Thoughtful Thursday - Man(woman)'s Best Friend

Good morning my friends! Today's Thoughtful Thursday is a reflection of my family's recent trip to the midwest.  We left East TN, headed for Iowa, then down to Wichita, then even further down to Midland Texas, and then back home.  This adventure took a week and a half to do and I think it goes without saying that we were EXHAUSTED when we got back home.  In fact, that may be an understatement. lol.

I realized something on our way home from that trip.  The one thing I was looking forward to the most, about being back home, was seeing our dogs again.  Because it was such a long trip with so many stops, we left them behind with a family friend. But the whole time we were gone, I was wondering what our babies were up to and was missing them terribly!

Man(woman)'s best friend.......

My favorite "people" in the whole wide world! I can always count on my puppers to be excited to see me, to be ready and waiting to hear all about my day, and to just LOVE me unconditionally.

In all this month's relaxation techniques, yoga, and taking time, this week's post is all about our furbabies. Do you have a precious fur baby?  What is your favorite thing about them? I love that mine are more than willing to let me dress them in crazy matching clothes and will have a great time doing it! haha.  I love that no matter how bad my day might get, there's always a wagging tail and a full heart waiting for me.  It's uncanny how they have the ability to change your entire mood with just a little nudge or kiss. And, there's even a degree of science to this.  Studies show that our overall health is improved by having our fur babies around us!

So today, I encourage you to take a few moments and celebrate your fur babies.  Love on em and show them how much you appreciate and care for them.  Our best and most loyal friends!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I have really enjoyed having you here with me!

Have a super fabulous day!!

Until next time,
Happy Crafting!

CASE IT Wednesday - You've Got Style

Hello, Hello my friends! Today's CASE IT Wednesday features and fun and feisty granny from the "YOU'VE GOT STYLE" stamp set!

I had so much fun coloring my little gal in the colors of a Red Hat Gal!  She just reminded me of my Red Hatter friends, how they're all dressed up and blinged out. hehe.   I chose to add Gorgeous Grape and Real Red accent colors to really show her off!

Doesn't she look like she's having fun? haha! I think so!

Now, this CASE is more the Copy And Selectively Edit type as I changed the colors from what is in the annual catalog.  I also changed the embossing folder used for the background.  However, the card design is the same.

I used Stampin' Write markers directly on my stamp to create the two colored sentiment you see. This is a fabulous technique that allows you to have multicolored images! 

HOWEVER, I caution you NOT to use Stampin' Blends for this!!!  Only Stampin' Write Markers, and a blender pen that's taken up some of our classic ink, will work.  Trust me on this! lol.

Before you stamp the image down onto your paper, it's important to HUFF on the stamp to make sure the ink is still moist (sorry to all who hate that word. lol).   Once you've huffed on the stamp, you can immediately press it down to your paper.

Because I'm going to be coloring the gal, I wanted to get her stamped early on too, so the ink has time to be completely dry.  It's really not necessary, just more for my own piece of mind.

While the image is set aside, I cut a 5/8"x 3 3/4" strip of red and one of purple from the 6x6" Brights DSP and then notched out the tails. I also cut a 1/2" x 3 1/4" strip of the shimmer paper and notched it out too.

The card base is the standard 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" scored at 4 1/4".  Our project also has a layer of the same Sahara Sand Cardstock measuring 5 1/4" x 4".  Then I ran that layer through the big shot using the polka dot embossing folder.

I also cut a big circle out of the vellum cardstock, to layer behind everything.

After I colored my little lady, I had to fussy cut her out!  ACK!!! I know!!! But she actually wasn't too bad to cut.  I left the negative space between her arm and inside of her necklace. It's ok. We'll survive! ha!

All that's left is to layer everything together! I just used snail to attach all the layers, but I used dimensionals to pop up our gal here.

I feel like she really should have a name! haha!  What do you think? Gertrude?  She kinda looks like a Gertrude.

I had so much fun making this card. Truly. I love the layout too. I may have to borrow it to create another project with a different theme.  Whatcha think? Yeah?  Stay tuned to see! ;-)

Well friends, I've had a fantastic time with you today! I hope you enjoyed this week's CASE IT project!  And, I hope that you CASE some projects too!

Until next time,
Happy Crafting!!

Product List

You've Got Style Clear-Mount Stamp Set [143898]	Sahara Sand 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [121043]	Polka Dot Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [133739]	Big Shot [143263]
Vellum 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [101856]	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]	Sparkle Glimmer Paper [146957]	Brights 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [146964]
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [144108]	Rhinestone Basic Jewels [144220]	Neutrals Stampin' Write Markers [147158]	Brights Stampin' Write Markers [147157]

Technique Tuesday - Masking

Hey hey hey my friends! We're traveling back home today, so I hope you don't mind this post is going to be short, sweet and to the point.  :-)

Yesterday's Stampers Showcase project featured a technique called "masking".  I wanted to elaborate on that just a bit because masking is such an incredible technique.     

