Gretchen Barron

Favorite Thoughts in Paradise

Hello everyone! I hope you're having a wonderful Memorial Day Celebration!

I've got a glittery little card for you today using the new Favorite Thoughts Stamp Set along with the Dragonfly from Bugs & Kisses and the leaves from the Paradise Stamp Set.

I cut the oval using the Big Shot and the Oval Scallop Frame Die. Using a 2-way Glue Pen, I applied Dazzling Diamonds Glitter all around the edge of the oval, as well as to the Dragonfly wings.

The dragonfly was stamped with Black Craft Ink and Embossed with Black Embossing Powder and the heat Tool.

The Designer Series Paper is Island Oasis and the ribbon is 1/4" Eggplant Grosgrain. A few leaves are stamped on the inside with Old Olive and Certainly Celery Ink.

I'll be back on Tuesday with an update on the Birthday Cards received for From Our Hearts to date! Since May 31st fell on a Postal Holiday, I've extended the post-mark deadline to tomorrow, June 1st! Click HERE for the original post with all the details!

That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stamping!

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge 153

Hello everyone! Another weekend means another great Saturday Sketch Challenge from the Operators at Stamping 411.

I decided to bring out some more of those fabulous pansies, created with the Butterfly Punch and the Floating Re-inker Technique. Click HERE for more information.

Cardstock colors include Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant and Whisper White. Other accessories are Elementary Ribbon Originals, the 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Designer Label Punch, the Big Shot and the Finial Press Impressions Folder and some brads. The sentiment is from Watercolor Trio. Ink colors on the pansies are Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, More Mustard, Elegant Eggplant and Ballet Blue.

Here's the measurements:

1. Layer One -- Old Olive cut at 5.5 x 8.5", scored and folded in half to form card base
2. Layer Two -- Whisper White cut at 4 x 5.25". Embossed with the Impressions Folder and Big Shot.
3. Layer Three -- Elegant Eggplant cut at 3.5 x 2.5"
4. Layer Four -- Whisper White cut at 3.25 x 2.25". Embossed with the Impressions Folder and Big Shot. Stretch ribbon over this layer and adhere to back with SNAIL adhesive. Arrange the pansies and attach with Stampin' Dimensionals! Stamp the sentiment and punch with Designer Label Punch. Ink edges with Old Olive ink. Layer on 1 3/8" Circle of Elegant Eggplant. Attach with Stampin' Dimensionals.

That's it for today! Be sure and check out the cards the other Operators have designed at Stamping 411!

I'm so glad you stopped by! Have a wonderful holiday weekend and save some time for stamping!

Stamping 411 -- the BIG reveal!

Hi everyone! Thanks to so many of you for playing along with our little Stamping 411 Switch-a-Roo this past week! It was great fun! And for those of you that entered your guesses as to which Operator designed which card and for those of you that played along and submitted cards for the Sketch Challenge, there will be an announcement soon on the 411 Site for the Big Blog Candy Give-away!

This is the card that was actually my card! I used the Island Oasis Designer Series Paper, the Tropical Party and Embrace life Stamp sets, the Big Shot and the Square Lattice Impressions Folder, 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon in Old Olive and Rhinestone brads and dimensionals.

 

Here's the measurements:

1. Layer One -- Old Olive cardstock cut at 5.5 x 8.5", scored and folded to form the cardbase
2. Layer Two -- DSP cut at 4 x 5.25"
3. Layer Three -- Tempting Turquoise cut at 3 x 4"
4. Layer Four -- Old Olive cut at 2 7/8 x 3 7/8" -- emboss with the Big Shot. Run the ribbon over this layer and attach to the back of Layer Two with SNAIL adhesive.
5. Layer Five -- Tempting Turquoise cut at 2 x 3"
6. Layer Six -- Whisper White cut at 1 7/8 x 2 7/8". Stamp the sentiment and leaf images. Attach layers five and six using Stamping' Dimensionals (over the ribbon and on top of the embossed layer). Add stamped flower and tie that Big, beautiful bow!
7. Layer Seven -- inside of card -- don't forget to add a little stamping here as well for added interest.

What fun this has been. The Operators had a little guessing game going as well (we didn't even know whose card was whose), and it was amazing at how difficult it was to match the Operator up with the card!

Our one-year anniversary celebration is over and this week we begin our second year of sharing and inspiration! So, be sure and check out a new Sketch Challenge this weekend and join us for a new year!

Mr. Postman, send me a ... BUSHEL FULL OF BIRTHDAY CARDS!!!

Hello everyone! What a day it's been! Today is my birthday and I started out the day receiving dozens of well wishes and greetings on Facebook. I am completely overwhelmed with all the notes and attention that I've received!

