Wrap Up Your Christmas

Do you have all of your Christmas gifts wrapped and under the tree, or ready to deliver? If so, I envy you! I know I still have plenty to package, and now Stampin' Up! is making it easier (and cheaper) to get oh-so-cute results!

 

You can find all the details on my website: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/thestampintexan/promotions

Happy Wrapping!

Online Extravaganza Ends Today!

Today is the last day to take advantage of discounts up to 50% on great stamp sets, embellishments, and more - even the new MDS2 software for digital design! If you haven't placed your order yet, don't miss out! You can find all the details here:  http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/thestampintexan/promotions

I have neglected my blog lately, and I do apologize to those of you who follow, looking for new ideas. Despite the crazy holiday season, I hope to be back regularly with fun ideas and tips! I've missed "seeing" you here!

Awesome Fabric Special!

Wow! Stampin' Up! is offering an awesome deal on four retired designer fabrics! Each box includes three different prints (about a fat quarter of each), and right now these four sets are 99 cents each! WOW!

If you've never used fabric with your paper crafting, there are so many things to try! Whether you tear a strip and use it like a ribbon or use the Big Shot to die-cut it into shapes... You can adhere it fabric-to-fabric or fabric-to-cardstock for more stability. Oh the possibilities! And at this price, you can easily afford to give it a try.

The sets are listed in the Clearance Rack - just click through the pages, as they are not all together in there. You can order online right there on my website, but do hurry - these prices are only good while supplies last. Once the word gets out and these fabrics sell out...well, you'll want to take a peek right now! :)

If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. That's what I'm here for! Remember too, if your order totals $50 (before tax/shipping), I'll mark another square on the back of your card. When your card is full, you'll receive a stamp set of your choice (up to $25 value!) FREE from me. And... if your online order totals $150 or more (before tax/shipping), you'll qualify for hostess benefits, too!

Make it a great day!

Tri-Fold Blossoms

I found some time to play the other day, and I loved what came out of that time! Don't you just love a good play time? lol

The Mixed Bunch set and it's coordinating Blossom Punch have been a go-to pair for me for a while now. I saw the idea for a diagonal tri-fold card and thought I would play with that a bit. Here's what happened:

The card is 5 1/2 by 4 - a tad smaller than a "standard" card, but it will still fit in a regular envelope. And with three panels, there is lots of room to decorate or write your message.

Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Bring on the Cake
Inks: Soft Suede, Marina Mist
Paper/Card Stock: Not Quite Navy; DSP Pattern Pack, Bashful Blue, Daffodil Delight
Punches: Blossom Punch, Scalloped Oval
Accessories: Simply Scored, Basic Rhinestones, Sponges, Dimensionals

Embossing Plaid

I love plaids. I'm not sure what it is about them... Maybe it is that little bit of Scottish in my background? Or maybe it is the orderly pattern... lol  Whatever the reason, plaids feel warm and comfy to me. So I loved the idea of using the Stripes Embossing Folder to create plaids! You could use subtle colors for baby cards or scrapbook pages, or you could use bright, cheery colors. Low-contrast colors for a "softer" background, or high-contrast colors for a "louder" background. There are so many possibilities! I played with Cherry Cobbler and Summer Starfruit on this one. And one little tip I learned... Use your brayer to ink the folder, but be sure to ink the textured side. The smooth side will not give you a clean embossed line.

Once again, it's hard to capture the sparkle, but if you look closely perhaps you can see the glitter on the frosting.  Now if only you could sink your teeth into it...

Stamps: Create a Cupcake
Cardstock: Midnight Muse, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White
Inks: Cherry Cobbler, Summer Starfruit, White Craft
Punches: Cupcake Builder, Scalloped Oval, 1 1/4" square (for flag ends)
Accessories: Big Shot, Stripes Embossing Folder, Brayer, 2-Way Glue, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Dimensionals

Watercolor Brayer Technique

I have been playing with a new technique - the Watercolor Brayer Technique. In fact, for those of you who missed it, this technique was one of our brayer techniques for June's Technique Class.

Drop a few drops of reinker onto plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap over to spread the ink a bit, then open flat again. Use this to ink your brayer. Spritz water on the brayer. Less water will give you a darker, more saturated color, while more water will give you a more "washed-out" color. Depending on the inks and water saturation, you may even end up with a batik look to your finished piece. Use the brayer to ink your paper. This piece was then trimmed using the Oval Scallop Frame with the Big Shot, and finished with sponged Soft Suede around the edge.

