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It’s Time for a New Adventure

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Hello my crafty friends! I have been going through a season of change in my life and making some decisions to shake things up. One of those decisions I am sharing with you today, and that is I have resigned as a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator. I have been a demonstrator since 2011 and have loved all the things I have learned, the friends I have made, and the adventures we have shared. It’s been amazing. Mary Fish has been an amazingly talented and kind mentor, always sharing of her knowledge, friendship and time.

Life is never constant, it is always flowing and changing, that is the nature order of things. I have come to embrace the idea change. It keeps things interesting! So with that in mind, I am off on a new adventure!!

I’ll be back soon with more details on what is next for me. For now, thank you all for your encouraging words, I appreciate every one of you!!

Jumping Right in to 2018 with Tic Tac Toe Challenge #29

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Hello friends! I’m back from a blogging hiatus and jumping right in to 2018! Well, actually a few days later than I had planned because I caught the bug that’s going around and was sick from Christmas through New Year’s 🙁 But I’m back on track and playing along with the Tic Tac Toe Challenge today!

When I saw the board for this week, the top row grabbed me immediately and pretty soon this card popped into my head, complete. Does that happen to you too? I tried to add layers, borders, ribbon, SOMETHING, but nope…this card had to stay exactly as I had envisioned it in my head!

Details:

  • This is an unusually clean card for me…I rarely have just a one layer base, but hey, never say never!
  • I used the Blooming’ Heart Thinlit Die and Red Glimmer Paper for the heart…it’s SO sparkly and doesn’t need any further embellishment!
  • The ‘love’ sentiment die is from the Sunshine Wishes Dies. I didn’t ever purchase the black glimmer paper (how did I miss that?) so I improvised. I applied a layer of Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets to a scrap of white cardstock and then ran it through the Big Shot twice with the ‘love’ die. I then peeled the adhesive off of one of the dies and adhered it to the other die for depth. I then peeled the adhesive off the top die and dipped the whole thing into some retired Black Glitter I had from several years ago and voila! Black Glimmer Paper!

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  • It actually didn’t turn out as nicely as I had hoped…if I ever try it again I will use black card stock rather than white! Live and learn 🙂
  • I did snip really skinny pieces of Stampin’ Dimensionals and adhere them to the back of the ‘love’ die to give it some separation from the heart.
  • I used the Labeler Alphabet stamp set to quickly stamp out the ‘you’ and then snipped it down to size and adhered with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

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  • The inside is just as clean and simple as the outside, the Labeler Alphabet really is fun to use once you let go of “perfect”. I have a hard time letting go, so I’m particularly pleased with myself for not corrected my slight wobble with the ‘U’! It’s the little things in life…

And THAT’S it folks! So clean and simple and a great start to a new year! Make sure you stop by and see all of the Tic Tac Toe Challenge design team’s awesome samples for you, and then play along! There are so many options this week!

Supplies:

Card Stock: Stamper’s Select White by Papertrey Ink

Pattern Paper: Sumer Smooches Designer Series Paper (retired) by Stampin’ Up!

Specialty Paper: Red Glimmer Paper by Stampin’ Up!

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black

Stamps:  Labeler Alphabet by Stampin’ Up!

Dies:  Blooming’ Hearts Thinlits Dies and Sunshine Wishes Dies by Stampin’ Up!

Tools: Big Shot and Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets by Stampin’ Up!

Embellishments:  Black Stampin’ Glitter (retired) by Stampin’ Up!

Other: Medium Whisper White Envelope by Stampin’ Up!

A Harvest Bouquet of Gratitude

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I was feeling very “Fall” inspired when I made this card, in spite of the Santa Ana winds blowing which drive the temperatures up into the 90’s. That’s Southern California life for you!

