Gretchen Barron

Get Ready for the Holidays!

 
I'm so excited to have been chosen as a Guest Designer for the upcoming U Stamp with Dawn and Friends - I Heart the Holidays 2011. It promises to be a great event. I wish I could show you the projects I created for this event now but I can't ... I'm sworn to secrecy! But when I do show you my projects, you'll only be able to get the tutorial if you are a member!

From August 12th through the 31st, members of this latest edition of U Stamp with Dawn and Friends will receive a fabulous project tutorial each and every day. I've seen many of them already and let me tell you, you don't want to miss this event! Whatever holiday you're looking for -- Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas -- you will find something here, designed for you from some of the most creative gals from around the world. Join now ... you don't want to miss a day of the Live Fun! Click HERE or on the Blinkie in my right side-bar to join up and be ready to have your socks knocked off!

Array of Sunshine and a new Saturday Sketch Challenge

Hello everyone and welcome to a new Saturday Sketch Challenge from the Stamping 411 Operators! We've got a fresh, fun sketch for you this week!

And speaking of fresh and new, I'm using a fresh, new stamp set called Array of Sunshine. It's one of the new hostess offerings that Stampin' Up! provides as exclusive benefits for hostesses!

I've paired it with the gorgeous Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper and that new luscious ruffled ribbon in Pool Party -- such a beautiful new color! I used the Big Shot and the Top Note Die to create this square shape -- once you cut the shape once, place it back over the die at a 90 degree angle and cut again for this cool, square shape! The edges are inked in Pool Party Ink. I used Pool Party and Marina Mist ink for the flower (ink with Pool Party and apply the darker shade around the edges with a daubber sponge). The leaf is stamped in Old Olive and Basic Pearls are added for accents. I stamped another flower and leaf on the inside of the card for an added surprise!

That will do it for tonight, I believe! Make sure and stop by the Stamping 411 website to check out the other great inspiration from the 411 Operators. As always, they are AMAZING!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you'll come back soon for more ideas and inspiration!

I'm Diggin' It!

I was so excited when I saw this new stamp set, I Dig You, in the catalog! What fun images for little boys! And the bold, solid images of these stamps make them a breeze to work with, creating fun and fast cards for the little guys in your life!

Taking my cue from the Button Buddies set, I used large black buttons for the wheels on this dump truck. Other supplies and accessories include 1/2" Polka Dot Scalloped Ribbon, The Big Shot and the Houndstooth Impressions Folder (looks very industrial, don't you think?), Stampin' Dimensionals and Crystal Effects to glue on the buttons.

 

Colors include Old Olive, Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, Tempting Turquoise and Whisper White. I used Stampin' Write Markers to color directly on the stamp for the gift image. And, don't forget the inside of the card -- what fun to surprise your little guy with another vehicle waiting there.

 

 

I want to thank you for stopping by today! I hope you've enjoyed this little look at the I Dig You Stamp set and one way it can be used for a quick and happy little card. I hope you'll come back soon for more Ideas and Inspiration! Until then ...

From Our Hearts Needs Our Help!!!

Hello everyone! If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you might know how I feel about From Our Hearts, an organization which collects and sends hand-made Greeting Cards cards to deployed military personnel. They in turn, use the cards to keep in touch with their family and loved ones back home. Over the past couple of years, this organization has grown from sending out a few boxes of cards each year to sending shipments every 4-6 weeks to more than 40 chaplains in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's ten to twelve thousand cards that are needed each month to meet the growing demand (10,000-12,000).

Martie Shea, founder of the organization, sent out an urgent appeal today. The reserves of cards are dangerously low. They are able to mail out 6 boxes of cards tomorrow (there are approximately 300 cards in each box), and then they will be out of most everything they have!

Martie reports that they are basically out of cards for Wedding, Best wishes, Miss you, Congratulation, Anniversary, and Sympathy. And they are running very low on on Thinking of you, Love you, best wishes and Thank you cards. Cards of all kinds are desperately needed! They need our help to keep the boxes of cards going out to the troops!

Are you able to send 10 or 20 cards or even more? Each card helps and each one is so appreciated by the military personnel who send them and their loved ones who receive them. Check out the From Our Hearts website. You will find numerous thank-yous and testimonies sent from grateful troops. You'll also find there a FAQ sheet which will answer all your questions about donating to From Our Hearts and a printable Inventory Sheet to include with the cards you send!

