Gretchen Barron

The New Catty's are HERE!

The new 2012-2013 Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogs are HERE and ready to ship out to you! If you are a customer or don't already have a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, I'll be glad to get one to you! If you are local, I'll deliver it to you and if it needs to be mailed, I can do that as well. There is no charge for the catalog but there will be postage charge if it needs to be mailed. Just e-mail me at gbarron56@comcast.net if you're interested!

 

Each catalog I share will come with one of these darling new InColor book marks -- one side has a punched cardstock sample and a stamped image sample and the other side has a Wish List and my contact information. It's a handy little tool to have as you enjoy all the new stamp sets, paper, embellishments and tools that have found a home in the new catty!

 

And speaking of new things, look what's new at our home! Meet little Miss Rueby, our new (well, 10 week old) Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy! Isn't she just the cutest little thing! She weighs in at just under 4 pounds right now and will probably be about 10 pounds full grown. She is so sweet and already is a part of the family. I'm sure you'll be seeing more pictures of Miss Rueby in the future!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And speaking of even more new things, here's a card that I made recently to share with some stamping friends! The colors aren't new -- Rich Razzleberry, Baja Breeze and Whisper White. But there are two new stamp sets used -- Betsy's Blossoms and Layered Labels. I cut the label with the new Apothecary Accents Framelets and the pattern paper is from the delicious new Floral District Designer Series Paper Pack.

 

Other supplies used include 1/2" Baja Breeze Seam Tape Ribbon (so love that ribbon and the fabulous bows you can create with it), Basic Pearls, the Large Oval Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, the Big Shot and the Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder.

 

Well, that will do it for now! I hope you're having a wonderful weekend. Don't forget to take some time to say a prayer or extend some thanks to those who have served our country in the military.

 

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

 

 

 

Bold N' Bright with Floral District DSP

 

Hello everyone and welcome to Inspiration in Action! This week's Stamping 411 card is a super quick and easy, bold and bright card created with the new Floral District Designer Series Paper (available in the new Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog which begins just one week from today! Contact your SU demonstrator for more information).

 

 

Supplies for this card are Floral District DSP, So Saffron, Rich Razzleberry and Whisper White Cardstock, Gumball Green 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon (in the new catty), and the Delightful Dozen Stamp Set.

 

Here's some measurements to help you get started if you want to try your own hand at this week's sketch:

1. Layer One -- So Saffron cardstock cut at 5.5 x 8.5", scored and folded to make the Card Base
2. Layer Two -- Rich Razzleberry cardstock cut at 4 x 5.25"
3. Layer Three -- DSP cut at 3.75 x 4"
4. Layer Four -- Whisper White Cardstock cut at 7/8 x 4"

 

That's it!!! I told you it was super simple, quick and easy! I did dress up the inside of the card a bit too, with a coordinating DSP pattern and some more of that beautiful ribbon!

I hope you have fun with this week's sketch! Make sure and visit the Stamping 411 Website to see what the other Operators have created this week. Thanks so much for stopping by and I do hope you'll come back soon for more ideas and inspiration!

Daisies for Retirement!

Hello everyone and welcome to the Control Freaks May Blog Tour! Our theme this month is "Going, Going ... Almost Gone!". It's all about retiring stamps, papers, embellishments and supplies from the Stampin' Up! Catalog. The new catalog will become "live" on June 1st but there are a lot of favorites that are going away for good (sniff, sniff). Many of the retiring items that you will see on this month's tour are still available for you to purchase -- be sure and contact your Stampin' Up! Demonstrator for more information.

 

If you've already begun the tour, then you must be arriving from the blog of Sandy Mathis! She had some amazing projects for us!

 

My projects have a common theme running through them ... daisies, daisies, daisies! Sadly, the Flower Daisies #2 Die (for use with the Big Shot) is one that won't be returning in the new catalog. I've fallen in love with these bright, colorful Gerbera Daisies that you can create with the die so I've decided to highlight them tonight. Each flower is created with 4 layers of the large daisy diecut and 3 layers of the small daisy. I've used Poppy Parade and So Saffron for this flower and used an Antique Brad for the center (don't worry, the brads aren't retiring!).

 

My first project uses two of the retiring InColors -- Poppy Parade and Peach Parfait. I've also used the Finial Press Embossing Folder and the Ticket Corner Punch (both retiring items). The sentiment is from the Sincere Salutations Stamp Set (yes (sniff, sniff) ... retiring).

