What a great sentiment, huh!?!

When is everything thing in you life traveling right on track, just like it should be?  Well, that’s kind of that situation I am in.  Sure, I am busy…  Sure there are a ton of things I could be doing – that I should be doing.  But, for the most part life is just humming along fine.

How are things going in your life?  No really, I care.  If you just want someone to talk to, you can always email me.. jlcantrell@toast.net.  I may not have been where you are… but I am here for you!

Well, that got deep quick.  It’s true though.  But, I am going to lighten things up a bit and show you some cards.  But, first… the back story!

So, I was alone at work at Yankee Candle one night.  I had brought my catalog with me because I knew I had an upcoming swap to plan for.  I was looking through the catalog and decided I wanted to use the Daisy bundle.  But, I didn’t know when the punch would be off back order, so I didn’t want to use the punch at all.  And, since I didn’t want to use all my pretty DSP (Designer Series Paper) up on one project, I decided to go simple.  Well, sometimes my ideas start out as simple but turn into something a little more elaborate.

I decided to take a page out of the Stampin’ Up book.  Literally, I did a little CASEing (Copy A Share Everything) of the catalog and combine a couple looks into one.  Here is the sketch I came up with.

But, then my mind started racing and I had to keep pulling it back in.  But, one of the things that Stampin’ Up does is teach us demonstrators about “Stepping Up” a card.  They make a card that is very simple.  Just a few parts.  Made to be done a new stamper.  Then, they recreate the card but add a little to it.  This is for the stamper who wants to do a little bit more but still a bit on the edge about getting too crazy.  Then, they give us a final card that fancy schmancy and may have a few more embellishments and techniques.  So, that was what I decided to do.

Here are the three versions of my card.

See how it gets a little more intricate with each one.

The one that I did for my swap is in the middle.  Because it is a group of fellow demonstrators, I could have done the last one, but since we are making other cards, I decided it would take too much time.

Proj Sheet – Thoughtful Daisies

And, since it’s been awhile since I gave you a project sheet… I did one for the middle card as well.  You can easily step it back by not stamping the leaves or adding the embellishments.

Oh – you want to get all fancy schmancy?  I used the solid leaf stamp.  I also embossed the daisies in clear and sponged Daffodil ink over them.  I kept the leaves masked so I didn’t turn them another color.

Have you ever done a stepping up card?  Share it below!

Until next time… keep it simple, Stampers!

🙂  Joanne

Welcome to the June edition of the Ink & Inspiration Blog Hop!

Our theme this month is MASCULINE!  It is always so hard to come up with a wonderful card to celebrate the men in our lives, isn’t it.  They really don’t want all the lace and the pearls.  But, they do appreciate a well-made, handmade card.  So, where are my offerings for you…

This card was made using the Country Livin’ set (141922/141925) on page 144 of the current catalog.  It’s a great set that is very masculine.  The YAY! is from the Oh Happy Day Card Kit (142725) on page 15.  Once you’ve done the kit, the stamp set is so versatile that you won’t ever put it away!  I used a bit of Linen Thread to add the rope.

This card uses a set that many may not thing to pull out for a masculine card: Butterfly Basics (138813/138816/137154  pg. 149).  I mean, butterflies aren’t very manly… maybe a moth… but not a butterfly.. right!  But, it’s all in the color scheme.  This one uses Night of Navy, Basic Black, and Very Vanilla with accents in Copper.  The copper embossing adds a unique touch.  The splatter can be found in Painter’s Palette (141907/141910 pg. 160).  Oh – and round corners is still easy even without the corner rounder punch.  I used the 3/4″ Circle Punch (199873 pg. 207) to round these… simply slip the corner of the paper thru the top of the punch – when you are holding it upside down.

Bet you thought that wishing well was very pretty and your mom would love a card with it!  Well, so would your father.  Again – it goes back to choosing the right colors.  The well and sentiment are from the Bright Wishes (143823/143827) set found on page 91.  I used my aqua painter with lightly color the grass.

