Welcome Christmas

Yes, you did read that right!  :-)  I've recently discovered Weekly Christmas Card Challenges and thought what a great way to get all my Christmas cards made before the last minute!  For this card, I chose a sentiment from one of my favorite stamp sets, Heard from the Heart.  I really like the clean and simple look of this card.

Stamp Set: Heart from the Heart - retired (Stampin' Up!); Inks:  Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler (Stampin' Up!); Card Stock:  Very Vanilla, Soft Suede (Stampin' Up!), Vintage Christmas Patterned Paper (My Mind's Eye); Accessories and Tools:  Gold Baker's Twine (Stampin' Up!), Rhinestones

If you'd like to check out the Weekly Christmas Card Challenge, you can click HERE.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Bright Blossoms

Time is getting away from me today but I wanted to take a minute and share with you the card I made for those of us who are swapping at tonight's Stampin' Up!® Catalog Premiere.  My very first event.  And, with bad weather looming near by, I wanted to keep this post a short one.  I always shut down my computer and unplug it.  I've already had one fried by lightning so I'm overly cautious these days.

Stamp Sets:  Flower Shop, Mixed Bunch, Petite Petals, Gorgeous Grunge, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Inks:  Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Baked Brown Sugar; Card Stock:  Melon Mambo, Garden Green, Whisper White; Accessories & Tools:  Petite Petals Punch, Pansy Punch, Blossom Punch, Bird Builder Punch

Well, that's it for this time.  I'm off to get ready for the big night. 

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

FREE Shipping ends Today

Today's the last day to get FREE shipping on your orders! Don't miss out.  Click HERE to start shopping now.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Thanks So Much

It's going to be a quick post tonight.  The day has been a bit busy and jam packed and I must admit that I am tired.  :-)  So, I'm going to share a card I made for The Paper Players Challenge then, curl up with a good book, read and just fall asleep.  Now that sounds like a grand plan!

Stamp Sets:  Gorgeous Grunge, Flower Shop, Oh, Hello; Inks:  Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush, Marina Mist; Card Stock:  Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Gumball Green; Accessories & Tools:  Watercolor Wonder Designer Washi Tape, Pansy Punch, Bird Builder Punch, Rhinestones

You can find The Paper Players Challenge HERE.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Happy Father's Day on the Open Sea

Hello everyone!  Here I am again mashing it up with The Friday Mashup Challenge.  I so enjoy this challenge.  You should give it a try.  This time we could use the Ombre' Background Technique.  It's one I've seen but never tried.  You can find the tutorial HERE.  Since I needed to make a Father's Day card and because The Open Sea Stamp Set has been on my table forever, it just seemed the perfect time to try this new to me technique.  I used Pool Party, Bermuda Bay and Island Indigo for my colors.  The 'real' card is not so white on the top, the color shows up well but in the picture, it would not cooperate and, no matter how many times I snapped the photo, it still looked the same.  Sigh...

 Stamp Sets:  The Open Sea, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Inks:  Island Indigo, Tuxedo Black; Stampin' Write Markers:  Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Island Indigo; Card Stock:  Island Indigo, Pool Party, Whisper White; Accessories & Tools:  Circles Collection Framelits, Linen Thread, Dimensionals

Click HERE to see the challenge at The Friday Mashup that inspired my design. 

 
Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Retiring Products and Free Shipping

Click the image to start shopping for your favorites now.

Retiring Stamps

Retiring Accessories

Remember, products are only available while supplies last.

Get FREE shipping on everything (excluding expedited orders) April 21-25!

 Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Happy Easter

FREE Shipping!

Get FREE shipping on everything (excluding expedited orders) April 21-25!

The Retirement List is coming out Monday, April 21st.  I will post it early on Monday for you.  Everything on the list is retiring at of June 1st or while supplies last.  So, don't miss out on all your favorites because one they are gone, they are gone!

Introducing Project Life

It is so exciting to let you know we've partnered with the amazing Becky Higgins to bring you the real deal-authentic Project Life products, now in exclusive Stampin' Up!® colors and designs. If you've somehow missed the Project Life craze and are wondering what it's all about, we'll fill you in: it's a super simple, totally affordable way to get your photos into albums: you just slip your photos into Photo Pocket Pages and add designed cards. It's a back-to-basics approach to documenting your life. In a nutshell, it's all about spending more time making memories and less time scrapbooking them.

You will be able to order a limited selection of products starting May 1st. And with the launch of our new annual catalog on June 2, you'll be able to buy from our complete line of Project Life products!

