Butterfly Garden

I'm venturing out of my comfort zone today and into more mod territory. My inspiration comes from 2 challenges: Stamps and Smiles sketch teamed with The Pink Elephant color challenge: red, yellow, black and white. (specifically for me Ruby Red and Crushed Curry)

• My card base is textured Basic Black (scored to 5" x 7") layered with Ruby Red and a subtle text print from Night and Day Specialty Designer Series Paper. TIP: This set of bold black and white prints also includes 2 polka-dotted window sheets. Ooh-la-la!

• A strip of Crushed Curry Patterned Paper is combined with a sassy scallop to create a quick border. Black and white ribbon from my stampin' stash adds texture.

• The sentiment is from Lovely Labels (retired). It was punched using the 1.25" Circle Punch and layered atop a 1.75" black circle as well as a Ruby Red scalloped circle.

My fluttery friends are from the Great Friend stamp set. The black butterflies sparkle in the sun with a layer glitter. Here's how: I stamped the butterflies in StazOn ink and sprinkled Heat and Stick Powder on immediately after stamping. Using my Heat Tool I quickly melted the powder until it was tacky and then added my glitter. Gently folded wings paired with Stampin' Dimensionals make these beauties 'pop' from my card front... a modern butterfly garden, don't you think?

Tomorrow: Join me for a Simple Sketch Challenge
at Pals Paper Arts.

Sassy Stampers:
SHOP ONLINE 24/7

Stamps: Great Friend (113792), Lovely Labels (retired)
Paper: Ruby Red (102030), Textured Neutrals - 12x12 astd. (108693), Crushed Curry Patterns (115686), Night and Day Specialty Designer Series (116768)
Ink: Crushed Curry (115659), Ruby Red (102259), StazOn (101406)
Tools: 1.75" (104401) and 1.25" (104403) Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch
Must-Haves: Heat and Stick Powder (100625), Heat Tool (100005), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)
Sassy Somethings: Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter (102023)

Blog CANDY

Following a week of ribbon ideas and quick tutorials - are you feeling inspired to try something new? I would love feedback on projects YOU would like to see featured on Sassy Stampin'. Is there a particular technique, special stamp set, or favorite product that you would like to see me demonstrate or create? I'm all yours! No really, I am. ;)

Leave a comment on this post about what you would love to see here -- and ya know, maybe a sweet sentiment to make me smile.

You've got until Wednesday, September 9th at midnight to leave a comment - I'll announce the winner here on Thursday morning.

But, Denise... what IS the blog candy?? Ohh gosh, I almost forgot to tell you! (I got distracted by my daughter hollering her baby head off in the other room.) Up for grabs:

Bella's Bloom Stamp Set and
Manhattan Flowers Impressions Folder

And don't forget:
TODAY is the LAST day to take advantage of my
exclusive FREE Ribbon Promotion.

Place an online order with me for $40 or more in product by Tuesday, September 8th, at 11:59 pm CST and receive your choice of a FREE roll of Ribbon. (up to $8.95 value) Spend $100 or more in product and receive two rolls of Ribbon.* TIP: Additional hostess benefits begin at $150. CLICK HERE for more details.

Sassy Stampers:
SHOP ONLINE 24/7

Ribbon Reminder

Just a quick reminder that my exclusive FREE Ribbon Promotion is continuing through the holiday weekend. Don't miss out on the opportunity to add some fabulous ribbon to your stampin' stash!

Place an online order with me for $40 or more in product by Tuesday, September 8th, at 11:59 pm CST and receive your choice of a FREE roll of Ribbon. (up to $8.95 value) Spend $100 or more in product and receive two rolls of Ribbon.* TIP: Additional hostess benefits begin at $150.

• Click here to ORDER ONLINE. Look for the Shop Now button.

• Product total must be $40 or more. (before taxes and shipping)

• E-mail me your choice of ribbon by Wednesday, September 9th. (*pg. 182-183 of the Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog, value of each spool up to $8.95)

• Your free ribbon will arrive separately from your order in mid September.

Sassy Stampers:
ORDER ONLINE 24/7

Ribbon Blossoms

Our wonderful week of ribbon continues at Sassy Stampin' with Ribbon Blossoms. Earlier in the week I demonstrated how to create Ribbon Ruffles using Double-Stitched ribbon. Today, we are going to use the same technique to make sassy blossoms. Need a review of the Ribbon Ruffle technique? Click here.

