Simply starfruit

Hi stampers!  I've got a super simple card today inspired by the NEW catalog and my new fave in-color summer starfruit!  I know this color may not be everyone's cup of tea (or cup of fruit?) but I love it!  It's very different and very trendy right now!  And don't judge it too harshly on the screen or in print, you really need to see it in real life to make a judgement!  It's going to be a great accent color!  And I do have to say I find the ink slightly prettier than the card stock...and it's take your breath away gor-jus in the new comfort cafe DSP!!!!  Now, if I could quit typing summer starFISH every time I talk about it.....:-)

Now, this card is inspired by some samples in the new catalog on page 111 so I can't take full creative credit for it!  And speaking of the samples in the new catalog....let's have a little chat about that.  SU has changed the catalog up a bit this year...notice I'm not calling it an idea book and catalog?  Well, that's part of the change.  There aren't QUITE as many samples and more white space in order to focus on the STAMPS and make the book less intimidating and overwhelming for newbies (I was totally overwhelmed at my first SU party, ha).  BUT, remain calm!!!  There are still LOTS of samples and ideas to be found!  I mean, heck, I always have a list a mile long of the samples I want to make and do I end up doing half of them?  Not by a long shot...and I'll bet you money the same thing will happen this year, ha!  The pictures of the samples are a bit different too....there are more close up shots of the projects in order to focus in on the details.  I was a tad worried about this when I heard of the change but am happy to report that even though some of the photos are close up you can still get a good idea of what's going on should you want to case the project...AND you can easily see details that you might not have been able to in previous catalogs!   So, I just wanted to explain the change.

I really, REALLY like the new look of the catalog!  It's simple and clean and really shows off our awesome products!  So, onto the first case of the 2012-2013 catalog:

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Delicate doilies, fabulous phrases
Paper:  Whisper white
Ink:  Summer starfruit
Accessories:  Itty bitty punch pack, basic rhinestones

It's super simple and super pretty just like the ones in the catalog!  These would be really pretty in a set with different colors too!  I may make a set with all the new in-colors!  Pretty pretty!  This poor stamp set hasn't seen much action in a while so it was fun to stamp with it!  I love that a new catalog can breathe new life into old stamps!!!!

I can't believe that the new catalog goes live NEXT WEEK!  Yikes!  Where has May gone????  I've gotta go make yet another must have list for June 1....:-)

Happy stamping!

Still got the blues

Hi stampers!  I know I haven't been posting as often lately...it's that time of year....busy time that is:-)  I'll try to do better.  And I don't actually have the blues but my card sure does:-)

I haven't stamped all week for no good reason other than I've just been plain lazy!  But I wanted to get some challenges in so I made myself sit down last night at NINE and work on a card.  I don't usually start stamping that late but I was determined to get something started AND finished!  So, I combined the Sweet Sunday sketch which was adorable this week and the pretty color challenge over at the Colour Q.

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Delicate doilies, Christmas greetings
Paper:  Whisper white, sahara sand, night of navy, marina mist, subtles DSP stack
Ink:  Night of navy, marina mist, bashful blue, versamark
Accessories:  3" circle die, scallop circles die, snow burst embossing folder, northern flurry strip, whisper white taffeta ribbon, marina mist polka dot scalloped ribbon, pewter embossing powder, dazzling details, regals buttons, frost white shimmer paint

I just loved how it turned out!  I've been wanting to use the doily set for winter for a while and this was perfect.  My favorite part is the embossed panel.  I took a sponge wedge (I cut my stampin' sponges into 8ths...my very frugal momma would be proud, lol) and got it damp and then dipped it in the lid of my frost white shimmer paint.  I then dabbed it on some scratch paper first to remove the excess and lightly tapped it all over the paper.  That snowflake pattern looks FAB with this technique!

Happy stamping!