Quick Creative Tip #5

Every time I see a Ring Pop, I sing to myself: If you like it put a ring on it.

Anyways.

As always, I insisted to my daughter that we make her Valentines for her classroom party. Over the years I've come to realize that preschoolers don't really care if something is handmade or pretty, they just want the candy. So this year I kept it simple and quick, and you can too if you Use a Banner Framelit to top a Ring Pop for a simple Valentine. Of course, you should add some sort of greeting. I used the Happy Heart Day sentiment from the Tags for You stamp set and punched it out using the Bracket punch. Staple the banner to one side of the Ring Pop (I found that the non-sucker part of the bag is preferable) and use a Dimensional to adhere your sentiment over the staple. So easy, a four-year-old can do it (maybe not the stapling part, but most everything else). The DSP? It's retired (I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but these are going to preschoolers.) I can't remember the name of the DSP that it came from, but I do remember it's a retired Christmas pack. Let me know if you know the name of the DSP. I'll send you a surprise. :-)

Happy Stampin'
~Cita

Quick Creative Tip #4

Last week was a crazy week and because of it I didn't post a Quick Creative Tip. My husband got extremely sick and I'm amazed at how taxing it can be when I lose my team mate. One of the many reasons I love being married is having a partner in everything, and when he gets sick, he checks out and it's hard to function solely by myself. But alas, I made it, and here's this year's fourth Quick Creative Tip: Pierce the petals of a scallop to add additional decoration. 

I love layering circles on top of scallops, but it's so hard to just leave the petals of the scallop blank. I have a habit of piercing the scallop's petals to help make it look a little better. It looks so bare without the piercings. If I can't find my paper piercer (which happens quite frequently), I take a marker the same color as my card stock and mark a dot on each petal.

Stampin' Tips:

• Color Scheme: Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Chocolate Chip, Strawberry Slush, Pear Pizzazz, and Whisper White
• DSP: SAB Sweet Sorbet
• Stamp Set: SAB You're Lovely
• Accessories: 2-3/8" Scallop Punch, Paper Piercing Too, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Blender Pens
• Stamp the "I think you're lovely" sentiment in Chocolate Chip ink. You will notice that this image is more than just the circle featured in my card. Use Blender Pen with the Pear Pizzazz and Calypso Coral ink pads to color the leaves and flowers. Punch out the circle using the 1-3/4" circle punch and adhere it to the scallop using a dimensional. 

Remember that Sale-a-Bration is happening until March 31, 2014. You can earn the DSP and the stamp set you see on this card for FREE with a $100 purchase. 

Happy Stampin' 

~Cita 

Time to Sale-a-Brate

Happy Sale-a-Bration!!!

Today begins one of my favorite times of the year - Sale-a-Bration! There are three ways you can get free product during Sale-a-Bration, and all three are super easy.

During Sale-a-Bration for every $50 (US) you spend (you can choose one free Sale-a-Bration (SAB) item from the SAB Brochure. This year, there are 13 different items you can choose including stamp sets, DSP, a coordinating punch and embossing folder. The best part, there is no limit to how many you can earn. If you spend $100 you can choose 2 items, if you spend $150, you can choose 3 items, etc.! Sale-a-Bration runs through March 31, 2014.  

Host a class during Sale-a-Bration and when your sales reach $300 you'll earn an additional $30 in shopping money for a total of $80 to shop with. Contact me if you and your friends would like to host a class. 

Ever thought about joining Stampin Up! as a demonstrator? Now is the time to do it! Join my team of Stampin' Up! demonstrators and you can get $150 of product in your starter kit for just $99. Your kit is also fully customizable. Contact me for more information on how to become the newest Stampin' Up! demonstrator. 

Happy Sale-a-Bration!!!

~Cita 

Quick Creative Tip #3

I forgot to mention that the beginning of January was my five year anniversary as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. It has been an amazing five years as I have learned so much about papercrafting, met incredible ladies, and have achieved several promotions and incentives I didn't think were possible. One of my favorite things that has happened in the past five years is the amount of techniques, tips, and tricks I have learned to apply to my papercrafting projects. One of my favorite tricks is this week's Quick Creative Tip: Use a bone folder to curl up the petals of a paper flower.

