Wacky Color Challenge

This is a pretty cool color combination that was part of the WICKED Challenges in the Demo forums at Splitcoaststampers.

I made several projects using Tempting Turquoise, Rich Razzleberry and Pear Pizzazz. Nice! The Pear Pizzazz is a nice calming touch to balance the deep tones of the Rich Razzleberry and the brightness of the Tempting Turquoise.



Here I decided to keep it pretty simple, and just wove a background with a few strips of card stock. I used the Scallop Square and Scallop Oval Punches to create the sentimet panel. This card was quick and easy to make, and I really like having a "different" look.



This second card is more traditional, and I actually used some stamping in the design! The snowflake images are from the Snow Swirled stamp set. I stamped them with all three of the colors, and also did some "stamping off" or "shadow stamping." Restamping the image without reinking it first gives a gradual decrease in the intensity of the color. (Just make sure that you haven't stamped the image partly off the card stock. If you try to restamp then, you'll be able to see the line where the card stock edge hit the stamp.)

I've been making a lot of Christmas cards lately, but mostly not for me! Will any of my friends and relatives receive a card from us this year? I certainly hope so, but I won't be holding my breath.

Have you made some fun cards this season? Send me an image, and I'll post it here!

Pre-Ordering

One of the fun aspects of having my own Stampin' Up! Demonstratorship is getting a sneak peek at the new products before they are available to everyone.

Right now, Demos can place "pre-orders" for stamp sets, Designer Papers and accessories that are featured in the upcoming Sale-A-Bration and Occasions Mini Catalogs.

I'm off to snuggle up with my advance copies and pick a few fun new items to play with. Stay tuned for projects made with the new products!

Want to earn some SAB products free? Remember, every $50 spent during Sale-A-Bration (starts Jan 5, 2011) earns you one free SAB item. There are additional Hostess Benefits available, too. I have a few dates open for Workshops in January and February, so contact me soon to schedule your date.

Stampin' Up!'s 2010 Online Spectacular is here. Great deals on lots of items 30-50% off. This week only.

Style

I'm so thankful for all the inspiration for card making I get from my friends and customers. I can't even begin to quantify the skills I've learned and styles I've adopted in my paper crafting over the last five or six years.

What my dad says about pie-making also holds true for card-making: "You need more practice." He's always willing to taste-test, of course! In this busy time of year, I encourage you to find your inspiration from those around you, and let your style show.

The CAS ("clean and simple") style sounds easy, but can sometimes be a bit tricky to execute. I'm pretty happy with my result here.



Remember, Stampin' Up!'s Simply Amazing Starter Kit offer runs through the end of November. When you hold just one, $300 workshop in your first three months, you will earn back your entire investment! Read about Stampin' Up! Opportunities or contact me directly. I'd love to help you start your own Stampin' Up! business.

Thanks for looking, and I hope you find time to play with your style this holiday season!

Amy King's Sugar Cookies

Best. Cookies. Ever.

Amy King's sugar cookies know no equal. They are to other rolled cookies what recipe anglefood is to other cakes--lighter, more delicious and perfectly tender.

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together.
Chill for two hours.

Roll out dough to make thin cookies and cut into desired shapes.
Sprinkle sugar over tops of cookies.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 350 - 375 degrees, 8-10 minutes.

Mix It Up for the Holidays

I used some of the VSN challenges from this past weekend to help give me that little push I needed to design a few Thanksgiving and Christmas cards. In the last few years, I've really enjoyed having a lot of different designs in the holiday season. This way, I can pick the card that fits each recipient.

Twill Bow Thanksgiving

This traditionally colored card incorporates some fun techniques as well as a nice soft bow made from Twill Tape and Linen Thread. I used sponging and distressing on the image panel, and also used the scoring blade on my Paper Cutter to give it a tiled look. Scoring is a super easy way to add some texture to your cards.

Speaking of texture, check out the Early Espresso panel behind the main image. Thanks to my awesome Stamp Club, I was able to earn the Big Shot for Stampin' Up! die cut machine FREE last year. And I love using it for die cuts and dry embossing. This card features the Square Lattice embossing folder.



I moved away from gourds, turkeys or a cornucopia and chose leaf, bird and blossom images instead.

I took a break from traditional holiday colors for these next two cards.

Navy Medallion



For the Blue and White color challenge, I made a super-quick, elegant card. With a Night of Navy card base and the ever-popular Medallion stamp in Navy ink, I only needed to add the Scallop Circle punched accent, and the card was complete.

Snowy Farm

Another challenge took an "opposite day" view of a color challenge: we were to make a Christmas card, but weren't allowed to use either red or green!



I decided to use this peaceful farm scene from the Farm Life stamp set, and make it snowy. I had a fun time using 2-Way Glue and Dazzling Diamonds glitter to light up the landscape.

The Cajun Craze card stock mat lends some warmth to the design, and in keeping with the "opposite" color theme, I chose Crumb Cake card stock for the image panel, and matted it with Very Vanilla.

I hope you've got your holiday mojo going. I'd love to help you find the right colors, images and accessories for your upcoming projects. Thanks for checking out my blog!

Simply Amazing Starter Kit Offer

Holy moly! If you have ever considered joining Stampin' Up!, now is the best time I've ever seen in my almost 6 years as a Demonstrator. The Starter Kit, which includes all the products and supplies you need to get your business rolling, is on sale for only $87.50 until November 30.

If you have an Idea Book & Catalog, check out the customizable kit on page 8. Or, view the Simply Amazing recruiting promotion online.

This 50% off deal is good for the Standard Starter Kit OR the Digital + Kit, which includes products you can use to showcase both traditional papercrafting as well as Stampin' Up!'s My Digital Studio software.

I am excited about talking with you about this amazing offer, so please contact me at superglewsu@gmail.com. We can set up a short meeting to answer any questions you might have about how to make the most of this opportunity.