Summer Starfruit Swaps

Summer Starfruit is a yellow that most people either like or don't like. Because it has green and gray in it, it's a great yellow to use when you want something more muted than Daffodil Delight yet darker than So Saffron.

I got these cards in swaps at Stampin' Up!'s Convention 2012.  They are beautiful and show different ways to use Summer Starfruit.

These cards all use Summer Starfruit as the medium color. It's not the darkest or lightest color. Summer Starfruit looks great with Midnight Muse in the first two cards.

This third card uses Not Quite Navy as the darkest color.  The color combination is gorgeous and not one that I would have come up with on my own.  It was made by my friend, Christi Beck.  She was inspired by a sweater with a design that looks very much like Betsy's Blossoms.

These three cards also share another common characteristic.  They all used stamping on Whisper White card stock to create the patterned paper that you see.  This is a great way to make your own "designer series paper" in the colors and pattern that you want.

I hope you enjoyed seeing these cards and will try using Summer Starfruit in some of your projects!

Creatively yours,

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX

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Quick and Easy Santa Ornament

I made this Santa Ornament at a Christmas in July class at my friend, Mary's home.  It was so cute and easy to do that I just had to share it with everyone.  We talked about how this would be a cute embellishment to add to a gift. 

The belt and buttons are Basic Black card stock and the buckle is Stampin' Up!'s Silver Glimmer paper.  The ornament already had red glitter on it.

Belt is 1/2" wide and long enough to go around the ornament.
Buckle is a 1" square.  The black square in the middle of the buckle is a 1/2" square. 
Buttons are 1/4" circles.

The most difficult part about making the ornament is finding an adhesive that sticks to glitter.  I used both mini glue dots and sticky strip.  Crystal Effects should also work.

Stampin' Supplies

Item	Description	Price
124005	Silver Glimmer Paper	$4.95
124094	1 Inch Square Punch	$15.95

The Santa Ornament is quick and easy enough that you could use this as a crafting project with friends and family.  Or you could make them as Secret Santa gifts.  You'll be able to make handmade gifts for your friends and still have plenty of time to spend with your loved ones.  Enjoy!

Creatively yours,

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX

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Convention Swaps Summer Smooches

Stampin' Up!'s Convention 2012 was so much fun!  You can see a lot of photos from convention on my Facebook Page.

One of my favorite things to do at convention is swap cards.  Here are three cards that all use the Summer Smooches designer series paper.  I love the bold, bright colors and obviously, so do a lot of other people!

The card with the butterflies was made by my sister-in-law, Robin.  She did a great job stamping and punching out the butterflies.  

This card was made by Nicole.  The Mixed Blossom flower is a wonderful accent on the card.  And the Happy Birthday from the Perfectly Penned stamp set fits this card perfectly.

This last card was made by Latisha.  The Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight and Island Indigo make a very colorful card.

I'll post more pictures and swaps from convention on my blog and Facebook Page this week and next.

If you are interested in Stampin' Up! retired products, check out my sale this Saturday.  You can get the details on my Facebook Page.

Creatively yours,

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX

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Convention Swaps!

I'm off to Stampin' Up!'s convention in Salt Lake City later this morning!  I wanted to share two of my swap cards.  Swap cards are like trading cards for Stampin' Up! demonstrators.  It's a great way to meet people and collect samples.

Both of these cards come from sketches.  Sketches are a great way to get your creative juices flowing!

My stamp club made the first card and loved the bright colors from the Summer Smooches designer series paper.  Thanks to die cutting with the Big Shot, making the card goes quickly.

This Birthday Candle card was quick and easy to make using the Blossom Petals Builder Punch to make the candle flames.

Stampin' Supplies Birthday Wishes Card

Item	Description	Price
121958	Bring On The Cake Stamp Set	$27.95
125409	Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper	$10.95
121790	Red Glimmer Paper	$4.95
120907	Little Leaves Sizzlits	$5.50
115971	Blossom Party Originals Die	$17.95

Stampin' Supplies Birthday Candles Card

Item	Description	Price
120516	Perfect Punches Stamp Set	$17.95
126916	Patio Party Designer Series Paper	$10.95
121808	Blossom Petals Builder Punch	$16.95
120907	Decorative Label Punch	$16.95
119859	Extra-Large Oval Punch	$16.95

Creatively yours,

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX

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Holiday Sneak Peek

I got my preorder for Stampin' Up!'s Holiday catalog and just had to play with the new products.  You can order from this catalog starting August 1.

This card uses the Scentsational Season stamp set and coordinating Holiday Collection Framelits.  You can buy the Scentsational Season stamp set and coordinating Holiday Collection Framelits for 15% off by buying the two of them as a bundle.  More details are in the Stampin' Supply list below.

Using the Wonderfall stamp set and coordinating Autumn Accents Bigz Die was fun. I love fall and design at least one card with fall leaves every year. Both cards have bold images and I was thankful to have Stampin' Up!'s new firm foam stamp sets.

One item on this card was stamped using an ink pad with the original felt pad.  Can you tell which one?  Leave a comment on this post with your guess by July 13th.  I'll draw names from the correct guesses and the winner gets a $5 gift certificate! 

