Me and my Mom's creativity working together.

Me and my Mom are going to a Luncheon at my Aunt's house this weekend. So, my aunt (my mom's older sister) asked my Mom if she could crochet some washcloths for her to hand out as gifts for  all the ladies at that will be there for the luncheon. My Mom has been crocheting a lot lately, so it was no big deal for her to do them. But she asked me if I had some ribbon I could tie around them. I said I could do her one better and make a tag to go with them as well.

So the green set on the left is for one of my aunts closest friends, Judy. I've known Judy just about my whole life and she loves cats. So since she is helping out in the kitchen for the luncheon and has been learning to crochet, my Mom made her 3 washcloths with different crochet patterns, as a thank you gift for helping out. Then I made the tag using Pool Party cardstock and the current Chalk Talk Framelits with a piece of retired Sweet Sorbet Designer Series Paper from SaleAbration on top. The retired stamp set I got the kitty and thank you words from is called Touch of Kindness. I stamped the kitty and words in Early Espresso and then colored in the cat with an Aqua Painter using the Pumpkin Pie ink pad and a Pool Party marker. I cut out the cat out with a Scallop Circle Punch and cut the words out with just my scissors. Then I grabbed some retired Chocolate Chip ribbon and tied it around the washcloths and hung the tag off it. It turned out so cute and you can hardly tell I brushed the tip of the Early Espresso marker against the edge by accident. opps!


My Mom made 16 of the washcloths, on the right, for everyone that's going to be at the luncheon. The stitch pattern she used worked out so well for the yard that has 4 colors in it. They really turned out great with that Chevron pattern in them and at the ends. The tag I made with the some Crisp Cantaloupe Cardstock and the Chalk Talk Framelits again. I used some of the retired Sweet Sorbet Designer Series Paper from SaleAbration on top again as well. But for the words, I went with a NEW stamp set coming out at the beginning of June in the Annual Stampin Up catalog, called Work of Art. I got this set for Free when I went to the catalog premiere last month with some of my fellow Demos. So, I stamped the words in Early Espresso and Pool Party and punched them out with the current Artisan Label punch. I then added two small flowers in Pistachio Pudding and Crisp Cantalope that I punched out with the flower from the soon to retire Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack. I added small pearls to the middle of the flowers, but I didn't realized one had fallen off when I took these pictures. So I need to check them all when I get over to my Aunts house tomorrow since my Mom went over a few days ago and took them with her already.
Oh and the ribbon I used around the washcloths was retired So Saffron grosgrain ribbon that I got from SaleAbration like 4 years ago, I think. I'm down to one spool of So Saffron and maybe a couple Certainly Celery now. I hope. I don't think I will ever get thru all the DS paper I got that year.
I still have a few packs floating around.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look. Have a wonderful weekend.
 
 
 
 

Graduation and Mother's Day

I wanted to make a Graduation card last week for one of my Husbands cousins who just got her Teaching Degree. So, since I had not made my Mother's Day card for my Mom yet, I decided it was time to crack open the pack of Sweet Sorbet Designer Series Paper that I got back in March during SaleAbration. I even opened up the Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack with the cork flowers and thick Crisp Cantaloupe Twine. In the center of the flowers I put a Pool Party Candy Dot and on the Mother's Day card there is a Pool Party circle behind the cork flower. For the words I used the Delightful Dozen stamp set with Basic Black marker and Pool Party marker. I really love how they both turned out. The Sweet Sorbet Designer Series paper is so pretty.

Washington State Pretty Pals, Swapping, Stampin' Up Catalog Premeire = Good Times

Top LtoR: Carrie Young, Jeanette Sworthout, Me - Jennifer Buchanan
Bottom LtoR: Heather Kumlar, Shirley Sumption, and Deanna Kirchoff
Not picture, but was in our group: Linda Sperline and Emily Christiansen
We just didn't remember to take pictures tell we were leaving. I think we
were all to distracted by the new catalog and the good conversation.
 

This is the card I made (pictured below) for the Stampin' Pretty Pals (above) that I met up with at the Stampin' Up Catalog Premier. Here is what I used to make the card:

I discovered the Retro Sketches Blog when I was surfing the internet one day. I liked this sketch so much that I saved it to use later. (picture of the sketch is to the left of the card below)
The phrase I used came from the "Yippee Skippee" clear mount stamp set. I stamped it in Baked Brown Sugar Ink on Whisper White cardstock.
The base of the card is Whisper White, then Baked Brown Sugar and Whisper White again.
I punched the flowers out of Bermuda Bay cardstock using the Petite Petals Punch. Which is currently in the Occasions catalog but is being carried over into the new annual Stampin Up catalog that goes live on June 2nd, 2014. Yeah! I love this punch. I curve the petals up by using my bone folder to roll them up a bit and then adhered them to the card with glue dots and dimensionals.
I had a bunch of Large and Regular size rhinestones that I added to each flower.
The pattern paper is Whisper White and Strawberry Slush. The middle and right strips of paper come from the current 2013-2015 In Color Designer Series Pattern Paper Stack but the first one on the left is from the Quatrefancy Specialty Designer Series Paper Pack. Unfortunately it will be retiring for good on June 1st. But that's the only part of my card that won't be available for purchase after June 4th or until supplies last.
So since convention is coming up in July and I'll need card fronts to swap with other demos I meet, I going to use this design and change that one strip of paper out for another pattern paper. 1 design down and a few more to go. :)

