It is DIFFICULT to get back into the swing of things!

I came back from Convention with all of these cool ideas that I want to do at my Mini Convention this Friday. However, lots of ideas equals lots of time spent NOT creating items for my blog!  I do have Design Team responsibilities though, so I did manage to get a few cards done for those. Silly me was thinking that Technique Time Tuesday was due tomorrow, so I used a technique from there on my card for Addicted to Stamps and More!  But it's not due until NEXT Tuesday, so you get a sneak peek of what the challenge will be.  Don't worry, I made a different card for the real challenge date at Technique Time Tuesday!  Not only did I mess that up, I also thought this week was a marker challenge, which goes perfectly with that challenge. Would you believe that I looked at the wrong date AGAIN?! Oh my word, Shana!  Get a life! lol Lucky for me though, it is Anything Goes, so my card still fits the challenge!

I used the sketch from Fab Friday for this one because it had a lot of blank space to go with the technique I wanted to use:

And now it is time for yet ANOTHER confession...I used the colors from another challenge (of course I can't remember which one now and am too lazy to look it up!) that I THOUGHT was due Wednesday. Of course, it was due yesterday, they just announce the winners on Wednesday. BIG HUGE SIGH!  I am really hoping I can get my act together someday soon! :)

I had a lot of fun with this card!  For the background I used the Smackin' Acetate technique. You just take a piece of acetate (aka transparency) and color on it with markers or even stamp on it. Then spritz it with some water, turn it over and rub it onto a piece of white cardstock. For mine, I colored on the acetate with Crumb Cake and Pear Pizzazz and then stamped one of the blotchies from Gorgeous Grunge with Bermuda Bay. I love the look of the stamp after it was spritzed!  Which brings me to another confession...I used colors from another challenge (of course I can't remember which one now and am too lazy to look it up!) that I THOUGHT was due Wednesday. Of course, it was due yesterday, they just announce the winners on Wednesday. BIG HUGE SIGH!  I am really hoping I can get my act together someday soon! :)

Stamp Sets: Gorgeous Grunge, Oh, Hello, Yippee Skippee
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Candy Dots, Rhinestones, Doily, Transparency

My Paper Pumpkin Special!

I am barely in the door from Convention, but I wanted to quickly share with you a special that Stampin' Up! announced while I was there for My Paper Pumpkin!  New subscribers to My Paper Pumpkin will receive their first 2 months for just $10!  After that, it is just $19.95 each month, and that includes shipping!  It is so fun being surprised with my kit each month!  Signing up is so easy, too!  Just go to www.mypaperpumpkin.com. Enter the number of kits you would like to sign up to receive each month, as well as the promo code PUMPKINDEAL.  Then fill in your information, my name, and it will walk you through the rest!  Here are more details:

PAPER PUMPKIN PROMOTION Offer Dates: July 18, 2013 -August 31, 2013 Offer Details: Use the promotion code PUMPKINDEAL to join Paper Pumpkin before August 31, 2013, and pay only $10 a month* for the first two months. *plus tax, where applicable. Shipping included! The Fine Print: For new subscribers only. Promotion applies only to the first two months of a new subscription. After receiving two month's worth, the price for each month's kit will go to the regular price: $19.95. You and your customers need to visit mypaperpumpkin.com to join. You must click "Add Promo Code" and then enter the promo code PUMPKINDEAL in the "Promo Code" field when you sign up on the mypaperpumpkin.com website to take advantage of this promotion. You must join by Saturday, August 31, 2013; 11:50 PM (MT). If you need help signing up or have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!   Happy stamping! Shana Gaff www.shanagaff.stampinup.net www.stressfreestamping.blogspot.com

Addicted to Glitter

I'm sorry I have been out of the blogging world for a few weeks, but I was getting ready for Convention and now I am AT Convention, so things have been CRAZY!  I promise to get things back to normal in the next week or so. :) I have some cool techniques, swaps and pictures of FAMOUS stampers to share with you too!  

Before leaving for Convention, I made this card for our new challenge at Addicted to CAS, which I am hosting myself!  You know I love bling, so that is why I chose this word!

This card was SOOO easy!  All I did was stamp my images on Whisper White cardstock, then pressed it onto an Adhesive Sheet.  I made sure to use my bone folder to get a good coverage of adhesive on the cardstock. I then covered it with Dazzling Diamonds and tapped it off and it was sparkly goodness! :) The little butterfly in the center is also covered in Dazzling Diamonds. LOVE me some bling!  

Stamp Sets: Daydream Medallions, Papillon Potpourri, Six-Sided Sampler
Cardstock: Coastal Cabana, Pink Pirouette, Strawberry Slush, Whisper White
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, Pink Pirouette, Strawberry Slush
Tools: Bitty Butterfly Punch, Elegant Butterfly Punch
Accessories: Dazzling Diamonds, Adhesive Sheets

Window Panes Everywhere!

Ooooh, it's time for one of my favorite challenges at Addicted to Stamps and More!  Addicted to colors!

I had a freak-out moment and thought I had lost my camera. I tried taking a picture of my card with my camera and it didn't look so great, so I tried the webcam on my computer...that didn't look so great either.  After a minor panic attack, my wonderful husband Brett came to my rescue and found my camera underneath the seat in my van.  Crisis averted!