Find out why I'm converting all of my ink pads to the new firm foam design and how to earn a free ink pad in July.

Stampin' Supplies Scentsational Season Card

Item	Description	Price
121190	Scentsational Season Stamp Set*	$14.95
122497	Petite Pairs Stamp Set	$20.95
127814	Holiday Collection Framelits*	$24.95
129946	Scentsational Season Bundle 15% off!*	$32.95
126896	Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper	$10.95

Stampin' Supplies Wonderfall Card

Item	Description	Price
128087	Wonderfall Stamp Set*	$17.95
120510	Curly Cute Stamp Set	$14.95
127812	Autumn Accents Bigz Die*	$21.95
126846	Summer Starfruit Stitched Satin Ribbon	$8.95

*Remember that you can order the items from the Holiday catalog on August 1.  I've starred those items on the supply list.

Creatively yours,

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX

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Reason to Smile

In my July newsletter, there was a card made by Stampin' Up! that inspired this card. The embossing resist technique was perfect for featuring the Reason to Smile stamp set. With this technique, you use clear embossing powder on a light colored paper. When you sponge on darker inks, it makes the embossed images pop.

I started by stamping the two flowers on watercolor paper with Versamark and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. Then I sponged on Daffodil Delight and Melon Mambo. The inks blended nicely on the watercolor paper.

The Reason to Smile stamp set is Stampin' Up!'s July promotion.  When you buy $50 in product (before shipping and tax) the stamp set is only $5.

I'm also offering a special on Stampin' Up!'s new firm foam ink pads to my newsletter subscribers.  When you buy 5 ink pads, the 6th one is free.  Sign up for my newsletter to get the coupon for the ink pad special. 

Combine both specials for extra savings!  Both specials end on July 31st.

Stampin' Supplies

Item	Description	Price
131275	Reason to Smile Stamp Set	$5.00
120516	Perfect Punches Stamp Set	$17.95
102283	VersaMark Pad	$7.50
126944	Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad	$5.95
126948	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad	$5.95
122959	Watercolor Paper	$4.95
109130	Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder	$4.75
129053	Heat Tool	$29.95
126877	Whisper White 1/4" Stitched Ribbon	$4.95
120907	Decorative Label Punch	$16.95
119859	Extra-Large Oval Punch	$16.95
101610	Stampin' Sponges	$3.50

Creatively yours,

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX

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Top 10 Reasons to Choose Stampin' Up!'s Firm Foam Stampin' Pads

I cased this card which uses Betsy's Blossoms stamp set and Stampin' Up!'s new firm foam ink pads. Check out my special on the new ink pads at the end of this post.

Many of us find it easier to get consistent results with the new firm foam ink pads.   Stamps with a lot of smooth surface area like the images in Betsy's Blossoms stamp set can be more difficult to ink. My stamp club members noticed the difference when they made their cards using Betsy's Blossoms and the new ink pads.

Here you can see the same image stamped using a freshly inked felt pad and then a firm foam ink pad.  With the felt pads, I avoided images like this bird because it was difficult to get consistently good results.  There are many tips posted on the internet about how to stamp bold images with a felt pad, but you'll probably find it quicker and easier to use Stampin' Up!'s firm foam ink pads.

Initially, a skeptic about Stampin' Up!'s new firm foam stampin' pads, I've become a happy camper.  Now I'm  changing all of my ink pads to the new firm foam style.
 

Top 10 Reasons to Choose Stampin' Up!'s Firm Foam Stampin' Pads

1.  Coordinating colors with Stampin' Up!'s card stock, designer series paper and embellishments is easy.
2.  The new labels make it easy to color coordinate in English, Spanish, French or German.
3.  You won't misplace the permanently attached flip and lock lid.
4.  The ink pads are designed to store your inked pad upside down so your ink is right at the surface.
5.  The firm foam makes it a breeze to ink your stamps, especially bold images.
6.  You can buy the ink refill for every color!*
7.  The design of the ink pad make it easy to hold.
8.  The firm foam stays flat and does not become wavy.
9.  It's easier on your hands to ink up a stamp since it takes less pressure and less tapping.
10.  The new labels are easier to read and have the name of the color on the front edge of the pad.

*Stampin' Up! does not recommend that you use the old formula ink refills in Basic Black, Basic Gray, Marina Mist, Perfect Plum, and Tempting Turquoise with the new firm foam pads.  Ink refills purchased after June 1, 2012 have the new formula ink.  You can use the new ink refills in the old and new style ink pads.

For the month of July, I'm offering a special to my newsletter subscribers on Stampin' Up!'s firm foam ink pads.  Buy 5 of the ink pads, you'll get the sixth one free from me.   Sign up for my newsletter now to take advantage of this special offer.  You'll get a monthly newsletter with Stampin' Tips and more details about how to get your free firm foam ink pad.

View Stampin' Up!'s video about the new ink pads on my Facebook Business Page.

View the Stampin' Supplies for the Betsy's Blossoms card.

Visit my online store to get your supplies for this project.  Remember that when you purchase $25 or more in product, you are eligible for my Rewards Program.

Creatively yours,

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX

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