Easy Valentines Cards - From Christmas Kits!

So.........

I've been missing in action a bit - but not to worry, things in the studio are slowly getting back to normal. Honestly, it's been a struggle some days to find my creative mojo. I miss my Mom more than I ever thought I would and I've just not been 'feeling' it. Know what I mean?

Anyway, there's nothing like a deadline to get me creating again and since I have my Card Crew Club tomorrow, that's exactly what I did this morning.
Here are the two cards they'll be making: 

I had some leftover kits from Christmas and hated to see them wasted, so I incorporated the Limited Edition Follow My Heart stamp set in with the pre-cut cardstock and accessories in the kits to make some fun cards.
The first card used the Merry Little Christmas Simply Created Card Kit. I added a piece of Real Red cardstock and trimmed down the designer pieces to layer them. A little Big Shot action with the heart folder from the Adorning Accents pack and a piece of Coastal Cabana Ruffled Ribbon gave me just what I was looking for here.
Cute, huh?

I love the eiffel tower image in this stamp set and wanted something a bit more vintage, but still with a modern feel to incorporate the kit elements.
This kit was the Goodie Gear Simply Created Kit in Real Red.
I added the Postcard background stamp and some hearts from Hearts A-Flutter. There are a couple of framelits sets used - Hearts and Hearts-a-Flutter.
Just a simple collage effect with the cut out elements on a folded Whisper White card base. Nothing too fancy and you can move them around to your hearts content for a different look each time.

So, there you go, don't let your Christmas Kits go to waste, or better yet, grab some from my Online Store before they are gone. Apparently, they are good for more than just Christmas!

Robin's Online Stampin' Store

Happy Stampin'!
~~Robin

25th Anniversary Blog Tour - December - Best of Snow

Hello stampers!
Welcome to my blog for the last RemARKable Blog Tour of 2013.
I've enjoyed participating in these fun tours and I hope you've enjoyed my projects!

Once again, you've come from the very talented Anne Matasci's blog - Maui Stamper. Since Anne lives in Hawaii, I am really anxious to see just what she came up with for this month's stamp set - Best of Snow.
Not much snow in Hawaii....but knowing Anne, she had some gorgeous art for you.

Here are my two creations:

The first card is the simple, but striking chalkboard effect. This would make a great Christmas card - if' you're still working on those - but I'm needing Thank You's right now, so that's what I did.
It's a Naturals White card base with Basic Black cardstock. The image was heat embossed with Whisper White Craft Ink and White Embossing Powder.
I then rubbed my Embossing Buddy over the surface of the cardstock to give it the chalkboard effect.

The greeting is from the Yippee - Skippee stamp set, stamped in Black Staz-On on Naturals White. I used the Decorative Label Punch for it and layered two Cherry Cobbler punches behind it to create a mat. It's mounted on a snowflake cut out with my Big Shot and the Festive Flurries Framelits ( say THAT three times, fast!) using Silver Glimmer Paper.
All of that is mounted over a strip of the Cherry Cobbler Ribbon and easy-peasy, you're done!

Here's the next card:

This cute hedgehog and his lovely, but chilly girlfriend just screamed Valentine's to me! So, I stamped them in Black Staz-On and colored them in with Stampin' Write Markers. It's Naturals Ivory cardstock mounted on Cherry Cobbler, which is the same color combo for the card itself. I added Crumb Cake for a card base and jazzed it up with a strip of Season of Style Washi Tape inside.

The Red Glimmer Heart was cut out with the heart shape from the Thinlits Circle Card Die Set. I added a strip of Burlap Ribbon over the Naturals White cardstock that I embossed with the Polka Dot embossing folder.
This card made my my daughter smile and that made me do the happy dance!

I'm so glad you stopped by today to take a peek at my cards - I'll be back to regular blogging in January after the Christmas holiday.

For now, be sure to click the tour graphic below to go to our next blog - AbsoluteKreations with Andi Potler. I know she has some awesome art for you!

Happy Sunday and Merry Christmas!
~~Robin

December Stamp of the Month Blog Tour

Thanks to fellow RemARKable teammate Tamra Davis for getting my post up and running last night at midnight while we were traveling back from Michigan. I'm so grateful for my stampin' sisters!

