Shadowbox birds

This past week I've been busy working on various papercraft projects that I'm not quite ready to share on my blog yet. So I have another older creation to share today. This is one of the items I submitted for Stampin' Up!^®'s Artisan Award contest a couple of years ago. I wasn't one of the winners, but I was pleased with how this turned out.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Full of Life
Paper: Bordering Blue, Orchid Opulence, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive and textured Rich Razzleberry card stock; Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: StazOn white pad and refill, Orchid Opulence ink refill, Rich Razzleberry ink refill, uni-ball Signo white gel pen
Accessories: Window sheets medium, Fleurettes II, Pretties Kit, 1/16" hole punch, Bird Builder punch, Trio Flower punch, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Sticky Strip, Tombow Multi-Purpose Adhesive, Paper Snips
Additional items (non-Stampin' Up!): Frame, hot glue gun and glue sticks

This is a small frame (I think it was about 4" x 4") that I found at a local dollar store. There was premade artwork already in the frame; I removed that as well as the glass. To replace the glass, I stamped a greeting on a window sheet and hot glued it inside the frame. The punched birds, branches and flowers are glued to a piece of Bordering Blue card stock that was adhered to the back of the frame.

I used ink refills to dye the two white crochet flowers. They turned out a little darker than I wanted them to, but they did match more closely in person than in this photo. I remember that they seemed to take forever to dry; they were the last thing I had left to put on the frame, and I just kept checking them day after day after day ...

When I went to the Stampin' Up! convention the summer after I entered the Artisan Award contest, I saw this project on display along with several of the other items I had submitted for the contest (we had to submit ten items total). Not the same as winning, but it was a fun surprise nonetheless and a little confidence boost.

Thanks for stopping by!

Punch-art birthday wish

The card I'm going to share today isn't new; it's actually one I made last year. But it's one of my favorite punch-art cards, and since I created it before I started my blog, I thought it would be fun to share here.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®):
Stamps: Create a Cupcake, So Happy for You, Woodgrain
Card stock: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Blushing Bride, Pacific Point, Cherry Cobbler
Ink: Pacific Point marker, Chocolate Chip pad, Blushing Bride pad
Accessories: Punches: Build a Cupcake, 3/4" circle, 1" circle, 1/16" circle, Word Window, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack; 1/8" Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon, liquid glue, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

I think this little guy is pretty darn cute! His head is a 1" punch, and I used the Build a Cupcake punch for most of the details on the head. I created the bangs by punching the cupcake base out of Chocolate Chip card stock, then punching that piece with the 1" circle punch, turning it upside-down and gluing it on the face. I punched the "frosting" out of Chocolate Chip and glued that behind the head for the rest of the hair. The ears are the cherry part of the punch, and the mouth is the cherry stem. The eyes are the small circles from the punch and a circle from the 1/16" punch. (I also stamped a few of the dots from the Create a Cupcake set on each cheek as freckles.) The arms were made with the Word Window punch, and the hands are the circle from the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack.

The frosting part of the Build a Cupcake punch was used to create the bushes and clouds, and the sun is a 3/4" circle punch. To create the fence, I stamped the Woodgrain stamp on Chocolate Chip card stock, punched out several Word Window shapes and adhered them to the card front.

I hand cut the banner and the stick. For the greeting I used the words "happy" and "birthday" from two different stamps in the So Happy for You set. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Black and white and ...

Black and white is always a classic color combination, whether in decorating, fashion or yes, even in card-making. That was what I started with for the card I have to share today. (Well technically, it was Basic Black and Very Vanilla, but close enough.) I wanted to add a third color, and I decided to go with Baja Blue. Here is the finished card:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®, unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: You're My Type
Paper: Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, Basic Black, First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Baja Breeze (pad and marker)
Accessories: 1/8" Basic Black taffeta ribbon, black brads (unknown), color spritzer, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Dimensionals

I was aiming for a gender-neutral birthday card, and I think this will work (although, I think the Baja Blue leans just a bit more to the feminine side). For the focal image, I stamped the typewriter and then used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to line up and stamp the greeting three times on the "paper." I lightly ran the Jet Black StazOn ink pad along the edges of the Very Vanilla card stock before I mounted in on a piece of Basic Black.

For the background, I cut strips of First Edition DSP in random lengths and widths and adhered them to the card base. I spritzed Baja Blue over the card and, as with the focal image, ran the black ink pad along the edges of the card. Finally, I added a ribbon in the middle and brads in the corners and then used Dimensionals to adhere the focal point  over the ribbon.

