DogGone Delightful Stampin'

Mix-It Up Mondays ~~ Sweetest Treat Cups!

Hello Fellow Stampers ~

 

What a busy weekend!!   Capped off with  a wonderful pedicure and relaxing Sunday afternoon - much needed!!

I had a disastrous week last week with the computer, which is officially "dead" and at the Geek Squad getting a new hard drive.  I'm crossing my fingers they are able to retrieve everything, or it's going to be pretty catastrophic!!  Pray for me!!  LOL

So I'm limping along on a jimmy-rigged system with my little HP Elite Notepad and some of the items I need to put together a blog post.  It's been interesting for sure!  But since I lost all of last week, I didn't want to lose a whole 'nuther week, so we'll do the best we can here and see what happens!!  LOL

 

Are you missing out on the spectactular How Sweet It Is Suite (pages 14 & 15 of the Spring Occasions Catalog)?  Oh my goodness!!  This entire suite of products just grabbed me the first time I saw it, and I am still totally over the moon about it!!  I wanted to play with the Sweet Cups back at Valentine's Day, but it kind of fell apart on me.  Covering these cute cups with designer paper can be a little tricky.  So after consulting with some fellow demos, I finally realized that you need to sacrifice one of your cups to really make this work; and that's what we're going to talk about today!!

 

Aren't these just the "sweetest" things??  LOL  And think of all the wonderful little gifts or goodies you can put inside to give someone.  These are a nice-sized cup ~ 2-1/8" tall x 3-1/2" diameter (at the top).  So you can get quite few little treats in a cup.

Now the trick really is that not only are we dealing with a "circle" when looking to cover these cups; but they are also tapered ~ 3-1/2" diameter at the top of the cup, tapering down to 2-3/4" diameter at the bottom.  So you can't just cut a strip of paper and stick it on. 

 

The easiest thing to do is create a template.  And the easiest way to do that is to "sacrifice" one of your treat cups, and basically take it apart.  To do that, cut down the "back" seam of the cup; then carefully cut off the rolled rim all the way around the top of the cup.  Then what I did was to very carefully separate the bottom-edged seam all the way around the inside of the cup and cut the bottom out.  This way I was careful to keep the entire outside of the cup intact.

 

Now, use your new created "template" - stretch it out and work the curve out of it - to draw around on your desired designer paper.  Whatever design of paper you choose, draw the template on the "back side" of that paper so that your chosen design is to the front.   The "front" side of this paper is the Highland Heather with all the colorful little dots on it (top cup in the picture above) - and so I drew my template on the "back" which was the Coastal Cabana stripes.

Extend the line(s) (top and bottom) just beyond the end(s) (on both ends of the template) and draw a line to join the two to create an overlap "tab" for yourself. 

Then cut just inside the pencil line you drew (all the way around). 

Place a strip of Tear & Tape on each end (back side) of the designer paper and line it up with a new cup (I suggest on that back seam) and wrap it around (your "tabs" should overlap).  Voila!!  It's perfect every time!!  Well worth sacrificing a cup!! LOL

 

Decorate your lids!!

I used the largest scalloped circle and the largest straight edged circle from the Layering Circles Framelits to create a cute "topper" for each of my lids to match/coordinate with the paper around the outside.

 

And then I decorated - and here's a tip that may be getting missed by some!!

There are images in the How Sweet It Is Designer Series Paper that have been specifically created for easy "fussy cutting."  They are all set up and ready to go for you!  Nice big white borders around the outside - and nice large images that are super easy for fussy cutting!!

Take a closer look at your papers in this collection - there are 4 specific designs that have been created in this way for you to use the images for card fronts and other uses!!  They are FABULOUS!!

I popped up images with dimensionals, and laid others flat with SNAIL to create a fun look.

 

This is such an incredible suite of products!!  From the reversible satin ribbon, to the wonderful stamp set and dies, and the sweet treat cups!!

Don't miss out!!  Get your set of products TODAY - in my Online Store!! 

 

Until Next Time . . .

 

 

 

Mix-It Up Mondays . . . Birthdays in December

 

 

Hello Fellow Stampers ~~

 

Happy Monday!! It's nearly the middle of December!  The tree is up, everything is decorated, I made my first batch of fudge for the season yesterday!!  The Christmas shopping is pretty much complete; and I hope to write my Christmas letter this week and start getting everything put together to go out in the mail.  Whew!  It would be the earliest I've gotten my act together for the holidays in many a year!  My year-end break from work begins this Friday, so I'm really looking forward to being home, having some down time, and spending time at my sewing machine and in the studio.  It sounds lovely, doesn't it?!?

