DogGone Delightful Stampin'

Terrific Tuesdays Roundup . . . Oh My Gourdness ~ It's Fall!

 

Good Morning Fellow Stampers !!

Howdy Howdy Howdy!!  How are we this fine Tuesday morning?  Yes indeed it is an O M G !!  Friday is the first full day of Fall!!  Whew!  Where did the year go!  Ready to check out some promotions, and do a little shopping?  Let's see what the final weeks of September have for us; and take a sneak peak at what October will be bringing . . . I'll give you a hint ~~ it's my favorite sale of the year!!  😉

 

 

 

BE MERRY -- AND CHEERY!!

It's the best time of the year -- to earn a free stamp set, AND start getting ready for the holiday season ahead!!  The sweet Merry Patterns stamp set is an "exclusive" that you can only earn with a $300 qualifying order - during the months of September and October only.  After that -- it's gone!!  So don't miss out!  There are a number of ways you can obtain that qualifying order . . .  Place a personal $300 order; hold a workshop; have a "virtual catalog" party! 

Because this set is SO adorable, and I want as many of you as possible to earn it, I will be holding a limited number of face-to-face workshops during the months of September and October.  In addition, you can host a “book party”, where you show the catalog to friends and collect their orders.  Once again, this opportunity is limited, so contact me today to schedule your workshop!!

 

 

Let's check out the details for this fabulous promotion ~

 

• The promotion period runs from September 1 through October 31.
• The Merry Patterns Stamp Set will not be available after 11:50 PM (MT) on October 31.
• In order to qualify, the merchandise total must reach $300 before shipping and handling.
• There is no limit to the number of times you can earn the Merry Patterns Stamp Set, but you can only earn one set per qualifying order.
• Customer orders placed through me, workshop orders, and online orders placed by you through my online store qualify.
• The Merry Patterns Stamp Set is in addition to Stampin’ Rewards!

 

Want to See More?? 

 

 

BEAT THE HOLIDAY RUSH WITH A SEASON OF STYLE ~~

Have you ever noticed how the Christmas holidays sneak up on us?  And since getting behind on holiday prep is so easy to do, we think NOW is the perfect time to invite YOU to sign up for Paper Pumpkin (or renew your subscription if you've let it lapse!). Why?  Well, I have some exciting news for you; during October and November, Paper Pumpkin is going to be "coordinated."  Yup - subscribers will receive two straight months of perfectly coordinated Christmas cardmaking and gifting projects—with everything you need delivered straight to your door. With as fabulous as Paper Pumpkin has already been this year, I can guarantee you, you do NOT want to miss out on this one!!  And remember - because our kits are pre-cut and ready to assemble, it's quick and easy to get that handmade, heartfelt touch in plenty of time for gifting.   So don't wait another second, get Signed Up Today!!  And contact me if you have any questions!!  I'm here to help!

 

 

 

BUNDLE UP AND CREATE!! 

I cannot tell you how over the moon I am this year for our new Holiday Occasions Catalog -- especially all the wonderful goodies to celebrate my favorite time of year - Fall!!  There's just something about crisp fall air and the scent of apple cider wafting through the house that makes me feel ready for the "cozy." LOL  Add in some cozy crafting time, and that’s hard to beat!  Our autumn stamps are so versatile this year — whether you want to create seasonal décor, treat packages, or cards; the Gourd Goodness and Count My Blessings Stamp Sets will work perfectly.  Take a look at the samples in the catalog, and the image above -- and get crafting!!  We'll be taking a closer look at these two stamp sets in the week ahead -- so join me on Thursday for a fabulous CASE-Out; and come back for more inspiration and fun later in the week and next week!

 

 

 

THE DESIGNER SERIES PAPERS ARE COMING . . . THE DESIGNER SERIES PAPERS ARE COMING . . .

