Stampin' Up! with Melissa

Great news!

2008-07-24T11:23:00.002-04:00

Just this week, Stampin' Up! announced that they will soon (this fall!) have online ordering available! This means that our customers will be able to order directly online through our business websites (mine is: http://melissav.stampinup.net).

Use this link for more information:
http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/11319.asp

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

2008-06-18T22:17:00.005-04:00

Well, sorry i've been a little, well, absent lately. Things were a little hectic because of the end of the school year. It is one of the most insane parts of my year! I feel like i barely have time to breathe, never mind blog. The only reason there were posts up last week is because i had scheduled them the weekend before!

But this past weekend i basically collapsed, and am still recovering. Well, that plus having overnight company for 2 nights, and getting ready for a church yard sale this Saturday where i'm selling some things, etc.

ANYway, i did make something new tonight, with a brand new stamp set! This is made with Fresh Cuts, which is part of a promotion running this month. Check out this flyer for more details:
I got the Fresh Cuts set last week but only tonight had time to play with it. Let me tell you, this set is so much fun because it's so easy to work with. You really can't make it look bad! This card only took me about 15 minutes. Here's what i came up with.

All supplies from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise indicated.
Stamp Set: Fresh Cuts
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Mellow Moss, Close to Cocoa
Ink: Close to Cocoa
Adhesive: Tape runner, Dimensionals
Other: Very Vanilla 5/8" grosgrain ribbon

Enjoy!

2008-06-14T08:42:00.003-04:00

Well, folks, school is out for summer! Here's a card i made for a colleague who just finished her very last school year - Linda is retiring. I really didn't feel like doing the usual "congratulations" card, and Enjoy Every Moment just seemed like the perfect sentiment! I hope she does enjoy every moment of her long and happy retirement.

All supplies from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.
Stamp set: Enjoy Every Moment
Cardstock: Regal Rose, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Ink: Regal Rose, Pumpkin Pie
Adhesives: Tape runner, dimensionals
Tools: 1/16" hole punch, bone folder, corner rounder
Other: 5/8" Pumpkin Pie striped grosgrain ribbon

Sparkly Wedding

2008-06-11T08:42:00.002-04:00

Here's a card i made recently for a bridal shower. There's a lot of glitter on it but the scanner really doesn't pick it up. But it looks very sparkly in real life! Sorry about the retired background stamp.
All supplies from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.
Stamp Sets: Soft Swirls (retired), Cause for Celebration (hostess)
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink Pads: Purely Pomegranate, Basic Black
Markers: Rose Red, Regal Rose
Adhesives: Tape runner, Dimensionals, Two-way glue pen
Other: Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Regal Rose 5/8" grosgrain ribbon

Summer Cherries

2008-06-08T08:42:00.001-04:00

One night recently, i needed to make a couple of thank you notes. I didn't have a lot of time, but i was in the mood to do something with a little "wow" factor. When i'm in that situation, i often turn to Stampin' Up!'s Designer Series Papers. Using one of them makes it so easy to choose colors (which is often the hardest part of designing), and makes a quick card look special and gorgeous.

Lately i'm loving the Summer Picnic DSP, which is only available 'till the end of June. It's so...well, summery!! And i love how well it coordinates with one of my favorite sets these days, Tart & Tangy.

This card only took about 30 minutes once i got going, and in that time i actually made two. 15 minutes per card? You can't beat that, right?! I couldn't have made it to the store and back in that amount of time, were i the card-buying type instead of the card-making type. And that time includes a little snaffu which involved stamping the sentiment directly onto the DSP, not liking it, and then figuring out how to put the sentiment on AND cover my mistake in one shot!

Here's the end result.

All supplies from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.
Stamp sets: Tart & Tangy, Short & Sweet
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Real Red, Old Olive, Whisper White
DSP: Summer Picnic
Ink Pads: Old Olive
Markers: Real Red, Old Olive
Tools: Scallop Circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, large oval punch, small oval punch
Adhesives: Tape runner, dimensionals
Other: Old Olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon

A Chocolate Sky

2008-06-05T08:42:00.000-04:00

The design for this card may seem familiar to you if you've been reading my blog for awhile. It's one i go to when i'm stuck for an idea, but somehow it always ends up looking a little different than the last time i used it.

