Hope...red, white and blue style

My friend Emma is such a talented lady, she showed us a way to make a square card using the embossing folder by cutting it off on the bottom portion but here is what happens when you dont cut it off.  I think it turned out very cute.  I added seam binding acros the middle portion to blend it some.  I kept everything red, white, and blue.  Using colors that I don't normally use is going to be my new goal because I tend to use ALOT of pink.  It is my all time favorite color but there are so many other wonderful colors out there.

Thanks friend

Another one from the strength and hope stamp set...also another from the splitcoast sketch challenges.  I embossed the background, again stamped and cut out the butterfly...added rhinestones.  I love them, they are a quick and easy way to add some bling to your card.

Circles of hope

The strength and hope stamp set was used for this card along with the in colors of blushing bride and concord crush.  I stamped my butterfly w/concord crush on blushing bride before cutting it out.  I curled his wings some and added some rhinestones down the middle to give him some dimension.  The layout is a design from one of the splitcoast stampers sketch challenge but I don't remember which one now.  I think this card is simple yet cute.  I also included a close up of the butterfly so you could see just how wonderful it turned out.

Calendar

So yup...another project I made while at Memories Manor, I told you all I kicked butt this year while there.  Last year, I think I made one card out of the whole weekend.  This calendar (yup, I spelled it wrong on the project) is one I picked up at a local scrapbooking store.  I didn't take pictures of every page, due to there being so many and not having my pictures on the pages (have to add my family, kids, etc.) but this is  the outside...I like how cute it is.  Not just the outside but the inside as well. I took close ups of each flower so you could check them out and when I was done w/it all I spritzed it with shimmer spray.

Whisman shadow box

I have seen these shadow boxes in quite a few places and I really like them.  While I was on my girl trip to Novi in March, we had a detour to a local scrapbooking store where I found mine.  I love how it turned out.  I put black and white pictures from our family vacation to Virginia Beach on there, used lots of embellishments.  I so wish all of you could see it up close and personal because the picuture really does not show all the detail there is.  This was one of the first projects I made on my weekend to Memorie Manor this year.

In color hope

Another one of my favorite new sets in the mini is the Strength & Hope stamp set.  Not only is it a cute set but $2 from the purchase of this set go to breast cancer research...I don't like using just breast cancer because there are so many types out there, however this particular foundation is a great one and it focuses on preventing breast cancer and finding a cure.  I used all the in colors on this card because I had a new customer asking what the new in colors looked like. She asked if I could send small sample to her.  I thought I could do better than that, so I made this simple card.  I also included a quarter sheet of each color for her to use on some cards of her own.  I am hoping that she liked the new in colors enough to go ahead and place an order for them.

Bonus week again

So this week is going to be a bonus week again because next week I leave w/my friend Ann on a road trip to Salt Lake City, Utah.  We are headed to Convention 2011....yeah, it is finally here.  We have both been so excited and looking forward to this trip all year I think.  Ann and I are so much alike I think we should of been sisters.  We both love to sight see, travel, stamp, make cards, hang out, and most of all having FUN!!!  I am going to post each day this week just to get caught up again so that next week while we are traveling and having a blast at Convention I can share w/you all about both. 

Chairs

This card is seriously just thrown together while I was in my hotel room at training waiting to go to dinner w/my new friends.  I had this stamp set in my stack of stuff FOREVER now and wanted to use it but didnt know what to do with it.  One of the things I am loving about the clear stamps is being able to arrange my stamp to look like I want it to instead of having to stamp-a-ma-giging it.   This set consists of these three chairs and a double seated chair...I honestly didn't care for it much when it came out but I have seen some extremely cute cards with it so decided to get it. 

Pink Open Sea

I had training a few weeks ago in Bloomfield Hills/Troy so while having extra time in my hotel room I thought I would try to accomplish some cards.  I ended up with not as much time alone as I thought, I made some new and wonderful friends....we had such a fun week.  I can't wait to see them all again.  I did find time to whip out this card and one other.  I used the new Open Sea stamp set in the Summer Mini and wanted to do something more girly.  The stamp set I think is more of a man set however I like how this card turned out.  The background is one of the stamps using Melon Mambo ink, I roughed up the edges on the frame.  To me it kinds of looks like a picture hanging on a wall.

Open Sea swap

This was my second swap for the new catalog swap that I am in.  I got this idea from a flowery card a friend at Memories Manor had with her.  I again was not sure at first what I thought of this card but I ended up liking it when I was done.  It uses the new stamp set called Open Sea.  I am really loving this stamp set and hope they add it to the new catalog coming out for the year.

New punch, swap

So this is one of the cards I whipped together while at Memories Manor this year....it is also the card I used for the new catalog swap that I am in.  I used black as my base and all the in colors along the side.  This picture I don't think shows the color as well as I would like it too but it turned out cuter than I certainly thought it would. 

Time to say goodbye to the old, hello to the new!!

It's that time again this year to say goodbye to retiring stamps and accessories.  I am sad to see some of the stuff leaving but so excited to see what new is on its way. Here are links to the retiring stamps and accessories.  Be sure to get with me if you want anything before it is gone.

STAMPS!!

ACCESSORIES!!

and last but not least

DEFINATELY DECORATIVE