SBTD Blog Hop From the Heart

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to the SBTD (Stampers By The Dozen) Blog Hop and our theme for December is "From the Heart". This month was my turn to choose the theme and I loved the idea of creating cards and gifts that come from the heart to give to the people we love. I hope this month's projects will help inspire you with your projects throughout the year.

I recently attended OnStage in Salt Lake City, Utah with approx. 2600 fellow demonstrators from around the world. It was an amazing experience and I was lucky enough to enjoy it with my fellow team members. One of the perks of OnStage is getting the chance to pre-order from the new 2018 Occasions Catalog before anyone else. Today I am sharing some of these wonderful products that I used to create 3 special cards.

My first card is probably what you would consider a more traditional style Valentine's Day card but it would also work well as an Anniversary card. I thought this card would be perfect for my daughters to let them know how much they mean to me. It's simple and elegant without being over the top, which suits them.

The card was created using the new Sure Do Love You Bundle which features the beautiful Sure Do Love You stamp set and coordinating Lots to Love Box Framelits. I used gold embossing to add a special touch to this card and I embossed the Blushing Bride cardstock layer with the new Scattered Sequins Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder and added a touch of Wink of Stella to each of the "sequins" for a little sparkle. I also scattered several sequins from the Mini Gold Sequin Trim for extra dimension. 

My second card was designed with my wonderful husband in mind. We have been married for over 25 years and have travelled the world together. I can't imagine my life without him so the sentiment from the Sure Do Love You stamp set was perfect for this card. I used the heart die from the Lots to Love Box Framelits Dies to die cut a heart from the Night of Navy layer and stamped the striped heart with a stamp from the Heart Happiness stamp set with Marina Mist Classic ink, which also coordinates beautifully with this die set.  The Night of Navy cardstock layer has been embossed with the Pinewood Planks 3D Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder and I rubbed a little Craft Whisper White ink onto the embossing to add texture and a worn wood look to the card. I added the new Whisper White 1/4" Organza ribbon across the bottom with a bow to finish off the card. I love the almost tailored look that this ribbon has and I felt that it worked perfectly for this masculine themed card. 

My last card was created with my boys in mind. Once again I used the striped heart from the Heart Happiness stamp set, stamped with Marina Mist Classic ink and die cut the coordinating heart from the Night of Navy layer to create a peek-a-boo look for the striped heart image. The Night of Navy layer has been embossed  using the new Simple Stripes Textured Embossing Folder and popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals for extra dimension. The sentiment is from the Petal Palette stamp set and it describes how I feel about my sons. I can't imagine a world without them in it. I heat embossed the sentiment with Silver embossing powder on Marina Mist cardstock and punched it out using the Everyday Label punch, which is carrying over from the Holiday Catalog. I added some basic Rhinestones to finish off the card. 

I hope these three cards have shown how versatile this bundle is, and how you can use the Heart Happiness stamp set with them to provide you with a variety of choices to create your projects. I love that these cards can be used for a variety of occasions to show our loved ones how much they mean to us. I hope they will inspire you to create something for the people you love.

Now it's time to visit Lyndsay LaRae Carara's blog and see what she came up with for this month's theme. Just click the button below or use the Blog Hop Roll Call list to find your way if you get lost.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your journey on this blog hop. 

Lyndsay LaRae Carara

Until Next time.

Happy Stampin',
Tricia Butts
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Like What you see? Visit My Online Store Here

Visit my Facebook Page 

https://www.facebook.com/TriciaStampingCreations/

Stampers By The Dozen Roll Call

1.  Rachel Pine                  

2.  Karie Beglau                  

3.  Judi Anderson                  

4.  Susan Simpson               

5.  Tricia Butts  

6.  Lyndsay LaRae Carara                  

7.  Courtenay Heuston  

8.  Tashana Lundy

9.  Carly Middleton                     

10   Sharleen Luciano             

11.  Vicky Thompson 

12.  Anastasia Radloff  

                                                               

Colour Combo December 2017

Welcome to December's Colour Combo Blog Hop. This month's Colour Challenge features Emerald Envy, Chocolate Chip and Berry Burst. I must admit, when I first saw these colors, I was a little intimidated but then I remembered a new stamp set I had just received in my new Occasions catalog pre-order.