I found some fabulous videos on Youtube (I just LOVE youtube, don't you?), that I'd like to share with you. 

So..... Here is masking.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!

Those were some really fabulous Masking ideas weren't they? Is your head spinning with possibility yet?  GOOD!!!  Now, run to the craft room and do some masking!! hehehe. 

Thank you so so much for coming by today! I really appreciate you and hope that you enjoy the weekly Technique Tuesdays! :-)

Until next time,
Happy Crafting!

Stampers Showcase May Blog Hop - Fancy Folds

Good Morning my fabulous friends!!  It's my favorite time of the WHOLE MONTH! Time for the Stamper's Showcase Blog Hop! The Stamper's Showcase features some of the most talented Stampin' Up demonstrators out there.  And they come together to create gorgeous projects to share with you!

I'm so glad you're here today because this month's hop is even MORE exciting than usual!  Our theme is "FANCY FOLDS"!  OOOOH BOY!!  I can't wait to share my project with you, so I'd better get to it!

This card was so much fun to create and it's just as sweet as it can be!  You know I'm totally and completely IN LOVE with the "EVERYTHING IS ROSY" product medley, so I had to use it for this project. I think it worked out very well. I just love it!  Here's the template for the card, if you'd like to make it yourself:

I did a video to show you step by step how to create this fabulous card!

Head over to youtube and look for today's "MAKE IT MONDAY" video! If you're not already a subscriber, you can find me by searching "DANA SULLIVAN THE STAMPIN' CHIC". Or just click the YOUTUBE graphic above. hehe :-)

I hope you make one of these cards.  It really was so much fun!

Don't forget to click the "NEXT BLOG" button to keep on with the Hop and see what Mr Rick has for you on his blog.  You really don't want to miss any of them, so just keep hopping around until you come back to the blog you started with. :-)

Thanks so much for stopping by today and being a fabulous part of our Stampers Showcase Blog Hop!

If you'd like to purchase any of the supplies I used today, you can order them simply by clicking one of the product photos below.

Until next time,
Happy Crafting!

Product List

Everything Is Rosy Product Medley [150059]

Big Shot [143263]

Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100867]

Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]

SNAIL Permanent Adhesive [104332]

Feature Friday - Lots of Happy Project Kit

Hello my dear friends! I hope you're having a super day today!! It's FINALLY FRIDAY!!! WOOT WOOT!!! Do you have a fantastic weekend planned?  Tomorrow is our middle daughter's graduation, so we are excitedly planning for that!

For today, though, I wanna focus on our Feature Friday!  This week's featured product is the FABULOUS Lots of Happy all inclusive Project kit.  Oh my! I can't say enough wonderful things about this kit.  It includes literally EVERYTHING you need to create the projects. They are AMAZING projects!! The watercolor pencils are exclusive to this kit only.  The colored flowers work SO SO SO well with the striped elements and backgrounds. AND, all of the cards come with envelopes!

How awesome is that?!



You can see from the photo that you get A LOT of stuff in this kit!  Get your girlfriends together and do a card making party! It's totally a thing! ;-)

I love how classic the colors are and still the whimsy of the watercolored flowers for you to customize and make your own. How sweet!



Stampin' Up! even made a video for us to see how fabulous and EASY this kit is to do!

Seriously, ANYONE can make GORGEOUS cards with this kit!!  You may just want to order a kit and a couple refills!

I hope you'll consider giving this kit a try. It really is my absolute FAVORITE kit of all time!! It's just AWESOME!!!!

Well friends, Have a fantastic weekend! I'm off to get ready for my baby's big day! Lots of Love!!

Until next time,
Happy Crafting!


Product List

Lots Of Happy Card Kit [146388]	Lots Of Happy Card Kit Refill [145605]	Melon Mambo 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [115320]	SNAIL Permanent Adhesive [104332]
SNAIL Permanent Adhesive Refill [104331]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]	Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [144108]	Paper Snips Scissors [103579]

Thoughtful Thursday - Take Time

Good morning my friends!  It's time for Thoughtful Thursday again already. hehe.  I'm really liking where this month's "thoughts" have been taking us.  Do you?  So far we've learned a bit of basic yoga to loosen us up a little and help us relax more.  Have you been keeping it up?  I have! Especially when I'm having to sit still for a length of time.  We are doing a lot of driving through the rest of this month and the yoga stretches have been incredibly helpful to us. Yes, I've passed them on to my family! lol.

Last week, we were reminded to just breathe and take a bit of time for ourselves to regroup and refill our own proverbial cup, so that we can be a better person for those around us.