Coordination, coordination, coordination. You know we do it best, and our Project Life line is no exception.

Our products center on things that matter most-weddings, babies, kids, and the everyday moments of getting together with your favorite people-all things that need to be remembered.

Our card collections come without rounded corners so you can decide if you want to keep them that way (and match the corners of your photos as they come) or use our Project Life Corner Punch to round them out.

Our card collections come packaged in an exclusive storage system that holds all your Project Life supplies on your desk: cards, journaling pens, photos, accessory packs, stamp sets, and more.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at marsha@coffeepotstampingcafe.com.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Calypso Easter

Today I found myself cleaning up my craft area, not because I wanted to but because I had to.  I couldn't find anything with all that was covering my table.  During the sorting and putting away, I got side tracked.  I came across several pieces that I had not used on other projects and thought how cool these would all look together.  So, with a little of this and a little of that, here is the Easter card I made from the stuff found just lying around.

Stamp Sets:  Secret Garden and Teeny Tiny Wishes (Stampin' Up!); Inks:  Always Artichoke and Calypso Coral (Stampin' Up!); Card Stock:  Basic White (Darice), Calypso Coral (Stampin' Up!), Place in Time Patterned Paper (Graphic 45), Lucky Charm Patterned Paper (American Crafts); Accessories & Tools:  Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Secret Garden Framelits, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Linen Thread, Tangerine Tango Button and Pearl Basic Jewels (Stampin' Up!)

So, there you have a very colorful scrappy card.  I love when I can use every little left over.  It makes me feel very frugal.  :-)

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Find Beauty in Your Day

Before I head out to spend the day running errands, I wanted to share this very cool project I made last night in a class at Memory Bound, my favorite local craft store.  It's a technique similar to the one I use for my photo transfer canvases.  Now I have a new way of covering my canvases.  I can't wait to make some of these up for gifts!  Thanks, Maggie, for such a great class.

Two-sided patterned paper was used.  Butterflies were on one side and stripes were on the other.  It took less than two hours to make this canvas.

Well, time to get tripping all over those errands.  Hope you all have a mighty fine day!

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

With Sympathy

So, what are you doing while you wait for the total eclipse of the moon?  Me?  Why, I'm making cards and entering challenges and having ever so much fun in my craft studio.  It's now after midnight so I don't have long to wait for the event to begin to unfold.  Fortunately, we have a clear sky tonight.  In the meantime, here is the card I made for two challenges; The Paper Players Color Challenge and the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge.

Stamp Sets:  Secret Garden, Mixed Bunch, Flower Shop and Teeny Tiny Wishes (Stampin' Up!); Inks:  Coastal Cabana, Calypso Coral and Always Artichoke (Stampin' Up!); Card Stock:  Basic White (Darice), Always Artichoke and Etcetera Designer Series Paper (Stampin' Up!); Accessories & Tools:  Stripes Embossing Folder, Secret Garden Framelits, Blossom Punch, Pansy Punch and Pearl Basic Jewels (Stampin' Up!)

The colors I used followed the The Paper Players Color Challenge.

For my card design, I used the sketch from the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

The Friday Mashup Challenge #155

It started raining yesterday and has just not stopped!  It's the kind of spring rain we needed so I'm not complaining.  It gave me the perfect reason to stay home and spend the day in my craft studio.  And, as the saying goes, "April showers bring May flowers."  So, for my card today I made a pretty Calypso Coral flower.  This time The Friday Mashup Challenge gave us the options to use certain colors, a specific shape or to do both.  I tried my best to "mash it up."  I didn't add a sentiment simply because I'm not sure how I'm going to use the card.  Mother's Day, Easter, thinking of you or birthday all seem appropriate.  Guess I'll decide that when the occasion arises where I can use it.

Stamp Set:  Secret Garden (Stampin' Up!); Ink:  Calypso Coral (Stampin' Up!); Card Stock:  Wisteria Wonder, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral and Wild Wasabi (Stampin' Up!); Accessories & Tools:  Secret Garden Framelits, Circles Collection Framelits, 1/4" Pool Party Ribbon, Pearl Basic Jewels and  Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' UP!), Tear Drop Circles Dies (Spellbinders)

For all the details of the challenge and to play along, visit The Friday Mashup Challenge HERE.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

The Wacky Watercooler April Blog Hop

Hello, and welcome to our April “Spring has Sprung” Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop.  We’re a bunch of Independent Stampin’ Up!® Demonstrators who love to create and share that creativity with you.

