I will honor the memory of my father but more importantly, I will honor my husband! Together we have faced our share of life's challenges but the joys have been far greater. We have reared three wonderful and successful children and have ten grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. My husband is a very supportive father who is generous with his children and so very proud of them. He is a kind and generous man with all he deals with and is known for his special ability to help heal rifts among coworkers. Can you tell I feel I am one of the luckiest women to have such a husband and father of our children? I used My Digital Studio to create this scrapbook page of one of my favorite pictures. Thanks for coming to visit my blog. Leave your answer to my question in a comment below.

Blessings,

Sue

I will honor the memory of my father but more importantly, I will honor my husband! Together we have faced our share of life's challenges but the joys have been far greater. We have reared three wonderful and successful children and have ten grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. My husband is a very supportive father who is generous with his children and so very proud of them. He is a kind and generous man with all he deals with and is known for his special ability to help heal rifts among coworkers. Can you tell I feel I am one of the luckiest women to have such a husband and father of our children? I used My Digital Studio to create this scrapbook page of one of my favorite pictures. Thanks for coming to visit my blog. Leave your answer to my question in a comment below.

Blessings,

Sue

…the jolly cook of the stamp set Voila is retiring! May he have a wonderful retirement! However…if you don't have him in your stamp collection yet, NOW is the time to order this stamp set before it is too late! Click here to access my online store. I created this card using Voila and Voila To Go for a birthday card for a close friend who was turning 65. I computer generated the greeting. Thanks for visiting and leave a comment so I know you were here.

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp Sets: Voila (115102) and Voila To Go (115104)

Inks: Basic Black

Card Stock: Always Artichoke, Whisper White

Other: Various Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painter

With the announcement of Stampin' Up!'s Color Renovation, I thought it would be fun to see which of the exciting new colors added to the core colors is the favorite. Please take time to take the poll. The last poll asked what In Color was your favorite. Rich Razzleberry was number one, Bermuda Bay and Soft Suede tied for second,Melon Mambo came in third, and Dusty Durango was fourth. Crushed Curry did not receive any votes. My favorite is Melon Mambo and I am so happy it is now a part of the core colors. Rich Razzleberry and Dusty Durango also made the cut…yay! Thanks to all who took part in the poll. Click here to see the new color renovation.

Blessings,

Sue

 Oh my goodness! The lists of Stampin' Up! products that are retiring the end of June are up and I am really shocked. Not only has Stampin' Up! revised their color palette, but they must be revamping all their punches. Now I have had time to adjust to the color revision and look forward to it but the revision of their punches is a big surprise. I own almost all of the punches in this year's catalog and ALL of them are retiring. I have used my punches as much as my stamps on the cards I make. If there were some punches you intended to purchase but just haven't gotten around to it, you must order them right away! Retiring accessories are available only as long as current inventory lasts and will sell out quickly. 

 

Today is the last day you can take advantage of Stampin' Up!'s National Scrapbooking Month special! By ordering one of the stamp sets listed below, and some of them are actually on SALE, you get your choice of four different packages of designer brads for free! Don't delay or you might miss the deadline. Click here to place your order!

May you be having a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend,

Sue

*From Summer Mini Catalog
**Last Chance stamp set!

My Digital Studio software

*From Summer Mini Catalog

Designer brads

Welcome to my  craft corner of the internet! This is my first post as I am just beginning the process of building this blog. I will be featuring scrapbook pages, cards and 3-D items created using My Digital Studio created by Stampin' Up! I will also be posting articles and items of interest to digital crafters. Do come back often to see how this blog grows.

Blessings,

Sue

Here is another card using the Go, Graduate stamp set. This time I used it to create a money holder/card. The high school colors are red and black. Have you ordered your set yet? It is very easy. Just click here then click on 'Order Now' button. The item numbers are 118519 for the wood mount and 120054 for the clear mount set.

Stamp Sets: Go, Graduate and Live Your Dream (retired)

Inks: Basic Black and Whisper White Craft

Paper: Real Red and Basic Black card stock

Other: Black satin ribbon and white grosgrain ribbon

Inside of card

Thanks for coming to visit today. Leave a comment and let me know you were here.

