Flowerbug's Inkspot

Bandstand Accordian File Album

 Here is the newest version of my Accordian File album. 

I used the Bandstand Simply Scrappin' kit to make it.  Such a fun bunch of colors, patterned paper and adhesive die-cuts.  Colors and patterns can make a project fabulous. 

This is a project I've been doing for years.  It's a 6 X 6" album created by me. You can purchase it on my Stampin' Shop here.  Just scroll down until you find the Accordian File Album.  Click on that to read about the project.  It's just $5.00.

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We are now moved in to our old/new 'previously flooded' house now.  Moving is hard work!!  We are unpacked but not quite settled in fully.  There are still have so many boxes to find a place for, pictures to hang etc.  But my studio is almost ready!  I have Bunco this Friday night and a downline meeting Saturday so I've got lots to do!  Can't wait to share pictures with you!   

Sooo Many Sale-a-Bration choices

Woo hoo!  The Sale-a-Bration choices are awesome this year!  These are all of the items you can get free with a $50 order from now through March 22nd.  This is my favorite promotion of the Stampin' Up! year! 

There are so many ways you can earn any of these itmes free:

1. Place an order - each $50 order gets you one free choice.  With $150 you get 3 choices plus $25 in FREE merchandise and one package of Silver Glimmer card stock as a SU 25th anniversary bonus.
2. Schedule a home workshop - Invite your friends and family. I'd love to have it in my new studio.
3. Join one of my card clubs - I have openings in my Cyber Card Club and  openings in my local card clubs too very soon.
4. Join my Flowerbug's Team and get them free with all qualifying orders you place until March 22nd!  Plus right now you get an extra 25% more free on your starter kit.  Instead of getting $125 in free product for your $99 starter kit fee you get $156.50 during Sale-a-Bration. And SU pays the shipping; you just pay tax on your starter kit.  It's an incredible deal!  
   

Here's a card we're making at my February All Occasion stamp a stack on 2-16-13.  I used a three of the free Sale-a-Bration products here along with two new Spring Catalog products.  Can you spot them?

Sale-a-Bration products - Sycamore Street Designer series paper, Sycamore Street Ribbon (& buttons) and the Vine Street embossing folder

Spring Catalog - Pinwheel Sizzlit S Die, Make a  Wish stamp set

Other - Tangerine Tango, Island Indigo, Summer Starfruit and White card stock, Markers, Metallic brads, 2 1/2" circle punch

Scrapping Christmas

Here are the layouts we made this month at my Scrapbook Class. 

I should have posted this before the class!  But working on the house and moving has thrown me off of my game for sure.   

This is a fun layout to make.  Using our family photos with the Ornament Keepsakes dies is too cool!  The tree is 6" wide at the base and 12" tall.  You can get three trees from one 12 X 12" Olive card stock.

Supplies:

• Card stock - real Red, Old Olive, Whisper White, Candlelight Christmas dsp (retired), Silver and Red Glimmer card stock 
• Other - Merry Minis punch pack, Ornament Keepsakes framelit dies, Big Shot, Lucky Limeade Bakers Twine, Typeset Alphabet Bigz dies

Here's the other layout we made:

I got the ideas for these pages online, but I cannot remember from where...  Darn memory!

Supplies:

• Card stock - Real Red, White, Black and Wild Wasabi plus Snow Festival dsp (retired)
• Sizzix - Stocking Bigz die, Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, retired Stocking Accents Original die (candy cane and holly leaves)
• Other - 1" circle punch and 1/8" hand held punch for black buttons

Bloomin' Marvelous meets Vine Street

I made this card for a recent Control Freaks swap:

You'll find quite a few new products on this card - mostly from the new Sale-a-Bration (SAB) catalog. 

Vine Street embossing folder - Love it!  I embossed a few sheets of each of the new Co'ordinations card stock - Real Red, Pool Party & Primrose Petals. Then I cut each piece into strips and cut notches at the bottom.

Bloomin' Marvelous stamp set - This was a clear favorite set in the SAB catalog for me.  I love that it has botanical images along with pretty verses.  And the butterfly image matches the new Bitty Butterfly punch in the Spring catalog! 

Satiny Pool Party ribbon! - I just love this ribbon!!  It comes in a pack of three colors - Pool Party, Island Indigo and Tangerine Tango and buttons too!  All FREE with a $50 order. 