If you're ever stuck deciding on a color combination, try starting with black and white and see where it takes you. Thanks for stopping by!

Collage stamping with shimmer

One of my favorite go-to techniques for making cards is collage stamping. It's easy to do and really hard to mess up. And since I usually stamp a whole 8-1/2" x 11" piece of card stock, I get backgrounds for four cards at one time.

This afternoon I was feeling creatively stuck, so I decided to fall back on collage stamping just to get my juices flowing. I think it was a successful endeavor, and here is the card I created:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®):
Stamps: Nature Walk
Card stock: Naturals Ivory, Baja Breeze, textured Soft Suede
Ink: Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, Not Quite Navy, River Rock
Accessories: Frost White shimmer paint, sponge daubers, Log Cabin Smooch Spritz, Vintage trinkets, basic pearls, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Jewelry Tag punch, Baja Breeze seam binding ribbon, Soft Suede taffeta ribbon, Victoria crochet trim, Tombow Mono liquid glue, bone folder

Collage stamping is a pretty self-explanatory technique, but if you've never tried it, here are some general steps and a few tips. First, determine which ink color you want to use with each image. Then start stamping. If all the images I'm using are about the same size, I usually start with the lightest color ink. Otherwise I start with the largest image. It's also a good idea at this point to think about whether you want to overlap stamped images or keep them separate. Continue stamping with each color and image, covering the entire piece of card stock.

Once I finished stamping all the images with ink, I decided to do some stamping with shimmer paint. I used a sponge dauber to apply the shimmer paint directly on the bumblebee image and then stamped it over the whole piece of card stock, reapplying the shimmer paint with each stamp. It's a very cool, but subtle, effect; you can barely see it when looking directly at the card, as in the above photo, but it creates a great shimmer when you tip the card and it catches the light.

I still wanted a bit more of a vintage look, so I spritzed the card stock with Log Cabin Smooch Spritz. (I still haven't mastered the Smooch Spritz, so I did get a spot on the card stock that was a little blotchy, but this section turned out well.) I cut my stamped card stock, ran my bone folder along the edges to add some distressing and matted it with textured Soft Suede card stock. I wrapped Baja Breeze ribbon around the card stock and tied pieces of Soft Suede ribbon and crochet trim into the knot. Then I adhered the whole piece to the Baja Breeze card base.

The last couple of details were flowers and tags. I punched six flower shapes from Baja Breeze card stock, glued three of them to the card, crumpled the other three (just a bit) and then glued them over the first three flowers. And of course they needed to have little pearl centers. For the first tag, I inked the bee image with Soft Suede, applied shimmer paint directly over the ink and then stamped the image. I punched out the bee with the Jewelry Tag punch and then punched two more shapes out of Baja Breeze and textured Soft Suede card stock. I put all three tags on a small safety pin and pinned it through the ribbon knot.

I am really pleased with how this card turned out, and I can't wait to use the rest of my collage-stamped piece for other cards. Thanks for stopping by!

Rocking and rolling

I love rock 'n' roll music -- along with just about any other genre -- but the rock 'n' roll that I'm going to focus on today is a quick, easy and fun stamping technique. I used the rock-'n'-roll technique to create the flowers in this card:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®):
Stamps: Button Buddies, Petite Pairs
Card stock: Poppy Parade, Whisper White, Lucky Limeade
Ink: Poppy Parade, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Top Note die, scallop circle punch, Bird Builder punch, Framed Tulips embossing folder, Sweet Buttons Embosslits die, Brights Collection buttons, basic rhinestones, white baker's twine, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

For the rock-'n'-roll technique, you'll need a solid-image stamp and two different ink pads. I like to use either two shades of the same color (e.g., a light pink and dark pink) or colors that would be next to each other on the color wheel (e.g., red and orange or orange and yellow). The first step is to ink your stamp with the lighter color ink. This will be the color in the middle of the image. Then before you stamp on your paper, gently rock or roll the edges of the stamp on the other ink pad so the darker ink is around the outside edge of the stamp. Now you're set to stamp! One note: If you are going to stamp the same image multiple times, be sure to clean your stamp after each use so you don't transfer the darker ink to the lighter ink pad. The two colors I used on this card, Pumpkin Pie and Poppy Parade, create a subtle effect with the rock-'n'-roll technique. But I think it gives these flowers some depth and a more realistic look.

