Last Chance Lists are Here!

Now is the time...today Stampin' Up released the Last Chance Lists of all retiring products. These products will not be available after the end of this month--that's right, no longer available after June 30th. So, now is the time to make sure you get that stamp set you've been thinking about before it's gone forever!

Last Chance Stamp list is available HERE
available while supplies last until June 30, 2010

Last Chance Accessories list is available HERE
Select Items on SALE -- 25% - 50% Off

Last Chance Decor Elements list is available HERE

All Items on SALE -- 25% Off

Orders can be placed online 24/7 from my website:
http://stampinup.net/esuite/home/nanceleedy/

Items on these lists go fast so if you're interested, place your order today!

ColorQ {33}

After professing my devotion to all things Kiwi Kiss last week at the Color Q, I couldn't miss out on this week's cQc challenge {33} featuring this gorgeous purse as inspiration and a fabulous color combination.






I apologize for the lighting...too late finishing so no natural light for this amateur photographer! I promise that is not chocolate chip...it really is soft suede. Something funny happened on the way to this post...I noticed that there are at least two other challenge participants who also used the panel approach to this color combination. Great minds think alike, right?! The idea for stamping on the cardstock panels was inspired by this gorgeous fabric at Joel Dewberry. Next to paper, fabric is a bit of an addiction with me and a source of much inspiration for my ideas, color combinations and layouts. Back to today's card...so there isn't too much 'splaining necessary here...I cut 1.25" strips of cardstock and pieced them together with some sticky strip on the back. I inked up the Organic Outlines stamp (retired, sorry) with VersaMark ink and stamped it across all 4 pieces of cardstock--pretending it was just one solid piece. I then heat embossed it with white stampin' emboss powder.
I struggled a little bit with the sentiment panel...I didn't want too much there to detract from the embossed image. So, I kept it small and (hopefully) not too flashy!

And, it wouldn't be a "Canopy" card if the inside wasn't finished so I stamped another leaf image in Kiwi Kiss and colored the sentiment from On Your Birthday with soft suede, summer sun and bermuda bay stampin' write markers for a colorful finish to this card! I hope you like it and thanks for stopping by my blog...cheers!

supplies:
stamps: organic outlines (ret.); really retro (ret.); on your birthday (current!)
ink: versamark; soft suede; kiwi kiss
paper: kiwi kiss, summer sun, bermuda bay, soft suede & whisper white cardstock
xtras: soft suede polka-dot ribbon; white stampin' emboss powder; soft suede, bermuda bay & summer sun stampin' write markers; modern label punch; movers & shapers die; embellies (non SU)

Awash with Crushed Melon

Here's a little birthday card for a friend...her favorite flowers from the Awash with Flowers set are these tiny little ones featured here. So sweet, aren't they?! The stems are inked in chocolate chip with melon mambo & crushed curry flowers. I just love how this two-step stamp set comes together for a watercolor effect that I could never achieve on my own. Each stamp is a separate piece so you can really individualize it! Isn't it cute how the little leaves fit into that small leaf outline? The leaves are stamped in old olive so I used some of the yummy old olive satin ribbon for a little pop of color.

I finally bought the medium jewelry tag punch and the coordinating Tiny Tags stamp set--so cute! I've been coveting them for awhile but only took the plunge after seeing them in person. Don't know why I wait so long sometimes--do you do that too?! They are just a couple of the many items from the spring mini catalog that have carried over and are still available to order. Look at that cute little dotted frame stamped in crushed curry with a melon mambo 'hello'--you have to have it!

It's difficult to see in this picture but I also jazzed up the flowers a little bit with my clear stardust jelly roll pen from Sakura. Adds just the perfect amount of subtle dazzle!

And lastly, continuing my trend of finishing the inside of the card...I repeated the same flowers from the front as well as two sentiments from the versatile All Holidays set. Again, I used my Stampin' Write markers to ink up separate sections of the 'friend' sentiment. This is a great technique that adds interest and pulls all the colors from the design together.