I have been working on my Convention swaps and had to take a break today to get this card done. I must have had my swaps on the brain because I used a similar window pane idea on one of my swaps as I did here with the lattice peeking through. I will share my swaps when I get home from Convention. They are coming together...slowly, but they will be done before I leave!

Stamp Sets: Betsy's Blossom, Flower Shop, Sassy Salutations
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla
Ink: Blushing Bride, Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi
Tools: Flower Shop Punch, Little Leaves Sizzlit, Lattice Bigz Die, 1/2" Circle Punch, Window Frames Framelits, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder
Accessories: Dimensionals

Addicted to CAS Water

It's time for another challenge at Addicted to CAS!  If you have never joined in on one of our challenges, we would love for you to make this week your first!  This is a great site because you don't have to make a super detailed card.  Clean and simple are a great starting point for new stampers, but can be complex for advanced stampers as well. I just love them!  This week's code word has so many possibilities!

I knew right away what stamp I wanted to use when I saw the code word was water.  I have some cute little birdies playing in a bird bath. I had to include some waves and splashes too, of course!

It's hard to see in my picture, but after I was finished coloring my image I put some Crystal Effects on the water splashes and flowers.  I thought this gave an extra "water" feel.  Oh, and I almost forgot...I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches this week! A cute and simple little sketch!

Stamp Set: For the Birds

Cardstock: Pool Party, Strawberry Slush, Whisper White

Ink: Black StazOn, Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Pool Party, Smoky Slate, Strawberry Slush, Wild Wasabi

Tools: Tasteful Trim Bigz Die, Blender Pen, Aqua Painter

Accessories: Crystal Effects

Make Your Mark! Christmas in July

It's time for another Make Your Mark challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More!  I decided to participate in the Anything Goes Christmas challenge at Merry Monday and the sketch challenge at CAS(E) this Sketch! 

I tried something new with my markers this week. I took a big piece of masking tape and colored on the sticky side. I then pressed it down onto glossy cardstock and burnished it with my hand before pulling the masking tape up. I love how it turned out!

I hated to cover up so much of it, but I had to follow the sketch. I will definitely be trying this technique again. It was super easy and has tons of possibilities!  Too bad they had to go and retired my glossy cardstock!  Luckily I had some saved aside in case of an emergency like this. lol I also used my markers to color my ornament before stamping it. 

Stamp Sets: More Merry Messages, Ornament Keepsakes

Cardstock: Glossy White, Melon Mambo, Old Olive

Ink: Basic Gray, Melon Mambo, Old Olive

Tools: Holiday Ornaments and Oval Framelits, masking tape

Accessories: Rhinestones, Dimensionals

A New Design Team!

About a month ago I was graciously asked by Mynnette if I would like to be a design team member for her challenge blog, Technique Time Tuesday. I was thrilled and accepted!  The challenge run monthly and today is my first day participating as a design team member!  The challenge this month is Blurred Vision Stamping and you can see Mynnette's wonderful video on the Technique Time Tuesday blog. Here is what I came up with for this month's challenge:

For some reason I am always in the mindset that I can only use leaves in the fall, but we have leaves in the summer too, so why not?!  I decided to use some of our new colors for a soft, summery feel.  I was anxious to try out the new stretchy trim ribbon too. It is just GORGEOUS!  I guess the formal name is Ruffle Stretch Ribbon. lol I will definitely be putting more colors of this on my future orders. It is so fun to work with!

Stamp Sets: Gently Falling, Sassy Salutations
Cardstock: Baked Brown Sugar, Bermuda Bay, Crisp Cantaloupe, Whisper White
Ink: Baked Brown Sugar, Bermuda Bay, Crisp Cantaloupe
Tools: Fancy Fan Embossing Folder, Ovals and Circles Framelits, Distress Tool, Aqua Painter, Sponge
Accessories: Crisp Cantaloupe Ruffle Stretch Ribbon

Countdown to Convention!

It's less than two weeks until we leave for Convention and have I finished the 120+ swaps I was planning on doing? Noooooo!  I don't think this is unusual though...I have heard horror stories of people finishing up their swaps on the airplane or in their hotel room the night before. That will NOT be me!  Partly because I am making the 24-hour drive with my family and I KNOW I will have no down time to get them finished, and partly because the stress of waiting until the last minute would probably kill me!

I really needed to do some blog posting though since I have fallen so far behind these past couple of weeks. Summer busyness has really taken a toll on my stamping! Since I have so many swaps to make, I am keeping my other cards very simple. Today I am participating in the challenges at The Paper Players and retrosketches.

As usual, I kept this sketch very literal. One of these days I promise to do some out-of-the-box thinking.  Today is just not the day to waste my time on THINKING! lol

I chose the middle row of Get Well, Bling and Yellow.  Like I said, I kept it VERY simple but I really like all that white space!  The yellow and white just makes me feel so happy!  Now back to work on those swaps I go!

Stamp Sets: Mixed Bunch, Sassy Salutations
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Ink: Black StazOn, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Rhinestone