New Goodies!

I haven't found time to stamp in a while but since I have a meeting tomorrow, I needed to make up some swap cards! I have so much retired merchandise that I had to peruse the new catty to check if the items I wanted to use were still available or not! I used to know the catty inside and out... Now I feel ashamed that I don't even know what's current anymore! Worst. Demonstrator. Ever. Period. On a positive note, I did finally bust out some new items! Our stamping team was given a specific layout for inspiration, found here. I've been leaning towards a more vintage look as of late so I brought out the beloved Elements of Style. Oh my how I've missed inking that baby! I paired that with the new Papaya Collage stamp set and the new In Colors, Primrose Petals and Summer Starfruit. This is the first time I got to use the new foam pads that Stampin' Up! has introduced and let me tell you folks, I'm in love! It inks up my stamp like 1000X better. Even with a big stamp like Elements of Style, it took minimal effort. All I can do now is pout because I own every single color in the traditional felt pad and it makes me sad. Do you think I could sucker someone into buying all my old stuff so I can buy all new stuff for myself? Yah... I didn't think so either. The butterfly stamp actually has a space in between the wings and I knew I wanted to use pearls to fill that gap. Instead of putting 3 pearls on individually, I used the long strip of mini pearls that comes in the pack of Jewels Basic Pearl and just cut them into 3s. It worked out perfectly and I still have a string of about 9 pearls left. Add some Soft Suede sponging for that worn look and ta-dah! I'm very happy with the turn out. Now it's off to bed!