Sign Up for my CHA Craft Supershow Class!

Most of you who have been involved in crafting have heard of the CHA tradeshow that happens twice a year in the Craft and Hobby Industry. It is where craft manufacturer’s role out their summer and winter releases and buyer’s decide on which products and lines will appear in their retail and online stores. This year the show is in Orlando, FL — how exciting — just a little over an hour’s drive from my house in Melbourne! Following the industry show, there will be a 2 day event open to CONSUMERS, called the CHA Craft Supershow, and I will be teaching a class for Glue Arts. You can go online to register for this class, only $15 and quite a deal. It will be held on Saturday, August 1st from 9 - 11 am. Tickets for the show are sold for 1 day and 2-day passes. Click here for a list of retailers offering discounts on admission and check out the list of craft exhibitors & activities here. For general information about the show, visit the website.

Just look at this adorable Flip Flap Purse/Album that I will teach you how to make. I have included some additional photos showing it unfolded and one close up that are not shown on the CHA Supershow website. All class supplies for this project are included. We just suggest bringing a pair of scissors for assembly. It is also a great opportunity to try out Glue Arts’ adhesives. So all my fellow Florida stamp and scrap pals, be sure to sign up so I can have some familiar faces in my class! And designer friends who are traveling to CHA, be sure to sign up, too! I am so excited about this event and hope to see you there! Only 75 spots available, so sign up as soon as possible!

I wanna be a Scrap Girl!

Art is my passion, and that is hard to deny! I can't describe how alive it makes me feel to create, whether it is working on an article, making a card or layout, crafting a really cool project or pouring myself into a design assignment.

Lately, I have been really missing illustrating and designing. I used to design stamps, papers and scrap accessories, so when I heard that Scrap Girls, one of the premier digital scrapbooking sites, was looking for product designers, I felt that it was time to get busy working on a collection and my application. Scrap Girls is an amazing site, voted among the top 50 for scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking & hybrid sites. They offer great digital products (such as papers, embellishments, templates and layouts), along with books and creative tools for digital scrapbooking. Thinking about trying out digital scrapbooking and crafting? Sign up for their newsletter to see products and projects that you can create digitally. It is full of inspiration along with digital freebies you can download.

This “free spirited” butterfly is just one of my other digital brush ideas. Digital brushes can be used at different sizes and in different colors to create patterns or elements on cards & layouts. I thought it was such an appropriate one to share as a sneak peek since it represents my own transition into the world of digital designing. Sorry that I can't share any more ideas with you just yet, but I need to wait until I hear back from them. {wish me luck!} Don’t worry...I will be working on lots of digital artwork and will be sharing with you soon where you can purchase them!

Ready for some ultra sweet Blog Candy?

You are in for a real treat. Not only does my friend, Melissa Bove, have some wonderful project posts, but she has some awesome blog candy, too, from Sizzix, Basic Grey and Queen & Co. Here are some pictures, but you need to go to her blog to find out how to enter!

Celebrating Ree, My New Recruit!

I really should have thought to take a photo of Ree to post here. Ree Nathan is a friend and talented stamper who I first got to know as both of my girls chorus teacher. She is a wonderful, sweet woman who just retired from ( I hope I get this right), over 35 years of teaching. She is amazingly organized and has so many wonderful ideas to share with the stamping world. Here is the matching Quilted Celebrations gift set I made to congratulate her on her retirement and new adventure in teaching as a Stampin’ Up!® demonstrator. It is my spin on the quilted card idea that I have been seeing a lot of lately, only thinking outside the box [not just using squares].

Paper: Stampin' Up! Bella Birds, Blush Blossom CS; Whisper White CS & Chocolate Chip CS

Stamps: Wonderful Words

Punches/Dies: Boho Blossoms; Scallop Border; Eyelet Border; Sizzix Big Kick (or Big Shot) with Circles die [used for Shabby Chic flowers]

Other: Bashful Blue Taffeta ribbon, soft subtles brads & paper trimmer

Ashesives: Glue Arts High Tac with Glue Glider™ Pro & Ribbon Adhesive

May God Bless You...

I first bought this set with the intention to use it for making cards for my small Confirmation group at Church. Since then, I have discovered it can be used for so many other wonderful greetings besides the Catholic sacraments, i.e. Get Well, Thinking of You, Loss of Job, Sympathy. Since this In Color cardstock and ink will soon be retiring, I wanted to share this with you. It, too, follows the rule of my last post, White plus one color. Stamps, ribbon, embossing powder and inks from Stampin' Up! The stamp set is called Special Blessings. I used white taffeta ribbon and embossing powder. My scoring blade on my trimmer enabled me to make a smooth fold to the left of the bird stamp. I drug the edge over a VersaMark pad and embossed in white to add color and texture. I used my rectangle punch to add ribbon prior to mounting it on white layer. I used Glue Arts High Tac adhesive and a strip of ribbon adhesive for the foldover flap. The wheel is Always in Bloom. Since there is no Baja Breeze ink cartridge, I simply ran the wheel over my Baja Breeze ink pad and rolled onto card edge. Tip: Make sure you ink well so it appears evenly, and as always, begin off edge of CS and continue off top edge. I am sure you know someone who could use God's blessing today!

