Monday, January 25, 2016

WWYS #48: Bloomin' Love



Happy Monday! Today I've got another What Will You Stamp project for you and this week we are featuring the Blooming' Love stamp set for Stampin' Up! This is a great set all full of hearts and flowers. It's perfect for making Valentine's Day cards and love cards... Time for a little truth telling. Hearts and flowers are not really my thing (unless I get to color-lol!). I wanted to figure out a way to use this stamp set that had absolutely nothing to do with Valentine's Day or Love themed cards. 

I decided to use the big heart stamp as a background stamp. I stamped it on Coastal Cabana and colored the ink in with Clear Wink of Stella. I love the subtle, shimmery look that this gave. Then I punched out butterflies using both of my butterfly punches. I ran a strip of basic black through the Big Shot to emboss it and give the background some elegant texture. Then I punched circles out of white corrugated paper and used dimensionals to adhere the butterflies on top. A couple of rhinestones and a "Happy Birthday" and I was done! Once I figured out what I wanted to do this was a quick and easy card. I hope you like it!

Here's what the whole Bloomin Love set looks like. It's pretty, right? I think those single flower stamps could make some really beautiful backgrounds or homemade DSP. What do you think? I hope you will hop on over to the What Will You Stamp challenge blog and join us for this week's fun!
-Maria


Saturday, January 23, 2016

Dial an age Birthday Card!

I got this fun idea for a birthday card from Kirsteen Gill and boy am I glad I gave this idea a go! This is a custom order birthday card for a client's wife. She's turning 56 next week and he said maybe I shouldn't mention her age on the card. So, I thought this might be a fun way to honor her age and joke around a bit.
Here's the front of the card...
But wait just a second! See the little scalloped wheel on the side? Give that a quick turn and we're celebrating her 35th instead of her 56th! So fun!
Happy 35th! Wink.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you had a little laugh at this age defying birthday card.
Happy Saturday!
-Maria


Monday, January 18, 2016

WWYS #47: Sky is the Limit



Hey everybody! It's another fantastic Monday and that means another challenge with What Will You Stamp?! This week we are featuring a Sky is the Limit challenge! This is a stamp set that you cannot buy...You can only get it for FREE with any $50 USD purchase. It is only available for a limited time so make sure that you place your order to get it before February 15th. 

I had a lot of fun making this card and let me tell you that when I sat down to make it I had a completely different idea of it would turn out. But, hey, sometimes you just gotta roll with it!

I used the Going Places DSP Stack (only eight bucks!!) which I absolutely love and paired it with Basic Black and Mossy Meadow. I sponged the circle behind the plane with Mint Macaron and added some clear star sequins from the Metallics Sequin Assortment with my fine tip glue. I added a couple of candy dots and a thank you banner and called it good to go!

I like to finish the insides of my cards as well so I added a couple strips of the DSP that I used on the front. Here's what the whole Sky is the Limit set looks like. I really love it and hope you do too! Remember, if you want to own it, it's only available until February 15th!


Do you have this set already? If you do I would LOVE to see your ideas too! Please join us for this week's challenge over at What Will You Stamp?! If you want to see more great ideas for using this set please stop by and check out what the rest of the design team has come up with and check out our challenger's ideas too!

Happy Monday and have a great week!
-Maria




Thursday, January 14, 2016

OSAT Blog Hop: No Rules New Year!




Welcome to the One Stamp at a Time Blog Hop! It's our first hop of the new year and we have a new and incredibly talented crew... and No Rules for this blog hop! With no rules or guidelines to abide by I cannot wait to see what kind of crafty trouble everyone has gotten into! You may already be hopping along with us, if so, you have arrived here from the ever so talented Anna Smith! Normally we all bring one card and one project to the table. I decided that No Rules New Year meant that I could bring you two cards and a project. That was mostly because I couldn't decide which card to share so you get both. 

