Crafting frustrations

Today was an uber frustrating crafting day. I had several things I needed to work on for the Stampin' Up!^® convention, and my stamping mojo and skills were just not cooperating. Everything seemed to end up crooked and/or smeared, which made me tired, grumpy and very frustrated. I took a break this afternoon to go to yoga class and decided on the way home that I was just going to set aside the have-to-get-it-done stuff and start over with something else. So instead I made two cards for upcoming birthdays.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Birthday Best, Perfect Party
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Strawberry Slush, textured Bermuda Bay
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Strawberry Slush, Bermuda Bay, Pink Pirouette, Coastal Cabana
Accessories: Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), rhinestones, iridescent shreds (unknown), Dimensionals

I put my markers to good use on this card, using them in three different ways: I colored in the stamped balloon images, made "confetti" with the narrow marker tips, and colored directly on the rubber of the "celebrate!" stamp to create the multicolored sentiment.

To make the sentiment stand out against the background, I matted it with a piece of textured Bermuda Bay cardstock, which I adhered at an angle. Then I adhered some iridescent shreds to the back of the Bermuda Bay cardstock and used Dimensionals to attach the piece to the card base.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Blooming with Happiness
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Very Vanilla
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Pear Pizzazz, Wisteria Wonder, So Saffron, Crisp Cantaloupe
Accessories: Ovals Collection Framelits dies, Occasions Paper-Piercing Pack, paper-piercing tool, Wisteria Wonder ruffled ribbon, Stylized Flower embossing folder (Cuttlebug), Dimensionals

I've always liked this floral cake image and the coordinating greeting, "May your day bloom with happiness," which I stamped inside the card. To make this feminine birthday card, I combined the image with a floral embossing folder, ruffled ribbon and a soft color palette of Pear Pizzazz, Wisteria Wonder, So Saffron and Crisp Cantaloupe. I also pierced a border around the oval die-cut. Both the embossed layer and the oval are adhered to the card with Dimensionals.

I was happy (and a little relieved) that I managed to finish a couple of cards that I actually liked. I'll try again tomorrow and hope for a more productive day. Thanks for stopping by!

Birds on the brain

We've had birds on the brain a lot at our house lately. There are house finches making a nest outside the air conditioner in my sister's bedroom, and on the other side of the house, a robin has been industriously making a nest on the downspout just outside our dining room window. (It's probably about a foot away from the window, and I've been taking a daily photo to document the progress. Very cool.) It seemed only fitting, then, to share a couple of bird-themed cards today.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®):
Stamps: For the Birds, Petite Pairs
Cardstock: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Pear Pizzazz, Real Red
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Real Red, Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Coastal Cabana, Soft Sky, Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Ovals Collection Framelits dies, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Scallop Edge Border punch, Occasions Paper-Piercing pack, paper piercer, rhinestones, Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

I love this image from the For the Birds stamp set, but for this card I didn't want to use the sentiment included at the bottom of the image. So when I inked the stamp I simply didn't put any ink on the sentiment. I wanted to keep a clean and simple layout for this card, so I just used a few punched flowers with rhinestone centers for embellishment.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: For the Birds
Cardstock: Whisper White, Baked Brown Sugar, Marina Mist
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Marina Mist, Crushed Curry, Cherry Cobbler, Baked Brown Sugar, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Alphabet Press embossing folder, Cherry Cobbler baker's twine, Candy Dots - Subtles, Dimensionals

The combination of this embossing folder and image is probably not the most obvious pairing, but I hadn't used this new embossing folder yet, and I wanted to try it out. I actually like the combo; what do you think?

When I was coloring the bird's nest, I wanted to add a little depth, so I first traced some of the lines with a Baked Brown Sugar marker. Then I did the same with Soft Suede and finally Chocolate Chip. I added baker's twine around the bottom of the focal panel and a Candy Dot in the upper right corner and used Dimensionals to attach the panel to the piece of Marina Mist cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by!

Decorated headbands

A couple of days ago I was in a local gift store looking for a birthday gift for one of my cousin's daughters. I saw a really cute decorated headband and got excited because I know the birthday girl likes to wear headbands. (At least she did the last time I saw her. I hope it's still the case.) It was in the clearance section, so it was half-off the marked price. What a deal, right? Well, the marked price -- for the one headband -- was $12.95. Even with the discount, which brought it down to about $6.50, it was a bit more than I wanted to spend on a headband. I realized that it wasn't really that elaborate -- it was wrapped in ribbon, with small sequins along the whole headband and a larger flower on one side -- so I decided to take a stab at making some myself.

