I Scream ---- You Scream ---- We all scream for ice cream!

Love this fun, fun card - I send soooo many birthday cards - I need cute and quick.  So for this one - the banner is from the Tasty Treats Specialty DSP.  There are so many cute patterns in that DSP - that it is really hard to pic a favorite.

The ice cream cone is stamped from the Cool Treats set, and even though the DSP is retiring - this set is sticking around and it is stinkin' cute!   I took this second picture to showcase the Wink of Stella I added to the swirls on the ice cream - but it is still hard to see.

You are just gonna have to believe me that the glimmer on the dark part of the ice cream - simply made the card extra adorable.  Hope you stop by soon - as I have a lot more to share!!!   ~Maureen

Celebrating our newest grandchild with fun!!

So I promised last post that I would share some of the fun decorations we made for Heidi's shower.   The theme was an old fashioned carnival of sorts - with lots of pinwheels and medallions.

Below was one centerpiece made with balloons, medallions, pennants, Cracker Jacks, Animal Crackers and entry tickets.  Note the little party hat on the elephant!

We had a sweets bar with fun treats - peanuts, cotton candy, zebra caramel corn, more Cracker Jacks and more animal crackers.  Note the cute chain below made with the roll of tickets.

Around the room we placed clusters of these medallions and pinwheels with ribbon hanging down.

My daughter is an amazing baker and didn't want store bought - so she made and decorated her own cake and cupcakes - homemade vanilla and lemon cake - buttercream frosting with sprinkles, animal crackers and a few pinwheels and pennants.

Here's another view of the sweets - note the clear balloons - they had colored confetti in them - so cute!

This was the favor that was given to each person attending -

We put them in little strawberry baskets with a pinwheel attached.

It was a really fun and nice day celebrating the anticipated arrival of our 8th grandchild due in June.  Can't wait to meet this new little guy.  Hope you liked the decorations!  Stop back soon.  ~Maureen

Baby Shower Invites and Thank you's!

So just a couple weeks ago we held a baby shower for my Daughter, Heidi who is expecting in June.  It will be our eighth grandchild - a little boy - and I am just as excited as I was for my first who turned 14 yesterday!  These are the invitations I made for the shower using the "Cupcakes and Carousals" set and coordinating DSP.

I don't know which angle shows it betters - but I colored parts of the carousal horse, and then added a little bling to the saddle strap!  Inside was custom information that I printed on my computer.

And here are the coordinating Thank you cards that I finished last night - sending them off in the mail to my daughter today.  She is such an amazing stamper - and I am a pretty clean and simple stamper - but am hoping that making these for her takes something off her plate right now.

They are definitely simple and my style - but I still think they are adorable.

Here's a close-up of one with just a little of the detail colored.  Hope she likes them.  Stop back soon to see some pictures of the shower and the decorations we made.

Stampingly, Maureen

Stampin' Friends May Blog Hop - Flowers/Sympathy

Welcome to the Stampin' Friends Flowers/Sympathy Blog Hop!  This month we have 1 amazing guest hopper so be sure to check out all the hoppers, including Lori Mueller's blog.   I love flowers - I know Stampin' Up! has so many floral sets - and it's because of me - I buy them all.  I had originally started out to make a card that met both aspects of this hop - Flowers and Sympathy - but as i started to make it - I just could not - even though it does look pretty lovely in blacks/grays-

This card just shouted give me color - have some fun - so the Flowers won out, but just for awhile. I do need sympathy cards, and might just have to adapt this one.  So out came my color -

I love watercoloring - for this month's projects I used inks and my aqua-painters.  If you look at my last post I used watercolor pencils and blender pens, and the post before that I used a set that mimics the watercolor look.  There are so  many different ways to achieve a watercoloring look on your cards.  So here are my projects after the color was added.  On the card I used the Spotlighting technique which is my Technique for my technique clubs this month. 

Carrying just a little of that floral image into the center of the card to give it a finished look inside also - 

Then, to finish off my ensemble - I created this beautiful little basket that could hold all types of birthday treasures - it starts with a 7.5" x 7.5" square of whisper white.  I randomly stamped and watercolored the flowers.  Scored the cardstock like a tic tac toe with even sections of 2.5" x 2.5" - cut in on the score lines on two opposite sides, and pulled those corners together to make the basket.

Added a 1" x 7.5" handle that was also stamped and watercolored.  Along with some bling on both the basket and card - and here you go!

Hope you like the projects - please leave a comment.  And maybe this will inspire each of you to do some watercoloring.  Now hop along to the rest of the bloggers and see all their creations!  See you all soon ~Maureen

*~*~*~*~*

Check out these Awesome Bloggers

1.	Kathie Rotti
2.	Elizabeth Jeanne
3.	Sue Vine
4.	Raquelle Clifton
5.	Lynn Streifert
6.	Lana Staab
7.	Steph Jandrow
8.	Maureen Rauchfuss
9.	Lori Mueller
10.	Melissa Thomas
11.	Barbara Welch

Inside the Lines DSP

So I've been having fun making cards with the Inside the Lines Designer Series Paper from Sale-a-bration; and SU's amazing watercolor pencils.  I just cut out squares of images from the paper and watercolored and just look how pretty they look on these cards.

I really love the floral design elements, and there are many -

And being able to color and blend the pencils - is a breeze -

This final one got a couple added - sparkly butterflies -

I know this paper is no longer available - but I am so excited that there is new coloring DSP in our brand new SU! catalog that begins on June 1 - so stay tuned!!  See you soon.   ~Maureen

Gift certificates - a great start for a new catalog year!

Just a little reminder that you can order gift certificates for your friends and family to use to purchase Stampin' Up! merchandise and my classes - directly through me.  Each gift certificate will be specially made and placed in a coordinating, hand-stamped folder.

When they open it - there is a pocket the certificate sits in.

Below is a recent one I mailed out - sure to bring a smile to someone's face.

The new catalog is coming in June - so it's the perfect time to get a gift certificate for someone you love - and let them pick out some fun new products from me.  Just contact me to get yours - allow 3 days for processing - then certificate will be mailed per your instructions to the lucky recipient.  ~Maureen

Dove Card - Peace for the Holidays!

Here is one of two card designs we made at a recent Christmas card class. I do Christmas card classes each month, so that by the time December comes around - we have a nice stack of cards to send to family and friends. 

This beautiful card actually uses two products that were not intended for Christmas -

Customers had the choice of using Bermuda Bay or Tempting Turquoise for their doves - and i think they both look beautiful. 

Once you add a little bling and some shimmery ribbon - you have a lovely card ready for the Holidays!  ~Maureen