I believe I was at a Ladybug Ink meeting (my group of SU! demonstrators) when I learned of this nifty tip. My world was changed as I saw my fellow Ladybug Stamper curl up the petals of her flower and give it a dimension that made it pop on the card she applied it to. Since then, I have grown addicted to this tip. My flowers can no longer lay flat, I have to add dimension!

One of the great techniques of the bone folder is to use it to curl paper. Here I curled the petals of a flower, but you can also curl banners, leaves, edges of paper. The opportunities are endless. It will not, however, work for curling your daughter's hair. Don't try it.
Happy Stampin',
~Cita

Quick Creative Tip #2

Quick Creative Tip #2: Put a small glue dot on the back of a banner to keep it in place on your card.

I love making cards with cute little banners on them, but I have two gripes about making them: 1) stringing the flag onto the ribbon or twine, and 2) getting my banner to stay in place so it will stay looking cute. Here's my fix for the second problem: add a glue dot to a couple of the flags of your banner to keep the entire banner in place. In this card, the flags with the multi-colored vines are adhered to the card with a glue dot. The chevron and "love" flags are just hanging loose. Adding the glue dot made all the difference in keeping the banner in place.

Side Note: I used two new Stampin' Up! items that will be available at the end of the month. Can you spot them?
See the perfect shapes of the flags on the banners? That's a punch! Making flags for banners is getting way easy these days.
And do you see that "love" banner? That is a stamp from the SAB Blanner Blast stamp set that has ten fun stamps that coordinate perfectly with the Banner Punch and the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (which is already available in the annual catalog). Just two more weeks until Sale-a-Bration starts and you can have this stamp set and coordinating punch for FREE!

One more thing that I want to point out. See the "Big Hug" sentiment? I made that!!! I did some cool tricks with the Silhouette (and followed a tutorial) and came out with this perfect sentiment. In our family, we don't just give hugs, we give Big Hugs!!

Happy Stampin'
~Cita

Another Heartbreak

I know I committed to posting a Quick Creative Tip each Tuesday, and I have one ready for you, but my heart is dark today as I'm thinking about the kids and families in Roswell, NM who are being affected by the school shooting at Berrendo Middle School this morning. As of right now, the news is reporting that two students are injured. I have quite a bit of extended family down there and have confirmed that all are safe, but please join me as I pray for the injured students and all the families affected by this cowardice act in Roswell today.

May the Lord Protect you in all you do,

~Carmelita

A New Love

This year, I fell in love with an e-cutter called the Silhouette. After months and months of talking about it, I found an amazing Black Friday deal online and decided to purchase the e-cutter. It came in right before the onslaught of Holiday happiness/madness, and I just recently had the time and energy to sit down and play with it. This card is the result of that play session.

One of the many reasons I fell in love with the Silhouette is because it plays well with imported .SVG graphics. In other words, many images that I purchase as My Digital Studio downloads can be imported to the Silhouette software to be cut. (Also, if you are an Adobe Illustrator fan, you can do all sorts of fun stuff). The "love" in the above card is actually an image from the Hello Fall Pocket Cards download. I was able to crop the MDS image to just use the "Love" part of the image. The arrow is from the Labels Thinlets die. Seriously, this e-cutting business is super fun!

Stampin' Tips:

• Color Scheme: Summer Starfruit, Strawberry Slush, Bermuda Bay, Basic Black, Whisper White
• DSP: Kaleidoscope DSP (Occasions Mini)
• Accessories: SAB Summer Starfruit Twine (available January 28), Label Cards Thinlits Die

If you have been on the fence about purchasing an e-cutter, I highly recommend a Silhouette, especially if you are a My Digital Studio user. There is a learning curve, but it's worth it and SO MUCH FUN!!!

Happy Stampin'!

~Cita 

Creative Quick Tip #1

Welcome to your Tuesday Quick Creative Tip. I come across all sort of fun creative ways to do things in life, and I want to share them with you. So, I decided that in 2014, one of my goals for my blog (other than to increase the frequency of my posts) is to post Quick Creative Tips each week. Check back each Tuesday for a new tip. You can also submit your creative tips by leaving a comment. Be creative!!

