Monday, August 31, 2009

The Last Mini- Peek!

For today's card idea, I want to share a technique and a new product that will debut tomorrow in the new Stampin' Up! holiday mini-catalog.
Can you see the shimmer on the card? Hard to photograph, but very cool in person.
  • The card base layer is close to cocoa embossed in the Big Shot with a Texturz plate.
  • Then I used the very cool new product Shimmer Paint in champagne mist. But instead of just brushing on a little, I sponged the whole darn piece of cardstock!!
  • For the cross I used the kissing technique. Inking up the cross from the stamp set Refuge and Strength in certainly celery (always start with the lightest color), I then inked the small branch in close to cocoa and stamped it onto the cross stamp. After a quick huff, I stamped the cross onto the whisper white cardstock. This technique creates an interesting, aged sort of look.
  • Then, of course, I had to sponge a little shimmer on top! However, it just looks kind of grainy in the picture. Trust me, it's pretty in person!
Have a great Monday and thanks for stopping by!
Tasha

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Late Unscripted

Today, the card idea had to wait until after the morning workshop! I grabbed the sketch over at Unscripted Sketches since it's Saturday. Guess what? They have expanded their design team so now you can see lots of wonderful and inspiring projects each Saturday.Since I had my In Colors and Autumn Days stamp set still out from Cards of the Month Club I used them for today's card. This is a standard A2 size, using US sketch #21.
stamp sets: Autumn Days and Teen Tiny Wishes
ink and cardstock colors: Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
tools and accessories: Dusty Durango 1/2" polka-dot grosgrain ribbon, Big Shot with Texturz Plate from Stampin' Up! Backgrounds #1, scallop edge punch

Are you in the mood for fall? We are having a cool day that's just screaming "football!" so I couldn't help but use fall colors today.

Have a great weekend!
Tasha

Friday, August 28, 2009

Club Previews

These are 2 of the projects we are making at the Stampers Club Test Drive. The scrapbook pages show what I love so much about stamping. With a few supplies you can change a layout from boy to girl. Or with the same supplies you can make a card or gift packaging. Multi-tasking! It's what I require from most anything I buy.cardstock: Dusty Durango (orange color), Crushed Curry (yellow color), baja breeze (retired blue color), Whisper White
ink: Old Olive, VersaMark, Melon Mambo (pink color), Crushed Curry, Soft Suede (brown color)
accessories: Melon Mambo polka-dot grosgrain ribbon
tools: punches--1/2" circle, 1-1/4" circle, large oval, scalloped oval, small star, star, Big Shot with Pillow Box die
stamp sets: Oval All, Best Wishes and More, Just Football

Thanks for stopping by and have a great Friday!
Tasha

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Are You Ready?

September is just around the corner. And that means...

  • a new issue of Don't Stamp Without It! (my newsletter)
  • one last holiday weekend to say goodbye to summer
  • the Stampin' Up! holiday mini-catalog starts
  • football season begins!!
  • Stampers' Clubs start up
  • the Kansas State Fair
  • a mid-month giveaway!

I encourage you to sign for the monthly newsletter so you don't miss anything!

**Current subscribers--watch for a confirmation email. I am switching systems so if you do not confirm your address, you will no longer receive the newsletter.


Join My E-Newsletter List

Email:



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Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
Tasha

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

A Little Birdie Told Me

September Cards of the Month Club Kits go out today! This is one of the cards you will be making if you joined for this month.
If you join, you will receive the cardstock and accessories to make the 5 cards shown each month. You have the option of purchasing the stamp sets used in the sample or substituting your own! This month the featured stamp set is Autumn Days.
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You can order the kit by mail until September 10. However, there are only 3 left so don't wait too long! Click here for more details or to sign up.
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Hope you are having a good week! Thanks for stopping by, Tasha

Monday, August 24, 2009

Got Your Mojo?

Well, it's Monday so if you have a chance grab the sketch over at mojomonday and play along. My card idea for today is a Christmas theme because I have all these wonderful new supplies here begging to be used!
This is enclosure card size, 3"x3". I just love this size. Because the products are all new to me, I actually have to get the out the mini-catalog to tell you what I used!
  • Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series paper (sooo cool)
  • stamp set is Delightful Decorations
  • Ornament Punch (!!!)
  • Silver elastic cord
  • Whisper white Organza Ribbon (elegance on a spool)
  • Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (a must have)


Can you see the shimmer paint on the ornament? Hard to photo but looks great in person! Also, the Christmas Cocoa paper is metallic so it has a shimmer, too.

If you don't have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, email me and I will send you a copy of the holiday mini-catalog. You can order from this starting Sept. 1.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Tasha

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Monday Sounds Relaxing!