I went for a clean and simple design that showcased the color combination as well as highlighted certain images from the Petal Palette stamp set. I used a variety of Stampin' Up! punches to punch out circles of the 3 from Chocolate Chip, Melon Mambo and Emerald Envy cardstock. I then heat embossed the images with gold embossing powder.

I love the way the gold embossing makes each image pop against the cardstock and allows the image to take their main color from the cardstock. The sentiment is also from the Petal Palette stamp set and this is just one of the wonderful sentiments in this set. I heat embossed it with Gold Embossing powder onto a Whisper White notecard.  You could easily create a variety of these notecards using the different sentiments from the stamp set to create a card set as a gift. 

I am looking forward to experimenting more with this color combination and this stamp set. I can see a lot of wonderful possibilities for both.

I hope you have enjoyed my card today and I hope it has inspired you to challenge yourself to try this color combination and see what you can create. Now it's time to visit Renee's blog and see what she has created this month. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and I hope you will visit again soon.

Renee

                                                                       

Until Next time.

Happy Stampin',
Tricia Butts
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Like What you see? Visit My Online Store Here

Visit my Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/TriciaStampingCreations/

GSF Blog Hop 16: Festive Celebrations

Welcome to the GSF (Global Stamping Friends) Blog Hop 16 with Festive Celebrations as our
theme, featuring Stampin' Up! demonstrators from around the world to help inspire you. Today I decided to share two cards that show how to use Gold to add a festive touch to your Christmas cards.

These two cards are very different but each shows how you can use gold to step up your card or project to make extra special. The snowflake Christmas card has a classic, elegant feel to it, while the Seasonal Chums Reindeer card has a touch of whimsy that is sure to make people smile.

There is something so beautiful about a snowflake and I love the way the large embossed snowflake, created using the Winter Wonder Textured Embossing Folder (item #144686), creates a beautiful background to this card design. Using Thick Very Vanilla cardstock for the card base and another piece for the layer, the card could seem very plain, even with the embossed snowflake. But look what happens when you add a little Gold Foil for the circle matte, Gold embossing powder for the snowflake and sentiment and the Gold 3/8" Metallic Edge Ribbon for an accent. Suddenly the card takes on life and is transformed into a simply beautiful card. I used the Snowflake Sentiments stamp set for the snowflake image and the Hang Your Stocking stamp set for the sentiment. The finishing touch was a basic Pearl to embellish the center of the gold embossed snowflake. This card is quick and easy to create but looks like it took a lot of time and effort to create. It would be perfect if you have to make a large number of cards in a short time to send out to family and friends for the holidays. 

For my 2nd card, I used more gold. A lot.  This time I chose to use Thick Whisper White for my card base and I just had to use a piece of the Gold Checked DSP from the Year of Cheer Specialty Designer Series Paper pack for the background. I used the reindeer stamp from the Seasonal Chums stamp set on Crumb Cake cardstock using Early Espresso Classic ink and heat embossed it with Clear Embossing powder. I then die cut it with the Seasonal Tags Framelits Dies and trimmed around the antlers with my Paper Snips. I colored the reindeer image with my Stampin' Blends for a little dimension and a pop of color. I added the image to a circle of Soft Sky cardstock with Mini Stampin' Dimensionals to help him stand out. Next I layered the Soft Sky circle onto a Gold Foil Snowflake and attached it to the card. The sentiment is from the Labels to Love stamp set and I heat embossed it with Gold Embossing powder on Whisper White cardstock. I punched it out using the Everyday Label Punch, which coordinates perfectly with this stamp set. I added a piece of 1/8" Gold Ribbon to the card and attached the sentiment with Mini Stampin' Dimensionals. There is so much to love about this fun card and it is simple to create and assemble. 

So there you have it. Two very different cards using gold to help you celebrate the Festive Season. Which card do you prefer? Do you like classically elegant or fun and whimsical? I would love to hear which card is your favorite and why in the comments below.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. I hope you enjoyed the projects I had to share today. Now it is time to visit Amanda Bates blog and see what she has for you. Just click the image below to visit her blog, or if you get lost, use the links in the Blog Hop Roll Call to find your way.

