Thirsty???

It's hot here. Past 90 degrees. That's 32 or more, for my Canadian friends. I have a personal belief that there is no need for the temperature to ever go past 85. And yet, I choose to live in the high desert. Ah, well. I can grow peaches, daffodils, and tomatoes, right?

We made these cute decorated water bottles in May--great for end of school gifts, birthdays, any time you need a small but thoughtful gift!



Stamps: Really Retro (a completely under-valued set, in my opinion!)
Paper: Rose Red, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, various DSP
Ink: Rose Red, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Summer Sun
Accessories: 1 1/4" circle punch, glue dots

Stampin Up Convention 2009

You remember how much fun I had at Convention last year, right?? Well if you sign up right now to be a demonstrator--for the low, low price of $75--you can come to Convention, too!!! Click over to my Stampin Up page and use the recruiting password: cardbuffet

If you're already a demonstrator, come on over to Stampin Addicts and join us at our Meet n Greet on Friday, August 7! We'll have all our swaps that day, so you don't have to spend your lunch hour in endless search of far-flung swaps, instead of eating! I try *never* to miss eating! LOL

It's a great time, really! Meeting all the other stampers and swapping with them--it's the stuff of dreams! {smile}

Celebrate Memorial Day

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!





Thank you to all who have served our country on this Memorial Day!


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Stamps: Celebrate Everything
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Pacific Pointe, Whisper White
Ink: Pacific Pointe Classic and Craft, Riding Hood Red Classic
Accessories: Stampin Sponge, Gold Brads, Riding Hood Red Taffeta, Iridescent Ice EP

Pacific Point Pinwheel

I love pinwheels! It must be my ADD, because I can just watch them all day long. We made this card at club Tuesday night. It's simple, but you HAVE to use the glue stick! Trust me. Check out Lyssa's tutorial on this card HERE.

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Paper: Whisper White, Pacific Point Textured, Good Morning Sunshine DSP
Accessories: Pacific Point Striped Grosgrain, Pacific Point Corduroy Buttons

Love You Much

We made this Love You Much diorama card last night at our club meeting. Be sure to take advantage of the great sale this month--buy 3 Designer Series Paper or 12x12 Textured paper, and get 1 FREE!!! Click over to my Stampin' Up website to place an order!


Here are the instructions:

Cut 2 pieces of cardstock or DSP 8 ½ x 3. Score them at 2 inches.

Cut one piece of cardstock or DSP (interior piece) 6 ½ x 3. Score it at 1 inch.

Center a punch on the front piece, and make your “viewing opening.” Repeat on interior piece. Decorate interior layers.

Stamp greeting or image and adhere to back of diorama. Use Sticky Strip to adhere interior piece to back.

Decorate front of card. Adhere with sticky strip to complete card.

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Stamps: Love You Much
Paper: Raspberry Tart DSP, Pink Pirouette Textured cs, Kiwi Kiss Textured cs, Rose Red, Shimmery White
Ink: Rose Red, Staz On Black
Accessories: Scallop Square Punch; Scallop Circle Punch; Button Bouquet; Aquapainter; Watercolor Wonder Crayons in Old Olive, Rose Red, and Pretty in Pink; Flower Fusion; Square Rhinestone brad, Sticky Strip, dimensionals

Snap, Quackle, Peep

Today was new baby bird day! Because it's kinda late in the season, I didn't have all the choices I was hoping for. We did manage to get a few cuties, though! The black and white striped ones are baby girl Silver Laced Wyandotte chickens. The yellow ducklings are Indian Runners, the brownest duckling is a Khaki, and the other 3 are Blue Swedish ducks. We'll be picking up a few more lady chicks in June, to add to our flock!

Stained Glass Technique

Stained Glass is a fun and quick technique! We did it for May's Card Buffet. You stamp your line image in Versamark or Craft ink and then emboss. After your image cools, turn it over and color *the back* of the image! Layer onto a light-colored cardstock for best effect.

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Stamps: Dreams du Jour
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Always Artichoke, Elegant Eggplant, Vellum Cardstock
Ink: Versamark, Whisper White Craft, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Gold Brads, Clear Embossing Powder, Gold Embossing Powder, Mellow Moss 1/4" Grosgrain, various markers

More Autumn Vine

I just love the colors in this retired DSP! This is from a gift set I made for my little sister. She's always been so much cooler than I am--I stress over her gifts. LOL But she liked these, thank goodness. Or she pretended well. Either way, I'm happy.


In the background of the group picture is the little bag I made to hold the 6 cards and envelopes. To make it, I cut two sheets of DSP at 8 x 7. Score each edge at 1 inch. Fold down the top on both pieces. Fold all the other sides "in." Adhere the sides together, and fold the bottom up with a bit of adhesive. I used Jumbo Eyelets to hold the handles, and Baja Breeze grosgrain to match the cards.

Hoarded Flowers

I have a problem hoarding things. Perhaps you do, too! I ordered these wonderful die-cut flowers last year, when they were in a mini catalog. Didn't use them till I made this card for May's Card Buffet. LOL Oops.