And finally – I love this card…

Very simple and very masculine.  I will mention it one more… It’s all about color.  This card uses the same colors as the card above:  Always Artichoke, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, and Basic Black.  The argyle is down using 1″ squares.  The badge is from Badges & Banners (141605/141610 pg. 26) and punched using the Best Badge punch (140633 pg. 206).  The inside sentiment is from Big on Birthdays (142877 pg. 73).  I think this is the perfect font for a manly sentiment.

Well, thank you for stopping by today!

On to the next…

Until next time… keep it simple, Stampers!

🙂  Joanne

 

Did you miss me?  Technically, I’ve been back from Haiti for two weeks to the day… but those have been a very hectic and tiring two weeks.  I know you are eager to see some pictures, so here they are.

What did we do in Haiti?

We taught three Vacation Bible School lessons in three locations for a total of over 450 children.  We did the weekly devotion for the Mission’s widow Bible study.  We did many, many pray walks through the local villages.  We helped at the feeding centers.  We helped unload a cargo plane full of rice and corn.  We took the orphans to the river.  We spent the night at the mountain church.  We worshiped and praised and honored God the best we could. And, I… I stepped out of my comfort zone more times than I care to count!

Now, I am back at it.  I have a lot to do to get ready for the upcoming stampin’ season.  With pulling extra shifts at the candle store, my stampin’ time gets put to the back burner.  What do you love to do, but often gets put on the back burner?

Since the new catalog went live while I was gone, I had to wait until I was back in the USA to place my order.  Luckily we had a long layover and delayed flight… so, I was able to order from the airport in Atlanta.  It was in my hands by the end of the week!

But, sad to say, all I have been able to do is unpack my box.  I haven’t had a chance to play with it.  But, that fun will come tonight.  So, after I get my work done here at the church, I am heading home to my craft room and letting the creative juices flow and the stress leave!

But, I will leave you with this.  It’s a card sketch.  I will use this sketch in multiple ways and bring them back here tomorrow to show you how versatile a sketch can be!

What will you do with this sketch?

Until next time…keep it simple, Stampers!

🙂  Joanne

You may or may not now this.. but aI am not in the country right now.  I have left on a Mission Trip to Haiti.  This is my second year going – here is the team from last year.  Everyone on this the trip this year is pictured… there just aren’t as many of us.  Only 8 this time around.

This was taken on our last day on the mountain following the Sunday church service.  After a few days on the mountain – we were ready to get back to indoor plumbing!  But, it was a great time.  I am so looking forward to going back up at the end of this week.

So, I thought in meantime, I could give you a little tour of my craft room!

This is what I see when I come up the stairs into my space above the garage.  Why, yes, my floor does look like a Bath & Body Works bag!  Thank you for noticing!  I love it!!!

A little closer view…  I have a Big Shot station where I also keep my Score Board.  I have twine in glass canisters and my punches in a container in the corner.  An iPad keeps me binge watching Netflix as I stamp… and that stool under my desk in my best friend!  It’s how I reach those stamp sets!

I keep all the current stamps above my work area.  The center one holds Annual Catalog stamps.  The end one has Occasion catalog stamps and a few of the background stamps from the Annual catalog.  And, the stamps above the paper are the carryover from the Holiday Catalog.  I don’t keep a lot of paper here… just my open packs of solid colored cardstock.  My ink is stored in an old cassette tape holder that my dad left me when they moved out (yes, I bought my parents home!)

See, there are the punches in the corner.  Pardon the Paper Pumpkin corner… it’s a mess.  Always is.  I haven’t figured out how to organize that top side yet!

Here is the pony wall that my hubby built me so that I don’t fall down the stairs!  How about those clear bins on the top.  I got those from Yankee Candle when we stitched how we display things.  I used them to hold projects I am working on.  And, they don’t block the sun from coming in.

Under the bins, I keep my current DSP and unopened cardstock.  The middle section has retired DSP.  And, all those stamps on the end is my collection of retired sets.  I am not sure how I am going to fit all the ones that need to move over on June 1st!