This time i was motivated to use Soft Sky and Chocolate Chip together for some reason. I guess it's because usually if i'm going to use blue with brown, i reach for Bashful Blue. But in a few short months, the 08 In Colors will go away forever, so i wanted to try these together while i can!

I love how soft sky ink looks stamped on soft sky cardstock. It's so elegant, especially when the stamp is Baroque Motifs. I swear, it's almost impossible to make an ugly card with that stamp set. I'm hoping it will be in the next catalog even though it's already been around for a year. Of course, the wood blocks on my set are so beat up, they look like i've had the set for 5 years, not just 1 year!

There is something i don't LOVE about this card, but i can't put my finger on it. I think it has to do with how the ribbon and circle-punched piece came out. If i had some soft sky ribbon, i think that would have been better, but vanilla was the best i could do. Anyway, enough rambling. Here's what i ended up with.

All supplies from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.
Stamp sets: Baroque Motifs, All Year Cheer I (retired)
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Ink Pads: Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip, Versamark
Tools: 1 1/4" circle punch, 1/16" hole punch, Stampin' sponges
Adhesives: Tape runner, dimensionals
Other: Vintage Brad, Very Vanilla 3/8" grosgrain ribbon

True Confessions

2008-06-02T08:42:00.003-04:00

Sometimes i check my Google Reader at work during my "break" (a term which i use loosely because i'm supposed to use that time to get work done). I really shouldn't be reading blogs during that time, but sometimes i just need a little creative outlet in a day full of tying shoelaces, disciplining, lesson planning, hearing Mrs. ... 57 times per hour, oh, and teaching too.

So, sometime over the last few weeks, on someone's blog in my Reader, probably referring to a SCS color challenge, i saw the combo pumpkin pie, chocolate chip, and purely pomegranate. I scribbled it down on a scrap of paper and tossed it in my bag, not to be discovered again until recently. It's a color combination i have never used and would never have thought of, so when i found that little scrap, it motivated me to give it a try. It's a great color combo - i will definitely be playing with it again!

I started with a cardbase of pumpkin pie and continued from there. I added the background stamp (the dots) almost at the end, because the dots reminded me of the dots around the flower. I must be in the mood for clean, simple, unembellished cards lately, since that seems to be mostly what i'm coming up with! Anyway, here's the end result.

All supplies from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.
Stamp sets: One of a Kind, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Purely Pomegranate, Very Vanilla
Ink Pads: Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Purely Pomegranate
Markers: Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose

Adhesives: Tape runner

Other: Blender pen

Groovy Thanks

2008-05-30T08:42:00.000-04:00

So the other night, i told my husband (who was surfing the web on the computer in my stamping room) that i could, and would, make a card in 5 minutes. I asked him to time me, then i got to work.

I used an idea i got from this post by one of my favorite bloggers, Stampin' Mama. I don't have the sets she used, but i liked the beautiful simplicity of her design. I must admit that it was kinda fun to make a card without ANY embellishment - not a brad, piece of ribbon, or other nit-picky detail in sight. Just cutting, stamping, and sticking, and only a few colors. Well, that and my new corner rounder which i just couldn't resist breaking in!

I will be honest and say that i don't totally LOVE the result. I do like how clean it looks, and i love the idea of having a finished card in a short time, but if i made this one again i would add...i don't know, but i would add SOMEthing.

Anyway, i stuck down the last layer, jumped up, and yelled "DONE" only to be greeted by a blank stare from the hubbard. I said, "well, did i do it?? did i make it in 5 minutes???!!" to which he replied, "oh, sorry hon, i didn't look at the clock".

Guess next time i'll set a timer.

All supplies from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.
Stamp sets: Heartfelt Thanks
Cardstock: Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Ink Pads: Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip
Tools: Corner Rounder
Adhesive: Tape runner

Sweet Scallops

2008-05-27T08:42:00.000-04:00

So as you probably already know, i'm a teacher by day (stamper by night). At the end of the year, some very thoughtful parents often give me a little something to say thanks for working with their child. So i decided i'd make up some thank you cards to have on hand. Since i get bored easily when reproducing one design, i made them in "reverse" colors.

Here's what i ended up with. These are in a great size - you can get 3 card bases out of one sheet of cardstock, and they fit in a regular 3 5/8 x 6 1/2 size envelope. Please excuse my use of one retired stamp set...So Many Scallops was one i got FREE during this year's Sale-a-Bration. It's a great set because it makes it so easy to whip up cute cards. I made a pile of these in under an hour (once i had the basic design figured out).