Blessings,

Sue

Can you believe it? We have a National Postcard Week! In honor of this week and in honor of National Scrapbooking Month, I have created this scrapbook page for you using the My Digital Studio program from Stampin' Up!. The postcard is from Salt Lake City where Stampin' Up! holds their annual convention for Stampin' Up! demonstrators. I have included scenes from the 2006 convention where I had the exciting opportunity to walk across the stage in recognition of my five years as a demonstrator. My friend, Trish Brunkhart, was so excited that she…and I practically ran onto the stage….and…off the stage. We were in the spotlight for maybe 10 whole seconds…LOL! At least someone did get a picture of us.

Now…if you would like t o join me at convention as a demonstrator on my team, I would love to have you. This is the best business! Where else can you set your own hours, your own level of business activity, get great support and training from the home office, and have FUN while you are doing it? Now is the perfect time to sign up! The starter kit that includes the My Digital Studio program in addition to stamps, paper, ink pads and markers is only $185 (an over $295 value). But you must sign up by June 30 to take advantage of this offer. Contact me at sue@soggystamper.com for more information.

Thanks for visiting me today. Please leave a comment so I know you were here and do come back again soon.

Blessings, Sue

Check out the fresh, new color palette coming July 1! Stampin' Up! recently announced to us demonstrators that beginning July 1, we will have new color families. This revision is the result of over two years of market studies and a desire to stay up to date with color trends in fashion and home decor. Many of our old favorites are going to be retired, some of the best selling In Colors from previous years are going to be included in the color families and we are getting five new colors. In addition, there will be 5 new In Colors which will be current for two years. Next year, five more new In Colors will be introduced which will also stay current two years. This way, after two years, five In Colors will retire and five new ones will be introduced. Click on the buttons on my sidebar to see color charts in pdf form. Now is the time to stock up on your favorite colors which will be retiring! Visit my online store to place your orders! Thanks for stopping by today! Blessings, Sue Erickson

Over on Utah Diva's International, we had a contest during April called "Spring Into Spring." Congratulations to the winner Gretchen Barron. Here is her card. Unfortunately, I didn't reread the directions before making my card and made a standard 5 1/2" by 4 1/4" card. When my card was finished the night before the postmark deadline, I rechecked the directions. Oh no! The card was supposed to be a 5" square! Needless to say, I didn't have time to remake my card so I didn't submit it. Here it is in all it's glory. The butterflies are 'floating' on spirals cut from overhead transparencies.

Here it is closed                                                    and here it is opened.

  The butterflies and the centers of the larger flowers are punched out of card stock I first sprayed with Log Cabin Smooch Spritz. Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp Set: Something Sweet

Inks: Basic Black, Bashful Blue, and Summer Sun marker

Card Stock: Old Olive, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Always Artichoke

Other: Log Cabin Smooch Spritz, Extra Large Two-Step Bird punch, Boho Blossoms punch, Trio Flower punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, Top Note Bigz die, Garden Wall Designer Series paper, clear overhead transparency

So many people have rediscovered the art of making tissue paper flowers but with a new twist. They are using the wonderful punches and dies that Stampin' Up! carries to cut out the flowers. Last Friday I held a workshop featuring three different styles of paper flowers made with punches.

This last card features a tissue paper flower made with the Extra Large Fancy Flower punch. I don't remember who created this flower but I am pretty much following her directions for the flower. If you know who created it, let me know and I'll be happy to give her the credit. Now, I originally didn't see what was so fancy about this punch until I saw what this demo made with it. I then had to have it! LOL!

To make this flower I wheeled the new Very Vintage jumbo wheel using a Pretty in Pink cartridge on 8 pieces of tissue paper and stacked the papers together. I then punched the flower out using the punch. I punched a hole in the center of the layers with a Crop-o-dile and put a rhinestone brad in the middle. From that point, I just scrunched up the flower, layer by layer to fluff it up. It was so easy! The leaves were made using the Stampin' Up! Little Leaves Sizzlet die. I used a layer of Shades of Spring Designer Series paper that has been cut out with the Bigz Top Note die behind the flower. I spritzed a little Certainly Celery onto the edges of the white card base and added a white butterfly sponged with Pretty in Pink as a final accent.

As always, if you want the supplies to make this card, visit my online store to place your order or you can email me at sue@soggystamper.com. My store is open 24/7. Thanks for stopping by to visit today. Do come back again soon.

