Happy February!

Just when I think Winter will never get over it is February!  Not that February is a nice, warm month but it is closer to Spring than we were on Jan 2nd!  And wow, was January a cold month!  Right now I am cruising around the Caribbean so I'm nice and warm.  I'll be back home to the cold weather in a few days though, hopefully ready to endure out the rest of the Winter months. 

I love that I can do a post and have it set to show in a couple of weeks.  For one thing, I may be having so much fun on the cruise that I would ignore yall  :~) and secondly, it costs like a dollar a minute to get computer time on the ship and it typically takes me more than 30 minutes  to complete a post!  I have scheduled more Valentine cards to post today.  These are more cards I got in the swap at the team meeting last month but unfortunately, 3 of the 4 don't have the name of the stamper who created them on the back so I don't know who to credit for making them.  The first one uses the Sweetheart stamp set from page 58 of the big catalog.  It is designed to be used with the Heart Treat Cups but this card shows that the set can be used beautifully without the treat cup.  She also used a sentiment from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set, stamped on Old Olive Cardstock and punched out with the Modern Label Punch.  A tiny Basic Rhinestone on either end of the sentiment finishes off the card with a bit of bling.  She also used the Scalloped Border punch along one edge. 

The second card is a great idea using the Lovely Letters Alphabet set to stamp X's and O's across the card.  You could also spell out "LOVE" or another short word as your sentiment for another occasion or a person's name.  She used the definition from the Define Your Life set but the Valentine definition from the Valentine Defined set in the Occasions Mini Catalog (page 9) would also be wonderful for this card design.

The third card is another fast and easy card that has a lot of impact.  She used a strip of Real Red DSP from the Pattern Designer Series Paper Stack shown at the top of page 175 of the big catalog.  This pack is wonderful, 40 sheets of DSP available in your choice of all 4 color families as well as the In Colors for 2010/11.  This is a great way to get a lot of double sided DSP for a better price.

The last card is the one that had the demonstrator's name who created it.  It is from Tracy Poenitske, she is such a sweet person as well as a talented stamper.  She used the sentiment from Love You Much stamp set, stamped in black, except the flower which she colored with a marker.  She filled in the words with another marker to add more color to the stamped image.  She also used a new product that I haven't tried yet.  Stampin Up introduced Letterpress Plates last year.  In the Occasions Mini catalog are 2 more plates including this one, Hearts Pressed.  Tracy brayered the plate with Whisper White Craft ink before putting the Regal Rose cardstock through the Big Shot to create this wonderful background paper.  It gives a nice inked, debossed look to the paper doesn't it?  I just might be inspired to order it, it is only $7.95 and I love the look!