Sunday, July 28, 2013

Yippee skippee!

At the end of the closing general session of the Stampin' Up! Convention, all attendees received the stamp set Yippee-Skippee! I was excited to get that set because although I really liked a few of the greetings in the set, I wasn't sure about the others, so it was a stamp set I might not have bought myself. And after playing with it this weekend, I was really glad we received it. So, yippee skippee!

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Yippee-Skippee!; Gorgeous Grunge; Hello, Lovely
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Whisper White, Real Red
Ink: Soft Suede, Real Red, Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay
Accessories: Sweet Buttons Embosslits die, Candy Dots - Subtles, paper-piercing tool, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Dimensionals

I have to say that I am really proud of this card, and I love how it turned out. Using my markers and Stamp-a-ma-jig, I combined two of the greetings I wasn't sure I would use -- "Never underestimate the power of two" and "I freakin' love you!" -- into one greeting I love -- "Never underestimate the power of you!" Seriously, I smile to myself when I look at this card. I left the inside blank because I thought this could be a great card either to encourage someone who is going through a rough time or to congratulate someone on a graduation, new job or other accomplishment. A few other details: I used a faux button to fill the extra space in the greeting (the holes in the button were made with a paper-piercing tool), and I love that the yellow Candy Dots, which are actually So Saffron, coordinate with the Crushed Curry ink. (One last grin. Okay, moving on ...)

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Yippee-Skippee!, Flower Shop
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Crushed Curry, Gumball Green
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Crushed Curry, white gel pen
Accessories: Pansy Punch, Bird Builder punch, Brights Designer Buttons (retired), white baker's twine

I used a card on Page 37 of the 2013 - 14 Annual Catalog as inspiration for this layout. (Go on, go ahead and look for yourself.) If you're ever stumped for a card layout or color combo, that's a great place to start. For my card I used a Soft Sky card base to look like, well, the sky and added faux stitching around the edges of the card with a white gel pen (sorry it's nigh on impossible to see in this photo). I used a Tempting Turquoise button for the center of the flower and also stamped the greeting in that color. I rarely use Tempting Turquoise, but I like how it pairs with Soft Sky. The wing on the Bird Builder punch worked beautifully to create the leaf for my flower stem. I had the perfect birthday greeting to coordinate with the sentiment on the outside of this card, so inside the card reads, "Wishing you the happiest birthday yet!"

Stamps (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Yippee-Skippee!
Paper: Crumb Cake, Basic Gray cardstock; This and That Epic Day Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Basic Gray
Accessories: Petite Pennants Builder punch, mini silver brads, linen thread, paper-piercing tool and mat, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack, Glue Dots, Mono Multi liquid glue

I have a tendency to make most of my thank-you cards very floral and girly, so I wanted to make something a little more gender-neutral with this card. I punched five triangles out of the Epic Day DSP, decided how I wanted to arrange them for the banner and then used my paper-piercing tool to make holes for the brads. For the three triangles in the middle, I pierced a hole in both of the top corners; for the two end triangles, I pierced a hole only in the inner corner. I connected the triangles with mini silver brads and attached the two outer triangles to the card with Glue Dots. I also added a Glue Dot behind the middle triangle to keep the banner from shifting. I tied two bows with linen thread and used Mono Multi liquid glue to glue them to the ends of the banner. If you are feeling ambitious, you could pierce holes in the card front and actually tie the banner to the card; I went with the faster and easier method.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Yippee-Skippee!, Storybook Friends, Gorgeous Grunge
Cardstock: Pacific Point, Baked Brown Sugar, Whisper White
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Pacific Point, Baked Brown Sugar, Blushing Bride
Accessories: Pacific Point stitched grosgrain ribbon, linen thread, Argyle embossing folder, 1" circle punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Crop-A-Dile (We R Memory Keepers), Dimensionals

Last, but certainly not least, is a card featuring the eponymous stamp from the Yippee-Skippee! stamp set. I thought this excited little puppy would be perfect for the sentiment; in fact, the puppy image actually includes the word "yippee!" but I just omitted that when I stamped it. To accent the focal layer, I punched two 1" circles from Pacific Point card stock, scored them and folded them in half. I adhered the folded circles on either side of the focal image and then punched a hole in each one with a Crop-A-Dile. I threaded the ribbon through one hole, wrapped it around the card front, threaded it through the other hole and then attached the layer to the card with Dimensionals. (You can attach the layer first, but it's a little easier to work with the ribbon this way.) I tightened the ribbon, used pieces of linen thread to secure it on either side and then trimmed the ends. I stamped a birthday greeting ("Birthdays are the best") inside this card, but it could also be a fun, whimsical congratulations or baby card.

I had such a fun weekend making cards with my new stamp sets from Convention. I have more to post tomorrow and then on Thursday -- to celebrate my blog's third birthday. Thanks for stopping by!

1 comment:

Staci Rivera said...

I found your card through Pinterest...which led to Stampin' Connection. I tracked down this original posting and it is now pinned properly on Pinterest (pet peeve of mine) anyway... I just have to say I love how you combined the phrases on the first card and also how you used Gorgeous Grunge to creat a frame. Nice!