Happy Stampin'!
~Cita

Hello New Occasions Catalog!

What a great way to start the new Occasions Catalog, packed full with great ideas and products for spring entertaining, crafting, and memory-keeping. Check out the catalog and then head over to my website to place your order!

Happy Stampin'
~Cita

Mosaic Birthday CASE

In my eyes, being CASEd is one of greatest form of compliments I can receive from a fellow stamper. Next to being CASEd in being pinned on Pinterest. I found this card on Pinterest awhile ago and CASEd it for an In-Color class I held last summer. Turns out that this card is a case of a case. I couldn't find the original designer of this card, so if you are out there and come across this, thank you for your amazing creativity. 

Stampin' Details:

• Colors: Coastal Caban, Crumb Cake, Strawberry Slush, Early Espresso
• Stamp Set: You're Amazing
• Embellishments: Rhinestones Basic Jewels
• Big Shot: Honeycomb Embossing Folder, Apothecary Accents Framelits 
• Use the debossed side of the Honeycomb embossed Crumb Cake (the side that indents instead of sticks up).
• Cut strips of 1" and 1-1/4" of In-Color DSP. Cut a ribbon end on the bottom of each strip. 
• Remember to stamp first, and then cut the apothecary accent shape based on the stamped image. Using the magnetic platform makes this step super easy. 
• Embellish the sides of the apothecary accent shape with rhinestones or whatever embellishment you have on hand. The Candy Dots would be a good alternative. 

Happy Stampin'

~Cita 

Is that Christmas DSP?

Are you like me and buy a whole bunch of Christmas craft stuff with great intentions of making all sorts of wonderful Christmas presents for all your friends and family? However, life happens, and you only get a tenth of those projects done and have to pack up all that Christmas craft supply until at least next July? Well, if you bought the Winter Frost DSP from the Holiday Mini, don't pack that paper away. Here's a couple of ideas of how to use that paper for a non-holiday card. (BTW, this card is CASEd, but I can't find the original source. Thank you fellow stamper, whoever you are, for inspiring me). 

Stampin' Details:

• Color Scheme: Whisper White, Island Indigo, Pool Party 
• DSP: Winter Frost DSP
• Stamp sets: Hello Lovely
• Embellishments: Basic Rhinestones, Coastal Cabana 3/8" Ruffle Stretch Trim 
• Stamp the flourish on the side of a strip of Whisper White cardstock in Pool Party. Stamp a rectangular sentiment (I used two from the Hello Lovely stamp set) in Island Indigo. Cut out this sentiment and adhere in between the two flourishes with Stampin' Dimensionals. 
• Use glue dots to adhere the ruffle stretch trim ribbon to cardstock. 

I hope you have a wonderful new year filled with adventure and blessings!

Happy Stampin' 

~Cita 

Stampin Up! Holiday Sale

Get your crafting shopping done before Black Friday. Avoid the crowds! Avoid the chaos! Avoid calling your husband names as you try to navigate you cart through the chaos of big box stores. Get into your favorite fuzzy socks, grab your hot cup of comfort tea, fire up your computer, and browse through the dozens of discounted products. Take advantage of these sales before December 2.

Holiday Sale Details:

• Sale runs November 20 - December 2. 
• View all the amazing products here. 
• Discounts range between 20 and 50 percent. 
• There's no minimum purchase required to participate in this promotion. Sale on!
• For product bundles, you need to use the bundle item numbers provided. If you use individual item numbers, you won't get the discount. 

Don't wait, head over to my website now and place your holiday order. 

Happy Stampin'! Happy Shoppin'! And Happy Holidays!

~Cita 

Happy with Thinlits

Oh  my. This stay-at-home stuff is busy! After a month, I'm still trying to get in a groove. My entire family is adjusting to the huge change, but I didn't think I would be so lost on my days. I thought I would make it more of a point to blog when I no longer had a day job, but instead I have been finding myself cleaning out a cupboard instead of blogging. But today I told myself that I wanted to blog, so here I am.
I've said it before, and I'm going to say it again: I love the new thinlit dies. They are so much fun, and I just love creating with them.  This card reminds me of Hawaii because of the flowers and the colors. Or maybe it's because I want to go to Hawaii for Thanksgiving.

