Variations on a theme

One of the items that arrived in my box of Stampin' Up!^® goodies this week was the stamp set Up, Up & Away. This set has been on my wish list since the latest catalog came out last summer, so I was excited to finally have it in my hands. I made one card with it last night and then today decided to make two more cards using the same images and colors but different layouts. Here are my variations on a theme:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Up, Up & Away
Card stock: Pool Party, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade, white gel pen
Accessories: Brights Collection buttons, white baker's twine, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, Crop-a-dile, Dimensionals

For this card (as well as the other two), I stamped the clouds in Basic Gray and used a white gel pen to fill in the images. It took a little bit of time, but I really like the end result. The hot air balloons are stamped on white card stock (I used the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to line up the main balloon image and the stamp with the lines of "stitching"), cut out and adhered to the card with Dimensionals. I love the little pop of red!

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Up, Up & Away
Card stock: Pool Party, Whisper White, Basic Gray
Ink: Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade, white gel pen
Accessories: Stripes embossing folder, 1/8" Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

The piece of Basic Gray card stock on the bottom of this card was embossed with the Stripes embossing folder. I  added Daffodil Delight ribbon along the top of the Basic Gray card stock and then used a Glue Dot to adhere a separate bow.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Up, Up & Away
Card stock: Pool Party, Whisper White, Basic Gray 
Ink: Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade, white gel pen
Accessories: Simply Scored tool and diagonal plate, Daffodil Delight seam binding ribbon, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, Dimensionals

For this version, which I think is my favorite of the three, I used the diagonal plate with my Simply Scored tool to create the diagonal score lines on the Basic Gray card base. I added Daffodil Delight ribbon around the card front and a Whisper White mat behind the Pool Party card stock.

I didn't use many embellishments on these cards, and I considered adding some brads, rhinestones or pearls. But I think the "minimalist" look works well here because it doesn't detract from the scene and allows the hot air balloons to stand out against the background.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy hellos card set

This week hasn't been a terribly crafty one for me. I've been fighting off either a head cold or allergies and really just want to lie on the couch and watch various Victorian-era movies and mini series on Netflix. But I decided I needed to create something, so I went with a simple card set that uses mostly patterned paper and has minimal stamping:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^® unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Lots of Thoughts
Card stock: Whisper White, Peach Parfait, Bashful Blue; pink, yellow, green, purple (Archiver's); The Glitter Stack (Die Cuts With a View)
Ink: Jet Black StazOn
Accessories: White grosgrain ribbon, large oval punch, scallop oval punch, Boho Blossoms punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, basic rhinestones, Dazzling Details, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

I love the colors on these patterned papers (they remind me of spring and Easter eggs), as well as the combination of stripes and flowers. The glitter in the card stock (on the white between the stripes and on the flowers) is like icing on the cake.

The piece of striped paper is 4" x 3-1/2"; the floral piece is 4" x 1-3/4." I adhered a piece of white grosgrain ribbon along the middle of the card to cover the seam between the two pieces. To embellish the greeting, I used the scallop circle from the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack layered on the smallest flower from the Boho Blossoms punch. I coated the scallop circle with Dazzling Details glitter glue to mimic the flowers in the patterned paper and then glued a rhinestone in the middle. (I made a second flower the same way and glued it in the lower left-hand corner of the card.) A few extra rhinestones on the focal point add just a bit more sparkle.

That's about it for this card set. I think it did get my creativity flowing a bit, which is a good thing, because I just received my latest Stampin' Up! order with all kinds of new goodies to play with this weekend. Can't wait!

Paisley Petals DVD case notepad

Today was a beautiful spring-like day in Minnesota - sunny and temps above 50°F! I didn't even wear my jacket walking home from work. And I have decided that melting snow is quite possibly one of my favorite sounds. One sound I am not so fond of is that of me sneezing, and with spring on the way I think I'll be hearing that a lot since I seem to have developed allergies the past couple of years. But that's a price I'm willing to pay.

On a craftier note, I have another DVD case notepad holder to share with you today. (To see the previous two DVD case notepad holders,check out my Feb. 5 and Jan. 16 posts.)