My first card is a sympathy card. Sadly, these have been in high demand lately. I used the new Flowering Fields stamp set that you can get FREE from our new Sale-A-Bration catalog with any order of $50 (US)! I also used a sentiment from the new Rose Wonder stamp set. It's such a great set and has sentiments for many occasions. Inside the card says, "You're in my thoughts and prayers." Oh! And those lovely little dandelion puffs? Those are from Balloon Celebration which you can find in the new Occasions catalog. I stamped the flowers in Whisper White Craft ink and then colored them in with my Stampin' Write markers. After I was done coloring I used a white gel pen to highlight some of the areas that I wanted to pop. I made this as a sympathy card but I really think it could be used for a birthday or a "just because" card as well. What do you think? 


My second card was made for a much happier occasion! This past weekend I went to a friend's baby shower. My friend is also an SU demo (and my Stampin' Grandma) so of course I had to make her a handmade card. Funny enough this card came together in about five minutes. I have a ton of pretty scraps and shapes already cut out that I have saved from other projects. I grabbed a handful of my loveliest scraps and paired them with this new, and AMAZING, DSP called Shine On. I absolutely love this DSP! It is kraft paper with metallic designs on one side and bold, beautiful prints on the other side. I love how well the blues and gold pair with the DSP and how that yellow rubber ducky looks like he might just swim off the card! 



For my project I made a hot chocolate box! Ever since I saw the Cups and Kettles Framelits Dies and the Balloon Celebration set at On Stage in November I have been wanting to make something like this! I finally got my chance and I am so excited to give this to... I don't know-somebody! I'm going to make more with tea and soup packets so I have little treats for all occasions. This was so fun, and so easy, to make! I used the Shine On DSP again for this project. This time I used the bold side featuring Kraft and Bermuda Bay.



I used a strip of Bermuda Bay cardstock and a circle of Crumb Cake to make a topper for the hot chocolate packet. I punched a hole and used the new Pool Party Glitter Ribbon and some Silver Thread to make a pretty bow. 


Do you recognize that heart background? How about the cute black frame? Probably not! They are brand new Project Life from the Sale-A-Bration catalog (meaning that they are FREE with a $50 USD purchase!). You get thirty cards in this pack called Memories in the Making and they are seriously awesome! Here I have layered two cards. The bottom one is in Watermelon Wonder and has tiny embossed hearts on it. The top card is clear acetate with a beautiful frame printed on it (Let me tell you that this pretty little acetate card made photographing this project a nightmare-sorry if my pics aren't up to snuff!). This set was actually made with card making in mind but would be lovely to use in an album as well. I wanted to give you a close up shot of this hot chocolate mug because I used some clear Wink of Stella to make it sparkle and shine. I have to say that the sparkles match the Pool Party ribbon very well! I've also added a few of the new It's My Party Enamel Dots in Mint Macaron.


I stamped my "Hot Chocolate" sentiment from the Balloon Celebration set and clipped it on using a silver metallic mini clothespin. 


Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I hope you liked my cards and my project. Did you have a favorite out of the three? Please let me know what you think and leave me a comment below. I always appreciate the feedback!

I sure hope you will keep on hopping with us and check out all of the amazing cards and projects that the rest of the OSAT hoppers have made to share with you today. Next up on the hop is the fabulous AJ Bodine! If you haven't witnessed her mad card making skills yet you are in for a serious treat today! Enjoy!




BLOG ROLL:
Maria Willis: YOU ARE HERE!
AJ Bodine:  NEXT UP!


FLOWERING FIELDS SYMPATHY CARD:





BABY SHOWER CARD:




HOT CHOCOLATE BOX:

Monday, January 11, 2016

WWYS #46: Endless Thanks


Hey everybody! It's Monday again and that means another wild week of What Will You Stamp! If you're new to my blog, then let me tell you what WWYS is... It's an awesome challenge blog that features one Stampin' Up! stamp set per week. If you've ever had a set that just stumps you check out our blog-if we've featured the stamp set then there will be plenty of ideas for you! If we are featuring a set that really gets your creativity flowing then we hope you will join us by adding your contributions to the What Will You Stamp Challenge Blog page. 

