Gretchen Barron

My Digital Studio Makes it Easy to Create Quick and Unique Christmas Cards!

Good morning, everyone and welcome to a new Utah Diva's International Color Challenge! This week's colors are inspired by this beautiful bracelet -- Certainly Celery, Concord Crush, So Saffron and Basic Gray (or Brushed Silver).

 

Now you might think these unlikely colors for a Christmas card, right? Unlikely, perhaps, but I think they work! I love to occasionally use some non-traditional colors on Christmas and Holiday items and I'll admit, I've never tried this combination before ... but I like it!

 

I created this card on My Digital Studio, Stampin' Up's! fabulous digital crafting software program. MDS makes it so easy to create quick and unique cards for any occasion. Especially great for Christmas cards because once you design them, you just print them out in multiples!  And here's some really great and exciting news! My Digital Studio is available until tonight at midnight for the unbelievable price of $39.98 -- that a full 50% off the regular price. If you've been on the fence about purchasing My Digital Studio, this is the time to do it! And it would make a GREAT Christmas gift for yourself or someone you love!

 
In additional to My Digital Studio, there are several popular downloads that are on sale as well as lots of other bundles and items. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIST OF DISCOUNTED PRODUCTS! But remember, just like Cinderella at the Ball, the sale ends tonight at midnight! You can shop 24-7 at my Online Stamping Store! If you need assistance or have questions, just let me know. I'm here to help you in whatever way I can!

Don't forget to check out the Color Challenge projects that the other Design Team Members have created! We hope you'll be inspired to play along with us this week!

That's it for now! Happy shopping, stamping, crafting, scrapbooking and Happy Tuesday!

A DSP Triptych and a New Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge!

Hello everyone! Do you know what time it is? Time for another Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge!

 

Look at the sketch we have for you this week -- it's a Triptych! A Triptych is a work of art divided into three panels, and it leaves all kinds of room to use your imagination to create a beautiful card for this week's Sketch Challenge. Just think what you might do with these three panels -- stamped image, color blocking, texture ...

 

Well, I decided to use some of the great Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper to create my Triptych. Our Double-sided papers are so beautiful, they make it easy to use the beautiful paper as your focal image without even stamping! In fact, the only stamping I used on this card was the sentiment from All Holidays!

 

I used Deck the Halls Double Sided Designer Series Paper, Cherry Cobbler 1/2" Seam Tape, a Vintage Brad, the Scallop Trim Border Punch, The Big Shot and the Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Folder and some Stampin' Dimensionals. Cardstock colors are Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke and Very Vanilla.

 

Ready for some measurements? Here we go ...

 

1. Layer One -- Cherry Cobbler Cardstock cut at 5.5 x 8.5", scored and folded in the middle to form the card base.
2. Layer Two -- Always Artichoke cardstock cut at 4 x 5.25". Run it through the Big Shot using the Textured Impressions Folder.
3. Layer Three -- Cherry Cobbler Cardstock cut at 4 x 1.75". Punch the bottom of the strip using the Border Punch.
4. Layer Four -- Very Vanilla cut at 1 x 4". Stamp your sentiment using Always Artichoke Ink.
5. Layer Five (for all three panels) -- Cherry Cobbler Cardstock cut at 1 1/4 x 2 5/8".
6. Layer Six (for all three panels) -- DSP cut at 1 1/8" x 2 1/2". if your DPS forms a picture (as this one does), make sure that you are attaching the panels in the correct order.

7.  

    

   Layer Seven (inside of card) -- Very Vanilla cardstock cut at 4 x 5.25". I embellished the inside with a bit of DSP cut out and some more Seam Tape.

I created the multi-layered bow using the Puffy Bow Tutorial on Stamping 411 and added a Vintage Brad for the center!

Well, that will do it for now! I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and you're now enjoying all those delicious left-overs. Don't forget to check out the beautiful inspiration pieces that all the Operators have created this week on Stamping 411. And when you've completed your project, be sure to visit again and leave us your linking information so we can all enjoy your Triptych cards and projects this week!

