Gretchen Barron

Winter Wishes Stitched Felt Make for Quick Projects!

Hello everyone! It's October 1st today! WOW!!! Would someone please tell me where this year has gone? I mean seriously, was it just February yesterday???? It sure feels that way! But here we are in October and it's not a bit too early to begin to think about Christmas cards! I thought this week's Stamping 411 Sketch was perfect for this simple, yet cute, Christmas card!

 

I used Holly Berry Bouquet Specialty Designer Series Paper, Winter Wishes Stitched Felt (perfect for a quick accent), 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon in Garden Green, the Big Shot and the Ovals Die, Stampin' Dimensionals, and the Scallop Oval Punch for this fun and festive card. It all went together super quick, which is even better! The stamp set is Cute & Curly, stamped in Garden Green ink.

There's not a lot more to say about this one. I dont' think I even need to give you measurements this week since there are so few layers. You will, however, want to check out the other fabulous projects created by the Stamping 411 Operators. As always, they never cease to amaze and inspire!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I do hope you'll be back soon for more ideas and inspiration! I'll look forward to it!

BIG Announcement! NEW Online Scrapbook Club and Kits from Inspiration in Action!!!

October's Scrapbook Club Kit -- Fright Night

 

Hello everyone and welcome to Inspiration in Action! I'm so excited to make this this announcement -- I'm beginning a NEW Online Scrapbook Club here on Inspiration in Action. In many ways, I'm returning to my roots as scrapbooking is how I got started in staming and paper crafting! Don't worry ... I'm not giving up on card making. There will plenty of that as well. I hope you are excited about this tool! Here's all the details!

I’m now offering Scrapbook Kits, available for individual purchase or as part of a 6 or 12 month club membership. Each kit includes supplies you need to complete an 8.5 x 11” 2-page layout – cardstock, designer papers, embellishments, die cuts, etc.  Each kit will also include extra DSP, punchies, ribbon, embellishments and layout directions to create a 12x12 double-page layout USING YOUR OWN 12X12" CARDSTOCK!

Included with each kit is an instruction page with photos and ideas for adapting your layouts to either 6x6 or 12x12” formats. (Note: adapting the layouts to 12x12 size require the use of your own 12x12" cardstock - this is the one item not received in the kit). Note: Scrapbook Kits will not include stamped images. Any stamp sets or stamped images used in the kits must be purchased separately. Instructions for each kit will include names and ordering information for stamp sets used in the photos.

The Fright Night Kit (pictured above) includes: Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Elegant Eggplant and Basic Black cardstocks, a printed Title Block, strips of Designer Series Paper, Die Cuts, punchies and ribbon to make the layout as shown. There are enough extra supplies included to adapt the layout to a double-page 12x12 spread, using your own 12" cardstock. Tips, photos and instructions are included to show you how you can adapt your pages to either 12x12 or 6x6" formats. Tools and Supplies Needed for the Fright Night Kit include: SNAIL adhesive, a paper cutter, white gel pen, brayer, mini glue dots, paper snips, 1 3/4" circle punch, post-it notes or temporary adhesive and Marina Mist and Elegant Eggplant Classic Ink pads.

Individual Kit Purchase -- Purchase anytime. Price for kits ordered individually is $7.95 per kit plus an additional $3.00 for S&H. If ordering multiple kits (not as a club membership), please e-mail me first for reduced shipping fees.

6-Month Club Membership – Join anytime – $57.95 for 6 double-page layouts (8.5 x 11”) sent once each month for 6 months. This is a $10 savings over the individual purchase price.

12-Month Club Membership – Join anytime -- $110.00 for 12 double-page layouts (8.5 x 11”) sent once each month for 12 months. This is by-far the best deal with a savings of $21.40 over the individual purchase price. PLUS!!! 12-month club memberships receive a FREE 6x6” Stampin’ Up! Album of your choice (choose from 4 possible designs), a $10.95 value (mailed with your first club membership layout). Total value of the 12-month Club Membership is $142.35

The Monthly Club Kit will be promoted on my blog during the last week of each month. Club Kits are shipped out around the 10^th of each month. For example, the October kit, Fright Night, is shown here on my blog today (the last week of September) and will be shipped out to Club Members around the 10^th of October.

Additional Scrapbook Kits (not as part of the Club Membership) will be listed several times each month and are available for individual purchase at any time.

Additional Club Membership Benefit – Scrapbook Club Members Receive a 10% discount on any Stampin’ Up! Orders placed through me (via e-mail or phone) during your Club Membership period.

Limited Time Charter Member Club Sign-up Bonus! From now until October 31, 2011, receive an additional FREE scrapbook Kit with your first Club Membership shipment. FREE scrapbook kits will be selected by me from a selection of those I have available. FREE kits may use discontinued or retired product. Each FREE kit will include the same instruction/adaptation page as the monthly kits, along with all supplies needed to complete a 2 page 8.5x11” layout.