All supplies from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.
Stamp sets: Time Well Spent, So Many Scallops (SAB 2008), Enjoy Every Moment
Cardstock: Mellow Moss, Regal Rose, Whisper White
Ink Pads: Mellow Moss, Regal Rose, Barely Banana
Tools: Scallop Circle punch
Adhesives: Tape runner, Dimensionals

Happy Birthday, Benjamin!

2008-05-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

Today is my nephew Benjamin's birthday. I can't believe he's 9 years old already! Time sure flies, doesn't it?

So, the other day i sent out a box of goodies. (I have made it my little tradition to give a little something to the siblings of the birthday kid, so the goodies include presents for Benjamin plus small somethings for Bethany and Josiah, too.) Here's the card i sent him in the box. Please excuse my use of two retired stamp sets! :)

All supplies from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Stamp sets: Stars and Swirls (retired), Birthday Whimsy (SAB 2008)
Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, So Saffron, Certainly Celery
Ink Pads: Not Quite Navy, So Saffron, Certainly Celery
Tools: 1/16" punch, Small Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Ticket Corner punch, sponges
Adhesives: Tape runner, Dimensionals
Other: Silver Brads

One of a Kind

2008-05-16T19:42:00.007-04:00

First let me start off by saying that this card is NOT my own design. It was tweaked a bit, yes, but mostly cased from another blogger or two. The problem is that there are so many wonderful stamping bloggers out there, most of whose blogs i subscribe to in Google Reader (love that Reader, btw), that i honestly have NO idea where i saw this card. So, whoever you are, i apologize for not giving you proper credit, but thank you for the cute card idea!

So this was one of the cards we made at my last club workshop, at Becky's house (the other card was the wheelbarrow Mother's Day card that i posted a few days ago). We were missing a lot of club members that night, but we had a great time anyway! If you are interested in joining my next club, go to my Stampin' Up! website (the link is on the left sidebar) for more information!

All supplies from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Stamp sets: Tart & Tangy, One of a Kind
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa, Real Red, Old Olive
DSP: Summer Picnic
Ink Pads: Close to Cocoa, Real Red, Old Olive
Markers: Close to Cocoa
Tools: Scallop Circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1" punch
Adhesives: Tape runner, dimensionals
Other: White gel pen, white 3/8" grosgrain ribbon

New Poll!

2008-05-14T17:05:00.001-04:00

Scroll down the left side of my blog to participate in my new poll. This time it's about the 2007 In Colors, which I for one will be sad to see go in a few short months.

Happy Momma's Day!

2008-05-13T21:16:00.007-04:00

Well, here i am, late to the party as usual. I guess it's only fitting that i'm posting this card two days after Mother's Day, since i haven't...umm...well, see, i haven't actually sent my mom her card yet. I know, terrible.

But fortunately i don't think she reads my blog, at least not regularly, so she will still (i hope) see this card in person rather than here. Which means that i did make her card! In fact, sorry to say, Mom, i made several of your card this year, so i could sell some at the coffee shop and also use it for a club workshop i had last week.

Boy, now i'm really hoping my mom doesn't read my blog! Since now i've said that her card isn't so unique! However, there is a new mommie-to-be i'd like to wish a special Happy (belated) Mother's Day to: my friend-in-the-computer, Char. Consider this your Mother's Day card, too, Char! :)

I tried my hand at a new-to-me technique (which everyone and their mother has already done just ages ago, but like i said, i'm late to the party) called paper piecing. Of course, me being the cutting-hater that i am, i only did it with an image that has nice clean lines and no inverted corners or jaggedy lines. (Unlike the card Claire made us do last week at Diva Night which i also need to post up here. I have actually been doing a lot of stamping lately, just not very much posting.)

I also did more coloring on this card than i usually do...i'm not generally a fan of the coloring, i must say. But i didn't mind it so much on this one. Flower petals are pretty quick to do; just a quick swipe with the brush tip of my Stampin' Up! marker and there ya go.

One more thing...i'm proud to say that although i usually CASE things quite shamelessly, this one is actually my own design. And i used a different color combo (for me), mostly because i really wanted to use Pumpkin Pie but i already had the Pretty in Pink cardstock cut. Boy, i was just breaking out of my molds all over the place with this one, eh??

