Another Farewell

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Chris Slogar

For this week’s sketch challenge, I used the first retiring stamp set that came to mind. It is definitely a favorite. Unfortunately, I did not realize that this set would be unavailable by the time of this post! Nevertheless, here it is…

Perfect Blend

And this week’s Create with Connie and Mary sketch…

You can see all of the Challenge Team cards at Create with Connie and Mary along with the entries as they come in. I hope you will check them out and play along!

Your Perfect Day

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Chris Slogar

This wedding card uses two great products from the Occasions Catalog – the stamp set “Your Perfect Day” and Something Borrowed Designer Series Paper. Just a reminder, items in the Occasions Catalog are only available through Tuesday, June 2. I will be sad to see this pretty set and paper go!

The embossing folder that I used is also on the Retiring List. It is one of the two Delicate Deisgns folders, and the pair is currently reduced to $4.48.

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Weekly Deals, Ribbon Shares and Card Buffet

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Chris Slogar

I have a little of everything today…first, a reminder that retiring products are only available through June 2, and many accessories are already sold out. There are still many great deals available, though, especially in my favorite category – the 50% off tools!

Click here to see the up-to-date Retiring List – an “x” in the far right column means the item is no longer available.

Here are the Weekly Deals…

	Painted Blooms Designer Series Paper Item # 137784Regular Price: $10.95 US/$13.50 CANDiscounted Price: $8.21 US/$10.13 CAN
	Birthday Bash Designer Washi Sheets Item # 137788Regular Price: $9.95 US/$11.95 CANDiscounted Price: $7.46 US/$8.96 CAN
	Large Kraft Grid Journal Item # 137865Regular Price: $3.95 US/$4.95 CANDiscounted Price: $2.96 US/$3.71 CAN
	Build A Bouquet Project Kit Item # 137952Regular Price: $24.95 US/$30.95 CANDiscounted Price: $18.71 US/$23.21 CAN
	Aquamarine Colorbox Chalk Ink Pad Item # 138092Regular Price: $5.95 US/$7.25 CANDiscounted Price: $4.46 US/$5.44 CAN
	Yellow Citrus Colorbox Chalk Ink Pad Item # 138093Regular Price: $5.95 US/$7.25 CANDiscounted Price: $4.46 US/$5.44 CAN
	Sweet Dreams Designer Buttons Item # 137857Regular Price: $5.95 US/$7.50 CANDiscounted Price: $4.46 US/$5.63 CAN
	Painted Blooms Cotton Twine Item # 137873Regular Price: $6.95 US/$8.95 CANDiscounted Price: $5.21 US/$6.71 CAN
	Hello Honey 5/8″ (1.6 Cm) Quilted Cotton Ribbon Item # 137864Regular Price: $6.95 US/$8.95 CANDiscounted Price: $5.21 US/$6.71 CAN

I also have my Ribbon Shares to announce today. There will be so many great new ribbons available in the Annual Catalog, and a “share” is a great way to get them all. Here’s how it works – I purchase every color and repackage them into smaller portions so that you can have a great color collection without purchasing full packages of each.

Here’s an example of a share from last year:

Please email me if you would like to order a share. I can invoice via Paypal and ship if you are not local. Shipping is $3 for a single share, $5.80 for any combination of multiples.

I will be placing my first order for shares on June 2. If you would like to be included in that share, please contact me by May 30. Assuming no backorders, it will take a week for me to receive the product and several days to repackage and send out shares. You should receive your share in approximately two weeks. I will process them as quickly as possible.

2015-2016 Ribbon Shares

1″ Dotted Lace Trim ~ $8

1 yd each, five 2015-2017 In Colors (Cucumber Crush, Delightful Dijon, Mint Macaron, Tip Top Taupe, Watermelon Wonder)

5/8″ Striped Cotton Ribbon ~ $9

2 yd each, five 2014-2016 In Colors (Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow, Tangelo Twist)

3/8″ Stitched Satin Ribbon ~ $11

2 yd each, 5 Colors (Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Melon Mambo, Pacific Point, Whisper White)

1/4″ Cotton Ribbon ~ $18

2 yd each, 12 Colors (Blushing Bride, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Island Indigo, Marina Mist, Melon Mambo, Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White)

1/2″ Seam Binding ~ $12

2 yd each, 7 Colors (Calypso Coral, Early Espresso, Night of Navy, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Wisteria Wonder)

1 1/4″ Striped Grosgrain ~ $7

2 yd each, 3 Colors (Bermuda Bay, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake)

Sequin Trim ~ $7

Approx 2 1/2 yd each, 4 Colors (Bermuda Bay, Blushing Bride, Gold, Silver)

Want them all? Shipping is FREE if you order all seven shares.

