Twitterpated!

Well, I survived birthday week, but just barely! My youngest son turned 18 recently, and it was very hard for me...the realization that he is now an adult somehow made me feel SO much older. Probably because now that he IS considered an adult, we have to take special steps to protect him, as he could be considered a vulnerable adult due to his autism spectrum disorder. Needless to say there is lots of paperwork involved in that protection, which is why I've been absent from blog land for a while.

But now that I'm back, I'm going to share one of the projects my stamp club did this week. Our theme was "It's All About Hearts!" in preparation for Valentine's Day. This card, however, was not the one I had originally planned for the club. My mom, who is a club member, came over to celebrate birthdays (my oldest son also turned 29) two days before the club was to meet, so she made her projects then. Unfortunately the original Smooch Spritz project I had planned turned out to be not very club-friendly, so I had to make a last-minute change. Thankfully I had this wonderful layout in my head, as I had just seen it on the talented Chris Smith's blog. Thanks for the inspiration, Chris!

Recipe

Stamps: Word Play

Paper: Whisper White & Riding Hood Red CS, Twitterpated Designer Series Paper (mini catalog)

Ink: Basic Gray & Riding Hood Red markers

Accessories: Square Lattice & Petals-a-Plenty embossing folders & Big Shot; Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon; Framelits Dies Labels Collection; Heart to Heart punch; Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz; Illuminate Top Coat Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink; Basic Pearls; Stampin' Dimensionals

I just LOVE the new Framelits Dies in the Occasions Mini catalog! They are so easy to use, and with six different sizes to choose from there are endless layout possibilities. The colors in the beautiful Twitterpated Designer Series paper are some of my favorites, and of course they coordinate so well that this card practically made itself! The embossing folders add interesting texture, and the Smooch products add just the right amount of glimmer. I hope you can see in the close-up how I "painted" with the Illuminate accent ink along the top right edges of the greeting layer. You may also be able to see how the flowered paper is embossed with the Petals-a-Plenty folder. This card is very versatile, and could be used for many occasions such as an anniversary, "thinking of you" or even a birthday or sympathy card. 

The cold wind is really blowing the snow around outside my dark window, so I'm looking forward to climbing into bed under some warm blankets. Sweet dreams!

Jolly Bingo Birthday!

It's time to get back to work now that the holidays have come and gone. I hope everyone had a memorable Christmas and is enjoying the new year! During the next six weeks my family will be celebrating over 10 birthdays, so I really have to buckle down and get some serious stamping done.

Tonight I'm giving you a sneak peak of some of the new products available for FREE during the upcoming Sale-A-Bration, which starts January 24. It's a birthday card, of course! I've been wanting to use this neat layout ever since I saw it; it's borrowed from the very talented Mary Brown (aka stampercamper). The stamp set I'm using is actually a Christmas set called Jolly Bingo Bits, but it is so versatile that it can be used all year long.

Recipe
Stamps: Jolly Bingo Bits, Fabulous Phrases
Paper: Pool Party, Calypso Coral & Whisper White CS; Everyday Enchantment DS paper (SAB)

Ink: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade & Basic Gray

Accessories: Tasteful Trim die & Big Shot; Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack (SAB); Basic Rhinestones; 1/16" circle punch; Paper Snips; Stampin' Dimensionals

Isn't this a fun layout? The Pool Party card base is cut 3-1/4" x 11" and folded in half, allowing the greeting layer to hang over the edge for just an extra pop of interest. The ribbon bow is also done using Mary Brown's technique, but since the organdy ribbon is thin I wrapped it three times around a cardstock scrap, then carefully slid it off and inserted it in the opened brad, then closed the brad and popped it through the greeting layer. The greeting layer is popped off the base using Dimensionals.

I just love the Everyday Enchantment DS paper and matching accessories; the color combinations are really fresh and I know you'll love the patterns as much as I do! As much I'm looking forward to Sale-A-Bration, though, I'm even more excited about the Occasions Mini Catalog, which went live on January 4th. It is chock full of exciting new products and stamp sets - so many wonderful things that I'm having a hard time trying to talk myself out of just ordering everything in the catalog!! You'll be seeing me use some of those new products here in the coming weeks, so check back once in a while.

Time now for me to head off to bed, where I hope I can dream up some more sweet birthday layouts. G'night!