Oh yes!!  I'm SOOOOOO excited -- By popular demand, Stampin' Up! is bringing back an incredible offer on Designer Series Paper.  During October, buy 3 packages of select Designer Series Paper and get 1 FREE! This sale includes Designer Series Paper from both the annual and holiday catalogs. And even a few select Specialty and Designer Series Paper Stacks on sale this time around!  Whooo Hoooooooo -- so get ready!!  Because October 1st will be here before you know it!!  What a PERFECT time to stock up on all your favorites!

 

Until Next Time . . .

 

 

 

 

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Mix-It Up Mondays ~~ A Thankful Harvest

Good Morning Fellow Stampers ~

Happy Monday!  Ready to kick off the week?  I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend.  Fall has finally kicked in here in Colorado - and it was truly a gorgeous weekend!  Cooler temps, a change in the air, and my honey and I headed to the high country on Saturday and did some "leaf peeping."  Yes, the Aspen trees are shimmering and quaking and the leaves are turning fast.  It was really quite gorgeous.  We drove Guanella Pass; and lunched in Georgetown.  It was a gorgeous day!!  A few more warmer days this week, and then it is supposed to turn really cool for next weekend and the official start of Fall on the calendar.  Whoo Hooo -- I've already purchased my Apple Cider; I'm all set!!!  LOL  😄

 

I've been busy trying to work some catch up around here at DDS Studios.  With so much distraction and stress with my job this year, I'm afraid I've not had the energy or focus to keep up with things the way I should have.  But with some much needed rest recently, I think we're starting to turn a corner.  So yesterday I spent all day in the Studio and what fun we had whipping up a swap card that really turned out lovely.  And I'm very excited to showcase our new Acetate Box and show you just how perfect a gift you can make of a set of cards!!

 

 

Today's basic design was inspired by one of my favorite demonstrators - Rachel Tessman - but then, as  you all know, the end result is a "Wendy card" as my stampers affectionately call it; a stepped version with lots of details and layers that make it just luscious and fun.  I am once again dipping into my favorite suite of products from the Holiday catalog - the Painted Autumn Suite.  I needed to make a small batch of cards for a card swap I'm participating in; and then I really needed a bunch more to send out for some other things, so I whipped up 12 of these cards in about 3 1/2 hours yesterday.  It takes  a little time to add all those details 😉 

 

This pretty little card is cut from Very Vanilla cardstock and uses this wonderful variegated striped pattern out of the Painted Autumn Designer Series Paper Stack.  I used Garden Green with the Lemon Lime Twist for the first time.  I am not sure I would have naturally gravitated to combining these two greens; but the variegated paper takes you naturally in that direction.  So my "pop" layering and ink color to this card is Garden Green; and the lovely accent is Lemon Lime Twist.  The designer series paper is cut 3" x 5-1/2"; and then a mat piece of Garden Green is cut 3-1/4" x 5-1/2".  That layering has been wrapped with the 1/4" Lemon Lime Twist Ombre Ribbon before being adhered to the card base front.

 

When you're creating a large number of the same card design, you really want to set up an assembly-line style of putting together your components.  Here you can see that I had already stamped and cut all the sentiments, the flower and assembled the oval matting pieces, punched all my leaves, and assembled all the layers for the fronts of the cards.  I was just starting to put on the leaves to the back of the small oval sentiments and attach these to the right-hand side of the larger oval.  By working in this fashion, you can put together a lot of cards really quickly.  I wanted to take a moment and point out the larger oval in the top of the picture.  I created a "leafy" background look for behind my smaller oval by using the detailed image of the sunflower from the Painted Harvest stamp set.  I first stamped it in Garden Green; and then offset it slightly and stamped again in Lemon Lime Twist.

 

The effect behind the punched leaves is quite lovely as you can see in this picture.  I emulated the variegated look in the designer paper throughout all my stamping; including the sentiment.  Stamped first in Garden Green, I then overlaid and offset just slightly and stamped the sentiment in Lemon Lime Twist.  This is easy to do with this stamp set as it is a photopolymer stamp set.  You can see right through to align your images any way you want.  You'll note I used our lovely Stitched Shapes Framelits to cut today's ovals; and used a Scallop Oval from the Layering Ovals Framelits to mat the larger oval circle.  [The largest Stitched Oval for the flower stamping; the 3rd largest for the sentiment - note how perfectly the "t" in "thankful" aligns to the curve of the oval!!  This is Stampin' Up! coordination at absolute perfection!!]

 

I stamped the detailed image of the leaf in Garden Green ink onto Garden Green cardstock and then punched it out with the new Leaf Punch; then I punched multiple leaves from Vellum cardstock.  Each layered piece has 2 Vellum leaves on it.  Add SNAIL to the back of your little oval sentiment and then adhere the leaves and lay in some Silver Metallic Thread.  You lay this in an offset to the right of the larger oval; then the whole piece is popped with dimensionals on the card front.  [A Little Technique Tip:  The smaller oval may seem "squirrely" and like it won't hold with all that SNAIL and pieces attached to the back; add a few glue dots in strategic spots and it will hold solid like a charm!!]

 

 

Once I had all that in place, I tied a "faux bow" just to the right of the focal point; and added some pretty little pearls - and this card front is complete.  How pretty!!!  [Note how the oval focal point sits just to the left side of the card and the faux bow balances everything out.]

 

 

No card is finished without a proper inside!!  LOL  This card has a Garden Green layer with a Very Vanilla overlay; and a 1/2" strip of the leaf pattern from the Painted Autumn designer series paper.  I chose this to carry the leafy theme into the inside of the card.  Now we are ready to write our little note to a friend.

 

 

But wait!!  There's more!  LOL  I was so excited when I saw that Stampin' Up! had introduced the Acetate Card Boxes in the Holiday Occasions Catalog [page 13].  It's so nice to finally have our own version of this "gift box" and what a fabulous way to package up a set of cards to give as a gift.  These four cards and coordinated envelopes fit perfectly and snuggly inside this box.  I wrapped a strip of the matching DSP as a "belly band" around the box and layered a Lemon Lime Twist Ombre ribbon bow over it.  I let the cards shine through; but you could also cover the box with a designer paper of your choice, and hide the goodies inside if you wanted!!  There are so many wonderful ways to use this box. 

  

Here's a slightly different view so you can see the cards inside.

 

 

 I am so excited with today's card set.  I hope you feel inspired too!!  I love the fresh green feel.  There are so many ways to use the Painted Autumn Suite.  It isn't just for Fall you know!!  LOL  As always, if you have any questions about any of my designs, or need help with Stampin' Up!, don't hesitate to contact me - I'm only an email away!  [[email protected]]  Hugs to all of you have -- have a great Monday!!

Until Next Time . . .

 

 

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Case-Out Thursdays - Autumn Merry Patterns

 

Good Morning Fellow Stampers ~~

Happy Thursday!  This has been a very busy and strange week for me; lots of changes afoot at work and so forth.  Hopefully all positive changes now though.  It will be an interesting Fall for sure!

Speaking of Fall, I hope you enjoyed my "Fall-themed" card design in yesterday's Blog Hop; and sticking with my favorite time of year . . . today's card is also Fall-themed, with a lovely twist. 

 

We're going to take a visit with the new Merry Patterns host set that you can earn this month with a qualifying $300 minimum order; and this is a set you definitely do NOT want to miss out on.  A D O R A B L E!!!    I'm ready for some fun; how about you?   😉

 

 

Merry Patterns - Limited Edition Hostess Set

This is the Stampin' Up! sample we're going to CASE today -- but with a twist!  Instead of Christmas, we're going to make it Fall-themed.  So let's get CASEing !!

 

 

Design Colorology

 

Lemon Lime Twist

Old Olive

Soft Suede

Crushed Curry

 

 

Stamps, and Ink, and Paper . . . Oh, My!

 

Stamps: Merry Patterns [Item # 144973 - Hostess Set]; Sheltering Tree [Item #137163]
Paper:  Crumb Cake (8-1/2" x 5-1/2", scored at 4-1/4"; 4" x 5-1/4"); Old Olive (5-3/8" x 4-1/4"); Painted Autumn DSP (1-3/4" x 4-3/4"); Scrap piece of Old Olive and Very Vanilla; Scrap of Pool Party (approx. 5/8" x 4-1/4") 
Inks:  Lemon Lime Twist, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Versamark 
Other: Pinewood Planks Dynamic TIEF [Item #143708]; Layering Circles Framelits [Item #141705]; Stitched Shapes Framelits [Item #145372]; Jute Twine [Item #144625]; White Stampin' Emboss Powder [Item #109132]; Brights Enamel Shapes [Item #141680]; Subtles Enamel Shapes [Item #141679]

 

 

"CASE-Out" Design Guide

 

1.  Fold your Crumb Cake card base on the score line - bump to the inside to get that nice professional fold look.  Use your bone folder gently so as not to "crack" your cardstock.

 

2.  "Emboss" the 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Crumb Cake with the Pinewood Planks 3D Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder and your Big Shot.  Technique Tips:  Lightly mist your cardstock with water first before using the new 3D Dynamic TIEF's.  This allows the fibers in the cardstock to take the impression without tearing.  Remember!! ~  Use your Basic Platform with your Big Shot WITHOUT the extra plate for thinlets/dies; and only ONE cutting plate on the top (you can't use both cutting plates with a 3D Dynamic TIEF).  Be sure to "orient" your cardstock inside the folder correctly so that the "wood planks" run up and down on the front of your card.  Since this is a "horizontal" card, you need to turn that sideways.

3.  Adhere the Crumb Cake "planks" to the Old Olive matting and then to the front of your card base with SNAIL.  Adhere the Painted Autumn designer paper strip centered on the front with SNAIL as well.  Set this aside.

   

 

 

4.  Using your scrap Very Vanilla piece, cut a circle with the largest of the Stitched Shapes Framelits circle set.  Find the largest scallop circle in the Layering Circles Framelits and cut that from the Old Olive scrap.  

 

5.  Using the "pine branch" image from the Merry Patterns stamp set, first stamp around the Very Vanilla circle in Lemon Lime Twist, slightly overlapping your branches end to end around the circle.  Then stamp again with Old Olive, offsetting in the spaces between each Lemon Lime Twist branch - you should get a nice layered look like you see in the picture.  Add Crushed Curry and Calypso Coral Enamel Shapes alternating and randomly around your branch circle -- nice and autumn-like?? 

6.  Adhere the Very Vanilla to the Old Olive circle; add dimensionals to the back.

  

 

7.  Use some Fast Fuse in the center of the front of your card base - and gently intertwine a strip of Jute Twine across this area, so some will loop and stick out at either end.

8.  Layer the Circle set over this with dimensionals.

9.  On another scrap piece of Very Vanilla, stamp the outline of the "deer image" from the Merry Patterns stamp set in Soft Suede.  Then layer over that with the"sweater" image of the deer in Crushed Curry - cute, cute, cute!!  Now "fussy cut" your little guy out, and use mini dimensionals to pop him to the level of the circle.

10.  Finally, on your strip of Pool Party, stamp the sentiment "thankful for you" from the Sheltering Tree stamp set, using Versamark, and then heat emboss with White Stampin' Emboss Powder.  Clip your ends with your Paper Snips, and then score to create a "folded" banner look - and using a dimensional on one end, and SNAIL on the other line this up over your circle.  Technique Tip:  Use glue dots to hold the folded under sides of your banner together so it doesn't "pop out" and look funny.

 

11.  Turn to the Inside.  Never leave the inside of your card "naked" -- LOL.  This inside has an Old Olive mat of 5-3/8" x 4-1/8"; and a top layer of Very Vanilla sized 5-1/4" x 4".  I cut a thin strip of the same DSP to lay centered at the bottom.  Now you can add another stamped sentiment if you like; or write a sweet note.

