Swing Card

Reason #105 of why I love being a Stampin' Up demonstrator --

The CSLs that directly "report" to THE Crazy Stampin Lady -- Maureen -- meet monthly, and then once a quarter all of OUR downline demonstrators join us! There is a possibility of 24+ Stampin' Up demonstrators in one room -- can you imagine the energy in THAT room! It is sooo much fun! 

This last meeting (June's meeting) was my opportunity, alongside one of my wonderful downline, Virginia, to lead the project. We opted to create a "swing card" -- it was new to just about everyone in the room! That was fun! It is not too often that I can find something new for this group!

The DSP that we used came from the Build-A-Bear DSP set -- it made a fun birthday card. We then used the Pretty Postage Stamp Set and the new Postage Punch, along with the Pinking Heart Border punch.

It was fun!

Want to join a supportive group of stampers like the CSLs? Simply contact me for more information. I have been a part of this group for over 6 years now -- and these women have become such wonderful friends. We share great ideas, both creative and business-based.


Thanks for stopping in today!  Happy Stamping Everyone!
~Lisa

Summertime Strawberries!

Summer is here -- and my favorite, favorite thing about summer is STRAWBERRIES! Oh-yum! We have the best strawberries near by. A near-by city is famous for their strawberries. And so in honor of my favorite summertime fruit, I made the following card-fronts (for an online card swap that I am participating in).  The idea is NOT my own -- thank you Maureen, the Crazy Stamping Lady herself, for this oh-so-fun idea!

The base of the strawberry is the SU Embosslit Scalloped Heart. I love the little dimples in the heart -- they look just like the seeds on a strawberry. You then use the 5-petal flower punch for the large leaves (cut off two petals), and the branch from the Build-A-Bird punch. Finally, the white flower is from the Boho Blossoms punch and the yellow center is the Itty Bitty Flower punch. Cute - cute - cute! Just one of benefits of being part of the CSLs -- Maureen shares wonderful project ideas at each of our monthly downline meetings! 

The card-swap that I am participating in calls for 10 card-fronts. So 10 there are! They get mailed in to a SU Demonstrator that graciously coordinated a mail-in card-swap!  I will mail these to her this week and she will then mail me 10 others in exchange. I have no idea what I will receive, or who they will come from! We were asked to place our contact information on the back of the card, so I hope to meet some new online friends through this activity. Very fun! I can't wait to see the ideas -- they are due to be in shortly after July 1st.  I'll keep you posted!

Enjoy the sunshine!
~Lisa

Father's Day Cards

Father's Day sure snuck up on me this year. There has been a lot going on around our house (thus, no posts for over two months -- yikes!). Apparently teenage children need taxi-cab service all-the-time! And the two kids are never traveling in the same direction. But more on that later...  Here are the two father's day cards that I made this year.

I wish I had a close-up for you but my camera was not cooperating! I think it was the paper I was using; I kept getting a horrible glare in my photo.

To create this look I started with SU's Glossy White paper (LOVE IT!). I then started playing around with some (uh-hum) alcohol inks that are out there with a blending solution. I stamped a couple of images on the paper and smeared them a bit (see the anchor). I embossed both the ship and sentiment in black and then the  world image in gold (only on the card on the black frame). I do love this new stamp set from Stampin' Up -- it is called The Open Sea and it can be found in our current Summer Mini (see link on the right hand side of this page).

The card with the grommet and brads was for my dear husband -- the one who just doesn't "get-it" when I spend a ton of time creating a card. However, he actually said that he really liked the hardware on this card. He really is a hardware kind of guy. He either really liked these elements or he was being very kind, finding something nice to say about my work (and for those of you who know my husband, he isn't one to say something that wasn't true just to be kind -- LOL). 

The card that is on the black frame was for my father. Poor man is getting his card in the next couple of days because I only mailed it this morning. I made the card on Saturday (again, due to everything that has been going on) and mailed it today. I did call Dad to let him know that it is on its way. He will very much appreciate a home-made card. My Dad IS a man who appreciates home-made items more than store-bought. He likes the fact that so much individualized attention goes into the creation. He has been that way since I was a kid. I hope that he likes it enough to forgive me for the lateness of the card. (I blamed it on my mother -- she is ALWAYS late in mailing out birthday cards -- so I will say that it is a hereditary lateness!) Dad laughed at that one and said he will be sure to share my theory with Mom. She will laugh! (At least I hope she will!)

I hope all of you enjoyed your Father's Day weekend with family and loved ones!

Thanks for stopping in today. Maybe I will be able to post a bit more frequently now that it is summertime!