Kreative Jewels

MFT Hop Around the Block!

Have you been loving all the sneak peeks so far? If you didn't start at the beginning of the Blog Hop you will want to go back to Kim's Blog. There are so many wonderful projects from the MFT Design Team that you won't want to miss any of them!

I have a few fun projects to share with you!  The first features the Girls Night Out stamp set. You are just going to love the versatility of this set! I decided to use the Martini and Margarita glasses from the Girls Night Out set and I paired them with the cute little critters from Tea For Two.

I used MFT's Spring Paper Collection for all the patterned paper. These paper packs are such a fantastic deal at only $5.95 for 25 sheets! The ribbon came from MFT's Soft Spring Ribbon Collection.  In the corner of each glass I have a fun little Swarowski Crystal. These great embellishments are part of MFT's Spring Collection of Swarowski Crystals. Guess what, the paper, the ribbon and the crystals all coordinate perfectly! I LOVE it when that happens!

 I used a number of different card stocks including Gable Green and Apricot Appeal from Stampin' Up!, Candy Apple from Doodlebug Designs and Papertrey White. The images were all stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and they were colored in with Copic markers.

This fun project also features the Girls Night Out stamp set. The signature Who's That Girl image is the perfect size for a tag or a label for a wine bottle! I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black and colored it with Copics. If you look closely at the champagne glasses you will see that they are nice and shimmery. I used a little Sunflower Shimmerz to get the champagne to sparkle.

For card stock I used Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise and Very Vanilla all from Stampin' Up! The patterned paper is from MFT's Summer Paper Collection. Can you guess where the ribbon is from? Yep, you guessed it, MFT's Summer Ribbon Collection. The little blue glitter dot in each of the flowers is from MFT's Summer Collection of Glittered Dots and Flowers. The flowers are from Petaloo and the jumbo brad is from Stampin' Up!

I am just loving these new collections from MFT, they make coordinating card stock, ribbon and embellishments a breeze!

My last project for today features another one of the new MFT stamp sets, Cuddle Up Carter. This little guy is so incredibly sweet!

I used MFT's Summer Paper Collection and the Summer Ribbon Collection again for this project. The paper coordinates perfectly with Stampin' Up!'s Sage Shadow, Regal Rose and So Saffron card stock. I also used Papertreys White card stock. The tag was created using SU's Aluminum Metal Edged tags. The oval were cut using Nestabilities.

I did some sponging around the main image using three different colors of ink, Barely Banana, Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose. If you stop by MFT"S Tips & Tricks Forum on SCS I'll show you how I achieved that look.

Now that you have seen all the Sneak Peeks are you ready for a little Blog Candy? Before I tell you about the Blog Candy I want to remind you that Wednesday night, April 1st at 9pm EASTERN we will be celebrating the new April Release in the MFT forum. You will be able to purchase the new releases at  10pm EST (and a whole hour earlier for TLC Members!) I look forward to seeing you all there!

Now for the Blog Candy! To enter to win one of the new stamp sets to be released on Wednesday night please leave a comment on this post. The winner will be announced during the MFT Release Party in the MFT forum on Wednesday night! Good Luck!

My Favorite Things Sneak Peek!

  Aloha! I made it back home from my wonderful trip to Hawaii! We had an amazing time! The weather was fantastic, the food was amazing, and the Hawaiian people were wonderful! I spent the second week with Stampin' Up! and I can't begin to tell you how well they treated us. First class all the way. I will share lots of pictures and stories with you a bit later in the week, but today I have a sneak peek for you of a brand new stamp set coming out from My Favorite Things!

Girls Night Out, is one of four fantastic new stamp sets that will be released Wednesday April 1 at 10:00pm EST. This set is full of great sentiments, a few fantastic drink glasses and the MFT signature Who's That Girl? main image.

For this card I did a lot of paper piecing. I love paper piecing with MFT stamps! I used Basic Grey's Urban Prairie for the patterned paper. The card stock includes Regal Rose, So Saffron and Basic Black from Stampin' Up! and Papertrey White. I used Memento Tuxedo Black for the ink and I colored the image with my Copics. I used a little bit of Dazzling Diamonds on the rim of the margarita glass.

