trick, so check out this video.

The rest of the card is all "real" DSP and embellishments (and lots of punches). Want to replicate the look? Check out the recipe card below. And don't forget to flutterby again soon to see some of my favorite swaps!

Recipe Card (with links):
My Friend Stamp Brush Set
Decorative Label Punch
Boho Blossoms Punch
Elegant Butterfly Punch
1" Square Punch (to create an even flag)
Basic Rhinestones
White Baker's Twine
Twitterpated DSP
Cardstock (Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red)

If you don't already have a demonstrator pick me (Amber Swift) to ensure you get the preferred prices!

MDS Basics Tutorial: Text

Here is the third part of my MDS Basic Videos. I want to make sure that when you start working with MDS you can be up and running in no time! In today's segment we are talking about how to add text to your projects. Remember, for these videos I will be building this scrapbook page from scratch to show you how it is done:

 

We've already given this page a background and photos, so now lets add some journaling to help capture the moment.

Hope you enjoy! Flutterby again soon

Birthday Time 2

I had a wonderful day on my birthday. I spent the day with close family to celebrate Easter, and it was so fun to have people around. My daughter was adorable and had a blast playing with her cousins and was convinced for the rest of the week that her eggs should always have food in them... it took her awhile to come to grasps with the fact that she ate all her candy in one sitting :)

Of course I also got presents :) I'm so excited about my new StampinUp Trimmer. If you haven't had a chance see one yet you've got to give it a try. My favorite feature is that the ruler locks down against the unit- so no more flopping around when I transport it. Score!

And, to top it off, I got a really cute card from my mom. I know- you've just been waiting for that, it is why you are here after all :)

Isn't it just sweet? I've loved this stamp set ever since StampinUp offered it as a sneak peak! I got the digital kit and have made some cute things with it :)  If you look really close you'll also see the bling on my 'vase'. It is accented with little pearls- very elegant in person.

Make sure you flutterby for a spell on Monday to see the next video in my MDS Basics tutorial, and have a great weekend!

Recipe Card (with links):
Bright Blossoms Stamp Set
Curly Cute Stamp Set
Basic Pearls
Polka Dot Parade DSP
Adorning Accents Edgelits
Cardstock (Whisper White, Real Read)
Ink (Real Red, Old Olive)

If you don't already have a demonstrator pick me (Amber Swift) to ensure you get the preferred prices! 

Birthday Time

Both my hubby and I have our birthday's at the end of March. In fact, I'm only 4 days after him, so I always tease him that he will be in big trouble if he ever forgets my birthday because he has a built in warning ;)

Birthday's bring birthday cards- and the ones from my mom are always homemade of course! She didn't fail to bring on the fun again this year. Check out the card she gave to my hubby:

Not to cute-sie since it is for a guy, but still filled with a lot of color and fun. I especially like the banner- it was only attached in the corners so it "dangles" free on the card and moves around. Too fun! Just check it out for yourself:

I hope you enjoy. Flutter back soon to see the card I recieved :)

Recipe card (with links):
Pennant Parade Stamp Set
Petite Pennants Builder Punch
Scallop Edge Punch
1/2" Circle Punch
3/4" Circle Punch
1/16" Handheld Circle Punch
White Baker's Twine
Basic Rhinestones
Just Add Cake DSP
Cardstock (Whisper White, Peach Parfait, So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi)
Ink (Basic Black, Peach Parfait, Baja Breeze, Daffodil Delight)

If you don't already have a demonstrator pick me (Amber Swift) to ensure you get the preferred prices!

MDS Basics Tutorial: Photos

Here is the second part of my MDS Basic Videos. I want to make sure that when you start working with MDS you can be up and running in no time! In today's segment we are talking about the simple photo tools available in MDS. Remember, for these videos I will be building this scrapbook page from scratch to show you how it is done:

 

Last time we created the green background and stripe of DSP, so let's now find some different ways to add pictures to our page. Here we go!

Hope you enjoy! Flutterby again soon

Serene Sunset

Have I told you yet how much I love the stamp set Serene Silhouettes? It has some gorgeous images in it! They work great as silhouettes, or you can break out the markers and color them in. Two looks for the price of one- WooHoo!

So, of course, today's card features this amazing stamp set. This was one of my mom's designs I copied awhile back. Didn't it turn out nicely?? In order to get the black "ground" look we stamped the tree-tops down next to the ground level and then filled in the rest of the area using black ink and a sponge dauber. Neat trick!

To get the look of the sun in the background we used a technique called Reverse Masking. In this case, we punched a circle out of a post-it note (discarding the circle) and then stuck the post-it to the card and sponged orange ink inside the circle window. Another neat trick!!

Hope you enjoyed the card and tricks today. Flutterby again soon!

Recipe card (with links):
Serene Silhouettes Stamp Set
Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp Set
1 3/4" Circle Punch
Woodgrain Texture Folder
Linen Thread
Sponge Daubers
Cardstock (Cajan Craze, Basic Black, & So Saffron)
Ink (Basic Black & Pumpkin Pie)

If you don't already have a demonstrator pick me (Amber Swift) to ensure you get the preferred prices! 

Easter Treats

This year we hosted the family Easter at our house, and my mom brought over the cutest favors for everyone's plates:

Aren't they just adorable! I love how she used the woodgrain folder to give the carrot it's stripy look :) Tip: make the embossed area with an additional layer, otherwise the carrot wasn't very durable.

And the punch art made an awesome little runaway Easter bunny :) Although, I was very happy he didn't leave "chocolate drops" on my plate as my mom had threatened to do (I had to nix that one and say "EWW!")

I know that everyone is probably done with Easter already for this year, but I had to share these little gems anyway. That way you can Pin them and be ready with ideas for next year! Or even better, incorporate one or the other into some other spring project you have. After all, by themselves neither carrots or rabbits are specific to Easter :) Check out the supplies used below so that you'll have everything you need when you start.

Flutter back again soon!

Recipe card (with links):

Carrot
Petal Cone Die
Decorative Label Punch
Linen Thread
Cardstock (Whisper White & Pumpkin Pie)
Ink (Lucky Limeade)

Bunny
Scallop Circle Die
1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch
Scallop Oval Punch
Small Oval Punch
Owl Punch (heart shape)
Cardstock (Whisper White & Regal Rose)
Ink (Crumb Cake for sponging the edges)

If you don't already have a demonstrator pick me (Amber Swift) to ensure you get the preferred prices!

Coloring a Stamp Multiple Colors

One of the amazing upgrades they put in the new MDS program was the ability to color a stamp multiple colors. In the "real" craft world this would be equivalent to taking a marker to a stamp instead of an ink pad. With the original program this was just not possible to do without a lot of effort and hassle, so I am so thrilled they made it work now!

Just check out this page from my Christmas album. See the sweet little ornament in the title? That isn't an embellishment- it is a stamp that I colored just the way I wanted it!

To see how it is done just check out this weeks video.

Now it's your turn. What stamps will you color in MDS? Flutter back soon!

Recipe card (with links):
Keep this Memory Photobook Template
Be of Good Cheer Digital Kit
Something for Christmas Stamp Brush Set

If you don't already have a demonstrator pick me (Amber Swift) to ensure you get the preferred prices!