Flowerbug's Inkspot

April Bundles

Each month I feature a few bundles of coordinating products for my club members to choose from.  They love it because they can get all these items that work well together for less money than buying everything in complete packages.

For example here's the Raspberry Tart Bundle:
 
It includes 6 sheets of Raspberry Tart designer series paper, 6 sheets of each of these 8 1/2 X 11" sheets of card stock - Kiwi Kiss, Pretty in Pink & Rose Red, plus 3 1/2 yards of our Organza white ribbon.

Then I create a card or two to show how the bundle products work together.

The Mother's Day card features the Flower Burst embosslet & the Serif Essential Alphabet.  I made the window for the 'happy mother's day' verse by punching out two squares, side by side, with my 1 1/4" square punch from the Rose Red card stock.  And check out the 'green' organza ribbon under the embosslet - I sponged it lightly with Kiwi ink.

When the bundles fill (usually 4 names on the list) it will ordered on that Club members order & counts towards their sales.  Each bundle is a different price depending on the cost of the items included.  For example, the Raspberry Tart bundle is $10.80. 

I divide it all up when it comes in to put in with their orders. 

Here's another one:
 Sorry for the blurry photo!

This one features our Brushed metallic card stock.
They receive 5 sheets of each - Silver & Gold 8 1/2 X 11", 15 jumbo eyelets & 2 1/2 yards of each of our hemp twine - Black, Natural & Red.

I love the layout of this card!

By the way, I colored in the flower image with a retired product called a 'Painty'.  It is a paint pen with both gold & silver paint in each end. 
 
The last bundle is Baja monocromatic.

It includes 6 sheets of Baja prints designer series paper, 6 sheets of 8 1/2 X 11" card stock, 2 1/2 yards of stitched Baja ribbon & 6 Baja corduroy buttons.
My card does not have any buttons on it because I hadn't ordered them yet.
The flower image is the Flowers in Silhouette stamp that is available FREE with this month's Promotion. 

If you aren't sure what I am talking about, check out this thread.  You can get one free choice from page 208 for each $40 you order from the new Occasions catalog. 

Oops! December Color Combo's

Wow - I cannot believe I haven't posted for so long!  Sorry, but the holidays have kept me very busy & I haven't even thought of stamping for days!!!  Yeah, even I am shocked!  This week I'll be very busy prepping for the next month or two, but I'll be posting every few days again. 

Here's something to tide you over:

December Color Combo cards:

For those who are new to my blog I'll explain how my Color Combo's work.

Each month my clever friends & I come up with three different card stock combo's that consist of three of SU's awesome 54 plus colors.  I offer these to my local customers in packs of 8 sheets of each color.  I order the combo's when I get three people on a list to share each one.  8 full sheets each of 3 colors = 24 sheets total.  This makes it easy for them to get larger amounts of card stock without buying a whole pack of one color.  

We consider holidays & seasons when putting these together and we try to use SU's Color Wheel as a guide too.
Sometimes we just play around with our card stock & hit upon one that amazes us it's so perfect.

This one was one of those - it just works!
Tangerine Tango, Bashful Blue & Pacific Point

Stamps - Wild About You
Card Stock - Tangerine, White, Bashful Blue, Pacific Point, Maine Blueberry DSP
Ink - Tangerine, Pacific Point, Summer Sun
Accessories - Scallop circle punch, Tangerine striped ribbon, 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" square punches, Crafters tool kit, sponge daubers

Here's the easy way to get the layered & punched squares perfectly aligned.
1.  Push the larger square punch all the way in on the Bashful Blue card stock & punch once.  Move it over 1/2" or so & punch again.  Pushing the punch in all the way makes it punch evenly from the top.  I also started with a larger piece of Bashful Blue so I could trim the outer edges off 'after' I was done punching - so I didn't care how far I was punching from the edges.
2.  Trim the punched Bashful Blue piece to 4" X 5 1/4" & lay it over the folded Pacific Point Card (which measures 5 1/2" X 8 1/2" when open).  Use a ruler to draw an 'X' inside the squares from corner to corner on the Pacific Point card.
3.  Now position the smaller square punch over the 'X', & making sure the corners of the square punch line up with the points of the 'X' - punch.  Repeat for the other corner. 

This one was made with my Scallop Sizzix die.  To make a full card with this die, first fold your card stock in half.  Lay the fold 'below' the top of the Scallop cutting lines.  Roll through your Big Shot & you get a folded Scalloped circle card!
Colors here are Pixie Pink, Summer Sun & Garden Green
Stamps - Snow Burst, Bursting with Joy, Say it with Scallops
Accessories - Square scallop punch, sponge daubers, Signo white gel pen, white narrow grosgrain ribbon, 2-way  glue & Dazzling Diamonds glitter

A soft & pretty Christmas card made with Certainly Celery, Elegant Eggplant & Pretty in Pink.