Last, but not least, a couple of cards from this week’s Card Buffet. These are CASEd from Mindy Gray, and they use the set “Guy Greetings”. There is still space in tomorrow night’s class at 6:30 pm. Please contact me if you would like to join us. Class cost is $12 to make 6 cards.

Red, White and Blue for Memorial Day

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Chris Slogar

Meaningful colors on this meaningful day.

Sneak Peek – Layered Letters Alphabet

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Chris Slogar

My good friend and teammate Mary Jane Ebie sent me a picture of a card she made with her Sneak Peek items, and I think it is so cute and clever! I CASEd it right away with her permission to share with you. She used our preview set “Layered Letters Alphabet” on balloons punched from the XL Oval punch. I copied it with colors and papers from our new Cherry on Top designer paper, also a Sneak Peek item, on the card above.

Mary Jane’s card is shown below. She used a wider card, and the balloons fit better – her finished card size is 6″ x 3 1/2″. Her designer paper is from Painted Blooms. Aren’t they both so bright and fun?!

This card fits well into this week’s RetroSketches challenge, turned on its side. This sketch has been in the back of my mind all week, and if this card takes any honors, they belong to Mary Jane.

Here are some more details about our cards…

I used one of our Whisper White Cut & Ready Card Bases, and I covered the entire front with a piece of designer paper. I used the heart from the Owl Builder punch for the ties on my balloons – can you tell what Mary Jane used? (I didn’t recognize it!) She cut ties with the bottom portion of the Balloon Framelit.

I added a bit of designer paper and stamps to the inside of my card, too.

You may be wondering where those great balloon stamps come from. The balloon and string are part of this month’s Paper Pumpkin. This kit made 6 fun cards and 4 gift bags. The finished projects are shown below.

I am thrilled to have this little collection of cards and gift bags at the ready. I made them all with the kit in about an hour, and I am also thrilled to have the stamps for other projects.

Paper Pumpkin kits are all-inclusive, even that great yellow tissue paper is part of this kit! The kits are designed so that you can create great projects even if you don’t own all of the “stuff”. And even though I have most of the “stuff”, I still appreciate the great stamps and the pre-cut projects.

If you are interested in Paper Pumpkin, now is a great time to try it. Until June 10, new subscribers can sign up to receive the first two months at 50% off – your cost will be $9.98 + tax, but shipping is included. Click here to sign up, and use the promo code SAVE50. You can cancel at any time if you are not completely satisfied.

Also, in the spirit of Sneak Peeks, here’s some good news about Whisper White – the new Annual Catalog offers a heavier weight (100 lb!) Whisper White 8 1/2″ x 11″. It will be sold in packs of 24 for $7.00. Can’t wait for that!!

I think that is it for today. Thank you to Mary Jane for inspiring this project! Have a great weekend!

Touches of Silver

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Chris Slogar

This week’s color challenge had me thinking along the lines of a masculine card, but since we are also in the middle of graduation season, I went that route instead.

I picked my colors based on the challenge, but you could easily change colors to suit your recipient, or their school. And since there are different greetings available with “Celebrate Today” (the set that goes with the balloon framelits), you could also change the focal point on the pennant. I can imagine a birthday cake in that position, or some kind of baby items.

On my card, I used the same banner framelit to cut both the Blackberry Bliss and the Soft Sky pennants. I heat embossed the “Class of 2015” stamp on the Blackberry Bliss cardstock before cutting with the banner framelit, and then I used my trimmer to narrow both sides. I cut out an additional embossed “2015” by hand, and glued it over the first image. The Soft Sky pennant is embossed with the Lucky Stars folder.

I think heat embossing is always worth the extra effort – especially for a big event like a graduation. The same could be said for the Silver Foil and Fancy Foil Vellum. I am so glad that those specialty papers are also featured in the upcoming Annual Catalog!