For the flower centers I used one Pumpkin Pie button tied with baker's twine and two Poppy Parade buttons die cut with the Sweet Buttons Embosslits die. The leaves were punched with the Bird Builder punch -- they're actually bird wings.

I hope you give this technique a try. Long live rock 'n' roll! Thanks for stopping by!

Greeting cards for guys

With the warm weather we've been having lately, it doesn't surprise me that I've been drawn to making cards filled with flowers, birds and butterflies. That's all fine and dandy, but it leaves me with a lot of "girly" cards and not very many that are appropriate for guys. So yesterday I focused on making a few masculine cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®, unless otherwise stated):
Stamps: Papa's Pocket, Sincere Salutations
Card stock: Naturals Ivory, Bordering Blue, River Rock
Ink: Bordering Blue, River Rock, Jet Black StazOn, Going Gray, Soft Suede
Accessories: Large oval punch, Decorative Label punch, River Rock stitched grosgrain ribbon, brads (unknown), Dimensionals

I love to use this stamp set for making collage backgrounds -- just pick a different color for each image and stamp away. (The piece of Naturals Ivory card stock I stamped was actually twice this size; I cut it apart and made two very similar cards.) I matted the stamped piece with River Rock card stock, added a piece of ribbon, a greeting and a brad. The neutral colors and simple accessories are great for masculine cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Plane & Simple
Paper: Blue Bayou, Very Vanilla, Newsprint Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Blue Bayou
Accessories: 1/4", 1-3/8" and 2-1/2" circle punches; Dimensionals

I think the antique map print from the Newsprint DSP works so well with this stamp set. For this card, I stamped and cut out the airplane and compass and adhered them to circles of Bayou Blue card stock with Dimensionals. I stamped the greeting on a thin strip of Very Vanilla card stock, trimmed a V in the end and made the top and bottom edges "wavy" so it looks like a banner flying behind the airplane. I sponged the top and bottom edges of the card, the punched circles and the "banner" with Blue Bayou ink. This card doesn't have any accessories at all; I'd wanted to use brads in the upper right corner, but since I didn't have any that were the right color, I made do with punched card stock circles instead.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Dream Catcher
Card stock: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Naturals Ivory
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Real Red
Accessories: Red hemp twine, Dimensionals

I've always really liked this stamp set, but I haven't used it often because I struggle with using the images effectively. I decided to focus on the dream catcher for this card, so I stamped and colored it and then tore the card stock around the edges. I also glued a small torn piece of Soft Suede card stock behind the dream catcher. For the card base, I tore off the bottom edge of the Crumb Cake card and adhered to it a stamped piece of Soft Suede card stock. (The stamp I used for that strip is only about an inch wide; I just stamped the image repeatedly along the piece of card stock.) I stamped the image of the American Indian with Crumb Cake ink so it was subtle in the background and then tied a piece of red twine around the card. (It's hard to see, but there are little touches of red in the colored dream catcher, and the red twine picks up that color nicely.) Finally, I used Dimensionals to adhere the focal image over the twine. I felt like this card needed something in the upper right corner, but I couldn't decide what. So rather than adding something and wishing I hadn't, I figured I'd better just leave well enough alone.

I hope you got a few ideas for some masculine cards. Thanks for stopping by!

Simply Sent cards

Although I've been doing a pretty good job keeping up with my greeting-card needs lately, sometimes I do have to pull together a last-minute card. Stampin' Up!^®'s Simply Sent card kits are a great way to make quick and easy cards, and although I have a couple of the kits, I hadn't made any cards with them yet. So today I decided to give it a whirl.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!) for this card and the next one:
Stamps: Everybunny
Card stock: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Cherry Cobbler
Ink: Jet Black StazOn pad; markers: Crumb Cake, Blush Blossom, Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede, Pink Pirouette
Accessories: Everyday Elegance Simply Sent card kit, 2-3/8" scallop circle punch, 2-1/2" circle punch, 1/16" hole punch, basic pearls

The Everyday Elegance card kit contains eight die-cut and embossed cards, four in Baja Breeze and four in Cherry Cobbler. It also includes sixteen of the die-cut self-adhesive labels, eight in each color. The extra labels are great in case you don't get the greeting stamped quite right (which I was guilty of). And if you don't need them for the kit, you can always use them on other cards.