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^® unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper (DSP), Bravo Burgundy and River Rock card stock
Ink: Tangerine Tango reinker
Accessories: Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Boho Blossoms punch, Scallop Edge Border punch, basic pearls, Cranberry grosgrain ribbon, Mellow Moss grosgrain ribbon, French Blue grosgrain ribbon, Just Blooms (Close to My Heart), Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal), Glue Dots
Additional supplies: DVD case, RSVP pen (Pentel), 4" x 6" scratch pad (Office Max)

There is one main difference between this notepad holder and the previous ones I've made. With this one, I used one large piece of DSP (10-5/8" x 7") to make the insert instead of making separate inserts for the cover, back and spine. Each method has its advantages: It's much faster to make one larger insert, and it seems a little more secure in the case. But with separate inserts, you can use different DSP prints (I like to make the front and back the same and have a contrasting pattern on the spine).

For the inside of the case, the measurements for the card stock and the pocket are the same as those in my first DVD case notepad holder post. To embellish the pocket on this case, I added a strip of Bravo Burgundy card stock punched with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, a dyed paper flower, a punched flower and a pearl. I actually dyed this flower quite a while ago (I'm pretty sure with Tangerine Tango ink) for a different project, but I ended up not using it then. I decided to use it here because I thought it coordinated nicely. It's great when those little leftovers come in handy for other projects.

I have a few friends and family members who are often recipients of my card sets for birthday gifts. This year I might just have to shake things up and give them notepad holders instead. Or maybe a coordinating set of cards and a notepad holder. I love to have ideas for quick hand-made gifts.

Thanks for stopping by!

Vintage variety

Today I sat down with my Fresh Vintage stamp set, which I've had for about a month but haven't used yet. I decided I wanted to focus on clean and simple layouts, so I made four cards using only this stamp set and a few other supplies. Here are today's creations (all supplies are from Stampin' Up!^® unless otherwise noted):

Supplies:
Stamps: Fresh Vintage
Card stock: Whisper White, Real Red
Ink: Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive markers
Accessories: Framed Tulips embossing folder, Labels Collection Framelits dies, Pumpkin Pie taffeta ribbon, basic pearls

To make the multicolored focal image, I used markers to color directly on the rubber stamp. It's such a detailed image, I was afraid I was going to miss coloring a spot or color something the wrong color. But I love the way it turned out. After I stamped the image, I cut it out with the third-smallest Labels Collection Framelit die. Then I placed that same die on the Real Red card stock, traced the outer lip and cut it out. That enabled me to have a smaller border than I would have by just using the next largest label die. I finished off the card with an embossed border, some ribbon and a few pearls.

Supplies:
Stamps: Fresh Vintage 
Card stock: Whisper White, Basic Gray
Ink: Crushed Curry
Accessories: 1-3/8" square punch, Basic Gray taffeta ribbon, Dimensionals

I love how the background on this card turned out; I repeatedly stamped the large floral image, turning it as needed to fill in the white space. Again, this is a very basic card layout, but I wanted to keep it simple so the background could really stand out. I added a few Basic Gray accents, and I think it's a striking color combination.

Supplies:
Stamps: Fresh Vintage 
Card stock: Whisper White, Vintage Violet
Ink: Vintage Violet, Almost Amethyst
Accessories: Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder; 1/2", 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" circle punches; Wisteria Wonder baker's twine; basic pearls; Dimensionals

To create the distressed look for the background on this card, I first embossed the card base and then lightly rubbed the Almost Amethyst ink pad along the sides and over the top so the ink pad caught just the raised parts of the background. The baker's twine is wrapped three times around the card front, and the knot is hidden behind the layers of punched circles.

Supplies:
Stamps: Fresh Vintage 
Card stock: Whisper White, Brilliant Blue
Ink: Brilliant Blue
Accessories: Postage stamp-edge scissors (Fiskars), blue organdy ribbon (unknown), basic pearls, Dimensionals

To create the background on this card, I used the same technique as I did for the yellow card above; the only difference is that the images on this card aren't quite as close together. The square "stamp" image is designed to coordinate with Stampin' Up!'s Postage Stamp punch, but that's one of the few punches I don't have yet. So instead I used a scissors with postage stamp-style edge to trim the stamped image. This card definitely uses minimal supplies, but I think it's still pretty. A set of six cards with this layout -- but each in a different color -- would be a great gift.