Thanks for stopping and please come again soon!

Amazing Poinsettia Technique and Tutorial

Good morning, everyone! When I saw the beautiful poinsettia that my friend, Connie Babbert, created a few weeks ago, I knew I would have to try it. Can you believe that this beautiful flower is created using one of the leafs from the French Foliage Stamp set? Yes, it's true!

I made my poinsettia extra glittery by covering each petal with Versamark ink and embossing with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder (click on the image to see it bigger). The sentiment is from the Peaceful Season Stamp set (a Level 2 Hostess Gift -- as me how you can earn this for FREE).

 

I stamped each petal using Bravo Burgundy ink on Regal Rose Cardstock. You could certainly use many different combinations of inks and papers to create these flowers!

 

I used the Big Shot and the Petal's-a-Plenty Embossing Folder to add the great texture on the Very Vanilla layer. Some Always Artichoke Seam Tape and Self-Adhesive Basic Pearls finish out the look. It really does look like a present all wrapped up, doesn't it?

 

Here's a quick tutorial on how I created the poinsettia! Click on any photo to view it larger.

• Step One: I punched out a 1 3/4" Circle of Bravo Burgundy cardstock for a base to attach the petals to. I used a total of 13 petals (leafs) to create this flower. I attached seven of them to the punched circle, using SNAIL adhesive -- this is the bottom layer of the flower.

 

• Step Two: At this point, I took my Versamark stamp pad and covered the entire flower with the clear ink, then embossed with iridescent Ice Embossing Powder and the Heat Tool.

 

 

• Step Three: There are 6 remaining petals (leafs) which need to be individually covered with Versamark and embossed with the EP. Attach each of the remaining 6 petals to the base flower, using SNAIL adhesive on the bottom of the petal and a Stampin' Dimensional toward the top of each petal. This will give your finished flower some lift and dimension.

 

That's it -- it's really pretty simple. The most difficult part is cutting out all the petals!

 

I will definitely be using this beautiful technique for some special cards this holiday season. I hope that you've been inspired to try this yourself!

 

That's it for today! Don't forget to check out the fabulous Online Spectacular Sale by clicking on the flyer link below. You can shop 24-7 at my Online Stamping Store! Don't wait too long, though -- a deal this great will only last until November 30th!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIST OF DISCOUNTED PRODUCTS!

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

Butterfly at Sunset

Hello everyone and welcome to this Week's Utah Diva's International Color challenge!

 

Look at the adorable inspiration piece we have for you this week! I remember when I could dress my daughter in such cute and frilly dresses! Now all she wants to wear is jeans and sweatshirts - LOL!

 

Anyway, the delicious colors for this week are Regal Rose, Perfect Plumb, Pear Pizzazz, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla!

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the card I made using these colors! I'm really pleased with the way it turned out! I did the brayering technique with Pear Pizzazz (on the bottom) and Perfect Plumb (on the top) masking out the moon with a 1 3/4" punched circle (on a post-it note).

 

Once I had the brayering the way I wanted it, I stamped the floral silouette from the Just Believe Stamp set, in Chocolate Chip ink, making sure some of the images fell in front of the "moon".

 

Next, I attached the Regal Rose Butterfly, created with the Beautiful Wings Embosslet and tied some 1/8" Taffeta ribbon on for the antennae. I added some 5/8" Satin ribbon on the bottom and then mounted on Pretty in Pink and Chocolate Chip cardstocks! See, I managed to use all the colors!

 

I do hope you'll check out the beautiful projects that the rest of the Design Team created on the Utah Diva's Blog post! And we invite you to play along by linking your finished project on the UDI blog!

 

That's it for today! Don't forget to check out the fabulous Online Spectacular Sale by clicking on the flyer link below. You can shop 24-7 at my Online Stamping Store! Don't wait too long, though -- a deal this great will only last until November 30th!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIST OF DISCOUNTED PRODUCTS!