See the Sale a Bration catalog here

Other supplies:  Big Shot, New Ovals Framelits, Punches - scalloped oval, Extra large oval, Decorative Label, pearls jewels colored with a sharpie marker, sponge, Bitty Butterfly punch

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Now for some personal news - we are moving back into our flooded house this weekend!!  Yay!  We are so excited and very, very happy to go back to our home.  It isn't quite finished but we had to set a date and we're sticking with it! It's been over 19 months since it was flooded up to the ceiling with water that lasted 3 weeks ruining most of our house. 

My husband has been working so hard finishing much of it himself - right now he is installing doors and trim.  It's looking so nice!  Lately we are there each night until midnight or later! So now you know why I haven't been posting here as much as usual.  I am packing, cleaning and moving some each day.  We are so looking forward to being done with this rebuild.  Even though it won't really be finished since the basement, garage and the yard still need work.... but we'll get to that this summer and then some.  My husband especially needs a break from working day and night!

I'll share some pics of the house later - especially my new, refurbished studio!! 

 

Sale-a-Bration starts today!!

Stampin' Up!'s annual and most favorite promotion starts today!  Click on the link below to browse through it.

 

 

Sale a Bration Brochure here

****Scroll down to see everything! 

 

 Everything you see in this catalog is FREE.  That's right - it's all free! 

Customers: Spend $50 and get one FREE sale-a-bration choice
Spend $150 and get three FREE sale-a-bration choices plus a FREE pack of Silver Glimmer paper.

Hostess : Have a $150 workshop, get free glimmer paper
Have a $400 workshop, get the Madison Avenue stamp set, Sycamore Street designer paper and Sycamore Street Buttons and Ribbon pack FREE plus the silver Glimmer paper.
This is in addition to what you spend as a customer and the normal hostess benefits.

Demonstrators: The best deal is to sign up to be a demo.....even if it is just for the kit....  You get to choose $156.50 in product and only pay..........$99 plus tax in your state. Shipping is always FREE on a starter kit. Then you start saving 20% on everything you purchase and of course there are a lot of additional benefits!!  See them all here. 

Let me know if you'd like to place an order, or just go to my online website here to do just that. 

Pretty Window Valentine

Here is the other card we made this month at my card clubs:

I love the color combination of Melon Mambo, Basic Gray and Vanilla.  So pretty.

We used quite a few Big Shot items here including two sets of framelits.  The pretty scalloped heart and the small outline Vanilla stamp are from the Hearts a Flutter stamp set and framelits.

See that pretty ribbon?  It's the new Striped Organdy Melon Mambo ribbon in the Spring Catalog.  And did you catch that soft pink tinged flower rose?  It's the new flower trim, also in the Spring Catalog.  Just cut off one and add ink with a sponge, as much or as little as you'd like.  We added a pearl jewel in the middle of it too.

Here is the inside view. We used the Gray heart die-cut from the card front on the inside of the card, paper piercing it using the new Occasions Paper-Piercing pack on page 27.

Supplies:

• Stamps – Hearts a Flutter, Friendly Phrases, Wacky Wishes, Delightful Dozen 
• Card stock –Vanilla, Melon Mambo, Basic Gray, Silver glimmer
• Ink – Melon Mambo, Black  
• Accessories – dimensionals, Melon striped organdy ribbon, mini glue dots, sponge, Adorning Accents embossing folder, Big Shot, Hearts Collection and Hearts a  Flutter framelits, Lacy Brocade embossing folder, small heart punch, Occasions paper piercing pack, piercing mat and tool, Vintage flowers, pearls

Measurements:  Basic Gray main card – 5 ½” X 8 ½”, Vanilla layer is 5 ¼” X 4” for the Melon die-cut pieces you need just one 4 ¼” X 5 ½”

New Single Stamps!

Ten Never-Before-Seen Images!

You wanted more? You got more! We've had a great response so far to our single stamps. So much so that we are making ten more never-before-seen images available as single stamps through March 31, 2013.

Here are the two flyers to see them better.

Single_Stamps_Assortment 3

Single_Stamps_Assortment 4

Details

• You can find the stamp item numbers on the flyers.
• Single stamps can be ordered in the online store or on a customer or workshop order.
• These won't be sent in our typical cases or packaging; they'll be packaged in cello bags. If you'd like a case for your stamp, you can buy our Clear-Mount Stamp Cases that come in packs of four (item 119105).
• The stamps come in clear mount only and do not come with a Clear-Mount Block, so you'll need to buy a block separately if you don't already have one. The recommended block sizes can be found on the flyer. 
• There's no limit on how many pieces you can buy.
• These stamps are only available through March 31, 2013, so get them while you can!

