Birthday banner

Banners are a quick and easy way to decorate for a special occasion. And if you make your own banner, you can also customize it to match a certain color combo, to coordinate with a party theme or to include the recipient's name. Here is a birthday banner I made a few weeks ago.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^® unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Essential Messages (Hero Arts)
Card stock: On the Bright Side - One 6" x 6" designer paper pad (My Mind's Eye); Salt, Papaya Puree Dark, Honey (Bazzill); Manila Card Blue (The Paper Company); red, green (unknown)
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, fine-tip black pen (Sharpie)
Accessories: Scallop circle punch, 1/16" hole punch, 1/4" punch (unknown), Owl Builder punch, oval punch, 1-1/4" circle punch, 1-1/4" square punch, Lace Ribbon Border punch, Perfect Pennant Bigz die, black glitter brads and 3 mm red brads (unknown), white crochet thread (DMC), white polka dot ribbon (unknown), orange grosgrain ribbon (American Crafts Elements ribbon - Funhouse), paper crimper (Fiskars), Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue

To make each balloon, I used a circle or oval punch to create the basic shape. With the Owl Builder punch, I punched out the owl's foot from the same card stock and glued it behind the bottom of the balloon to make the "tail."

For the greetings, I stamped the words on strips of card stock and used a square punch to create the notch at each end.

Using a fine-point black pen, I made faux stitched lines around each pennant, scalloped circle and focal image.

To make the bow on the present, I punched a strip of card stock with the Lace Ribbon Border punch. I cut out two of the flower shapes from the punched strip, crumpled them a bit, folded them in half and attached them to the present with a brad.

To assemble the banner, I punched a 1/16" hole in the top two corners of each pennant and threaded crochet thread through the holes. Tip: Don't cut the thread off the skein until you have all the pennants attached and spaced the way you want them. And remember to leave some extra thread on each end to hang the banner.

Between each of the pennants I tied a small piece of ribbon to keep them separated.

I haven't used this banner yet, but I think I'm going to save it for October. Then I'll probably just leave it up the entire month since our family has one birthday after another! Thanks for stopping by!

Next shipment of cards for OWH

Happy Memorial Day! I didn't have any big beginning-of-summer plans this weekend, but I did spend a good chunk of my day today getting ready to send my next shipment of cards to Operation Write Home (OWH).

I went through all the cards I've made in the last few months and picked out forty in various themes (thank you, birthday, miss you, etc.). Then I put finishing touches on them -- making sure the dark card bases had lighter card stock layers inside for writing, writing "Operation Write Home" on the back, etc. -- and boxed them up. They're ready to drop in the mail tomorrow after work!

While putting together this package of cards, which will be shipped to troops overseas, wasn't exactly the most exciting way to spend my Memorial Day, it definitely was worthwhile and meaningful. Thanks for stopping by!

How sweet

What's a birthday without a treat -- or two or three? Today I made three birthday cards that all feature some sweet treats.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^® unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Guilty Pleasures (Raisin Boat), Bring on the Cake
Card stock: So Saffron, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Chocolate Chip pad; Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Riding Hood Red markers; Signo white gel pen
Accessories: 2-1/2" circle punch, large scallop circle punch, Riding Hood Red pleated satin ribbon, polka dots embossing folder (Cuttlebug), paper piercer, Dimensionals

I stamped and colored this slice of cake three times before I was happy with the result. I wanted something that looked at least somewhat realistic, so I finally just went with my favorite combo: yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Yum. I even colored the whip cream with a white gel pen to make it stand out a bit against the vanilla card stock.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Guilty Pleasures (Raisin Boat)
Card stock: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler
Ink: Basic Black, Chocolate Chip pads; Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake markers
Accessories: Cherry Cobbler seam binding ribbon, Dimensionals

After I stamped, colored and cut out these candy boxes, I wasn't exactly sure what to do with them. I eventually settled on this layout. It's okay, but I'm not completely happy with it. I think there should be something in the empty space in the top, but I couldn't decide what. So rather than end up with something I really didn't like, I decided to leave well enough alone.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Guilty Pleasures (Raisin Boat)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla card stock; Designer Series Paper (DSP) Patterns Pack - In Color
Ink: Chocolate Chip pad; Peach Parfait, Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz, Blush Blossom, Poppy Parade markers
Accessories: Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue

I know coffee isn't necessarily a sweet treat, but I'm not really a coffee drinker, so I prefer it loaded with whip cream and caramel. About as sweet as you can get. Anyway, to make the coffee cups, I stamped them on vanilla card stock and then on the different colors of DSP. I cut out the pieces for the top and bottom of the cup from each piece of DSP and glued them onto the images stamped on Very Vanilla.