Happy Saturday! It's been busy here so I am late posting. First off is a card for that wonderful Saturday ritual Unscripted Sketches. I wanted to do something Christmas but here is where I ended up!

The base is certainly celery (trust me) even though it looks like an old retired color. The pattern paper is from Stampin' Up!'s Tall Tales designer series paper. Guess I was punch happy today. Can you find where I used the following punches?

  • Modern label
  • scallop circle
  • 1/2" circle
  • 1-1/4" circle

I also thought I would share what I made for my kids yesterday to celebrate getting through the first week of school.

This little purse/bag holds 2 of the movie theatre size candy boxes. I just measured them and went from there.You can see the velcro that holds it closed. In case you were wondering, I did get them each 2 boxes. I never learn! I was thinking it would last a few days since 1 is Everlasting Gobstoppers. But I think they finished them off today!!

I may not have a stamping idea for you tomorrow but should be back to normal Monday. We host our annual pool party tonight and will spend tomorrow visiting my grandmother (who had unscheduled surgery this morning due to a broken hip) at the hospital after church. And I have about a hundred pounds of tomatoes to process!

Have a great weekend!!

Tasha

Friday, August 21, 2009

Un-bear-ably Cute

As promised, here is a sneak peek of the Build-A-Bear stamp set available in the Stampin' Up! fall mini-catalog starting September 1. The whole line of coordinating stamps, dies, and paper is very cute!
Good old kraft cardstock is so versatile (used for the base of each card). Have you noticed my favorite items are versatile? :)

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Tasha

Thursday, August 20, 2009

It's All In The Presentation

What's better than receiving a gift certificate? They are great because you get the money that you "have to" spend on yourself yet you get to choose what you want. BUT to make a gift certificate even better, make a cute holder to present it.This is what Christie will receive since she won $20 during my Facebook Fan Appreciation Giveaway last weekend.

The In Colors Crushed Curry and Dusty Durango go so well with Old Olive. I love that combination for a late summer/early fall palette. And the stamp set Best Wishes & More is such a workhorse. If you don't tire of it, this set will take you through an entire year of stamping!!

If you would like to purchase a gift certificate from me, The Stamping Lady, send me an email. The gift certificates are good for any Stampin' Up! products purchased through me and any class/club fees. Also, they never expire.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Tasha

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

It's Stamping Time

Stampers' Clubs Start in September!
  • Do you want to earn hostess benefits?
  • Do you want to attend a FREE stamping class?(in person or on-line)
  • Do you need a night out?
  • Do you like to try before you buy?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you need to join a Stamp Club! (as per Stampin' Up! rules, these clubs are limited to US and APO addresses)
You can choose a monthly club or one that meets every other month--whatever works best for you!
Club members receive the following benefits:
  • use the latest products--often right when they are released!
  • learn techniques such as watercoloring
  • try out stamping tools like the new circle scissors
PLUS...one month you will be the hostess and receive all the hostess benefits! That includes FREE exclusive stamp sets, FREE merchandise of your choice, any special offers in your month, and FREE shipping!

little peek of one of September's projects

Can't make it to the club in person? That's okay, you can also "attend" on-line at your leisure.

Contact me to sign up now--clubs start September 21!

Want to know more? Click here for the details OR come to:

Stampers Club Free Trial

Thursday, August 27 7pm

Saturday, August 29, 10am

My Stamping Place

4011 Sherwood Dr

Hutchinson, KS

RSVP by Aug. 24

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

A quick gift idea for you today! This bookmark was inspired by a card on Beate Johns' blog that used rhinestones on a stamped image. I really liked it and have a similar stamp.
This is a quick project if you need something in a hurry! Using Stampin' Up!'s textured cardstock as the base gives the bookmark a finished look on the back without having to do anything to it.
  • stamp set is Autumn Days
  • inks are the In Colors Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, and Dusty Durango
  • ribbon is Crushed Curry polka-dot grosgrain
  • rhinestone origin is probably Hobby Lobby

I like the way the rhinestones stick on just like the buds on these stems. I stamped most of the images at least twice before re-inking to get a worn/weathered look.
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I can hardly wait till the UPS man gets here today!! Should be a fun week playing with my new supplies...don't worry I'll share the results.
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Thanks for stopping by! Tasha

Monday, August 17, 2009

Oh The Irony...

As we got ready for the first day of freedom--I mean school--a "hurricane" blew in. So much for hanging out in the hammock today!!