Amanda Bates

Until Next time.

Happy Stampin',
Tricia Butts
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Like What you see? Visit My Online Store Here

Visit my Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/TriciaStampingCreations/

Blog Hop Roll Call

1. Anita Wifladt

2. Rebecca Urban

3. Libby Dyson

4. Jan Musselman

5. Lisa Ann Bernard

6. Karie Beglau

7. Amanda Farlinger

8. Kimberley Anne Morris

9. Tricia Butts

10. Amanda Bates

11. Kristie Neal Walthall

12. Anastasia Radloff

13. Erica Jones

14. Jenn Charles Curtis

15. Marieke Bart

16. Courtenay Heuston

17. Angelique Stempelkeuken

18. Sarah McDermott

Christmas Gift Packaging ideas Stampers By the Dozen November Blog Hop

Looking for great Christmas Gift Packaging ideas? Then you will love Stampers By the Dozen's November blog hop. We are a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators from around the world, sharing our creativity to help inspire you.

My projects were inspired by the wonderful acetate products that Stampin' Up! has to offer. Let's face it, we are all so busy during the holidays, so we can use all the help we can get. I decided to show you how you can decorate the Acetate Card Boxes (item #144628 Set of 10 boxes $6.50) and the Clear Tiny Treat Boxes (item #141699 16 boxes $7.50). Stampin' Up! does the hard work so we can do the fun part.

Starting with the Acetate Card Box, I used the Holly Textured Embossing Folder (item #141634 $7.50), to emboss the front of the box and add a little texture. I love the elegant look it gives to the acetate box. The belly band was created with a piece of 11" x 2 1/2" Garden Green cardstock that I also embossed with the Holly embossing folder. I then layered a 11" x 2" strip from the Merry Music Specialty Designer Series Paper (item #144623) and lightly sponged it with Old Olive Classic ink along with the embossed edges of the Garden Green cardstock layer. The 7/8" Striped Ribbon is one of my favorites from the Holiday Catalog and I loved how it stepped up the look of the belly band. To finish it off I heat embossed the sentiment from the Snowflakes Sentiments stamp set with Silver embossing powder on Whisper White cardstock and die cut it with the Layering Ovals Framelits. I then layered it on a Lemon Lime Twist Scalloped Oval and attached it to the belly band with dimensionals. For a little extra bling, I added 3 Basic Rhinestones to finish it off.

I love the versatility of the acetate boxes and how easy they are to decorate. In addition to being a great way to package a set of cards and envelopes, these boxes also work well for a sweet treat filled with candy or a stationary set. They can be used for gifts for teachers, neighbors and loved ones for the holidays.

The Clear Tiny Treat Boxes are great for small gifts and so much fun to decorate. I chose to use the Reindeer image from the Seasonal Chums stamp set and I used the coordinating Seasonal Tags Framelits to die cut the image with my Big Shot. I colored the Reindeer with my Stampin' Blend Markers using Light and Dark Crumb Cake for the body, Light and Dark Cherry Cobbler for the Bow and Light and Dark Daffodil Delight for the Bell. I just love how cute he turned out. 

I layered the Reindeer image onto a piece of Lemon Lime Twist cardstock using the Starburst Punch and punched out a circle from Garden Green cardstock using the 2 1/4 " Circle Punch. Using the 3/8" Silver Metallic-Edge Ribbon, I created a simple belly band around the box and attached the image to the box with Glue dots to the front. 

On the opposite side I created the same layers and added a Silver embossed sentiment from the Santa's Suit stamp set on Thick Whisper White cardstock and punched it out with the 1 3/4" Circle Punch. I attached it to the box with Glue Dots. 

These cute little treat boxes are great for small gifts like jewelry such as a pair of earrings or a pendant. You can use them to create an Advent Calendar and put a small treat in each one as you count down to Christmas. They are quick and simple to assemble and can be used for a fun family crafting activity. You are only limited by your imagination (or Pinterest).