Thank you to all those who visit my blog and especially those that leave a comment. I so appreciate your time and love hearing from you! I hope you have a great weekend.
Cheers!

supplies:
stamps: all holidays; awash with flowers; tiny tags
ink: melon mambo, old olive, chocolate chip, crushed curry
paper: kraft, chocolate chip & whisper white cardstock; razzleberry lemonade dsp; hugs notes
xtras: old olive satin ribbon; linen thread; medium jewelry tag punch; stardust jelly roll pen

Bright & Cheerful Birthday

Just a little bit of birthday eye candy for you tonight...

a simple little card in celebration of some favorite retired and soon-to-be retired products. Only one color featured here is making a comeback on July 1st...Baja Breeze and thank goodness! It's such a pretty color and so versatile. When it returns with the new catalog not only will we have paper and ink but new coordinating ribbon and designer paper and I can't wait to get my hands on a Baja Breeze marker! Anway, back to the card...in addition to BB, my colors are Kiwi Kiss, Cameo Coral and Very Vanilla (Very Vanilla will remain a core SU color becoming part of the Neutrals Collection on July 1st). These bright and cheerful colors go well with the pop-art feel to the flowers from the Garden Greetings stamp set.

Isn't that ribbon luscious? Double-sided satin Kiwi Kiss & Very Vanilla. It's so thick and yummy to the touch!

And my new favorite thing to do...a finished inside. Sometimes you don't have a specific event or person in mind when you make a card so it can be difficult to finish it with a sentiment but I do like a little bit of stamping in a corner or somwhere to tie the design together...I can always come back with a sentiment when needed. But this one headed out the door the day I made it so I knew for sure it was a birthday greeting! I hope my SIL in Wisconsin likes it--I think she will...do you? Thanks for looking!

supplies:
stamps: garden greetings (retired); all holidays
ink: baja breeze, cameo coral, kiwi kiss, chocolate chip classic ink pads
paper: very vanilla, baja breeze, cameo coral cardstock
xtras: scallop border punch, corner rounder punch, SAMJ, kiwi kiss satin ribbon (retired)

A color Q sketch 4U

Two new-to-me challenges this week. I've been following the Color Q challenge but just never been able to meet the deadlines! Arielle always has fantastic colors and this week, with Color Q #32, I had to play along so I could pay homage to one of my favorite SU colors, ever--Kiwi Kiss! I sure wish it was returning with Baja Breeze but alas... Anyway, this week's Color Q called for Kiwi Kiss, Groovy Guava (love), Basic Black, Very Vanilla and Kraft (love, love). Here we go:

I really love the way this turned out using another all-time favorite, Upsy Daisy for the focal image. I inked it once in Groovy Guava, stamped off, inked again and stamped full strength slightly off from the first. This way it looks like a field of daisies! And, for this great sketch at 2S4Y, Two Sketches For You #52, I really wanted to try and make a paper ruffle border.



I used the same technique as for the distressed flower found in this post but applied the distressing to three strips of kiwi kiss trimmed with the scallop border punch. I am pleased with the results. It's not often that what I have in my head comes out exactly as I wanted on paper--tee, hee!


Several friends have birthdays this month, so the inside of this card was finished off with a birthday wish. I inked the sentiment from Great Friend in kiwi kiss and then went over just the word 'friend' with my basic black stampin' write marker before stamping it on my paper. The HB sentiment is part of a larger stamp from All Holidays and, again, I just inked the HB part with my black marker. I hope you like it. Thanks to the fantastic inspiration found at the Color Q and 2S4Y--be sure to check them out! Thanks so much for stopping by!

supplies:
stamps: great friend, upsy daisy, all holidays
ink: groovy guava, kiwi kiss, basic black
paper: kraft, very vanilla, kiwi kiss, basic black cardstock, retired dsp (can't remember name!)
xtras: scallop border punch, beautiful wings embosslit, color spritzer, basic black stampin' write marker, SAMJ, clear rhinestone brad, black grosgrain ribbon (non SU)