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

WOW! FREE Shipping Offer and Discounts Galore!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIST OF DISCOUNTED PRODUCTS!

Stampin' Up! is kicking off your holiday shopping with free shipping on product orders of $150 or more PLUS dazzling discounts (20 to 50% off) on current select products and product bundles. Sale ends Nov. 30.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE ON-LINE SPECTACULAR:

• Discounts range from 20 to 50%
• For product bundles, you must use the bundle item numbers provided
• Free shipping begins with product orders of $150 or more (before shipping and sales tax).
• Free shipping is ONLY available with qualifying ON-LINE customer orders.
• Earn Hostess Rewards with product orders of $150 or more (before shipping and sales tax).
• Additional products from current catalogs may be purchased on the same order.

Remember, this fabulous offer will only last until November 30th! Get a jump on your holiday shopping now! Let me know if you have questions or need assistance with ordering! I look forward to assisting you with all your Stampin' Up! needs!

 

 

 

Sweet Snowglobe Memories

All through my life, for as long as I can remember, my mother has collected snowglobes. Although she has many of them packed and stored these days, there was a time in my life when I remember almost every table and shelf in our home hosting a snowglobe of some kind. There were snowglobes from every vacation destination we ever visited; snowglobes of favorite TV characters and stars; snowglobes with winter scenes, beach scenes, farm scenes and city scenes; snowglobes with Santa and elves and houses and reindeer. Snowglobes everywhere! So imagine my delight when I saw the Sweet Snowglobe stamp in the Stampin' Up Catalog! Paired up with a Sweet Treat Cup and some glitter swirling around inside, this card brings back some sweet memories. I guess you can imagine who this card might be going to this holiday season!

And as a double bonus, it worked perfectly for this week's Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge!

I used Real Red, Baja Breeze and Whisper White Cardstocks. along with the wonderful glitterly stripe Designer Series Paper from Candy Cane Christmas.

 

Other embellishments include Clear Tinsel Trim, 5/8" Real Red Satin Ribbon, Basic Self-Adhesive Pearls, the Sweet Treat cup, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Chunky Clear and Dazzling Diamonds Glitter and Stampin' Dimensionals. I sponged a little Marina Mist onto the stamped background image for the sky and then went crazy with the glitter "snow", adding extra into the bottom of the cup so you can make the snow swirl!

 

The sentiment stamps and snowflakes on the inside are from the Snow Swirled Stamp Set.

 

Here's the Measurements:

1. Layer One -- Real Red cut at 5.5 x 8.5", scored and folded in the middle to form the Card Base.
2. Layer Two -- Baja Breeze Cardstock cut at 4 x 5.25"
3. Layer Three -- DSP cut at 3 x 5.25" -- attach ribbon and tinsel trim at the "seam" and fastened to the back of the layer
4. Layer Four -- Real Red cut at 2.75 x 3.25"
5. Layer Five -- Whisper White cut at 2.5 x 3" -- Punch the Hole and secure the Sweet Treat Cup with Sticky Strip, adding glitter and other "sparkly" things as you wish.
6. Layer six -- Inside of Card -- Whisper White cut at 4 x 5.25"

 

It's cute, isn't it? A special card for a special person in my life!

 

I hope you'll take the time to check out the Stamping 411 Blog and see the other great inspiration projects that the Stamping 411 Operators have created this week. And when you've completed your own project, make sure and visit again to leave your linking information so we can all admire your Challenge card this week!

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Snowflakes that Shimmer and Shine!

Hello everyone. Welcome to a new color challenge from Utah Diva's International! Look at the very COOL colors we have for you today -- Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla!

 

I don't know about you, but this is one of my favorite color combinations! I love the soft hues of blues and browns together and this color combination lends itself so nicely to many different types of cards and occasions!