This week we are featuring Endless Thanks and I am really excited about my card this week. I wanted to do lots of fun layers so believe it or not I picked up all of these layers off of my craft table. I had cut all of them out for other projects and decided for whatever reason not to use them. I am a paper hoarder and will not throw anything useful out so all of these random pieces were just sitting there waiting for me to use them. I'm so happy with how beautifully they came together to make this card! I hope you like it too. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think! Do you ever make cards out of all of your scraps? Do you feel like they come together well?


Here's a little close up of the sentiment. I love the banner from this set and "friend" just fits so perfectly inside of there. The wooden "Thanks" gave this card a nice bit of texture and I finally got to use the white leaves from the Botanical Builder Framelits Dies! I swear I punched those little beauties out in November the day after I got that bundle! If you're wondering where you can check the Botanical Bundle out you are in LUCK! Our new Occasions Catalog went live yesterday and pretty much everything in it is to die for! Combine that with FREE products from Sale-A-Bration for every $50 purchase (the best sale of the year) and we are all winning! Just FYI, if you have been thinking about joining Stampin' Up! this is the time to do it! For $99 you can join and receive $155 in product of your choice! Let me know if you are interested in hearing more! I myself joined during Sale-A-Bration two years ago and have never looked back!


In case you haven't had a chance to check it out closely here's what the whole Endless Thanks set looks like. It's pretty awesome! 

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you will check out the rest of the design team's amazing projects over at the What Will You Stamp Challenge Blog! If you have any questions about Sale-A-Bration and earning FREE PRODUCTS, or, if you're interested in joining my team please let me know! I would love to answer any questions that you may have! 
Have an awesome day!
-Maria


PRODUCT LIST:

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Sale-A-Bration!! My Two Year Anniversary with SU!

Hi! If it's your first time visiting my blog, Welcome! I'm so glad to have you here! Today (and everyday through March 31st) is a great day!! The Stampin' Up! Occasions catalog has gone live and with it...Drum roll, please.... SALE-A-BRATION!! I think this is the best time of year for Stampin' Up! fans because not only do we have a new, awesome catalog but we get stuff for FREE when we make a $50 purchase! I love Free stuff so this is kind of a big deal to me! 

It's also a big deal because this year's Sale-A-Bration marks my two year anniversary with Stampin' Up! I signed up two years ago during Sale-A-Bration because I wanted the demonstrator discount and I've never looked back! If you've been on the fence about signing up, or, you've just been waiting for the right time-I'm telling you that this is it. When you sign up during Sale-A-Bration you pay $99 for $155 in products of your choice! If you are thinking about signing up, or, you just have questions that you want answered I would love to help you out. It's important that if you decide to sign up you pick an up-line demonstrator that is right for you and can give you the support you need (whether you will be a hobby demo or looking to build a small business you still need a helpful up-line). I would love to talk to you and see if I can provide you the support that you need. 

I am super excited and look forward to helping out anyone who is interested in information about making a purchase, or, joining Stampin' Up! Please let me know how I can help you!



Thanks so much for stopping by today. I can't wait to hear from you!
-Maria
mariawillis@hotmail.com

Click here for a link to the new OCCASIONS CATALOG!

Click here to SHOP!

Click here to JOIN MY TEAM! 

Monday, January 4, 2016

WWYS #45: Tin of Cards


Happy What Will You Stamp Day (otherwise known as Monday)! This week we've got a Tin of Cards challenge that I am so excited about because it got me to finally use my Tin of Cards kit and it is AWESOME!! If yours is still sitting in some forgotten corner I am telling you that you must go dig it out and use it now!

Here's my card. I used pieces from the kit and changed it just a little bit to make it my own...and of course I had to add some gold thread!

Here's a close-up of the fantastic wooden element and glittery heart that come with the many fantastic embellishments in the Tin of Cards Kit.

I had so much fun making the dividers for my tin and I cannot wait to fill my tin up with cards of all kinds!

Here I am putting my first finished card into the "Birthday" section! So fun! I can't to fill this whole tin up!

Ok! I hope you liked my project(s) for the week because I sure had fun making them. Now I'm off to catch maybe two hours or so of sleep and then off to camping! Woohoo! I got a new Survival knife for Christmas so I cannot wait to try it out!

Hope yo all had a Happy New Year!!
-Maria
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