Today, I'd like us to remember how important those little fleeting moments can be.  While we're practicing our "slow down" by sitting in the rocking chair on the porch, we can have an incredibly meaningful conversation with our spouse or child.

How precious are those moments that don't cost anything and seem to be so insignificant.  One of my favorite childhood memories of me and my "Pappy" (my great grandpa) is the time we spent laying on the lawn lounger looking up at the stars late in the evening, watching for shooting stars and finding constellations.  It cost us nothing but a little time, and I know it was as good for my 8 year old soul as it was for his 80 year old one.  He was such a special part of my life, and oh! what I wouldn't give for just one more of those evenings looking up at the stars!

So, today's Thoughtful Thursday is this: spend a few extra minutes lingering in those little moments that can mean so much.

I'll bet we all have at least one time that we can recall, where we felt completely engulfed in a moment that was so small and yet so significant to us.  Feel free to share your story in the comments below!  Let's get to know each other a bit!

I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week and weekend my friends!

Until next time,
Happy Crafting!

CASE IT Wednesday - Country Livin'

Hey y'all!!! Today's CASE IT project is the perfect card for the musician in your life! We're going to be focused on the Country Livin' stamp set with a cameo appearance from the Broadway Birthday set. I think you're really going to like it!  I know I do.  We're also going to utilize the technique we learned yesterday! YAY!! A two-fer deal! hehe. I love it when things work out like that!

Isn't it fun?  I love it! I love the color combo too! Do you?  I'm all about that Poppy Parade/Pool Party/Whisper White combo.  It's so clean yet feisty and fun!

This card was really quick and easy to duplicate. Honestly, the most time consuming part was coloring in the guitars which, yes, you have to do by hand.  But it was nice and relaxing too. :-)

First thing you wanna do is take a piece of 3 3/4" x 5" Whisper White Cardstock and randomly stamp the guitar all over it in Early Espresso Ink.  Set this off to the side to let it dry completely before we start to color it.

Your card base will be a standard 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" of Pool Party.

You'll also use the Starburst punch to cut out of a scrap piece of the same color cardstock.

The Striped paper in the background is a piece of 3" x 5" cut from the Pool Party DSP in the paper pack.

Once you get your pieces all cut, your White paper is dry enough to color.  I used Poppy Parade, Crumb Cake, and Smoky Slate to color the guitars.

The next thing you'll need to do is cut a length of Poppy Parade striped ribbon and snake it back and forth just wider than the width of that Starburst punched piece.  You wanna make sure that the edges of it are seen on either side of the starburst. I ran a couple zips of the snail in that little center spot for the ribbon to attach.

I also went ahead and added dimensionals to the back of the starburst and attached it to the card.

Now for the fun part!! I just love embossing, don't you?

I used a small piece of Black cardstock and rubbed the Embossing Buddy over it lightly, to keep the powder from sticking everywhere.  Then, with the Versamark, I stamped Hooray and sprinkled it with the White Embossing Powder.  The heat tool does such a great job of melting the embossing powder!

I recommend letting the piece cool completely before you try to fussy cut the "HOORAY" out.  This way your piece won't crack or smudge.

And here it is!  Now, I didn't have any of the metallic thread or sequins on hand like the catalog showed. But, as you can see, those were minor details that didn't hurt the final project too bad. 

I really had a good time coloring the guitars! So nice!

As you can see from the big red line in the photo, this fantastic stamp set is getting ready to retire at the end of the month.  But, I highly recommend getting it if you don't have it already because you'll likely see that ol' truck at Christmas time and you won't wanna miss out on that!!  I love the Red Buffalo Plaid and Farmhouse Christmas stuff, and that truck works perfectly! hehe.

Plus, you can see the cowboy boots used to make the faux leather on a project here:

Miss Kelly does a great job with it doesn't she?

See! You need this set in your life! lol.

Well, friends, on that note It's time to say farewell until tomorrow!  I hope you enjoyed today's project and product showcase.

Let me know what you think of it down below.  I love to hear from you!

Until next time,
Happy Crafting!

Product List

Country Livin' Clear-Mount Stamp Set [141925]	Broadway Birthday Photopolymer Bundle [148321]	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [147114]	Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [122924]
Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [121045]	Subtles 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [146966]	Starburst Punch [143717]
Poppy Parade 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Mini Striped Ribbon [146938]	Versamark Pad [102283]	White Stampin' Emboss Powder [109132]	Embossing Buddy [103083]
Heat Tool [129053]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]	Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [144108]	SNAIL Permanent Adhesive [104332]
Poppy Parade Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack [147275]	Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack [144601]	Smoky Slate Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack [145058]	Paper Snips Scissors [103579]