Although I stamped birthday greetings on the inside of each of these cards, the last two would also be great for other occasions: congratulations, thank you, or even a little pick-me-up. Thanks for stopping by!

Matching card and envelope

When I make cards, I rarely decorate the envelopes. Don't get me wrong, I think matching envelopes are adorable and the perfect finishing touch to a hand-made card. I just would rather spend time focusing on the card, since the envelope will probably get tossed. (I think I may be the only person who saves the envelopes with the cards.) But the ultimate way to get an envelope to coordinate with a card is just to make your own.

Supplies:
Stamps: Garden Variety (Unity Stamp Co.)
Card stock: Natural Ivory (The Paper Company), light green (unknown), Early Bird: Brunch patterned paper (Cosmo Cricket)
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Lucky Limeade markers (Stampin' Up!); VersaMark pad (Tsukineko)
Accessories: 1-3/4" circle, 2-3/8" scallop circle, corner rounder, Itty Bitty Shapes punches (Stampin' Up!); Fun House Elements ribbon (American Crafts); Mini Pearls - Baby Blue Assortment (Doodlebug Design Inc.); Simply Scored Tool and Diagonal Plate (Stampin' Up!); Mini Glue Dots; Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); 1/8: Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal)

This is a 3" x 3" card, which is the perfect size to include in a gift, leave on a desk or tuck into a lunch bag or briefcase. To make the stamped image, I used three markers to color directly on the rubber stamp. Then I stamped the image and punched it out. To accentuate the flower centers, I stamped the image again, punched out the centers, adhered them to the main image with Dimensionals and added mini pearls. I added a scalloped circle behind the image, tied a piece of blue ribbon around the card front and adhered the focal image to the card with Dimensionals.

I do have a supply of envelopes for 3" x 3" cards, and that would have worked just fine. But I really like this floral patterned paper, so I thought it would be fun to make a matching envelope. Plus, because the paper is two-sided, there is a cute pattern on the inside of the envelope, too. I used the Simply Scored Tool and Diagonal Plate from Stampin' Up!^® to make the envelope, and it was really quick and easy. (The Diagonal Plate comes with instructions for making envelopes in a few different sizes.) I also adhered a circle of Natural Ivory card stock to the front of the envelope so there was space to write the recipient's name.

This project inspires me to make more coordinating envelopes. I've got enough patterned paper to make a mighty tall stack of them ...Thanks for stopping by!

Cute cars

I just have a short post today to share a couple of cards I made with some new stamping goodies.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^® unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Off to Party (Raisin Boat)
Card stock: Cool Caribbean, Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit, Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Pacific Point, Basic Black, Basic Gray
Accessories: 2-1/2" circle punch, Cupcake Builder punch, Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue

I think this is an adorable stamp set, and it includes several different sayings for the license plate and accessories for the luggage rack. (The one thing that's missing from the set is a head -- or I suppose the back of the head -- of a driver. Right now the car's driving itself.) For my first card with this set, I put together a little driving-off-into-the-sunset scene. It's a fun birthday card suitable for just about anyone. I do think I should have trimmed the strip of Basic Black card stock so it was even narrower at the top to improve the perspective. 

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Off to Party, Off to the Lake (both Raisin Boat)
Card stock: Midnight Muse, Garden Green, Whisper White
Ink: Midnight Muse, Garden Green, Riding Hood Red, Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel
Accessories: Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue

For this card I used the same stamp set as in the previous card and combined it with stamps from a related set. I'm not sure what occasion I'll use this card for, but I really like the way it turned out. Who could resist this bear just innocently hanging out in the car? (It makes me think of the summer vacations my family used to take. We did actually see bears on occasion, but to the best of my knowledge, none of them ended up in our car.) But I think my favorite parts are the night sky and the trees in the background -- they add detail without detracting from the focal image of the car.

