Two days left!

There are some great stamp sets and DSP in the Occasions mini, but there are only two days remaining!  The frame to the left is my attempt at art, which it isn't, but it's still cute.  The Springtime Vintage DSP is showcased with a number of embellishments which are attached to the glass of the frame as the DSP is underneath.  Many of the buttons and adornments are in the Occasions mini as well, so make sure to take a quick peek!  Looking ahead... my pre-order is sitting in my foyer... it includes items from the new summer mini catlalog which begins on May 1st.  You won't be disappointed!  I love it all!  Stay tuned... Sera

It's not the Easter Bunny

We have a pheasant in our yard that we call Phoebe, in fact every pheasant we see is called Phoebe no matter where we are in the world.  We saw her (which is actually a he) on Easter morning so she fits the theme for this post.  This is another awesome swap from our sista retreat!  Looks awesome doesn't it?  I hope everyone had a nice Easter and you were able to spend time with family and/or friends.  Quick reminder as I prepare for my May events... if you are looking to purchase a stamp set or some DSP from the current occasions mini catalog... there are only a few days left.  Take a peek at the link to the left for one more look.  Saturday is the last day!  Happy Easter!  Sera

Awash with Flowers

I really do enjoy this set, which I don't use enough.  I came across this color combo and thought I would try it, cherry cobbler and peach parfait.  I'm not a fan of peach,and cherry cobbler is my favorite but this looks very nice together!  There is a splash of old olive there as well.  I tend to stick with a set for a few days, make some samples and then move on to something else of course... but I do plan to work with this one today... I'm off, and my boys are in school... wahoo!  I mean that nicely... Sera

Gift Card sets

I love giving card sets for gifts.  I made this set over the weekend, which includes 8 cards as shown and a set of envelopes.  Using the same stamp set and sentiment make it really easy, but there is something striking about using black or basic gray for the main image and changing the colors in just the cardstock.  Plus, I had these pre-cut from other workshops so it was a snap.  Best of all, she LOVED them!  Sera

Rock Band Dude

Here are a few card swaps from our macho man swap last weekend.  Great job ladies!  You have to love the rock band guy.  He has been very helpful when it comes to teen cards!  Quick post for today!  Sera

You're a Star!

A few more retreat photos!

 Kristine was sharing her display board that she uses for upcoming projects/classes or workshops.  It makes a great conversation piece and stampers in her group always like to see what's next!  Below, Heidi is sharing the embedded embossing technique.  She had some great samples to share... you'll see them soon!  That is her party favor below as well that she made with the petal cone die.  What a great treat holder!  Sera

Friends, stamping, food!

In that order!  I'm lucky to have such great stamping friends!  Here they are stamping away!  The theme for this retreat was, you're a star!  A movie theme.  It was awesome... all of these ladies are stars!

 Here were a couple of the projects we made.  They were awesome!  Two great folds were a part of these great creations!  One project was Carmen's, the other, Julie's... thanks for your great work!

 Of course we had plenty of food.  Kristine's neighbor made these bars for us.  Yes, her neighbor.  She came over to see Kristine and saw her stamp room and said, "Is there anything I can do for you?  This place is crazy."  The neighbor isn't a crafter at all, but she saw the recipe on the counter and said... "Do you need these?  I'll be right back."  She came back an hour later with the bars done and Kristine was saved. Now, she needs a neighbor for her swaps, hee hee!  Speaking of which, wait until you see those... Love 'em!  Sera

500th Post!

I'm super excited to share pictures of our retreat with you as the 500th post on our blog!  You may not know everyone in these pictures, but you can see they all had a great time stamping.  I will share cards and other items throughout the week.  We had 12 demonstrators which mean 12 make and takes and the cards were awesome!  There was a great variety and it took us most of Friday night to get through them all!  It's always a nice chance to get to know everyone a little better as well... and the ideas... amazing!

My Digital Studio Card

                                                                                                                                                 

I posted this card at one point in February, but after some time getting to know MDS better, I came up with this! (A better version). Our pug, Tessa is 8 months old and about full grown.  I've been working with pictures of her as I get a handle on My Digital Studio.  It is a great program and I enjoy working with it!  In the mean time I have our retreat photos to share starting tomorrow!  We had such a great time!  Twelve demonstrators stamped, laughed, shared, ate and stamped some more... a great retreat!  Sera

First Edition

I have been working with the DSP, First Edition and stamped this card with the set Springtime Blossoms.  The blossoms are colored with the regal rose marker which matches the cardstock of course.  It's a simple card and I made a few here and there as I was trying to figure out options for this DSP.  It's a real nice paper to stamp on.  There are different fonts and justifications in the print which is awesome!  Sera

In Color Birthday

Here are the cards we made at our sista meeting last month.  We used some hostess DSP as well as the level one hostess set, birthday bakery.  The envelope is from the scallop envelope bigz die.  The highlight of the card are the In Color glimmer brads!  A fun touch of bling!  Hope you are all enjoying the NCAA basketball tournament.  I have it on as I work on my swaps for the sista retreat this weekend! Sera

Nature Walk

I've been working with the stamp set Nature Walk and Carmen and Heidi both had a great swap at our sista meeting that inspired this card. The shadow image in the back was stamped with a glass block... a technique Heidi showed last year- and I finally tried it, sheesh! I embossed the base of the card with the tulip embossing folder...love the look! Special thanks to sista Mary who spent some time helping me get this card just right! And Robin, thanks for cutting all of that cardstock! We had a great lunch last week! I appreciate all of the inspiration! Sera

 

Scallop Square Notes

I pulled out the bigshot and decided to do a few different things for hostess gifts this time around. I made some card sets with the Springtime Vintage DSP. The base is a piece of Very Vanilla, but it is only the base, but a square cut with the clear large scallop square die. There is a piece of Baja Breeze layered, but the final piece is the DSP, cut 4x8, scored at 4, folded and that's the card. If you use a layer as in the picture below, your DSP will need to be trimmed a bit so it's a tad smaller than 4in. To make the most of your DSP, cut your 12x12 sheet in one 4 x 12 piece, trim it to 4x8, then go back to the rest of your 12x12 sheet and turn it a quarter turn, you will have three more 4x8 strips in what is remaining. Make sense? Keep in mind that with the DSP since it's patterned on both sides, you may need to stamp your sentiment on a piece of vanilla, punch it out and adhere it to the inside. The DSP in this case is a little to wild in that you can't stamp the sentiment directly on the DSP, you won't be able to read it. This is a little too much explaining for these simple cards, but with my left over piece of 4x4, I trimmed it down and made a quick and cute 3x3 as well! A fun set of cards! Sera

Okay two more with Bliss!

I found a few more cards with this set as I was attempting to sort through a few stacks of Sale-a-Bration items. The first card layout was one that I saw on Jill Hillards blog with some SAB DSP. This card was made with Bliss of course and the Love Notes DSP. As you can see, stamp layering was the theme... just stamp directly on the DSP or the image that is already there. Okay, so SAB is done and I've got a some new things to share with you tomorrow. Sera