Thanks for stopping by!

I scream, you scream

We all scream for ice cream! Since I made cupcake-themed birthday cards last weekend, I thought I'd have a go at a few ice cream ones today.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®):
Stamps: Pennant Parade, Create a Cupcake
Card stock: Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla, Creamy Caramel, Blushing Bride, Early Espresso
Ink: Creamy Caramel, Early Espresso
Accessories: Cupcake Builder punch, Jewelry Tag punch, Scallop Trim Border punch, Early Espresso 1/8" taffeta ribbon, basic pearls, Tombow Mono multipurpose liquid glue

The cones on this card are actually pennant stamps from the Pennant Parade set, and for the ice cream I used the frosting part of the Cupcake Builder punch. I added some "sprinkles" from the Create a Cupcake set to make a couple of the "scoops" look like Chocolate Chip ice cream.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Perfect Party
Card stock: Creamy Caramel, Very Vanilla, Real Red, Early Espresso
Ink: Creamy Caramel, Pink Pirouette, Pear Pizzazz, Close to Cocoa, Early Espresso (marker)
Accessories: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, corner rounder, Pear Pizzazz stitched-poly ribbon, paper snips, Crystal Effects, Tombow Mono multipurpose liquid glue, Dimensionals

I created the background here by repeatedly stamping "celebrate," and I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig tool to help me line up the stamps. For the ice cream cone, I stamped and cut out the cone and ice cream scoops (I added dots with an Early Espresso marker to create the mint chocolate chip) and then glued them together. For the cherry on top, I used the circle from the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack to punch a Real Red circle, and then I used my paper snips to shape the top to look more like a cherry. I cut a stem, glued it to the back and then coated the cherry with Crystal Effects.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Sock Monkey Accessories, Sock Monkey, More Monkey Accessories
Card stock: Naturals Ivory, Lucky Limeade, Close to Cocoa
Ink: Pads: Jet Black StazOn, Lucky Limeade; markers: Close to Cocoa, Lucky Limeade, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Basic Black, Going Gray, Basic Gray, Creamy Caramel
Accessories: Brights glimmer brads, paper snips, Simply Scored, Tombow Mono multipurpose liquid glue, Dimensionals

Lots of coloring and cutting on this card, but I think it turned out pretty cute. The wagon, monkey, ice cream cone and beanie are all separate pieces that were cut out and glued together. And while I was cutting out the sock monkey, I also cut around his left arm so I could place it outside the wagon. You really can't see it here, but I used my Simply Scored tool to add score lines every 1/4" on the piece of Close to Cocoa card stock on the bottom of the card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!, unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Cheers to You, Happiest Birthday Wishes
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Real Red card stock; Brights Collection Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Real Red and Chocolate Chip markers
Accessories: Labels Collection Framelits dies, 1-3/4" circle punch, 2-3/8" scallop circle punch, 1-1/4" circle punch, corner rounder, 1/16" hole punch, Chocolate Chip satin ribbon, Real Red striped grosgrain ribbon, brown glitter brads (unknown), Clear Rock Candy Distress Stickles (Ranger), Dimensionals

The stamp on the focal image on this card is actually supposed to be a mug of beer, but I colored it brown to make it root beer (at least I hope it looks like root beer). I added Distress Sparkles on the foam and created a straw by drawing stripes on a thin strip of Whisper White card stock. For the greeting, I trimmed the strip to 1" high and punched just the left side in the 1-1/4" circle punch to create the rounded edge.

All these cards have made me hungry for ice cream. Delicious Norwegian Chai ice cream from Izzy's Ice Cream. (If you're ever looking for a great homemade ice cream place in the Twin Cities, you should definitely make a trip to Izzy's!) Thanks for stopping by!