Geneva's Stamping Designs

Stamping 411's Challenge # 222

WOW!  I couldn't believe it's been 20 days since I last posted anything on here!  I'm sorry, it's been a strange month.  My father has been in the hospital 3 times  (and is still there this time) and had 2 surgeries to remove an infection that no one knows where it came from!  I was recently told by a doctor that I was "one in a hundred!"  My brother said, "Oh NO! - You're following in Dad's footsteps!  STOP that!"  We love our father, but he does seem to get medical "things" that surprise the doctors!  Oh well, on to this card......

On top of everything else, today is my parent's 60th wedding anniversary!  I went to the store to find some cards for my father to choose from to give my mother, and found 25th, 40th, and 50th, but NO 60th!  Must not sell a lot of them!  Just so you know he still has his sense of humor, he said, "I like the funny one, she needs to laugh!" (It's all been pretty stressful on her!)

I, of course, was planning to make one for them using ALL Stampin' UP products.  This week's Stamping 411 challenge seemed to put itself together.  This is a 4 1/4 X 4 1/4 square card, with a 3 inch circle in the center.  In looking for an appropriate stamp set (flowers really aren't for guys, are they?) I saw this punch.  I meant to just put one bird, but after I punched the second one for it's wings, decided that this "pose" was even better for an anniversary card!  My parents are indeed, two love-birds, sitting in a tree.....

It wasn't a complicated card to make, just lots of "pieces!"  If you want the full instruction, leave a comment and I'll write it out and send it to you!  Hope you have a great week! 

Happy Stamping!

NEW MDS Challenge

Do you have the My Digital Studio software program yet?  If you do, this challenge is for you!  If you don't, you still have time to order it and enter!  Stampin' UP! is running a contest for BOTH customers and demonstrators (who will be judged separately!) to WIN $400.00 in MDS downloads!  For full details from Stampin' Up! click HERE. 

The short version is: create one card PLUS one scrapbook page and follow the directions to enter (Here).  The top 5 customers AND the top 5 demonstrators will EACH receive $100.00 in MDS downloads.  Then they will be voted on by the public who will choose THREE winners in EACH category.  Those winners will receive another $300.00 in downloads!  Easy-peasy, right?  This contest runs until October 15, 2011!  But don't wait until the last minute!

If you don't have MDS or want more information, contact me.  If you purchase it from me, I'll give you a special web address where you can sign up for 6 months of FREE email tutorials to help you improve your knowledge of the program.  What more could you want?  A great program, using Stampin' Up's wonderful artwork and colors, easy access to new artwork each week, all at the best price around for comparable software!!!  Get started now!

Happy (digital) Stamping!

Stamping 411's Challenge # 219

It's been quite a week!  Last weekend I created this card to meet Stamping 411's  design and color challenges and the Splitcoast Technique challenge for last week.  Sunday night I wrote up a post showing it.  I also made a few "first of the month" changes to my sidebars (can you tell what they were?).  Monday morning I happened to look at the site and found that everything was in one line, not 3 columns as you see here AND this card was nowhere to be found!  So much for planning ahead!  Got those problems fixed and now you see this unique card.

Stamping 411's color challenge was to use Stampin' Up!'s new In=Color, Pool Party, with Chocolate Chip and More Mustard.  Splitcoast's Technique Challenge was to use the Embossing Folders Kissing Technique.  This card also meets Stamping 411's design challenge # 219.

The Embossing Folder Kissing Technique is to take a bold, solid image stamp and stamp it in a light color ink (here I used More Mustard Classic Ink).  Then take your choice of Embossing Folder (generally used in the Big Shot) and rub a darker color ink pad on the raised design side of the folder (here I used Chocolate Chip Classic Ink).  Then you "huff" (blow your breath onto the ink) on both the stamp and the folder and then "ink" your stamp on the folder, creating a darker image "line" on your stamp.  I "huffed" one more time, for good measure, on the stamp and then stamped it on the Whisper White Card stock.  If you look closely, you can see that I "kissed" the stamp on different areas of the Elegant Lines Embossing Folder to create a varied look on the petals of the flower.   Since I had to ink up this particular stamp from the Build a Blossom stamp set several times, I did clean it thoroughly between stamps.  While I like both of these colors, I don't want my Chocolate Chip in my More Mustard!

After stamping this pattern 6 times, I punched out the stamped images with the Blossoms Petal Builder punch.  Then lined them up and punched a hole in all six with my Crop-a-Dile.  I then "fanned" them out and rolled them over my finger slightly to give them some depth, add a Glimmer Brad and used a Stampin' Dimensional to attach to the card!  The flowers on the right are flower brads from Stampin' Up! 

Hope you like this card, Stamping 411 posts new challenges each weekend.  It's a great way to get ideas flowing in your mind.  I made a commitment to myself to do as many as I can.  I love new challenges, don't you?  Why not join me in this adventure?  I'd love to see what YOU create!

Happy Stamping!

Peekaboo Circles

This card uses the circle shape from the Peekaboo Frames die for the BIg Shot, so I used circles on everything!.  The stamped images are from the Circle Circus stamp set.  When you open the Peekaboo Frame, this is what you see:

The "thanks" stamp is from the Pretty Postage stamp set.  The inside of the card looks like this:

Were you REALLY surprised to see more circles?  In case you were wondering, yes, all products are from Stampin' Up's 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog, except the Peekaboo Frame die.  It can be found for a limited time in the Holiday Mini Catalog.

Hope you have a great Labor Day weekend!  Take a little time to stamp for yourself!

Happy Stamping!

It's September!

It's September and our minds turn to fall.  Today in Katy, we're having a cool front - the high is only 99!! (as opposed to the 100+ temperatures of the last few weeks!)  Whether this card is the result of the  season or the fact that I got this Well Worn Designer Series Paper for FREE last week or the new Peekaboo Frames Bigz L DIe for the Big Shot that's now available in Stampin' Up!'s Holiday Mini Catalog, effective today, I don't know.  Maybe a combination of all of them, what do you think?

I used Soft Suede card stock for the base, then a layer of Night of Navy card stock, followed by the paper from the Well Worn Designer Series.  A thin piece of the Night of Navy separates the paper from the Cajun Craze Peekaboo Frame.  The frame is covered with a piece of River Rock card stock that has been distressed with Cajun Craze and Early Expresso Classic Inks.  I stamped the image from the Clearly for You stamp set in Cajun Craze Classic Ink.

Here you can see why it's called a Peekaboo Frame.  When you open the flap, you can "peek" inside to see the message.  In this case, stamped from the Bold Blossoms stamp set on Distressed River Rock card stock.

In keeping the distressed idea, I laid the frame on the Early Expresso Classic Ink pad and patted the card stock into the ink to create this look.

Since the Soft Suede is a darker color and hard to see when written on, I added a piece of Distressed River Rock card stock to the inside.

There you have it!  The first "fall" card of 2011!  Hope you like it!

The Peekaboo Frames are available in the new Holiday Mini Catalog.  If you didn't receive yours in the mail, you aren't on my Stampin' Up! mailing list!  Let me know and I can get you a Holiday MIni Catalog, or we can schedule a workshop and all your friends can get one also!  Stamping is so much fun to do together!

Happy Stamping!