But the important thing is, I'm using them NOW, right? Are you proud of me???

It just needed a little "something" in the left corner, so I did paper piercing. I think it's just kinda nice there!

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Stamps: Thank You Kindly
Paper: Bashful Blue, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Old Olive marker
Accessories: Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, Dimensionals, Retired SU Buttons (EE and SS), Die Cut Blooms

Meet Thistle and Ivy

You remember Peso, right? Well, he's been needing some friends. Goats are very social animals, and Peso was lonely. Sooooooo



Meet Thistle and Ivy. Thistle is the one in need of a chin wax. She's the dominant goat. Ivy, her sister, is very sweet. And because I didn't think your only view of them should be from that angle, here's another one


Right now, Thistle and Peso are having a meeting of the minds. Literally. There is almost as much headbutting going on in the pasture as in the house. But once they figure out who is the Chief Goat (Thistle), everything will settle down. Probably. LOL

If wishes were butterflies . . .

Today's card is super simple, but I love it. Uses that extra wide Pink Pirouette ribbon that will be retiring very soon, and the Raspberry Tart DSP. I die cut the two butterflies and then textured them. I think it makes an elegant card, but it went together really quickly! I love the set A Little Birthday Cheer! I use it all the time.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Stamps: A Little Birthday Cheer
Paper: Old Olive, Vellum Cardstock, Raspberry Tart DSP
Ink: Old Olive
Accessories: Big Shot, Beautiful Butterflies die, SU Texture Plates, Pink Pirouette wide grosgrain, Prettty in Pink Taffeta, Dimensionals

Parade of Papers Blog Hop

ETA: The links are broken now! Sorry! Watch for the next blog hop in June, for the retired stamp sets!

Some of my friends over at Stampin' Addicts put together a fabulous blog hop to show you *all* of Stampin' Up's current Designer Series Papers! Check it out! The links will be good through Sunday night, May 10, and then the party will be over! {sad}

But the Stampin' Up! special for May--Buy 3, Get One FREE! on all Designer Series Papers and the 12x12 Textured packs--continues all month! Contact me if you'd like to come to our Club Meeting on May 19, or click over to my Stampin Up Website to place an order!

Sunny Sunny Thanks

You know how I love yellows. Rich, deep yellows. {sigh} The Good Morning Sunshine DSP has been one of my most favorite papers in a long time! I'm trying to be good and actually use up my papers before they retire. I KNOW! It's hard! But if I'm going to have room for all the new stuff that will shortly be invading my stamp room, some of the older stuff has to go.

This is a Card Buffet card we're making next week. It's a square card, which I love but don't make often. It just fit this layout, so here we are.

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Stamps: Oval All
Paper: Good Morning Sunshine DSP, Summer Sun, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: So Saffron 5/8" grosgrain, Scalloped Oval punch, Wide Oval punch, Dimensionals

Flower Burst Swap

My monthly club has been doing a card swap. For April, I used some of my beloved retired DSP and my Flower Burst embosslit! I {heart} the embosslits! If you haven't tried them, you MUST! They cut out AND emboss at the same time. My llama Llorenzo lloves them! {smile}

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Stamps: It's Your Birthday (retired)
Paper: Baja Breeze, More Mustard, Autumn Vine DSP (retired)
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Linen Thread, Button Bouquet, Big Shot, Flower Burst Embosslit

Coaster Notes

One of my favorite projects to make is a coaster notebook! My Dad was an office supply junkie, and I inherited the same addiction! Every time I use my little binding machine, I feel my Dad looking over my shoulder approvingly.

This is one of the projects available at May's Card Buffet. I covered 4" coasters with various Designer Series Papers, lined the inside covers, and filled them with printer paper. This version even has a little closure on it, just for something fun!

Sloooooow

Sorry I was so slow to put up directions for my Matchbox Dresser. You've probably all figured it out by now! But here is what I did:

Cut 3 sets of matchboxes in colors that coordinate with your DSP cover.

Cut a strip of DSP 2 3/4 x 9 3/4 for dresser cover.
I scored mine on a Scor Pal, so I scored first at 1/2", then folded that up and scored at 2 1/8". Fold that up and score at 2 1/2". Fold that up and score again at 2 1/8. (If you're using another method, just add those measurements together as you go.) Use the little flap to adhere your cover together with sticky strip.

Cut the back of your dresser at 3 1/2 x 3 1/8. Score at 1/2" all around. Miter the corners. (cut of the triangles.) Use Tombo Multi glue--just a tiny bit--on each flap, and adhere the back to your dresser cover.

Assemble your matchbox covers and adhere them together with sticky strip, in a stack. Use Tombo Multi glue --just a couple very thin lines!--on the sides, top, and bottom. Slide it carefully inside the cover. You may have to squish the dresser out a bit to get this piece in around the edges of your "back."

Slide the matchboxes in, and Voila! you have a matchbox dresser!