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and I hope my ideas have inspired you. Now it's time to visit Lyndsay LaRae Carara's blog and see her amazing projects. Just click the button below or if you get lost, visit the blog hop list at the bottom of this post to continue your journey.

Lyndsay LaRae Carara

Until Next time.
Happy Stampin',
Tricia Butts
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Like What you see? Visit My Online Store Here

Visit my Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/TriciaStampingCreations/

Blog Hop Roll Call

1.       Rachel Pine 

2.       Karie Beglau 

3.       Judi Anderson 

4.       Susan Simpson

5.       Tricia Butts

6.       Lyndsay LaRae Carara

7.       Courtenay Heuston

8.       Tashana Lundy

9.       Carly Middleton

10.   Sharleen Luciano

11.   Vicky Thompson  

12.   Anastasia Radloff

Fall in Love with the New Stamparatus

Hello everyone,

It has been a whirl wind kind of week with the excitement of OnStage Live 2017 and the major announcement that had us all excited was the amazing new Stamparatus. So what is the Stamparatus you might ask? It's a new, revolutionary stamp positioning tool that will get you excited about stamping. This is how Stampin' Up! has described it:

It’s big news when something breaks the mold and changes everything. The Stamparatus will change the way you stamp, and before long, you’ll wonder how you crafted without it!
Why do YOU need one? You’ll fall in love with stamping all over again when you learn everything you can do with it!

• Make multiples with ease
• Consistently stamp crisp, clean images
• If you want a darker impression, apply more ink and restamp—no need to start over
• Make fewer mistakes, saving time and money
• Easily create 2-step, 3-step, and 4-step stamped images using reversible plates
• Develop new and specialized stamping techniques with adjustable stamping plates and precision placement

Watch this video from Stampin' Up! to see the Stamparatus in action:

Are you excited yet?

Need product details?

• Compatible with Stampin’ Up!’s red rubber and photopolymer stamps
• Foam mat to use with photopolymer stamps
• Rulers and gridlines for quick measuring
• 2 open sides so you can stamp on larger paper
• 2 reversible plates: a total of 4 surfaces to work with
• 2 magnets to hold the paper in place
• Magnet storage areas
• Retail Price–$49.00 USD 

So now you are probably asking "How do I get one?" 

With the launch of this tool, Stampin' Up! is trying something different: testing a new reservation system. It acts like a true preorder: you reserve your spot and Stampin' Up! guarantees shipment as soon as the product arrives in our warehouse. Demonstrators and customers will place reservations and receive their product at the same time. This system will allow us to get the product to market as soon as possible while avoiding backorders and efficiently managing inventory.
The global launch will feature three reservation windows. For each window, please note the following:

• Reservation quantities are while supplies last.
• Limit is 1 tool per customer per reservation window. 
• Customers may participate in multiple reservation windows.
• In order to reserve your Stamparatus, you are required to provide your credit card information.
• Credit cards will not be charged until the Stamparatus ships from our facility. When you close your order, be sure to verify that your credit card and shipping information is correct.

Here are the Reservation Windows available: 

Reservation Windows	Available to Ship
November 16–30, 2017	Approx. February 1, 2018
December 5–30, 2017	Approx. March 19, 2018
January 15–30, 2018	Approx. April 15, 2018

As you can see, tomorrow is November 16th, the first day to reserve your Stamparatus. You can place your reservation starting at 2pm Mountain Time.  To reserve a Stamparatus, you must have a customer account. To create one, click Create Account on through my Online Store here and click Create an Account in the top left corner.

Click here to view the Customer Q&A PDF with more information to answer your questions.
Here is a step by step tutorial to help you with your reservation.

You can also view the Reservation Tutorial by clicking here. 

Once you have completed your Reservation, please email to let me know that you have successfully reserved your Stamparatus so that I can add you to my list. You will receive a Thank You gift from me and I will update you on any new information as it becomes available. You can email me by clicking here. Please use Stamparatus Reservation as your Subject. 

I am so excited about this new launch and I can't wait to share new ideas and projects with you in the future. While you are waiting, why not visit my Facebook Page here for regular updates and project ideas. 

