*owly anniversary*

Aren't these owls cute? I love their little heart shaped eyes. They're just perfect for an anniversary card. I've been eyeing this tree image and finally broke down and bought the Pendant Park set along with a few others from the new Stampin' Up catalog. I think the owls are pretty sweet perched up there in that tree, and A Muse's new woodgrain cardstock adds a nice warm and woodsy touch.
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A Muse woodgrain cardstock and tiny party hat. Melissa Frances "happy anniversary" sentiment. Stampin' Up Whoo's Your Valentine?, Pendant Park, and Look Who's Turning stamp sets, sanding block, linen thread, dimensionals, and kiwi kiss cardstock. Marvy punches. October Afternoon pink polka dot designer paper. Karen Foster snap stamps. Fiskars mini scalloped scissors. Tea leaves VersaMagic chalk ink.

*friends like you...*

I picked up a few retired Stampin' Up sets recently, and this set is one of them. I love these sweet little mice, and I love the sentiment! I'm still on my orange and pink kick, which you probably noticed if you read my last post, and I have a feeling you'll be seeing a lot of this yummy combination!
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Stampin' Up very vanilla and pink pirouette cardstock; watercolor paper; blender pen; markers; glitter; paper piercing kit; and dimensionals. Cuttlebug swiss dot embossing folder. Copic multi-liner black pen. Stazon timber brown ink. Fiskars mini scalloped scissors. Karen Foster snap stamps. Ribbon from stash (source unknown).

*thanks so much*

I'm in love with the new "Sweet Bella" collection from Stampin' Up! Bella Blossoms is my favorite set in the new Idea Book. I just adore this flower! The details are amazing especially when you pop the layers up on dimensionals and add a little sparkle with a clear spica glitter pen. I'm also in love with the new riding hood red "in color"... so much so that I wish it would become a permanent color.

I was first introduced to stamping five years ago through Stampin' Up, and this card reflects my original style. I have a hard time describing exactly what "my style" truly is. I guess it's a mix of things... shabby, vintage, romantic. What's your style?
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Stampin' Up: textured riding hood red cardstock and very vanilla cardstock; Bella Blossoms, Bella's Bloom, Cute and Curly (striped label), and Pocket Silhouettes (sentiment) stamp sets; curly label punch, linen thread, button bouquet designer buttons, and dimensionals. Other: Momento rhubarb stalk and angel pink inks. VersaMagic tea leaves and spanish olive chalk inks. Copic clear spica glitter pen. VersaMark pad. Sponge.

*baby cards*

I *love* making baby cards... and it just so happens that I've got two baby showers to go to this month. I made both cards with the same layout, the only difference is one card is laid out horizontally with the crease at the top, and the other card is laid out vertically with the crease to the side. Both cards were made for baby boys, but they would work just as well work for baby girls. For the top card, I used images from the Sheep set by The Saltbox Studio. For the card below, I used a retired Stampin' Up set called Say Something Mice. I dug through my paper stash again and found some more fabulous papers by My Mind's Eye. These are double-sided which takes all the work out of finding papers that match. The brown paper on the sheep card is by K&Company... another of my favorite companies for a touch of vintage.

Beth is adding something new to The Saltbox Studio website...a Kid's Gallery! If your little one likes to stamp with you, submit a little piece of their work, and Beth will gladly add it in the gallery that will posted on the website soon!
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*Welcome to the Flock*: Images and sentiment by The Saltbox Studio. K&Co and MME patterned papers. Ribbon Trends gingham ribbon. Fiskars mini scalloped scissors. Brilliance graphite black pigment ink. Copic markers. Spica glitter pens. Stampin' Up very vanilla cardstock and sanding block. Heidi Swapp edge distressor. Cuttlebug Perfectly Paisley embossing folder.

*Sweet Baby*: Stampin' Up very vanilla cardstock, sanding block, and image. MME patterned papers. Ribbon Trends gingham ribbon. Fiskars mini scalloped scissors. Brilliance graphite black pigment ink. Copic markers. Spica glitter pens. Heidi Swapp edge distressor. Cuttlebug Perfectly Paisley embossing folder.

*something old, something new...*

Today I decided that it would be fun to make something with a mixture of old and new. I dug through my paper stash and found these wonderful coordinating papers by My Mind's Eye. It's one of my favorite companies for vintage and shabby papers. I dug through my stack of stamps and found this neglected little mouse in a Stampin' Up set called Say Something Mice. It's long been retired, but the little mice in it are just sooooo sweet, and since I've been playing with all The Saltbox Studio stamps so much lately, I've kind of developed a *thing* for mice. ;) Do you notice anything *new*? I just got 5 of the new Cuttlebug embossing folders. I pre-ordered them way back in October, and they finally came this week! They were definitely worth the wait. They make this card so sweet, and they add the perfect amount of texture and dimension. I tried adding a few stitches with my machine, but that was somewhat of a disaster. I think the layers were just too thick. So I ditched that idea and came up with this... a simple top-fold card with a little pocket on the front... perfect for adding a short message or tucking in a gift card or some cash.

A Muse and Elzybells *sneak peeks* are coming later this week...so be sure to stop back! You don't wanna miss it!
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Stampin' Up very vanilla cardstock , Say Something Mice stamp set, and sanding block. My Mind's Eye designer papers. Floral fantasy and swiss dots Cuttlebug embossing folders. Fiskars mini scalloped scissors. Flower punch for Target dollar bin. Brilliance graphite black pigment ink. Copic markers. Spica glitter pens.

*to an unforgettable friend*

This week was a good mail week. First, my order came from Cornish Heritage Farms. I just love the Kim Hughes Collection. I have been eyeing the Pretty Birds set for months now and am so excited to finally have it in my hands! I also bought Sweet Thang and Hugs & Kisses. I'm hoping to find some time this weekend to ink them up.

Thursday, my Stampin' Up sets came. I bought the Happy Hearts Day set because I *love* this elephant!

And last but not least...my Copic Marker DVD came in the mail yesterday. A Muse is now a distributor for Copic markers, so all of us designers and instructors are thrilled to be getting some tips on how to use them. I'm hoping for a few moments of peace and quiet this afternoon so I can watch it. (That is probably "wishful thinking" since a house with 3 kids rarely has any moments of peace and quiet!)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend...with lots of time for stamping!
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Stampin'Up cardstock, images, and white craft ink (for inking the edges). Fiskars mini scalloped scissors. Ribbon Trends gingham ribbon. Copic Markers. Brilliance Graphite Black pigment ink. Clear embossing powder. Heidi Swapp edge distressor.