Thanks for stopping by!

A room with a view

Last weekend I went to the Rubber Stamp & Scrapbook Expo with my friend Lisa. Of course, I couldn't come home without a few new goodies. (I have to do my part to keep the economy going, you know.) The first thing I wanted to try out yesterday was a die that cuts window shapes, so I made three cards, each with a different "view."

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^® unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Sail Away
Paper: Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, watercolor paper, cherry wood veneer (Creative Imaginations)
Ink: VersaMark pad; Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, So Saffron, Peach Parfait, Tangerine Tango; Close to Cocoa marker
Accessories: Black detail embossing powder, window die (Spellbinders / Our Daily Bread Designs), Aqua Painter brush, Simply Scored tool, foam tape (unknown), Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue

I really love how this card turned out. I stamped the boat image on watercolor paper and then embossed it. I used an Aqua Painter brush and Classic Stampin' Ink refills to watercolor the background. The water started out Baja Breeze, but I tried to add some shading with Not Quite Navy and didn't like the result, so I went over all the water with Not Quite Navy. For the sunset sky, I started with a strip of So Saffron near the water. Above that I painted Peach Parfait, blending the two colors together where they met. At the top I used Tangerine Tango, again blending the colors together.

I cut the window frame out of Whisper White card stock, glued it over the stamped and painted image, and then trimmed off the excess watercolor paper around the frame. I wanted to create the feel of being in a cabin "up north" and watching a sailboat on the lake, so I adhered a piece of wood veneer to the card base. It's almost impossible to see in the picture, but to make the veneer look more like paneling, I scored vertical lines in it every 1/2" and then traced each line with a Close to Cocoa marker. I used foam tape to adhere the window to the card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Up, Up & Away
Paper: Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Early Espresso, Whisper White card stock; Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray, Signo white gel pen
Accessories: Window die (Spellbinders / Our Daily Bread Designs), Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, corner rounder, Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue, foam tape (unknown)

For this card, I stamped the birds, clouds and balloon baskets in Basic Gray on Pool Party card stock and used a white gel pen to fill in the clouds. The hot air balloons are stamped on white card stock, cut out and glued to the Pool Party card stock. I adhered the Early Espresso window frame over the stamped images and trimmed off the extra card stock.

The window die also includes pieces to die cut curtains and a valance, so I used a fun print from the Summer Smooches DSP to make curtains and glued them to the window frame. Finally I embossed the card base with polka dots to add to the whimsical feel of this card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Spring Garden
Paper: Textured Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Soft Sky; Soft Sky Prints DSP
Ink: Old Olive, Concord Crush
Accessories: Window die (Spellbinders / Our Daily Bread Designs), Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue

This was actually the first card I made with the window die, and it was definitely the fussiest. I wanted to cut the window frame directly in the front of the card so you could see through it, and it took a bit of trial and error.

I started with a piece of 5-1/2" x 12" textured Chocolate Chip card stock and scored it at 4-1/4" and 8-1/2". I cut the window frame out of a separate piece of textured Chocolate Chip card stock. Then I set the window frame on the card front, traced inside the frame and cut along the traced line. I repeated those steps on a piece of Soft Sky Prints DSP then glued the DSP on the card front and the window frame on the DSP. I also added some Whisper White curtains.

For the next part of the card, I stamped a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Soft Sky card stock with flowers and butterflies. I adhered that piece to the front of the right panel. (The panel is only 3-1/2" wide, so it's a bit shorter than the stamped card stock.)

The middle panel of this card has space to stamp a greeting and/or write a message. I might also stamp a few flowers here just so it doesn't look so plain. But I'm not sure yet what kind of card I want this to be, so for now it's still blank.

When I have a chance I'm going to make a few more cards like this. If I can get the process smoothed out a bit, I'll create a tutorial to share with you.


Thanks for stopping by!