All nicely organized… huh!  Well, not so fast… here is the unfinished corner!

It holds a bunch of empty boxes and unorganized stuff.  When the room is complete, this will be my sewing and Cricut corner.  And, that radio there… that dates back to Junior High School – circa 1984!

I hope you enjoyed my craft room.  Come on over anytime and we’ll create something fun!

Until next time… keep it simple, Stampers!

🙂  Joanne

So, a couple months ago, I volunteered to put together the Make-n-Take for our Stampin’ Up upline meeting.  This is where a bunch of us demonstrators with the gal that we signed up under and talk and learn and, of course, stamp.  I had just received my Eastern Palace Bundle, so I figured I could use that.

Here’s a blurry shot of the card.. I didn’t take a clear one, I guess!

While the Designer Series Paper in this suite is very beautiful, I didn’t want to use it all my first time out.  The story of my life, right!  Anyway… I used two of the images from the stamp set (Eastern Beauty – #143675) to create my own tone-on-tone DSP by stamping in Fresh Fig on Fresh Fig cardstock.

The thinlits that come with the Eastern Palace Bundle (Eastern Medallions Thinlits – #143725) are meant to be stacked together to create wonderful medallions.  But, they also do not cut things out completely, so I  paired the medallion with 3″ circle from the Layering Circle die set.  I used washi tape to hold them together so they wouldn’t slide.

For the sentiment, I embossed one of the circles from the stamp set  using the gold powder.  I then used the 2″ circle from the Layering Circle dies to cut it out.  It is very close to the edge, so you may want to secure it in place using washi as well.

Just a tip – I actually ran them both through the Big Shot at the same time 🙂

And, just in case you care…  Here is what it looked like all neatly organized and ready to be packed up!

The ladies all enjoyed making it.  And, I will say, I had an absolute blast chit-chatting with them all was they made the cards.  I love our monthly meetings!

If you want to be a part of a team, this is the team to be with!  It’s very simple to join Stampin’ Up!  What’s holding you back?  Don’t you want to get free stuff?  Don’t you want to get a discount off the stuff you are going to order anyway?  Let’s do this.. together.

To join us, go to the link at the top of the page.  And, of course, email me with any questions you may have!

Here are the supplies I used for the card!

Product List

And, did you know you don’t have to wait until the new catalog goes live on June 1st to order this!  Get it now!  Just go to my shop using the link at the top of the page!

Until next time… keep it simple, Stampers!

🙂  Joanne

Good morning!

It’s been awhile since I offered up a new card sketch.  But, I have a little reason behind this one.  I am issuing a challenge.  I’d like to see what y’all can do with this one.

I have in my mind masculine cards from this sketch.. but it could go in any direction.

How about masculine but with out using a decidedly masculine stamp set?

What about using colors that one wouldn’t think to be especially “manly”?

Really, what I love about sketches is that the possibilities are only limited by our imagination.

What is floating around in the mind of yours.  Come on… you know you saw a card in that beautifully creative mind of your the minute you saw this sketch!  I can’t be the only one that this happens to!

Please post the cards you create using this sketch in the comments below.  I am truly interested to see what you can come up with!

Until next time… Keep it simple, Stampers!

🙂  Joanne

Welcome to the first Ink & Inspiration Blog Hop. You are currently visiting Joanne Cantrell from the United States. I hope you enjoy my cards showcasing my favorite product carrying over into the new Annual Catalog.

I have chosen to highlight the Guy Greetings Stamp Set (138825-w / 138828-c / 137178-p).  As you will see, you can mix it with other sets or leave it by itself.  And, as you scroll through, you may notice a thing or two you don’t recognize… those are new products from out of the new catalog!!!  Does that whet your appetite?

This card features new In-Colors Fresh Fig and Tranquil Tide.

What a studly guy… perfect for your husband!  The star embossing folder used is retiring, but check out that mini chevron ribbon… that’s NEW!