Stampin' Tips:

• Color Scheme: Marina Mist, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive
• Stamp Sets: Secret Garden, Yippee-Skippee, Express Yourself 
• Paper: Quatrefancy Specialty DSP
• Accessories: Label Card Thinlits Die, Chalk Talk Framelits, Secret Garden Framelits, Brights Candy Dots

October Paper Pumpkin

5 minutes, ladies and gentlemen. That is how long it took me to put together this month's adorable, useful Paper Pumpkin kit. This cute little note pad can be used for taking notes, writing to-do lists, or compiling a grocery list.

Paper Pumpkin kits are your monthly creative escape. Sign up, and each month the Paper Pumpkin will auto-ship directly to your door and come with all the supplies you need (stamps, ink, paper, and accessories) to create cute, simple, and pinable project such as cards, journals, decor, and more! Interested in this monthly creative escape? Get more details or sign up at the Paper Pumpkin website.

~Cita

Ladybug Ink Blog Hop: Thanksgiving Style

We are heading to the holidays! And this month, the Ladybugs decided to skip Halloween and focus our blog hop on Thanksgiving. I'll be honest, I don't do much for Thanksgiving. We do make it a point to be with family, that is important to us, but other than hanging out with la familia, stuffing my face, and watching football, there's not much more to Thanksgiving. So Thanksgiving craft projects are a little hard for me. But after watching Mary Fish's tutorial on how to make a card using the Floral Framelits, I was inspired for this blog hop.

Stampin' Tips:

• Disclaimer: Remember that Stampin' Up! recommends cutting only one piece of cardstock with the framelits, and this card will require you to cut through two pieces at one time. I haven't had any issues with cutting two pieces of cardstock with the framelits, but I wanted to make you aware that my framelit usage goes against recommendations. 
• Colors: Pumpkin Pie, Baked Brown Sugar, Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, and Daffodil Delight
• Stamp set: Tags 4 You 
• Designer Series Paper: Epic Day This and That and 2013-2015 In Color Designer Series Paper Stack
• Accessories: Floral Framelits, Pumpkin Pie 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Label Bracket Punch 
• When cutting the Epic Day and In-Color DSP with the floral framelit, position the DSP on top of each other and run both pieces through the Big Shot at the same time. This will allow you to perfectly line up the pieces. 
• Cut a piece of the Always Artichoke with the Label Bracket Punch, cut it in half, and then layer it to the back of the "Happy Thanksgiving" tag. 

Thanks for stopping by! Hop on over to Cassie's blog.

~Cita 

Ladybug Roll Call

Amber Wilson http://amberladybugink.blogspot.com/

Nichole Gonzales Jaramillo http://nicholesu.blogspot.com/
Kay Jantz http://ktmyldyandlife.blogspot.com

Liz Kay www.kraftasticmrskay.blogspot.com

You are here: Carmelita Wasson http://carmenacita.blogspot.com/

Cassie Rogers http://lucyslovelies.blogspot.com/

Michelle Carrion www.ilovecrafttime.blogspot.com

Ruth Norton http://ruthsstampingcorner.blogspot.com/

A New Chapter

Today was my last day at my day job. I have worked for a science and technology company for almost 7 years as a technical communicator. Today I said goodbye to the workforce and changed my title from "working mom" to "stay-at-home mom".

This was a hard decision to make, but I'm confident with my decision and do not have any regrets. 

Three and half years ago, after having the Booger, I decided to go back to work. It was necessary for me to go back to work at that time. I was going crazy at home. I felt like I had lost my identity after having the Booger. Going back to work helped me to feel like I restored my identity and sanity. But what was necessary three years ago is no longer valid now. I don't find my identity in work as much as I used to. My job doesn't fulfill me as much as it used to.

Please don't get me wrong. I had an amazing job. The people I worked with were great. I got to work on some fun projects. I learned new programs and improved my HTML and website skills. My managers were caring and flexible. These were some of the many aspects that made it so hard to make this decision.  

