From Shabby Chic ATC to Shabby Chic Card

I was looking through my pictures trying to see what I hadn't posted yet and this little lovely popped up! I haven't posted it because I was sending it to one of my very special downline ladies--well, they are all special but you know what I mean:) Her husband is stationed in Japan so of course she is living in Japan. Why, I don't know! We tried to tell her he could get along without her for a couple of years so she could stay here with us but she didn't buy it:( Anyway, I am hoping she has received this card by the time she sees this post. If not, sorry for spoiling the surprise, Margarita! 

Do you remember the ATC (Artist Trading Card) Swap I participated in last summer? Of course you do! But for those who are new to my blog you can see my ATC here. The swaps that were supposed to come to me never arrived but it was fun just to participate by doing something I had never done before. An Artist Trading Card is 2 1/2" X 3 1/2". Some people just collect and display them like you would baseball cards; others incorporate them onto cards or scrapbooking pages. I decided to turn mine into a card.

I had the card all finished but decided it needed something; a little more color. So, I consulted my Color Coach! WOW! If you don't have one you need to get one! It is invaluable when you are stuck on what color to use. I looked up the card for Pink Pirouette (the main color used on this card) and it steered me to Pool Party. I NEVER would have thought to use Pool Party but it was the perfect color!

For this card I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies:

• Paper: Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla, Baked Brown Suger and Whisper White
• Stamps: Creative Elements, En Francais, Papillon Potpourri, That's the Ticket
• Ink: Baked Brown Sugar, Crumb Cake, Pool Party
• Punches: Ticket Punch (retired) for corners and Bitty Butterfly
• Other: Chantilly Crocheted Trim (retired), Antique Brad, Linen Thread, Basic Pearls, Tea Lace Doily, Glue Dots and lots of Dimensionals

This is definitely my favorite of all the cards I've made! While I love this style, I am waayyy too slow to make very many of this type of card! 

Have a great day!

Kat

Super Happy Mail

In May I signed up with VC Rocks to have a summertime Virtual Convention experience! I was not able to participate as much as I had hoped but had some wonderful experiences none-the-less. I participated in a couple of challenges, the Fancy Fold Card Swap and signed up to have a Virtual Roomie! My virtual roommate is Ellen from Minnesota and she has been fun to email with and we have sent a few cards back and forth. We were each required to send our roomie a box of goodies which I received last week. Oh my goodness! It was (is) amazing! Check it out!

She sent such a fun assortment of goodies!

3 cards handmade by Ellen! I will give details on each card in another post.

Postcard Series Wildflowers of Utah (Ellen went to the Stampin' Up! convention in Utah) plus dsp and that red flower is a magnet which is currently on my refrigerator!

A BIG package of Twizzlers! And yes, I got into them before I took the picture:)

Glittering delight! Silver Glimmer Paper, Brushed Silver card stock, Basic Rhinestones and Silver Sparkle Dazzling Details all tied up with some pretty ruffled ribbon!

This beautiful framed piece with butterflies from the Papillon Potpourri stamp set. My photo doesn't do it justice! Oh so pretty!

Am I spoiled or am I spoiled?!!! Thank you Ellen for all my goodies!

I have one more mission to accomplish before VC Rocks closes it's "doors" at the end of August--the Artist Trading Card Swap! I will be sending those off the end of the week to be sure they are to their destination by August 14. VC Rocks will lie dormant till next May when the ladies will rev up their engines for Weekly Challenges, Blog Hops, Swaps and lots of visiting back and forth via email!

Kat

Happy Mail

Today when I picked up my mail at the Post Office, there was a package from Loni Holt--the blog candy I won! What a cute kleenex holder using Stampin' Up! fabric (retired but a favorite of mine)! You can check out Loni's blog at Loni's Life! No more tissues in a ziplock bag for me!

I was working like crazy getting the 11 cards finished that I needed to send for a VC Rocks Swap! Why do I get myself into these things?!!! Because I love the cards I get in return, that's why. However, with my Fibromyalgia, when I get stressed I get headaches, body aches, and start shutting down mentally:( So not fun! I just need to pace myself a little better. 