 

December Birthdays!  Always a HUGE problem in my mind.  Especially those that fall right on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  My goodness, I've got a number of those on the list this year; something that I hadn't experienced in years past until I met my current boyfriend!  Goodness - do we even use that word these days??  LOL  (BTW - stay tuned for a BIG announcement coming in that arena soon! ;-) )  Creating a birthday card this time of year that doesn't scream "Christmas" is the mission we have set out to accomplish this week! 

 

My first set of cards I want to share with this theme are all created using the First Frost stamp set, Frosted Bouquet Framelits and Frosted Floral Specialty Designer Series Paper as the jumping off point.  I absolutely LOVE this paper - the shimmer is to die for, and it runs throughout the entire set of designs, which is so wonderful!  It's retiring very soon - so don't miss out on snapping up an extra package for your stash!

 

 

I really wanted to showcase the beautiful florals in this set of papers so my first two cards really showcase some of those.  Our third card will be a "masculine" birthday card, that is simpler, less frilly, and I hope works well for a gentleman's birthday right on the Eve of Christmas.

 

This card uses the more neutral colors of gray (Galvanized Metallic paper for a little shimmer used here in the matting) and brown (Soft Suede), allowing the subtle coloring of Tranquil Tide to stand out.  Some added extra glimmer is added using the Joyous Noel Glimmer Paper in Tranquil Tide.

I pulled out the Birthday Banners stamp set for this card, along with the Bunch of Banners framelits to create an easy birthday greeting.  I added shimmer to the stamped flowers as well using the Re-Inker and Frost White Shimmer Paint technique I showcased earlier this Fall. 

 

The inside of the card is simply stamped to allow for your message or sentiment.

 

This card also showcases one of the floral designs in the Frosted Floral Specialty DSP.  I love the pinks and raspberries in this particular paper design; I cut the little floral stems using the Frosted Bouquet Framelits and the Merry Merlot color in the Joyous Noel Glimmer Paper collection.  A lovely deep pop of color against the background.  The sentiment was chosen from the Picture Perfect Birthday stamp set, and works perfectly with the frames in the Frosted Bouquet Framelits.

 

The inside of this card already has the sentiment stamped, and these pretty cone stems from the First Frost stamp set to match the cut ones on the front of the card.

 

Our last card design today is for the masculine December birthday showcasing this same paper -- hard to believe isn't it!!  With so much floral, you may not realize this wonderful stripe is in this paper collection.  I chose the simple leaf pattern to offset the stripe and give some interest.  And carried the leaves through the design with the cutouts using the framelit in the Frosted Bouquet Framelits.  I coordinated in Pear Pizzazz, Tranquil Tide and the beautiful Copper glimmer out of the same Joyous Noel Glimmer collection.  Those Galvanized Buttons with some Linen Thread give the perfect finish.  The sentiment on the front?  Maybe you still recognize our Eastern Beauty stamp set from the Annual Catalog.  Don't forget all our wonderful all year long products!!

 

The inside is stamped with some wonderful sentiments from the Special Celebrations stamp set (also in the Annual).  I love the color coordination of the Soft Suede and Tranquil Tide.

 

I hope you enjoyed this collection of Birthday cards for the Christmas birthday.  We used a beautiful set from the Holiday Occasions Catalog, and I think these look nothing like Christmas, but still have the glimmer and fun!  More to come this week . . . be sure to come back and visit.  I cherish your comments, and do read every one!!

Until Next Time . . .

 

 

Fabulous Friday Fun - Cowbow Boots for Fall

Hello Fabulous Fellow Stampers ~

It's an "off-Friday" here at DDS Studios, and we've been working away on house projects - yeah!!  If you're in the area and want to join me, the new Fall/Holiday Season Class Schedule is now up and available.  We'd love to have you here for some crafty fun!!

 

Fall Is Calling . . .  Can you hear it?  . . .

Today, for some "Fabulous Friday Fun" I think we could use a pair of country boots, all done up with a bouquet of Fall flowers -- I love the sweet country air feel of this card.

 

 

 

 

A little Country Livin'; a little Varied Vases - and you have a fabulous combination, don't you think?

And there's shimmer paint too!!

This card is cut from Thick Whisper White cardstock, 4-1/4" x 11", scored at 5-1/2".

The matting is in Poppy Parade, which next to Mango Melody, is quickly becoming a favorite Fall color in the repertoire!

Then it's time to "get busy" as they say!

 

I actually stamped the boots twice for today's project - using Gray Granite (another wonderful color)

Once on the Whisper White card front; and once on scrap and then they were fussy cut.

I played with Crumb Cake and Light Poppy Parade, and a little Smoky Slate from the Stampin' Blends collection for today's coloring of the boots!

I really had fun coloring and blending these boots.

On the card front itself, I added the 2-step stamping flowers from the Varied Vases stamp set.