Anyway, I'm sure you've seen some fantastic projects from the other bloggers on this tour, here are my two projects using one of my favorite stamp sets - Spread the Joy.

Here is my first card:

 

I used one of the Note Cards with Envelopes as my card base for this simple, masculine note card. The background was stamped with the Dictionary Background stamp in Soft Suede ink. I added a strip of Crumb Cake cardstock sponged with Soft Suede ink and layered it with a smaller strip of Soho Subway Designer Series Paper, also sponged. 

The greeting is stamped on a piece of Smoky Slate cardstock. I colored the stamp with Soft Suede and Midnight Muse Markers before stamping to give it the multi-color look. This would make a great encouragement card for someone who needs a little lift. 

We'll be making this card at stamp camps this month! 

Here is my second project: 

I was wanting to do the chalkboard technique, but when I chose my background paper from the Soho Subway suite again, I decided to emboss the main image with Pool Party on Basic Black. The photo doesn't show the blue tint very well, but it's pretty cool in real life. You just have to trust me on this one! 

I dry embossed the Basic Black accent strip with the Alphabet Embossing Folder and added two Naturals Buttons tied with pieces of the Burlap Ribbon that had been pulled apart. A strip of Twill Ribbon adds a finishing touch. The cardstock layers for the card are Soft Sky and Island Indigo, coordinating with the Designer Paper. 

Hope you like the masculine turn I took with this stamp set - it's so versatile, you can do almost any style with it! 

Now on to the blog of Andi Potler at  http://www.absolutekreations.com or you can just click on the picture below.

RemARKable Stampers Blog Tour - October Stamp of the Month

Hello stampers!

I'm so glad you're taking our RemARKable Blog Tour today - you've just come from Anne Matasci's blog, Maui Stamper. I know she had some great ideas for you!

For this month's Stamp of the Month tour, we had a choice between Christmas Collectibles and Harvest of Thanks. Since I've just begun to pull out my Fall decorations and am feeling the Fall vibe, I went with Harvest of Thanks.
My samples are a decorated Kraft Gift Box and a clean and simple Thank You card. I was able to combine several of our Holiday Mini Catalog products for the designs and it was a wonderfully relaxing 2 hours.
Here, take a look at what I created for you:

This Kraft Gift Box is wrapped around with a piece of the birch bark paper from the Thankful Tablescape Simply Created Kit. The components of that kit are AWESOME, even if you aren't into doing placesettings.

The top has a piece of Cajun Craze cardstock and another piece of the birch bark paper. It's topped with a fall flower made of the Burlap Ribbon, a strip of paper from the Thankful Tablescape kit, Gold Glimmer paper, an Antique Brad and a leaf from the Tablescape kit. 

The "flower" is done with one of the Sticky Rounds which made it easy to form the circular shape.
To give the leaf it's veins, I simply folded it and sponged the fold lines with Crumb Cake ink.

Check out the tag though:

I made it by coloring on the stamp with Stampin' Write Markers then it was cut out with my Big Shot and the Apothecary Accents Framelits. A couple of strands of the burlap from the ribbon "flower" were tied around the tag for an accent, then I added a Naturals Button with another burlap strand to tie it onto the flower.
Really super easy!

Here's my card project:

I used Soft Sky cardstock for my card base and stamped it with the Off the Grid stamp in Crumb Cake ink.
The paper strips are both from the Thankful Tablescape Kit. They are the rolled pieces, simply cut down to size. Another leaf from the kit was veined and crumpled, then added to the card front.

After adding a circle of Gold Glimmer paper, I stamped the Thanks greeting twice. Once in Chocolate Chip, once in Midnight Muse. The Apothecary Accents Framelits were used to cut them both out, then I trimmed out the greeting from the Midnight Muse piece and added it with Stampin' Dimensionals.
I love the color combo of blue, brown and gold - so awesome for Fall!

I hope I've inspired you with some fun Fall projects, I'd love to hear your comments!
Your next stop on the Blog Tour is Audra Monk's blog - The Crafty Yogi.
You can click the link, or the Blog Tour icon below to head over there. I've also included a list of all the tour participants at the bottom of this post so you don't miss any!