 

This is a pretty straight-forward and simple card -- the bright beautiful daisy is really the star. It would be great for just about any occasion in spring. As you can see from the first picture above, these flowers really bring so much dimension and texture to your projects. After assembling the layers, just use your fingers to "fluff" up the petals!

 

 

 

Next in the lineup is another card, also with daisies, but this time using the Greenhouse Garden Stamp Set (yes, retiring).

 

The sentiment is again from Sincere Salutations. The Designer Series Paper is Just Add Cake and again the colors are retiring InColors -- Peach Parfait and Poppy Parade.

 

The ribbon is Peach Parfait 1/2" Stitched-Poly. I used a Stamp-a-ma-Jig to line up the two-step stamps and stamped the center of the flowers with Black Stazon Ink.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, to round out the daisy ensemble for this tour, I create a quick and easy little pillow box using what else but the Pillow Box Die (yes, retiring). I tied it shut with some Concord Crush Stitched-Poly Ribbon and attached another Gerbera Daisy (created with Concord Crush Cardstock) with Stampin' Dimensionals. These little boxes make great little treat containers for all kinds of occasions ... or no occasion at all!

 

Well, that's all I have for this post! You can advance to the next tour stop by clicking on the button below. It will take you to Cindy Major's Blog. I can't wait to see what surprises she has for us!

 

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

 

A Sneaky Peek at Comfort Cafe

Hello everyone and Happy Friday to you! I've got another Sneaky Peek today at some more of the new products from the soon-to-come 2012-2013 Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog. For this week's Stamping 411 Inspiration card, I'm featuring Comfort Cafe Designer Series Paper, the Apothecary Accents Framelets dies (for use with the Big Shot), and the coordinating Layered Labels Stamp Set.

 

As you can see, I flipped the sketch for my card. The colors are Midnight Muse, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla and Raspberry Ripple. I've also used the Large Oval Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Linen Thread and the new Designer Naturals Buttons. The embossing was done with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder and the Big Shot.

 

Here's some measurements to get you started ...

1. Layer One -- Midnight Muse Cardstock cut at 5.5 x 8.5", scored and folded to make the Card Base.
2. Layer Two -- Crumb Cake cardstock cut at 4 x 5.25" -- embossed with the Big Shot
3. Layer Three -- DSP cut at 3x4"
4. Layer Four -- Label Die cut and button embellishments. Don't you just love the strong, dark impression that the newly formulated classic ink pads make -- it's truly amazing!

 

Well, that will about do it for this project! I want to thank you for stopping by. I hope I was able to share a bit of inspiration with you. I do hope you'll come back soon! Until then ...

What to do with Ribbon Scraps?

Hello everyone! Please tell me I'm not the only one that has a container like this!

 

Ribbon scraps ... thousands of them! Little pieces left over from hundreds of projects completed in the past 5 years.

 

Whenever I have scraps of ribbon left, I just put them in this jar. Problem is ... the jar is full and running over!

 

And so I decided to create some cards that would help me use up some of these scraps.

 

Now, with this many scraps, I could create a hundred of these cards and probably still not make much of a dent in my Ribbon Scrap Jar. But it does give me a certain feeling of satisfaction knowing that I'm trying to reduce, reuse and recycle!

 

My inspiration for all three cards today came from cards that I saw posted on Pinterest. I've done my best to track down the creator of each original card. Some of the ribbon used is non SU and much of it is retired from years past (do you see some old favorites?).

 

My inspiration for this card was created by Amy Wanford. The cardstock colors are Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie and Whisper White. The ribbon scraps are all various shades of yellow and orange. The stamp set is Pursuit of Happiness. I used the 2.5" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch and 1/2" Circle Punch along with the Big Shot and the Elegant Lines Embossing Folder. I also used a few Basic Rhinestones for a little bling!

 

I laid strips of ribbon onto the embossed mat, and just kept sub-dividing until the entire circle was filled in. The large circle is punched with the 2.5" Circle punch and is attached with Stampin' Dimensionals. The Card Base is 5.25" square. I think this is a fun, sunny card!

 

This inspiration for this second card was created by Kristina Werner.