The stems are inked in Old Olive; the flowers are a combination of Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody and Cajun Craze - for a lovely collection of Fall flowers.

Then the boots are popped with mini-dimensionals over the top to make it look cohesive and like the flowers are coming out of the boots.

 

Now for some fun - and another little technique tip for your new shimmer paints.

I actually added Champagne Mist shimmer on the boots and buckles (here and there, not everywhere!)

and Bright Copper shimmer on various buds of the flowers.

Here's your tip for the day on this technique.  Drop a little 70% alcohol into a paint well, dip your brush, then pick up some paint from the lid of your shimmer paint bottle.

Use your palette to spread and thin the paint and then gently daub it on the areas you want some shimmer.

The alcohol helps thin out your paint and give a more transparent "shimmer" instead of just covering up the ink color you stamped.

I just dipped into my alcohol when I wanted to pick up more paint and loosen up the paint on the tip of the brush.

Note that I used a very small-tipped brush for this project.

 

This picture seems to have caught some of the shimmer so you can see sort of the different areas I daubed it.

 

You can see how I blended the light Poppy Parade with the Crumb Cake on the boots; and those are the same areas I added Champagne Mist shimmer.

I added the Bright Copper on all the different flowers.

 

Here's a look at the pop up of the boots;

I wrapped the top two layers with the new Braided Linen Trim, made a sort of square knot, and then frayed the ends - I love how this looks with the whole theme of the card.

 

The inside emulate the front with several simple flower sprigs, that also have Bright Copper shimmer added.

 

I hope you enjoyed today's inspiration - and are starting to feel a little Fall in the air!  We've played with both new products, and Annual Catalog products this week to show the versatility for the season.  Hope you'll join me next week, as we continue to play - Fall Is Calling . . .

 

Until Next Time . . . Puppy Hugs,

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Pick a 'B'" - June 2018 Stampin' Pretty Pals Blog Hop

 

Good Morning Fellow Stampers ~

It's that time -- and I'm so excited!!  Welcome to the 2nd Wednesday of June - time for the Stampin' Pretty Pals Blog Hop this month!   This month we're “Picking a "B'” - Babies, Birthdays or Brides that is!  LOL  How fun!  We always need inspiration for these special events, and I'm excited for what you'll see on today's blog hop!  Hint - keep an eye out for new products sneaking into our designs from the new 2018-2018 Annual Catalog!!

 

You may be starting today's blog hop right here with me, or you may be coming from Jennifer Michalski's blog at Stamping Serenity.  Either way, you’ve come to the right place.  You’ll find the the full line-up below to help you move, or “hop”, along from Pal to Pal. 

 

 

Because June is my birthday month, I always like to "pick a birthday" design for my June blog hop project.  Today, I hope you will enjoy this special fold and the pretty vintage look I tried to achieve with a mix of products (some non-Stampin' Up!) in this fun project.  I also tried a "fancy fold" that I hadn't tried before.  I don't know what this one is called, but I love how easy it is to create.

 

This fold was created from a 5-1/2" x 11-3/4" piece of Tranquil Tide cardstock, scored at 3-1/4", 5", 6-3/4", & 8-1/2".  When folded it fits into one of our regular envelopes just perfectly.

To create the heart-shaped "wings" of my fold, I used a Heart die set by LittleB that I bought several years ago.  It's a set that embosses a "cross-stitched" edge, and also cuts the shape, so I really love the set.

All  my designer papers today are the beautiful Share What You Love specialty designer papers.  Really beautiful and so much fun to play with.

 

I used some retired Lace Doilies (the Very Vanilla side) to set a vintage background; and then used an Impression Obsession die called Ornate Oval Frame to create the intricate border for my sentiment centerpiece. The border is cut from Rich Razzleberry cardstock.

I used the Perennial Birthday stamp set and "fussy inked" each section of the sentiment so I could stamp each line separately; then used the "Happy Birthday" sentiment from the Balloon Celebration stamp set - I love the script font of this stamp set.

 

I then stamped and fussy cut the pretty little "roses" from the Perennial Birthday set along with the leaves; added the gorgeous Share What You Love Artisan Pearls to embellish the card, and finished it all off with a double-tied bow of both ribbons in the Tea Room Ribbon collection. 

 

Here is the card folded.

Add plain cardstock to the back panels on the back of the card to write your personal message.

 

 

 

Now it's time to see what "B" the rest of the Pals picked for our blog hop today.  Then next stop on today's adventure is Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom (she always has something fun to share).  Remember, you can follow through all the stops on today's hop using the line up below.  Mark your calendars for July 11, 2018, just in time to feature our favorite new designer series papers for the Stampin' Up! B3/GOF DSP sale in July!!  Whoo hooo!!!   Don’t miss it!!