So after months and months of thinking and praying about quitting my job, my husband and I made the decision that it would be in our family's best interest if I quit my job. And that brings us to today. I gave my notice to my manager weeks ago, but today solidifies the decision.

This afternoon, I finished clearing off my desk and headed out to turn in all my separation paperwork. As I closed the door to my office, I thought, "Wow, I'm literally closing the door on a chapter to my life."

And then I pretty much cried all afternoon. Even though I'm excited and confident with my change, I am mourning the end of this chapter. 

So what's next? I don't really know. 

What I do know is that I do want to spend more time with the Booger. I do know that I want to eliminate the craziness that came with both my husband and me working. I do know that I want to spend more time teaching stamping and paper crafting. 

Other than that, it's going to be all trial and error. Maybe I'll love being a stay-at-home mom and never look back. Maybe I'll go crazy in a few months and demand to find another job. Maybe I'll go back to school  - photography always has interested me. I could go back and get my Masters in Technical Communication. I do love the TC field. Maybe I'll become an awesome Stampin' Up! demonstrator and never look back to going back to a 9 to 5 job, but just do what I love: papercrafting. Maybe I will decide to homeschool Sybella ( I doubt it, but who knows).  I feel like the sky is the limit right now. I'm so fortunate to be in this position. I am so fortunate to have a husband that recognized my discontentment with my job and supports me chasing an undefined dream and "trying" to be a stay-at-home mom, even after my first attempt was a complete disaster.

So stay tuned! Hopefully, I'll be able to increase my blog posts. Oh, and if you have any advice for this newbie SAHM, I'm all ears.

Happy Stampin',
~Cita 

Lovely Ladybugs Day

Have I told you lately that I love being part of Stampin' Up!?
Let me tell you now: I love being part of Stampin' Up!

One of the many reasons I love this company is the people. I have met so many wonderful people since becoming a demonstrator, many who I now comfortably call my friends. The group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators I belong to is called Ladybug Ink. Think of it as my immediate Stampin' Up! family. Every so often, my upline, Amber, rewards several Ladybugs who met certain requirements during a performance period. I qualified this past period and got to partake in Lovely Ladybugs Day, and it indeed was a lovely Ladybug day. Complete with a scrumptious lunch, make-and-takes, and gifts, Amber provided an amazing morning.  Here's a little glimpse of my morning.

Here's the beautiful centerpiece at the table. These sunflowers are from Amber's garden.

Our lovely place setting. The placemat is an actual 12x12 piece of Daffodil Delight cardstock. I was super careful not to soil the placemat.

We each received a a little gift. Inside this cute little bag was a set of washi tape that we later used for one of our make-and-takes. 

At each place setting was this elegant "Lovely Ladybug" frame. You may not recognize the lovely ladybug from any set that Stampin' Up! sells. This is because Amber drew and carved this stamp using Stampin' Up!'s new Undefined Kit. I was surprised when Amber sent us all home with this cute frame.

I love how Amber used the new Bow die to make the wrap around for this setting. See that lemon? That is another stamp she hand-carved using the Undefined Kit.

 Dessert part 1. Can you say yummy?

I thought this was so cute and clever. Amber gave us these simple mason jars to use as our cups. To spruce up the cup a little, she wrapped a strip of washi tape around the jar.

And the glass is now completely full with delicious hand-squeezed lemonade. 

Dessert part 2. Amber's husband made these decadent lemon bars. I was so tempted to walk off with more that I could munch on later. 

After we finished stuffing our bellies, we got to stamp! 

Here's a bookmark we made. See the gold button on the flower? That's actually a white button that we dipped in gold embossing powder and heat embossed. 

This is a pouch made out of a simple 6x6 piece of DSP. See the gold splatter marks all over the black polka dot paper? We used the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set and embossed skid marks and splatter all over the paper. I think it's a nice touch.

This card is a "shaker card"; shake it and the butterflies, hearts, and flowers shake behind the window sheet. The window sheet is adhered to the card base using the washi tape.

This was our last make-and-take: a decorated notebook. Amber found these notebooks at a big craft store. We added the chevron ribbon and the Lovely Ladybug tag.