Have a wonderful Sunday!
~~Robin

Blog Tour Participants:

Nancy Amato             http://stampinallnight.blogspot.com
Melissa Bolinger        http://www.stampinup.net/blog/2089191
Jackie Bottomley       http://www.jackiebottomley.blogspot.com
Susan Carlson            http://stampinmomoffour.blogspot.com
Tamra Davis              http://www.thecardladies.com
Connie Deibler          http://www.conniestamps.com 
Sherri Eddleblute      http://www.sweetestdesigns.blogspot.com
Crystal Kondo           http://www.card-ed.com
Deb Lehigh               http://thestampinhut.typepad.com
Anne Matasci            http://www.MauiStamper.wordpress.com
Robin Merriman       http://www.trinitydesignstudio.blogspot.com
Audra Monk             http://thecraftyyogi.blogspot.com
Maria Pane                http://www.stampinandscrappinwithriri.blogspot.com
Andi Potler                http://www.absolutekreations.com
Michele Reynolds     http://www.inspirationink.typepad.com
Pam Staples              http://www.sunnygirlscraps.com
Jeri St. John              https://jerrisgemtastics.blogspot.com
Jeannette Swain        http://www.stampsnwhatnot.com
Janet Wakeland         http://www.remarkablycreated.com

The BEST $25 You'll Ever Spend

 

What was the last thing you spent $25 on?
Dry Cleaning?
1/2 tank of gas?
McDonald's meal for 4?
Don't you think that your next $25 spent should be on something you LOVE?

Yeah, I thought so.

Here's the deal - between October 7th and October 21st, you have a once in a blue moon chance to try out Stampin' Up!
Just $25 gets you all the benefits and privileges that come with being part of my amazing company. (including a generous discount!)

And the best part - You have until the end of April to enjoy all the insider info and creative ideas that I have access to without any pressure to hold parties or make sales.

Yeah, it's true.
Crazy, right?
Want to know more?

Send me an e-mail at stampwithrobin@yahoo.com OR
Message me on my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TrinityDesignStudio OR
Simply check out the info at this link: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/robinstamps4u/promotions

If you already know you want to try it out then you can click this link to Join on October 7th!
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/robinstamps4u/jointhefun

I can't wait to welcome you to my SU! family!
~~Robin

The Fine Print:
This offer is only good for two weeks, so take advantage of it right away!

• During this offer, only the special $25 starter kit will be available; the regular $99 starter kit will not be available. 

• The $25 Starter Kit includes $26.95 worth of Stampin' Up! product of your choice!(it must be more than $25, but not more than $26.95 before tax) 

• You get Two FREE months of your own Stampin' Up! Website!

• Business pack which includes:

1. A box of annual catalogs 
2. A package of the current seasonal catalog 
3. Getting Started DVD 
4. Customer Order Forms 
5. Customer postcards

First Order Perks: 

• If you place your first order of at least $150 within 30 days of your start date, you can: choose any stamp set from the 2013-2014 annual catalog (redeemable with your first order in December). 

•  Receive 30% instant income on your first order and any eligible hostess benefits as well!

You only have until midnight on October 21st to get this deal. Think about all the money you'll save this season with your exclusive discount on the supplies you'll need anyway for the holidays! That alone is reason enough to check it out!

25th Anniversary Blog Tour - September

Hello stampin' friends! 
Thanks for stopping by my blog today on the tour - you've just come from Anne Matasci's blog, Maui Stamper
I know Anne had some great samples for you. 

This month's Anniversary stamp set is the Best of halloween. 
If you've visited my blog before, you may know that the only thing my family and I celebrate about halloween is the candy - preferably chocolate. 
So, I knew that this stamp set would pose a challenge for me since I don't "do" this observance. 

Take a look at my two projects and tell me - did I meet the challenge?
 

My first card uses the witch's hat image as the hat for a scarecrow. 
I colored it with Early Espresso, Basic Gray and Soft Suede Stampin' Write markers and stamped it on Very Vanilla cardstock, then trimmed it up with my Paper Snips. I rounded off the top of the hat to make it look more like a farmer's hat.

The scarecrow head itself was cut out of a piece of our Burlap Ribbon from the Holiday Catalog. I used the next to smallest Circles Framelit piece to get the circle and frayed it a bit once it was cut. I used multiple strings from another piece of Burlap Ribbon to create the pseudo-scarecrow body, tying them up into a Naturals Button.

