Nectar for the Hummingbirds

"Stamping is like nectar is to hummingbirds." Sometimes when I stamp cards I feel like a hummingbird flitting around from flower to flower! Being creative soothes stress and brings a sweetness to life. It energizes my mind in a whole different way. Sometimes life brings stressful events that make it hard to focus on creating new things; but at those times I pull out my things and copy older creations just to have the satisfaction of creating and completing something beautiful! So many things on this card are retiring and some retired last year...but this card is still one that can be similarly duplicated with some of our newer product using the Elements of Style set if you snatch one up before it is gone forever on June 3rd! We have a fantastic new set of In Colors coming out in the new catalog called Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe, and Pistachio Pudding that would make a gorgeous makeover of this card! If you want to get your Elements of Style set click my order online button (above right)to be taken to my demonstrator business website and click the shop now button to purchase it before it is gone for good! I think that the die cut below with an oval die cut would actually make this card look more elegant than the scalloped oval did!

	OVAL ACCENT BIGZ CLEAR DIE Item: 127005
	OVALS COLLECTION FRAMELITS DIES Item: 129381

Life is a matter of moments

"Life is a matter of moments." I love this modified quote of Rose Kennedy. She actually said, "Life is not a matter of milestones, but of moments." However, I love the succinct version even more! I thought this spotlighting technique fit the quote perfectly. One of my favorite "life moments" is sharing a cup of coffee or tea with friends and just enjoying their company. It is one of those moments that breaks up the mundane and hard things in life. Here is a short description of the technique:

SPOTLIGHTING

1) Stamp desired image on two pieces of card stock. Set one aside to serve as background for spotlighted image.
2) On the other piece of card stock, color the area you wish to highlight.
3) Punch out the part of the image you wish to highlight.
4) Line up punched, colored piece with the separate stamped image and adhere.
5) Complete project.
Tip: Consider layering spotlighted piece over contrasting color of card stock cut slightly larger. This will help accentuate the spotlight.

Supplies used on this card are listed below (those that are still available). Remember to click my order online button (above right) to be taken to my demonstrator business website and click the shop now button to purchase any of the following items!

	ELEMENTS OF STYLE - CLEAR-MOUNT STAMP Item: 120045
	VERY VANILLA 8-1/2X11 CARD STOCK Item: 101650
	SNAIL ADHESIVE Item: 104332
	CHERRY COBBLER 8-1/2X11 CARD STOCK Item: 119685
	CHERRY COBBLER CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD Item: 126966
	SCALLOP TRIM CORNER PUNCH Item: 118870
	EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD Item: 126974
	EARLY ESPRESSO 8-1/2X11 CARD STOCK Item: 119686
	EARLY ESPRESSO 1/8 INCH TAFFETA RIBBON Item: 119959

Elements of Style Raises IQ

"Elements of Style raises IQ." Did that get your attention? LOL! I love all things Victorian. To me, it was a romantic era. One cannot deny that it was a period of creativity; the detailed trim on homes and furniture, the elaborate clothing, etc. is a time capsule of the creativeness of the Victorians. I live in a modified Queen Anne home and although it is not quite a full blown Victorian; I appreciate all the details in the woodwork and the eclectic nature of the house. I think that is why the stamp set Elements of Style appealed to me. It felt romantic and reminded me of Victorian times. I love the details on this card and am sad that this set is retiring. I digress so back to my quote about IQ; I did not make that up! I found this article (small excerpt below) about the Victorian Brits being smarter than us and found it interesting. It also explains why all of you are so fun and intelligent! High-IQ people are more productive and creative!

“The Victorian Era was marked by an explosion of innovation and genius, per capita rates of which appear to have declined subsequently. The presence of dysgenic fertility for IQ amongst Western nations, starting in the 19th century, suggests that these trends might be related to declining IQ. This is because high-IQ people are more productive and more creative. We tested the hypothesis that the Victorians were cleverer than modern populations, using high-quality instruments, namely measures of simple visual reaction time in a meta-analytic study.” To see complete article, click here.

Supplies used on this card are listed below (those that are still available). Remember to click my order online button (above right) to be taken to my demonstrator business website and click the shop now button to purchase any of the following items!