Life's a beach

Someday I would love to have a house on the beach. A lake, a river, the ocean. Minus the pesky floods, hurricanes and tidal waves, beach living seems pretty much perfect to me. But the chances of that ever happening are frightfully dismal, so I guess, at least for now, I will be content with making beach-themed cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®):
Stamps: Sketches
Card stock: Crumb Cake, Naturals Ivory
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Blush Blossom, Going Gray
Accessories: Aqua Painter, Apothecary Accents Framelits dies, Bashful Blue taffeta ribbon, Antique Brass jumbo eyelets, Crop-O-Dile, sponge, Dimensionals

To color this image, I used an Aqua Painter brush dipped in the ink on the inside of the lids of the various ink pads. It's a quick and easy way to watercolor and generally looks good even if, like me, your painting skills aren't the greatest. After I colored the image, I cut it out using one of my new Framelits dies and then sponged the edges of the die-cut and the card base with Crumb Cake ink. I added jumbo eyelets, pulled a piece of ribbon through them and then tied the ribbon on the right side of the card. (The die-cut is also adhered to the card with Dimensionals so it doesn't move around.) If I close my eyes I can almost hear the seagulls crying and the waves crashing. Sigh.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Shore Thing
Card stock: River Rock, Marina Mist, Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler
Ink: River Rock, Marina Mist, Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Hemp twine, Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue, Mini Glue Dots

With its bold images and colors, this card has a more playful feel. I started with a River Rock card base and stamped the sand "speckles" and seashells. To create some dimension I added another layer of stamped River Rock card stock with a torn top edge. The water is a piece of Marina Mist card stock stamped with wavy lines and also torn along the top. To make the chair, I stamped the image twice: once in Soft Suede and once in Cherry Cobbler. I cut out the seat part of the image from the Cherry Cobbler piece, adhered it to the Soft Suede image and then cut out the entire chair. For the last couple of details I added a stamped sand pail and a piece of twine wrapped around the bottom of the card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Stipple Shells
Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla card stock; First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Crumb Cake, Basic Black marker
Accessories: Color Spritzer tool, Clear Oval Accent die, hemp twine, water mister, 1/16" hole punch, Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Instead of a beach scene, for this card I used a monochromatic color scheme with a little collage of seashells. I used the Oval Accent die to cut a piece of First Edition DSP, then I misted the DSP with water, crumpled it and opened it again. When it was dry, I spritzed the DSP and the card base with Basic Black and adhered the die-cut to the card. I wrapped a piece of hemp twine around the card and tied a knot on the right side. (The fold for this card is on the left side, so I first used a 1/16" hole punch to make a few holes on the crease.) Then I simply arranged the seashells I had stamped and cut out and adhered them to the card with Dimensionals and Mini Glue Dots.

Now I really wish I had a nice long beach vacation planned this summer ... Thanks for stopping by!

Blossoms by the inch

I love to get new stamping supplies: ink, card stock, stamps, embellishments, even boring adhesive. Kind of like being a kid in a candy store. But not surprisingly, the new often overshadows the old, and I forget about some of my previous favorites. So for the cards I'm going to share today, I combined my newest set from Stampin' Up!^®, Betsy's Blossoms, with one that is a couple of years old (and one that I haven't used much to boot), Cute by the Inch. I also used some of my new In Color inks and card stock along with older embellishments. The best of both worlds. (All supplies are from Stampin' Up!)

Supplies:
Stamps: Cute by the Inch, Betsy's Blossoms
Card stock: Very Vanilla, Raspberry Ripple, Old Olive
Ink: Raspberry Ripple, Old Olive pads and markers
Accessories: Snow Burst embossing folder, 1" square punch, Postage Stamp punch, Old Olive polytwill ribbon, Dimensionals

The background flower and leaves images are from the Betsy's Blossoms set, and I was happy to see how well they coordinate with the "friends" image from Cute by the Inch. I really like this layout and color combination, but I think I might have to go back and add a few pearls or rhinestones. Just a little bling.

Supplies:
Stamps: Cute by the Inch, Betsy's Blossoms
Card stock: Very Vanilla, Gumball Green, Midnight Muse
Ink: Gumball Green pad and marker, Midnight Muse marker
Accessories: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, 1" square punch, Postage Stamp punch, Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware, Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue

For this background, I stamped the leaves first and then added the flowers. That image actually includes all three flowers together on the stamp, but for some of them I used my marker to color just one or two flowers before stamping. That way I was able to fill in some of the smaller empty spaces.