The rest of the card's stamped elements came from the Truly Grateful stamp set, also in the Holiday Mini. I used a color palette of Soft Suede, Summer Starfruit, Baked Brown Sugar, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip and Early Espresso. 
The Designer Paper is from the Witches' Brew package and the textured cardstock was done with the Woodgrain Embossing Folder with the Core'dinations cardstock. I used my Modern Label Punch for the greeting. 

I have to say, this card made me do the stampers happy dance just a little bit....
Well, maybe a lot a bit. :)

So, about that candy. 
We don't go trick or treating anymore, but we do sit outside and give out candy, at least, what we don't eat ourselves, so it wasn't a stretch for me to create a more whimsical card with that in mind. 

My color scheme for this one was Pumpkin Pie, Summer Starfruit, Whisper White and Basic Black. 
I used another piece of the Witches' Brew Designer paper for my background and with a clean Sponge Dauber, added polka-dots of Versamark ink. 
I added Heat and Stick Embossing Powder to them and after heating, I added some Black Glitter from the Holiday Catalog. 
I loved how this turned out!

The two stamps I used from this month's set were the barren tree and the Trick or Treat greeting. I stamped the tree in Black Staz-On ink and then added a harvest moon in Summer Starfruit with a press of another Sponge Dauber. 
The greeting was colored with Stampin' Write Markers - Pumpkin Pie, Basic Gray and Summer Starfruit. After I punched it out with the Modern Label Punch, I added some 2 Way Glue to the edges and dragged it through the Black Glitter. 
The inside of the card was finished off with a piece of Witches Brew Washi Tape - the skull and crossbones a tip of the hat to all the pirate costumes we see every year. 

Thanks again for stopping by my blog today - I'd love to hear your comments on my projects! 

Click the Blog Tour Logo below to visit the next blog on the tour - it's Andi Potler at Absolute Kreations.

Have a wonderful day!
~~Robin

Nancy Amato          http://stampinallnight.blogspot.com
Melissa Bolinger      http://www.stampinup.net/blog/2089191
Jackie Bottomley     http://www.jackiebottomley.blogspot.com
Susan Carlson         http://www.stampinmomoffour.blogspot.com
Tamra Davis             http://www.thecardladies.com
Sherri Eddleblute      http://www.sweetestdesigns.blogspot.com
Lynn Embrey            http://www.possibilitiestamperstudio.com
Kathy Hamrick          http://www.countryroads.typepad.com
Crystal Kondo           http://www.card-ed.com
Deb Lehigh               http://thestampinhut.typepad.com
Anne Matasci            http://www.MauiStamper.wordpress.com
Robin Merriman        http://www.trinitydesignstudio.blogspot.com
Andi Potler                 http://www.absolutekreations.com
Michele Reynolds      http://www.inspirationink.typepad.com
Sharon Tisdale          http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/coveredbridgesstamper/blog
Janet Wakeland        http://www.remarkablycreated.com

September Stamp of the Month Blog Tour

Good morning and welcome to my blog!

Thanks for stopping by to check out my project today. 

I'm having some technical issues with my photos of the project, so I hope you can view it while I work to get this resolved. 

I've used the Magnificent Maple stamp for my card, love this stamp!

Here (hopefully) is at least one photo of it:

My colors are Chocolate Chip, Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry and a piece of the Specialty Designer Series Paper - Naturals Composition. 

I stamped my leaf image with Versamark ink, then embossed it with Heat and Stick Powder. I was then able to add some Orange Glitter from the Holiday Catalog. It was reheated to make the glitter adhere well. 

I added a Naturals Button tied with a piece of Burlap that was frayed from our Burlap Ribbon. 

The accent ribbon is a piece of Chocolate Chip Chevron ribbon. 

I hope you liked my project, now just click the Blog Tour Icon below to visit the next stop! 

Happy Stamping!

~~Robin

Truly Grateful Card

A couple of weekends ago, I had a few hours to just sit and play in my stamp studio. Those hours are few and far between these days and I treasure them a lot. 
On this particular Sunday evening, I decided to play around with some things that were in my 'serendipity' pile. That fun pile of discarded pieces that are way too good to actually throw away. I usually just pull one out of the stack and use it as my starting point. The project kind of evolves from there. 

This card began with the folded piece of Soft Suede cardstock. 
Yep, it was the wrong brown for a project I'd already created, but I knew I could use it for something. 