Good thing I have an indoor hobby or I might have to clean the house or something. ;) And it's Monday so I grabbed the sketch over at mojomonday to make today's card idea.
It's been awhile since I've shown a Christmas card so here you go! The following Stampin' Up! supplies are what I used.
  • cardstock: kraft, whisper white, real red
  • ink: close to cocoa and real red
  • stamp set: Christmas punch --LOVE this set (email me if you would like to host a workshop and earn this stamp set free!)
  • accessories: real red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, scallop edge punch, scallop circle punch, hemp twine, button from the Button Latte collection (find out how to get these buttons free)
Tomorrow my new supplies come! A super-perk about being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is that we get the promotions and mini-catalogs way ahead of time. And not only do we get a discount, but there are also special deals for us as well. If you are interested in finding out more about being a demonstrator, email me! You can still take advantage of the summer sign-up special.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
Tasha

Sunday, August 16, 2009

The rubber stamping idea for you today includes very little stamping! This candy purse is more of a paper folding project and makes a great thank you gift.
We will be giving these to the bus drivers tomorrow because I am soooo thankful that they deliver my children to school and back home each day.
To make the first one, I measured the Hershey nuggets and went from there. These are economical, too, because you can get 2 out of 1 piece of cardstock. Here's what I used:
  • So Saffron cardstock cut to 4-1/2"x7" for purse, 1"x3" for tab, and punched with Modern label punch for the closure
  • Tea Party designer series paper cut to 2"x7-1/8" for purse, 2-3/4"x3/4" for tab, and 6 pieces 1-1/4"x2-3/4" for nuggets
  • Pretty in Pink cardstock punched with Three Flower punch for decorations
  • Old Olive flowers cut with one of the Birds and Blooms dies and the Big Shot
  • Bashful Blue 1/4" grosgrain ribbon
  • silver brads
  • Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set and regal rose ink
  • lots of sticky strip!

Everything is Stampin' Up! except the pearls.

The box size ends up 2-3/4"x 3"x 3/4". I think anyone would be happy to receive such a cute little package!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Tasha

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Unscripted Fluttering

Here is my card idea for the Unscripted sketch today. I really like Stampin' Up!s new In Color Rich Razzleberry even if I can't quite seem to capture it with the camera.
This is a standard 4-1/4"x5-1/2" card.
  • colors are Stampin' Up!'s pale plum, rich razzleberry, whisper white, certainly celery
  • stamp set is Stampin' Up!'s "Dreams du Jour"
  • accessories are Dazzling Diamonds glitter adhered on a trail of Tombow multi-adhesive, Rich Razzleberry polka-dot ribbon, and a Stampin' dimensional to pop up the cut out butterfly

To get the ribbon effect, I put a couple small pieces of sticky strip on the edge of the panel, scrunched up the ribbon and stuck it on. This picture isn't great, but you can get the idea.

You can play along, too. Just visit Unscripted Sketches for the sketch and some inspiration by their design team.

Tomorrow I have another nugget purse gift idea to share.

Thanks for stopping by (again)!

Tasha

September Cards of the Month

As requested by Eugene...another sneak peek of September's Cards of the Month Club. You can see the whole group in the right sidebar. I snuck the new picture in this morning!
The club page is also fixed, not all off center--darn Facebook badge did something crazy to the page. So I really didn't spend all week in that hammock, just busy with "behind the scenes" work! ;)
If you follow or subscribe to this blog you will get a notice later when I post my Unscripted project. Not a follower? You can sign up with one of the options on the left of just check back later.

Have a great Saturday and thanks for stopping by!
Tasha

Thursday, August 13, 2009

No, this isn't where I have been all week. This is what is keeping me going!! If I make it through the week I will be out here after the kids head out to school.



One quick reminder, I will be having the Fan Appreciation Giveway over on Facebook this weekend. So come on over and become a fan of The Stamping Lady (link on the left).







Have a great day! Tasha

Monday, August 10, 2009

Cards of the Month Peek

It's a double-play today. Being Monday, the new sketch is ready at Mojo Monday so first up is my card idea for that. With so many layers in the sketch, I knew I would need to use one of Stampin' Up!'s designer series paper packs to get a coordinated look.
The Jackpot series worked perfectly for this I think. The additional cardstock is basic black, very vanilla, and riding hood red (left over from last season's In Colors). The only stamping is the center image and I used Staz On for a crisp print.