Don't forget that tonight is the big MFT Blog Hop! The MFT Blog Hop will begin at midnight EST. You will want to start out on Kim's Blog and follow along all the way to the end! Ihave a few fun cards to show you as part of the Blog Hop and I know the MFT Design Team will have a ton of fantastic samples!

Having a Little Big Shot Fun Sweet Slumber Style

 

If you have never read my blog before you may not be aware that I love my Big Shot! I never had  any desire to own a die cutting machine before Stampin' Up! introduced the Big Shot at this past years Convention in SLC. When they made the announcement everyone in the room was on their feel cheering. I figured that I must be missing out on something Big! Of course I purchased one as soon as it was available and now I have no idea what I ever did without it! Funny how that happens! 

I spent some time last week playing with some of the new treat box dies that Stampin' Up! has. I grabbed a pack of Sweet Slumber Specialty Designer Series Paper. You may not have noticed in the catalog, but this paper is actually thicker textured cover weight card stock. It is just yummy to work with!

My first treat box uses the Box #2 die. Now, seriously Sizzix, I think you could have come up with a better name than that! You are a creative bunch right? Even though the name sucks, the die certainly doesn't! 

I made this fun little box in no time flat and I hardly used any sticky strip on it! Wohoo! I wrapped some Baja Breeze Striped and Riding Hood Red Taffeta ribbon around the box. I finished it off with two flowers from the Pretties kit. Did you notice the gorgeous Baja Breeze Corduroy Button in the center of the flower? That's a sneak peak for you at one of the great new items in the Occasions Mini Catalog that will be available April 1. I also have a few small leaves stuck in behind the flower. These are from Stampin' Up!'s Birds & Blooms Sizzlit dies.

Are you ready for another sneak peek at a new item form the Occasions Mini? I am so incredibly excited about this die from Stampin' Up! The Matchbox BigzXL die is going to get a lot of use at my house. You can seriously make a little matchbox like this one in no time flat! All the cutting and scoring is done for you! How cool is that!

Did I mention that the labels on the top of this little box are also cut from the Matchbox BigXL die? That's right there are three great label shapes on the die as well. It is just way too much fun! For this box I used a little So Saffron Twill and some Baja Breeze Striped Ribbon. The paper is again from the Sweet Slumber Specialty pack. I also used a piece of So Saffron card stock for the label. You will notice that the image I stamped on the label fits perfectly for the die. You don't suppose Stampin' Up! has a stamp set to match the Matchbox BigXL die do you?

Don't forget to come back tomorrow to see the rest of these projects. I'll also tell you about an upcoming class where you can make projects just like these!

Fifth Avenue Floral Diagonal Double Pocket Card

Here is another card from my Fancy Folds class. I found the directions for this card in the resources section of SCS. To see the full directions please click here. There were a couple of different ways to do this card so make sure you try out some of the different folds.

For the base of this card I used Pink Pirouette Patterns Designer Series Paper. The fabulous flowers are from the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set. I absolutely love this set! I have a class devoted entirely to this set coming up in April. If you would like to attend you can find out all the details here.

I stamped the flowers on Stampin' Up!'s Watercolor Paper. If you have never used this paper before, you have to give it a try! It is wonderfully thick, 140 lb, just perfect for water coloring. I used the Watercolor Wonder Crayons and a Blender Pen to watercolor the flowers.

I also stamped one of the other flowers from the Fifth Avenue Floral set. I stamped it in Pretty in Pink Classic ink on Pink Pirouette card stock for the tags. The Sentiments on the tags are from the On Your Birthday Stamp Set.

  The tags were made using the handy Tag Corner Punch. I used the Crop-A-Dile with the Pewter Jumbo Eyelets. I finished them off with my lovely Organza Ribbon.

Upsy Daisy Joy Fold Card

 I am probably enjoying a lovely cool drink in the warm Hawaiian sun as you read this! At least I hope I am! lol While I am enjoying my time in Hawaii I have scheduled some blog posts for you.