I added a piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock, then stamped the Post Card background stamp in Soft Suede on Very Vanilla cardstock. It's cut down to the stamped edges and then crumpled up really good. This is a great technique when you need to work out your frustrations over something. 
Ask me how I know....

 

Once it was nice and crumpled up, I sponged over it lightly with Crumb Cake ink then added some 2 Way Glue and a touch of Gold Glitter. It's mounted on the card front with about 6 Stampin' Dimensionals. 

Here's a close up of the focal image:

I used the Circles Framelits for both circle pieces. The Cherry Cobbler one was also embossed with the Styled Script Embossing Folder, then sponged with Crumb Cake ink. 
The flourish image is from the Best of Shelli 25th Anniversary stamp set. I stamped it with Versamark, heat embossed it with the Heat and Stick powder then added Gold Glitter, reheating it to adhere it to the image. 

The greeting is from the Truly Grateful stamp set out of the Holiday Catalog. I stamped it in Cherry Cobbler ink on Very Vanilla and punched it out with the Modern Label punch. It's sponged with more Crumb Cake ink like the circles, then glued in between them. 
The burlap piece behind the greeting is just a piece of the Burlap ribbon cut open and frayed, then folded in half. I added some 2 Way Glue to it as well then finishing up with some Gold Glitter. 
That's kind of my favorite part of this card. :)

So glad you stopped by today to check out my project. 
As always, you can find all the supplies I used in my Online Stampin' Store: 
Robin's Online Stampin' Up! Store

Have fun creating your own projects - I'll see you here again soon!
~~Robin

Butterflies On Sale!

Stampin' Up! announced a fun new special offer the other day -

#135311 - Butterfly Bundle (Clear-Mount)
Papillion Potpourri Clear-Mount Stamp Set
Bitty Butterfly Punch - $26.27 (You SAVE $4.63!)

#135312 - Butterfly Bundle (Wood-Mount)
Papillion Potpourri Wood-Mount Stamp Set
Bitty Butterfly Punch - $29.67 (You SAVE $5.23!)

This combo is so sweet - I love adding butterflies to my projects, they just make me smile! 

Here a a couple of projects by some stampin' friends that I really loved - and I know you will too:

Original Art by Kandi Phillips

Original Art by Lizy Bartaby

And those are only a couple of the endless possibilities this bundle has to offer. 
Be sure to visit my Online Store so you can purchase yours. The special is only available until September 30th! 

Robin's Online Stampin' Up! Store

Happy Stampin'!
~~Robin

Sweet Altered Frame Project

I really enjoy doing altered art projects. 
Everywhere I go, I'm always on the lookout for things that can be enhanced with a little Stampin' Up! love. 
This little frame was a find in a bin at the craft store and joy! - it was in our Coastal Cabana color!
You know I had to buy it! 
 

For this little frame, I stamped a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock with the Daydream Medallions stamp set in Blushing Bride ink and used it for a background. 
The outside of the frame was decorated with some retired Flower Trim (love that stuff!) and pearls. 

I added a bit of lace, a brass button and pearl from the Artisan Embellishment kit (also retired, but so fun!) to the outside of the frames' glass. The ribbon bow is the stitched In Color ribbon in Raspberry Ripple. 

But my favorite part is the stamped image. Check it out:

There's a new stamp set called Spread the Joy which was designed by a Stampin' Up! employee - Emily Montoya. I love all the stamps in it, but I would have bought it just for this stamp alone. 
You are my Bucket List. 
Awesome. 
And I couldn't wait to use it! 

I markered the image and stamped it on Very Vanilla cardstock, trimming it out with my Paper Snips. It's simply added to the front of the frame with a couple of dimensionals. 

This project turned out better than I'd imagined it and I can't wait to give it to my daughter for her bedroom - if she ever gets it clean.... :)

Here's a look at the entire stamp set:

#134784 - Spread the Joy  $18.95 (clear)

Aren't these fabulous images?? 
Love, love them! 

As always, you can shop 24/7 from my Online Store. Here's the link: 
Robin's Online Stampin' Up! Store

Thanks for stopping by today, I'd love to know what you think of this sweet project. 
Happy Stampin'!
~~Robin

Emboss Resist Thank You Card

The other day, I was playing around in the studio, working on upcoming projects for a class. 
Sometimes, like that day, the idea I have just doesn't work out for some reason, but that doesn't mean it's not a good idea, so the stamped piece goes in my "serendipity pile".

