September Contest Cards

I received 3 submissions for the September contest... what great submissions! Here they are:

This first card was made by Tiffany. Some of you may have met Tiffany when she's come to stamping classes here with her Mom. She's a great little stamper and I always enjoy when she's able to come and stamp with us! I adore her ghost card. She's cut the ghosts and clouds out by hand and then used circle punches to make the moon and pumpkin. I particularly like how she dragged the stamp pad over the background card stock to make it look like night. Cute card, Tiffany!!

Tiffany's Mom, Jamie, also submitted a great fall inspired card. She did a lovely job of colouring in all these images... And, I really like the ground that she coloured in. It looks like Jamie used Watercolour Paper which makes watercolouring so much easier.

And the last card was submitted by Carol Lynn. I was thrilled to see her use these leaves. Stampin' Up used to carry them, but they were retired quite a while back. I always loved them, but unfortunately they were one of those things that I treasured so much that I never used them myself! It looks like Carol Lynn used the French Script background stamp on this card. This is such an elegant card.

Thanks to all of you for entering the contest and sharing your artwork with us!

Now, it's time to announce the winner. Remember, your name goes in once for each card submitted and then I use a list generator to choose the winner... Here's what came up this time around:

1. Carol Lynn
2. Tiffany
3. Jamie

Congratulations to Carol Lynn! You have a $20 credit to spend towards any current Stampin' Up! products and you can select one of the following hostess sets: Love Bug, Live Like You Mean It or Dear Friend.

Okay, time for a new contest... For the month of October, the contest theme will be KIDS! Anything for the littler ones in the crowd. Same "rules" as always... your submissions must use only Stampin' Up! products (current or retired) and in emailing me your submission, you are giving me permission to post it on my blog. The prize will again be $20 in Stampin' Up! product plus a hostess stamp set. You will receive one entry in the prize draw per submission.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

Scrapbooking Contest Results!

Before I get to the contest, please be sure to scroll down and see the previous two entries detailing the retiring stamp sets, Decor Elements, and accessories list...

All of the entries for May's Scrapbooking Contest came in the last week, but they were worth the wait!

The first two submissions came from Kristal, featuring her adorable little son! Kristal used Simply Scrappin' Kits for both of her layouts. If you haven't used these before, they make scrapbooking so easy! You'll find them on pages 162-165 in the Spring-Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalogue. Some of them are on the Last Chance list though, so be sure to order soon if there are any that you love!

I like the Simply Scrappin' Kits because they come with all sorts of fun colour coordinated products - patterned paper and card stock as well as card stock weight self-adhesive die cuts that work beautifully to add accents to your pages. Some of the kits work well to make cards as well so don't limit yourself to scrapbooking!


The next entry that I received was from Carol Lynn - a page showcasing her Mom's birthday celebration. She also used a retired Simply Scrappin' Kit to create this cheerful layout.




And, the last entry came from Christine, with a photo of her children reminding us of all the snow that we had this past December! Christine used a Jumbo Wheel to create the background and then added snowflakes that were cut with the Snowflake #2 Sizzix Originals Die.

All of the layouts are great! The winner will be able to select one free stamp set of her choice from the current catalogues - any value!

I had a couple of questions about how I choose... I am in no way "judging" your submissions - for each submission, your name goes into the draw. Instead of using the traditional method of writing names on papers, I am using an online random list generator (www.random.org). I simply enter the first name of each person who enters - once for each entry - and then hit "randomize" and we have the winner.

So, here's what came up this time (I entered each name once for each page submitted):

There were 5 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Christine
2. Kristal
3. Carol Lynn
4. Kristal
5. Kristal

This means that Christine is the winner! Please let me know which stamp set you would like to receive... you can select any stamp set from the Spring-Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalogue or from the Occasions Mini Catalogue! Congratulations, Christine!!

Don't forget about the stamping contest for June - cards celebrating a graduation, wedding or anniversary. Same rules as before - use only Stampin' Up! products (current or retired) and submit your creation by email to me by June 30th. Your name will be entered once for each card submitted and the prize will be $20 in Stampin' Up! products plus a hostess stamp set! All entries will be featured on my blog, so by entering, you are giving consent to having your artwork posted. This contest is limited to my customer base only, please.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

Last of the Masculine Card Contest Entries

I'm back home and finally getting back into the routine! Here are the last entries that I received fro the Masculine Card Contest...

