FMS596 All Kinds of Wonderful!

 Hello there! My name is Shawn Marie O'Connell and I'm an Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator in Southeastern PA. Welcome!

My card today is for yet another fabulous Freshly Made Sketches sketch challenge. When I first looked at this I thought, "Yikes!". 

Then I looked at the cards made by the team and was inspired by Linda Callahan's adorable card using the Bird's Eye View stamp set. Go check it out. Sooo cute!! Here's my take on the sketch:

I am really happy with this card! I just wish I would've stamped the sentiment up a bit higher to allow more space above the leaves. Oh well, live and learn. haha! 

I really love coloring with Stampin' Blends so much. I have a set of Ohuhu alcohol markers and a good bit of Copics. I've been very hesitant to jump on the Stampin' Blends wagon. You just can not beat the color consistency that Stampin' Up! has across all the things ...card stock, ink, markers, ribbon, embellishments. What a difference it makes in your finished projects! Not to mention eliminating the hassle of figuring out which marker from another company matches a certain Stampin' Up! color. It really makes coloring so much more fun!!

This card will go to a woman who has filled in for my friend and colleague who had her knee replaced. Deborah has been a God-send in Kim's absence. We were all worried because Kim keeps the office running like no other!! But Deborah has done an outstanding job and has been a huge help to me. I will miss her and her cheerful spirit. I will also be thrilled to have Kim back!!! 

Thanks for stopping by! Wishing you a fantabulous weekend!

~Shawn

FMS595 Peace and Joy

Hello there! My name is Shawn Marie O'Connell and I'm an Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator in Southeastern PA. Welcome!

I spent some time in my stamp room this afternoon working on the Freshly Made Challenges Challenge #595. 

I flipped the sketch to accommodate the curved Peace and Joy sentiment. I'm loving this Online Exclusive stamp set, So Very Merry, from Stampin' Up! 

I embossed the angel image on vellum with gold embossing powder, which was inspired by Erica Cerwin. She talked about doing this in her most recent Facebook Friday. I colored the backside of the image with Stampin' Blends. I used some retired circle dies to cut it out and mounted it onto some white card stock. I used those retired circle dies to make a frame from Azure Afternoon card stock. This allowed me to glue down the image without the card background showing through the vellum. I embossed the panel on the left with the Exposed Brick 3D embossing folder. Some gold Simply Elegant Trim tied in a double bow and some adhesive-backed sequins added the finishing touch!

I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend! My daughter, Jackie, and I visited my niece and her family yesterday. She has two adorable little ones, Cade and Avery. I'm so mad that we didn't take a single picture. UGH!! At least we made some fun memories and got to meet sweet miss Avery, who is now six months old. Time sure does fly!!

Wishing you all a fabulous week! Thanks for visiting!

~Shawn

BIG SALE!!!!

Hey there! My name is Shawn Marie O'Connell and I'm an Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Welcome!

BIG NEWS!! Stampin' Up! is have a huge sale on almost all of their stamp sets tomorrow, 07/19.  With the exception of the Hostess stamp sets, all stamp sets are 15% off! You do not want to miss this!! Act fast because this awesome deal only lasts for ONE DAY.

Shop with me at this link: https://stampinwithshawn.stampinup.net/ Click on Shop Now in the upper left corner to see all the incredible stamp sets.

Another great promotion happening in July is Bonus Days! Shop from July 6-21 to earn a $5 coupon for every $50 you spend! Then redeem your coupons in August!

Thanks for stopping by! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. 

~Shawn

FMS591 Little Bit Late

 Ahhh! A little bit late ...that's me! 

I love this sketch challenge from Freshly Made Sketches:

I have challenged myself to participate in at least two challenges each week. Freshly Made Sketches is one of my favorite challenges!

My Aunt Sandy taught me the art of sending handwritten cards and letters. We have always lived pretty far away from each other. From the time I was a little girl, she always sent me cards. I can still remember the excitement of getting my very own mail!! I've been a "happy mail" addict ever since!

Who doesn't need a belated birthday card from time to time? I mail a TON of birthday cards every year. Try as I might to get them in the mail on time, sometimes life gets in the way. 

I used the now retired Happiest of Birthdays stamp set and Dandy Designs DSP. I topped it off with some Fresh Fressia ribbon and adhesive-backed sequins.

Thanks for visiting my blog! Have a great weekend!