I simply LOVE hydrangea… and I have one beautiful bush outside my stamp room window that I was inspired by.

The ‘Because I Love You’ set is a new Level 1 Hostess Set that you MUST have (book your workshop online with me for an extra gift).

All the coloring was done with an Aquapainter and four watercolor crayons – Night of Navy, Elegant Eggplant, Always Artichoke and a touch of So Saffron.   The front of the card has the main panel folded back in the center for a cool ‘stand up’ look.  The set comes with the elegant ‘Thank You’ stamp, but I think this would make a beautiful ‘Mother’s Day’ card.

Set(s): Because I Care, Stampin’ Up! Level 1 Hostess Set

Accessories:
8 ½ x 5 ½ Basic Black cardstock
4 ¼ x 3 ½ inch Basic Black cardstock
4 x 3 ¼ inch Artichoke cardstock
3 ¾ inch Very Vanilla cardstock
2 x 5 ¼ Very Vanilla
6 inches Vanilla satin ribbon
Black StazOn™, Sticky Strip
Night of Navy, Elegant Eggplant, Always Artichoke & So
Saffron watercolor crayons
Aquapainter, Bone folder
Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Sizzix Big Shot, Multipurpose platform and clear cutting plates.

ON ANOTHER NOTE… I am sad I was unable to attend Stampin’ Up!’s convention this year but completely astounded that I earned the ‘Demonstrator of the Year’ (#52) award.

Well, somewhat astounded at first by a call at around midnight from a friend who was freaking out that my name was called and WHERE WAS I?!!   Clearly I don’t completely understand the criteria because if I thought I would rank so well, I would have totally been there.

I DO KNOW THIS… it is an algorithm that adds up to being SO fortunate to be able to work with WONDERFUL people.  And ‘work’ quite isn’t the right word… ‘If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life’ is so true.  So, I’m not ‘top sales’ or ‘top recruiter’ nor are my sales in the stratosphere that some gals are… Stampin’ Up! is looking for a balance of these numbers and come up with the Top 100 demonstrators who achieve the balance they determine (READ: Okay, so I have no idea how).

So, I want to thank with all my heart fabulous gals who chose me as their upline and the amazing ladies who promoted this year as well as my awesome customers who chose me as their Stampin’ Up! demonstrator.  I’ve just been sitting here doing what I love to do… and I got an award for it.

On the other hand:  laundry happens sporatically, dinner is on the fly and there is glitter on everything in my kitchen… my family tried to be happy for me, but the most I got out of my husband is ‘um, that’s great… but does this come with any money…?’

I LOVE this set!  And I want to call to your attention that the Beautiful Wings die (die cut/embossed butterflies) and the set ‘Vintage Vogue’ are retiring with the end of Stampin’ Up!’s Occasions Mini Catalog on April 30th.

I think that this would make an awesome Mother’s Day card, for that special person–whether your mother, or a special ‘mom’ that you know.

You can download the step-by-step PDF now and for a short time more, the full PDF with all four projects I’ve made is available for your $50+ online order.

Clearly I have a thing for this set ‘A Rose is a Rose’ (#111560, set of 14 stamps – $37.95).

UPDATED:  Since it was not a class, I don’t have a detailed handout, however in response to many requests, this was made with a 12 x 12 piece of Riding Hood Red cardstock, scored at 3 inch intervals.  I free cut the tops of each panel to appear to be bookmark.  I used a 12″ strip of the Candy Lane DSP inside and tacked it down, leaving space to use it as pockets.  I cut the inside bookmarks from scraps of vanilla and decorated the entire thing with stamped/cut images of the Rose is a Rose set.

This bookmark card was my ‘backup’ Mother’s Day card that I didn’t need to use.  At my April Stamp a Stack, my friends made a wider ’2-fold’ accordion fold bookmark card for the sake of saving time.

But nothing beats the four fold!  Accessories:  Riding Hood Red & Vanilla cardstock, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss & Baja Breeze inks, Candy Lane Designer Series Paper and some grosgrain and tafetta ribbon.

I didn’t realize until after I photographed how much more striking this would be with ribbons at the top of each bookmark section… oh well… next time!

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 CLICK HERE to view my Flowerpot Accordion Card video (if you are receiving this via email, the video doesn’t come through).

Just in time for Mother’s Day!  This is my Mother’s Day card to my awesomely wonderful mother-in-law… don’t tell her!   Sets: A Rose is a Rose, Bella Toile backgound stamp;  Accessories: Creamy Caramel c/s, Vanilla c/s, Close to Cocoa ink, Riding Hood Red ink, Pink Pirhouette ink, Kiwi Kiss ink, Baja Breeze ink.

To the left, I have included the flowerpot template as well as the ‘map’ for stamping the roses for the inside of the card below as explained in the video (and in case you are crazy like me and wish to make the same exact card). 