 

I used Night of Navy and Crumb Cake cardstocks. I cut out the heart with the Big Shot and the Heart Collection Framelets. After cutting, I traced the heart shape onto the Night of Navy layer so I had an outline of exactly where I needed to place the ribbon. Ribbon was applied using SNAIL adhesive.

 

I laid the ribbon in strips diagonally until my heart was filled in. I added stitches with a White Gel Pen and attached a few little buttons with  Crystal Effects. The sentiment is from the retiring stamp set Heard from the Heart. The Card Base is 5.25" square. This card has a cute, homespun look. It was quick and simple to pull together and definitely a fun technique to keep in your toolbox!

 

And finally, one more Ribbon Scrap Card to share with you today! This one was inspired by a card created by Michelle Andrews on Stampin' Connection. The original actually used strips of DSP rather than ribbon.

 

I wanted something bright and bold for a birthday and tried to select ribbon scraps that fit the bill.

 

The Card Base is 4.25 x 5.5" and cardstock colors are Real Red, Crumb Cake and Whisper White. The stamp set is the retiring Hostess set called Happiest Birthday Wishes. I colored directly on the rubber with Stampin' Write Markers. I tied off the ribbon with a red Glimmer Brad. I think the finished card is happy and fun!

 

Well, I hope I've challenged you to pull out some of your ribbon scraps and put them to good use! This was a fun project and it's always so gratifying to use up scraps for cards!

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

A Little Sneaky Peek!

Hello everyone and welcome to Inspiration in Action! I'm excited to share a little sneak peek of some good things to come very soon! As you know, the new 2012-2013 Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog will go live on June 1st! There are some wonderful new stamp sets and gorgeous new Designer Series Papers in the new book. Two of my early favorites are this set called Betsy's Blossoms and the new Floral District DSP -- its FABULOUS!

So, of course, when I was creating this week's Stamping 411 Card, I just couldn't resist using some of the beautiful new goodies! Also used on this card is 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon in Baja Breeze, Angique Brads, the Big Shot and the Elegant Lines Embossing Folder, Stampin' Dimensionals and self-adhesive Basic Pearls. The colors are Baja Breeze, Rich Razzleberry, Summer Starfruit (a new InColor) and Whisper White.

Here's some measurements in case you want to recreate this card:

1. Layer One -- Baja Breeze Cardstock cut to 5.5 x 8.5", scored and folded for the Card Base
2. Layer Two -- Rich Razzleberry Cardstock cut at 4 x 5.25"
3. Layer Three -- DSP cut at 3 7/8 x 5 1/8" -- cut again so that the bottom piece measures 1.5" tall -- attach with SNAIL, reversing the bottom section to the reverse pattern and add ribbon across the "seam".
4. Layer Four -- Rich Razzleberry Cardstock measuring 2.25" square (do this twice, one for each corner piece)
5. Layer Five -- Whisper White Cardstock measuring 2" square (again, do this twice)
6. Layer Six -- (focal image) Rich Razzleberry cardstock cut at 2.5 x 3.5"
7. Layer Seven -- Whisper White cut at 2.25 x 3.25" -- stamp and embellish as desired

Well, I think that will do it for now! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and that you find a little time to get creative. Happy Mother's day to all those who are mother's, know mother's or have mother's (LOL -- I guess that about covers all of us!). Thanks again for stopping by and I hope you come back soon for more ideas and inspiration!

Clean and Simple with Negative Shape Masking

Hello everyone and welcome to Inspiration in Action! I decided to bring you a fun little technique today that I've been seeing EVERYWHERE. I'm not even quite sure what to call it so I'm calling it "Negative Shape Masking". When you "mask" a stamping project, you usually use a punch or die-cut shape, lay it on your project and stamp or sponge over it so that when you pull away the "mask", that area of the paper is left blank. With negative masking, you do just the opposite. You punch or die cut a shape and then you use the outline, or negative area, to do your masking! Clear as mud, right? LOL -- let me show you what I mean!

 

On this first card, using the Big Shot and the Labels Collection Framelet, I cut out the label shape and then used the outline as a stencil for my sponging.

I used adhesive tape to fasten the mask to the cardstock that I was using for my project.

 

Next, I used sponges and three different colors Classic ink -- Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink and Perfect Plumb. Sponge and apply color until you are happy with the effect -- you can use as little or as much as you want. Obviously darker colors will give you more contrast and vibrancy. Once you have it the way you want it, remove the mask and this is what you have ...