 I am definitely motivated to try to earn another invite to Lovely Ladybugs day again. Join my team of Ladybug stampers and you can also earn a lovely day like this. Contact me to see how you can join Stampin' Up! for only $100.

Happy Stampin'!
~Cita

Ladybug Ink Blog Hop: Holiday Catalog Style

It's time for the blog hop again. This month we are featuring projects made from the Holiday catalog. My project features the Christmas Messages stamp set from the Holiday catalog, along with the newly released Circle Card Thinlets Die.

I love the new Thinlets die and how they help make such cute and fun flip cards.

Next up on the blog hop is Cassie.

Enjoy your day and Happy Stampin'!

~Cita

Ruth Norton http://ruthsstampingcorner.blogspot.com

Amber Wilson http://amberladybugink.blogspot.com/

Nichole Gonzales Jaramillo http://nicholesu.blogspot.com/

Kay Jantz http://ktmyldyandlife.blogspot.com/

Liz Kay http://www.kraftasticmrskay.blogspot.com/

You are here: Camelita Wasson http://carmenacita.blogspot.com/

Cassie Rogers http://lucyslovelies.blogspot.com/

Michelle Carrion http://www.ilovecrafttime.blogspot.com/

The Joys of Washi Tape

I. Love. Washi Tape. When it started to become trendy in the crafting world I did a hidden eye roll as I thought the idea of decorative tape was silly. Just take some DSP and apply with scotch tape, wa-la makeshift washi tape.  I shall confess that I mocked washi tape at first. No more. I apologize washi tape. Please forgive me. Let me use your awesome-ness to grace my cards and make creating easier.

At convention, Stampin' Up! so graciously gave us six rolls of washi tape from the Holiday Mini catalog. I took my cute little rolls of washi tape home and decided to give it a try on a card. I had already started to use it in my This N That books, but not on cards. The above card was the outcome. I loved how easy it was to string the strips of washi tape across the card to create a layered DSP look. Had I used actual DSP, this card would have been a little more time consuming. Think about trying to cut all those little pieces of DSP, laying them out, adhering them one by one, and then trimming the sides. Use washi tape, it's much easier.

Stampin' Tips:

• Colors scheme: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Whisper White (The best Christmas Card color combo ever)
• Stamp Sets: Gorgeous Grunge, Christmas Messages
• Accessories: Season of Style Designer Washi Tape, Cherry Cobbler Twine, Apothecary Accents Framelits
• When placing the washi tape, don't worry about cutting the strip of tape to be exact. Wrap the excess tape around the back of the card. 
• Use the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set to provide a background in the bottom right-hand corner. I used Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler ink. 
• Cut a Cherry Cobbler piece from the Apothecary Accent framelits. Then cut a 1-1/2" x 2-1/2" piece of Whisper White cardstock to line the accent and stamp the Christmas greeting on. Tie a piece of Cherry Cobbler twine around and seal with a bow. 

Have you tried using washi tape? What projects have you used them on? If you haven't given washi tape a chance, I highly recommend giving it some time. I do believe you will like washi tape. 

Happy Stampin' 

~Cita 

Holiday Single Stamps

Stampin' Up! recently released a new, holiday-themed collection of single stamps. These stamps are perfect for budget conscious stampers or those who just want that one special Christmas stamp. (It's so weird to already be thinking about Christmas in August.)

There are eight different stamps to choose from, six of which coordinate with the Framelits dies or punches.  These stamps are only available in clear-mount.

Be Merry Clear-Mount Stamp ($8.95, 134767)

A Gift For You Clear-Mount Stamp ($4.95,  134765)

Cheers Clear-Mount Stamp ($5.95, 134769)

Christmas Star Clear-Mount Stamp ($9.94, 134813)

Joy and Love Clear-Mount Stamp ($6.95, 134771)

Magical Season Clear-Mount Stamp ($5.95, 134777)

Prince of Peace Clear-Mount Stamp ($6.95, 134811)

Wonderful Blessing Clear-Mount Stamp ($8.95, 134779)

Aren't these stamps beautiful? Visit my website and place your order. These stamps will only be available until January 31, 2014. 

Happy Stampin', 

~Cita