First Ever NC SU Demo Blog Hop

       Do you love the holidays?  Fall brings beautifully colored leaves, cooler temps, and the fun and excitement and celebration of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The best part is that Fall brings our SU Holiday Mini Catalog and all these beautiful creations from North Carolina Stampin' Up Demonstrators.

     I want to share several easy items that should easily fit into your Christmas preparations.  All of the main components in these are found in the 2011 SU Holiday Mini Catalog.  The first is the cute little a la carte stamp From Santa which is stamped on Whisper White cardstock in Real Red Classic Ink, then punched with 1-3/4" circle punch and mounted on a 2-3/8" Scallop punched from Real Red.  With a hole and ribbon it could be a gift tag and without it's a great embellishment.
     Next up is our Stocking Die cut from Real Red with Whisper White accents.  These were run through the Snow Burst embossing folder to provide some dimension and then adhered to our Box #2.  Another stocking was added to the back.  This makes a great little box to fill with candy canes or pixie stix or other treat for the little ones.

     My last offering is a quick and simple card in Real Red and Whisper White.  The front has been embossed with the Snow Burst embossing folder after a snowflake was punched.  Once adhered a circle of silver glimmer paper was punched with the large circle on the Crop-a-dile, flattened, and glued in the center of the snowflake.  The blank was adhered to the inside top of the card with another silver glimmer paper circle punch.  Finally, Merry Christmas from Hand-Penned Holidays was stamped in Real Red Classic ink.

     Hope you've had fun looking.  Stop back next week if you need directions for any of these items.  And if you are interested in blog candy...leave a comment! 

A Bookmark Card

I haven't posted in a long time...life, you know.  So I was thinking that what I needed was a topic or a picture to give me some inspiration, and then I came across this card from a summer bookmark card swap.  What do you think?  The Designer Series Paper is Beyond the Garden, a gorgeous collection of florals with flowers in different sizes, and the base cardstock is Melon Mambo. 

This card is a little too summery for the Fall, but I was thinking how bookmark cards are really special.  Maybe a bookmark card would be just the ticket for that reader on your Christmas list especially done in a less seasonal DSP.  Think about it and send me an email if you want to schedule some time to make one.

Strength and Hope

     While I was still working on Monday Mailers, I decided that there really weren't a lot of colors I didn't like or wouldn't use together.  Amazingly, with a bit of thought you can put almost any colors together if you don't use too much of at least one of them or tone them down with a third or fourth color.  Anyway my featured color not to use on this card was one of last year's In Colors -- Concord Crush.  It's a very deep purple, and I've never really cared for it.  I don't know WHY I don't like it since I usually like the pinks, roses and plums, but I don't.
     So I decided that if I used pinks that the Concord Crush might not over power those and at least blend a bit.  I got out some Pretty in Pink cardstock along with the Concord Crush and grabbed my new Lace Ribbon Border punch.  Used along with Rose Red ink and Dazzling Diamonds, here is the result.

     I really like the stamps in this set.  There are four which include the butterfly, the adornment I used on the envelope flap, the "H" for hope which I used inside and the words.  The butterfly is very pretty with fine detail that makes a gorgeous image.  Covered with some glue and Dazzling Diamonds glitter, you couldn't ask for a better butterfly stamp.  Don't miss out on this set -- It's only available until August 31.

On the Grow #2

     Sorry it took all week to post, but besides the day job, I've been helping with VBS at church in the evenings.  It's always fun and refreshing to be around young children especially when your own are grown.  So I've been having fun, but that hasn't left much free time to create or write posts.
     My Monday Mailer for this week used the other stamp in the "On the Grow" set.  I like to make myself use all of what is available in a set.  You never know what gem you might go undiscovered because it never saw ink.  I was using Green Galore, Perfect Plum and Very Vanilla for this card with More Mustard thrown into the mix.  I was NOT sure how the colors would work since I'd looked for a unusual combination in my Color Coach and then changed it up a bit.  Actually turned out pretty well I think.  Before I added the brads, the basic jewel headlight and spritzed on some green galore with the Color Spritzer Tool, it was a different story.  I'm always amazed at the difference a tiny touch like a brad or jewel can make it the over all look.  Again I used the blender pen to color in the scooter.  I think the blender pen makes a wonderful tool for watercoloring.
    So here's my card...What do you think?

Stampin' Supplies: Very Vanilla, Green Galore and Perfect Plum cardstock.  Stazon black ink, silver brads, piercing tool, basic jewel (headlight) blender pen and ink pads, Spritzer tool and Green Galore Stampin' Write Marker.

New In Colors

I promised a card with the new (2011-2013) In-colors about a week ago now.  As usual everything else got in front of my good intentions until I decided to sign up for Monday Mailers with my NC SU Demo group.  I pulled out pieces of the new cardstock colors and made a sort of awning to shade the "Sunny Fun" kids in the pool.  This is another stamp set from the SU Summer Mini catalog.  There are two more stamps...one with an interesting line-up of flip-flops and one with delicious, icy treats on sticks.  I'll try to get some other cards made so you can see how "summer appropriate" these stamps really are.  Anyway, the awning colors from top to bottom are: Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Island Indigo, Wisteria Wonder and Lucky Limeade.  The kids are on a background of Bashful Blue, and the card is more of the Island Indigo.  Coloring was done with various Stampin' Write Markers.  If you'd like a copy of the Summer Mini, please email me by clicking the link in the right column and I'll get one to you ASAP.

Finally...

Finally, I got another card done.  You know how it is when you have a holiday and you’ve planned to get something done, and everything but that one thing happens?  Well, welcome to my Independence Day weekend.  Since Friday I’ve been trying to get all the “new stamping year” stuff done without success.  No matter how I plan, something always interferes with getting that card done – until today.

I think I started this particular card about two months ago.  I missed my monthly “stamping date” with Janie and her down-line so we found a “make-up date” and didn’t get lots done at first.  She finally pulled out the “On the Grow” set from the 2011 Summer Mini.  I like this stamp set because it lends itself so well to watercolor, and I like watercolor!  Yes, I use to be scared of it, but turns out it isn’t so difficult and great results are relatively easy to achieve.  Take a look and let me know what you think.

Stamping Supplies: Shimmery White cardstock, pink pirouette, old olive; Stazon black ink pad; Aqua painter; Watercolor Wonder Crayons: bashful blue, pink pirouette, certainly celery, garden green; jewels-basic pearls.  Stamp Sets: On the Grow; Happy Greetings.



Welcome to my stamping blog!

This is my brand new blog "Casey Stamps."  I can hear you thinking right now, "Where did that name come from?"  Well Casey is a pseudonym I've used from my late teens when I first started sketching and drawing.  The two letters, "K" and "C," were from my first and last name so I put them together and spelled out the result.  It wasn't a terrifically original name since at that time we also had a rescue dog we named Casey.  Maybe I'll tell you more about him at a later time.


I have been a stamper off and on since my daughter was eight or nine years old.  That's a long, long time because she's a late thirty-something now with children of her own.  We always had lots of fun when we'd make craft projects together, and although that doesn't happen much any more, I still like to stamp whenever I have a chance.  I liked stamping enough to become a Stampin' Up demonstrator back in the Spring of 2008 and haven't looked back.


Stamping is the purpose of this blog.  I want to share what I love and create with you.  Please feel free to copy and share with your friends, but also acknowledge that the idea originated right here at "Casey Stamps."


Tomorrow's Post: Stampin'Up's new In Colors