  

 

My hope was to show you today how this new set can be used for more than just the Christmas holiday.  I absolutely love the cute "sweater" deer - he looks ready for Fall and some running through the trees.  What do you think?  It makes me want to head for the beautiful mountains of Colorado; in fact, I think we'll do exactly that this weekend as the first Aspen trees already turning in the "high country" - and the temps are to be cool and crisp this weekend!  Perfect!!

Remember, you can own this stamp set with a qualifying $300 minimum order.  There are a number of ways you can achieve that - a personal order; a workshop; or a virtual catalog party.  Contact me to talk about what you'd like to do today!!  I'd love to help you earn this set!!

 

Happy Stamping!! 

 

 

Until Next Time . . .

  

 

 

 

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"My Favorite Holiday" - September 2017 Stampin Pretty Pals Blog Hop

Good Morning Fellow Stampers ~

Happy Wednesday and Welcome to the Pals September 2017 Blog Hop.  Thank you so much for joining us today.  This month we're celebration “My Favorite Holiday.”  Sit back and enjoy while the Pals treat you with projects for the upcoming Autumn and Winter holidays.  You may just be joining the Hop here with me, or you may have arrived from Debbie Mageed at Secret Stamper; either way, you can easily continue through the Hop by following the line-up listed at the end of today's blog post!   Happy Hopping!!   🙂

 

I love this time of year, as we kick off Fall, and head into the holidays.  Unfortunately, it can all go so quickly.  So as much as I love Christmas and Halloween, and all these special events at the end of the year; I really think I love Fall the best!!  I love as the air starts to turn cool and crisp; I adore apple cider, and new turtle necks, and the turning of the leaves, and pumpkin patches, and the whole nine yards!!  I am looking forward to the change of the season in the next couple of weeks.  So to celebrate ~~  I'm kicking thing off with a very special and elegant card design . . .

 

 

The Large Letters Framelits were a set of dies I had saved for a long time and wanted very badly.  I finally invested in them early this Summer; so how is it I had not broken them out until now??  One has to wonder - LOL . . .  These letters spell "FALL" and are Very Vanilla on Very Vanilla.  I was a little surprised how much they faded away in the pictures - this card in person is just stunning!! 

 

I incorporated my favorite Baby Wipe Technique here - and pulled out my favorite current stamp set, Colorful Seasons.

Next week I will step you through the in's and out's of this card - but simply put - I stamped the images on the card front with the letters laid in place; then removed the letters and stamped the images again.  This really does turn out beautiful; you just need a few simple technique tricks to make it work!

T

The letters are then popped with our new Mini Dimensionals over some randomly laid Linen Thread (using glue dots to hold it in place).

The beautiful die cut leaves have been cut from the new Champagne Foil, then intertwined among the letters and held with a single glue dot here and there.  Not too much now!!

 

The background mat layering is Cajun Craze and Old Olive; and everything is wrapped in the pretty Old Olive 1/8" Sheer Ribbon before being adhered to the card front.

A few strategically placed pearls finish it all off!!

 

A quick "turn to the inside" showcases the pretty sentiment from the new Seasonal Lantern stamp set - using those same inks on my "baby wipe" and the pretty "intricate" leaf from the Colorful Seasons stamp set.  The same matting and layering echos the front of the card.

 

 

Wouldn't you love to give this to a special friend?

I've got a couple in mind myself . . .  😉

 

 

I hope you had fun and feel inspired.  Thank you so much for hopping with me today.  Be sure to stop by next month for our “Wicked Folds” hop -- oooooo, spooky spooky!   Now hop along to Patti MacLeath's project at Paper Crafts by Patti. And I'll see you all soon!!

 

Until Next Time . . .

 

Blog Hop Line-Up:

 

 

 

 

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Case-Out Thurdays - A Bunch of Gourd Goodness!

 

Hello Fellow Stampers ~~

 

Coming in today with a "late" Case-Out Thursday post . . . not exactly what I had planned, but time got away on me this week; and yesterday I had oral surgery -- the 2nd attempt now on the implant that failed last year (for those of you who have been following my ordeal).  I'm thrilled to tell you that so far this surgery has gone much better than the past 4 (yes, you read that right), and I'm much more hopeful this time that things may go well this time.  So keep praying -- and I'm hoping in a few weeks to have some good news that this implant took and that all is moving forward in a positive direction this time.