I had another great gift today, my newest Inspiration in Action Team member, Samantha, signed up to become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. Welcome to the team and the wonderful world of Stampin' Up!, Samantha!!!

And finally, when I went to check the mail this afternoon, I found that cards arrived today by the hundreds!  That's right, I said hundreds! They came from Spokane, Washington; Chicago, Illinois; Topeka, Kansas; Shiloh, Illinois; Mason, Michigan; Tucson, Arizona, Arlington, Tennessee and all points in-between! My letter carrier must wonder what's been happening here this week. When I went to check the mail, they were pouring out of the mailbox, along with boxes and parcels of cards stacked on the front porch!  I even got two from my new recruit, Samantha and another that was hand-delivered by team member, Paula, who happens to live just down the street! Judy Bennett of Kokomo, Indiana, sent a box with at least a hundred cards in it and each  and every one of them are works of art! Thanks, Judy, for helping out in the cause! You can see just a few of her masterpieces in this photo on the right. She even included envelopes for them.

Your response to my appeal for birthday cards to send to the troops has been overwhelming and amazing! And it's not over yet!!! You have until June 1st to postmark your card(s) and send it to me! For all the details, see my original post HERE!

Remember, there's some great Blog Candy up for grabs! Seriously, I wish I could send the blog candy to each and every one of you. You have truly honored me with your generosity, the quality of your cards, the personal notes and goodies that you included for me in your packages! What's even more special is the response that each of your cards will receive when they get mail from their deployed loved ones in the form of a hand-made card. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Mr. Postman, send me a ... BUSHEL FULL OF BIRTHDAY CARDS!!!

Hello everyone! What a day it's been! Today is my birthday and I started out the day receiving dozens of well wishes and greetings on Facebook. I am completely overwhelmed with all the notes and attention that I've received!

I had another great gift today, my newest Inspiration in Action Team member, Samantha, signed up to become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. Welcome to the team and the wonderful world of Stampin' Up!, Samantha!!!

And finally, when I went to check the mail this afternoon, I found that cards arrived today by the hundreds!  That's right, I said hundreds! They came from Spokane, Washington; Chicago, Illinois; Topeka, Kansas; Shiloh, Illinois; Mason, Michigan; Tucson, Arizona, Arlington, Tennessee and all points in-between! My letter carrier must wonder what's been happening here this week. When I went to check the mail, they were pouring out of the mailbox, along with boxes and parcels of cards stacked on the front porch!  I even got two from my new recruit, Samantha and another that was hand-delivered by team member, Paula, who happens to live just down the street! Judy Bennett of Kokomo, Indiana, sent a box with at least a hundred cards in it and each  and every one of them are works of art! Thanks, Judy, for helping out in the cause! You can see just a few of her masterpieces in this photo on the right. She even included envelopes for them.

Your response to my appeal for birthday cards to send to the troops has been overwhelming and amazing! And it's not over yet!!! You have until June 1st to postmark your card(s) and send it to me! For all the details, see my original post HERE!

Remember, there's some great Blog Candy up for grabs! Seriously, I wish I could send the blog candy to each and every one of you. You have truly honored me with your generosity, the quality of your cards, the personal notes and goodies that you included for me in your packages! What's even more special is the response that each of your cards will receive when they get mail from their deployed loved ones in the form of a hand-made card. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

It's Not Too Late!!!

It's not too late to play along with the Stamping 411 Operators this week and our Sketch Challenge. If you've been to Stamping 411 this week, you know there are some exciting things happening as we celebrate our One Year Anniversary! Don't miss out on a chance to win some fabulous Blog Candy! Check out the Stamping 411 post to learn more!

I decided to make a second inspiration card this week using the Asian Artistry Stamp Set (Level 2 Hostess Set); colors of Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White; Masterpiece Ribbon Originals and a Chocolate Chip Jumbo Brad. I added a little Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to the dragonfly image with 2-way Glue.

Here's the deets:

1. Layer One -- Baja Breeze Cardstock cut at 5.5 x 8.5", scored and folded in half to form card base.
2. Layer Two -- Chocolate Chip cut at 3 x 4.25"
3. Layer Three -- Whisper White cut at 2.75 x 4". Emboss with the Big Shot and the Square Lattice Impressions Folder.  Attach to card and lay the ribbon over this layer. Ribbon can be threaded through a slit cut on the fold line with a Craft Knife.
4. Layer Four -- Baja Breeze cut at 2.25 x 3.25"
5. Layer Five -- Whisper White cut at 2 x 3". Stamp the images with Chocolate Chip Ink and color in the Bird and Dragon fly with a Blender Pen and Baja Breeze Ink. Add Dazzling Diamonds glitter to the dragonfly. Attach to card with Stampin Dimensionals. For the ribbon treatment, cut a slit near the edge of the chocolate Chip layer with the Horizontal Slot Punch. Thread the ribbon from back to front and cinch off with the Jumbo Brad. if needed, fasten the brad down with a Stampin' Dimensional.
6. Layer Six -- Inside of card -- Whisper White cut at 4 x 5.25". I stamped another Dragonfly in the corner and added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter to it as well.