The watercolor background created an interesting texture for the sentiment on this card. Of course, the texture on the Old Olive (using the Simply Scored) was quite fun... But then again, I LOVE my Simply Scored, so anything using it turns out to be quite fun!

Stamps: Language of Friendship, Curly Cute
Inks: Marina Mist, Old Olive, Soft Suede
Cardstock: Whisper White, Marina Mist, Old Olive
Accessories: Brayer, Oval Scallop Frame, Big Shot, Simply Scored, Bird Builder Punch, Boho Blossom Punch, Basic Pearls, Dimensionals, sponge

Thanks for stopping by!

A Cherry on Top

I am loving these new In Colors! I think Midnight Muse is a new favorite. It's a richer blue than Night of Navy, but not quite as dark as this picture makes it seem on my screen. Raspberry Ripple and Primrose Petals are wonderful colors, too... It's so hard to choose a single favorite! Even Summer Starfruit, which I wasn't too sure I liked at the beginning, is growing on me. You're not likely to see a whole card that color, but I'm certainly not opposed to using it.

This card was part of our new catalog kickoff event, so I pulled in all five new In Colors:

I am also loving the new firm foam ink pads - much better ink coverage with much less effort! It will take me a while, but I will slowly switch over to the new pads. I'm sure my kids will be thrilled to have easier access to my old ones!

What you can't see well (needed photography lesson in the future?) is the Crystal Effects on the center cupcake and stand. You can faintly see the Dazzling Details in the white around the stand. In person, this card has quite a bit of sparkle, but the camera has a hard time capturing it. (Or at least this photographer does...lol)

Stamps: A Cherry on Top
Cardstock: Midnight Muse, Raspberry Ripple, Primrose Petals, Whisper White
Inks: Gumball Green, Raspberry Ripple, Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Midnight Muse
Punches: Scallop Trim Border Punch, Word Window Punch
Accessories: 1/8 Taffeta Ribbon (Lucky Limeade - retired), Crystal Effects, Dazzling Details

Herringbone

For those of you who also quilt, you may recognize today's pattern. The herringbone pattern is great for using up those leftover scraps - even the skinny little pieces that get trimmed off along the way. It is a slow process, but it is fun to watch the pattern grow. Definitely one I'll do again!  I used 1/4" strips for this card, but you could do wider strips as well.

Stamp Set: Bring on the Cake
Ink: Night of Navy
DSP: Just Add Cake
Cardstock: Marina Mist, So Saffron
Accessories: Designer Label Punch, Basic Pearls, White Taffeta Ribbon, Dimensionals

Favorite Flowers

Greenhouse Garden is one of my favorite flower sets, and it will be retiring at the end of this month. (I could say the same about Fifth Avenue Floral...) I am also sad to see the smooch retiring, as it adds such a quick and easy highlight. It's hard to get a good photo of accents like that, so you'll have to trust that this card has more pizzazz in person. If you do not yet have these stamp sets, or you need another bottle of smooch before it is gone, let me know. (I think I need another bottle...!)

I love to make my own "designer paper," because then I know it has the exact combination of colors I'm looking for. I had a hard time covering these flowers with anything, so I decided to keep the tag small. If you're not looking, you might even miss it!

Cardstock: Whisper White, Pacific Point, Bashful Blue, Rose Red
Inks: Pacific Point, Bashful Blue, Rose Red
Stamps: Greenhouse Garden, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Accessories: Moonlight Smooch, Jewelry Tag Punch, Rose Red brad, paper piercing tool/mat pack

Retiring Accessories & Up to 70% Discounts!

The Retiring Accessories list is now available, and there are some reports of a few items already selling out, so you'll want to place your order quickly. You can see a list here (all 12 pages of it!). Some of these products have been discounted up to 70% - wow!

Don't forget to look through the Retiring Stamp Sets, which you can find here. There are over 300 sets retiring at the end of May.

These lists do NOT include pictures. If you want to SEE what's retiring, head to my website here and under "Products" choose "Shop Now." You'll see the Retiring Products option on your left. Then you'll be able to click through the listings with pictures rather than flipping through a catalog to find them.