Stamps - Holiday Collection - only available during December '08!

Card stock & Ink - White, Celery, Eggplant & Pretty in Pink

Accessories - Scallop circle punch, scallop border punch, ticket corner punch, wide Celery grosgrain ribbon, Filigre brads, Signo white gel pen, 2-way glue, Dazzling Diamonds glitter

Color Combo's

I just realized that I haven't posted my monthly color combo examples for a few months.  Sorry about that! 

November's seem to have a square punched theme:

These colors are Sage Shadow, Really Rust & More Mustard

I used the images from the stamp set Season of Friendship & then added the seasons using the Everyday Flexible Phrases set. The SU square punches make it very easy.
The triangles were done by first cutting the center one at an angle & then using that same angle for the two side panels.  Once I got one panel right, I used that template to make the second one.

This technique is called color blocking. 

 My inspiration for these colors was the paper that comes in the SS kit - 'I Wish'.  Chocolate Chip, Real Red & Certainly Celery.
If you punch your squares at an angle on the stripes, it makes an easy quilt-look main image.  Very easy & fun.
The 'Joy' is from the 'Join in the Cheer' decorative Sizzix die cut out with my favorite new tool - the Big Shot.

How about this beautiful combo of Lovely Lilac, Night of Navy & Whisper White?
This card uses the stamp set 'Wondrous Gifts'.
I stamped the snowflakes using Versamark ink & embossing it with White EP.  Then using a sponge dauber I sponged Lilac ink in a circle over the embossed snowflakes. 
This technique is called 'Embossed Resist'.
White taffeta ribbon & the verse embossed in our white EP finished it off. 

September Color Combo's

We've got a nice array of colors for you this month.  Everything from soft & pretty to bright & colorful with a bit of 'fall' thrown in for the coming season.

The top card has Pink Pirouette, Rose Red & Close to Cocoa.  The stamp set is the Level 2 Serene Spring.  It was colored in with an aqua-painter.

The left card features Mellow Moss, Really Rust & Always Artichoke.  I used Wonderful You & Heard from the Heart. 

The bottom right card is bright & fun with Pacific Point, Summer Sun & Pumpkin Pie.  The stamps are from the new set, Flight of the Butterfly. 

As always, I feature a different set of Color Combo's each month.  I like to try to combine colors that may not be something you'd put think to put together or others that are easy matches.  When you sign up for any of these, you get 8 of each color in 8 1/2" X 11" sheets = 24 sheets total. 

New Color Combo's for August

We have this routine at my monthly PMS night.  Shirley & Annette help me decide on new Color Combo's for my Cardstock Clubs each month.  July's was the most well attended, busy PMS night yet, so since I was otherwise occupied they did all the work that night.  Thanks so much girls!  Here is what they came up with.

1.  Night of Navy, So Saffron & Riding Hood Red

2.  Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss & Chocolate Chip

3.  Mellow Moss, Almost Amethyst & Naturals Ivory

Of course I have to come up with card examples to showcase each of these combos, so here they are! 

Eastern Blooms is one of the stamp sets I received free at Convention. 
You can tell it's right up my alley!  Doesn't it reminds you of Hawaii?  I also used Happy Everything.

A very easy card.  After I was done I realized I hadn't added any embellishments & decided it's perfect all on it's own. 

Aren't the colors awesome together??

I sure thought this combo was going to be hard to put together - it wasnt' tho - the combo girls were right again!

I used stamp sets - Frames with a Flourish & Sincere Salutations, embossing them in White EP.  Added the ticket corner punch, some Moss Taffeta ribbon & that was it. 
Another easy card just perfect for a wedding. 


Don't you just love these stamps?  That phrase 'My dear, kind  & wonderful Friend' is from the set called 'All Holidays.'  It makes any card beautiful.
The flowers are from another of my new favorite sets - called Wonderful You.
I stamped the flowers in Riding Hood Red, stamping off once on the bottom one.  The leaves were stamped in So Saffron.
And - notice no embellishments again?  Not even ribbon?!!
None needed in my opinion.  

July's Terrific Trio Cardstock Combo's

Real Red, Bashful Blue & Wild Wasabi

This card features the soon to be retired, 'Unfrogettable' stamp set. 
What am I gonna do without Froggie? 

The scalloped edge on the right side was done with the 3/16th" corner rounder.  The windows are made with the large square punch & the large Oval punch. 

