Stay in Touch with CLOcards!

Hey, stampers and scrappers!!  How have you been? I hope you're doing great.  I just wanted to drop you a note and say that I love staying in touch with so many of you.  The way I do that mostly these days is through a weekly email. If you'd like to get in on the CLOcards news that way, just contact me and I'll add you to my emailing list!  I'd love to include you 'in the loop' - and you'd be able to unsubscribe at any time.  I hope to hear from you!  

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Hugs~   Cheryl O.    J

Cheryl  L.  Owczarek  |  CLOcards
Inspired Design since 1998 ~ Handmade creations for any occasion

Email  |  Website  |  SHOP  |  Pinterest  | Facebook  |  SCS Gallery

Connecting with CLOcards and Stampin' Up!

Have you ever been to the circus and seen the plate spinner?  He or she gets the plates spinning and then, in very orchestrated fashion, makes the rounds to each and every one to keep them going, not letting a single one drop.  Amazing. Awe-inspiring.  And just a bit daunting!

Lately, I've been re-evaluating how I spend my time - and how I can simplify to make life more peaceful!  Between spending hours with my family and friends, working full time as a college receptionist and visit coordinator, being faithful in my church-related commitments, and planning events and classes for my Stampin' Up! customers and club members . . . well, I've realized I have more plates spinning than I can keep up with!

So I will be taking a short hiatus from blogging.  I will update when I get the urge and the time - but I will not be far away.  You can find me in multiple places online, no worries!

If you would like to join my emailing list for weekly Stampin' Up! updates, be sure to email me!  I love to interact with my stampin' peeps, so be sure to comment on Facebook, Pin my creations on your boards, and visit my Splitcoaststampers Gallery every now and then.  I welcome any questions you may have.  And yes, you can keep on shoppin' my Online Store!!

Thanks for your business, your support, and most of all for your friendship!

Warmly, Cheryl O.  

Cheryl  L.  Owczarek  |  CLOcards
Inspired Design since 1998 ~ Handmade creations for any occasion

Email  |  Website  |  SHOP  |  Pinterest  | Facebook  |  SCS Gallery

Wedding Season is coming!

Happy March!  It's actually starting to feel a bit warmer in MN - the birds are singing and I'm pretty sure there is still green grass underneath all those feet of snow!  With spring comes engagement season with the promise of summer weddings!  I am currently working with 3 brides, and what fun it is!  Take a look at my Pinterest boards to see their different styles.

Since I do not spoil the bride's privilege of surprise by showing you her creations before the wedding, I have waited a while to show you my December bride's invitation.  Bri was a joy to work with, she knew exactly what she wanted, and was so appreciative of everything I did.

The main, matted piece of the invitation involved inking the rubber stamp with Cherry Cobber ink, coloring over the stems with an Early Espresso marker, stamping, and then adding gold dots, i.e. 'snow', with a gold marker.  The other two inserts were stamped solely with Cherry Cobber ink.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Thank You Kindly (retired), Winter Berries by Penny Black
Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso
Paper:  Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Vellum Cardstock, Whisper White Notecards/Envelopes
Extras:  Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding ribbon, gold cording, gold marker
Inspired by:  Brianna's ideas!

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

You can find a lot more pics on my Facebook page, CLOcards.  Be sure to let me know if you have any questions!  Thanks for stopping by today!

~Hugs~   Cheryl O.    J

Mayer Holiday Open House

Mayer Holiday Open House & Boutique

Mayer Community Center ~ Mayer, MN 55360

Come see me at this fun annual Holiday Boutique!  Lots of hand made crafts - including those by CLOcards!  Start your shopping early with 25+ vendors & crafters, refreshments and door prizes. Mayer Community Center located at 413 Bluejay Avenue.

Mayer Rising Community Festival: Craft & Vendor Show!!

Join me this coming weekend for this year's

Mayer Rising Community Festival Craft & Vendor Show

July 13, 2013  ~  9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.  ~  Mayer Community Center  ~  Mayer, MN  55360

Lots of hand made crafts - including those by CLOcards! 

Come see me at this fun annual festival ~ stop by say 'hi'!

For updates, visit my Facebook event page.

I would love to see you there!

Thanks for stopping by CLOcards blog today!

~Hugs~   Cheryl O.    J

Purple Wedding Suite: Ceremony Programs

One last day of Wedding Week!  On Wednesday I showed you the things I created for my son's rehearsal dinner.  Today I want to show you the wedding ceremony programs I created!  It was super fun to design this for Marcus and Emily.  I used a standard piece of cardstock and scored it at 2-3/4" from each side, folding the sides in to meet in the middle - it's called a gate fold! The square of Eggplant cardstock is attached to the left side and overlaps the right.

I made good use of all the printing space.  I was amazed how much I could fit in!

A good rule of thumb on wedding programs is to make 75% of the number of expected guests - and then make sure your usherettes remember to hand them out!  I had 80+ left over - but I can use the monogram part on notecards, so that's good!

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Elements of Style, 'O' monogram (PSX)
Ink:  Elegant Eggplant, Basic Black
Paper:  Elegant Eggplant, white linen (non-SU!)
Extras:  Silver cording (retired), Dimensionals
Inspired by:  me!

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

Do you know of a bride who would love to have personalized wedding stationery? Send her to me!  I work with many clients long distance - it is possible!  And remember ... referrals have their rewards!

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Hugs~   Cheryl O.    J

Say GOODBYE to Google Reader!

If you use Google Reader to follow your favorite blogs - including CLOcards! - you probably have seen their latest announcement by now:

Powering Down Google Reader

3/13/2013 04:06:00 PM

Posted by Alan Green, Software Engineer

We have just announced on the Official Google Blog that we will soon retire Google Reader (the actual date is July 1, 2013). We know Reader has a devoted following who will be very sad to see it go. We’re sad too.