Also, don't forget - the Summer Smooches promo and the Occasions Mini catalog both end April 30th!

Questions? Concerns? Contact me today and I'll be happy to help. With all this retiring, I can't wait to see the new catalog! Mark your calendar: Friday, May 25, 7pm, is our Farewell Retirement Party/ May technique class. Then Saturday, June 2, 9-11am, we'll have a new catalog reveal and auction - you won't want to miss! (More details to follow.)

Letting Go of Fifth Avenue Floral

This will be one of the toughest retiring sets for me to let go. Okay, honestly? I won't let it go! lol But to not be able to use it in workshops and classes will be sad. So we'll use it another time or two for sure before it retires at the end of May.

Tonight we'll be making a card with one of the flowers, which was watercolored by wetting the paper and then adding the ink to the center of the embossed flower and allowing the color to flow along the water on the paper. Interesting technique and effect! When my flowers were first colored and drying, I seriously disliked them and nearly threw them out. However, I let them dry... Still not terribly impressed... So I cut them out, and look what happened:

Not too bad for flowers that almost didn't survive, huh?

Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock: Basic Gray, Whisper White, So Saffron, Twitterpated DSP
Inks: Cherry Cobbler (pad and refill), Versamark
Punches: Lace Ribbon Border, Scallop Oval, Large Oval
Extras: Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder, Aqua Painter, Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details, Polka Dot EF, Dimensionals, sponges

Retiring Favorites

Wow - the retiring list is long this year! Some of my favorites ended up on the list, and while I am sad to see them go, I am excited to see what my new favorites will be! What about you? Are some of your favorites retiring?

If you would rather view the retiring sets by picture rather than flipping through your catalog with the list, you can see the images online. Click the button to the right to "Order Stampin' Up! Online" - that will take you to my website. Choose "Products," then "Shop Now." On the left hand column, you'll see the option for "Retiring," and then you can view images for both Wood Mount and Clear Mount retiring sets. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

We'll be having a Farewell Retirement Party on Friday, May 25th. Until then I'd like to feature some retiring favorites. You may remember this post about a new embossing technique. The Medallion stamp is perfect for this technique!

Retired Stamp Set List Posted!

You may want to grab a tissue - some of my favorites are in this list, and yours may be too... Those sets listed here will only be available until 5/31/12. Don't miss out!

Retired List - pdf format

Or see/order through my website - choose Products, then Order Now, and then on the left you will see the link for Retiring.

April Newsletter

I am offering a facebook giveaway! In order to be entered into the drawing for this FREE stamp set, please "like" my fb page: Sarah Ruut - The Stampin' Texan. If you have already liked my page, you can still enter to win. Share this with your friends, and when they "like" my page, let me know that you referred them and I will add your name in too! The deadline to enter is Friday, March 16 - please help spread the word!

February Fun Folds

These cards were so much fun! You'll remember the "gift of health" hand sanitizer holder from my previous post, but I wanted to share these other cards as well. Our theme for February's card class was "Fun Folds" - no fold-it-half cards in this set! I also challenged myself to use just one DSP pack for all of the projects, to show how versatile a single pack can be. Depending on the paper/side you choose, and the colors you pull from it, you can create a lot of different looks with that one pack. This set used Twitterpated from the Occasions Mini, which I especially like.

It is hard to see in this photo, but some highlights: the snowflakes sparkle with Dazzling Details; the gnome card (in the back) features the ribbon and brads which you can choose FREE during Sale-A-Bration; Cherry Cobbler embossing powder and Silver smooch on the flower; and the sentiment on the card on the right is from Sprinkled Expressions - another FREE choice during Sale-A-Bration.

We just might have to make every February "Fun Folds" month - this was super fun!

Gift of Health?

There are a few individuals whom I need to create for this Valentine's - just a little something fun. Here is one idea I had:

The black top you see is the top of a small bottle of hand sanitizer. I thought this might make a cute gift idea. The cardstock is 3 x 11, and then scored to fit around the bottle. The hole punched in the top was again sized to fit this bottle. I used Melaleuca hand sanitizer, so other small bottles may require different measurements than this one. However, a quick tip: I added dimensionals to the bottom of the bottle to adhere it to the cover, so that it doesn't slip out the side.