 

On a side note, at the last minute I got a wild hair up my butt to update and print a few business cards  so I could slip them in with my cards for everyone. I was in the middle of separating the business cards and a light bulb went off in my head. How cute would it be to add a flower and a rhinestone to the corner and give my business card a 3 dimensional look. I don't have many light bulb moments, so I was a bit ecstatic. I designed them on the Avery website with some printable business cards I bought a long time ago. But since I want a lot more, I decided to take a look at Vista Print and I found a similar purple design with a butterfly that I really like and I could still add a rhinestone too. I just gotta wait tell I get a little more money before I can place an order.

Birthday Cake

I had quiet a few Birthdays in March. So instead of handing out the same card to everyone, I made everyone there own unique card and this was one of them. Plus I wanted it to be a little more special since we were having a luncheon to celebrate 3 of the Birthdays together. So I dove into some of my retired Stampin' Up supplies as well as some current from the 2013-2014 Annual Catalog.

I used a retired SaleAbration stamp set called Happy Moments. I stamped the cake in current Basic Grey ink on a 2 inch wide Whisper White piece of card stock and then used a Scallop Tag Topper Punch from the current semi annual catalog to punch the top out. The ribbon was something I found at Michael's craft store, I think. It went well with the card so I used it. The Pistachio Pudding and Regal Rose card stock and ink are current, but the Regal Rose Designer Series paper is retired now. I put it all on a Whisper White card stock base. The Rhinestones and the white Signo pen I used in the center of the little flowers on the cake are both still current. I have no idea which yellow I used on the cake, but any yellow would work just fine for the candles.

Birthdays are like Hairballs....

I made this cute Birthday card for a friend of the family that loves cats.
I used one of my favorite stamp sets Giggle Greetings on page 29 of the 2013-2014 Annual Stampin' Up catalog with Island Indigo and Pumpkin Pie Ink on Whisper White. Then I cut it out with one of the Window Frames Collection from page 186 of the 2013-2014 Annual Stampin' Up catalog.
The base of the card is Pumpkin Pie and Whisper White. The 2 - 2 inch circles were punched out from the Quatrefancy Specialty Designer Series Paper on page 150 of the 2013-2014 Annual Stampin' Up catalog, but the Island Indigo polka dot is a Retired Regals Color Collection Designer Series paper stack. I used some twine I found at Joanne's cause I wanted something heavier then what Stampin' Up had available. The Pumpkin Pie Button is retired now but it came from the Brights Designer Buttons pack.

Goody-Goody Gumdrops It's Your Birthday

I made this card back in Sept. 2009 for a friends 50th Birthday. She thought it was pretty funny.
I don't remember which sets the "50th" or "it's your birthday!" came from but the "goody-goody gumdrops" words and the gumdrop stamp itself came from a set called Goody-Goody Gumdrops. It was offered as a Hostess level 3 stamp set in the Spring-Summer 2009
Stampin' Up Catalog.
I'm also pretty sure all the colors I used are retired now along with the brads. But the Dazzling Diamonds glitter is still current. :)

Fun with Cherries

 

I made this card for my daughter's best friend on her 16th Birthday a few years ago. She really likes cherries. On the card I did some white heat embossing for the Happy Birthday and then some red glitter on the cherries. The  paper colors are Real Red, Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss, and Whisper White. I also made a Star Album for her birthday present. 

I found the cherry ribbon at a local craft store. The stamped cherries are from the Just Jawing stamp set that is retired SU.

Cherry Flipflop Album

Inside

Back cover

Front Cover

I made this flipflop album back in Sept. 2009. I had been stamping for almost a year at the point and had gone to a class on how to make these. I loved it so much that when the Halloween paper came out and it had cherry's and skulls on it, I couldn't resist. I love cherry's and skulls. I was so proud of myself cause this was only the second album I had ever made. I don't remember that name of the paper anymore but I know the colors are Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Whisper White. I also used a build a brad at the time to make a skull brad on top the red flower. Most of this is Retired Stampin Up product now but I'm still hording a little bit of this DS paper. :)

Rainbow Yarn Hairfalls

These are some hair falls I made from yarn and ribbon. I wore them when I went with some friends to the Pride Parade in Seattle a few years ago.

St. Patrick's Day Hair Falls

I made these festive green hair falls for St. Patrick's Day out of 5 different yarns and 3 different ribbons. It's the first time I have ever made them and I think they turned out pretty good. You just attach them to a ponytail or put your hair in a bun and tie them around it.