This month I have the honor of being first stop on our Hop, but no worries if you came here from somewhere else.  The Hop goes round and round, so no matter where you start, as long as you keep clicking on the "Next" button, you'll go through all the participating blogs.  If you get a little lost along the way, just click the “Home” button and head back to the Wacky Watercooler Blog home page to start all over.

For my first card, I'm sharing one I made for a recent swap.  I have totally fallen in love with the Petite Petals Stamp Set and the Petite Petals Punch!  Oh, and I decided to pull out some stamp sets I've not used in a while which is why you are seeing a sentiment from the Oh, Hello Stamp Set.

Stamp Sets:  Petite Petals, Oh, Hello; Inks:  Night of Navy, Cajun Craze, Pool Party, Tangerine Tango; Card Stock:  Cajun Craze, Pool Party, Very Vanilla, Etcetera Designer Series Paper; Accessories & Tools:  Petite Petals Punch, Labels Collection Framelits, Arrows Embossing Folder, Pearl Basic Jewels, Stamping Dimensionals,Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine

Next up is a Mother's Day card.  I was going to add a Midnight Muse flower but loved the simplicity of the card so much that I saved the flower for another time.  I'm more of a white gold kind of gal but that Gold Sequin Trim has grown on me.  The sentiment is from the Delightful Dozen Stamp Set that is one of my go to sentiment sets.

Stamp Set:  Delightful Dozen; Ink:  Basic Black; Card Stock:  Calypso Coral, Very Vanilla, Etcetera Designer Series Paper; Accessories & Tools:  Gold Sequin Trim, Sticky Strip, Crystal Effects

With Easter not too far off, I decided, at the last minute, to make an Easter card.  The Four Frames Stamp Set is another one I've neglected lately.  I stamped off the image so it has a softer look because I wanted the sentiment to stand out.  I've been trying to use up my paper scraps in an attempt to keep my clutter down to a minimum.  I love the colors in the Etcetera Designer Series Paper.  The addition of the little Melon Mambo butterfly gave the card just a spot of bright color.

Stamp Sets:  Four Frames, Delightful Dozen; Ink:  Night of Navy; Card Stock:  Very Vanilla, Night of Navy, Melon Mambo, Etcetera Designer Series Paper; Accessories & Tools:  Decorative Label Punch, Beautiful Wings Embosslits, Pearl Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals

Well, there you have it from me.  Now it's time to move forward on the tour.  Just click on the watercooler to enjoy some great projects from Terri Antoniw.

 To revisit Jeanne Kupsh, simply click on the watercooler below.

And, to head back to the Wacky Watercooler Blog where it all began, click the watercooler below.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Just Hanging Around

Today was a gorgeous day here.  Warm temps but a bit windy.  I was talking to my son on the phone when I glanced out my living room window.  This is what I saw.

As you can see, this is a bird feeder.  I don't know what was put in it this time, looks like some kind of nuts, but Scamper was sure enjoying himself.  He was hanging from the roof with his hind legs and shoveling those treats in his mouth as fast as he could.  His home is located in a tree to the left of the feeder.  He has been so much fun to watch.  He finally lost his grip and fell to the ground and took off up his tree as fast as he could.  Crazy critter!

Be sure to drop by later to take a tour of our April Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop.  There are eleven of us who will be sharing projects relating to Spring.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Thinking of You Grunge Style

Ever have one of those sketches reach out and grab you?  Well, that's what happened when I saw the current sketch over at CAS(E) this Sketch.  It was a perfect way to use my Gorgeous Grunge Stamp Set.  I decided to use white on white and let the colors show off.  I think Pacific Point and Rich Razzleberry are a match made in heaven.  I love how they work well together.

Stamp Sets:  Gorgeous Grunge, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Inks:  Pacific Point, Rich Razzleberry; Card Stock:  Basic White;  Accessories & Tools:  Stampin' Dimensionals

The sketch I used from CAS(E) this Sketch can be found HERE.

Now I'm off to finish up my projects for an upcoming blog hop.  Mark your calendars and be sure to come  back on Thursday, April 10 at 8:00 p.m. CDT to tour the current Wacky Watercooler April Blog Hop!  You are sure to be inspired.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Forever & Always

Well, my time off of the computer was much less than expected.  I took both computers to my friend, Jerry, who takes care of all of my computer problems, on Saturday and by Sunday late afternoon I had them back.  What a relief, especially since the laptop issue was something I thought I did but really didn't.  Unfortunately, the desktop was fried but was given a different one that has more than my old one.  I'm so blessed with such good friends.