Cut your ribbon to 12-16" in length. Pull the stitching from the same side on both ends - creating the 'scrunch'. The ribbon will naturally start to curve inward.

Be sure that the entire length of ribbon has a tight scrunch. Then, using the excess thread that you pulled, tie a tight knot. (similar to bow tying - but just a knot) You should have a 'donut'. Trim the excess thread. You may also want to tuck your ends for a neater presentation. I do this by simply creating a little fold and tacking it with a few Mini Glue Dots. (my fingers get in the way if I try to photo it ;) TIP: You can gently shape your flower but too much tugging may result in pulling out the knot.

More card details:

• The inspiration for my layout today comes from Our Creative Corner's sketch challenge as well as The Pink Elephant challenge. For Pink Elephant we had to use: 2 squares, 1 ribbon, and something shiny. Check, check, and check!

• My Melon Mambo card base is 5.5" square and is layered with Rich Razzleberry as well as Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper. To separate the 2 prints I added a scallop edge.

• The main panel is Rich Razzleberry with a slim matte of Crushed Curry. The Razzleberry was textured using an embossing folder.

• The leaves are from the Central Park stamp set. A pair of super sharp scissors are a necessity when you're doing detailed trimming. Paper Snips are my favorite go-to. TIP: If you ever get 'gunk' on your scissors from adhesive, you can use nail polish remover to clean them.

• A combination of Mini and Pop-Up Glue Dots were used to adhere my flower layers and So Saffron button. I really nestled the button down into the center section to encourage the ribbon to 'poof' up.
  

• The 'thank you' sentiment with butterfly from Oval All seemed perfect for this blossoming beauty. I snipped it out and framed it with Hodgepodge Hardware for extra sass. (and something shiny)

Ready to make your own Ribbon Blossoms?
Take advantage of my exclusive Ribbon Promotion.
CLICK HERE for all the details.

Sassy Stampers:
ORDER ONLINE 24/7

Stamps: Central Park (113732), Oval All (113790)
Paper: Melon Mambo (115320), Rich Razzleberry (115316), Crushed Curry (115319), Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series (115675)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (100908), Old Olive (102277)
Tools: Paper Snips (103579), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Apron Lace Punch
Must-Haves: Mini (103683) and Pop-Up Glue Dots (104183)
Sassy Somethings: Rose Red (111846) and Chocolate Chip (111849) Double-Stitched Ribbon, Hodgepodge Hardware - currently available in Styled Silver (111325) or Styled Vanilla (112454), Button Latte (114333)

Linen Thread - PPA6

Pals Paper Arts is hosting a Color Challenge this week: Ruby Red, Crushed Curry, and Brocade Blue. Everyone is welcome to participate and to substitute colors as necessary... even I had to sub a bit this week - replacing Brocade Blue with Bordering Blue (both part of the Stampin' Up! Rich Regals color family). These colors are rich and reminiscent of a brisk fall evening.

My card's layout is inspired by this week's sketch at Card Positioning Systems. The details:

• My Ruby Red card base is 6" square. (I found some large vellum envelopes at my local craft store that perfectly accommodate larger cards.) A layer of Crushed Curry and a Ruby Red print from Autumn Traditions Designer Series Paper provide the backdrop.

• For my main panel I stamped the tree from Season of Friendship in Chocolate Chip onto Very Vanilla and used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to add fall leaves in Crushed Curry and Chocolate.

• Two thin mattes of Bordering Blue and Crushed Curry highlight the tree image. My 3/16" Corner Rounder made things interesting by only punching 2 opposing corners.

• Instead of using ribbon today I opted for Linen Thread. I love the organic feel that this thread lends projects. In addition, it is the perfect go-to product for tying through button holes. At only $4.50 for 15 yards, you should definitely add it to your order! To wrap it around my panel I tacked down one end with adhesive, wrapped, and tacked the finished end. So simple but also SO sassy! For a little extra ooh-la-la, I tied on a Playground Button.

• The entire tree panel is popped using Stampin' Dimensionals. I zipped a piece of Bordering Blue through my Big Shot using the Matchbox Bigz XL Die. Not only does the Matchbox Die produce adorable favors, it also creates 3 functional (and fashionable) labels.