ANYway, here's the card. Happy belated Mother's Day to all the moms!

Stamp Set: Blooming with Love (thank you, Kristin!)
Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
DSP: Summer Picnic
Ink Pads: Basic Gray, Pumpkin Pie
Markers: Creamy Caramel, Apricot Appeal, Certainly Celery, Pale Plum, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie
Tools: Blender Pen, Bone Folder, Ticket Corner Punch, 1/16" hole punch, Paper Snips
Adhesives: Tape runner, Stampin' Dimensionals
Other: 3/8" Bashful Blue grosgrain ribbon

Bashful Bride

2008-04-27T19:39:00.002-04:00

Here's a card i made tonight using some of our punches and PDSP (prints designer series paper). I'm pretty happy with how it came out, although to me the blues don't quite match as perfectly as i would like. But then i'm pretty picky about color matching...

Stamp Set: (retired) Mini Mates
Cardstock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue
DSP: Bashful Blue Prints Designer Series Paper (from the prints pack hostess gift)
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Tools: Bone Folder, small oval punch, 1 1/4" circle punch
Adhesives: Tape runner, Stampin' Dimensionals
Other: 5/8" chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon, 1/4" bashful blue grosgrain ribbon

Coming soon to a coffee shop near you!

2008-04-13T15:46:00.003-04:00

Actually, it might not be near you...depends where you live!

I'm going to be selling a few cards at my local coffee shop (and maybe at work, too). So i spent a big chunk of yesterday making some to take over this week. Here's a little sampling...sorry about the glare off the plastic covers; i was too lazy to take them off before scanning!

Jumping out of a perfectly good plane...

2008-04-06T19:06:00.005-04:00

This is totally un-stamping related, but i thought i'd share anyway. For his 40th birthday, my sister surprised her husband Pete with (among other things) a skydive! It was his first jump, so he went tandem. Here are a couple of shots i got from the ground. Cool, huh?

A little Spring in my step

2008-03-30T22:37:00.008-04:00

What a beautiful day today was! It was still a little chilly, but very sunny and spring-like. My husband and i did a little planting and other outdoor type things this afternoon, and it left me in a very fresh and perky mood. So that meant i had to create something fresh and perky in my stamp room tonight, right? Well, here ya go.

Now if that's not fresh and perky, i don't know what is! Here's hoping you have a little spring in your step these days, too.

Stamp set: Enjoy Every Moment
Cardstock: Pink Passion, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Pink Passion, Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Barely Banana
Tools: Bone Folder
Adhesive: Tape Runner, 2-Way Glue Pen
Other: Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Black Gingham ribbon

Happy Easter, everyone!

2008-03-22T23:02:00.002-04:00

Sets: Time Well Spent, God's Blessings
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Purely Pomegranate, Pale Plum
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, Perfect Plum
Tools: Tag corner punch
Adhesive: Tape runner, Stampin' Dimensionals
Other: Wild Wasabi double-stitched ribbon, Whisper White 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

Free Wheelin'

2008-03-20T15:57:00.000-04:00

Wow! Stampin' Up! has a great special going on! From March 18-April 30, if you buy one of the featured stamp sets, you get the coordinating jumbo wheel FREE (an $8.50 value)! This is an excellent deal.

The stamp sets (with the free jumbo wheel for each listed in parentheses) are:

Wonderful You (Stems and Silhouettes)
Life's a Breeze (Something Fishy)
Pun Fun (Sweet Stars)
Year After Year (See You Around)
Stitched Exotics (It's Beautiful)
Enjoy Every Moment (Daisy Dash)

For more information, contact me via email or phone!

Elegant Earth Elements

2008-03-19T22:11:00.004-04:00

My friend Michele and her fiance came over the other night to design their wedding invitation. We had dinner together, and then had some creative collaboration time! I absolutely LOVE the color combination they decided on (they're having a fall wedding), and i think the invite came out gorgeous. After we finished, we of course celebrated with a little ice cream (any celebration is always better with ice cream, if you ask me)!

Here's our finished product (pre-text, of course):

This invite uses the following:
Stamp set: Baroque Motifs
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Really Rust, and Very Vanilla
Inks: Old Olive, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip
Tools: Scallop Circle Punch, 1/16" hole punch
Adhesives: Tape Runner, Dimensionals
Other: Vintage Brad

Last chance - Sale-a-bration ends TOMORROW!!