Supplies:
Stamps: Cute by the Inch, Betsy's Blossoms
Card stock: Basic Gray, Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals
Ink: Basic Gray, Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals
Accessories: 1" square punch, Neutrals Collection brads, Dimensionals

This a color combination I probably wouldn't have come up with one my own, but I found it in the Color Coach tool and decided to try it out. It's actually very striking, although this picture doesn't quite do it justice (here the gray almost has a purple look to it). The layout is different from my usual style, too, but it was fun to do something new. I used Dimensionals to adhere the "thank u" square to the card so it stands out a bit from the others.




Thanks for stopping by!

Single-layer simplicity

Sometimes making a simple card is more challenging than making an elaborate one. At least for me. Since there are fewer elements on the card, each one becomes more important. And mistakes are easier to notice. So maybe it's not exactly that simple cards are harder to make, it's that they are more intimidating. But last weekend I made three very simple single-layer cards that I really liked.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®):
Stamps: Elementary Elegance
Card stock: Whisper White
Ink: Going Gray, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Curly Label punch, basic rhinestones, 1/8" Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon, Simply Scored tool, Dimensionals

I stamped the frame image directly on the white card base, slightly to the left of the middle. I stamped the greeting and a butterfly on a separate piece of card stock, punched it out and adhered it inside the frame with Dimensionals. I scored two lines along the bottom of the card and then tied a piece of ribbon just above those lines. Finally I stamped a few more butterflies around the frame and added three rhinestones on the upper right corner and one at the top of the frame. I think this layout -- with a variety of greetings and colors -- would make an elegant set of note cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Playful Pieces, It's Your Birthday
Card stock: Whisper White, textured Soft Suede, textured Crushed Curry, textured Old Olive
Ink: Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Old Olive
Accessories: 3/4" square punch ( EK Success), 1" square punch, Simply Scored tool, Dimensionals

This card actually doesn't have any embellishments, so I added interest in a couple of other ways: I used textured card stock mats behind the stars, and I added an embossed border around the card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Tea Shoppe, Something to Celebrate
Card stock: Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Barely Banana, Almost Amethyst
Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Barely Banana, Almost Amethyst
Accessories: Adorning Accents embossing folders and Edgelits dies, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, basic pearls, Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals

This card has the same layout as the previous one, but with a more feminine feel. Instead of matting the teacup images with card stock, I cut each of them out and adhered them to the card base with Dimensionals. I also added a punched flower and pearl to each teacup. Finally instead of the embossed border all the way around the card, I used a coordinating embossing folder and die to create the scalloped bottom edge.

Once I got into the groove of making these clean and simple cards, I really enjoyed it. I'll definitely be making more. Thanks for stopping by!

Seeing stars

Stars are always a fun, festive theme for birthday cards. Here are three "starry" cards I made this weekend.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^® unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Starring You
Card stock: Cool Caribbean, Real Red, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Cool Caribbean
Accessories: Large and small star punches, 1-3/4" circle punch, white crochet thread (DMC), plaid embossing folder (Sizzix), glue stick, Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

This card was a lot easier to make than it looks. I punched several small and large stars and glued them to the card front. Then I embossed the card front in an embossing folder. I've seen many cards made with this technique, but this was the first time I tried it. And I really like how it turned out. A couple of things to keep in mind: Be sure to use an adhesive that covers the entire punched shape, such as a glue stick or liquid glue, and be sure to use an embossing folder with a fairly small pattern that covers the whole piece of card stock.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Pennant Parade
Card stock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Night of Navy, Pumpkin Pie, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Night of Navy, Pumpkin Pie, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Petite Pennants Builder punch, large star punch, paper piercer, mini silver brads, circle brad

Each colored strip of card stock on this card is about 7/8" wide. To make the banner, I adhered each pennant to the card. Then I placed a mini silver brad in between the pennants (using a paper piercer to make the holes) and one brad in each end.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Nursery Necessities, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Birthday Greetings (inside of card)
Card stock: Real Red, Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Taken with Teal, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Taken with Teal
Accessories: Large and small star punches, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals

I really like the combination of fun, bright colors, clean layout and bold stars on this card. I layered the punched stars and adhered them with Dimensionals to pieces of Whisper White card stock. I also matted each piece of white card stock with the same color as the stars. I thought about putting some type of embellishment -- maybe a brad or another small punched star -- in the middle of the card, but then I decided I'd better leave well enough alone.