 

I created this card with snowflakes that shimmer and shine -- the snowflakes really are the stars here!

 

To create these little gems, I used the Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets and adhered them to a 12 x 12 sheet of Whisper White Cardstock. Cutting them into 2" strips, I ran them through the Big shot using the Northern Frost Decorative Strip Die and the Big Shot. Carefully peel the adhesive backing off the die-cut snowflakes and then dip them in glitter! Here I used Dazzling Diamonds, Light Blue Fine Cosmo and Chocolate Fine Supernova Glitters. You should see the sparkle in real life -- it's just beautiful. And I love the different colored snowflakes. I added a Basic Rhinestone in the middle of each snowflake for even more glimmer and shimmer. Click on the photo on the right to see a larger image. For some reason, in the photographs, the blue glitter looks more lavender but it is really a beautiful baby blue!

 

Other embellishments to this card include the Petal's A Plenty Textured Impressions Folder (again using the Big Shot), some Paper Piercing around the edges of the focal image mat, and Stampin Dimensionals. And don't forget to stamp something on the inside. I added various sizes snowflakes in all the challenge colors, using the beautiful  Snow Swirled Stamp Set. The inside sentiment is from Many Merry Messages.

 

That's it ... it's really a very simple card but oh my, how it shines!

 

I'm so glad you stopped by today! I hope I was able to offer some inspiration. And speaking of inspiration, make sure and check out the projects that the rest of the Design Team has created for you! We hope you'll play along as well! Just check out the detail at Utah Diva's International!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by! Come back soon!

Fun, Festive and Fast for the Holidays!

Good morning and welcome to a new Saturday Sketch Challenge from the Stamping 411 Operators!

 

Look at the sketch we have for you this week! This week's sketch is simple and basic but still leaves plenty of room for dressing it up with texture, color, pattern and embellishments!

 

What will you do with those horizontal strips on the bottom of the card? Border punches? Ribbon? DSP? Textured cardstock? The possibilities really are endless.

 

And do you want to see what I did with this sketch?

 

Here you go! My card this week features that adorable little snowman from the Jolly Old St. Nick stamp set. I've used Real Red, Baja Breeze and Whisper White as colors. I used the Scallop Trim Border Punch at the bottom and the Big Shot and the Northern Flurry Textured Impressions Embossing Folder for the embossed snowflakes.

 

I stamped the tiny snowflakes with Baja Breeze Ink and then using a 2-way Glue Pen and Dazzling Diamonds glitter, I made them come to life with glimmer and shine! The Double Sided Designer Series Paper is Candy Cane Christmas.

 

Add a little 5/8" Real Red Satin Ribbon and some sparkling Basic Rhinestones to the center of the snowflakes and there you have it ... a simple but fun and festive card for the holidays!

 

Here's the Measurements:

1. Layer One -- Real Red cardstock cut at 5.5 x 8.5", scored and folded in the middle to make the card base.
2. Layer Two -- Whisper White cut at 4 x 5.25". Stamp the snowflakes in Baja Breeze and then run through the Big Shot using the Impressions Folder.
3. Layer Three -- Real Red cut at 1 x 5.25". Punch the lower edge with the Border Punch.
4. Layer Four -- DSP cut at 1 x 5.25". Run the ribbon across and fastened to the back of the layer.
5. Layer Five -- Real Red cut at 2 x 2.5".
6. Layer Six -- Whisper White cut at 1.75 x 2.25. Stamp, color and embellish with glitter. Assemble all the layers and add Basic Rhinestone Embellishments to the large Embossed snowflakes.
7. Layer Seven (Inside of Card) -- Whisper White cut at 4 x 5.25". I stamped a few more snowflakes in one corner and added some more Dazzling Diamonds.

 

That's it for my card -- it's a fun one to create and a fun one to receive!

 

You'll want to make sure and check out the inspiration projects the other Stamping 411 Operators have created using this sketch! And then once we've inspired you, don't forget to go back and leave us your linking information so we can see your creations!