Coffee Cup Shaped Gift Card

I knew my gals would love making this card but I totally underestimated how much they would love it!!  We made it for this month's Card Clubs.

My creative friend Lorri Heiling made this for a swap last year.  She truly is a gifted card maker.  Check it out!

She has a video tutorial on her blog here. Thank you Lorri!!

I adjusted mine just a little bit from her measurements as it still didn't quite fit in an A2 envelope.

Here are my directions:

1. Cut the base for the card at 4” X 10”.  Score at 5”.  Fold the card in half and make a mark ½” from the fold on both sides.  Use a paper cutter to cut off from the mark to the upper corner of the card.  This forms the cup shape.
2. Run one side of this card through the Big Shot using the embossing folder of your choice. 
3. Add adhesive to just the outer edges of the Celery card to secure and close it up forming a pocket at the top.  See photo below. 
4. Run the Crumb Cake rectangle through your crimper and lay it over the cup shaped card.  Turn it over and cut off the excess Crumb Cake edges. 
5. Wrap the ribbon around this piece securing the ends in the back.  Adhere to the Celery cup card.
6. Ink the ‘just for you’ stamp with markers and stamp onto White scrap card stock.  Punch out with the large oval punch.  Adhere to the Celery scalloped oval punched piece.
7. Ink the Four Frames stamp in Espresso ink and stamp onto a larger White scrap piece.  Punch out with the Decorative Label punch.  Add these together with dimensionals and then to the card, over the ribbon.
8. To make the inside of the card:  Make a mark ½” from the bottom edges of your Espresso rectangle.  Cut off an angle from the mark to the top – on both sides. 
9. Add adhesive along just the very top of this Espresso piece.  Add the White 1” X 4 ¼” strip that has had the corners rounded on top.  These pieces meet at the top edge.  Finish up by adding the narrow ¼” X 4 ¼” strip over the 1” white strip.
   

Add a gift card to the Espresso piece with double stick tape or glue dots.  Slide inside the pocket.

Supplies:

Stamps – Pop Up Posies ‘Just for You’ stamp, Four Frames Card stock – Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso Ink – Early Espresso, markers Accessories –  Elegant Lines or Perfect Polka dot embossing folders, crimper, Chocolate or Olive scalloped polka dot ribbons, dimensionals, Large oval, scallop oval & Decorative Oval punches, corner rounder punch

Measurements – Celery main card – 4 X 10”, Crumb Cake – 2” X 4”, Espresso inside piece 4 ½” X 3”, cut off an angle ½” from bottom to top, White strips for top – 1” X 4 ¼” & ¼”  X 4 ¼”

*****If you like making fun cards like this one consider joining my Cyber Card Club.  You'll get 2 pre-cut cards each month just for placing an order through me!  My Club cards are always a bit 'over the top' with fun folds, techniques or just plain WOW. Just a $30 order each month gets you a cards kit and step-by-step pdf directions just like above along with photos too. 

Try it for a month to see what you think.  If you stay in for 6 month's you'll get a free stamp set from me too; your choice from many of my extras including exclusive hostess sets. 

Contact me to join!  lagreff@gmail.com 

25th Anniversary Monthly 'Best of' Stamp Sets!

As part of Stampin' Up!'s 25-year anniversary celebration, we're bringing back some of our favorite stamp images from the last quarter century and combining them into 12 sets, which will be released - one set per month - during 2013. Even better, along with some great classic images, each "Best of" set will also include a never-before-seen image!

• All Best of stamp sets will include 3-5 images, including a never-before seen image, and will be priced at $14.95.
• While we are releasing just one Best of stamp set per month (with a new theme each month), all of the Best of sets will be available until March 31, 2014.
• A new flyer will be released every month for each new Best of set.
• All Best of stamp sets are available in Clear-Mount only.

As a special incentive to collect the Best of stamps, starting in February we're including a collector's card and 25-year proof of purchase sticker with every Best of set. Collect six stickers, and send it in to redeem a FREE set of your choice valued up to $14.95! Free sets must be redeemed no later than April 30, 2014.

 Best of Birthdays flyer