Monday, November 28, 2011

Close To My Heart...

I am head over heels in love with everything related to Spice Cake DSP from the Holiday Mini catalogue (available until January 3rd).  This includes the Spice Cake paper, fabric, buttons, the Gently Falling stamp set, etc, etc...  I'll be so sad to see it go when the Holiday Mini catalogue sales period ends.

Anyone who knows me closely, knows that throughout my adult life I've experienced an exceptional amount of tragedy and loss.  I have always chosen to make "what doesn't kill me makes me stronger" my mantra.  In times of crisis, you'll catch me muttering this under my breath as a little pep talk to myself.

So...long story short, the sentiment on this lovely card (cased from Jodi-Danielle Kutz & Ann Schach) is near and dear to my heart.  (Click the photo to see a larger image)


Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I can't wait to see what digital downloads Stampin' Up! has in store for us tomorrow.  Woo hoo!

Lori

Friday, November 25, 2011

Flashback: Punch Art Galore!

Hi there!  I hope everyone's had a great week.  I have throughly enjoyed having my new computer.  The ability to be able to multi-task in any room of the house has improved my productivity so much and that makes me one very happy girl.

Here's a card from over a year and a half ago.  When my co-workers first included me in their monthly card-making nights, they would have a monthly challenge and the winner would win a gift certificate for SU products.  One of the monthly challenges was a colour combo challenge...purple & green.  First, I confirmed with the group that we all agreed that Rich Razzleberry and Orchid Opulence (now retired) fell in the purple category in our opinion.  I was off to the races!



I didn't have many supplies in these colours to choose from so a punch art card was the perfect choice to use up my scraps.  I made 11 of these cards and they took FOREVER to complete but I was so delighted with the end result.  Check out those buttons: they're made of paper and coated with Crystal Effects to make them glossy.

The punches used here were the Scalloped Square, 1 1/4" Square, Boho Blossoms and Itty Bitty Punch pack.

Have a great time on "Black Friday" and happy MDS'ing!

Lori



Thursday, November 24, 2011

Flashback: Sophisticated Lattice

Happy Friday Eve!  LOL.  My co-workers and I loooove Friday so much after some weeks at work that we've deemed Thursday "Friday Eve".  I hope you're having a terrific week so far.


Here's the second in my series of flashback posts.  Today, I'm featuring another card I made en masse and I've kept them without sentiments so that I can add something appropriate when the situation presents itself. So far, I've used this card for anniversaries, masculine birthdays and a wedding card!

Here's the "recipe":
4 1/4 x 5 1/2" Very Vanilla card stock base
4" square, Basic Black cardstock contrast layer
3 3/4" square Very Vanilla dry embossed layer
Basic Black cut out with Stampin' Up!'s lattice die
Very Vanilla circle heat embossed with black embossing powder using the medallion stamp in the Artistic Etchings Stamp Set
Basic Black punched with Decorative Label punch
Very Vanilla circle with stamped sentiment of your choice

I'll do my best to recreate some of these Flashback cards in MDS so you can see how easy it is to do.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my fellow US demonstrators and readers,
Lori

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Flashback: Springtime Vintage Quilt Card

In the process of transitioning from my old computer to my new one, I also managed to do some reorganizing in my craft room, too!  While doing so, I found some of the cards I made earlier this year before I started blogging.

So...without further ado,  here's my Springtime Vintage Quilt Card.  I had a blast making about a dozen of these.  It's one of the best ways to use up tiny scraps of that favourite DSP of yours that you couldn't bear to throw out.

Here's the "recipe" to recreate it:
4 1/4 x 5 1/2" card base with fold on the left or the top
3 7/8 x 4 3/4" contrast colour cardstock
3 5/8 x 4 1/2" neutral cardstock (quilt backing)
16- 3/4" squares of DSP

Adhere DSP to quilt backing leaving 1/8" gap around the outside edge and between the rows of squares.  Run through your Big Shot using the Stampin' Up! Lattice embossing folder.  Tie ribbon of your choice around this layer.  Adhere your "quilt" to the contrast card stock and then the contrast to your card base.  Stamp and punch the sentiment of your choice and pop it with Dimensionals in the bottom corner of your card.  Voila!  A quick quilt card for any occasion.

Oh, and if you're not a "paper pusher" like I am, this card is a cinch to re-create in MDS (without the embossing).

Until next time...keep on MDS'ing,

Lori

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Temptation Tuesday: Christmas Style

Hey there!  Stampin' Up! pulled a fast one on me this week...though this turned out to be a good thing!  With all of the excitement going on with the Online Extravaganza sale, Stampin' Up! released this Tuesday's Digital Downloads a day early.  I only wish I'd been paying better attention yesterday.

Here's a screen shot of all of the Christmas goodies.  Click HERE to pop on over to my website if temptation gets the better of you.

You'll be proud of me.  I've managed to finally get pictures of some of the previous cards I've made and I'll post them over the course of the next week as a trip down memory lane.





Until next time...Happy MDS'ing,

Lori

Monday, November 21, 2011

Online Extravaganza!!!

Oh, my goodness!  Stampin' Up! has absolutely outdone themselves with their pre-Black Friday Online Extravaganza sale!  Select My Digital Studio digital downloads, stamps, fabric, cookie press stamps, dies and Sizzlits for the Big Shot and much more is all on sale!  Check it out!


I have to head off to work soon but have fun browsing through all of these great deals!  Remember, if you order through my online store, your order ships right to your home and any MDS Digital Downloads that you purchase can be downloaded within minutes after submitting your order!

Happy MDS'ing everyone!
Lori

Sunday, November 20, 2011

We Have Lift Off!!

It didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped but I've got all of my software and files transferred over from my old computer to my new laptop.  This is going to make digital scrapbooking and blogging SO much easier!

As promised, I have a craft-related post tonight!  I made this Stitched Stockings card for the demonstrator quarterly meeting a month ago.  It's a case from demonstrators Jennifer Picard and Kirsten Gill.  I think it's just adorable!


Isn't that Stocking Builder Punch and Silver Glimmer Paper adorable?  My next goal is to see if I can make something similar in My Digital Studio.  I can't believe Christmas is just over a month away.  I'm actually excited this year!

Set your alarm clocks to wake you up a little earlier than normal tomorrow.  Stampin' Up! tipped us off to a huge Online Extravaganza sale starting tomorrow morning!  It must be a big deal because they haven't even told the demonstrators about all of the things that will be on sale.  So, I'll get up extra early, too and get all of the details posted for you here before I head off to work.

Until then...Happy MDS'ing!
Lori

Thursday, November 17, 2011

There is light at the end of the tunnel...

It's a frustrating thing when the modern conveniences we've become so reliant on, no longer live up to our expectations.  My computer's been a pain in the behind for some time now and it's seriously hampering my ability to blog, use My Digital Studio, upload pictures, etc.
The good news is that my new computer will (hopefully!) be delivered tomorrow!  Finally, I'll have a machine that can keep up with me again!  I'm kind of demanding when it comes to my computer (multiple browsers and programs all running simultaneously and I flit back and forth between all of the things I have on the go)!!

I'll be back by the end of the weekend with a crafting post if it's the last thing I do!!

Happy MDS'ing,
Lori