Get Started with White Plus One

If you are just getting started in stamping and don’t have many supplies, here is an easy way to create simple, yet lovely cards. Most stampers have white card stock and ribbon as basic starter supplies. Simply pick a contrasting color of cardstock and ink to use on your card.  This “How Much You Do” card uses the scallop square punch, white taffeta ribbon, a small flower and pearl from the Pretties Kit along with the Baroque standard wheel, rolled at an angle and a white square mounted on the inside stamped in Lavendar Lace with leaves from Pocket Silhouettes stamp set. The verse is from the Morning Glory set. So whether you are trimming your budget or just getting started, think white plus a color for creating beautiful, easy cards. Supplies available for purchase on my Stampin' Up! website at www.cwartz1.stampinup.net.

Love...De-Stressed!

I love this technique of using clear embossing powder on a bold stamp and rubbing chalks and/or ink on top. It gives a distressed look to the image. (see below for close up of card). I used a stamping sponge on the punched Boho Blossoms flowers as well as the cardstock edges. The corner rounder used on the pink layer adds to the soft look! I created my own paper charm using silver EP, 1/2" circle punch and silver cording added to the striped pink grosgrain bow. The wheel is Illuminated and the stamp set for the hearts is A Happy Heart, both from Stampin' Up!® . I used a Sizzix diecut machine with the Flower Layers #3 die to create flowers on gift bag. Cardstock colors used were Whisper White, Pirouette Pink and Chocolate Chip. You can also substitute Pretty in Pink. I also used Chocolate chip ink and ink cartridge on these. Other SU supplies: Bella Rose Designer Paper, silver mini brad, linen thread, button bouquet and retired Occasions collection stamp to create the tag on the gift bag. Adhesives used were from Glue Arts. To add to the distressing, I stamped ink onto torn 

edge strip using Creamy Carmel, Pirouette Pink and Chocolate chip.

Flower Bucket Video now online!

You can now view the how-to video for making fun flower buckets such as this one, that I created for the Glue Arts Design Team. Click this link and locate the mini bucket video under my DT heading. The video shows how you can change out ribbons, flowers, etc. to make other decorative pails. This is one of several videos that will be appearing on the Glue Arts website showing you how to create fun craft projects. Be sure to check it out and tell your friends. Subscribe to my blog or become a follower to get updates on new video posts and for other project inspirations. This is a great project idea you can make with your kids. I got the buckets at Target, but you can find them at craft or dollar stores. Fill with seed packs, bags of treats, small garden tools, a post it pad and pen for a great end of year teacher gift or a get well gift. Post your creation on your blog and link it back to mine. Leave me a comment so I can check out your fun creations!

Mostly Sunny, Partly Cloudy

This matching card and envelope is called Cloudy Fields. It shows how you can work with a single color scheme along with white to create a simple, yet beautiful notecard set. I used the Baja Breeze ribbon, cardstock and ink along with the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set, a stamping sponge and white gel pen to create this look. Even if you are a beginner stamper, you can create this set. I dipped the sponge in the Baja Breeze ink pad to create soft edging around the envelope flap and card layer. If you love this color combo, one of the Stampin' Up!® In Colors, be sure to order before the new catalog comes out! Click on this link to my SU website to have fun shopping!

To Thy Own Self Be Kind - what a great concept!

When I first read this verse on a stamp, it struck me a little odd, but the more I think about, it is a great reminder especially to all the moms out there who often are overworked and far less appreciated for the little things they do. I know that Mother's Day has come and gone, but take a moment this week to feel guiltless and to thy own self be kind! Here is a card created with the Stampin’ Up! Sale-a-Bration set, Botanical Blooms.

Lavenderliscious

This uneven bi-fold card is so easy to recreate by adding a solid accent strip, coordinating ribbon, a stamped watercolor floral image and birthday verse. I stuck to a simple, 2 color scheme of lavender lace and basic black. The floral is from the Stampin' Up!® level 2 hostess set, Echoes of Kindness. If you'd like to earn it by hostessing a workshop, contact me to find out how to do it. I created a tone on tone pattern using the floral pattern in the Sprinkles stamp set on the right hand fold. Birthday wishes greeting is from the Wow Flowers set. I will be demonstrating how to make this at my next workshop, which the focus is All About Flowers.

Mother's Day Card Making

I was just a few days out of surgery but really anxious to get out of bed and do something crafty. I had Mother's Day cards to finish so I got busy stamping...what great therapy! Here are some of the cards I mailed off this year to my close family members...

 And here was another card that matches the layout and box shown in my previous post below...