September Blogging Friends Blog Hop- One Year Anniversary

    Blogging Friends blog hop is a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators who have come together to share their blogs and ideas on the first day of each month.  This is our one year anniversary and I'm excited to say we are being joined by Shelli Gardner the co-founder of Stampin' Up! and one terrific lady.  So as you make your rounds you will come to Shelli's Blog along the way also!

the Hamsa and our gorgeous copper embossing powder

  Our theme aptly enough is Celebrate so I rummaged through my new product that was sitting waiting to be found a home and I came up with this card.  Now someone in our blog group had posed the question how long does it take you to make a card? They went on to say they felt it took them longer then it should.  While there is no should in being creative there are occasions where you have to be practical and this was one of them.  I was packing up my bags to go to the beach for a few days when my husband and I decided we really didn't need to hurry home.  You see we just dropped our youngest at college for her first year and we were having our first day with an empty nest so to speak.  So I looked at my week and realized that posting my card was the only thing on my agenda that I couldn't handle from the beach house so I set off to make and photograph my card quick as I could with the promise of a full 10 days uninterrupted at the beach.  So when I know I have to be quick I always try to do two things.  Limit my choices and use a sketch.

The inside of my card

Sketch for next week and some of the materials for this card

  Since I will have to design three cards for my Sketch Class in September, I decided to use that sketch and kill two birds with one stone.  So I pulled out the sketch we will do in September, it says August because it was supposed to be August but my youngest had Surgery and we had to cancel class in August. Next I choose a product suite and limited my choices to those in that suite, sort of -while I was rummaging in the box of Holiday product that has been waiting to be put away, I came across this Celebrate image from the Here's to Cheers Stamp set and I pulled the Merry tags framelit Dies into cut my image along with the Layering Circles dies from the Annual Catalog.  I heat embossed my greeting with the new in June Copper Embossing powder and cut my embellishments from the new Copper Foil Paper from the holiday book- I used wax paper to help the foil to release from the intricate dies, I didn't have time to fool around.  I used the new Big Shot Platform and the Precision Base Plate and my images cut clean first try.

Some of my new stamps waiting for a home

    It is a pretty simple sketch so I was a little apprehensive that my card wouldn't be special enough for a hop that included the much anticipated Shelli Gardner guest appearance but I accepted the challenge.  I'm glad I did I like the card and it didn't take me even an hour start to finish. I especially like the lotus blossom on the front.  It reminds me of the Hamsa that is so hip with the college girl crowd right now.  It's actually a fascinating story with the five fingered hand being appropriated from one religion to another throughout history.  The symbol which can be a literal hand to a five petal flower much like the one in this set it can mean many things but mostly it is good luck and protection.  I had my youngest in mind while I was making this card.  She has been through a lot and her surgery is still causing her discomfort and she is a homebody packed off to her first year of college and it's been very hard for her - but there is "Much to Celebrate" she graduated High School, we found out why she has been so sick and there was a treatment, she is starting college in the honors program and she got there!  through all her uncertainty and discomfort she got there!  There is MUCH TO CELEBRATE!  and she just might need that Hamas!

Next up on our blog hop enjoy Mary Blocher

 Please visit all the hopper's blogs by hopping around or from the links below!

Crystal Komara 
*Very Special Guest Shelli Gardner

Anna Conetta Masciovecchio 

Libby Fens  

Anne Power-you are here!

Mary Blocher  

Danica Ferrante   

Deborah Smart 

Jessica Mink   

Jodi Skrip Horsley 

Leanne Dillon Johnson  

Michelle Clarke  

Lorene Yoshimura-Tanigawa  
Mary Ann Rossiter 

Tammy Hibbit Gill   

Rick Adkins

Lisa Harvey Reber   

Jenny Lane

To purchase any of the products used in my card follow the links below 

or contact your Stampin' Up! demonstrator today! 

tams# 8836

Product List

Paisleys & Posies Photopolymer Bundle [143515] $45.00	Petals & Paisleys Specialty Designer Series Paper [142017] $13.00	Copper Foil Sheets [142020] $4.00	Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder [141636] $5.00
Merry Tags Framelits Dies [141835] $25.00	Layering Circle Framelits Dies [141705] $35.00	Here's To Cheers Clear-Mount Stamp Set [142101] $19.00	Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100867] $8.00
Rich Razzlebberry Classic Stampin' Pad [126950] $6.50	Brights Enamel Shapes [141680] $9.00	Precision Base Plate [139684] $25.00	Big Shot [143263] $110.00
Big Shot Platform [142802] $26.00	5/8" (1.6 Cm) Burlap Ribbon [141487] $7.00	Heat Tool [129053] $30.00