That's what happened with the embossed resist card front on this card:

And since it was on the TOP of my serendipity pile, when I needed a quick thank you card the next day, it's what I pulled out to work with. 

For this card, I only inked up one side of the Pleasant Poppies background stamp with Versamark ink. It's  heat embossed with Clear Embossing powder and then I used my sponge daubers to add Rich Razzleberry and Pear Pizzazz ink to bring up the image. 
I really adore this technique - it's always so gorgeous and a delightful surprise when you are inking over the embossing.

My color palette is Blushing Bride, Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla and Pear Pizzazz. I used Blushing Bride retired designer paper for the banner layer and for the Bitty Butterfly punch out. The greeting is from the new Four You stamp set. 
All in all, a very simple card, yet lovely just the same. 

Thanks for stopping by today and don't forget to shop in my Stampin' Up! Online Store for all your crafting supplies. Here's the link: 
Robin's Online Stampin' Up! Store

Happy stampin'!
~~Robin

Glitter, Chevron and Stars

Happy Thursday! 

Just stopping by to add a little sparkle to your day with this fun card. 
I created this one for my Best of 25 Years class series last month. It was the Best of Greetings stamp set and the Happy Day stamp on this card was from that set. 
Here's the card:

I love this color combo of Whisper White, Basic Black, Pool Party and Real Red - very fresh and fun. 

The supporting stamp sets are Chevron background and Simply Stars. I used the Ovals Framelits, the Large Oval Punch and the 1/1/4" Circle Punch. 
There's lots of glitter going on here, it was applied with my 2 Way Glue Pen - easy peasy! 
A little 1/8" Basic Black Taffeta Bow was added with a Glue Dot and you've got a great card for any special occasion. 

As always, you can find all these creative supplies and much more on my Stampin' Up! website. Here's the link to my Online Store: 
Robin's Online Crafting Store

Have a great day everyone and I hope you get time to create something fun! 
~~Robin

Masculine Mash-Up Card

What's a girl to do when she needs a birthday card - pronto?!

Well, this girl grabs two UFO's (unfinished objects) from her Serendipity pile and combines them with two pieces of a card from this week's card classes, mixes in a few other elements and Voila! She's got THE perfect card! 

Here's how it turned out:

My UFO's were the stamped Filmstrip image and the Island Indigo layer underneath. The pieces from my classes were the Smoky Slate cardstock card base and the Whisper White layer that was stamped with the Tape It stamp set. 

I added a stamped and embossed image from the Clockworks stamp set, trimmed out with Paper Snips and then added a stamped and punched greeting from the Blue Ribbon stamp set. 
The final touch was a bit of spritzing with my (retired) Color Spritzer tool - SU! really needs to bring this tool back!! 

Here's a close up:

Those two elements are popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals - of course, right? 
I was pretty jazzed about how this one turned out, especially since masculine cards aren't usually my strong suit. 
What's really cool is that the card I'd done for my classes this month was decidedly feminine in style. I'll show you that one tomorrow! :)

Have a great day stampers! 
Go make something fun!
~~Robin

More Digital Art!

Yes, I am quite the digital hero in my home lately! 

Remember this post on Saturday?
Well, Emma needed a card to go with the birthday gift she was giving, so I returned to the computer and the My Digital Studio program and created a card front that matched the DVD case cover. 

Here's my project:

I used many of the same elements in the card front as I did with the DVD cover, but added a few new things too. The greeting was created with the Collage Alphabet and Numbers stamp brush set. I used the Sentimental Journey stamp brush set for the compass image and the "wings" and dots came from the Extreme Elements stamp brush set. 

The stitching images came from the Downtown Grunge Digital Kit Embellishments and my background design is a paper from the Grad Party Digital Kit. 

Once I had my design finished, I simply saved it as a .jpg file in my photos and printed it out on a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock on my home printer. 
So great that we can do that when we are in a pinch! 

It's layered on a piece of Soft Suede cardstock and then again on a Very Vanilla card base. 
Super easy-peasy and again, the best part was that Emma loved it! 