Upsy Daisy is one of those great sets that you just can't seem to make a bad card with. No, that is not a challenge to go and make a bad Upsy Daisy card! Some stamp sets are easier to work with than others and I find that this one is very easy to use.

For this card I inked up the stamp with Baja Breeze Classic Ink. I then took a Not Quite Navy markers are colored in the edges of the flowers. I sponged around the Very Vanilla cardstock with Baja Breeze Classic Ink. I find this softens the look of the main image.

For cardstock I used Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy and Urban Garden Designer Series Paper. The inside of the card was stamped with a sentiment from On Your Birthday.

The joy fold card was very easy to make and it is a nice change from the same old card fold. For step by step directions to make a Joy Fold card please visit the resources forum on SCS.

Congratulations Becki!

  Becki is one of my newer downline members and she recently promoted to Senior Associate! Way to go Becki! Becki does beautiful work and I know that she is just starting her climb up Stampin' Up!'s career path! You will go a long way my friend!

I wanted to send Becki a Congratulations card for her promotion. As strange as this is going to sound, I actually used the same basic layout for this card as I had used for a sympathy card earlier in the week! lol Kinda weird, but I think it works!

Card stock is Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White textured card stock. The paper is all from the Bella Rose Designer Series paper pack. I will seriously never get tired of that pack of paper! The main image was stamped in Versamark, then embossed with Whisper White embossing powder. The flower comes from the Friends 24/7 set. You will be seeing lots of that set in the future.

The promotion stamp is from A Little Birdie Told Me. I think it worked just perfectly for this occasion. I finished off the card with a little Chocolate Chip 5/8" Grosgrain ribbon and a few dots with my White Gel Pen.

If you have ever thought about becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator now is definitely the time to do it! If you are in Canada and would like more information on this fantastic opportunity please see my information pages here. I have built a great business for myself over the last five years and I would love to help you do the same. I do my best to support, educate, encourage and motivate my downline to achieve everything that they want! We have monthly meetings and we are even doing a stamping retreat this summer! If you have a chance to come to my next downline meeting on March 30 you can register here, I would love to meet you!

Kreative Jewels Team Members February Top Sales

 I needed a few cards this month for my three top sellers on my Kreative Jewels Team. Becki, Brigitte and Sherry were at the top of their game during February. 

I wanted something fun, yet simple as my list of things to do before leaving for Hawaii is getting longer by the minute! My go to thing when I need a quick and simple card is Stampin' Up!'s Top Note Die. I just love this thing!

Here I used it with the absolutely gorgeous White Pin Stripe paper from the Taste of Textiles pack. This paper has a beautiful shimmery texture to it. I stamped it with Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze and Going Grey Classic Ink. The fantastic Fifth Avenue Floral was the stamp set I used. I love this set! In fact, I love it so much that I am having a Stamp Camp totally devoted to it on April 18th. If you are interested in registering for it you can do so by clicking here. Congratulations comes from one of our Sale-A-Bration sets, Congrats, which is only available until the end of March!

  The card stock is Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss and Urban Oasis Designer Series Paper. I finished off the cards with some yummy Baja Breeze silk ribbon from the Valet Ribbon Originals pack and a bit of White Taffeta ribbon. The button is Kiwi Kiss from the Button Bouquet pack.

I hope the ladies like them! I try to send out a card each month to my top three sellers. We have such a fantastic group of ladies on our team. I love them all! If you are interested in checking us out, why not come to my next downline meeting on March 30, details can be found here. I'll just be back from a fabulous trip to Hawaii courtesy of Stampin' Up! and I will have all sorts of fun things to share with everyone. We are always ready to welcome someone else into the group!

Blast Off to the Stars!

   This is a very unusual card for me! I don't do a lot of bright Blue, Yellow and Green cards! The color combination came from the Designer Series Paper, Good Morning Sunshine. If you are still half asleep when you look at this card, it will definitely wake you up! lol

I used Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss and Summer Sun for card stock and inks. Do you think I could find some brighter colors! Yikes! I stamped on Whisper White Card stock with Stazon ink. The rocket ship was colored in with Stampin' Write markers and Kiwi Kiss and Baja Blue Reinkers. I also did a bit of sponging around the edges with Summer Sun Classic ink.