Until Next Time - Puppy Hugs,

 

1. Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty
2. Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
3. Lori Pinto at LollyPop Paper and Ink
4. Jackie Beers at Blue Line Stamping
5. Sara Hicks Stuart at Sentiments by Sara
6. Stesha Bloodhart at Stampin' Hoot!
7. Mary Hanson at Up North Stampin'
8. Su Mohr at AromasAndArt
9. Jackie Diediker at Stampin' Jackie
10. Peggy Noe at Pretty Paper Cards
11. Nina King at Ink Paper Sequins
12. Jennifer Michalski at Stamping Serenity
13. Wendy Klein at Doggone Delightful Stampin'
14. Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom
15. Karen Hallam at Karen's Stamping Habit
16. Brian King at Stamp with Brian
17. Leah O'Brien at Stamping By The Bay
18. Pamela Sadler at Stampin Pink Rose
19. Denise Hoepfner at The Mountain Magpie
20. Terri George at Stamp Me Crafty

 

Mix-It Up Mondays ~~ A Perennial Birthday Gift Set

 

Hello Fellow Stampers :-)

And Good Monday Morning to you!!  We're gearing up here at DDS Studios with all sorts of new goodies arriving (be sure you keep an eye on the Facebook Page later today . . .) and with that, it's time to get back into somewhat of a cycle of sharing wonderful fun and inspiration with everyone!  So while I'm still trying to find a "balance" to how often I post and other activities, I want to assure you, I'm never very far away!!  LOL

 

Today I want to put another focus on the beautiful Perennial Birthday stamp set.  Although the kit for this set is not carrying forward to the new Annual Catalog, this gorgeous stamp set is . . . and I am just loving this stamp set!!  I want to share with you today a special "duo" that would be perfect to give anyone on their special day!

 

 

 

This beautiful card and bookmark (or tag if you want to use it that way) are created with a CAS (clean and simple) style, and yet have lots of wonderful details that make them so special - including some fabulous fussy cutting.

  

 

I've seen a number of ideas on Pinterest in the past couple of months, and finely just made myself sit down and do some playing, because I could hardly stand it!!  LOL

This set features both the Perennial Birthday stamp set and the Celebrate You Thinlits from Sale-a-Bration this year!  The wonderful news is that those thinlits will be in the new catalog, so if you didn't snag a set, you're going to have another chance. 

 

This little bookmark is really super easy!

I cut the die twice - from thick Whisper White and from Basic Black.  I colored the Whisper White letters with Stampin' Blends creating a variegated look - working from left to right . . . Dk. Rich Razzleberry, Lt. Rich Razzleberry, Dk. Pink Pirouette, Lt. Pink Pirouette and then fading off to white at the end of the "e".  Then I layered them with a slight offset so that the letters look shadowed. What is so cool about this die is that you an actually manipulate the word a little bit and curve it - so using just a little bit of multi-purpose glue, this was set on the background bookmark slightly curving the word as I laid it in place.  I also was careful where I put the glue so that I would have spots where I could layer in flowers and leaves underneath and inbetween the letters.

All the flowers and leaves are stamped from the Perennial Birthday set, colored with Stampin' Blends and then fussy cut before being laid in place using Glue Dots.

Finally, a second "bookmark" piece was cut from Rich Razzleberry, the two laid together, slightly offset, with SNAIL - and then a beautiful Fresh Fig ribbon pulled through the top.

This project was showcased at my Perennial Birthday Kit & More class a few weeks ago and the girls loved it!!

  

This project my local crafters haven't seen - and I had a ball creating this card!

The same exact technique is employed here as on the bookmark.

Additionally, I laid layers of the same color scheme with the Stampin' Blends in the background; and this time the "Celebrate" is popped with the tiny Mini-Dimensionals laid in just the right spots.

And there's one more very special twist to this card!

I pulled a piece of Fresh Fig 1/8" Sheer Ribbon, around the top Whisper White layer first - and then weaved the ends through the "celebrate" before adhering everything together and tying bow.  It was just a tad tricky in some spots, but I adore how it turned out. 

 

Again, the flowers are all stamped from Perennial Birthday, and fussy cut after coloring with Stampin' Blends.  They're interwoven and attached with glue dots.  Finished off with pearls. 

 

 

And what you may or may not be able to pick up in some pictures is that everything (including the letters) was given a wonderful "wash" of Clear Wink of Stella which makes both these projects just shimmer and glimmer in the light! 

I hope you have enjoyed today's MIx-It Up Monday project!!  It's nice to be getting a little bit back into the creative mode.  I have lots of catch up on my work table -- but let's hope this week proves to be lots of fun for everyone!!  

Until Next Time . . .  Puppy Hugs!