The first one is from Jamie and it uses a retired set that I really enjoyed using called Artfully Asian. I love how Jamie created the background, using Certainly Celery and Taken with Teal ink, rolled on with a brayer. I'm not sure if she used Glossy White or Whisper White card stock - both will work for this but the Glossy White tends to be a little easier and more forgiving for this technique. She has also used the Weathered background stamp on the Taken with Teal layer under her main stamped image.

Next is a card from Heather that she stamped for her son's 19th birthday. She always uses red on his cards because it's his favourite colour - on this one she used Ruby Red with Cameo Coral. The stamp set she used is called Cheers to You - perfect for a 19th birthday! Did you notice that she used some Liquid Applique for the foam on the beer mug? We used to have this fun product but it's been gone for a while and I miss using it!

And, the final entry came from Ingmarie. She used the Scandinavian wheel with the Circle of Friendship stamp set. The card stock colours are Rose Red and maybe Brocade Blue (?) - the blue is textured. This card also uses the circle punches.

So, I heard from lots of you that creating masculine cards was quite a challenge... I think I will have to work at making sure to include a few more in my stamping classes so that it helps to make this a little easier!

Thanks to everyone who entered - the cards were great! It's so much fun to receive your entries.

Okay, now for the news that everyone who submitted a card is waiting for... the winner this month is:

Faye!

I used the List Randomizer again to get the winner.

Faye, I will email you tonight with the hostess sets that you can pick from and you will also have a $20 credit to use towards anything that you would like from the current Idea Book & Catalogue or Occasions Mini Catalogue!!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

Masculine Card Contest Entries... so far!

There is still one week for you to get your entries in for the Masculine Card Contest... Here are the submissions that I've received so far:

This one is from Faye. Her email came in very quickly after I posted the challenge... quick stamper! : ) She has used the Inspired by Nature stamp set which she stamped on Whisper White card stock with Old Olive ink. She has sponged Summer Sun ink all around the card and used a Close to Cocoa marker to make the cattails. The greeting comes from the Amazing to Zany stamp set stamped in Basic Grey (I think!). The base of the card is Basic Grey layered with Old Olive and Summer Sun... The final touch is Basic Grey Taffeta Ribbon and a brad.

Next are two cards from Hollie using the same layout in different colours. The lighthouse comes from a retired set called On the Beach - I always loved this set! The greeting is from the ever-popular and versatile Sincere Salutations stamp set. I think that the card on the left is done in Brocade Blue and More Mustard and the card on the right is Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip and Really Rust.

And, here's one more from Hollie... I can't recall the stamp set that the cupcake comes from (anyone remember?) but the greeting is a Sale-A-Bration stamp set from last year called Lots of Thoughts. This is a very versatile layout that could be used in many different ways! There are lots of layers of card stock on this one - my guess is Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel and Whisper White... Hollie, you can correct me if I didn't get it right! ; )

This is Elinor's submission. She got pretty creative here! This is the Just Hockey stamp set. Elinor made the goal crease area using the Wide Oval Punch - what a great idea! She has also used the Large Star Punch. I also like how she sponged the Whisper White card stock to give it to cool look of ice.

And, this is Kristal's creation. She tells me that she was using Harley Davidson colours... The pocket is from a retired set called Pocket Fun. The tools are from another retired set that I don't remember the name of but you could easily use Totally Tool set that we currently have available.

Thanks once again to everyone who has sent in their entries! It's so much fun to see your creativity. This contest closes on May 15th... I hope to see a few more cards before then!

I've been a busy bee over the past few days making Mother's Day cards... I showed a couple of people at work a picture of my rose card and things took off from there! I ended up making 9 of them for my co-workers! I took pictures of every one - I'll share a few more so you can see how they look in different colours. I should manage to get them posted tomorrow evening...

On a non-stamping related note, has anyone been to see Walking with Dinosaurs yet? I'm going tomorrow with three little munchkins and can't wait! It looks like an amazing show...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

Another card contest!