The card was a little plain so I added a little Las Vegas style with the rhinestones which came from Hobby Lobby I think.
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And for the second part today I have a sneak peek of September's Cards of the Month. This kit will be released on Saturday, Aug. 15th. As always, the kit will include everything to make 5 cards along with their envelopes. You can come to the local workshop or assemble the kit at home. Yes...they will have an early fall theme.
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Are you ready for fall? I think it's the best season in Kansas. What is your favorite season?
Thanks for stopping by.
Tasha

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Unscripted Birthday

Since it's Saturday, it's Unscripted time! The sketch today is pretty fun and those design team girls have some great samples. Somehow, I am needing birthday cards so when I saw the sketch it looked like a candle to me.
The colors are So Saffron, Rich Razzleberry (I know it looks like burgundy here), and whisper white.
  • the flame I made by punching so saffron with the large oval, then I just trimmed a little off one end for the flame shape
  • I also sponged the edges of the flame with Crushed Curry and spread the middle with Crystal Effects
  • to get that smaller label, I used the Modern Label punch. After stamping the words I punched it close to the left side. Then I stuck my label on a piece of typing paper and punched again with it close to the right side.
  • the pattern paper is from Stampin' Up!'s Tea Party designer series
The background is the Celebrate wheel inked in VersaMark.
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Enjoy your Saturday! I'm off to do a little shopping.

Tasha

Friday, August 7, 2009

An Award...for moi?

At the beginning of this busy, busy week, I was award this badge from two fellow bloggers--thanks so much Lisa from Life According to Lisa and Hollie from Momiji's Madness!! They are both talented designers and have blogs that are inspiring to visit.
It has taken me a week to get this all together. Here are the "rules"


  1. Thank the person who nominated you for the award.

  2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog. (Please don't use mine directly)

  3. Link the person's blog who nominated you for this award.

  4. List 7 things about you that people might find interesting.

  5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers

  6. Post a link to the 7 you nominated.

  7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs to let them know they have been nominated.


Now for 7 things about me:

  1. I started college as a Physics major. (for some reason this surprises people. Not sure if that's good or bad!)

  2. My mother married my boyfriend's dad. So, technically, for a year or so I dated my stepbrother--ewww.

  3. I made a pie on tv.

  4. I'm left-handed.

  5. I like to pull weeds (lucky me--I have a yard full!!)

  6. I am capable of designing, installing, and repairing underground sprinkler systems--but I don't have one!

  7. I really don't like to call people. The phone is not my friend.

Cue the drumroll please...

And now for my 7 nominations. There are so many talented ladies out there that I love to visit. It was hard to choose 7 but I tried to find ones that didn't just get the award, and ones that might have a clue who I am!!

  1. Heather--my upline/neighbor/friend who got me into all this blogging. She probably has this award because she has received many. Technically, I started before her but she has LOTS more followers and is on design teams and everything.
  2. Kristin--she always has pretty things to look at, even though I don't make it there very often. And she got on Lauren Meader's dt!
  3. Caryl--her blog makes me feel at home. I think our styles are similar so it is comfortable for me to visit. Plus, I just love that cat! (and now I took so long posting that I see she got the award too but oh well)
  4. Beth (BR-T)--her style is completely different from mine. I enjoy looking at her designs that push the envelope for me. Reminds me I don't have to be so reserved.
  5. Danni-- Has her own Flutter-by -Wednesday team and just became a Stampin' Up! demo (woo hoo). She also is the one responsible for my 3 column blog and I will be forever grateful. Plus she manages everything while her husband is away for months at a time keeping us all safe.
  6. Rebecca--whose blog I visit quite often. She rocks the Clean And Simple style plus does awesome things with digital "stamping".
  7. Alicia--woman of amazing talent and strength. She took us all through the year when her nearly 5-year-old son lost the battle to cancer in a heart-wrenching yet inspiring series of blog posts. And she's also on Lauren Meader's dt.

That's it! I know you'll read it in, like, 15 seconds and I had to work on this for a couple hours!! Hopefully, you'll enjoy taking a few minutes to visit some of these talented ladies.

Have a great weekend!

Tasha

  • less than 12 hours to the new Unscripted Sketch!!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Perfect Polka-Dots

Tonight I have a couple samples that are on the display boards at the Stampin' Up! Convention right now! These were both made by Becky Roberts and shown on her Inking Idaho blog.
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I chose these 2 because they show you a great way to use some of those fabulous new polka-dot ribbons.


Isn't the backpack cute? And it's based off the simple 2,5,7,10 box with the top pinched in. Not sure what a 2,5,7,10 box is? Click here to head over to a great tutorial at splitcoaststampers.

These flip flops are fun though I would change the color--haha!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Tasha

  • the red ribbon is 3/4" polka dot grosgrain in real red #115608
  • the flip flop ribbon is 1/2" polka-dot grosgrain in crushed curry #115614, luckily it is also available in the other 5 In Colors
  • click here to place a Stampin' Up! order online

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Happy Birthday, Cupcake!