Until Next time.

Happy Stampin',
Tricia Butts
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Like What you see? Visit My Online Store Here

Visit my Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/TriciaStampingCreations/

Colour Combo Blog Hop November 2017

Welcome to the first Color Combo Blog Hop as we feature projects using this month's color combination of Melon Mambo, Lemon Lime Twist and Night of Navy.  This color combination was something very different for me and I had a lot of fun playing with these colors.

I chose the stamp set, Lovely Inside & Out, because I felt like this color combination would be great using an abstract kind of design. This stamp set has a wonderful variety of images that are great for creating a fun background. Add the sentiment and you have a fun card with a funky kind of feel to it, all using 3 ink pads (Melon Mambo, Lemon Lime Twist and Night of Navy) along with two colors of cardstock (Melon Mambo and Whisper White) and a little bit of embellishment with White embossing powder and Basic Rhinestones colored with the Dark Night of Navy Stampin' Blends Marker. I also embossed the Melon Mambo cardstock layer with the Polka Dot Basics Textured Impressions Embossing folder and sponged it with Melon Mambo Classic ink. 

I hope you have enjoyed my card and I hope this helps inspire you to try out this color combination for your creations. Next we will visit Angelika Perischa's blog to see what she created with this color combination. I hope you enjoy the rest of the blog hop. 

Until Next time.

Happy Stampin',
Tricia Butts
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Like What you see? Visit My Online Store Here

Visit my Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/TriciaStampingCreations/

Angelika Perischa

Global Stamping Friends Blog Hop: Anything But Cards

Welcome to the Global Stamping Friends Blog Hop 15 with our theme of Anything But Cards. This was a big challenge for me as I tend to make just cards, so it was a hard thinking outside my comfort zone.

One of my favorite stamp sets from the Holiday Catalog is the Merry Café stamp set. One of the things I think about with the cooler weather approaching, is having a hot cocoa or apple cider to keep warm on a chilly day. This stamp set has you covered not only for the various holidays but also for your favorite holiday beverages.

A couple of months ago, I spotted a pack of the paper cups with the lids that you can use for hot drinks and bought them thinking they would make a fun project. Fast forward to now and I have used them for this project to show you how with just some paper, ink and stamps, you can decorate these cute cups for the holidays.

The first cup I decorated for the Fall and we all know the craze of Pumpkin Spice Latte is in full swing, so I thought this cute sentiment was perfect. I also used a strip of the Painted Autumn Designer Series Paper to decorate the Early Espresso belly band on the cup. I heat embossed the sentiment with Copper Embossing powder on Very Vanilla cardstock and matted it onto a scalloped circle of Cajun Craze cardstock, all colors from the color palette of the DSP.

The second cup has a Christmas flavor to it, with the traditional red and green theme. I used Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green cardstock with Whisper White for my colors which coordinate with the Be Merry Designer Series Paper I used to embellish the belly band. I heat embossed the sentiment with Silver embossing powder.

I love the traditional colors of Christmas, but this would work well with other combinations for a winter theme using blue tones with the silver embossing or you could use any of the other Designer Series Paper packs available in the Holiday catalog to create a variety of different cup designs. 

I hope you have enjoyed my projects today. Now it is time to visit Lisa Ann Bernard for the next stop on this blog hop. If you get lost along the way, visit the Blog Hop Roll Call below to find your way.

Until Next time.

Happy Stampin',
Tricia Butts
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Like What you see? Visit My Online Store Here

Visit my Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/TriciaStampingCreations/

Lisa Ann Bernard

Roll Call

1.  Kimberley Anne Morris

2.  Jenn Curtis Charles

3.  Jan Musselman

4.  Anastasia Radloff

5.  Amanda Bates

6.  Karie Beglau

7.  Courtenay Heuston

8. Ellen Woodbridge

9.  Amber Thompson

10.  KristieNeal Walthall

11.  Tricia Butts

12.  Lisa Ann Bernard

13.  Amanda Farlinger

14. Erica Jones

15. SarahMcDermott

16.  GeorgiaGaydos

17. Sharleen Luciano