I decided to make a couple of quick Easter cards since the holiday is only a few weeks away, and I haven't made any cards yet. All I did was stamp, color and punch out an image, mat it with a coordinating circle of card stock, stamp the greeting on the label, add a couple of pearls and then adhere everything to the card. Quick, easy and pretty cute.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Thank You Kindly
Card stock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive
Ink: Old Olive
Accessories: Something Special Simply Sent card kit, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Beautiful Wings Embosslits die, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

The Something Special Simply Sent card kit came with eight pre-printed cards (all the same design), Chocolate Chip satin ribbon and rhinestones. I wanted to add a bit to it, so I stamped a greeting, punched it out with the Word Window punch, mounted it on a Modern Label shape and adhered it near the bottom of the card. Then I die cut a couple of Old Olive butterflies, glued one over the middle printed butterfly on the top of the card and added one to the right side of the greeting.

And there you have it -- three cards that were simple to make. Thanks for stopping by!

A bit o' green

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Not being Irish (or much of a drinker), I don't really celebrate the holiday other than by wearing a green shirt and maybe listening to some Irish music. I did try some Irish soda bread for the first time today, and it was delicious! And while the card I have to share today isn't a St. Patrick's Day card, it does have a wee bit o' green.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®):
Stamps: Language of Friendship
Paper: Naturals Ivory, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, textured Soft Suede card stock; Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Soft Suede
Accessories: Large oval punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Bird Builder punch, Everyday Enchantment organdy ribbon (Lucky Limeade), Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi glue, Glue Dots

This is a pretty quick and simple card. I adhered a piece of DSP to the card front for the background. I punched a piece of textured Soft Suede card stock with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, and then I cut that strip in half. I glued each half to the back of a piece of DSP in a coordinating pattern. I adhered that DSP to the card and then wrapped a piece of Lucky Limeade ribbon twice around the card front and finished it in a bow.

The only stamping on the front of this card is the bird and leaves. To help them stand out against the patterned paper, I glued a punched oval to the card front and then adhered the bird and leaves to the oval. (I like how it looks a bit like a spotlight.) And that's it!

I hope you had a great holiday filled with the luck o' the Irish. I'm still keeping my eyes open for that pot of gold! Thanks for stopping by!

The Seventies called, and they want their colors back

I sat down after work today to make a couple of cards, and I decided on a bright combination of Stampin' Up!^® colors: Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango and Lucky Limeade. I made the first card and really liked it. I was about halfway through the second card and realized that they are the same colors as my mom's Tupperware from when I was little. Seriously. If I'd added a dark brown I would have had the whole set. Ha! I guess everything really does come around again. Well, here are my retro floral cards:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Petite Pairs
Paper: Lucky Limeade, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight Whisper White card stock; Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Tangerine Tango
Accessories: Summer Smooches fabric brads, Blossom Builders die cuts, Boho Blossoms punch, large oval punch, scallop oval punch, Lace Ribbon Border punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, mini silver brads, paper piercer, mat pack, Glue Dots, Tombow Mono multipurpose glue, Dimensionals

I wanted to give the flowers some dimension, so I scored the middle of each petal of the large flower and gently folded the petals. For the small flowers, I just curled the petals up. I also wanted to add some interest to the background without making the card any busier than it already was. So I embossed polka dots on the card front and then glued on a strip of the same color that was punched with the Lace Ribbon Border punch. I like the effect of tone-on-tone layering.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Up, Up & Away, Circle Circus, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade card stock; Summer Smooches DSP
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Daffodil Delight seam binding ribbon, Scallop Edge Border punch, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, 1" circle punch, corner rounder, mini silver brads, paper piercer and mat pack, Dimensionals

I think it was the patterns in the flower and the DSP on this card that really said (or maybe shouted) Seventies to me. The flower petals are actually a hot air balloon stamp from the set Up, Up & Away. I stamped and cut out five balloons and arranged them into the shape of a flower. The center of the flower is from the Circle Circus set.

To make the layered Modern Label punch, I punched the shape out of Tangerine Tango and Daffodil Delight. I cut the Tangerine Tango piece in half and then glued each half behind one end of the Daffodil Delight piece.

Hope you enjoyed this little blast from the past. Thanks for stopping by!