Blessings,

Sue Erickson aka The Soggy Stamper

Stamp Set: Whimsical Words

Paper: Shades of Spring Designer Series Paper, Whisper White card stock, Always Artichoke card stock, white tissue paper

Ink: Pretty in Pink jumbo cartridge, Basic Gray

Other: Extra Large Fancy Flower punch, Stampin' Up! Little Leaves Sizzlet die, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Stampin' Up! Top Note Bigz die, Certainly Celery Stampin' Write marker, Color Spritzer Tool

Here is the second card we did. I taught the stampers how to make the rose that Chera Wiest created using the ornament punch. Her tutorial can be found here. Instead of putting another tightly curled petal in the middle, we finished off the flower with a rhinestone brad. We sponged around the edge of the petals using a sponge dauber to give more depth to the petals and make each individual one stand out a little more. A folded piece of Old Olive satin ribbon serves as the leaves. The scallop circle is the larger of the two scallop circles on the Bigz Scallop Circle #2 die. Love that Big Shot! If you don't have one yet, why not??? You can order it from my online store. When you do place an order for one, I will send you five free tips or techniques you can do with the Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping here to visit me. Please leave me a comment. I'd love to know you were here.

Blessings,

Sue Erickson aka The Soggy Stamper

Stamp Set: Well Scripted

Card Stock: Mellow Moss, Apricot Appeal, Whisper White

Ink: Regal Rose, Basic Black

Other: Ornament punch, Sizzix Bigz Scallop Circle  #2 die, Old Olive Satin ribbon, rhinestone brad, bone folder, sponge daubers

What can be a better sign of spring than blooming tulips? While the weather outside is nothing like a sunny spring day, this card will bring spring to your heart. The tulips are made with 3 of the wings from the Extra Large Two-step Bird punch from Stampin' Up! I drew the stems and leaves by hand using an Always Artichoke Stampin' Write marker. The vase is the ornament punch trimmed a bit and then run through the Big Shot using the Finial Press embossing folder. I added a touch of bling with the self-adhesive rhinestones from the Eggcellent Eggs Kit found in the Occasions Mini Catalog. I never dreamed I would be so addicted to using the Big Shot on cards! I previously associated die cutting machines with scrapbooking, yep. This is one of the cards we made at our Punchy Flowers workshop last Friday. Click here to order the supplies needed to make this card. Thanks for visiting my site and come back tomorrow for another of the cards we made at that workshop.

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp set: Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Shades of Spring Designer Series paper, Bashful Blue card stock, Close to Cocoa card stock, Regal Rose card stock, Whisper White card stock

Ink: Always Artichoke

Other: Scallop trim punch, Extra Large Two-step Bird punch, Ornament punch, Modern Label punch, Finial Press embossing folder, rhinestones from Eggcellent Eggs Kit, Always Artichoke Stampin' Write marker, organza ribbon

I have been intrigued by so many creative ways to use Stampin' Up!'s punches to make paper flowers. I taught a workshop on Friday where we made three cards all with flowers using different Stampin' Up! punches. I will share them with you over this coming week. Be sure to stop by for a visit often so you don't miss any of the beautiful cards.

Today I want to share with you a 3-D item I created that was inspired by Amanda Coughlin, a watering can made from the mini milk carton Sizzix die. After I ran the card stock through the Big Shot with the die and after I folded all the score lines, I embossed it with the Finial Press embossing folder. I inserted a small cube of dry floral foam in the watering can so I could stick the flower stems into it to hold them. I used clear crystal brads to attach the handle. The flowers were made using Julie Williams' technique. You can find her tutorial here. I twisted two strands of green wire and glued them into a hole in the bottom of the rose with Crystal Effects. The leaves are the wing of the Extra Large Bird punch from Stampin' Up! I stuck two together with the wire running between them with glue dots. Of course, I just had to place a few butterflies from the Beautiful Wings embosslit on this project and finished it off with a bow on the handle. I hope you enjoy it and thanks to Amanda and Julie for the inspiration!

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp set: none

Card stock: Shimmery White, Blush Blossom, Regal Rose, Always Artichoke, Bashful Blue, So Saffron

Inks: Regal Rose

Other: Finial Press embossing folder, Sizzix Bigz L mini milk carton die, Stampin' Up! Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Extra Large Fancy Flower punch, Extra Large Two-Step Bird punch, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds, Mellow Moss Taffeta ribbon