Check out the paper piercing around the Oval window - it was done with the awesome 'Punches Plus' Classy Brass Template on page 187 of the Spring/Summer Catalog.  I just got this after I realized it fits many of our punches & makes paper piercing around them a breeze. 

Turquoise, Old Olive & Taken with Teal

Aren't these flowers neat? 
I used our Scalloped punch & just cut up into each scallop part way & flipping every other petal up.  The flower centers are done by stamping one of the Pick a Petal stamps onto patterned paper or card stock & cutting them out by hand.
The main card is stamped with the Polka Dot background using Versamark ink and embossing with Clear EP.  I used the 3/16" corner rounder to make the scalloped border.

The ribbon is the awesome Poly-twill Olive ribbon that was in the Occasions Mini catalog. 
I sure hope that comes back in the Fall/Winter catalog & that they add many more colors of it!  Happy Birthday was embossed using White EP.

Ruby Red, Groovy Guava & River Rock

Somehow this looks green in the picture, but the main card is really River Rock.
The patterned paper is from the Ginger Blossom's Designer Series paper.
That beautiful saying stamp is from 'All Holiday's' on page 146 of the current catalog & is stamped using Ruby Red craft ink & embossed with clear powder. 
A quick & easy card.

***Remember to get these In Colors & all coordinating accessories like the stitched ribbon & papers during July before they run out. 
Once the Retiring Accessory list comes out on July 21st, I bet they'll go fast!

June's Color Combo Cards

This month the three Cardstock Club Combo's are:

Blue Bayou, Soft Sky & Pomegranate

Certainly Celery, Apricot Appeal & Regal Rose

Gable Green, YoYo Yellow & Brocade Blue

If you'd like to get 8 sheets of 8 1/2 X 11" card stock in each of these color combo's it is just $5.50 plus tax & shipping.  It's a great way to obtain good amounts of our fabulous card stock without ordering full packs of each color. 

The stamp sets I used are Bloomin' Beautiful, Priceless, Fresh Cuts, Blossoms Abound & Stitched Exotics.



I was inspired by the cover of this month's BH & Garden magazine to put this beautiful combo together.  I just loved the colors they used!

May's Cardstock Combo's

Fantastic color combo's this month. 

Rose Red, Handsome Hunter & Blush Blossom

Orchid Opulence, YoYo Yellow & Brilliant Blue

Cameo Coral, Close to Cocoa & Barely Banana

These are the cards that showcase how well these colors work together.  Easy & quick to get great color choices. 

You'll get 8 full sheets (8 1/2" X 11") of each combo - for $5.50 during May.  Call or e-mail me to order them. 

Just a tip on how I arrive at these color combo's each month.  I consider the seasons & holidays coming up & use the Stampin' Up! color wheel as my main tool. It's an awesome & easy to use Color Wheel that has all 48 of our colors in it.  It teaches you how to start with just two colors that coordinate well & then how to add a third, fourth & even a fifth color.  Quick & easy!  Ask me to show you how it works! 

April's Cardstock Color Combo's

 This month's color combo's are really fun.  Choose from soft & pretty or bright & hot!

• Pink Passion, Old Olive & Only Orange
• Pale Plum, Not Quite Navy & Sage Shadow
• Tempting Turquoise, Kraft & Green Galore

If you're not familiar with my color combo's, here is how it works.  I choose a different trio of combos each month (with the help of Shirley & Annette - thanks girls!) for you to choose from. 

You'll get eight full 8 1/2 X 11" sheets - 24 total - of each color in each combo for $5.50.  This gives you a nice amount of each color to work with if you don't want to order full packs of cardstock.

Check out these cards to see how easily these colors work together.

I did faux stitching  around the edge using my Signo white gel pen & the 1/8" hole punch through the front of the petals & inserted white cardstock behind them for contrast.  The ants are shiny & raised because of the added Crystal Effects on them.

 

TIP:  I used the Round Tab punch to create the circle around our Scallop Punch. 

To create the circle, punch with the Round Tab punch in one direction, rotate the punch 90 degrees & punch again.  This creates a perfect circle!

The white swirl & Hello stamps are embossed with white embossing powder.  These stamps are from the Priceless & Hi & Hello stamp sets.


This stamp set is not pictured in the Current Idea Book & Catalog but it is still available.  It is on our very short dormant list that may or may not be included in the next Catalog which comes out this August 2008.  I stamped the image on Watercolor paper & used out Watercolor crayons & an aqua painter to color the image in.

This watercolor paper makes watercoloring a breeze!   It is easy to smoothly blend colors.
The background was done with the Sanded background stamp.