Payments – Payments for Club membership subscriptions, individual Page Kits and Stampin’ Up! Orders are typically made through PayPal and can be ordered by clicking on the PayPal buttons at the bottom of this post. If you would like to use another payment method (Cashier’s or Personal Check), please contact me directly by e-mail.  Additional time for check clearance may be required.

Please Note: Club Membership is limited to US Customers ONLY. Individual kits may be shipped internationally for an additional fee. Please make arrangements by e-mail before ordering.

So, what do you think? I hope you're as excited as I am and just wait until you see some of the kits that will be coming to you soon! Get your membership started today by clicking on the PayPal buttons below!

12 Month Club Membership

Choose your FREE 6x6 Album:

1 - Cherry Trim (from the Holiday Mini Catalog)2 - Chateau Memories3 - Expresso Classic4 - Polka Dot Party

 

6 Month Club Membership

 

Individual Fright Night Scrapbook Kit

 

Holly Berry Bouquet DSP isn't Just for Christmas!

Hello every and Happy Friday to you! I hope you're having beautiful weather in your part of the world and have a plan in place to enjoy and appreciate it this weekend! And maybe even set aside a little stamping time as well! That would be my description of a perfect weekend!

 

The Stamping 411 Operators have another fun sketch for your inspiration this weekend. This sketch allows you to make your project as simple or challenging as you wish!

 

One of my favorite stamp sets that I don't use nearly as often as I would like is Herb Expressions. The images and, maybe even more importantly, the sentiments in that set are really wonderful. Check if out if you haven't already!

 

So this week, I combined Herb Expressions with an unlikely Designer Series Paper -- Holly Berry Bouquet. Now, this may be a "Christmas" DSP but on this pattern, anyway, the images are beautiful red roses which can be used any time of the year! I used Markers and a Blender Pen to color in the floral images after stamping them with Black Stazon Ink. The Whisper White Circle is 3", cut with the Big Shot and the Circles Die. The Black Scallop Circle was cut with the Scallop Circle #2 Die. The Ribbon is 1 1/4" Striped Wild Wasabi, tied with a Designer Button and a bit of Linen Thread. That's pretty much it. I did stamp a flourish on the DSP with Baroque Motifs and Wild Wasabi Ink but I'm not sure how well you can see that in the photos. It's very subtle -- LOL! Stampin' Dimensionals were used to pop up and attach the Scallop Circle piece. And of course, a little stamping on the inside of the card always adds interest and the element of surprise when someone opens it up.

 

I'm not going to give you separate measurements this week because quite frankly, I've already done it. I will tell you this card is 5.25" square.

 

I'm so glad you stopped by and hope you'll be back soon for more ideas and inspiration. And don't forget to pop over to the Stamping 411 site to see what the other operators have been up to this week. I'm sure you'll be glad you did! With that said, It's time for me to get started on my weekend plans! I'll be back with more surprises soon!

 

Time To Fall Gently into Another Freakishly Fabulous Blog Tour!

Hello everyone and welcome to the Control Freaks Freaky September Blog Tour! Boy oh boy, do we have some fantabulous projects ready for you this month! If you're already on the trip, then you must have arrived here from my friend, Jan Tinklinberg's amazing blog! Jan always has something amazing to drool over and she's darn funny as well!

 

Our theme this month is "Fall Into Step -- Autumn, Halloween and Thanksgiving Ideas". I just love fall! I love the weather. I love the colors. I love the smells. I love snuggling under a throw and sleeping with the windows opened. And I love the fall holidays with their emphasis on family and gratitude. It's a great time of year. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw the new fall leaf stamp set that Stampin' Up! offered this year! It's a two-step stamp set (one of my favorite techniques) called Gently Falling. I just had to use it for my projects tonight!

I decided to make this darling gift bag and matching card! What a great duo for a special gift for your best friend, sister or mother! I know I would be thrilled to receive this see!

Both projects use the following colors -- Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Cajun Craze, and Very Vanilla. Sentiments are from two different sets -- Pursuit of Happiness and Grateful Greetings. Additional supplies include the Big Shot, The Ovals Die, the Square Lattice Impressions Folder, a Brayer, the Designer Frames Textured Impressions Folder, Stampin' Dimensionals, Wide Oval Punch, Quilted Satin Ribbon in Cherry Cobbler and the new Simply Scored Tool. Check back tomorrow and I'll post a free tutorial for making the Gift Bag and using the New (simply fabulous) Simply Scored Tool.

 

The Gift Box is a BIG 3.5 x 2.25 x 5.5". You can pack a lot of goodies into this puppy! The front panel includes a piece of More Mustard Cardstock that is embossed with the Square Lattice Impressions Folder after it has been inked with Chocolate Chip ink. That's what makes this incredible texture and contrast -- such a great look for fall and a fairly easy (but messy) technique to do.