Measurements:

  • Card Base 4 1/2″ x 11″, scored at 5 1/2″
  • Early Espresso Layer 4″ x 5 1/4″
  • Vanilla Layer 3 3/4″ x 5″
  • Vanilla Circle 3″
  • DSP Square 3″ x 3″

Details:

  • The Early Espresso die cut pumpkin, which together with the Soft Sky sprigs are stand alone dies from the Patterned Pumpkins Thinlits Dies, was the basis for this card and everything developed around it. I adore the pumpkin die cut and have a few more ideas for it, so look for it to turn up again here on my blog!
  • All of the stamped images you see here, pumpkins and floral stems, are from the Pick a Pumpkin stamp set and you can get both products bundled up in the Pick a Pumpkin bundle at a 10% savings! Say THAT three times fast!! lol
  • The DSP I used is the Painted Autumn DSP and the pattern I chose to highlight has Cajun Craze, Tangerine Tango and Soft Sky in it. When stamping though, I also threw in Pumpkin Pie and Early Espresso for a little more fun and contrast.
  • The pretty sentiment is from the Painted Harvest stamp set and is such an appropriate sentiment, no matter the season!

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  • I arranged my circle (die cut with the Stitched Shapes Framelit Dies) together with a square cut from DSP to for the base for my harvest bouquet. I then stamped and die cut images and shapes and arranged them all around the Early Espresso pumpkin (love) (I had to say it again).
  • I then took bits and pieces of the 5/8″ Burlap Ribbon, Linen Thread, 3/8″ Classic Weave Ribbon in Soft Sky, and some retired Pumpkin Pie chevron ribbon (I didn’t have any current Pumpkin Pie ribbon!) and added them to the bouquet, looped around the focal piece and even as banners!
  • Lastly were some Cajun Craze and Pumpkin Pie enamel shapes to add that last detail.
  • Wait – did you see the layer of cream is embossed with the Ruffled Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder? It adds such a sweet soft detail to the design 🙂

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  • I kept the inside simple with just a sentiment from the Remarkable You stamp set, stamped in Cajun Craze.

Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun with the color Cajun Craze as I did today! What do you think? Is it a color, or a collection of colors, that speaks to you?

Blessings!

Supplies:

Card Stock: Vintage Cream by Papertrey Ink; Cajun craze, Early Espresso, Soft Sky by Stampin’ Up!

Pattern Paper: Painted Autumn Designer Series Paper by Stampin’ Up!

Ink: Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango by Stampin’ Up!

Stamps:  Pick a Pumpkin, Painted Harvest and Remarkable You by Stampin’ Up!

Dies:  Patterned Pumpkins Thinlits Dies, Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies and Envelope Liner Die (retired) by Stampin’ Up!

Tools: Big Shot, Ruffled Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder and Stampin’ Trimmer by Stampin’ Up!

Embellishments: Cajun Craze and Pumpkin Pie Enamel Dots, 5/8″ Burlap Ribbon, Linen Thread, 3/8″ Classic Weave Ribbon in Soft Sky, and some retired Pumpkin Pie chevron ribbon by Stampin’ Up!

Other: Medium Very Vanilla Envelope by Stampin’ Up!

A Sweet Goodbye to Penned & Painted – The Paper Players 342

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A Sweet Goodbye to Penned & Painted Card Ideas - Shannon Jaramillo Stampin Up

I had a bit of time to create this weekend…this is the first of a few cards I’m looking forward to sharing with you!

This card was created with someone special in mind and I’m looking forward to popping it in the mail to her! I hope it brightens her day!

Details:

  • Thick Whisper White card base cut to 4 1/4″ x 11″, scored at 5 1/2″
  • Succulent Garden Designer Series Paper cut to 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″
  • Old Olive card stock cut to 3 7/8″ x 5 1/8″
  • Sweet Sugarplum card stock cut to 3 3/4″ x 5″
  • Whisper White card stock card stock cut to 3 5/8″ x 4 4/8″

  • Penned and Painted (which will be retiring May 31st) is a 3-step stamp set, perfect for building detailed images! I started with the outline stamp in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. The sweet pink of the filler images is Sweet Sugarplum, stamped off once. The last image is the detail image, also stamped in Sweet Sugarplum but at full strength this time. So pretty!
  • The leaves are stamped in Old Olive and perfectly coordinate with this yummy new Mini Chevron Ribbon which is available in the new catalog! I came in with a close up so you could see the chevron detail…and it ties like a dream!
  • A few layers of color and some Stampin’ Dimensionals help the focal image really pop off of the Succulent Garden Designer Series Paper. This gingham pattern is far and away my favorite!! It was hard, but I managed to turn the gingham pattern over to show off the pretty paper on the reverse side, which I used to decorate my envelope flap!