 

Anyway --  I'm finally feeling up to Studioing and posting up what I had planned this week.  Are you ready for a little fun with the new Gourd Goodness stamp set?  I have to tell you, this is one FABULOUS stamp set!!  And today we're CASEing the sample on page 51 of your new Holiday Occasions catalogs -- but changing it up a little and also incorporating a Masking Technique.

 

 

 

 

Design Colorology

 

 

Crushed Curry

Peekaboo Peach

Pumpkin Pie

Old Olive

Always Artichoke

 

 Stamps, Papers, Inks . . . Oh, My!

 

Stamps: Gourd Goodness [Item # 144785]
Paper:  Whisper White - Thick (6" x 3", scored at 3"); Whisper White (reg) (3" x 3" - then cut with Stitched Shapes Framelits - largest square); Wood Textures DSP (2-7/8" x 2-7/8")
Inks:  Crushed Curry, Peekaboo Peach, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Always Artichoke
Other: Stitched Shapes Framelits (Item #145372), 5/8" Burlap Ribbon (Item #141487), Glitter Enamel Dots (Item #144200), 3" x 3" Whisper White Envelopes (Item #145829)

 

"CASE-Out" Design Guide 

 

1.  Cut Thick Whisper White cardstock 3" x 6", score at 3", then fold on the score line (remember, fold inward on the bump of your score line - bump goes to the inside - to get that professional look).

2.  Cut your Wood Textures designer series paper of choice 2-7/8" x 2-7/8" and adhere to the front of your card base with SNAIL.

 

 

3.  Cut your 3" x 3" Whisper White piece of cardstock with the largest square of the Stitched Shapes Framelits.  Stamp the solid part of the Gourd image on a sticky note for use as a mask.  Stamp the "Why, Thank You" sentiment in Always Artichoke in the bottom right-hand corner of your square; then stamp the solid "gourd image" in Crushed Curry (stamped off once first); then the detailed overlay in Always Artichoke over the Crushed Curry.  Now lay your mask on top of the Gourd you just stamped.

 

 

4.  Ink up the solid image of the pumpkins with Peekaboo Peach, stamp off once, and then stamp on the Whisper White piece layering over your masked area.  Technique Hint:  You can use your blender pen to move the color closer around the masked gourd so there isn't a white space between the two images.  Next ink the "detailed" pumpkin image with Pumpkin Pie, stamp off once again, and layer it over your Peekaboo Peach solid image.  (Isn't that gorgeous!!??!! - and so easy).  Because this is a photopolymer set, it's easy layer these images.  Now you can remove your mask - and voila!  How perfect is that!  Stamp the 2-step images of the pumpkin stems, first in Old Olive, then in Always Artichoke for the same layered effect.

5.  Cut a small piece of 5/7" Burlap Ribbon, using some Tear & Tape, attach is to the card front so it hangs off just slightly.  Layer your Whisper White square over the top using dimensionals.

6.  Add some Glitter Enamel Dots; and snap up some of those new 3" x 3" Whisper White Envelopes - and you're set to go!!  Next week, I'll show you the perfect little box to put this card collection in and give as a gift!!

 

 

These adorable little notecards are so sweet and are easy to put together.  This stamp set packs a lot of WOW factor - don't those pumpkins look nearly real??  I just love this stamp set!!  I look forward to using the rest of the images in this set!!  Now be sure you put this set on your Wish List -- and snap it up in my Online Store today!  Because you are NOT going to want to miss out on this one!  It's all part of the Painted Autumn Suite which is my top pick in this catalog!!  Check out My Favorite Things posted up earlier this week.

 

Now off to a relaxing weekend!  Hope you all have a great one!  And our thoughts are with those in Florida and the surrounding area.

 

 

Until Next Time . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

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