So, I had this project...the 11 cards...that needed to get done and I had a great card I was going to CASE from Connie Stewart at Simply Simple Stamping. She made it look so easy but after 5 tries I had to give it up! I am usually not so easily stumped. So then I thought I would WOW everyone with the Swallowtail Butterfly Surprise Card but alas couldn't make that one work either! So, this is what I finally came up with...

This was a little out of the box for me because I usually don't do bright colors and this is definitely bright! But I love it! Don't you love the border stamp?!!!

This is called a Tri-fold Card and the picture above is what it looks like when opened.

For this card I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies:

• Card Stock: Whisper White, Island Indigo and Pool Party
• Quatrefancy Specialty Designer Series Paper
• Stamp Sets: Mosaic Madness, Sassy Salutations and Papillon Potpourri
• Classic Stampin' Pads: Island Indigo and Strawberry Slush
• Other: Basic Rhinestone; Mini Glue Dots

So far on my card list I have made 16 Thank You Cards (all sent out); 13 of the card above (10 of them sent out as we only ended up with 9 in the swap) and two birthday cards (also sent)! I have the following to get finished in the next week:

• Graduation Card
• Bridal Shower Card
• Father's Day Cards (2 done and 2 left to do)
• Anniversary Card for Hubby
• 2 Baby Cards
• 3 projects for the next Happy Stampers Club
• Congratulations card for new downline member--Yay! Charina!!!

Well, that's it for me today! Wait till you see what I have to show you tomorrow!

Kat

Creative Elements Birthday

My card today is the one I did as my design team project for The Cupboard Trilogy Challenge for June. I had a hard time getting it to photograph well but this is pretty close to "real life"! I love the colors pink and gray together and this card did not disappoint! Usually I try to do something a little bit fancy for my design team project but this month I went with Clean and Simple! There's a lot of elegance in Clean and Simple:)

I used the background image in the Creative Elements stamp set to stamp on the Basic Gray card stock in Basic Gray ink. I also used the same image in Pink Pirouette to stamp on the white but used the stamp-off technique to make it very light. Pink Pirouette is a very light pink and I wanted to flowers to show up so had to make the background image even lighter by stamping-off. If you're not familiar with stamping-off, it is when you ink up your stamp, stamp once (lightly) on a scrap piece of paper and then on your card stock. 

For this project I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies:

• Card Stock: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette and Basic Gray
• Stamp Sets: Creative Elements, Papillon Potpourri and On Your Birthday (retired)
• Classic Stampin' Pads: Pink Pirouette and Basic Gray
• Other: Sponge Dauber (to color in butterfly); Elegant Butterfly Punch; Basic Rhinestone

The new Stampin' Up! Catalog started last Friday! If you would like to browse, click the button on my side-bar for a pdf version of this fabulous new catalog! If you would like to order, click the "email me" button on the side bar or go to the Stampin' Up! website, order and choose me, Kathy Skinner, as your demonstrator (if you don't already have one.

I will be back this afternoon with my Happy Homemaker Monday!

Kat

Papillon Potpourri

I was really wanting to use the Papillon Potpourri stamp set so when I saw this card on Pinterest I knew I just had to give it a try! Mine didn't turn out quite as good as the original by Fran at Fran's Craft Place but I gave it a good try! I would really like to try it again and maybe get things lined up a bit better:P

For this card I used the following Stampin' Up! products:

• Card stock: Marina Mist, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo (I think this is my new favorite SU! color) and Whisper White
• Papillon Potpourri stamp set
• Classic Stampin' Pads: Lucky Limeade and Island Indigo
• Elegant Butterfly Punch
• Embossing Folders: Delicate Designs and Perfect Polka Dots
• Mini Glue Dots and shock of all shocks...NO Dimensionsals

I am linking this card to the VC Rocks Warm Up Blog Hop so check out the other bloggers through Sunday!

