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Sunday, August 27, 2017

Why Do I Do The Things I Do? Special Family Day

Hi Friends!
This post is going to be a little different than my normal post.  Do I even have a normal post? I haven't been doing this long enough to have that!  But I wanted to give you a little insight into my family life.
Yesterday was a special day for our family.  My daughter Blair participated in our county's Special Olympic's Bowling Event!



Even though we live in a fairly small community, we have an OUTSTANDING Special Olympics Committee that goes above and beyond to love and support these special member of society, and their families.  Blair is 25 now, and over the years I have received so many cards and other things from people over the years to encourage me personally.  
Thus the title of my blog....Why Do I Do The Things I Do? Making cards, crafting, my card classes, it is not only to sell Stampin' Up! products, it is a vehicle that allows me to bless others, and I have been blessed as well with new friends.  Isn't that why we are here? To honor God and bless others?  When it boils right down to it, that is the purpose of life in a nutshell.  
Yesterday was also my Watercolor Class. I will do a video soon showing some of the techniques we did, but, for now, here are the cards we made:

 This one used the Dragonfly Dreams stamp set and framelets.  We did a watercolor wash over an embossing resist.
 This card feature the "This Little Piggy" stamp.  Who is not in love with this set?
And last but not least we combined "Beautiful You" with "Mediterranean Moments", did some masking, and used the awesome new Embossing Paste and stencils with Copper Embossing Powder. 

 So now I am going to issue a challenge to you!  Who in your life do you know needs encouraging?  Truett Cathy, the founder of Chic-Fil-A, said, "How do you identify someone who needs encouragement?  That person is breathing."  (Thanks for the quote Cameron!) Maybe you know someone who has a sick family member and they have been a caretaker for a period of time...perhaps a young mother with young children who is at her wits end...it may be a student who is struggling with peer pressure or a new college student that may be homesick.  You never know what a simple card will mean to someone.  Your challenge this week is to send a card.  Get out those craft supplies and make one or if you don't have the supplies, (gasp!) go to the store and buy one.  Then contact me for some Stampin' Up! LOL! Leave a comment below and let me know if you accepted the challenge and whom you sent your card to, no names, just a description of the situation is fine.  Let's live life intentionally and be a blessing to others!  Trust me, YOU come out with the biggest blessing!
With Hugs and Encouragement to all of you!
Nina

If you are interested in any of the supplies used in the cards, here is a list!  Click on the link, and it will take you to my online store where you can purchase.




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Monday, August 21, 2017

Stamping 101: Sponging and Masking

Hi Everyone!
I am so excited to share this card with you! It is probably my most favorite card I have ever made.  I totally CASE'd (copy and share everything) from Tina Zinck, another Stampin' Up! demonstrator.  Look her up on YouTube at Serene Stamper Channel, she is absolutely amazing, and you will get some great inspiration for your cards.
Here is my version:

This card showcases the High Tide stamp set found in the 2017 Annual Catalog. 

 The card base is Cherry Cobbler with a Whisper White mat that I have stamped and sponged.  The lighthouse image is also a two-step stamp, I stamped the base in Memento TB ink, then the accent in Cherry Cobbler.  I then stamped the lighthouse onto a sticky note and "fussy-cut" it out for the mask.  I punched a 1-inch circle out of the sticky note as well to mask off the area for the sun. I put a sticky note on the bottom 1/3 of the card, and then I sponged the sunset scene with So Saffron, Crushed Curry, Calypso Coral, and Perfect plum. Stampin' Up! sponges come in a pack of 3, then I cut them in quarters to use on my projects. The next step was to move the sticky note to the top, stamp the rocks in Smoky Slate then stamp over them with Versamark and heat emboss with Clear embossing powder.   Next,  sponge the water in Night of Navy then stamp the "waves" with Craft Whisper White. Wipe off the rocks with a paper towel to remove any ink residue.  I also added some Calypso Coral to the top of the water to make it look like the sun reflecting off of the water.  
I stamped the birds in Memento, then used the "Thank You" sentiment from the Daisy Delight stamp set.  I heat embossed that in gold.  
I added a mat of Whisper White to the inside and stamped the lighthouse there in Memento:

I also made a YouTube video to show you the steps:



I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial!  Let me know how you like this technique!

Happy Stamping!
Nina


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Friday, August 18, 2017

Fun As A Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Hi Everyone!
Thanks for stopping by my blog! You know, one of the greatest things about Stampin' Up! isn't the fabulous stamp sets and other products (although they rock), nor is it the commission I make from my sales (although it does help support my habit, my CRAFTING habit, y'all!).  What I love most about being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator is the friendships I have made and the camaraderie (ok, I confess, I had to Google how to spell that one!) among other demonstrators.
Once a month I meet with several other demonstrators, and we get to share a meal, share ideas and business tips, and we swap cards.  This last time, we swapped squares to make a summer sampler.
Here was my contribution:

I was going to wait until I bought a 12x12 frame to put them all in to show you the finished project, but I was so excited I couldn't wait.  We had 9 people total swapping, so here is the result:



Isn't it gorgeous!  I love seeing other's creativity!  I matted my squares on a piece of Lemon-Lime Twist 12x12 cardstock.  Now to get a frame to hang it up!

There is always something new to learn as well.  Projects like this are called "samplers," but they are also called "Inchies."  I learned that the other night at our meeting.  If you want to search Pinterest for ideas for projects like this, you can search "Inchies."  I am so thankful for the new friendships I have made through being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, for the support and encouragement I have received from others, and yes, even being pushed out of my comfort zone and trying new things.... I have a blog and a YouTube channel for goodness sakes!
I would love to share this opportunity with you!  If you are interested in joining my team and becoming part of an AMAZING community, just click this link and it will take you to my Stampin' Up! website where you can find out more information on becoming a demonstrator.  
Being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator is an awesome journey, and I hope you will consider "Joining the Fun!"  
Feel free to contact me with any questions! 
Always,
Nina




Saturday, August 12, 2017

Stamping 101 Continued: Heat Embossing (It's my favorite, yall!)

Hey Everybody!
I am continuing my series on Stamping 101, and I am so excited to share this technique with you!  It is one of the things that made me fall in love with cardmaking, It is a great way to dress up your cards in a skinny minute (that's southern for lickety split, which is another southern term, anyway, it doesn't take much time!)  It is Heat Embossing!  I made this card for a special friend, and I wanted to show you the heat embossing technique.  Here is the card:

I used a Crumb Cake card base, stamped the Hardwood background stamp in Crumb Cake, and used the Layering Oval Framelets to cut out my Tempting Turquoise and Very Vanilla ovals.  I stamped the sentiment and rose image in Versamark ink, then heat embossed with the Copper embossing powder.  I LOVE how that copper looks!  Here is a close up:



Then to tie in the Turquoise, I wanted to add some ribbon or something, but, alas! No Tempting Turquoise ribbon or anything!!!! So, like any good southern woman, I improvised!  I made my own, and you can, too!  In fact, I have a Quick Tip video showing you how I did it.  All you need is reinker in the color of your choice and some Whisper White Bakers Twine.



Add a couple of drops of reinker to a small container (I used a container some of our embellishments come in), add water to it, soak the twine in it for a couple of minutes, lay it on a paper towel to dry, and VOILA! Your custom made twine to match your project!




Here is a video to show you how I did this project.


Thanks for stopping by! Yall come back soon, and remember to visit www.southernaccents.stampinup.net for all of your stamping needs!
Click on any of the links below to order products used in this project.

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