Below are thumbnails you can click on for larger images of the flowerpot ‘accordion’ card from different angles.  This card isn’t as hard as it looks!

Enjoy this video… it seemed monotone to me, but I got up at 4am to tape so that the house would be quiet.  My voice sounds strange because I was trying to film and not wake anyone up! 

So, am I getting better at video?  I’ve created an ‘AmyTV‘ page (which will pull all my videos together in one place).  Enjoy!

My online special this month features a 31 page full color PDF of four card designs and the stationery box.  Directions are full color step-by-step with dimensions and diagrams.

This PDF is yours free with your $50+ order this month placed online.  For ease of ordering the following sets and accessories are required for exact execution.

SETS/ACCESSORIES:

• Stamps:  Fifth Avenue Floral (#113734, $24.95) , Thank You Kindly (#111700, $13.95)
  

• Ink: Basic Gray, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze Classic inks

• Paper: Urban Oasis Designer Series Paper (#112042, $9.95), Whisper White, Kraft, Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss 8 ½” x 11” CS, Medium Whisper White Envelopes

• Accessories: Sticky Strip, Snail adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon, Kraft Corduroy Buttons, Linen Thread, Window Sheet (also called acetate sheet or transparency), paper snips, wide oval punch, paper piercer and foam mat, large oval punch, bone folder, Stamp-a-ma-jig, blender pens, Stampin’ Scrub, Stampin’ Mist, Paper Trimmer and scoring blade, pencil and ruler, hobby blade and craft mat.

Read more about it on my Shopping Page.

Your love one(s) will receive a message from me (handstamped if you give me their mailing address), assuring them of their place as ‘most important’ in your life’ if they are generous with what you would most enjoy as a gift–stamping stuff!  I can ship the product anywhere they would like (so you don’t steal the box by accident and hide it from him) keeping it a big wonderful secret!

Help your loved one(s) out by registering with me for the things that you most especially want to have for the holidays (or your anniversary, or birthday).   If you register now and then make a purchase with me that includes those items, I will ensure that they are not purchased again!  The gift registry is an easy online process HERE.

Contact me if you have any questions or would rather register by phone!

The background is the new Bella Toile stamped in "Pretty in Pink", the flowers are Pretty in Pink & Regal Rose, the leaves are Certainly Celery and Always Artichoke and the accent flower is in the new Baja Blue… doesn’t that last color really set it all off.  I popped up the center flower and added a wide grosgain rose color knot!

I know, I know, the minute that I finished it, I realized that I should have used the new Pink Pirouette (but old habits die hard)!

I just love this new stamp set "Fruit Stand" and especially the grapes stamp shown here!  I don’t know that grapes are especially "Mother’s Day" but heck, I needed a Mother’s Day card for my April class, LOL!  BONUS:  Download PDF directions here.

The leaves and the tag were done with what I call ‘faux paper tolling", I bent the edges of the paper and adhered them to the card with Dimensionals(tm) under certain raised areas on them to keep them 3D. 

I’m getting into showing side shots to give you more detail, there’s another detail shot in the directions as well.  Enjoy!

This set and jumbo roller wheel are part of Stampin’ Up!’s "Free Wheelin’" Promotion that runs until April 30th!  Get a jumbo roller wheels are FREE when you buy the coordinating stamp set.  THIS is my favorite set/wheel combination "Wonderful You" & "Stems and Silhouettes" wheel!    DOWNLOAD the directions to this card HERE. 

This card is a sample of one of the projects in my monthly "Stamp a Stack of Stuff" class… check out my calendar page for upcoming classes (my next "Stack" is this coming Thursday evening and repeats Friday morning).  

The "Wonderful You" (Pg. 91)  flowers were colored with Brocade Blue and So Saffron markers directly onto the stamp and then the flower was stamped on top of with it’s matching outline stamp ink in Brocade Blue as well.  The leaves are 2-step stamping with Always Artichoke for both the leaves and the corresponding outline leaves.  Again, download the direction sheet above for all the details.   What do you think?

The accordion part is hidden inside the flowerpot shaped card.  I did this for a Mother’s Day class two years ago and I will dearly miss “Rose In Winter” stamp set!

Fold a card in half and trace a “flowerpot” shape (with the crease being the bottom of the pot).  The inside was the same pattern, only slightly smaller (shown in white). The “accordion” is just a strip of colored cardstock (Pretty In Pink) scored for 3 “mountain” folds and 3 “valley” folds (and I tore the edges).  The roses were cut out and glued on the folds. 

The roses were stamped in Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink “stamped off” and Pretty in Pink heavy for the inside.  The petals are mellow moss (stamped off first for lighter shade and then stamped full strength for detail shading.

Over the next few weeks, I will feature my favorite projects and cards done with sets that are going away.  I will most likely be featuring them in my “going away” Stamp-A-Stack class in June.