So Darn Cute!

Hello everyone!  So sorry for neglecting my blog lately.  I'm sure all of you know how nuts life can get.  I needed a card for a special little girl who's turning 4.  I saw an adorable punch art girl from tgeorgi at SCS and knew it would be perfect for this card.

I used the 2 1/2" circle punch for the face and hair and the scalloped circle punch for the pig tails.  I drew on the eyes and mouth and added a bit of blush on the cheeks with pastel chalks.  The background stamp on the right side of the card base is the retired dots and daisies stamp.  The designer paper I used was from the retired Flowers for You pack.  But, if you wanted to make this card, I'm sure any Pretty in Pink paper you have on hand will work.  The sentiment is from the On Your Birthday set.  The little girl's name was cut out using my Cricut.  I recently reorganized my stamping room and put my Cricut on my desk top and have it plugged in.  I'm really using it much more now.  Of course, I had to add a bit of embossing with the Cuttlebug. This card measures 5" x 7".   Thanks for stopping by. 

Lots of Leaves

Hello Everyone!  Right now, here in the midwest, we've got leaves everywhere.  They are the most gorgeous fall colors and I can't seem to get enough of using these colors in my stamping.  A friend of mine has his birthday later on this month, so I thought I would make his card using fall leaves as my inspiration.  The base of the card is out of the Autumn Spice dsp found in the Holiday Mini catalog.  I cut the cajun craze layer out with a Nestie and stamped it with the words and splatter from the French Foliage set.  To give it a bit more oomph, I outlined it with a gold paint pen.  I think it really shows off the shape of that paper.  The next layer is stamped with various leaves of that set in different fall colors of cajun craze, more mustard and pear pizzaz.  The leaves on the front panel are from Leaf Prints by PTI.  I love separate vein stamp that adds the detail.  Some gold nailhead brads and linen thread finish this one today.  Thanks for stopping by.

New Puppy Arrival

Hello everyone!  Our daughter recently got a new arrival at her place.  Well, I should really say arrivals.  She got 2, yes 2, new 8 week old puppies.  Let me tell you, there is some serious puppy love going on there!  She is so excited, so I just had to make her a card to help welcome the little darlings.  The car and sentiment are from PTI Enjoy the ride set.  The puppies are from Loads of Love Accessories.  I chose one puppy of the bunch, inked it up using a marker, and stamped it twice.  Aren't they sweet peeking out the windshield?  I had some brads that went perfectly with the theme of this card.  The cardstock colors are regal rose, chocolate chip and Sending Love dsp (retired).  Thanks for stopping by.

Snowflakes and Christmas

Hello Everyone!  This card WAS going to be my Christmas card for 2010, but decided to use it for one of my stamping classes instead.  The card base and snowflake at the bottom of the card, are Cherry Cobbler cardstock.  Isn't that the most gorgeous red you've ever seen?!  I love it!  The white background is Whisper White cardstock embossed with the new Stampin' Up! Norther Flurry folder found in the Holiday Mini.  I highlighted 3 of the snowflakes with rhinestones.  The sentiment is from the Contempo Christmas set.  I gave the sentiment cardstock a little definition by running the Cherry Cobbler marker along the edges.  The notched out end of the sentiment piece was done using the 3/4" square punch.  The snowflake was made using the Northern Frost decorative strip die, also from the Holiday Mini.  This was a quick, but I think, elegant card.  Thanks for stopping by.

So Thankful

Hello Everyone.  The new Day of Gratitude set in the Holiday Mini is so gorgeous!  I love all the images and tried to use just about all of them in this card.  The real star of the show is the base of the card.  I spritzed it with some smooch spray and lightly swirled it with a sponge.  It shimmers--so pretty!  I over-stamped the spritz with one of the leaf images using Early Espresso ink.  The green layer is Pear Pizzaz and was run through using the Square Lattice embossing folder.  All the corners are punched with the retired notch punch--love that thing!  The focal point is very vanilla cardstock stamped with all the leaves in the set.  I used Cajun Craze, Pear Pizzaz and More Mustard inks.  The sentiment was stamped in Early Espresso ink and punched out with the new extra large label punch in the mini catalog.  I sponged the edges with some Pear ink.  I found the glittered leaf sticker at Michael's and thought it was the perfect touch to this fall card.  Thanks for stopping by!

Those are Some Gorgeous Legs!

Hello Everyone.  There's a little story behind this card.  I saw this stamp at a store 3 years ago and I debated about getting it.  I went home to think about it.  The next day, I decided to go back for it, and yep, wouldn't you know it, it was sold out.  The store never got any more.  I tried to find it out on the internet, but with no luck.  I just happened to be in the store 3 years later, and joy of joys, there it was.  I grabbed it up and had to make this card.
The image was stamped using Staz On black ink and water colored using black and pumpkin ink.  I went over the smaller detail parts with a black marker to make them stand out.  The camera didn't pick it up, but there is glitter pen used on the eyelets, buckle and straps of the witches shoes and their skirts as well.  The skirts were stamped onto black cardstock, using black ink.  Don't think that didn't test the old eyes.  The designer paper is Creepy Crawly (retired) and the ribbon is from the holiday mini.  I stamped the cobweb image from the Wicked Cool set in pumpkin pie ink, and added the sentiment right on top.  It's from the Halloween Hoot set.  I am doing a happy dance over this one!  Thanks for stopping by.

Blinged Out Ghost

Hello Everyone.  Sorry it's been so long since I posted last.  Life just gets away from me sometimes.

This card was designed around the cute little rhinestone ghost sticker I found at Michael's.  I just knew I had to build a card around it.  The card base is Only Orange card stock (retired).  The purple layer is Concord Crush and stamped with the ghost image from the Twick or Tweet set using white craft ink.  I cut a layer of white with a large oval Nestability die, leaving one edge straight.  I ran it through a haunted house embossing folder and sponged the edges with orange ink.  A layer of orange, concord and white was made using the 1 1/4" circle, 1" circle and the new medium oval punches.  I popped the ghost layer on a dimensional.  The ribbon is some that I've had in my stash for awhile.  I love how it turned out.  Thanks for stopping by! 

Framed Birthday

Hello everyone.  Today's card uses a Cuttlebug embossing folder as a frame for the main image and sentiment.  I love the swirly pattern.  Since fall is in the air, the colors I chose are Peach Parfait and Chocolate Chip.  They remind me of the changing colors of leaves this time of year.
The center of the card was punched out using the wide oval Nesties.  I stamped a fern image from the Growing Green stamp set in peach as a nice background.  The sentiment is over-stamped in Chocolate Chip ink and is from the On Your Birthday set.  The horizontal slit punch was used to allow for the checkered ribbon to feed through the oval layers.  I added some matching rhinestones for a little bling and there you have it.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Cute as a Bug Birthday

Hello everyone.  Can you ever get enough of the Bugs and Kisses stamp set?  I mean really, how cute are the images in this set?  Today, I paired up the little ladybug image and the sentiment from the set along with the cutest caterpillar sizzix die.  This card is for my 5 year old niece, so I chose pink--her favorite color.  I didn't want to place the caterpillar on a white background, so I lightly sponged in some pink clouds.  They're subtle, but there.  I threw in some white highlights with a white colored pencil, added some ribbon and got this in the mail. 

Thanks for stopping by today.

Autumn Birthday

Hello everyone.  Today's card uses some wonderful designer paper from Stampin' Up.  It's called Autumn Spice.  Aren't the patterns just wonderful?  The card base is More Mustard, and the pieces of Autumn Spice are framed by Early Espresso card stock.  The sentiment is from the Sincere Salutations stamp set.  I punched it out using the new extra large decorative label punch found in the Holiday Mini Catalog for 2010.  I used the Crop-a-dile to set two large eyelets and threaded the 1/8" taffeta ribbon.  The two little leaves in the upper left hand corner are punched from a couple of leaf punches I've had forever.  I used Cajun Craze and Early Espresso cardstock for those.  That's it for this one.  Thanks for stopping by.

There's No Place Like Home

Hello everyone.  I needed a card for a special young woman who just bought her first house.  I used the Good Neighbors stamp set for this little cutie.  The trees and houses in this set are adorable.  I created the cloud background using bashful blue ink and a template I made of acetate and punched out with the scallop circle punch.  The hills were made using my Nesties and a kind of textured image from the Watercolor Minis stamp set (retired).  I then ran it through my Big Shot using the dotted swiss embossing folder.  Voila!  instant hills.  The fence is a MS punch.  The sentiment is from PTI.  The little house is popped up on dimensionals.  A couple of rhinestone gems in the corners finish off this one.  Thanks for stopping by and for your sweet comments.

Simple Froggy Thank You

Hello everyone.  Today, a clean and simple card showcasing the main froggy image.  I think some of the most difficult cards to pull off are simple design.  This one lets the main image take center stage.
I stamped the image from the A Flower for All Seasons set in Black Staz On ink and colored it with Bashful Blue, Daffodil Delight and Wild Wasabi markers.  I popped this white layer up on pop dots onto a frame of Wild Wasabi cardstock.  I stamped the sentiment in black and drew a box around the card using a black marker and ruler.  I also drew a box, in the same manner, around the main image.  A couple of embossed lines were added using my Score Pal and 3 green gems make the centers of the flowers sparkle.  All of this was placed on a base of white.  Quick and simple, but a lot of fun to make.  I hope you give it a try.
Thanks for stopping by today.

It Was Just Calling to Me!!!

Hi Everyone!  I woke up this morning thinking I was hearing voices!  No, I'm not crazy (I guess that's a matter of opinion really), but I think my blog (sorry I haven't posted in awhile--busy summer) and Cricut machine were calling out to me for some attention.  I haven't been the best about keeping up. 

I needed to come up with a card for my 7 year old nephew and thought this rooster image would be perfect.  It's from the Cricut cartridge called "Just Because Cards".  The colors I used were for today's color challenge over at SCS--baja breeze, poppy parade and crumbcake.  Don't those colors make great tail feathers?  I stamped the chicken wire background in soft suede ink and sponged around the edges.  I also sponged the white circle using baja breeze.  It's supposed to represent the sun coming up in the morning (I guess you have to use your imagination on that one--I was running on only one cup of coffee).  I added a google eye to finish this one off.  Thanks for stopping by today. 

Petal Punching

Hello everyone.  I'm really in love with all the new Stampin Up colors and punches.  For this card I used poppy parade, pear pizzaz, peach parfait and concord crush.  Aren't the colors yummy together?  The little envelope at the bottom left is made with the new large petal card punch.  I used vellum cardstock and folded up 3 sides, and used a little adhesive on the bottom petal to keep it closed.  If you've never used Stampin Up's vellum cardstock, you should give it a try.  It is sooo thick! 
I used the new hostess set called Cute by the Inch for the little pull-out.  I put a piece of ribbon on the back of the little square to help pull it out.  I frayed the ribbon by pulling on a piece of the thread until I liked the amount that raveled. 
The large flower is made from a bigz die called daisies #2.  A cuttlebug border embossing folder was used to mimic the punched scallop border.  The sentiment on the flower was stamped using the Stem Sayings stamp set.  A new Stampin Up rhinestone and some sponging on the flower petals finishes this one off.  Thanks for stopping by today.

All Caged Up

Hello everyone.  The birds are back.  I told you that you'd be seeing the Aviary stamp set again.  Could there be anything cuter than these cages and birds?  I love all the colors I used.  The card feels so much like summer.  The fun colors include tempting turquoise, tangerine tango, daffodil delight, and real red.  I cut the white pieces of paper a bit smaller on each side so that I could layer them onto a black piece of card stock.  They all look like they've got a separate mat behind them.  The sentiment is from a retired hostess set called Picture This.  Isn't it perfect for the bird theme?  A red brad and daffodil delight taffeta ribbon finish this summer card.
Thanks for stopping by today.

A Brady Bunch Kind of Love

Come on, sing with me!  Here's the story, of a man named Brady...I know that song is going to be in your head for the rest of the day!  Ha ha.  Sorry about that, but just had to share.  You know the beginning of the Brady Bunch show where the dad and mom are looking at each other from a square box?  Well, when I first saw the new Stampin' Up! owl punch, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.  Owls in a tree. 
The base of the card is white.  I punched 2 holes with a 1 1/4" circle punch first.  The next layer is crumb cake.  I stamped the Woodgrain background stamp in Soft Suede ink, placed this layer onto the white base and lined it up to exactly where I wanted it.  Next I traced the two holes that I made in the white base onto the crumb cake layer and punched them out.  I put the two owls together using Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink (and dsp), Not Quite Navy (and dsp), Baja Breeze, black and white.  The ribbon was added and the owls glued into the inside so that they peeked through the holes.  Isn't this hilarious?  It could be used as an anniversary card or a Valentine's Day greeting, or I suppose whenever a lovey-dovey card is needed. 
Thanks for stopping by!

I'm Lovin' It!

Hi Everyone!  The card I made today uses a stamp from one of Stampin' Up's new sets.  It's one of the Hostess sets, so you can't buy it outright.  The set is called "Because I Care".  I really love how this turned out.  The light colored card stock is really Very Vanilla and not white and the pink card stock is Regal Rose.  This set is so versatile for so many occasions.  I made this one for a neighbor's birthday, but made one earlier in the day, as a sympathy card.  I'm not sure if the camera did a good job of picking it up, but I finished the card with a little bling.  The centers of the blooms sparkle from a dash of Stickles.  I almost needed to put on my sunglasses while looking at this one!  :-)
Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Together

Hello Everyone.  I made this cute card today for our son and daughter-in-law.  It's hard to believe, but they're celebrating their 4th wedding anniversary.

I used a new Stampin' Up! set for this one called Aviary.  The stamps are just the cutest!  The colors for this card are some new In-Colors:  Peach Parfait, Concord Crush, Whisper White and Peach Parfait designer paper.  I tied a white taffeta ribbon at the bottom of the cage for a little dimension.  Clean and simple.  Thanks for stopping by.   

It's Been a Long Time!

I can't believe that it's been since April that I last posted!  I know it's been a long time, but our daughter's wedding took up most of my time.  She's finally married and the wedding was beautiful.  We had such a gorgeous day and the bride and groom are so very happy.  It seems so long since I've been in my stamping room.  It felt so good to get my fingers dirty again!

This card is for a friend of mine who just shot a hole in 1!  For the sun, I punched a 1 1/4" circle and sponged daffodil delight ink in the negative hole created by the punch.  Then I took the positive circle, and covered my sun so that when I did the sky, it wouldn't get colored with blue.  I masked off a horizon and sponged in the clouds, then masked off the sky and brayered in the grass (the putting green).  I stamped little bits of grass from the Watercolor Minis stamp set (retired).  The hole cup is an oval and the ball is 3/4" circle punch that I ran through a cuttlebug folder (dotted swiss).  I used the de-bossed side that I thought looked like the dimples on a golf ball.  For the flag, I snipped real red cardstock with my scissors and wrote in the lucky 13 (number of the hole on the course) and dotted a white border with my gel pen.  I can't wait to mail this off. 

It 's good to be back.  Thanks for your patience and for stopping by today. 

Sweet Occasion

Hello everyone!  Today's card was created for a sweet little girl and her birthday.

I had used this jar with candy corn spilling out of it for a Halloween card a couple of years ago and thought I'd use the same concept, but with M & Ms.  Some of the M & Ms were stamped inside the jar (the jar is from a retired SU set called All Wrapped Up) and some were punched out using the 1/2 inch circle punch.  I stamped an M on each candy.  The little girl that's going to receive this card is named Logan, so I thought it would be cute if her name was spelled out with some of the candies.  The sentiment is from the current Crazy for Cupcakes set.  The dsp is Berry Bliss (retired) and the other colors are yo yo yellow, green galore, only orange, (all retiring at the end of June) chocolate chip and pacific point (soon to return to the SU family as a new core color).  

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!  

Noted

Hello everyone!  Another quick post today.  Seems that's going to be the theme between now and our daughter's wedding. 

I needed a quick, and I mean quick, note card to put in the mail this morning.  This card took me all of about 10 minutes to put together.  I think that's the beauty of using embossing folders.  You get a lot of impact for such little time.  The color turned out kind of funny, but it's really white, black and Bermuda Bay.  The sentiment is taken from a stamp set called Winged Things.  The stamp reads "A little note of thanks".  I am not using this card as a thank you note, but rather a general note card.  So, I inked up the portions of the sentiment that I wanted to use and stamped it.  I needed to use the stamp-a-majig to get the words placed just right, then punched it out using the small oval punch. 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Blush Wedding

Hello Everyone!  A quick post today.  I've got family coming in from out of town to stay with me for my sister's wedding this weekend.  I'm so excited!  Not only for the wedding, but to see my all my brothers and sisters.  We haven't all been together since my mom's death in October.  This will be such a happy occasion and I think we all need that. 

This is a card I came up with to congratulate the happy couple.  The base of the card is silver cs.  The pink looking color is blush blossom.  I stamped the main image with silver pigment ink, then embossed with silver embossing powder.  It's so shiny!  I placed some silver pearls here and there for some added bling (you know how I like my bling!)  The sentiment layer is outlined with a silver leaf paint pen; making it look like there's a silver layer behind it.  The blush layer is punched using the notched corner punch.  Some silver organza ribbon finishes this one off. 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Here Comes the Bride

Hello again!  Our daughter is getting married in June and there is a bridal shower for her this weekend.  This is the card I made to include with her gift.
I've had a pattern for the torso of a woman that I converted into this silhouette of the bride. I traced it onto white cardstock and stamped the swirls in Versamark ink.  I sprinkled heat and stick powder over that and heat set it.  This stuff is super sticky. ( On a side note, if you use the heat and stick powder, try to avoid inhaling close to it.  It's very fine powder and it can be irritating.)  While it was sticky, I sprinkled dazzling diamonds glitter on top and reheated it to set the glitter.  It's so sparkly!  I tied a black ribbon around the waistline.  The bride and groom's colors are black, white and yellow.  This is a very simple card, but elegant just the same. 
Thanks for stopping by!

Goodbye and Hello

Hello everyone, sorry I haven't posted in awhile.  Our daughter is getting married in June and I've been working like a mad woman on her invitations and wedding gown.  This hasn't left me a whole lot of time to stamp lately.  So, I'm sorry if my postings will be kind of hit and miss until June.
Just as we say goodbye to the Stampin' Up! Sale-a-Bration time period, we say hello to the Two-Step into Spring promotion.  Two step stamping is one of my very favorite ways to stamp.  The first stamp puts the color down (a solid surface stamp) and the second stamp gives the image it's detail (fine line stamp).  Check out the link above to see a new stamp set called Awash with flowers.  It's a peek into the new Idea and Product catalog (coming out in July).  It is available in the new clear mount version as well as the traditional wood mount. There is also a list of other two-step stamp sets that are being offered at a discount through the month of April.
 
Thanks for stopping by today!

What's Not to Love?

I think Stampin' Up! hit a home run with this fun stamp set.  It's called Things I Love.  I think the images are as cute as can be.  I really had a good time creating this card. 

I stamped the sentiment on a white piece of cardstock that was layered on top of chocolate chip and regal rose card base.  The shoe, chocolate and shopping bag images were stamped in the 3 different colors of the dsp (Sweet Always--retired).  I cut them out using the 1 1/4 inch circle punch and layered them with the coordinating color of cardstock punched from 1 3/8 inch circle punch.  I added a rhinestone to each image to give it a girly bling.  Some taffeta chocolate chip ribbon finished off the embellishments. 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Masculine Birthday

Happy Monday Everyone!  Another weekend flew by.  Don't know how many of you are basketball fans, but the road to the Final Four for college basketball had me glued to the tv.  There were some really exciting games and some real upsets this year. 

Today's card has a masculine feel (I hope it does, because that's what I was going for).  Cards for men are always a challenge for me.  Can you say bling?  Yes, I have that sparkle disease!  I seem to want to add too much to my cards and have to remind myself that men don't really appreciate that sort of thing.  I need to keep it clean looking.  I think I achieved that with this one.  Just a few nailhead brads.  That's not too bad is it? 
I used the Autumn Days stamp set.  The pheasant always cracks me up.  He looks like he's on a mission--Why did the pheasant cross the road?...:-)  The colors I used are Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, Crushed Curry dsp and Very Vanilla.
I hope you like today's post and that it inspires you to make one of your own.  Thanks for stopping by!

Sweet Little Niece

Today's card was a really quick one I put together for my 9 year old nice's birthday.  The cute little caterpillar was made from a sizzix die I've had for quite awhile.  Isn't the tiny nose too cute?  I had to die cut that tiny little nose 3 times because I kept losing it on my table top.  I'm sure that's happened to most of you at one time or another.  But, then again, most of you probably stamp with a clutter-free table.  I tend to have tons of stuff in my area.  I try one thing and if it doesn't look right, i just drop right in front of me.  I can end up having a real mess before it's said and done.  I get "into the zone" and don't want to interrupt it by putting things away.
I added some highlight marks on the bug here and there.  The dsp is from the new Good Neighbors paper pack from the Sale-a-bration mini.  I computer generated the sentiment.  It says, "just inching by..." on the front of the card and on the inside "with a birthday hi".  I punched it out with the large oval punch and backed it with old olive cs cut out with the scalloped oval punch. The polka dot ribbon is Mambo Melon.  I just realized that the ribbon looks like it's riding up on the right side.  It can't be because of the photographer!!!!!!!!!! The hello on the little tag is from the Tiny Tags stamp set.  I cut it out using the tiny tags punch. 
Thanks for stopping by today!

Don't Put That Ornament Punch Away Just Yet!

Don't you just love it when you get a tool and can use it for more than it was intended?  Today, I used the ornament punch, that was in the holiday mini, to create a little pot for this flower to "sit" in.  I punched the ornament out of pretty in pink cs, cut the point off, making a flat bottom, and sponged the edges with regal rose ink.  I scored two lines on the widest part of the pot and added a row of little pearls.  The stamped flowers are from Echoes of Kindness.  I made them sparkle with shimmer paint after coloring them with a pretty in pink marker.  The background is done with the French Flair (retired) large background stamp.  I think it added just the right feel for this card and left me an area in the upper left corner to stamp the sentiment.  The images are stamped on watercolor paper.  It gives a really nice texture without having to emboss.  I have the grain of the paper running horizontally for the background and vertically for the flower image.  I finished this off with a certainly celery organza ribbon and bow with little pearls on the very center of the knot. 
I really had fun making this card and love the way it turned out.  It's simple, yet elegant and feminine. Thanks for stopping by today!. 

What a Day!

Hello everyone,
Sorry I didn't get to post as I wanted to yesterday.  My Monday turned out to be a mess.  I was in a car accident.  I got hit from behind by an under-aged driver using her friend's car.  Can you say insurance mess?  Fortunately, I don't think I'm hurt too badly and the driver wasn't either.  That's what really counts.
This is the card that I wanted to get posted.  It's an anniversary card to my wonderful husband (who left his lunch meeting to be with me after the accident happened!  My rock!).

I began by tracing the heart using one of my heart nestability dies.  The two love birds were punched out using the new Extra Large Two-Step Bird punch from the current Occasions mini catalog.  The papers used for the birds are chocolate chip and Bermuda Bay dsp.  The sentiment is from the Three Little Words stamp set in the current Idea catalog. 

The border along the bottom of the card was done with a Spellbinder's border die.  I sponged on the color for the detail before removing the die.  I used the notched corner punch (retired) for some interest on the corners, a couple of pearls for the bird eyes (can't decide if that's creepy or not) and called this one good.

Thanks for stopping by and hope you all have a great day.

Lightning Fast

Today, I had to get a note in the mail, so I needed to come up with a quick card. I turned to my Movers & Shapers die.  I started with a Bermuda Bay base.  I embossed a piece of white cardstock with the paisley embossing folder.  After taping this layer to the card base, I placed it on the Movers & Shapers die with the scalloped oval toward the right side  and sent it through the Big Shot.  I put my 1/8" circle hand held punch into the scalloped opening and punch a hole on the left hand side of the card front.  I ran ribbon through both the scalloped opening and the hole and tied a bow.  The sentiment is from the Yummy stamp set and punched out with the large oval punch.  That's it!!! Super quick and easy.  I got it out to the mail box with time to spare.  It took me all of 15 minutes.  Most of that time was spent deciding on colors. 
Thanks for stopping by! 

Upsy Birthday

I had just enough time today to get a quick card put together.  I made this for my brother's birthday, so I hope it's not too girly. 

Here's the how:  I cut out a piece of very vanilla cardstock using a nestability die.  I matted that with a circle of not quite navy cardstock.  I stamped the flower image from the Upsy Daisy stamp set (love it!) and splattered more mustard ink onto it using the spritzing tool.  The celery cardstock is embossed with a diamond pattern using my bug.  The card base is stamped tone-on-tone in more mustard using the Pattern Prints background stamp.  A few brads, some celery twill ribbon and this one is done! 

Thanks for stopping by today.

Accidents Happen

I know it' been quite awhile since I posted, but my daughter is getting married in June and my nephew is getting married in July and I've been working on wedding invitations for both of them.  It's keeping me hopping.

Don't you just love it when you have the perfect stamp set for the perfect occasion?  When My Favorite Things released this stamp set, I knew I had to have it.  I've used it so many times.  Even though it's a vinyl stamp set (and I'm not partial to them) I love the images. 

I've got a friend who took a spill on some steps and injured himself.  He ended up needing surgery.  His leg is in a big black immobilizer and needs to keep it elevated.  He's got a long road of recovery and therapy ahead of him, so I thought I would try and cheer him with a get well card. 

The base of the card is Blue Bayou and the chair color is Sky Blue--two retired In-Colors I'd love to see Stampin' Up! bring back.  I inked up the canvas background stamp with Blue Bayou and stamped the chair at a 45 degree angle to the checks.  Doesn't it look like fabric?  I tried not to make the card too fussy, but manly at the same time.  What could be more manly than woodgrain?  I stamped the caramel cardstock with the woodgrain background stamp and sponged the edges to give it a little depth.  Doesn't the fish just crack you up?  I tried making it look like some sort of rainbow trout.  I think I failed misrably, but went with it anyway.  It's supposed to be a cartoon after all. Some stitched ribbon, brads and grommet complete this fun card. 

I hope you enjoyed today's project and thanks for stopping by. 

An Oldie But a Goody

Hello everyone.  I have a wonderful friend that I needed to make a birthday card for, so I pulled out a retired Stampin' Up! set that I haven't used for awhile.  The Terrific Tulips set is such a great two-step stamp set.  I love to use it right around springtime when there's promise of warmer weather.  The snow has really melted in the last few days!  The drift that went over our fence is now at least a foot below the fence line.  Progress!

I started by cutting out a white piece of cardstock, using the top note die.  I then stamped the tulips using pretty in pink, then did the overstamp in regal rose.  The stems and leaves were stammped in old olive and accented with always artichoke.  I was up for a challenge, so I finished the card by doing the brick wall technique found at SCS here.  Anyone who's tried this technique, knows what I mean by a challenge.  There's lots of little pieces to keep track of and put in the correct order.  When I got all the pieces glued down into place, I embossed the entire layer with the dotted swiss folder.  I love all the texture.  A ribbon, bow and a hodge podge hardware piece (I know, I'm dipping into my precious, hoarded hardware again!) completed the look I wanted. Of course, you need a pretty envelope to go along with it too. I always stamp a coordinating envie.  Even though this card was a lot of work, I think it was worth it in the end.  The card is not the typical A2 size, it's actually an A7 size (completed card measures 5 x 7).  Thanks for stopping by today.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Terrific Tulips, Well Scripted

Paper:  Old olive, pretty in pink, white, regal rose designer paper

Ink:  Pretty in pink, old olive, always artichoke, regal rose, rose red

Accessories:  Hoarded hodge podge hardware, old olive ribbon (retired), embossing folder, gems from my stash, top note die

New Friends Arrived

Hello everyone.  What's that saying? --you can never have enough friends.  That's so true.  My husband and I had new neighbors move in up the street from us, and I finally got around to welcoming them into the neighborhood.

What better way to do that than with a handmade card and cookies!  The family includes two adorable little ones.  They were so excited by chocolate chip cookies.  I can't wait for better weather around here, so that I can get to see them outside playing.  It's been such a cold winter here and we're all so tired of it all.  I hope we're finished with the snow for the year.

The card I made uses the new Good Neighbors clear mount stamp set available in the Sale-a-Bration mini catalog.  The designer paper is from the Welcome Neighbor pack also in the Sale-a-Bration mini.  The two coordinate so perfectly and there's several color combinations to choose from.  I liked the cheery look of these colors together. 

To create the neighborhood scene, I stamped the houses in different colors right onto the white cardstock.  I stamped the roofs on a separate piece of white cardstock and cut them out.  I masked the base of the houses, stamped the clouds in the sky and sponged crushed curry ink around the edges of the paper.  I then taped the roofs onto the card, popping the middle one up on a dimensional.  I tied the ribbon using my tip from this post.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Here's the recipe:

Stamps:  Good Neighbors, Right at Home (sentiment), Tiny Tags

Paper:  Crushed curry, old olive, mambo melon, white, Welcome Neighbors dsp

Ink:  Crushed curry, old olive, mambo melon, black

Accessories:  Dotted melon mambo ribbon, dotted swiss embossing folder, tiny tags punch, spellbinders die, gems from my stash, sponge, dimensional

Foiled!

Happy Monday everyone!  Why is it that the weekends are just never long enough?  Monday comes around way too fast sometimes.
Today, I thought I'd share a great tip on adding a foil element to a card.  First, gather your supplies.

You'll need a pair of scissors, kitchen foil, a glue stick or a Xyron adhesive machine, and an embossing folder. 

Begin by cutting cardstock to the size that you need for your project.  Apply glue to the entire back of the cardstock.

Place the foil onto the glued side of the cardstock piece and smooth it out from the center to the edges.  This will work out all the air bubbles. 

On the backside of the cardstock, fold the foil down over the points first (mitering the corners).  This will give you nice sharp points to the corners.  Next, fold in the sides.  

 See how nice this looks.  It's so smooth, you can see my reflection with the camera :-)  Say Cheese!

Finally, insert the foiled piece of cardstock into an embossing folder and run through your die cutting/embossing machine (Big Shot, Cuttlebug, etc.) 

Here is the finished project ready to be used on your card front or in a scrapbook page. This technique also works great for that thin, foil-type wrapping paper or foil-type balloons that have lost their helium, but are just too pretty to throw away.   

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.  Be sure to send me a link to your projects if you use this technique. 

For My Sister

Hello everyone.  Happy Friday!  The week just flew by for me.  I swear it feels llike yesterday was only Monday.  I don't know how an entire week can sneek by. 
Today's project was created with my sister in mind.  She lives in San Diego, CA.  I sent it to her this week because she's having shoulder surgery today.  Needless to say, she's apprehensive and wants to just get it over with.  It'll be a bumpy road for her for the next several weeks of therapy and recovery.  I wanted to send her this card to help cheer her on. 

I used the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set for this card.  I just love the flowered branch.  To produce the coral colored flowers, I first inked up the entire stamp with Certainly Celery ink.  I took a baby wipe and cleaned the ink off of the little blooms.  I then colored ink back onto them with a Cameo Coral marker, then (don't forget to huff on the somewhat dried ink) stamped the image on paper. 
I repeated the process on a part of the stamp I wanted to use as the embellishment in the hodgepodge hardware circle.  I punched a 1" circle of chocolate chip cardstock, applied it to the back of the hardware piece using crystal effects.   Then, using the 3/4" circle punch, I punched out the part of the flower image I wanted to use, and popped it up on a dimensional.  I used chocolate chip brads to hold down the hardward to the paper.  I like the contrast against the vanilla hardware piece.
I used an image  from the Boho Backgrounds stamp set to add some interest to the Cameo Coral layer.  The rest is pretty well self explanatory.  Thanks for stopping by today.  I'll be back again on Monday.  Have a great weekend!
The recipe:
Stamps:  Thoughts and Prayers, Boho Backgrounds (retired)
Paper:  Cameo coral, certainly celery cardstock and designer series paper, chocolate chip, very vanilla
Ink:  Certainly celery, chocolate chip
Accessories:  Hodgepodge hardware, brads, CB embossing folder, corner punch (marvy), chocolate gingham ribbon (from my stash), cameo coral marker.

Flight of the Butterfly

Hello everyone.  Can you believe we're coming to the end of February?  I think Mother Nature hasn't been informed.  As I write this post, it's zero degrees F, and the windchill is well below zero.  I dont'think there will be any butterflies flitting around any time soon.  Isn't it great that, through the magic of stamping, butterflies can appear and give the feeling of spring!

Flight of the butterfly is one of my favorite Stampin' Up! stamp sets (I think I say that a lot.  I guess I have a lot of favs :-)  The main butterfly is inked up in bashful blue.  I then gave the edges a darker shading by doing the rock and roll technique.  This is done by rolling the very edges of the stamp in a darker ink (in this case pacific point -retired).  The little butterflies are die cuts from the new beautiful wings embosslit.  I especially love the tiny one.  And, what would a card be without a little bling?  I added dazzling diamonds glitter in the very center of the flowers on the main butterfly and gems (from my stash) in the corner. 

Thanks for stopping by today!

The recipe:

Stamps:  Flight of the Butterfly

Paper:  Bashful blue, pacific point (retired), white, bashful blue designer paper series

Ink:  Bashful blue, pacific point (retired), black

Accessories:  Bashful blue gingham ribbon (retired), CB embossing folder, gems, beautiful wings embosslit, black marker, Spellbinder nestie die, glue pen, dazzling diamonds glitter

Is That the Sky?

Today, I decided to try something a little different.  I wanted to have the background "sky" blend into the card instead of having a blue sky that would contrast.  I think it's kind of interesting.  I made a cloud template out of a clear window sheet using the scallop circle punch.  It's so cool because I can see through it and can place it exactly where I want to.  That really helps to be able to make a varied cloud bank.  I sponged the clouds in more mustard ink.

The base of the card, as well as the petals of the flower, are apricot appeal.  I sponged the petals with more mustard, then spritzed them with the spritzer tool using  a chocolate chip marker.  The center of the flower is a 1" circle of more mustard and a 3/4" circle more mustard dsp.  That's popped up on a dimensional and finished off with a sweet little button threaded with linen thread.  Behind the flower is an old olive layer cut with a nestie and embossed with a CB embossing folder.  The gingham ribbon is retired mellow moss.  I sure wish SU would bring back all the gingham colors.  I really love them.  The dsp on the bottom of the card is from the Welcome Neighbor dsp out of the sale-a-bration mini catalog. 

The colors on the card came out a little funny.  I'm going to have to play around with my lighting to see if I can get future posts looking better.  

Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a look around.

The recipe:

 Stamps:  Garden Greetings (sentiment)

Paper:  Welcome Neighbor dsp, apricot appeal, very vanilla, old olive

Ink:  Chocolate chip, more mustard

Accessories:  Nesties, CB embossing folder, gold brads, gingham ribbon, small oval, 1" circle, 3/4" circle and word window punches, dimensional, 1/8" hand held punch, button, linen thread

One Excited Little Boy

I got a phone call from my little 7 year old nephew yesterday.  He told me that he came in 2nd place in his Boy Scout pinewood derby.  He was so excited and happy!  I just had to make a quick card for him to congratulate him.  He told me his car was chrome, blue and white, so, those are the colors I decided to use. 
I think I put this card together in about 15 minutes.  The silver "layer" around the white cardstock background was done with a silver paint pen.  It's a great trick to make it look as if I have a layer of silver cardstock underneath.  The sentiment was stamped in white craft ink and embossed with white embossing powder.  I also took the silver paint pen around that piece.  I did some faux stitching with the pen all around the "U".  Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day!
The recipe:
Stamps:  All About You (retired)
Paper:  Silver, Brilliant Blue, White
Ink:  Craft white, brilliant blue
Accessories:  Gingham ribbon (unknown--just had it in my stash), Large and small star punches, CB embossing folder, silver start brads (from my stash), silver gel pen, white embossing powder, silver paint pen, paper piercer

Mmmm, Razzleberry

Ever since Stampin' Up! came out with the Razzleberry color, I keep thinking that it should be made into a pie :-)  How about cherry and razzleberry pie topped with vanilla ice cream.  Mmmm.  Instead of pie, I turned the razzleberry into a sweet card.  This one is a project I had for this month's card classes.  I don't know if you can pick it up too well, but there is a flower stamped on the lavender cardstock in the background.  I like how the little punched flowers mimic the flowers in the dsp.  Thanks so much for stopping by. 

 Here's the recipe:

Stamps:  Greenhouse Garden, Teeny Tiny Wishes (sentiment)

Paper:  Pale plum, razzleberry, white, razzleberry dsp, certainly celery

Ink:  Pale plum, razzleberry

Accessories:  Celery ribbon, trio flower punch, 1 1/4" square punch, word window punch, modern label punch, dimensionals, scallop trim border punch

Blog Update

Welcome everyone and thanks for stopping in.  I am in the process of getting my blog up and running YET AGAIN!  I had some difficulty with my previous blog provider, so I decided to switch everything over to Blogspot.  I have to redesign my blog, so until I do, it will look rather plain.  I plan on playing around with it until I get it just right.  Hopefully it won't take too long!  Have a great day!

Brrr, It's Cold!

We just can't seem to get away from winter this year! We've gotten so much snow that I thought this card was very appropriate. This little guy was made from Jackie Topa's instructions found here. He's made with several SU punches. I really enjoyed putting him together. To give the penguin a little highlight, I outlined him here and there with a white pencil color. The scarf is some gingham ribbon I had at home. I snipped the ends to make it look like the fringe of a scarf. For the background, I tore a piece of copy paper and masked off the ground area. I then used my home-made cloud pattern to sponge in the clouds and sky. I made my cloud pattern by using the round scallop punch to punch out 3 circles out of a clear window sheet. I taped them together and voila, a cloud bank. It's wonderful, because I can see through it and it helps me plan my sponging. Once the sky was done, I unmasked the ground, put a little glue on it here and there using my 2 way glue pen, then sprinkled with dazzling diamonds glitter. Isn't he cute?!

Thanks for stopping by.

The recipe:
Stamps: Like it a Latte (sentiment)
Paper: Tempting turquoise, black, white, pumpkin pie
Ink: Tempting turquoise, black
Accessories: Punches--wide oval, small oval, large oval, 1 1/4" circle, 5 petal flower, black brads, dazzling diamonds, 2 way glue pen, cloud template, sponge, ribbon, white pencil color, dimensionals, CB embossing folders, Nestability dies.

6 Responses to “Brrr, It’s Cold!”


Marie says:

February 16, 2010 at 7:28 pm (Edit)

I love penguins, and this is a cute one!! Love it!



Marlene says:

February 17, 2010 at 2:03 pm (Edit)

Your penguin is absolutely the cutest!!!



Sylvie says:

February 17, 2010 at 2:21 pm (Edit)

Very cute penguin! Send some snow and winter our way… it’s been too warm for us here and not enough snow to enjoy snowshoeing etc…



bonnierose says:

February 17, 2010 at 2:41 pm (Edit)

love that cloud bank.. perfection!



Sew-Ink says:

February 18, 2010 at 6:34 pm (Edit)

Very cute, love the clouds in the background!



Jacqueline (Scraps of Life) says:

February 19, 2010 at 1:23 am (Edit)

Terri, this card is too adorable! Great job with the clouds! And that penguin is just the cutest thing! I love that you embossed the oval behind him too, it adds some nice texture! Great card!

Cute and Wild

I'm a little under the weather today, so I thought I'd just do a quick post. This card is a cute and simple child's card using the lion from the Wild About You stamp set. The background is a Rubbernecker's stamp. The "ground" that the lion is standing on was done with an oval stamp I made. You know the left over rubber you have when you punch out your stamps? I took the cushion layer off, punched the rubber out with the small oval punch, put cling back on the new oval stamp and, voila, an oval stamp. I masked off the lion's legs and stamped the oval to make the lion look like he's standing on something instead of just floating.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Recipe:
Stamps: Wild About You, Rubbernecker background
Paper: Green Galore, chocolate chip, whisper white
Ink: Chocolate chip, green galore
Accessories: Chocolate chip twill ribbon, word window punch, ticket corner punch
« Vintage Vogue and a Tip!Brrr, It’s Cold! »Cute and Wild


Feb 15th, 2010 by Terri Edit
Thanks for stopping by!
The Recipe:
Stamps: Wild About You, Rubbernecker background
Paper: Green Galore, chocolate chip, whisper white
Ink: Chocolate chip, green galore
Accessories: Chocolate chip twill ribbon, word window punch, ticket corner punch

2 Responses to “Cute and Wild”

Marie says:

February 15, 2010 at 11:44 am (Edit)

It’s a cute card, and I hope you feel better soon!!



Jenn says:

February 18, 2010 at 11:04 am (Edit)

Really simple and cute! Love the colors. The green looks great, and how clever to make your own stamp!

Vintage Vogue and a Tip

Hello everyone! For today's card, I used the new Vintage Vogue clear mount stamp set from Stampin' Up! The new images are so gorgeous. I think I'm going to be using this set A LOT! I also used the new border punches available in the Occasions mini catalog and Sale-a-Bration catalog. The texture in the background was done using a CB embossing folder. The "friend" sentiment was done by inking the word with a marker because I wanted to leave the "S" off the end. I then inked the stamp up in Razzleberry ink, stamped it, cut it out and popped it up on a dimensional.

The Recipe:

Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Vintage Labels (happy birthday sentiment)
Paper: Rich razzleberry, more mustard, whisper white, Walk in the Park dsp
Ink: More mustard, rich razzleberry
Accessories: Pinking hearts and scallop trim border punches, CB embossing folder, little leaves sizzlet die, nestability dies, razzleberry polkadot ribbon, old olive ribbon, gems, diemensional.

Now, as promised in my last post, I have a tutorial for a great, flat tied bow. I love all the new wide ribbons that Stampin' Up has available, but getting a tied bow to lay flat and have the tails go the right direction is a challenge. I was playing around with the ribbon and came up with this technique. It was kind of one of those "hit your head with your hand and say, why didn't I think of that before?" moments. This is my first tutorial, so please be patient. I hope to improve as I go along.

To begin, gather your supplies: your project cardstock, a longer piece of ribbon( long enough to fit over your cardstock plus some extra allowed for a knot), a shorter piece of ribbon for the "tails", tape and good sharp ribbon scissors (they are labeled ribbon and I only use them to clip ribbon so they stay nice and sharp).

To begin, the bow, form a very loose slip knot (just like you would make when you begin tying your shoes. This is the point where you can get your ribbon to do what you want it to. The knot area should be nice and flat and the ends should leave the knot in a straight line. Fudge around with this until you get it to look the way you want it to.

Next, pick up the shorter piece of ribbon and insert it into the knot formed in the last step.

Once you have the smaller piece of ribbon into the knot, tighten the ends of the longer ribbon. This forms the bow. The tighter you tighten the ends, the thicker your knot is going to be. I like to leave it flat, so I don't tighten it too much. Trim the tails with your sharp scissors.

Here's the finished bow. I taught this to the ladies in my stamping groups last month, and they loved it. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping by








8 Responses to “Vintage Vogue and a Tip!”

Rebekka says:

February 11, 2010 at 12:43 pm (Edit)

Great tutorial, and great idea. I am ribbon and bow challenged, so I must try this.



Elisabeth says:

February 11, 2010 at 1:56 pm (Edit)

Thank you so much…I am bow and knot challenged, can’t wait to try this trick!



Katie says:

February 11, 2010 at 3:49 pm (Edit)

Wow! My mom is soooo creative! Now I know were I got it from… Great blog, looks like you’re having fun. Love you!



Jacqueline (Scraps of Life) says:

February 11, 2010 at 4:57 pm (Edit)

What a fun card! I love the gems you added to that scallop border punch! I might have to case that idea And your ribbon tying tutorial was perfect! Easy to understand, and I will definitely be trying your technique out to get those beautiful bows! Fabulous job Terri!



Sew-Ink says:

February 11, 2010 at 7:27 pm (Edit)

Very cute, love the embossing!



elizabeth says:

February 12, 2010 at 12:33 pm (Edit)

Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou for the ribbon demo. I managed to confuse 15 class attendees and myself with my last bow. LOL! This month I will show them yours!



Karen imastampin says:

February 12, 2010 at 4:28 pm (Edit)

Terri,



I love the look of your blog. It is very clean and fresh – uncluttered!



Your tutorial for the bow is a great idea! I like it a lot and your directions are really clear. Good job friend!



Hugs to you,

Karen



Marlene says:

February 17, 2010 at 2:26 pm (Edit)

So THAT’s the secret!!!! You don’t know how long I’ve been slappin’ my head, trying to figure out how some people have such perfect bows! Thanks for the tip, sista!