Once again, I have used that Tranquil Tide.  I think it will be my new favorite!  But, did you notice that Designer Series paper in the background?  That’s new as well.  It’s part of the Wood Textures DSP Stack.

For this card, all I used was the sentiment from Guy Greetings.  The leaves and branches come from a NEW suite called Color Theory.  It’s on page 146 in the new catalog.  Check it out!!!  You’ll fall in love… I promise!

Nothing new on this card… But, I am in love with it!

And, of course, what would playing with Guy Greetings be without using the anchor?

Yes, this is my favorite card to make with this set.  It is the one that I made nearly 200 of for my son’s co-recruits at Navy Boot Camp last fall.  I cased it from someone, so it’s not my creation.  But, I can whip them out like nothing now!

What card do you tend to recreate?

Well, that’s my showcase of my favorite returning item in the new 2017-2018 Annual Catalog!

I hope the projects you’ve seen here on my blog today have inspired you & brightened your day. You are currently visiting Joanne Cantrell. Please see the list below & hop through all of the people on the list to see all our projects. You don’t want to miss any!”

#IIBH if you’re into hashtags.

Blog Hop List

1.  Jessie Holton
2.  Janneke de Jong
3.  Angela Meiritz-Reid
4.  Jenny Hall
5.  Steph Pike
6.  Sarah Fleming – USA
7.  Sandra Mastello – Australia
8.  Elaine Johnson
9.  Joanne Cantrell – USA <–  YOU ARE HERE 🙂

Until next time… keep it simple, Stampers!

So, funny thing happened on the way to the blog hop… WordPress got in my way.  It was a very frustrating day to say the least.  One of the worst things about being part of a blog hop is not having the links work.  And, in my case, I couldn’t get the links to show up.  Hopefully next moth it will be much better and I can hop along with my new friends.  Until then, just sit back and enjoy a card or two… or five 🙂

First questions first.. What is a blog hop?

Very simple…very simple indeed!  You go to a participant’s blog.  You oggle and oogle over what they have posted.  Then you find a link to another blog post who is using the same theme.  People get together in groups and decide what they are going to do and create and blog and then post all for your enjoyment and inspiration!

The group I was going to hop with was the Aim for Alaska group.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Aim for Alaska group…  This is an eclectic group of Stampin’ Up demonstrators from around the world that all came together with one purpose…  We want to go on the Alaskan cruise!!!  We are all at different point sin our business but we all have one goal in mind!

As for me, I probably won’t earn the trip this year, but that isn’t stopping me from learning all I can from the guest presenters, stampin’ experts and the other wonderful members of the group.  If you know me at all, you know I am always eager to learn new things and always looking to better myself.

So, our theme this month is to give you a sneak peek of new catalog items.  The new 2017-2018 Annual Catalog goes live on June 1st.  We know you can’t wait that long – so here is a little taste to whet your appetite.

I have used the Pieces & Patterns Stamp Set (143840/143843) on page 41 in the new catalog.  It is part of the Pick a Pattern Suite.  I have also used some of the Pick a Pattern Designer Series Paper (144163).

What a great sentiment to give to my husband for Father’s Day.  We do quite a bit of camping… so it’s the perfect DSP for him!

Something about that “Hello There” just called out to my Swirly Bird Set.  That set has to be one of my favorite returning sets.  It’s so versatile!

This card is perfect for those of you that want to buy only the stamp set and nothing else… The circle can be fussy cut and the banner can be notched.  And, really.. the thread isn’t necessary if you want to stay simple!

This is another that just uses the Pieces & Patterns stamp set.  I used the aqua painter to create the watercolor background and stamped the circles while it was still damp so they would bleed a little!

It really doesn’t get much simpler than this card to make, but it is so expressive!

And finally… the little guy that started it all…

Just look at that cute little dino reaching for those balloons he’s lost a hold of! How precious is he?  Perfect for a little boy’s birthday!

