Farewell to French Foliage

The good news?  The NEW Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog goes live on Friday afternoon, May 31st!  The sad news?  A TON of cool stuff will be retired and June 3rd is the last day to order.  One stamp set that I'm super bummed to see retired is French Foliage.  I love the versatility of this set and the artsy feel of the images.

Here's a card that I made using French Foliage - it was a hit with my CLOcards customers!

Besides the retiring French Foliage stamp set, other retiring products on this card include More Mustard ink and cardstock, Old Olive Scallop Dots ribbon, and Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper. You can find them all in the Retiring Products section in my Online Store.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe
Stamps:  French Foliage (retiring!!), Sweet Essentials
Ink:  Old Olive, More Mustard (retiring!!), So Saffron, Soft Suede
Paper:  Soft Suede, So Saffron, More Mustard (retiring!!), Summer Smooches DSP (retiring!!)
Extras:  Old Olive Scallop  Dots ribbon (retiring!!), Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Dimensionals
Inspired by:  Kay Kalthoff

Purchase the Stampin’ Up! Supplies to make this project at my ONLINE STORE.

Retired Accessories List (only available while supplies last) 

• Download: Stampin' Up! Retired Accessories
• Shop: Retired Accessories

Retired Stamps List (all available until June 3rd)

• Download:  Retired Stamp List (PDF)
• Shop:  Retired Wood Mount Stamps
• Shop:  Retired Clear Mount Stamps

Also - you can add on current and Clearance Rack merchandise too.  Order your favorites before they are gone, gone, gone!

**Want a NEW Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog?  Just $3 if you pick it up from me or $5 if I ship it directly to you.  Leave me a comment if you want one!

**In the area?  Stop by my Annual SU! NEW Catalog Open House on Saturday, June 1st from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.  See brand NEW products from the 2013-14 Annual Catalog, stamp something using NEW products, peruse the Garage Sale table (which includes retiring color products!!!) and enjoy munchies and good company.   BONUS: You will receive a 50% credit back on your "garage sale" purchases to be used against your "new catalog orders" made that day!  Contact me for directions.  Hope to see YOU there!

Thanks for stopping by CLOcards today!

~Hugs~   Cheryl O.    J

Grad Cap Announcements

Graduation time!  And the grad cap says CONGRATS in a big way!  There are various versions of the grad cap card, but this one is easy with no extra trimming.  I cut the white cardstock to 8"x8" and scored side to side at 4", then again the other side to side at 4", and once diagonally.  Tuck the diagonal corners in and crease on all score marks.

The tassel is easier to make than it looks!  I found instructions online that are pretty close to what I did (see below). I also painted all my brads to match the blue cardstock.

Supply List for Decorative Tassel

• Piece of cardboard about the same length you want the tassel to be. Try an index card or small postcard.
• Yarn, embroidery floss, pearl cotton, or ribbon.
• (Optional). Contrasting colored yarn, thread, or ribbon for binding the tassel.
• Scissors.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Making a Decorative Tassel

1. Wind the yarn around and around the cardboard. The more you wind, the thicker the tassel will be. Cut when you reach the desired thickness.
2. Cut another short length of yarn and slip it under the looped yarn, then tie in a loose knot.
3. Cut through the yarn on the other end of the cardboard and remove the cardboard. You should have a tuft of yarn, gathered on one end, that looks something like a mop.
4. Cut another length of yarn about 24" to wind around the tassel. For very thick tassels, cut a longer length of winding yarn. This yarn can be the same as the tassel or in a contrasting color to add visual interest. For a different look, you could try using floss or ribbon to bind a yarn tassel.
5. Make a loop in one end of the winding yarn and hold the loop against the gathered end of the tassel. Starting about a quarter of the way down, wind the yarn around the tassel, leaving the bottom tail of the loop hanging free about 1/2” below the winding area. Wind tightly, moving toward the top of the tassel as you go, until you only have a short length left to wind. Make sure to leave the yarn loop free on top and the tail of the loop below.
6. Thread the free end of the winding yarn through the loop, then pull the tail of the loop down under the wound area until the loop and the loose end of the winding yarn are hidden by the wound yarn. Trim the tail, if needed.
7. Trim the bottom ends of the tassel. Remove the loose loop that held the gathered end together.
8. Attach the tassel to your project by stitching with yarn or embroidery floss.  I attached mine under the brad.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Dot Invitation (retired), scroll (PSX)
Ink:  Basic Black, Brilliant Blue and Real Red markers
Paper:  Brilliant Blue, Real Red, Whisper White
Extras:  Blender pen, embroidery floss, brads
Inspired by:  my friend Gina!

Purchase the Stampin’ Up! Supplies to make this project at my ONLINE STORE.

Be sure to leave me a comment if you have any questions  - or compliments! - at all.

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Hugs~   Cheryl O.    J

Graduation Suite

I've enjoyed rubber stamping as a hobby for years, but I really have to give my friend Paula the credit for getting me started with my own business, CLOcards!  She asked me a few years back to create graduation announcements for her son - which I did!  It was my first 'big job' and I wasn't really sure what to charge - but I had a lot of fun with it!  I made 150 and impressed all those 'golf ball dimples' into each one - whew!