There you Go! I do hope you'll play along with the Stamping 411 Operators this week! We're looking forward to seeing what you create with this week's Sketch!

Birthday Cards are Pouring In!

Hello everyone! if you've been following my blog, you know that I've put out a call for Birthday Cards! You see, my birthday is this Wednesday, May 26th. And although I'm asking folks to send me cards (because I love to get mail and see your creations), the cards (please leave them blank without personel messages) will ultimately be sent overseas to deployed Military personnel who will then send them back to their loved ones in the States. You can read all the details on my original post HERE!

I'm making some cards to include in my package to From Our Hearts as well. Here's one that I did this weekend using the new Watercolor Trio stamp set. The colors are So Saffron, Tangerine Tango and Whisper White. Additional marker colors on the flowers are Riding Hood Red and Old Olive. The ribbon is a bit of (retired) Riding Hood Red Taffeta (hope they bring that one back with the new Color Renovation).

Well, I put the appeal out a week ago and already I've received 64 cards in the mail! WOW -- you can only imagine how much fun it is to open all this mail! And even more fun to imagine the faces and hearts of military families as they receive these wonderful hand-made cards from their loved ones serving our country.

Cards have come from Illinois and Virginia, California and New Jersey, Texas and Michigan and all points in-between! It's overwhelming, really, and I want to thank you so much for honoring my birthday in this way! It's not too late to send your cards! Cards need to be postmarked by May 31st so you've got another week to get them in the mail. The original goal was to collect 200 Birthday cards for the Troops but I think we can exceed that! There's some pretty fabulous Blog Candy being offered as well. Each card received will give it's creator one chance in a random drawing. It's my Birthday gift to you for helping me out and for thinking of me.

Here are a few pictures I took of some of the cards! This is the very first one that came in the mail last Thursday from Darlene LeMar in Yale, Illinois! It's beautiful, Darlene!!! Thanks so much!

And look at this beauty from Merrill Wolfe of Brentwood, California!

I can imagine the thrill that some child will feel when he or she receives this darling card, created by Debbie Gasko of Roseville, Michigan!

And look at this bright and fun card from Cam Cao of Raleigh, North Carolina!

Keep them coming, everyone! And thank you again!

A Flirty Little Sundress and a Matching Purse!

Hello everyone and Happy Saturday! Look at this darling duo that I've got for you today -- a cute little basket that looks like a straw purse, thanks to the Stampin' Up! Square Lattice Impression Folder, and a flirty little tropical sundress! What fun!

The little straw purse was inspired by one that Patti Lee made and shared on Stampin' Connection. Isn't it darling? The embossing makes it look just like a summer straw purse. I used scrap strips of cardstock that I adhered to a sheet of printer paper, using SNAIL adhesive. Make sure you butt the edges up tight to each other and that you use plenty of adhesive on the edges. Once I had created my designer paper, I simply cut out the basket shapes using the Baskets & Bloom Die and the Big Shot. Then I ran it through the Big Shot again using the Impression Folder.

You can find instructions for putting this type of little basket together by clicking HERE.

I decided to embellish my little purse with some flowers from the Tropical Party Stamp set and tie it off with a bow made of Natural Hemp Twine.

But I couldn't stop there! A girl has to have a festive dress to wear with such a darling little purse. So I created this one using Island Oasis DSP and cardstock of Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive.

You can create a template for this dress by cutting a piece of cardstock with the Scallop Circle Die and the Big Shot. Mark off 4 scallops on the top of the circle for the top of the dress and 10 scallops at the bottom (or more for a more flared out dress). Then you just taper your lines down and cut out. Use the template to trace onto the DSP that you cut out with the die and trim away the unwanted pieces. I cut several of the cardstock Scallop Circles and used them to make the layers of ruffles on the skirt and bodice. A little Old Olive Satin Ribbon tied to the side makes a perfect belt!

And I couldn't even stop there! I made a little miniature purse to go with the dress using the Round Tab Punch and a scrap of Pumpkin pie Cardstock, again embossing it to look like a straw purse. The purse handle is created using the Small and Large Oval punches and Old Olive Cardstock. And I added a tiny little Olive Button for an embellishment. The sentiment is from Great Friend, stamped in Black Stazon Ink on Whisper White cardstock and layered on a So Saffron 1 3/8" Circle and a Tempting Turquoise Scallop Circle. Such fun!