The stars were all cut with the Big Shot die that was very creatively named Stars #2 and the Small Star Punch. I used my Nestabilities to cut the circles.

This card is one of the projects that we will be making at this weekends Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Stamp Camp. We will also be making another fun card, a great Star Box and a gorgeous Star Book. If you missed out on registering for this class, be sure you don't miss out on the next one! To register for any of my classes just click here.

Crazy for Cupcakes!

  

A few weeks ago on SCS there was a Technique Lovers  Challenge on Stair Step cards. I saw so many great cards from this challenge that I thought I would give it a try. We made this fun card a my recent Fancy Folds class. I think it would be a great Birthday card for one of the girls!

The base of the card is Chocolate Chip textured card stock. I also used Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie and Whisper White card stock. The gorgeous Designer Series paper is Sweet Always.

The yummy cupcakes are from the Crazy for Cupcakes stamp set. The cute sentiment comes from the fantastic hostess set, Sweet Little Sentiments. I used a combination of Stazon, Chocolate Chip ink, and a little Pink Pirouette for sponging. The cupcakes were colored in with Stampin' Write markers in Pumpkin Pie, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose and Chocolate Chip. I used a little Crystal Effects on the cherries, the sprinkles and the flame. I just love what a little Crystal Effects can do for a card! I finished off the card with a little Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon and a few dots with the White Gel Pen.

If you are interested in the Crazy for Cupcakes stamp set, the Sweet Always Designer Series paper, or any of the items used in this card, please visit my website to place your Online Order. Don't forget that all orders of $60.00 or more qualify for Sale-A-Bration items and all online orders of $50.00 or more will receive a special bonus from me!

MFT IDOL!!!!

 Have you been following the MFT IDOL auditions going on in the MFT forum this week? If you haven't you have been missing out on all the fun! The auditions have been fierce! There are so many amazing projects in the MFTIDOL gallery, I have no idea how the judges are going to choose their top 10! You can check out all the fabulous projects here. The judges are going to whittle down the competition to just 10 stampers. Again, how they are going to do this I don't know! Once the top 10 have been chosen they will be issued a challenge each week, they will post their creations every Wednesday and YOU get to vote for your favorite!

 Before I give you my take on how the competition is sizing up I have a confession to make. Ready.... I have never watched American Idol! There, I said it! Basically, what I know about American Idol is from watching the news or reading some of the posts on SCS.

Since I can't participate in this round of MFT IDOL, I thought I would play along by giving you my take on the competitors, the judges and the projects! Today, we will start with the first set of MFT auditions. I have links to each of these fabulous projects. Please take a minute and check them out. While you are there leave the ladies a comment or two to let them know you are lovin' what you see!

It took me quite awhile to come up with this list of ten stampers. It was so hard to choose just ten, that I also have another list of stampers that I would like to think of as my Wild Card stampers. I figure that any one of them could easily make it into the top ten. All right, are you ready for my list?

My Top 10 Picks for MFT IDOL (in no particular order)

• Kerryj106 - Kerry - Interactive Tea for Two
• mrupple - Melody - Toteally Fantastic Tote
• Mrs Mac - Shannon -Digital Girl Scrapbook Page
• gablemom - Karen - Reading Flopsey Set
• Bar - Barbara - Hangin' with my Peeps
• 20something - Kathy - Pulling Up Bunnies
• jaymerz - Jamie -Shine for Idol
• LittleSeaOtter - Kecia - It's a Jungle Out There
• strappystamper - Jackie - Tea For Two Card
• mm9772 - Maureen - 3D Flower Shop

My 5 Wild Card Picks (in no particular order)

• babitoons - Jackie - Some Bunny
• FrancieCrafter - A Baby's Easter Quilt
• 1busymomof2 - Latisha - Chill Out
• J Bo - Jennifer - Friends Furever
• Jennifer Bockelman - Herd It's Your Birthday

I'd love to know who you think is going to make the top ten! Leave me a comment with your picks for the top ten MFT Idols. I will give away a free MFT Mini set of your choice, to the person who has the highest number of correct stampers on their list. In the case of a tie one winner will be chosen at random.