 

I'll include more instructions on the tutorial tomorrow!. I stamped the leaves using darker ink on each of the cardstock colors, cut them out and attached them with Stampin' Dimensionals. The crinkled paper is created by cutting narrow strips and running them through a Paper Crimper.

 

 

 

Now, on to the card. This is actually this week's MoJo Monday Sketch -- such a great jump-start when you need a little inspiration! I love the blocks of additional color behind the focal image -- it really brings it to life!

 

The colors and techniques are the same for the card as the box. Plus, I added a little extra stamping on the inside to give it even more interest! Did I mention how much I love this stamp set? It really is fabulous!

 

Well, that will do it for this stop on the tour! But do continue on -- there's some fabulous scenery and inspiration waiting for you at each and every stop! I hope you've enjoyed your stay here and I hope you'll come back soon for more ideas and inspiration! 

And speaking of inspiration, click on the button below to go to the next stop on our tour, the ever-amazing Wendy Weixler!  I just peeked at her projects and you are going to be blown away by what you see! Thanks again for stopping and Happy Stamping!

Sweets for the Sweet

Hello everyone! Wow, another week has flown by! It's more than a little scary how quickly time flies by these days! Here's something that's not scary, however! A new Weekend Sketch Challenge from the Stamping 411 Operators!

 

Just look at this week's sketch -- the possibilities are wide-open and endless! I used two different stamp sets -- Sweets for the Sweet and Something Sweet, and Flirtateous Specialty Designer Series Paper. The colors are Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette and Whisper White. I don't know how well it shows up in the photos, but the candy wrapper is stamped on clear celophane and attached to look like a real candy wrapper. I finished it off with just a bit of 1/8" Taffeta ribbon and glitter brads in each corner.

 

Here's some measurements:

• Layer One -- Melon Mambo cut at 5.5 x 8.5", scored and folded to make the Card Base
• Layer Two -- DSP cut at 4 x 5.25"
• Layer Three -- Melon Mambo cut at 3 x 4.25"
• Layer Four -- Pink Pirouette cut at 2 7/8 x 4 1/8"

 

Well, that's it for this sketch! I hope you have fun with it! Don't forget to check out the other Design Team Projects at Stamping 411! I'm so glad you stopped by and hope you'll be back soon for more ideas and inspiration!

 

Strength & Hope Meets Beau Chateau

Hello everyone and welcome to a new Sketch Challenge from the Stamping 411 Operators!

We've got a fun sketch for you this week which gives you lots of possibilities for using DSP, embellishments, stamped images and more -- it's a stamper's dream!

My Card uses the recently retired Strength & Hope Stamp set. Oops -- my bad! I didn't even realize this set had retired with the Summer Mini Catalog -- that's how befuddled and behind I am. Oh well, I know you will forgive me (at least, I hope you will).

Other supplies and embellishments include the Beau Chateau Designer Series Papers, 5/8" Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon, Versamark Ink, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, the Heat Tool, Basic Pearls, Brads, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" Circle Punches and Stampin' Dimensionals.

Here's my measurements:

1. Layer One -- Cardstock cut at 5.5 x 8.5", scored and folded to make your Card Base
2. Layer Two -- Soft Suede Cardstock cut at 4 x 5.25"
3. Layer Three -- DSP cut at 3 7/8 x 5 1/8". Trim again at 2", reverse the pattern and use both sides of the DSP. Separate with the Satin Ribbon.
4. Layer Four -- Cardstock cut at 2 x 2.5"
5. Layer Five -- Cardstock cut at 1.7/8 x 2 1/8" -- add the circles punched out with the 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" Circle punches and Antique Brads.
6. Inside of Card -- Very Vanilla cut at 4 x 5.25"

Well, that will do it for tonight. It feels good to be stamping again! Thanks again for all your wonderful and kind comments and prayers -- they have helped us through this difficult time.

I'm so glad you stopped by today and hope you'll come back soon. Maybe next time I can even manage to use a current stamp set -- LOL!

Faux, Torn Vellum Technique and Just Believe

Hello everyone! I've got a fun, little tutorial for you today on the Torn Vellum Technique -- one of my all-time favorite techniques!

Faux, torn vellum looks like ... well, torn vellum, but it's all done on one layer of cardstock -- it's really cool and fun to do!

Read on below for a step-by-step guide!

To begin, you tear off just the very edge of a post-it note, leaving some of the sticky remaining to stick down on your cardstock. I used Whisper White Cardstock for this card. As you can see from the above photo, I angled the post-it note so it would resemble a torn edge. Go ahead and stamp your images on your cardstock, using the post-it note to "mask" off the area that you don't want stamped. I'm using the stamp set Just Believe, stamping the image in Island Indigo Ink. You can stamp one image or many.