So, it's now after midnight here and I need to get some sleep so I'm going to keep this post short.  I'm up so late because I wanted to get in on the weekly challenge over at My Favorite Things.  Here is what I did with the sketch.

Stamp Set:  Loving Thoughts (Stampin' Up!); Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento); Card Stock: Basic White (Darice), Charmed Metallic Print Paper Pad (My Mind's Eye), Gold Foil Sheets (Stampin' Up!); Accessories:  Rhinestone Trim

Now HERE is where you can find all the details for My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Well, at least that is what they say.  I wanted to give you all a heads up that I might be away for a few days.  Both of my computers have issues and are going for a check up.  I'm not sure about the desktop, though.  It's ten years old and I may have just worn it out.  Tomorrow will tell the rest of that story.  As for the laptop, we can chalk that one up to the user.  Yup, little old me!  I think I deleted some files I shouldn't have when I did some clean up.  It's not the first time that has happened.  I just have to hope that my computer guru didn't clean my backup off his external drive.  But then, he may be able to add back what I took off without having to do that.  Only time will tell.  I'm not sure how long I'll be without my computers.  Sigh...

In the meantime, I dug out the very first card I ever made.  That was back in October 2010.  I had no idea what I was doing and had to be told a bazillion times what we were doing.  Thankfully, the demonstrator was very patient and just kept repeating until I got it.  I always have a tendency to make things harder than what they are.  :-)  The Lovely As a Tree stamp set is still my favorite from Stampin' Up! 

Wow, I'm going to have to retake this as this does not do the card justice and I've learned a lot about photography since I took this shot.

So, I'm shutting down for the night and getting this little critter packed up and ready to roll tomorrow.  It's going to hard to have both computers gone.  Whatever will I do?

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Waterfall Envelope Album

Last night was one of those nights when sleep didn't come easily for me.  So, what do I do when I can't sleep?  I sit down at my craft table and get busy.  I've been wanting to make this cute album for a while now.  It was so much fun.  I thought it would be more difficult but it turned out to be very easy.  I love the way this looks and can't wait to make more.  I think it will make a very nice gift for Christmas.

The album will be perfect for the Sunday Stamper Challenge over at Ink on My Fingers.  The theme for this week is browns.  I just recently discovered Hels Sheridan's blog and I simply love her work.

You may notice that my photos look a bit different.  When I went to upload from my camera to my desktop, things didn't go well.  I kept getting a connection error.  Frustration set in... what was I going to do now?  Cell phone to the rescue!  Since I'm somewhat technically challenged, I simply took photos and emailed them to myself because I haven't figure out how to get them off my phone.  I can't use the desktop any more since it is now overheating.  The laptop works but has issues, too.  I did something I shouldn't have done and I have no idea what that was.  I can still use it for now but both go over to my computer guru on Saturday and he will get them all fixed up for me.  For now, here is that great little album.

I'm keeping my chatter to a minimum since there are more than the usual one photo.  Let me know what you think of this cute little album.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Thanks So Much

Well, here I am at two in the morning making cards and writing blog posts.  Being the coffee lover that I am, I do enjoy having a late afternoon, early evening cup of coffee.  Apparently, there is just enough caffeine left in decaffeinated coffee to keep me wide awake until the wee hours.  It's a good thing it wasn't the kind I make in the mornings which is called Night Owl.  The decaf version is called Early Bird which, to me, means it shouldn't affect you and you can still get some sleep.  Fortunately, I'm winding down but wanted to share the card I made for a couple of challenges; the Color Palette Challenge with My Favorite Things and, a new to me sketch challenge from Always Playing with Paper.

Stamp Sets:  Simply Sketched, Serene Silhouettes and Gorgeous Grunge (Stampin' Up!); Inks:  Tuxedo Black (Memento), Wisteria Wonder (Stampin' Up!); Card Stock:  Baja Breeze - retired, Whisper White, Crumb Cake and Wisteria Wonder (Stampin' Up!); Accessories & Tools:  Banner Punch, Petite Petals Punch, Itty Bitty Punch Pack Flower, 1/8" Silver Mini Brads and Stampin' Dimensionals

HERE is the color palette we had to use for the My Favorite Things Color Palette Challenge #3.

You can find the sketch from the Always Playing with Paper Challenge #3 HERE.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha