Week 1 with Sharri Seffens

Hello, and welcome to our first week with Sharri Seffens designing with "Fun Year Round"! :) Sharri created this beautiful 5.5" square card layering the new frame stamped in red on white and layered with the different stamps and buttons in these fun colors to match the different Basic Grey Cupcake DP! The patterned number paper for a birthday and large and small polka dot and circle prints were perfect with the stamps!

She also used my "Square Pegs" and "Candles on Your Cake", taking a greeting, candle and cupcake from each, the style of these three sets coordinates perfectly and the round elements will make any birthday card that much more fun!

Stamps: Fun Year Round, Square Pegs (Cupcake), Candles on your Cake (Sentiment)
Ink: Vivid - Red, SU - Yoyo Yellow and Pacific Point
Paper: Basic Grey - Cupcake, SU - Pacific Point, Gina K - White and Red Hot PL
Other: Ribbon, Buttons, Scalloped Circle Punch, Cuttlebug EF, Rub on Paste, Liquid Applique, Glitter


I love it, Sharri, great sketch and design, can't wait see your next card with it! But before we hop over to Sharri's blog, a little more about Sharri herself:


Describe your style/what you think you do best: I really do not think I have a set style. When I sit down to make a card, my mood usually determines the style I go with and changes for each card I make.

FAVORITE TECHNIQUE: Oh my gosh! Where do I begin! There are a lot I love like cracked glass, polished stone, paper piecing and sponging or brayering to create a scene.

COLORS/COLOR COMBO: One of my favorite color combos is pink and brown. Another combo I love right now is aqua and soft sand or aqua and kraft.

FAVORITE EMBELLISHMENTS: My favorite embellies are ribbons, buttons, prima flowers and pearls.

FAVORITE GINA K SET BY MELANIE: Seriously all of Melanie’s sets are a favorite. There is no way I could pick just one as a favorite! I love how all of her set can be mixed and interchanged with each other! I just adore Hand in Hand, Just so Hippy, Just so Hoppy, Sporty Accessories and I love all of her frames and flowers sets…see they really are all a favorite!

FAVORITE GINA K SETS (FROM ANY ILLUSTRATOR) Oh my, another hard question! I love Asela’s Friendship’s Garden and Flowers for Daisy; Nina’s Lovely Labels and Vintage Borders; anything of Theresa’s; Gina’s Botanicals, Take Flight, Quite a Catch, The Kindred greetings, Tropical Flowers, Thanks A Million; Rupa’s Spring has Sprung, Easter Blessings: Tami’s Stars; Carolyn’s Framed Flowers…see! It’s hard to choose just one as a favorite!!!

CRAFT SUPPLIES I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: Definitely my Nestibilities, Embossing Folders and of course my copics!

I’VE BEEN STAMPING FOR (HOW LONG): I started stamping about 8 years ago after my youngest daughter was born. I was invited to a Stamping Up! party and once I saw how easy and fun I was hooked.

I GET MY INSPIRATION FROM: I find so much inspiration magazines, nature and pictures but the majority of my inspiration comes from surfing the internet, visiting blogs, SCS, and Stamp TV.

Tell us about your FIRST stamping experience!! My first stamping experience was a Stampin' Up party that a friend invited me to. I had never stamped before but when I saw how easy and fun it was to make a card I was hooked. I ended up buying a Christmas Stamp set and made my own Christmas cards that year.

Tell us about your most memorable stamping experience!! My most memorable stamping experience is actually a gift I made for a very good friend of mine. It was for her baby shower and I made her a star book using Melanie's Just so Hippy, Just so Hoppy and Hip Hop Accessories stamp sets for the pages in the star book. Kelly actually cried when she started looking through it.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT STAMPING/CARDMAKING ARE: The stamping community is huge, supportive and full of such talented people who are so willing to share and teach what they know. I have found so much inspiration and learned so much from this community.

SOME OF MY STAMPING/CRAFTING GOALS ARE: I am very lucky to have been able to cross a couple of goals off my list this past year. Two goals that I have on my list and am sure many other have, are to be published and to be a permanent member of a Design Team.

ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS: Have fun and enjoy yourself. But most importantly, believe in yourself, what you can do and accomplish.

FAVORITE THING TO MAKE THAT AREN’T CARDS: I love making treat holders, scrapbook pages, and mini albums. I also like doing other crafts like crocheting and floral arrangements.

SOME OF MY STAMPING/CRAFTING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Being chosen to be in the spotlight by Gina K; being a part of one of Stamp TV’s Center Stage Spotlight Design teams and continuing on as an Alumni; a Challenge Hostess on Stamp TV; a guest designer for Theresa Momber and now guest designer for Melanie, which an honor for me!

CHALLENGES I LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN: I like to participate in the Stamp TV challenges. When I can I try to do the Card Positioning Challenges and other challenges on some of the blogs that inspire me. I would do a lot more challenges if I could squeeze a few more hours into the day. Lol!

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THAT MIGHT SUPRRPISE US! I am a quiet/shy person which may or may not be a surprise to some people. But this story surprises a lot of people when I tell them because I am so quiet.
When my husband and I had been dating for about 5 years, all of our friends started to ask when we were going to get married. My husband always responded saying the senior partner has to do the asking…yup, I am older than my husband and so for Christmas that year I bought him an engagement ring and proposed Christmas morning. He of course said yes and we were married the next year on 9/11, exactly 6 years to the date we met. *

WHAT I DO WHEN I’M NOT STAMPING: I work full time and am a Business Analyst for a major insurance company. When I am not working or stamping, I enjoy reading, walking, biking, movies and most of all, I love to spend time with my daughters and husband.

A FAVORITE QUOTE: "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." -- Martin Luther King Jr.

I just love reading these responses from my guests each month! Now let's go visit Sharri, ready, set GO!

*"Wow!", says Melanie!!