 

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

 

 

Autumn Splendor in the Round

Good morning, everyone! It's time for a new Color Challenge at Utah Diva's International and look at the beautiful combination we have for you this week -- Always Artichoke, Old Olive, Poppy Parade, Riding Hood Red and So Saffron! WOW. These colors are gorgeous together!

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here's what I came up with for this week's Color Challenge -- this fun Thanksgiving card using the Autumn Splendor Stamp Set!

 

 

I die cut the Scallop Circle, folding it first so it will open as a card, using the Big Shot and the Scallop Circle Die. Finished size is approximately 4.25" so that it fits into a standard card envelope.

 

 

 

 

I cut the circles with the Circle Scissor Plus, Old Olive at 3 5/8" and So Saffron at 3.5" (also Naturals Ivory for the inside at 4".

 

I stamped the leaf images on scraps of cardstock (Always Artichoke, So Saffron and Riding Hood Red), cut them out and attached them with SNAIL adhesive. The sentiment is stamped with Black Stazon ink. I added a bow created with the 1/2" Poly Ribbon in Poppy Parade and fastened it with an Antique Brad. The final finishing touch was to add tiny white dots on each of the scallops using the White Signo Gel pen. I stamped a couple of leafs on the inside circle to dress it up a little more!

 

I really like the way this turned out. Something a little different for Thanksgiving this year and definitely a keeper!

 

I invite you to check out what the rest of the Design Team created with this week's colors. There's some great inspiration waiting for you there! And if we've inspired you, we invite you to play along with this week's challenge.

 

The Santa Suit Test Tube Gift Card Holders have been quite a popular item. Kits are available to purchase. Check it Out!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you come back soon!

 

Birthday Balloons!

Hello everyone and Happy Friday. Welcome to a new Sketch Challenge from the Stamping 411 Operators!

 

There's one important element to remember when working with this sketch ... your images (flowers on the sketch) should extend off the focal image mat. Now when I look at this sketch, instead of flowers, I really see balloons!

 

So what else to create this week but a Birthday Card!

 

 

 

I've used the Crazy for Cupcakes Stamp set and the fabulous Sweet & Sour Specialty Designer Series Paper.

 

 

I created highlights on the balloons using the White Signo Gel Pen and added Basic Rhinestones to the balloon valve's and the Cupcake Platter. And see those cherries on top of the cupcakes ... they are colored in with the Cherry Cobbler Marker and a dot of Crystal Effects is added to each one to make it shiny and dimensional. Click on the small picture to view it larger and see the detail!

 

 

 

Other embellishments include the fabulous and gorgeous 5/8" Satin Ribbon in Pumpkin Pie, the Extra Large Decorative Label Punch, and Stampin' Dimensionals!

 

Okay .. ready for the measurements!

1. Layer One -- Rose Red Cardstock cut at 5.5 x 8.5", scored and folded in half.
2. Layer Two -- DSP cut at 4 x 5.25". Stretch the ribbon across about halfway up.
3. Layer three -- Rose Red cut at 3.25 x 3.75"
4. Layer Four -- Whisper White cut at 3 x 3.5". Stamp images with Black Stazon Ink. Color in cupcakes with Markers or Reinkers/Blender Pens. Stamp the balloons on scraps of colored cardstock, cut out and attach to layer with SNAIL adhesive. Attach layers three and four together. Stamp the sentiment on Whisper White cardstock and punch out, adding a shadow punch of Rose Red. Attach sentiment to the back of layer three and attach to card with Stampin' Dimensionals!
5. Inside of Card -- Whisper White cut at 4 x 5.25". Stamp images and color with markers or Blender pens.

 

I think that will do it for now. Be sure and check out the Stamping 411 blog where you will find the Inspiration pieces from the other Operators. Definitely some great inspiration there! We hope we'll inspire you to play along this week! We can't wait to see your artwork!

 

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stamping!