Have a happy Monday everyone! 
Go stamp something fun!
~~Robin

RemARKables 25th Anniversary Blog Tour - Best of Shelli

Hi everyone!
Thanks for stopping by my blog on your trip through the Best of 25 Years Tour with the RemARKable Stampers. You've just come from Anne Matasci's blog - Maui Stamper. 
I know she had some great ideas for you with this month's stamp set - the Best of Shelli. (Shelli Gardner's favorites)
Here are my samples for you:

I took a bit of a different direction with this card, going for something more masculine with the very vintage flourish image. This one is my favorite in the stamp set. 
My color scheme is Very Vanilla, Island Indigo, Basic Black and Gold. 
Black and Gold are coming back into vogue big time, so get ready to see lots of golden accents in the months ahead. 

To get the gold glitter stripes on my background paper, I used my 2 Way Glue Pen and drew on the stripes I wanted to highlight then added the Gold Glitter from the Holiday Catalog. 
The gold paper behind the stamped layer is a piece of the Gold Foil Paper also from the Holiday Catalog. 

The flourish is stamped in Versamark ink then heat embossed with Black Embossing Powder. I used an Antique Brad on the black circle accent and added a few pieces of burlap string to give some added texture. 
The new Burlap Ribbon from the Holiday Catalog is so easy to work with and unravel so you can take just a few strings to use as ribbon. 
Here's a photo of what I did:

I cut a 6" length of the ribbon then trimmed off the sewn edge of it, exposing the frayed edge. I simply removed 3 strands of the twine that makes up the burlap and used them to tie around the brad. 
Pretty cool, eh?
This ribbon has a TON of possibilities! 

On to my next project:

With this cute image of stacked gifts, I wanted to go for a more whimsical look, so I drew my color scheme from the Polka Dot Designer Paper and punched out circles in Real Red, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight and Marina Mist. 
The circles were attached to a layer of Whisper White cardstock then run through the Big Shot with the Chevron Embossing Folder to add some texture. I <3 span="" this="">

My focal image was stamped in Black Staz-On ink then colored in with Stampin' Write Markers. It's punched out with a circle punch then layered on a piece of Basic Black cardstock that was cut out with one of the Circle Framelits. 

The inside was decorated with the Birthday Candle Wheel. I had unmounted it from the roller and used our Cling Foam to be able to mount it on a clear block for flat stamping. I just used Stampin' Write Markers to color in the candles then stamped them on the inside for an accent. 
The greeting is from the Yippee-Skippee stamp set that we all got FREE at Convention last month!

I hope you've enjoyed your stop here at my blog on the tour, you've still got lots of great ideas ahead of you so be sure to keep going! Just click on this icon to go to the next blog, you're headed for Andi Potler's blog next.

Here's a complete line up of all the stops on the tour in case there is a problem with any of the links:

Nancy Amato           http://stampinallnight.blogspot.com 
Melissa Bolinger       http://www.stampinup.net/blog/2089191 
Jackie Bottomley      http://www.jackiebottomley.blogspot.com 
Susan Carlson          http://www.stampinmomoffour.blogspot.com 
Tamra Davis            http://www.thecardladies.com 
Lynn Embrey           http://www.possibilitiestamperstudio.com 
Kathy Hamrick         http://www.countryroads.typepad.com 
Crystal Kondo          http://www.card-ed.com 
Deb Lehigh              http://thestampinhut.typepad.com 
Anne Matasci           http://www.MauiStamper.wordpress.com 
Robin Merriman       http://www.trinitydesignstudio.blogspot.com 
Andi Potler              http://www.absolutekreations.com 
Michele Reynolds     http://www.inspirationink.typepad.com 
Sharon Tisdale         http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/coveredbridgesstamper/blog 
Janet Wakeland        http://www.remarkablycreated.com


Have a wonderful Sunday and Happy Stampin'!
~~Robin

A Digital Studio Hero

Sometimes I have the opportunity as a Mom to do something really cool.
Like today.

Emma has a friend whose birthday is coming up on Sunday so she put together a special skating program to the song Radioactive by one of their favorite groups, Imagine Dragons.
We were able to snag some free, open ice time to film it and she put it on a DVD as his gift.
So of course, she needed a cool, personalized cover for the DVD case.