 

Next, you add your stamped images, color them in and add any embellishments you want to complete your project. For this card, I used Bordering on Romance and Sincere Salutations Stamp sets and positioned them just a little outside of my sponged area. I stamped with Black Stazon Ink and then colored in the flowers and leaves with Stampin' Up! Watercolor Pencils. I blended the colors with a Blender Pen and added self-adhesive Basic Pearls for embellishment. I then trimmed the stamp piece to a size of 3 x 4" and backed it with an Elegant Eggplant mat measuring 3.25 x 4.25". I adhered that to a 4 x 5.25" piece of Whisper White Cardstock that I embossed with the Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder and attached it to a Elegant Eggplant Card Base. Once you cut your mask, it can be used for several different projects, so don't throw them away, keep them in a little file or box for later use.

Now, you can use any shape or size for your negative mask. It's fun to experiment and these cards make very fast, simple and clean cards when you need something quick or need to make multiples! Here's a couple more examples ...

For this one, I cut out the butterfly with the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die. I positioned the mask at a little angle and then sponged it with Marina Mist and So Saffron Inks. I stamped the flourish from Elements of Style with Marina Mist Ink. The sentiment is from Pursuit of Happiness. I also embossed the Marina Mist mat with the Big Shot and the Framed Tulips Impressions Folder. The Card Base if So Saffron.

In this final sample, I used one of the Heart Dies from the Hearts Collection Framelets. Using the Array of Sunshine Stamp Set (Hostess), I embossed the stamps with Versamark Ink and Clear Embossing Powder. I then sponged Real Red and Rich Razzleberry inks over the embossing (this is called Emboss Resist). The sentiment is stamped in Black Stazon ink and is from the set, Word Play.

I hope you will keep this technique in mind and have a little fun creating sometime soon using the Negative Mask technique. It's a great way to add extra color, depth and texture to your cards and yet it's still quick and easy to do. Thanks so much for stopping for a visit today and I hope you'll come back soon for more ideas and inspiration!

Praying for you ...

 

Hello everyone! I'm back!!! I'm so sorry that I've been MIA for the past couple of weeks. For those of you that have missed me and e-mailed to see if everything is OK, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can't tell you how honored I am that you've been concerned about me. Life has taken over every waking moment in the past couple of weeks (I think most of you will understand). As a result, there hasn't been time for stamping or posting, and for that I do apologize. As with many of you, stamping is a form of therapy for me, an activity and creative outlet that I need to keep me going. When life gets so crazy that I can't stamp, I really miss it. So, all that said, I'm back and will hopefully be back from now on!

Unfortunately, one of the things I've been dealing with in the past couple of weeks are the deaths of some good friends. And so it is only appropriate that my card for the Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge this week be a Sympathy card that I will be sending on to let some folks know I care. I've used the soothing colors of Marina Mist and Whisper White, with just a touch of Old Olive in the stamped image. The stamp set is "Thoughts and Prayers" and the Designer Series Paper is Beau Chateau. Sadly, this paper is retiring soon and I've just now developed an appreciate for the beautiful prints in this collection. Additional supplies and materials include: The Big Shot, The Framed Tulips Textured Impressions Folder, the Beautiful Wings Embosslet, Labels Framelets Dies, Stampin' Write Markers, Stampin' Dimensionals and Basic Pearls.

Here's some Measurements to follow if you want to recreate this card for yourself:

1. Layer One -- Card Base -- Marina Mist Cardstock cut at 5.5 x 8.5", scored and folded
2. Layer Two -- Whisper White cardstock cut at 4 x 5.25", embossed on the Big Shot
3. Layer Three -- DSP cut at 3.25 x 4.25
4. Layer Four -- DSP cut at 1.75 x 4"
5. Layer Five -- Framelet Die Cut, approximately 2.75 x 3.25" -- stamp and embellish as shown
6. Layer Six -- Inside of Card -- Whisper White Cardstock cut at 4 x 5.25", embellished with a 1 x 5.25" strip of DSP and some Marina Mist 1/2" Polka Dot Ribbon.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I do hope to be posting on a much more regular and frequent basis in the future so I hope you'll stop by soon for more ideas and inspiration!

Until then, Happy Stamping!