• I stamped the Season of Friendship sentiment into the label - attaining perfect placement by once again using my Stamp-a-ma-jig. The snippets of swirl were added with a stamp from Season of Joy. (It was still hanging around on my craft desk from yesterday. ;)

Come play along with us at Pals Paper Arts!

Sassy Stampers love to Shop!
ORDER ONLINE 24/7

Stamps: Season of Friendship (111776), Season of Joy (110384)
Paper: Ruby Red (102030), Crushed Curry (115319), Bordering Blue (102630), Very Vanilla, Autumn Traditions Designer Series (115668)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (100908), Crushed Curry (115659), Brocade Blue Stampin' Write Marker (100064)
Tools: 3/16" Corner Rounder (109047), Stamp-a-ma-jig (101049), Matchbox Bigz XL Die (114890)
Sassy Somethings: Linen Thread (104199), Playground Buttons (116313)

The Perfect Bow

I've gotten several requests to demonstrate my bow making technique. This is one of the ways that I like to create bows - especially for cards that need to be mailed because the result isn't too "poofy".

Apply Sticky Strip where you plan for your ribbon to be placed. Here it is the 'seam' where the 2 patterns meet. Leave a small gap without adhesive. (see where I'm pointing) Remove the backing ONLY from the long piece of sticky strip and adhere your ribbon.

For the bow, cut a strip of ribbon and apply adhesive to one end. For a medium bow I used a 7" strip of 5/8" cream grosgrain. Next, adhere the two ends together and create a circle.

Grab your thread (baker's or button twine) and a sassy button.
Thread both ends through the button holes, keeping a loop of thread.

Slide your button loop onto your ribbon strip to the place where there is no adhesive. Also slide your ribbon circle into place. Tighten the thread (the middle should 'scrunch') and tie in a tight knot against the button. Remove the backing from the remaining Sticky Strip and tack your excess ribbon down - tucking the end over the edge for a clean and neat presentation. Trim your excess thread and 'voila!' - a sassy bow!

My snowy hills were made using the 1.75" Circle Punch and trimming them to line up with the bottom edge. A few halfback pearls accent the trees and are the perfect sassy something to finish up this simple card.

This Christmas cutie also meets the 'requirements for this week's Pile It On Challenge - Think Spots and Dots. It is based on the sketch that I found at Stamps and Smiles as well as a great example for this week's Practical Scrappers challenge. FOUR challenges - WOW!

I hope you'll play along with us at Color Throwdown this week - I can't wait to see what you create!

Holiday Mini & FREE Ribbon!

The Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog is bursting
with inspiration, holiday products,

and stampin' necessities.

Click the Catalog Cover to Download and Browse
Still need a hard copy to hold in your hot little hands?
E-mail me and I'll pop one in the mail to you pronto.

In conjunction with the debut of the Holiday Mini Catalog, I am also providing an exclusive Sassy Stampin' Offer:

Place an online order with me for $40 or more in product by Tuesday, September 8th, at 11:59 pm CST and receive your choice of a FREE roll of Ribbon. (up to $8.95 value) Spend $100 or more in product and receive two rolls of Ribbon.* TIP: Additional hostess benefits begin at $150.

• Click here to ORDER ONLINE. Look for the Shop Now button.

• Product total must be $40 or more. (before taxes and shipping)

• E-mail me your choice of ribbon by Wednesday, September 9th. (*pg. 182-183 of the Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog, value of each spool up to $8.95)

• Your free ribbon will arrive separately from your order in mid-September.
  

Hostess Bonus: For Workshop Orders of $250 or more, you get to choose any item from the Holiday Mini for only $10! (excludes Hostess sets and My Digital Studio)

This is a perfect opportunity to combine a few orders together -- girls at the office, neighbors, family -- and take advantage of this sassy treat! (I've got my eye on the Pop-Up Tree.)

Need more details about placing a Workshop Order? E-Mail me and we'll create a plan to get you LOTS of FREE goodies!

Please Note: My Digital Studio and Simply Adorned are currently not available for purchase. As soon as they are available (projected to be later this month) I will announce it here.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER ONLINE 24/7

Tomorrow:
Another Ribbon Technique
Plus, A Special Surprise