Bright blossoms

Today I'm going to share a couple of more cards that I made with some of my new stamping supplies.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®):
Stamps: Bright Blossoms, Thank You Kindly
Paper: Whisper White, Lucky Limeade, textured Rich Razzleberry card stock; Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Lucky Limeade, Rich Razzleberry markers
Accessories: Top Note die, jumbo oval punch, Decorative Label punch, In Color Designer Printed brads, Dimensions

I wasn't sure about this color combination when I started, but I really like the little touches of green, especially the brad (which was a last-minute addition). I used the Top Note die to cut a piece of Whisper White card stock and a piece of DSP. Then I cut the DSP Top Note shape in half and adhered half of it to the bottom of the white Top Note shape. (The other half of the DSP piece is on the next card, with the reverse print visible.) The entire Top Note shape is adhered to the card base with Dimensionals.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Bright Blossoms
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, textured Old Olive card stock; Summer Smooches DSP
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Old Olive
Accessories: Top Note die, polka dot Old Olive ribbon, Boho Blossoms punch, Brights Collection buttons, basic rhinestones, white baker's twine, Glue Dots

This card is a perfect example of how mistakes are really just opportunities for embellishment. First, I forgot the green in the DSP is supposed to be Lucky Limeade, and I used Old Olive instead. Luckily, ribbon colors are often "flexible" enough to coordinate with multiple card stock and ink colors. Second, when I was trimming the polka dot ribbon, I cut too much off on the right side. So I covered the bare spot with a button (and added one to the left side for balance). Third, I stamped the flowers off-center, so I added some layered punched flowers to the upper left corner of the Top Note shape to fill a bit of the empty space. I don't always have the patience to "fix" my mistakes, but it's nice when it works out.

Thanks for stopping by!

For the birds

I love listening to the birds sing when the weather warms up, especially while I'm walking to work in the morning. And I've been hearing quite a few birds during this little mid-March heat wave we're having. So today I made three cards that all include an image of a bird.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®):
Stamps: Serene Spring, Easter Blossoms
Card stock: Almost Amethyst, Naturals Ivory, Vintage Violet, Really Rust
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Almost Amethyst, Vintage Violet, Really Rust, Old Olive, More Mustard, Crushed Curry, Ballet Blue
Accessories: Blender Pen, corner rounder, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, basic pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

I had a lot of fun "watercoloring" this image with a Blender Pen dipped in the ink in the lids of the ink pads -- and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. To add a little texture to the background, I embossed a strip of Vintage Violet card stock with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. For the flower embellishments, I punched and layered two flowers; the flower on the bottom is flat, and the flower on the top is curled up a bit and has a pearl in the middle. I also added small pearls to three of the flowers in the stamped image.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Up in the Air, Easter Blossoms
Card stock: Certainly Celery, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Ink: Soft Suede, Certainly Celery marker
Accessories: Classic Scalloped Ovals Small and Large Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders), Soft Suede taffeta ribbon, large oval punch, Lots of Tags Sizzlits dies, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, basic pearls, Dimensionals

The image I used on this card is technically meant for a baby card (it originally included the sentiment "congratulations," which I trimmed off to use as a separate stamp), but I thought it would work well as a spring-themed card instead. One of my favorite details on this card is the sentiment. The Certainly Celery layer was cut with one of the dies from the Lots of Tags Sizzlits set. I haven't used those dies very much yet, but I've discovered that a few of the tags layer very nicely with punched shapes.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Language of Friendship
Card stock: Naturals Ivory, Early Espresso, Wild Wasabi, Marina Mist, So Saffron
Ink: Early Espresso, So Saffron
Accessories: So Saffron taffeta ribbon, Boho Blossoms punch, Bird Builder punch, Designer Frames embossing folders, basic pearls, sponge, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

To create the frame on this card, I embossed the rectangular frame on a piece of Early Espresso card stock. Then I cut around the outside and inside of the frame by hand. (Here's a tip for cutting out the inside of something: If it's possible, first use a circle or square punch to remove some of the card stock -- I used the 1" square punch here. That gives you a place to start cutting without having to poke your scissors through the card stock. Even a 1/4" hole can be helpful.) The rest of the card is layered punches (with pearls in the flower centers), sponged edges and a simple ribbon knot.

With these three cards, I've now used forty-one of my stamp sets since February. (Technically I've used more sets than that, but I'm only counting one stamp set for each card.) I've still got a ways to go in my self-imposed stamping challenge, but I've made a good start. (If you want to see cards I've made as part of this challenge, click on the "stamping challenge" label on the right side-bar. I have most, if not all, of them posted here.) Thanks for stopping by!

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!