Well, it was so much fun to see the creations that came in over the last few weeks in my Spring Card Contest that I'm ready to go with another contest! The "theme" this time is masculine... I know we often struggle with creating cards for the men in our lives so this might be just the way to find some inspiration. It can be a birthday card, a thank you card, or maybe a Father's Day card... anything that's masculine is fair game for the contest.

So, let's go over the "rules" again:

1. You must use only Stampin' Up! supplies - current or retired is fine.

2. When you email me the photo or scan of your card, you are giving me permission to post it on my blog (with credit to you - I will use only your first name or will not include your name if you request).

3. Your card should be your own design - it's fine, of course, to be inspired by someone else but try to change the colours or layout or stamp set if you are going to spin off from someone else's creation.

4. You must be in Canada to qualify for the draw.

Photos or scans of your card must be emailed to me by May 15th in order to be entered in the draw. I will announce the winner here on or shortly after May 16th (leaving myself a little flexibility this time because that's the long weekend and we will be in Calgary babysitting our nieces!).

And, what's in it for you? Well, besides the fame that comes with having your creation posted on my blog (LOL), once the entry deadline is reached, I will hold a draw with one entry per card submission - the winner will receive a $20 credit towards stamping supplies of your choice (from the current Idea Book & Catalogue) plus a free hostess stamp set (I'll have a few for you to choose from if you win).

Now, let me share a little inspiration with you. This will be one of the cards at this upcoming weekend's Stamp-A-Stack. To be honest though, I would not be able to enter this card because it's really not my original creation - I loved a card posted on Patty Bennett's blog and although I did make a few minor changes, this is almost an exact copy. The card is made with the Friends 24-7 stamp set which I recently ordered because I was seeing so many cards made with it that I loved! The Designer Series Paper is from the Sweet Slumber Specialty which you are going to love - it's card stock weight and has a bit of a texture. I stamped the bird on Whisper White using Basic Brown ink then coloured in the branch with Sahara Sand, the leaves with Mellow Moss, and the bird's feet and beak with Barely Banana. I've added some Chocolate Chip card stock and a greeting from the On Your Birthday stamp set and that's it. Oh, and the main card is Sahara Sand. Simple, quick, masculine card! I didn't even have the urge to add ribbon if you can believe it! : )

Speaking of the Stamp-A-Stack, I do have a few seats still open for Saturday morning... if you'd like to join in on the stampin' fun, email me to reserve a seat! By the way, I'm amazed because all 12 of the cards for the Stamp-A-Stack are ready to go... and the creating only started yesterday! It was a very good stamping day!! And, one of the cards is definitely in my top 10 favourite cards of all time! Can't wait to share it with everyone on Friday!! I'll post it here after the Stamp-A-Stack.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

The winner of the Spring Cards Contest is...

List Randomizer

There were 7 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Deb

I used www.random.org to determine the winner by entering the names of all 7 people who submitted cards and then using the list randomizer to give me the name of the winner. Congratulations to Deb and thanks to everyone who joined in! All of the cards were great!

Deb, you have a $20 credit to spend with me whenever you are ready... And, you can also select a free hostess stamp set from the following: Punches Three, Best Yet, Organic Grace or Live Like You Mean It - all from the last Idea Book & Catalogue. Let me know what you would like!

Okay, I'm going to post another challenge very soon!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

More contest entries!

I've received three more entries for the Spring Card contest... Tomorrow is the last day for entries in this contest so get your cards in! : )

This card was created by Heather and she told me that it was inspired by the tree in her front yard! I can imagine how beautiful the tree must be... Heather used a retired set called Sheltering Tree. It looks like she used Rose Red, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery and Bashful Blue on the card. Notice how she cut the blades of grass into her Certainly Celery card stock. I also like how she used the Scallop Edge punch and then drew dots on with a White Gel Pen to add a nice touch.

