March Stamp Club: Watercolor Wonder Notecards

The Watercolor Wonder Notecards are already preprinted and prescored. They look like you spent hours and hours water coloring. The envelopes are included. You get 20 notecards for $12.95--that's just 65 cents for one notecard! I love anything that will help me create gorgeous cards with minimal effort. All I did was add a stamp and a few embellishments.  Here I added "hello" from the Four You stamp set. It is a set of four word stamps, hence the name.  In addition to the hello, it has birthday wishes, thank you, and thinking of you.  All good basic phrases for card making!  I also added two butterflies that were punched out, layered together, and embellished with a rhinestone. If you wanted to get a little fancier, you could always add some ribbon.  Happy Watercoloring (wink, wink)!!  Bye for now, Maria

Chalk Label

Framelits can be used for other things besides cardstock like this chalk label using the Labels Framelits Collection.  Add your chalk label to a jar with some ribbon for a great gift.  Of course, if I was giving this as a gift, I would add some candy or chocolate.  Bye for now, Maria

Occasions Printer Tray

My printer tray features new products from the Occasions Catalog, and a few things from Salabration and the "Best of Stamps."  

Need a Get Well Card or a Cheer Up Card?  Then, Cheer Up Buttercup from the Geometrical set is perfect for you.  There is a matching Triangle Punch.

The DSP in each rectangle of the tray is from the Fresh Prints Stack.  The Once in a Lifetime You Meet Someone Who Changes Everything stamp is from the See  Ya Later Salabration Set.  Get yours now--Salabration ends March 31st!

You Make Me Happy is from Happy Watercolor. 

This is the Sprial Flower Die--my new favorite!!!  The heart and love stamps are from the Best of Love Stamp Set.  Again, don't wait to get yours--deadline for the "best of stamps" is March as well.  

Here we have a heart from the Language of Love Set along with the Hearts Collection Framelits and some Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon.  

For this last one, we have the Petite Pennants Builder Punch, and the Small Heart Punch.  These stamps are also from the Language of Love set.  Bye for now, Maria

Salabration Twisty Treats Kit

Here's another Salabration item for you.  It's the Twisty Treats Kit.  It comes with 12 cell bags, 12 twist ties, 12 die-cut tags, and a sheet of glitter hearts (already sticky and die cut too).  These would sure make cute little gifts for friends or co-workers, or party favors.

Don't miss out!  Salabration is only here once a year!  Click here to shop now.

Happy Salabrating!  Bye for now, Maria

Happy Valentine's Day with the Flower Spiral

Happy Valentine's Day!  Here's a bouquet for you that will never wilt!  I showed it to my hubby, and he said, "Good.  Now, I don't need to get you flowers for Valentine's Day!"  He didn't really mean it though.  He always remembers to bring flowers for special occasions and just because too--he's good like that!

This bouquet was made with the new Spiral Flower Originals Die and the Big Shot.  Oh my gosh!!!  I love it!!!!  It is super cool and super easy!!!  All you need is cardstock, floral stems from the craft store, and a container for display.  My container is a sugar shaker from the dollar store.  Happy Creating!  Bye for now, Maria

Envelope Punch Board

One thing I love to do with my retired DSP hoard is create envelopes!  I think my hand-stamped cards deserve to have equally beautiful outside coverings instead of just a plain, white, yucky envelope. Don't you?  Plus, it gives the mail carries something to look at!  The envelope punch board makes it easy to create envelopes. Tells you all the sizes right on the front of the board. 

February Stamp Club: Good As Gold & A Treat Holder

When I first became a demonstrator in 1999, there was no Salabration brochure, or 11 different items to pick from--just a one page, black and white flyer, and there was only 4 stamp sets to pick from!  The neat thing SU! did though was color the rubber of the stamps in a different color each year--my first Salabration the rubber was Forest Foliage.  And, there was Pretty in Pink, Lavender Lace, just to name a few.

This is the Good as Gold Card Kit--it's a Salabration item!  These were our projects for February Stamp Club. The little treat holder was from a swap I rec'd at Leadership. Isn't it cute?  It uses the new Tag Topper Punch.  I'm so glad to see tags are still in style.  Tags have been popular for as long as I've been stamping. Tags are one of my favorites!  Great accent for the front of a card! 

The Good as Gold Kit is very easy. Just open the pkg, pop out all the die cuts, assemble the cards, and add your ribbon. It even comes with gold envelope liner.  Beautiful!  

The treat holder is also very easy.  You need a 2" wide piece of cardstock to fit in the channel of the Tag Topper Punch.  You can make your tag any length. For this treat holder, cut cardstock to 6 1/4" x 2."  Score at 2 7/8" and 3 3/8."  Any flat candy or chocolate will fit. Here I used York Peppermint Patties. Ghiradeli squares work great too--my fav is the dark chocolate ones with sea salt--yum!!

Supplies used:

Good as Gold Simply Sent Kit

That's The Ticket, Lovely Labels stamp sets

Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla cardstock, Red and Champagne Glimmer Paper

Tag Topper, Ticket, Full Heart, Banner Punches

Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon

Pool Party, Gold Encore inks

Shop 24/7 at www.mariamitsdarfer.stampinup.net

When it comes to Glimmer Paper, I like to hot glue it together--much better hold than anything else I've tried with it. Happy Salabrating!  Bye for now, Maria

My Go To Crafty Tools

I've had a few things break lately--two wheelie suitcases, threadbare jeans, and the washing machine. Right before Christmas too!  I thought if one more thing breaks I am going to bed and bury myself under the covers!  Do you ever have moments like that?  Then, two of my go to crafty tools broke!