Thank you for checking out my challenge card! You can see all of the Challenge Team inspirations at Create with Connie and Mary. Please take a minute to check out what these talented ladies have created. You can also see the entries as they come in, and we’d love to have you play along with your own entry!

Sneak Peek – Bohemian Layer Cake

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Chris Slogar

You can bake a perfect cake with your Washi Tape! I used the set “Build a Birthday” from the upcoming Annual Catalog to stamp the pedestal, and then I simply layered on the Washi cake layers. This new Washi Tape is called Bohemian, and all of the new items that I am showing in this post will be available starting June 2.

The Very Vanilla piece is 3 1/4″ x 3 3/4″. I layed the Washi Tape on lightly at first.

Then I used a ruler and craft knife (with a light touch) to cut through just the Washi Tape layer.

And I removed the excess before taking the ruler away.

While I am in close – this is why I have a love/hate relationship with Blackberry Bliss. It’s a beautiful color, but I can always expect to fumble with the pad somehow! I can use every other color and come away clean, but not this one.

I mounted my cake on a 3 7/8″ x 5 1/8″ Island Indigo mat, and that left me room for some banners made from the new Bohemian Designer Series Paper. I used a 1 1/2″ strip and two 1″ strips, and punched the ends to match perfectly with the new Triple Banner punch. It punches the banner end on three strip sizes – 1″, 1 1/2″ and 2″.

Hope you enjoyed this sneak peek!

Weekly Deals

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Chris Slogar

Here are this week’s Weekly Deals!

	Birthday Bash Specialty Designer Series Paper Item # 137783 Regular Price: $12.95 US/$15.95 CAN Discounted Price: $9.71 US/$11.96 CAN
	Stacked With Love Designer Series Paper Stack Item # 137779 Regular Price: $6.95 US/$8.50 CAN Discounted Price: $5.21 US/$6.38 CAN
	Bright & Beautiful Clear-Mount Stamp Set Item # 135029 Regular Price: $24.95 US/$30.95 CAN Discounted Price: $18.71 US/$23.21 CAN
	Stacked With Love Designer Washi Tape Item # 137789 Regular Price: $4.95 US/$6.50 CAN Discounted Price: $3.71 US/$4.88 CAN
	Spring Flowers Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Item # 137365 Regular Price: $7.95 US/$9.95 CAN Discounted Price: $5.96 US/$7.46 CAN
	Maritime Designer Series Paper Item # 133696 Regular Price: $10.95 US/$13.50 CAN Discounted Price: $8.21 US/$10.13 CAN
	Chalkboard Paper Item # 137786 Regular Price: $7.95 US/$9.95 CAN Discounted Price: $5.96 US/$7.46 CAN
	Rose Coral Colorbox Chalk Ink Pad Item # 138091 Regular Price: $5.95 US/$7.25 CAN Discounted Price: $4.46 US/$5.44 CAN

Money for the Grad, Revisited

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Chris Slogar

To answer questions on how to cut the base of this card, I have added a video today that shows how to construct the file folder tab on the inside.

Watercolor Backgrounds

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Chris Slogar

You can use your embossing folders to make great watercolored backgrounds. This card uses the Honeycomb TIEF, but the background mat is not embossed. The folder was simply used for the pattern.

I used sponge daubers to apply ink to the inside of the folder, inking the side with more raised surfaces. I used three colors here in a random pattern – Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush, and Daffodil Delight. Keeping the folder level, I misted the inked surface with water until the ink beaded up. Then I pressed watercolor paper to the folder to pick up the color and pattern.

The variations are created by the amount of water misted onto the folder. The area just above my flower was wetter, and the areas with smaller dots of color resulted from smaller beads of watery ink.

You can use different folders and different colors for endless possibilities with this technique. The card below uses Wild Wasabi instead of Daffodil Delight. I got the idea for this card from a card I saw by Margaret Raburn with a similar background that used Perfect Plum – also very pretty!

This was a club project this weekend – we finished up our cards as shown with the solid flower from “Petal Potpourri” and a greeting. This set will only be available through June 2. Many of the great sets from the Occasions Catalog will be available in the new Annual Catalog, but sadly, this one will not.

Thanks for looking! Have a great Monday!

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