Next is a card from Kristal... Doesn't this card look interesting?! Kristal says that she had seen this type of card on a blog and had to give it a try. Wow, I bet it looks amazing in real life! She has punched pieces of Designer Series Paper using a circle punch - I imagine that you could likely use any size and it would just change the size of your card. I'm not sure if you would need to score the circles before folding to get this to work - I would probably make one and then use it as a guide for the others... There are a few other details to note on this card - embossed flowers at the top, some stamping at the bottom and of course, the bling of a Rhinestone brad in the centre. Kristal sent another angle of this card so that we can really see how it is made... As I'm looking at this card, I wonder what it would be like to punch one layer out of a bigger circle punch, then use a different colour of paper and a smaller punch to do a second layer - I might try this using a 1 3/8" circle punch and then a 1" circle punch. Fun card!

And, this card is from Deb. She used a retired hostess stamp set that was called A Little Bit of Happiness. It's a bit hard to see as some of the colour has been lost but she did colour all of the images in using a Blender Pen and an AquaPainter. Colours on this card are Almost Amethyst, Certainly Celery and Blush Blossom. The flowers are definitely spring!

Thanks to Deb, Kristal and Heather for these submissions! Winners will be announced on Thursday!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

Spring Card Contest Entries... so far!

Here are the first 4 entries that I've received for this month's card contest... All of these wonderful card artists will be entered in the draw for $20 of free stamping stuff plus a free hostess stamp set! There's still time to submit your spring-inspired card...

The first entry came from Faye. She used the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set along with a greeting from a previous Sale-A-Bration stamp set that was called Delight in Life. She used Basic Gray, Certainly Celery and Barely Banana on this card. Notice how she layered the two ribbons - I bet this is really eye-catching when you see the card in person. The cut out flower is adhered with Dimensionals to help make it stand out on the card.

Next is a card from Elinor. I loved both of the stamp sets that she used. The little bunny was a set in one of our Mini Catalogues a couple of years ago called Bunny Hugs. And I think that the daffodil came from a set called A Beautiful Life... my memory is really being tested here! : ) I had a chance to see this card in person and it's really cute - Elinor has the bunny and the daffodil up on Dimensionals so they "pop" off the card front.

This nice bright card was submitted by Jamie. She also used a previous Sale-A-Bration stamp set that I really enjoyed called Merci. I love the colours on this card - it looks like Gable Green, Only Orange and Pixie Pink... hope I guessed correctly! I can't recall the name of the stamp set that the greeting comes from - it was a set that had all four seasons included so this was perfect for this contest! Jamie did a lovely job on this card with lots of little details including the paper piercing around the mat on the main image and the piercing in the scallops.

And, last night, Carol Lynn sent in this fun Easter card. The main image is from a stamp set called A Good Egg. The flowers are from a wheel - can't remember the name of it. Carol Lynn coloured all of those little flowers in by hand! It's a bit hard to see in the photo, but she also coloured the edge of the Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon - she added a touch of Bashful Blue ink on each side of the ribbon.

These are some really great cards! Thanks to Carol Lynn, Jamie, Elinor and Faye for sharing their creations with us!

Check here for details about the contest and get your submission in by April 15th in order to be entered in the draw!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

A little stamping contest...

As I announced in my newsletter, I've decided to try something new... a stamping contest for my customers!! I'll give it a try and if it works well, we'll do it on a regular basis.

Here's the deal... you create a card based on a theme that I will announce here each month. Once you've made your card, take a picture of it or scan it and email it to me (bevennis@shaw.ca). Once the entry deadline is reached, I will hold a draw with one entry per card submission and the winner will receive a $20 credit towards stamping supplies of your choice (from the current Idea Book & Catalogue) plus a free hostess stamp set (I'll have a few for you to choose from if you win). There are a couple of simple but important rules though...

1. You must use only Stampin' Up! supplies - current or retired is fine.

2. When you email me the photo or scan of your card, you are giving me permission to post it on my blog (with credit to you - I will use only your first name or will not include your name if you request).

3. Your card should be your own design - it's fine, of course, to be inspired by someone else but try to change the colours or layout or stamp set if you are going to spin off from someone else's creation.

4. You must be in Canada to qualify for the draw.

So, let's get to this month's contest...

The theme is simple - a "spring" themed card.

Photos or scans of your card must be emailed to me by April 15th in order to be entered in the draw. I will announce the winner here on April 16th.

I hope you'll enjoy this new contest! Happy stampin'!

Bev.