I also thought I'd show you a picture of the inside of this card. Generally my cards are fairly plain inside because I just stamp a greeting or leave it blank if I want to write a longer message. But once in awhile I stamp the inside of the card to match the outside, which is what I did here. I like the randomness of these stars compared to the deliberate arrangement on the front of the card.










Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to moms everywhere! And that includes grandmas, godmothers, aunts, cousins, friends, anyone who plays a nurturing, care-taking role in our lives. I thought I would share the two Mother's Day cards I made for my mom and grandma.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®):
Stamps: Tea Shoppe
Card stock: Very Vanilla, Pink Pirouette
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Pear Pizzazz markers
Accessories: Adorning Accents embossing folders and Edgelits dies, basic pearls, Pretty in Pink satin ribbon, large oval punch, Modern Label punch, Dimensionals

To make the teacup, I used Pink Pirouette and Pear Pizzazz markers to color directly on the rubber stamp, and then I stamped the image on the Very Vanilla card base. I used the same technique for the "tea for two" image, stamping on a small piece of card stock and then punching it out with an oval punch. The piece of Pink Pirouette card stock behind the oval was punched with the Modern Label punch. One label shape isn't long enough to span the entire length of the oval, so the trick is to cut the label in half and adhere the two pieces so a little bit of the label is visible at each side of the oval. I love the delicate scalloped edge at the bottom of the card against the Pink Pirouette card stock, and I repeated the pink at the top of the card with satin ribbon.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Elementary Elegance, Well Scripted
Card stock: Pool Party, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Pool Party, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Pool Party seam binding ribbon, Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon, Mocha opaque gems (Close to My Heart), Curly Label punch, corner rounder, Dimensionals

For the focal image, I stamped the frame in Chocolate Chip on Pool Party (I love this color combo!), rounded the corners and used Dimensionals to adhere it to a layer of Chocolate Chip card stock. I stamped the greeting on a separate piece of Pool Party card stock, punched it out with the Curly Label punch and used Dimensionals to adhere it to the middle of the frame. I tied a piece of Pool Party ribbon around the card and then tied a small piece of Chocolate Chip ribbon around the knot. I glued the focal image over the ribbon, and added a few stamped birds and a pearl to finish off the background of this card.

I didn't stamp "Happy Mother's Day" on the front of either of these cards, so they would also be great for birthdays or just to let someone know you're thinking of them. Thanks for stopping by!

Easy Events card assortment

Just one week ago I was relaxing and enjoying my long-awaited craft retreat. Sigh. Real life catches up with us so fast. But I have one more set of cards to share from the retreat. These cards were all made with the Stampin' Up!^® set Easy Events. (All supplies are from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.)

Supplies:
Stamps: Easy Events
Paper: Whisper White, Early Espresso, textured Old Olive card stock; Brights Collection Patterns Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Jet Black StazOn pad; Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede Old Olive, Daffodil Delight markers
Accessories: 1/8" Early Espresso taffeta ribbon, Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Ovals small and large dies (Spellbinders), paper piercer, Dimensionals, bone folder

This card makes me think of The Sound of Music. You know, "... an absurd little bird is popping out to say 'Cuckoo.'" That combined with the Old Olive DSP, which reminds me of the curtains Maria uses to make the children's play clothes. Anyway, I omitted the "hello" greeting when I stamped the image because I wanted to make an all-occasion card. I made embossed lines on the top half of the card and pierced holes in the scallops on the smaller oval.

Supplies:
Stamps: Easy Events
Card stock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Pacific Point
Ink: Jet Black StazOn pad; Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Old Olive markers
Accessories: Old Olive scallop polka dot ribbon, Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Ovals small and large dies (Spellbinders), paper piercer, mat pack, Dimensionals, Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal)

I think the image of these two birds is really cute. But the original stamp has the saying "wedding wishes" below the birds and a little heart above them. I just omitted those parts of the image when I stamped it and instead stamped the "hello" greeting (from the cuckoo clock image) on the bottom right corner instead. Now instead of lovebirds, they are just two friendly birds having a little chat.

