April Club Projects - Stencils 3 Ways

These are our stamp club projects for April. Not my usual combinations, but I wanted to highlight Decor Elements Elegant Trio Stencil Collection and use retiring color combos. We used the stencils in 3 ways. From left to right: emboss resist, heat-n-stick powder with fine cosmo glitter, and traditional sponging.


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Ruby Red, Blush Blossom, and Close to Cocoa will all retire in June. They make a pretty color combination, I think.

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I think the flourish from Baroque Motifs works perfectly with the fleur-de-lis stencil. I love Taken with Teal, and this fine glitter - so fun! Not so fun cleaning it up after the kids managed to get into it!

Rennovating SU!

There's a Color Rennovation going on at Stampin' Up! I couldn't be more thrilled at the fresh, modern, beautiful color collections. There are made up of some of our current favorites, returning In Colors, AND 5 brand new colors ... all coming to your stampin' desk when the new catty comes out in July.

Wooo hooo SU!

April Club Projects

Hello!!! Yes, it's been a while :) In case your link to my blog is broken, it's because I stopped paying for domain names - you'll have to put in the whole address to get here: it's www.stampin-with-laurel.blogspot.com So, fix your homepage settings Mom & I'll try to put up more pictures :) Here was our March Club Projects. We made this wonderful little basket using the Sizzix Scalloped Envelop die. The handle is punched with the Scallop Trip Edge (a SAB product). Do you love my brayering?! I took a beginning brayer course from Michelle Zindorf last week, and had to share the technique with the gals. I love this color combination - it's all based off the Shades of Spring DSDP in the Occassions Mini.

January Club Projects

Here are our first Club projects of the New Year! So pretty, even if I do say so myself! I like the bright, sophisiticated colors of these Valentines projects. How many Occassions Mini products to you see? How about the XL Bird punch, the beautiful Real Red Satin Ribbon, and the Something Sweet stamp set? The mailbox is from Target's Dollar Spot. I covered it with a 4" x 8" piece of Designer Paper; this measurement will allow you to cover FOUR mailboxes with one sheet and very little waste. I simply traced the lid shape and cut it out.

We have TWO open spots in the next Stamp Club! Call or e-mail to join today!

Fox and Friends

Well, it's leftovers for me today :) The left-most card was one of my Stamp-A-Stack projects. I love this owl with the sentiments from Owl About You! This morning I decided to stamp through my leftovers, and used the exact same colors, cardstock, Sweet Pea DSDP, and Fox & Friends in 4 other ways. Of course, I had to mix up the embellishments! Which is your favorite, Mom?
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Hapy New Year

Shaker card. Here's to an inspired New Year for us all!

Merry Christmas, Champ!

You may not know, but I have another passion besides stamping. {It's true!} I also play tennis! I took a break from the sport after High School - you know, the whole joining the Navy, getting married, having 3 kids, & moving 4 times sort of took up most of my recreational time. But, in the past 2 years, I've played with the best bunch of sweeties on a USTA team called No Strings Attached. We had the most fun, and even made it to Regionals this year! Go, girls!
I wanted to make them a special Christmas Card. I thought the SU! Lattice Die had a little resemblance to a tennis net - my first though was to shrinkey dink them and interpret it literally ... but it didn't work out. This is what I ended up with, and I really like it. The Just Tennis set is so cute ... and will be one of the free set choices for Sale A Bration rewards! Inside it says "Merry Christmas Champ!"****************
STAMP SETS: JUST TENNIS, SPORTING, MANY MERRY MESSAGES (INSIDE); CARDSTOCK: REAL RED, GARDEN GREEN, WHISPER WHITE, KRAFT; INK: BASIC BLACK, REAL RED; ACCESSORIES: SU! BIGZ LATTICE DIE, SU! TEXTURED IMPRESSIONS PERFECT POLKA DOTS; 5/8" SATIN RIBBON

A Full & Happy Stampin' Table

I know I post about my Stamp Club all the time. If I'm blogging, it's usually about the Club! Well, we had a banner meeting last week. 1st, we were finally ALL together! 2nd, we had my Mom (far left) as a GUEST STAMPER, all the way from sunny Florida. What a treat! 3rd, we made 3 projects - a stamped candle, side-step photo card, and an embossed card with omitted oval. Plus, thanks to a few outside orders, we also had a record order (which translated to a bunch of free sets plus $95 in freebies to the lucky hostess!).
This meeting was just 2 days before Thanksgiving, and having a full and happy table of stampers really started my holiday off on a blessed note. Thanks so much, ladies! I {{heart}} you gals!
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STAMP SETS: HOLY TRIPTYCH, SCENIC SEASON; INK: REAL RED, CHOCOLATE CHIP; CARDSTOCK: REAL RED, SOFT SUEDE, WHISPER WHITE, SHIMMERY WHITE, CHRISTMAS COCOA DSDP; TOOLS: PETALS A'PLENTY TEXTURZ FOLDER (WITH OVAL CUT OUT OF CENTER), THE BIG SHOT, HEAT GUN; EMBELLISHMENTS: REAL RED RIBBON, BOLD BRIGHTS BRAD, (RET) HODGEPODGE, CRYSTAL EFFECTS & DAZZLING DIAMONDS GLITTER
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Please visit Sandy MacIver's blog to check out her tutorial for the Side-Step Card. I used her template and wonderful tutorial to create my photo card. Plus, she's done some crazy fantastic things with the Texturs Folders and Ornament Punch!