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Papers: Riding Hood Red CS; Twitterpated DSP; Baja Breeze CS; Whisper White CS
Ink: Riding Hood Red
Accessories: Simply Scored; Circle Punch; Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch; Basic Rhinestones; dimensionals

Simple Two-Color Valentine

The SUO Challenge for this week is to make a Valentine using two colors, plus a neutral. I wanted something sweet but simple:

I am not sure about this means of securing an image. I'll keep working on that part. But in the meantime, here are the details you may be looking for...

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock: Whisper White, Rose Red, Regal Rose
Ink: Rose Red
Accessories: Full Heart punch, Polka Dot EF, Adorning Accents EF, Scallop Edgelit, Regal Rose grosgrain ribbon

Thanks for visiting!

Chocolate Memo?

Whether you are saying "I love you" or "thank you," "thinking of you" or "congratulations," the message is easy to change to fit the occasion, and the surprise tucked inside makes the note just that much sweeter.

The finished size of this little package is 3x3, but as you can see below, there is much more to it than just a 3x3 card...

On the left is a little pocket to tuck your note into before delivery. And on the right...chocolate! This was another of the fun projects we put together at our Valentines Class last month. If you weren't here, you missed out on a great evening!!

Stamps: Delicate Doilies, Outlined Occasions

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Patterns DSP

Ink: Cherry Cobbler

Punches: Pinking Hearts Edge Punch, Full Heart Punch, NEW Blossom Punch

Accessories: sponge, Sticky Strip, retired Cherry Cobbler ribbon, Simply Scored

It's Time to Sale-A-Brate!

This is probably the biggest event of the Stampin' Up! year. After all, who doesn't like a SALE on products they LOVE? There are FOUR different opportunities available to you:

Click Here to view the Sale-A-Bration flyer with all its awesome selections, 

and contact me directly to place your order and save the most.

This is in addition to the free and discounted product you normally receive as a hostess. 

Interested in getting your friends together? 

Contact me directly about scheduling your workshop here in North Texas.

Wow - a reduced price AND free paper or digital downloads for the next YEAR! 

I want to join again...lol

Contact me directly for more information on joining me.

Do you have TONS of digital photos hiding in your computer? 

Have you considered digital scrapbooking?

My Digital Studio is a fabulous program that makes digital design fun and easy - 

and allows you to incorporate the Stampin' Up! designs and colors you love.

 And now, Stampin' Up! is offering a FREE 30-day trial of My Digital Studio Express.

With the FREE 30 Day Trial, you'll get:

• Full access to the software at NO CHARGE.
• Full design capability.
• Exclusive artwork that comes with My Digital Studio Express.
• Opportunity to purchase additional downloads: designer templates, stamp brush sets, embellishments, designer paper patterns, and more.
• Access to Stampin' Up! professional print services.

View MDS Catalog.

Find training, tips, and LOTS of samples at mydigitalstudio.net.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you would like more information on any of these amazing opportunities to SAVE. I am happy to answer questions and help you in any way that I can.

Happy February!

I am not sure where January went - did you happen to see it?? I spent plenty of time this past month thinking about cards and stamping, but I was crazy busy with work and school... I did find some time to stamp, and had a few times to stamp with friends, but sadly my blog has gotten lonely. So, lest we start into yet another month without a post, I do have a card to share with you today.

This is one of the Valentine's cards we made last month in our Valentine's class. However, without a sentiment on it, the card really could be used for a variety of messages inside. The black didn't photo well (I really need to work on my photography skills, don't I?), but the black CS was adhered to the white and then together run through the Square Lattice EF. I (Heart) Hearts was stamped onto Riding Hood Red CS and punched with the Full Heart punch (with the small heart punch used for the small hearts). The black polka dot ribbon adds to the overall look for sure, but it is not the easiest ribbon to tie into a bow. Especially for me. Along with photography, I also need to work on my bow-tying skills... The Square Lattice EF does tend to make the CS curl, so I adhered the front to a full card (meaning there is an embossed WW layer on top of a regular, un-embossed WW card). That seemed to give the extra sturdiness the card needed. Plus, it provided an easy way to hide the ends of the ribbon.

Stamps: I (Heart) Hearts
Inks: Riding Hood Red
Card Stock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Riding Hood Red
Punches: Full Heart, Small Heart
Accessories: Basic Black Polka Dot ribbon, Square Lattice EF, dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!