Please send what you can, as soon as you can, for this important outreach effort!

Thanks so much for your help and support of From Our Hearts!

Button, Button ... Who's Got the Button?

Here's a quick and fun little card using the new stamp set, Button Buddies! What a great new set this is! 8 different stamps can take you through the entire year. And, you can use the stamps with or without buttons as well. But aren't they cute with the buttons? I paired this card with the perfect sentiment from A Word for You.

 

 

Colors are Basic Black, Real Red, Old Olive and Whisper White. Supplies and Tools used include the Big Shot, the Perfect Polka Dots Impressions Folder, the Scallop Square Die, Crystal Effects (to glue on the buttons), 1/2" Polka Dot Ribbon (love it!), Designer Buttons, White Signo Gel Pen and Stampin' Dimensionals!

 

 

This is a square card measuring 5.25" square. The mats inside the Scallop Square Die cut measure 3.75" (Real Red) and 3.5" (Whisper White).

  I've got some more fun cards to show you with this set in the days to come, so be sure and visit again soon! I hope you're having a great weekend and have saved some time for stamping! Enjoy!

 

Catalog CASE Contest Winner!

WOW! I want to thank everyone who played along with my New Catalog CASE Contest! There were some gorgeous projects submitted and I enjoyed looking at each and every one! Here are some of my favorites ...

  

There were so many beautiful entries to choose from, it was definitely difficult picking just one for the prize package but my daughter and I finally decided upon this gorgeous card created by Pat of Tucson, Arizona! I had to reach up and close my jaw when I saw her beautiful CASE of the card on page 142 of the 2011-2012 IDB&C! It's amazing Pat, and so are you! Please send me your mailing address and I'll get your prize package in the mail toot-sweet!

 

And thank you again, everyone who participated! I had so much fun enjoying your creations and I hope you had fun creating them! We'll have to do this again sometime soon! Until then, keep smiling and Happy Stamping!

 

 
 
 

The Language of Friendship

I was so excited to see this new stamp set in the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog -- Language of Friendship. It coordinates perfectly with two of my favorite Stampin' Up! punches -- BoHo Blossoms and the Bird Builder! Just imagine the possibilities as you create these beautifully shaded images in different colors and textures! I can't wait to explore more!

 

This is my inspiration card for this week's Stamping 411 Sketch!

 

I've used the Berry Blossoms Designer Series Paper and coordinating cardstock colors of Early Espresso, Lucky Limeaide, Calypso Coral, Wisteria Wonder and Whisper White.

 

Other supplies and embellishments include the Big Shot, the Elegant Bouquet Impressions Folder, the Designer Frames Impressions Folder, Self Adhesive Basic Pearls, 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon, and Stampin' Dimensionals.

Here's the Measurements:

1. Layer One -- Early Espresso Cardstock cut at 5.5 x 8.5", scored and folded to create the Card Base
2. Layer Two -- Wisteria Wonder cut at 4 x 5.25". Emboss with the folder and the Big Shot.
3. Layer Three -- DSP cut at 4 x 2"
4. Layer Four -- a scrap of Calypso Coral embossed with the Big Shot and Embossing Folder. Cut out and attach over ribbon and DSP with Stampin' Dimensionals.
5. Layer Five -- Whisper White cut at 1 7/16 x 2 1/8" -- Stamp and embellish with punched shapes and Pearls
6. Inside of Card -- Whisper White cut at 4 x 5.25" -- stamp as embellish as desired

 

I hope I've inspired you to play along with the Stamping 411 Operators and our Sketch Challenge this week. When you have a moment, check out the projects that the other Operators have created for your inspiration this week!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I do hope you'll come back soon! Have a great day and Happy Stamping!

 

 

It's Freaky Tour Time with Christmas in July!

 

 

Hello everyone and welcome to the Christmas in July Control Freaks Blog Tour! If you're already taking the tour, you must have arrived here from my good friend, Patty Bennett's blog! WOW! She always has some fabulous projects and she didn't let us down this time! Thanks, Patty!

 

This month's Control Freaks Blog Tour theme is Christmas in July - or - fabulous Convention SWAPS. I'm going with the Christmas in July theme! Now you have to understand, it's a little difficult to get in the Christmas spirit today since the temperature was a searing 99 degrees with a Heat Index of 115 today -- WOW -- talk about a sizzlin' Christmas!