Kat

P is for Paper Crafting

I am totally in love with the Stippled Blossoms stamp set by Stampin' Up! I just can't get enough of it! When I saw the card on Pinterest by Julie Gearinger I knew I had to try to make it! I got a little heavy on the sponging but still really like the way it turned out:)

For this card I used the following Stampin' Up! products:

• Very Vanilla and Early Espresso card stock
• Stippled Blossoms and Papillon Potpourri stamp sets
• Early Espresso and Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pads
• Butterfly Punch
• Big Shot with Fancy Fan Embossing Folder and Finishing Touches Edgelits
• Other: Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals, Antique Brad, 5/8" Whisper White Organza Ribbon

I look forward to trying this card again with a few changes of my own:) 

Tomorrow is the letter Q and I have another card for you! Now, how do I work another card in with the letter Q? You'll just have to check back to find out!

Kat

Thankful Thursday

It's time for Thankful Thursday once again! I missed last week and very nearly missed today as well but slipping in just under the wire! Though feeling MUCH better, I still don't have my energy back so am not getting as much done and it's taking longer to do the little that I am getting done:( I just keep reminding myself to be patient! So, what am I thankful for this week?!!!

#1...I am thankful for a gift from my friend Barb of 4 beautiful hand-knit dishcloths. Check out the different textures! They are almost too pretty to use!

#2...I am thankful for a card I received in the mail from my daughter. We made a few Triple Time Stamping cards when I was at her house in September and she has gone crazy making them. On this one she used one of her new stamp sets, Papillon Potpourri and her new Butterfly Punch! And just the right amount of bling:) 

#3...The ice started melting today and I thought I was going to have sunshine but the fog rolled in again. However, instead of have 20 degree temperatures it warmed up to 33 degrees (F) today!

#4...Hubby has been working steady all month. Usually, he has a slump time in January and February but there hasn't been any slump this month!

#5...The internet! I know that must sound silly but I have found some of the best knit/crochet patterns lately via the internet...and they're FREE! Besides, without the internet, HOW would I connect with YOU?!!!

Be thankful today for the little things:)

Kat

Happy Stamping Day

Sorry I didn't post anything yesterday. I am visiting my daughter this week and we have been busy. I have a 7 year old granddaughter and she is very busy! She has lots of plans for Gramma:) Today is swimming lessons after school and I promised she could get something out of the vending machine afterward. The vending machine is a BIG deal!

Today my daughter and I started making cards about 10:00 and didn't stop until about 2:30! She made 7 cards and I made 2. My excuse is I was helping her with hers. 

The two cards I am showing you today were inspired and CASed from Sharon Burkert at As the Ink Dries. My daughter got the Papillon Potpourri stamp set and coordinating Butterfly Punch for her birthday from her brother so this card was a must to use her new toys:) I did the paper cutting and she did the stamping and assembling! Wish I could stamp with her every week! We had a great time! I am not sure what paper pack the background paper is that I used to photograph the cards but I am thinking I might sneak it into my suitcase when I leave. Love it!

For this card we used the following Stampin' Up! supplies:

• Raspberry Ripple and Whisper White card stock
• 2010-2012 Designer Paper Patterns Pack (retired)
• Raspberry Ripple Classic Stampin' Pad
• Stamp sets: Papillon Potpourri and Day of Gratitude (sentiment)
• Scallop Oval Punch
• Basic Pearls, Dimensionals and Mini Glue Dots

For the second card we wanted to do the same card but with a different color combo. I REALLY like this one! The differences are:

• Island Indigo card stock--don't you love it with the Pear Pizzazz?!!!
• Butterflies stamped with Midnight Muse Classic Stampin' Pad
• Sentiment stamped with Lucky Limeade Classic Stampin' Pad

I really want to try this card with some other color combos! What a great card!!! Thank you Sharon for this GREAT idea!!!

Okay, off to pick up the granddaughter at the bus and then off to swimming lessons! Have a great day and hope you get a chance to do something really fun today!

Kat