2008-03-16T18:42:00.002-04:00

Well, it's your last chance to get the FREE (with a $50 purchase) Sale-a-bration sets. This, the biggest sale of the year, ends tomorrow. So be sure to contact me ASAP if you've been putting it off! These sets all come die-cut, so you can be stamping with them in no time flat. Click here to download the SAB flyer.
The above card was made with 2 SAB sets, Birthday Whimsy and So Many Scallops. Here are the other ingredients:
Cardstock: Blue Bayou, Purely Pomegranate, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Prints in Certainly Celery
Ink: Blue Bayou, Purely Pomegranate
Tools: 1", 1 1/4", and 1 3/8" circle punches, bone folder (of course)
Adhesive: Tape runner, Dimensionals

Pretty in Pink...and brown

2008-03-15T17:59:00.005-04:00

On Monday night, we had a downline meeting. We swapped cards (which i'll show-and-tell another time) and made a 6x6 scrapbook page, designed by Claire. Today i had the chance to put a picture onto the page we made, and i just couldn't wait to share it! (since i hardly ever scrapbook, this is very exciting!) Anyway, here it is:

My scanner really doesn't do these colors justice, but i haven't had much luck with taking photos of my projects either so it'll have to do. Here's what we used for this page:

Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa, and Whisper White cardstock
Close to Cocoa Prints Designer Series Paper
Chipboard pieces
Sanding blocks
Hodgepodge Hardware (silver)
Pretty in Pink 1/4" grosgrain ribbon
SNAIL Tape runner, Anywhere Glue Stick, & glue dots

Clubbing once again

2008-03-12T17:34:00.000-04:00

Last weekend my current club met to do some stamping together. A few couldn't make it (we missed you, Becky & Ro!) but the rest of the club and some other friends had a great time together. Thanks for hosting, Judi!

Here are the two cards everyone made. Or, should i say, here are my original designs for the make-and-takes. Thanks to coordinating colors and double-sided Designer Series Paper, each person's "many thanks" card came out completely different. Love that!

Both of these cards were made using stamp sets which you can get for FREE right now during Stampin' Up!'s Sale-a-Bration. In fact, you can only get them for a few more days - the sale ends on Monday, and then these sets will be gone forever! If you'd like to take advantage of the best Stampin' Up! sale of the year, be sure to contact me right away.

Many Thanks:
Stamp set: Lots of Thoughts (SAB)
Cardstock: So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery
Designer Series Paper: Cutie Pie
Ink: Basic Black
Tools: 1 3/8" circle punch
Adhesive: Tape runner, Stampin' Dimensionals
Other: Whisper White grosgrain ribbon

Happy Birthday:
Stamp set: Birthday Whimsy (SAB), Itty Bitty Backgrounds
Cardstock: Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi, Barely Banana, Whisper White
Ink: Groovy Guava, Elegant Eggplant, and Wild Wasabi ink pads, Barely Banana marker
Tools: Paper snips
Adhesive: Tape runner, Stampin' Dimensionals
Other: Elegant Eggplant grosgrain ribbon

New poll!

2008-03-02T20:05:00.002-05:00

I put up a new poll today, so be sure to vote! This poll will end on March 12th. You can find it in the left-hand sidebar.

Rock n Roll!

2008-03-01T08:07:00.002-05:00

This card is a perfect example of how we cardmakers love to CASE (copy and steal everything!) from one another. Once upon a time, i made a card. Claire liked the layout, so she used the basic layout to come up with a new card and used it for a make-and-take at a PhillyInkers meeting. I loved her changes, so i have now stolen it back, made a minor adjustment, and made yet another card!

Here is the final result, using the technique called Rock and Roll (to get the two-color look in the larger images). I love how the card ends up looking like it was tie-dyed. This technique was not on my original card. The strip of paper going diagonally was my basic layout. The stamp choice, colors, and technique is Claire's. When i changed it again, i only changed the width of the strip and the amount of stamping.

Stamp set: Baroque Motifs
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Purely Pomegranate (In Color 07-08) textured
Ink: Groovy Guava and Purely Pomegranate (both In Color 07-08)
Tools: Paper trimmer
Adhesive: Tape runner