For me, Pieces & Patterns is the perfect set to use for so many different occasions!!!

Thank you for stopping by!  If you are interested in seeing the actual hop, search the hashtag #aimforalaska or #sixmonthstampingoals.  Either one of those should take you to one of the hoppers.

Until next time… keep it simple, Stampers!

🙂  Joanne

Yesterday, as I was talking about God’s miracle work in a precious new life, I got word of a life taken.  A friend that lost his wife to cancer a few years ago lost his second wife suddenly and expectantly. They had only been married a little over a year.  They are still young – my age or so.  Such a tragedy for him and their blended family.   But, you know something…God is in control of this situation too.  Not as easy to see yet, but He’s there, nonetheless!

And, after the news this morning… I am so thankful for the little things that God provides us every day – like the daisy flowers in the field!  So, here is a little Thank You card back to God for being so present in the every day!

Okay – so it really isn’t a card, but instead, it’s a pop-up hexagon box.  I didn’t make this one to fit into an envelope because I think it will just sit on my shelf until I find someone to give it too.  I used Mitosu Crafts’ video to help me build this.  Of course, I made a few modifications… and one error.  It’s one I always make building these boxes! (I put the mechanism on the top instead of the bottom – if you were wondering!)  I really ought to have learned by now.  What Jay does with a little paper and glue is phenomenal!  You really should Google him!

This card uses items from the Delightful Daisy Suite.  I can tell I am going to love this one… so, it will be making plenty appearances here!  I have used the Daisy Delight stamp set to stamp the daisies and sentiment.  On the outside is small pieces of one of the papers in the Delightfully Daisy Designer Series Paper.  And, the best thing…  those flowers were all punched using the new Daisy Punch.  Isn’t it lovely!

Bet you can’t wait to get your hands on that new catalog!  You will love it once you see it!!!  Just drop me an email and I will get it off to you in a jiffy!

Until next time… keep it simple, Stampers!

J  Joanne

I know I have been a bit absent as of late.  It’s been a bit hectic in my world!  Above it all, I continue to be amazed at the way God works in the lives of those around me.  He is in control.  He has a plan.  I just sit back and watch Him work.  He is AWE-some!

A dear close friend and co-worker had a baby this weekend.  The baby was about a week late in vacating the premises.  Things happened during birth – not tragic, but concerning things.  Ended up in nursery on monitors.  Doctors felt best to transport her to bigger hospital a few hours away.  Just precautionary.  Mom was heartbroken.  By the time the parents arrived there, baby was off monitors, doing great.  Less than 12 hours there – she is off oxygen and IV.  If no infection, she’ll get to come home in the next couple days.  God’s is control of this – it’s easy to see.

What a difference a few hours make.  Even though you can’t see her face, you can tell how she feels in the different pictures!  I can tell she has a huge smile on her face in that second photo – can’t you!! Well, wouldn’t you just be beaming if you got to hold you baby for the first time ever – and she is nearly two days old!?!

So, how does this relate back to cards and Stampin’ Up?

Well, I had a meeting last night with my Stampin’ friends.  We did a Spring time Swap.  My I loved my swap card so much I decided that I needed to make an extra and give to my friend whose strength has just amazed me through such a difficult time!

So, here is a sneak peak at some of the items coming out in the new catalog on June 1st… because this card uses one of the new Hostess Sets – Feathery Friends.  It’s perfect to color using your Stampin Write Markers or Watercolor Pencils.  And, check out the vibrant green.  It’s one of the new In Colors 2017-2019 called Lucky Limeade.  Actually – all the colors you see on the card are the new In Colors!  It’s so bright and cheery!  I really do think that this card will make my dear friend smile!  After all, that’s why we make cards, right!  To brighten up someone’s day!

Want to get your hands on the new catalog?  Drop me an email and I will get on off in the mail to you…

Can’t wait to get your hands on the new catalog…?  Ask me how you can get one before it “hits the news stands!”

Until next time… keep it simple, Stampers!

🙂  Joanne