	ELEMENTS OF STYLE - CLEAR-MOUNT STAMP Item: 120045
	ELEGANT EGGPLANT 8-1/2X11 CARD STOCK Item: 105126
	ELEGANT EGGPLANT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD Item: 126969
	VERY VANILLA 8-1/2X11 CARD STOCK Item: 101650
	5/8 INCH CROCHET TRIM VICTORIA Item: 118481
	ANTIQUE BRADS Item: 117273
	SCALLOP TRIM BORDER PUNCH Item: 118402
	SCALLOP RECTANGLE CLEARLITS DIE Item: 118872
	BIG SHOT DIE-CUT MACHINE Item: 113439
	SNAIL ADHESIVE Item: 104332

Candle-less Cupcake

"All it needs is a candle..." Part of the fun of birthday cake is blowing out the candles, don't you agree? I think that may be why cupcakes were invented...need I say more? This is another quick and easy card using Easy Events and the polka dot layout that I shared in Wednesday's post here! If you are burning the candle at both ends...this is the go to layout for so many things!

Supplies used on this card are listed below (those that are still available). Remember to click my order online button (above right) to be taken to my demonstrator business website and click the shop now button to purchase any of the following items!

	EASY EVENTS - CLEAR-MOUNT STAMP Item: 123225
	2-1/2 INCH CIRCLE PUNCH Item: 120906
	1-3/4 INCH CIRCLE PUNCH Item: 119850
	1-1/4 INCH CIRCLE PUNCH Item: 119861
	1-3/8 INCH CIRCLE PUNCH Item: 119860

Polka Dot Simplicity

"Sometimes you just need to get quacking!" Do you ever need a card in a hurry? I do. Mostly just because I am a procrastinator. I can spend hours in my stamp room; until I need to! lol! This card features the soon-to-be retired stamp set, Easy Events. Easy Events is one of those fantastic stamps sets for those who like quick and easy...or are just beginning their stamping journey. This layout just takes polka dots and plays them up from the background to an easy focal point using mostly background paper and punches. Easy and quick!

Supplies used on this card are listed below (those that are still available). Remember to click my order online button (above right) to be taken to my demonstrator business website and click the shop now button to purchase any of the following items!

	EASY EVENTS - CLEAR-MOUNT STAMP Item: 123225
	2-1/2 INCH CIRCLE PUNCH Item: 120906
	1-3/4 INCH CIRCLE PUNCH Item: 119850
	1-1/4 INCH CIRCLE PUNCH Item: 119861
	1-3/8 INCH CIRCLE PUNCH Item: 119860

Babies and Blimps!

"The stork is outdated, the modern baby is delivered by blimp!" This was a fun card that I made at a workshop featuring, Moving Forward, our Ronald McDonald House stamp set. $3 from the sale of every set gets donated to RMHC. This charity has a special place in my heart as my first grandchild spent some extended time in Iowa City as an infant. It was a very stressful time in our lives. The Ronald McDonald House was a lifesaver for my son and his wife. I will be forever grateful to the RMHC for giving the kids a place to be and sleep besides the hospital room. If you are like me, I don't have a tendency to purchase many stamp sets for kids...I am pretty big into the flora and nature! However, this set has a good variety of stamps that can cover all kinds of situations and ages! Purchase your set today to help contribute to this wonderful charity!

For more card ideas click here and here.

Supplies used on this card are listed below (those that are still available). Remember to click my order online button (above right) to be taken to my demonstrator business website and click the shop now button to purchase any of the following items!

	MOVING FORWARD CLEAR-MOUNT STAMP SET Item: 126322
	HEARTS A FLUTTER BUNDLE CLEAR Item: 131097
	CLOUDY DAY TEXTURED IMPRESSIONS EMBOSSING FOLDER Item: 127022
	CHERRY COBBLER BAKER'S TWINE Item: 123125
	BAJA BREEZE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD Item: 126960
	ROSE RED CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD Item: 126954
	SO SAFFRON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD Item: 126957
	ROSE RED 8-1/2X11 CARD STOCK Item: 102544
	WHISPER WHITE 8-1/2X11 CARD STOCK Item: 100730
	BIG SHOT DIE-CUT MACHINE Item: 113439
	STAMPIN WRITE MARKERS - BRIGHTS COLLECTION Item: 119702