Can I have a moment of silence for my hot glue gun?  We had a good run--I had this glue gun for 20 years!  Yes, 20 years!  A funny story about this little glue gun...Heather and I were stamping in my studio one Friday evening.  I was trying to glue together these snowflakes. Well, I couldn't figure out why my glue wasn't working/melting/setting up!  Very frustrating!  Thought I had a bad batch of glue--is there even such a thing?  So, the next day I went out to buy some new glue sticks. Did that work?  NOPE!  So, it was back to the store for me for a new hot glue gun!    

Don't ever take away my Big Shot!  The handle broke the other day. Oh, the horrors!  Leave it to my hubby to take it apart and fix it! He's good like that!  He loves to take things apart, and put them back together--with either an improvement or modification.  Now, I have a Super Big Shot!  What's a Super Big Shot?  I don't know either--he just made that up! 

What are your go to crafty tools?  Wishing you longevity in all your crafting tools!  Happy crafting!  Bye for now, Maria

Shop anytime www.mariamitsdarfer.stampinup.net

Throwback Thursday: Fabric Bag

Are you on Pinterest?  I love Pinterest!  While on Pinterest, I see all these fabulous sewing projects.  So, for today's Throwback Thursday, we have a fabric bag.  It sure was nice to have fabric that coordinated with SU! colors and patterns.  Really gives  your projects that finished, polished look when the packaging matches the gift inside.  I only know some basic sewing, but mom is fabulous, and she does most of the sewing for me.  What are you inspired to create after being on Pinterest?  Happy Sewing!  Bye for now, Maria

There's still fabric on the clearance rack.  Shop anytime www.mariamitsdarfer.stampinup.net  

Throwback Thursday

Here are some cards I created a while ago, hence Throwback Thursday. All of the DSP is retired, and I no longer remember the name--sorry about that!  It's a pretty basic template. The DSP is a 4 x4 square, which will give you 9 squares per sheet, or 108 squares per pkg.  That's just over 10 cents a square!  Wow--that's a lot of cards!  Then, just add a word or phrase along with an embellishment!  Easy peasy--I'm all about easy, quick, simple but beautiful cards!

Above:  Happy Christmas is from More Merry Messages (Carry Over List), Happy birthday is from Teeny Tiny Wishes

Below:  The Open Sea Stamp Set, Decorative Label Punch

Below: Yippee-Skippee! stamp set, Cupcake Builder punch, Red Glimmer paper for the cherry on top 

I will have to apologize for the "a little something" stamp below.  It has escaped away from the its set/box, and I no longer have the rest.  The heart is from also a retired punch--it has 3 hearts of different shapes/sizes.  

The butterfly and happy birthday in the card below was an old Salabration set--the rubber is in Lavender Lace. Again, I do not know the name of the stamp set as I no longer have the box it came in.  Decorative Label Punch is also used.  

Get out that DSP--don't be afraid to cut into it, and use it!  Happy Stamping!  Bye for now, Maria 

Shop anytime www.mariamitsdarfer.stampinup.net

Throwback Thursday: Just Because

 It's time for another Throwback Thursday card.  Today, I'm mixing the old with the new.  There's no out with the old, and in with the new around here.  The new is Creative Elements, Top Note, Houndstooth Embossing Folder, Decorative Label Punch and the Extra Large Oval Punch.  The old is Bravo Burgundy CS, ribbon, ink and the "just because" stamp, which I have no clue the name of the stamp set or what it was called.  Remember, it's TBT!   Just because a product is retired doesn't mean we can't use it, right?  That's one of the great things about SU! products--it all coordiantes--even if it SU! retires it, it STILL coordinates and goes with the new stuff I bought.  Happy Stamping!  Bye for now, Maria

Shop anytime www.mariamitsdarfer.stampinup.net

January Stamp Club: Happy Watercolor & Pleasant Poppies

Do your ever have that moment when you're stamping, or creating, and you really like the results?  That's how I feel about this card--so much so that it was my swap for Leadership, and our project for January's Stamp Club.  When I first started stamping, we didn't have all the wonderful, fancy DSP like we do now!  Don't get me wrong--I love DSP, own most of it, and use it often!  We stamped or made our own backgrounds like in this card.  

Supplies used:

Happy Watercolor, Pleasant Poppies stamp set

Champagne Glimmer paper

Very Vanilla Seam Binding ribbon

Big Shot with Window Framelits, Polka Dots embossing folder

Real Red ink

Decorative Label Punch 

Shop www.mariamitsdarfer.stampinup.net for these and other great products. 

SU!'s background stamps are great since they fill up a standard size card (5 1/2 x 4 1/4).  Any stamp can be used for background--try stamping in a random all over pattern. Next time you create a card, try stamping your background!  Happy Stamping!  Bye for now, Maria

Life Doesn't Have to be Perfect to be Wonderful

We want everything to be perfect don't we?  But, as my mother-in-law says, everything works out in the end.  Most of the time things work out to be better than originally planned. Love when that happens!  Sorry for the blurry picture--that didn't work out as planned, but no biggie.  You still get the idea. 

Supplies used:  Perfect Pennants Stamp Set 

Basic Black, Strawberry Slush Ink

Bermuda Bay, Strawberry Slush, Whisper White CS

Kaleidoscope DSP, Silver Glimmer Paper

Big Shot with the Window Frames, Banner Framelits, Striped Embossing Folder, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder

Decorative Label, Boho Blossoms, Itty BItty Shapes Punches

Stampin'  Dimensionals, hot glue

This was on the last day of Leadership.  Almost time to leave the Stampin' Up! bubble.  Happy Stamping!

Bye for now, Maria