Supplies:
Stamps: Easy Events
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, textured Old Olive, Whisper White, Pacific Point, Early Espresso card stock; Brights Collection Patterns DSP
Ink: Early Espresso pad; Old Olive, Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso markers
Accessories: Brights Collection glimmer brads, 1/8" Old Olive taffeta ribbon

I used another greeting switcheroo on this card. The original greeting with the snail image is "sorry I'm late," but I left that off and instead stamped "happy birthday" from a different stamp. If I were to make this card again, I think I would change how I colored the snail. More than one person looked at this card from a distance and made a comment about the pumpkin.

Supplies:
Stamps: Easy Events
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Pacific Point card stock; Brights Collection Patterns DSP
Ink: Jet Black StazOn pad; Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Pacific Point markers
Accessories: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, 2-3/8" scallop circle punch, 2-1/2" circle punch, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Dimensionals

I like all the polka dots on this card: on the umbrella, the DSP and the embossed background. Just a bright, fun baby card.

Supplies:
Stamps: Easy Events
Card stock: Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Melon Mambo
Ink: Jet Black StazOn pad; Basic Black, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Melon Mambo markers
Accessories: 2-3/8" scallop circle punch, 2-1/2" circle punch, 1" circle punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Lily White mini jewels (Doodlebug Design), color spritzer tool, white crochet thread (DMC), Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue

I wanted to make a clean and simple thank-you card, so I started with a white card base, spritzed with the Pumpkin Pie marker to add a little bit of color, and added the crochet thread and focal image. To add a little detail to the flowers, I colored each flower and then added a small punched flower of the same color and a rhinestone. I didn't have a corner rounder with me, so I used a 1" circle punch to round the corners. (Insert the corner of the card stock through the opening in the bottom of the punch and then punch the paper.) It still seemed like the card needed something, so I doodled a border around the edge.

Supplies:
Stamps: Easy Events
Card stock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Basic Black, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Pacific Point, Rich Razzleberry
Ink: Jet Black StazOn pad; Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise, Pacific Point, Rich Razzleberry markers
Accessories: Stripes embossing folder, 1/8" Basic Black taffeta ribbon, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, basic rhinestones, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue

To make the main image here, I stamped the flower-trio image three times (without the greeting) on Whisper White card stock, using the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to line them up. Then I used each of the colors in the Brights Collection (except Old Olive, which I used for the leaves) to color the flowers. I added punched flowers and rhinestones, matted the focal image with Basic Black and adhered the piece to the embossed card base. I love this little rainbow garden.

Supplies:
Stamps: Easy Events
Card stock: Real Red, Whisper White, textured Old Olive, Early Espresso
Ink: Jet Black StazOn pad; Early Espresso, Real Red, Old Olive, Always Artichoke markers
Accessories: 1/8" Real Red taffeta ribbon, 2-1/2" circle punch, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Dimensionals

This card has the same layout as the Daffodil Delight "for baby" card but with different colors, image and embellishments. It's fun to see the different looks you can create with the same card layout.

Supplies:
Stamps: Easy Events, Petite Pairs
Card stock: Regal Rose, Whisper White, textured Old Olive
Ink: Jet Black StazOn pad; Regal Rose, Old Olive markers; glitter gel pen (unknown)
Accessories: Lots of Tags Sizzlits dies, polka dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug), Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, basic rhinestones, Dimensionals

Again, I omitted the greeting from the stamped image (this was the "happy birthday" I used with the snail birthday card) so I could use a different greeting. I die cut the tag shapes first and then stamped the cupcake on one and the greeting on the other. To create a little sparkle, I added on a few rhinestones and used a glitter gel pen to color the cupcake stand and the inside of a few of the letters on the greeting. (It has a fun shimmer in real life.) For the background I embossed a strip of Regal Rose card stock and added a little scallop edge to each side.

Whew! That was a longer post than I thought it would be. I realized when I sat down tonight that this is my 150th blog post. Hard to believe! On one hand I feel like I should have done something more grand for the occasion, but on the other, these cards are pretty typically my style, so it's probably a fitting post after all. Hope you found something you liked. Thanks for stopping by!