Here's another dress, created in much the same way!

The card base is Tempting Turquoise with a layer of So Saffron on top.

The sentiment is from Favorite Thoughts.

I had so much fun creating these tropical treats today!

I hope you find some stamping time this weekend!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you'll come back soon!

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge #152 -- Our One Year Anniversary!

Hello everyone! Can you believe it! Stamping 411 is turning 1 year old this week! Amazing! The Operators have been burning up the wireless connections today making final plans for our big surprise! You're going to have fun with this one!

You'll find this week's sketch on the right.

And here's my card for this week on the left! Well, it's not really my card! It's one of the Operator cards but even we don't know whose card is whose! That's right -- we're going to have a little contest this week to see how good you are at guessing the card-making styles of the 8 Stamping 411 Operators. How fun is this going to be!

Let me tell you, I just saw all 8 cards and I thought it would be a piece of cake to pick out the different styles, but I'm totally clueless. So hopefully, you'll be able to do better than I am right now!

We've got some simply FABULOUSO Blog Candy up for grabs this week. When you visit the Stamping 411 site, you'll be able to see all the different goodies that will be given away. Blog Candy winners willl be chosen randomly, based on all entries. Here's how YOU can enter:

1. Make a card and play along as usual, leaving your name and the URL location of your card with the Mister Linky widget on this week's post
2. Or, You can attempt to guess who's card belongs to who. You'll need to leave a comment on this week's post and list your guesses, numbering them 1-8.
3. Or, you can do both!

Doesn't that sound like fun!

Okay, now for the details on my (uhm, uhm ... the ghost) card for this week! Isn't it beautiful! The stamp set is Bloomin' Beautiful (one of my favorites). The colors are Pretty in Pink, Always Artichoke and Whisper White. The embossing was done with the Big Shot and the Finial Press Impressions Folder. The ribbon is 5/8" Pretty in Pink Satin, tied off on the edge with a Square Rhinestone Brad. The watercoloring on the flowers was done with a Blender Pen and Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose and Always Artichoke reinkers. Just gorgeous! I wish I had thought of this myself!

Here's the measurements if you want to recreate this card:

1. Layer One -- Cardbase of Pretty in Pink cut at 5.5 x8.5", scored and folded in half.
2. Layer Two -- Always Artichoke cut at 3 7/8" x 5 3/8"
3. Layer Three -- Whisper White cut at 3.75 x 5.25". emboss with the Impression Folder.
4. Layer Four -- Pretty In Pink cut at 3 x 4.5"
5. Layer Five -- Always Artichoke cut at 2 7/8" x 4 3/8". Emboss with the Impression Folder. Add a length of ribbon, wrapping it around layers 2-5, gathering it and securing it with the brad on the left side of the card.
6. Layer Six -- pretty in Pink cut at 2 x 3"
7. Layer Seven -- Whisper white cut at 1 7/8" x 2 7/8". Stamp the flower images with Always Artichoke Ink, stamping off the edge of the cardstock.
8. Layer Eight -- stamp the three flower images on a piece of Whisper White Cardstock. Color using a Blender Pen and the Inks listed above. Cut out the flowers and attach them carefully over the stamped images on Layer Seven. Beautiful!

One last thing ... did you see the awesome drawing that Selene made of all the Operators? Isn't it great!

 

Okay, everyone -- have fun with us this week! We're glad you're here and glad to be sharing with you on Stamping 411!

Happy 1 Year Anniversary, Stamping 411!

 

Can you believe it's been a year since a few of us started Stamping 411! We started this as a place that beginning and less-experienced stampers could go for help and inspiration, and a place where demonstrators could send their customers that would be ad-free. We've succeeded! Since that time, we've offered you 52 weekly sketch challenges, lots of samples and ideas, tip and tricks and techniques and tutorials, color challenges and more! And we're not done yet! As quickly as this past year has gone, we know it won't be any time at all until we're celebrating our 2nd anniversary!

Look at the fabulous drawing that Selene Kempton surprised us with this morning. Each of the Operators are there -- from left to right -- Me (Gretchen Barron), Selene Kempton, Lee Conrey, Connie Babbert, Robin Merriman, Patti Chesky, Kerin Sylvester and Tiffany Bauer.  If you get a chance, you might take a minute to leave a comment on each of these fabulous ladies blogs! It is indeed an honor to be a part of this endeavor with them.

We've got a fun and fabulous surprise for you tomorrow along with our anniversary sketch challenge! You'll definitely want to stop by and see what all the commotion is about!

I'm so excited, I can hardly wait! But you'll have to ...