There are two simple reasons for this: usage of Google Reader has declined, and as a company we’re pouring all of our energy into fewer products. We think that kind of focus will make for a better user experience.

To ensure a smooth transition, we’re providing a three-month sunset period so you have sufficient time to find an alternative feed-reading solution. If you want to retain your Reader data, including subscriptions, you can do so through Google Takeout.

Thank you again for using Reader as your RSS platform.

I have decided to try another reader called Feedly - we'll see how that goes!  If you love to have all your blog feeds in one place, I encourage you to check it out!

From lifehacker.com:

Feedly is popular, but definitely different than Google Reader. Its interface is less traditional and a bit more "newspaper-like," but it's very pretty. You can, however, get a more traditional Reader-like interface if you prefer. You need to download a browser extension for Chrome or Firefox to use it, but you'll be able to sync your feeds between browsers and even to Feedly's mobile apps. Update: Feedly has also said that they'll have a "seamless" transition method in place when Reader goes down.

Comments or questions?  Let me know what you think!

Thanks for stopping by today!

~ Hugs ~   Cheryl O.

Purple Wedding Suite: Rehearsal Dinner

I've been working like CRAZY on a wedding suite for a May bride.  Eventually, I'll show you her stationery creations.  But for now, I thought you might like to see what I created for my son Marcus' and DIL Emily's wedding - almost 3 years ago now!  Seems hard to believe.

I didn't make the invitations, but I did create some things for the Rehearsal Dinner.  And you can see a sneak peek of the ceremony program below, which I'll show you in greater detail on Friday!

Here's the outside of the Rehearsal Dinner Invitation - carrying out the purple theme with a masculine touch (keeping in mind it was for a 'groom's' dinner).  I inked the Medallion stamp in Pale Plum and then stippled the Perfect Plum and Elegant Eggplant inks onto certain areas of the rubber - then stamped. Sponge daubers could also be used - but I felt the stipple brushes gave a more blended look.

I like to 'logo' the back of my creations:

I also made a few things for the actual rehearsal dinner.  These are table place cards that doubled as favors.  The Hershey's Nuggets are wrapped in stamped address labels and place in a matchbox with a clear sliding lid.

Another thing I like to do for the bridal couple is create a 'guest book' of sorts of the people who are in their wedding party.  At the rehearsal, I took a single photo of each member of the wedding party.  At the dinner, each guest received a journaling card and matching pen and was asked to write memories, advice, funny stories, best wishes, etc. to the couple.  I collected these and put them along with the photos in an album.  I think Marcus and Emily really liked it!

And like I often do when I am on a designing roll, I made a few extra greeting cards using the same supplies!  I used this card for wedding congratulations.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Medallion, Sincere Salutations, Noteworthy (all retired)
Ink:  Pale Plum (retired), Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant
Paper:  Shimmery White, Elegant Eggplant, Basic Black, Lined paper (Creative Memories)
Extras:  Large Rhinestone, Basic Black Satin Ribbon (retired), stipple brushes (retired), Matchbox die, clear transparencies, RSVP pens, Modern Label punch and Movers/Shapers die, address labels
Inspired by:  me ... and a lovely couple I just happen to know!

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

Do you know of a bride who would love to have personalized wedding stationery? Send her to me!  I work with many clients long distance - it is possible!  And remember ... referrals have their rewards!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Be sure to come back Friday for grand finale of Wedding Week!

~Hugs~   Cheryl O.    J

Champagne Wedding Suite: Invitations and Programs

Hello and Happy Monday!  I've been busy working for 2 brides lately - one getting married in May and one getting married in September.  It is so fun to create their dream stationery and see their happy smiles!  Since weddings have been on my mind a lot, I decided that this week on CLOcards will be Wedding Week and I will share with you some past creations I have made!

A few years ago, I had the privilege of creating wedding  invitations and programs for a dear friend.

Emily went with a clean and classy look in brushed gold and champagne cardstocks, accented with a knotted satin ribbon:

To carry through the design theme, the programs were folded and secured with satin ribbon wrapped around and knotted:

Her stationery suite suited the nature of her classy formal wedding perfectly - and she was super pleased with the results!

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe
Stamps:  none
Ink:  none
Paper:  Brushed Champagne and Gold (Anchor Paper)
Extras:  1-1/4" Champagne and Gold satin ribbon (Archivers)
Inspired by:  me - and a couple online ideas!

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

Do you know of a bride who would love to have personalized wedding stationery? Send her to me!  I work with many clients long distance - it is possible!  And remember ... referrals have their rewards!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Be sure to come back Wednesday for more of Wedding Week!

~Hugs~   Cheryl O.    J

2 NEW Pages Added!

I added two new pages to  my blog today:  Videos and Classes.  You can find these anytime in my blog header.  Be sure to take a look - and let me know if these are helpful for you!

Thanks so much!

 ~Hugs~   Cheryl O.    J

TODAY ONLY! 15% off ALL Stampin' Up! stamps

Don't miss out!  Today only, Stampin' Up! is giving you 15% off ALL stamps!

ONE DAY only!  Monday, October 29 - ALL stamps - singles and sets - are 15% off - 24 hours only! What do you need for holiday projects and gifts?  Take a look thru the catalogs on my website - now's the time to get those stamps you've been wanting!  Order online or call me to get in on my 10pm GROUP ORDER tonight. (excludes hostess/bundled/digital stamp sets)

Come 'n get 'em in my ONLINE STORE or call me before 10:00 p.m. (952-955-3806).

You're gonna be GLAD you stopped by today!

~Hugs~   Cheryl O.    J