Isn't this artwork just "So Tweet?!"

This past month, we gave our daughter a new room - complete with beautiful new bedding from Target called "Love and Nature" by Circo. And, you what Stampin' Up! product we used to create our wall art? Why, the "So Tweet" Chipboard set, of course!

I took the pillow to a local craft store and matched it's colors with a bunch of tempera paint. Then, the kids and I sat down to paint a bunch of little chipboard pieces different colors & let them dry.

We used Stampin' Up!'s grid sheets and packing paper to protect the dining room table from such enthusiastic creativity! The kids all had a wonderful time - they were in art bliss!

I CASE'd the landscape and then Rylee and I collaborated on the elements. I used Crystal Effects dimensional enamel to adhere the chipboard and it's glued solid. This little work of art coordinates perfectly, and yet, I made it on a reclaimed canvas out of inexpensive materials we already had in my craft closet.

Best of all, my daughter LOVES it, and brags to all her friends that she made it with her mommy!

Christmas Topiary

Hiiii, Mom! How are you?? You'll be happy to see how I've used that little Tree Trimmings set we received *free* at Convention. The topiary is not an original idea. I CASE'd this card from kmemmott on SCS though I really liked the little beads and background I added. Enjoy! I can't wait to stamp with you in a couple weeks!

Snow Shaker Dasher

Hi, Mom! I thought you'd enjoy this darling Dasher card. We made them at my first Christmas Stamp A Stack. It's a shaker & you know how I love the shaker cards. The landscape is just a torn paper placed down and the blue sponged over. Super easy!! Make one of these when you get your Top Note die from the UPS man :)

I'll post more SAS cards soon!!
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STAMP SETS: DASHER; COLORS: REAL RED, BASHFUL BLUE, WHISPER WHITE, CHOCOLATE CHIP; ACCESSORIES: BUTTON LATTE, LINEN THREAD, CHUNKY GLITTER

School's Out!

This is what we worked on last week - little gifties for the kids' teachers and bus driver. I filled the backpack with a set of 3"x3" notecards, a jumbo paperclip, stampin' spot, small stamp, pencil and gum. You can see the splitcoaststampers.com tutorial HERE. The little Pun Fun rocket is perfect for the notecards - seeing as how they're the Ridge Elementary School Rockets! I stamped; the kids colored. It was a lot of fun.

The bus was a little more tricky. I don't have a schoolbus, so I adapted the van from a retired set called Travel Time, and filled it with people from Loads of Love. The adorable boy and girl holding the sign look just like my son and daughter, waiting for the bus!

Retiring Doodles & more

For the next few posts, I'll pay homage to all the beautiful, fun Stampin' Up! sets that are on their way to retirement. The Last Chance list was just released this morning, and Doodle This (see on this scrapbook page) was on the list.

Check out all the other retiring sets, papers, and accessories on my business site HERE! You'll find a selection on sale at 25% and 50% off!

Branch Out

Real quick - this is my latest creation. I made it from the scraps I had left over from my last Club meeting, where we made one of the Carousel Note purses. The color scheme is from the Parisian Breese Textured Specialty Designer Papers. I like the paper piercing and staples with this one.
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STAMP SET: BRANCH OUT; CARDSTOCK: KRAFT, CHOCOLATE CHIP, BAJA BREEZE, WHISPER WHITE, PARISIAN BREEZE DSDP; INK: CHOCOLATE CHIP, BAJA BREEZE, SAHARA SAND; ACCESSORIES: SMALL OVAL PUNCH, JUMBO EYELETS, PAPER PACK

Possibly my very fave ...

Honestly, this may be one of my favorite cards of all time! I just LOVE this set (sadly, retired) and the sponged oval background is so soft and elegant. The monotone colors make it so easy to choose your color combination. And, best of all - it's a very easy and quick card to make.

Don't you think it would make a wonderful Mother's Day card? I stamped the purple one first a long time ago, and decided to try it in different colors.

This one is Pink Pirouette and Regal Rose with just a touch of Dazzling Diamonds Glitter in the center of the flowers. The stem is Old Olive. To get two colors on one stamp, I used Stampin' Write Markers on the rubber itself, huffed, and stamped.

Lastly, I tried Apricot Appeal and Pumpkin Pie with Always Artichoke Stems. Then I challenged myself to use this same awesome treatment and template with CURRENT SU! sets. Which do you like best? Flight of the Butterfly? Eastern Blooms? Embrace Life?

I have to admit, I made EIGHTEEN of these designs this weekend alone! I'm getting Sponger's Fatigue in my hand, but it's well worth it!