Next, sponge ink over and around the stamped images, blending the colors. I work in a circular pattern and try to make sure the different colors are distributed over the entire piece. Ink colors that I sponged on are Island Indigo, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade and Wisteria Wonder. Make sure the post-it note stays attached while you are sponging.

When you're done sponging, and have your stamped images the way you want, you simply pull off the post-it notes and ... voila, you have an image that looks like torn vellum. At this point, you can embellish and finish the card as you like. I added some Wisteria Wonder butterflies, cut with the Big Shot and the Beautiful Wings Embosslet, some Basic Pearls and some Ruffled Ribbon. The card Base is Island Indigo. I also added a little more sponging and torn vellum technique on the inside of the card.

And that's it -- the Faux, Torn Vellum Technique! I hope you have as much fun with this as I do! Thanks so much for stopping by today and I do hope you'll come back soon for more ideas and inspiration!

A Grateful Heart

Hello everyone! Utah Divas International have a new color challenge for you this week! But before I go there, I want to thank you for the many comments and personal notes you've sent me and the outpouring of sympathy for Nicole's family. Your love is overwhelming and I thank you very much.

This has been one of the most difficult weeks of my life and I can't even imagine what her parents are going through. I know they feel your prayers. Thank you, my heart is truly grateful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

Now, on to this week's Color Challenge. Our inspiration this week comes from this delightful pottery with vibrant colors of Cherry Cobbler, Peach Parfait, So Saffron and Wild Wasabi. What Fun!

 

For my card this week, I've used the Printed Petals and Pursuit of Happiness stamp sets, Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper, 1/2" Polka Dot Ribbon, the Big Shot and Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Folder, 1" Circle Punch, a Designer Button, a flower Brad, Basic Rhinestones, the Scallop Border Punch, Versamark Ink, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Sponges and the new (and fabulous) Simply Scored Scoring Tool.

 

To create the accordian fold medallion, I began with a piece of DSP cut 1.5 x 12". Punch one long edge with the Border Punch. Using the scoring tool, make score lines at every 1/2" mark. Turn the DSP strip over and now make a score line at every 1/4", in between the 1/2" lines. This way, your score lines are both "hills" and "valleys" -- it makes it so much easier to fold. You end up with score lines 1/4" apart, but the direction of each one is already alternated for easier folding! It's a great, and actually very quick way, to created this folded medallions! Once the scoring is done, connect the beginning and end with Sticky strip adhesive and then press it all down on a 1.75" circle that is covered with sticky strip. It's a great look and such a cool technique to use in so many different ways.

That's it for today, friends! Thanks so much for stopping by. And again, thank you for all your support and understanding for the past couple of weeks! Be sure and check out the other Design Team projects on Utah Diva's International! I look forward to you visiting again soon!

A Jack of All Trades and some Sad News to Share

Hi friends -- It's been quite a week around here. I know some of you may be wondering why I've been so quiet all week -- it's just not like me! We've been trying to get through a very difficult time this week. The sweet little girl pictured on the right is from our church, and is a friend of my daughter's. She was critically injured in a horrible accident last weekend. She survived on life support for several days but passed away early yesterday morning. Those of you who already know have been so kind to share your thoughts and prayers with me. Thank you. Please keep Nicole's family in your thoughts and prayers. It's all that's holding them up at the moment. We will be celebrating Nicole's life on Sunday afternoon with a service at our church.

 

My heart's not really in it, but I did manage to create a card for this weekend's Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge. It did feel good to have a few minutes to stamp and I'm sure I'll get back into the swing of things soon!

 

 

I've been wanting to break out this new stamp set, Jack of All Trades, ever since I got it. It is darling and so much fun to work with! I added two different patterns from the Frightful Sight Designer Series Paper, some Glitter Brads and a bit of 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon around the witch's hat.

The Circular focal piece is made up of a 3" circle in Cajun Craze, The Large Scallop Circle from the Perfect Pennants Die in Basic Black, and a 2.5" Whisper White Circle. I stamped the pumpkin image in Cajun Craze and then stamped and cut out the hat and added it separately. Other measurements include:

1. Layer One - 5.5 x 8.5" Cajun Craze Carkstock, scored and folded to make the Card Base
2. Layer Two -- DSP cut at 4 x 5.25"
3. Layer Three -- Old Olive cut at 3.25" square
4. Layer Four -- DSP cut at 3" square

I also did some fun stamping on the inside of the card - love the look with the stars. The sentiment is from Grateful Greetings.

I'm posting this earlier today than I normally would but please be sure and check out the Stamping 411 post tonight! The other Operator cards are just amazing!

Thanks, everyone, for letting me share my pain and grief with you! I value the friendships from the online community and ask for your prayers for Nicole's family and friends, especially throughout this difficult weekend.

Blessings, Gretchen