 

Today's projects use the new stamp set, Snow Much Fun and the non-Christmas Designer Series Paper called Big Top Birthday -- how's that for thinking outside the box!

 

I've got two projects for you! The first is this fabulous folded Origami Star. Click HERE to download and print a Free PDF tutorial on how to create this star.

 

The star looks really intricate but it's fairly quick and easy to make. You begin with 5 pieces of DSP cut at 5" square and you go from there. A little folding ... a little Sticky Strip ... a little patience and viola -- a fabulous star ornament perfect for your tree or a package topper or decoration!

 

 

 

 

 

Next I have this fun and festive, modified Gate-fold card! How fun this new stamp set is! I used Watercolor Pencils and a Blender Pen to add a little color to the line art images.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two different DSP patterns and a little paper tearing (for the snow bank) finish off this cute card! And of course, a little stamping inside is always in order!

 

Well, that's going to do it for now! I hope you enjoy the rest of the tour! The next stop is the blog of the super-stupendous Debbie Currier ... just wait until you see what is waiting for you there! Wowza! Just click below to go to Debbie's post!

 
 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by and for taking the tour today! I do hope you'll be back soon! And don't forget to stop back later this week for the Origami Star Tutorial! Until then ...

And Here's the Rest of the Doily!

Hello everyone! The Stamping 411 Operators have a new sketch challenge to share with you this weekend! Doesn't this sketch look fun!

Do you remember that doily card that I shared with you earlier this week! I promised that you would see the rest of the doily soon and here it is! Funny thing, as I was beginning to create this card, I was listening to a home decorating show and they were saying that a hot color combination is purple and grey so I decided to go with it! I created this card with Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder and Basic Gray. The doily was stamped with White Craft Ink on Elegant Eggplant cardstock and embossed with the heat tool and white Embossing powder. It is really an amazing look, isn't it. And because there is so much texture, you not only can't keep your eyes off it, you can't keep your hands off it!

The stamp set is, of course, Hello Doily. I also used Word Play on the inside of the card. Other supplies used include a little Berry Blossoms Designer Series Paper and Basic Gray 5/8" Satin Ribbon.

I do hope you'll take a few minutes to check out the projects created by the other Stamping 411 Operators this week. There's some great inspiration waiting for you there!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you'll be back soon for more ideas and inspiration!

Patterned Party and a New Color Challenge!

Hello everyone and welcome to a wonderful new week of Color with a new Utah Divas International Color Challenge!

 

This week's colors are inspired by this darling set of picnic serving ware -- Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait and Riding Hood Red!

 

All these bright, happy colors seemed like a perfect occasion for balloons so I decided to use the new stamp set, Patterned Party. And then, as I was looking through the catalog, I found this fabulous oval sentiment tag from the Hostess set, Happiest Birthday Wishes. Just look how perfectly they go together! I love it when that happens!

 

I used Stampin' Write markers to color directly on the rubber and stamp the balloons. I then added a piece of Tempting Turquoise cardstock, punched with the Scallop Border Punch, on the bottom of the card. Before attaching it, I embossed it with the Big shot and the new Designer Frames Embossing Folder (love it!). I punched out the stamped image with the Wide Oval Punch and it fits perfectly inside the embossed oval! How cool is that!

 

And, oh yes, do you see that striped "gift" to the left of the sentiment tag? That was actually an attempt to cover up a nasty boo-boo from a marker. You know what I always say! There are no mistakes in stamping ... only opportunities for creative embellishment! That gift ... it's a creative embellishment -- LOL! Gotta laugh at yourself sometimes!

 

I also stamped a few of the gifts in the corner of the inside of the card -- just a little something special to surprise whoever opens it up. These gifts are another of the stamps from the Patterned Party set.

 

I'm so glad you stopped by for a little inspiration today and hope that you'll come back soon! There are so many new products to share you and so many ideas I have for using them. So much stamping and so little time! I do hope you'll take a few minutes to check out the Design Team projects at Utah Divas International!

 

Don't forget the CASE contest that is going on! There have been some fabulous projects submitted and it's not to late to join in. Deadline for submission is July 15th. To check out the submitted projects and enter your own, see the ORIGINAL POST.