A Sweet Goodbye to Penned & Painted Cards Ideas - Shannon Jaramillo Stampin Up

  • This sweet sentiment is a favorite of mine from the Watercolor Wishes Card Kit…and will be retiring on May 31st so make sure to add it to your collection before it is gone forever!
  • A visual triangle of Rhinestone Basic Jewels is the perfect finish touch!

A huge thank you to The Paper Players design team for inspiring this card with their tic-tac-toe challenge (I LOVE these challenges!) I went across the bottom with Pink, Leaf/Leaves and Flower:

A Sweet Goodbye to Penned & Painted Card Idea - Shannon Jaramillo Stampin Up

Products Used:

When Life Throws a Curveball…I Re-Organize!!

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So, a week ago Saturday, I fell getting in the shower. Ugh. I had cards done and ready to blog for a few days and then the posts petered out as I was unable to move! I tried to create but couldn’t move around enough and had zero mojo while on pain pills:) Then, this past Friday, I posted this picture on my Facebook account as I headed out to run an errand, my first outing that week, and Walt thought he was driving! Isn’t he adorable?? He’s seven months old.

A half hour after this picture and post, after I had run my errand to pick up papers for work, I thought Walt deserved a treat since he had been cooped up all week too and had eaten all his toys:) so we headed to Petsmart to grab a few. Just something we would do, right?

As I stepped out of the car after parking, a man approached me and I was carjacked by a man with a gun. Really. He let Walt and I go, so thankful for that, and took off in my car. I’ll spare you all the nuts and bolts, but basically he led police in a pursuit, drove on the freeway the wrong way at over 100mph and eventually crashed the car. Thankfully again, he hurt NO ONE other than himself. Here is what’s left of my car:

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Since this happened on Friday, I have been living in a cocoon of sorts, completely sheltered by my husband and children, never alone. And I am thankful for that as well, as I worked through the trauma of what happened to me. I couldn’t sleep for a few days, and if I fell asleep, I immediately jerked back awake, I kept seeing him in my face screaming at me to give him the “f”ing keys. So I went to the doctor and got some sleeping aids, which I hate to take as they can be addictive, but thankfully they did help. Not the first night really, as I was able to fall asleep but woke up about 15 times, but after that I slept for what feels like 36 hours. When I finally woke up I felt (and feel) much better. Much more able to process and cope. I may even go to the store by myself:)

But…this event has turned my view on everything I do upside down. I’m evaluating everything to decide if it really means anything. Including my crafting. So I have no idea where the next few months will take me but I know that wherever I end up will be a better fit for the “new” me.

And what do I do when I have troubles? I reorganize!! My husband treads very carefully when he walks in to find a perfectly clean house, top to bottom, lol. This time, it is my craft room that is bearing the brunt of my efforts:

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It all started with me moving my computer monitor. After I had done so, I stopped to look at the mess moving just one thing had created and whamo! I realized this is a perfect analogy for my life right now. Just one change in my life has left me feeling this out of sorts. As I sort through the bits and pieces, deciding which ones stay and which ones go, and finding new homes for what stays, I will doing the same in my overall life.

It’s a disaster, which I feel mirrors my state of mind, and will be a wonderful journey of purging, cleaning, and organizing. I probably won’t be crafting much but I will pop in from time to time to share my journey, both in this room and in my life.

So thank you my friends for always being there and following my blog. Please hug your peeps and enjoy each moment given to you, it can all change in the blink of an eye.

With Love,

Shannon