Yep, you guessed it, Mom to the rescue!
:)

Here's the cover I created:

I was able to create a custom size canvas for my project and made it 5" x 7".
The background is a square punch that I stretched and filled with designer paper.

Next, I added photo blocks from the Downtown Grunge Kit, filled them with photo blocks and added my photos.
I then added images to the background from the Extreme Elements stamp brush set. They were re-colored, enlarged and lightened so the text would show up well.

For my text, I simply added two text blocks, filled them with my text and changed the font to one that I'd downloaded free from a Pinterest pin.
The whole thing took me about an hour, including choosing and editing the photos.
I'm no computer genius, not by a long shot, but this was a cinch to do and the best part was that Emma loved it!
Yay! Today, I'm the hero!

Be sure to check out the Free 30-Day Trial of My Digital Studio (MDS) on my website at www.robinstamps4u.stampinup.net
You'll have a full 30 days to play, create and print with the large variety of artwork and templates that are included. After 30 days, you can choose to purchase the full version of MDS for just $19.99.
It's got over $500 in digital content included and is a tremendous value.
If you need more information, just contact me via e-mail: stampwithrobin@yahoo.com or send me a message from my website.

Have a great Saturday!
~~Robin

Your Friends Just Know...

When you need a hug.

Like today. 

Even though my sweet friend Kristyne lives at least a 1000 miles away, she knew I needed a big hug and sent me this gorgeous one in the mail. 

And my friend Jan (she's one of my uplines too) called to check on me. Just because. 

Stampin' Up! Is SO much more than selling stamps, paper and ink. 

It's so much more than making pretty things. 

It's about the treasure trove of relationships we are gifted with in our stampin' family. 

And that truly is the most beautiful gift I've ever received through stampin'.

Have a beautiful Friday,

~~ Robin

Santa's List - Two Ways

There's a great new Santa image in the Holiday Catalog this season. 
It was among the first stamps I ordered because I knew the vintage feel of it would have me creating many, many projects. 
Here are the first two:

#131811 - Santa's List Stamp Set clear mount  $12.95

This card came together so easily - a simple layered color background - Cherry Cobbler cardstock - combined with  a focal image of Cherry Cobbler embossing on Crumb Cake cardstock keeps the vintage feel with a contemporary square card size. The focal image was cut out with my Big Shot and the Window Frames Framelits and I sponged the edge with Crumb Cake ink.

I used the new embossing folder Pretty Print on the background layer and covered a few of the embossed words with my 2 Way Glue Pen and some Gold Glitter. The ribbon bow is a piece of the new Cherry Cobbler 1" Stitched Edge Grosgrain Ribbon. It's adhered with a Glue Dot or two behind the knot.

Here's a slightly stepped up version of the same card:

On this one, I wrapped a length of ribbon around the front flap of the card, under the focal image and knotted it off on the right side. I added a greeting stamped in Soft Suede on Very Vanilla that I then hand cut with my Paper Snips and sponged with some Crumb Cake ink. A little extra step or two, but so worth it for some extra oomph. 

Most of these products are found in the Holiday Catalog and you can shop for any or all of them in my Online Store. 
Here's the link for your convenience:
Robin's Online Stampin' Store

Thanks for stopping by today, happy stampin'!
~~Robin

Inking with Masking Tape

This fun technique has been making the rounds on the internet lately so of course, I had to try it out!
I don't know if it has an "official" name, but I call it Inking with Masking Tape. 
Pretty self-explanatory, eh?

Ok, so here's my card:

To create the background, I just used three strips of masking tape - one for each color - and rubbed them sticky side down on the surface of an ink pad to pick up the color, one at a time.
Then I just rubbed the inked tape onto the cardstock piece to transfer the color - easy peasy, really. 

My color combo here is Pink Pirouette, Rose Red and Pear Pizazz with Smoky Slate and Whisper White as the neutrals. I stamped my greeting from the Yippee-Skippee stamp set in Black Staz-On ink and added a Large Rhinestone for an accent.
Love the clean and simple look of this card and it's a good one to switch out the colors and/or greeting for ANY type of card you may need. 
Give this technique a try and tell me how you like it, ok? 

As always, thanks for choosing me as your Stampin' Up! demonstrator and for shopping in my Online Store. 
Here's the link for your convenience:
Robin's Online Stampin' Store

Happy creating!
~~Robin