Then a couple of years later - in a new state and graduating from a new high school - she asked me to create grad invitations for her next son.  Here's what we came up with - a Criss Cross card!  The instructions by Lynn Birus were super helpful.

The criss-cross pocket is really quite easy to create from a 1/2 sheet of cardstock, and no adhesive at the bottom allows the inserts to slide all the way in.

A belly band encircles the card pocket and is accented with the school symbol, a panther pawprint embossed in black.

I also created matching Thank You notes - easy peasy with Stampin' Up!'s notecards and envelopes!

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Sketch an Event, Engraved Greetings (retired), Paw Print (Stampabilities)
Ink:  Basic Black, Versamark
Paper:  Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White, 2011 (TCP Studios)
Extras:  Orange/black embroidery floss (DMC), Black embossing powder, SU! notecards, circle punches, 5/8" Real Red grosgrain ribbon (retired)
Inspired by:  Lynn Birus

Purchase the Stampin’ Up! Supplies to make this project at my ONLINE STORE.

Happy Graduation, everyone!

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Hugs~   Cheryl O.    J

Grad Announcements and Congrats

Got a graduation in your near future?  Here's another simple idea to get you started!  I used this design for both my son's college open house invitation and congratulation cards for other college grads!

The larger patterned paper square is matted in white, then the center is punched out.  I ran a gold leafing pen around the inside edge of the cutout square opening to give it some definition, then attached the matted grad cap image diagonally using Dimensionals.

I made one version with guys in mind ...

... and another with girls in mind.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Introducing (retired), Congrats (retired), Well Scripted (retired), grad cap (unknown)
Ink:  Versamark
Paper:  Basic Black, Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant, Purple Argyle (Paper Pizzazz), patterned and flowered papers (BasicGrey)
Extras:  gold leafing pen (Krylon), gold embossing powder, square punches
Inspired by:  me!

Purchase the Stampin’ Up! Supplies to make this project at my ONLINE STORE.

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Hugs~   Cheryl O.    J

Graduation Congrats - 2 Ways

If you're scrambling for some last-minute grad card ideas, stay tuned this week and next!  I'll show you a few cards I've made recently.

This card follows a fun, easy sketch and zeroes in on the grad's school colors.  It's pretty easy to put together - and the focal point image gets extra attention when you attach it using Dimensionals.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Event Full (retired)
Ink:  Basic Black, Brilliant Blue (retired)
Paper:  Real Red, Brilliant Blue (retired), Basic Black, Whisper White, 2011 (TPC Studio)
Extras:  Blender pen, Square Lattice TIEF, black brads
Inspired by:  me!

Purchase the Stampin’ Up! Supplies to make this project at my ONLINE STORE.

I hope this gets your creative graduation juices flowing! Be sure to let me know if you have any questions at all.  Thanks for stopping by today!

~Hugs~   Cheryl O.    J

Saturday Morning Videos: Bloomin' Bouquet Project Kit

   

Good morning and welcome to Saturday Morning Cartoons Videos!  Take a look at this video of the brand new kit, Bloomin' Bouquet, just in time for your special May events!

(Email readers go to my BLOG to see this!)

Mother's Day. Teacher appreciation. Just because. Say thank you with this no-maintenance bouquet. There's no watering, no weeding-just enjoying. This easy-to-assemble kit comes complete with the petals, stems, and buttons to create the flowers, as well as four different tags to make this the perfect gift for any occasion. All you need is some paper, ribbon or a vase to add the finishing touches to the bouquet.

As if that weren't enough, the kit contains a "baker's dozen"! This means you can create and give (or keep) a dozen flowers, and have a bonus flower left over to pass along to someone new! Give it to someone you wouldn't normally think of: a teller at the bank, a grocery store clerk, or the librarian at your local library. Anyone you encounter on your way that you'd like to give a little "thank you" to-and introduce them to Stampin' Up!

Ordering information:

Item 134542    $12.95

Available starting April 29, while supplies last.

Kit contents:

• 2 sheets of preprinted and precut flowers on 12" X 12" cardstock; makes 13 flowers using Pool Party, Gumball Green, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, and Rich Razzleberry
• 13 Vintage Faceted Buttons
• 13 green floral wire stems

Adhesive not included. (Glue gun recommended.)

Thanks for watching cartoons videos with me today!  And if you're in the mood for cartoon video reruns, check out my Videos page!

~Hugs~   Cheryl O.    J

Show & Tell: NEW totally clear stamps!

If you haven't tried Stampin' Up!'s photopolymer stamp sets yet, now is the time! I've got two more for you: Show & Tell 1 and 2. Together these sets feature more than 60 versatile images that you can mix and match to create personalized backgrounds, patterns, layers, and dimensions to make any project stand out.

Show & Tell 1

Show & Tell 2

Show & Tell Flyer

And even better, these sets are featured in the new Seeing the Possibilities class! Take this class to discover how quickly and easily you can line up the stamped images for precision placement, achieve just the right ink coverage, combine images together exactly where you want them. . .well you get the idea. The possibilities are endless! 

Bundle these stamp sets and the class and save 15%!

Be sure to leave a comment if you have any questions at all.

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Hugs~   Cheryl O.    J