Wow, it's been one of those days and so the card idea for you today is late. With the back-to-school meets end-of-summer rush upon me, I encourage you to follow my blog through one of the options in the left sidebar. That way you can be notified when the post is up each day and not have to stop by to check.
This is a card for yet another friend's August birthday. I have seen a few people use this cupcake stamp in ways beyond the intended thank you and thought I would give it a whirl.
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Want to see the inside? I typically keep the inside of my cards rather simple and haven't decided if I will stamp a greeting one this one or just write my own message. Just so happens that the Party Hearty stamp set has a smaller cupcake that works perfectly. See why I keep using that set?
Here are the Stampin' Up! supplies I used to put this all together:
stamps: Simple Birthday Thanks, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Party Hearty (small cupcake), retired Canvas background
cardstock: melon mambo, craft, pretty in pink, whisper white, tea party designer series paper
ink: craft white, versamark, blush blossom and melon mambo for shading and message, close to cocoa for cherry stem
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To jazz it up I covered the cherry in Crystal Effects and used some stick-on pearls (origin not known). The greeting is punched with the new, and very cool, Modern Label punch then mounted on a die cut label from the matchbox die.

Thanks so much for stopping in!

Tasha

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

A Preview

Whoops! I almost forgot to show you this project. Believe it or not we are going to school enrollment tomorrow. Talk about a bubble-burster!!

But making this little project cheered me up some. Inside you will find an apple print sticky notepad and pencil--perfect for giving the new teachers.

The supplies list along with tutorial link are in this month's newsletter. Not on the mailing list? Head over to the upper left corner of the blog to sign up.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Tasha

Monday, August 3, 2009

The Little Things

Two little things happened today that make me glad that I live where I do.
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At 8:20 I received a phone call from our bank (actually it's a credit union) that our new mortgage bank had sent two automatic payment requests and they were wondering if this was correct.
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How nice is that?
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Of course it was not right and when I called the mortgage bank they already knew there was a problem and stated that they would cover any fees. When I explained that there were no fees because my local bank had called me and was waiting to hear from them before proceeding, the mortgage bank employees were amazed.
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And later this morning when I was taking care of the vacationing neighbor's yard, the mail man was coming down the street. (We have those out by the street-type boxes). I went out to the street and asked him if I could simply have their mail since the mail box was knocked/blown down the night they left.
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He gave it to me without batting an eye and wished me a good day.
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I don't know him, lately it's been a lady carrier.
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But wasn't that nice?
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In this day of bar codes and picture IDs, it's nice when someone just believes you.
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Maybe I'm just in a good mood because I finished up the project for my August newsletter! If you're not on the mailing list you can sign-up in the upper left side of the blog. The newsletter goes out tomorrow!
Have a great day wherever you live!!
Tasha

Sunday, August 2, 2009

And the Lost Were Found...

Yesterday after my ritual Unscripted Sketch project, I made myself spend some time sorting through the piles that have accumlated on the edges of my workspaces. It's always good to do that even if it isn't fun!
I found:
  • the anniversary card for my in-laws (lost in May)
  • 8!! sticky note pads (ones I'm using, not purchased for projects)
  • 2 other note pads
  • a pack of RSVP pens (also lost in May)
  • 1 of my VersaMark pads (oh happy day)
  • 4 projects I had started and not completed

Hmm...glad I didn't blame the kids when I couldn't find any sticky notes!!


Then I rewarded myself by taking the time to make this.
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I had really planned on making a religious card since it would post on Sunday but after all that cleaning I needed a drink--lol!


I just love these drink packets. They make such a fun gift and I need to deliver this birthday basket to a friend today!

This basket/tag was one of my unfinished projects. I received it at Stampin' Up!s regional seminar last fall. (Did I just say that out loud?) That's why it uses kiwi kiss and tangerine tango which are now retired.

The stamp sets I used are Best Wishes and More (yes, again) and Fundamental Phrases.

Have a great Sunday! And thanks for stopping by,

Tasha

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Unscripted Again

Today's card idea is pretty flowery! I used up some old rub-ons (the white flowers and phrase) so that I can make room for some of the new ones! With sketch 17 from Unscripted, a couple punches, and some rub-ons this card went together quickly.


The color palette is melon mambo, old olive, and bashful blue. Rose red could easily substitute for the melon mambo if you don't have the new In Colors.

I used the 1/2" circle, scallop edge, and the new modern label punches. You will find these repeatedly in my projects because they're just so handy!



Have a great Saturday and thanks for stopping in!


Tasha
  • this is one of the new Rub-Ons packs that I have my eye on!

Dots and Designs #115728, price $11.95