Since I already own gobs of ribbon and various floral embellishments, I just needed a base for the headbands. I walked across the street to Walgreens, picked up a pack of inexpensive headbands (I think I paid about $3.50 for a pack of seven headbands), took them home and got to work.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^® unless otherwise noted):
Ribbon: Fun House ribbon assortment (American Crafts), Riding Hood Red striped grosgrain, 1/4" white grosgrain, white baker's twine
Flowers: Flower Fusion Too, Accents & Elements Fleurettes, Mediu Heritage Sheer Blossoms and Leaves (Creative Impressions)
Buttons: Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Button Latte Designer Buttons
Adhesive: 1/4" Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal), hot glue gun (unknown)

What do you think? I will try to write a tutorial when I make the next headband, but I didn't have time with these two. Basically, I removed the fabric covering that came on the headbands (snipped one end and it slid right off) and adhered the decorative ribbon to the outside with 1/4" Scor-Tape. I also put Scor-Tape along the inside of the headband and pulled the edges of the ribbon under. The polka dot ribbon is about 7/8" wide, and that was easy to work with. The striped ribbon was about 5/8", and it was a little tricky to fold the sides under in some places. I adhered a solid color ribbon on the inside of the headband to make it look more finished. For my first headband, I used the Scor-Tape for this step. I think it will hold, but for the second one I switched to the hot glue gun just to make sure (although I do like that the Scor-Tape is always flat; I sometimes end up with hot glue "bumps" if I don't get something glued down fast enough). Then it's just a matter of adding the desired embellishments.

After a little trial and error, these headbands were pretty easy to make. And it's a good thing, too, because all the girls I've been making barrettes for are starting to outgrow them. Thanks for stopping by!

Miss you zoo, flower thanks

I've been having a lot of fun making postage-themed cards lately, and I have two more to share today.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®:
Stamps: Zoo Review, Lovely Little Labels, For the Birds
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Naturals Ivory
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, Cajun Craze
Accessories: Postage Stamp punch, 1" square punch (for mask), Simply Scored tool, Blender Pen, Aqua Painter, This and That Epic Day washi tape, linen thread, paper-piercing tool, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Dimensionals

The background was the trickiest part of this card. I tried using a Stampin' Spritzer first with Crumb Cake ink then Soft Suede ink (and rubbing alcohol), but I couldn't get a dark enough color. The spray was also too fine, since I wanted more of a splotchy look. So instead, I dipped the tip of an Aqua Painter in a bit of Soft Suede ink and lightly tapped it while I held it over the card base. Once I was happy with the look, I added a strip of washi tape near the bottom of the card. For the sentiment, I applied ink to just the words on one of the images from the For the Birds stamp set and stamped it above the washi tape.

To make the faux postage stamps, I punched a 1" square from a self-stick note to create a mask. I placed the mask on the cardstock, stamped the desired image, punched it out with the Postage Stamp punch and added the embossed lines. (For a tutorial with photos, see the "Faux postage stamp tutorial" post.) I adhered the four stamps to a 2" x 2" piece of Naturals Ivory card stock and then used a paper piercer to make the holes between the stamps. Using Dimensionals, I adhered the group of stamps overlapping the washi tape. To finish the card, I wrapped a piece of linen thread twice around the card front and tied it in a knot. I really love the way this card turned out; I don't know if I'll ever be able to send it to anyone!

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Bright Blossoms, Lovely Little Labels
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizzazz, Calypso Coral, Pink Pirouette, Crisp Cantaloupe, Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizzazz, Calypso Coral, Pink Pirouette, Crisp Cantaloupe
Accessories: Square Lattice embossing folder, Sweet Buttons Emboslits die, white baker's twine, 1" square punch, Postage Stamp punch, Dimensionals

I like most of this card: the colors, the layout and, of course, the faux postage stamps. But there is definitely something missing on the right side. I thought about a few different possibilities -- a brad or a button, a few Candy Dots, a piece of ribbon -- but nothing seemed quite right. I had another idea tonight, though. I might try using the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack to make a few tiny flowers (I think with Pear Pizzazz card stock) and then "scatter" them on the right side of the card, with maybe two or three near the bottom left corner. I could add small pearls for the flower centers, too. What do you think?


Thanks for stopping by!

A Postage Collection collection

Lately I've been very drawn to using my Postage Stamp punch for the focal images on my cards. So when I saw the Postage Collection hostess stamp set in the new 2013 - 2014 Stampin' Up!^® Annual Catalog, I knew that would be the first hostess set I would order. I love the variety of frames/borders, images and little sayings, and I had fun using some of them to create three different cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Postage Collection
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Soft Suede, So Saffron
Ink: Soft Sky, Soft Suede, So Saffron
Accessories: Postage Stamp punch, Honeycomb embossing folder, 3/4" circle punch, Subtles Candy Dots, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Dimensionals

As it turns out, this is the only card of the three that uses colors other than neutrals, but I love this soft color combo. For the background, I embossed a strip of So Saffron cardstock with the Honeycomb embossing folder and then cut a V into one end to create a flag. I also cut a V in a narrower but longer strip of Soft Suede cardstock (not embossed) and adhered it below and slightly overlapping the So Saffron strip. For the stamped images, I stamped the frames with Soft Suede ink and then used the Stamp-a-ma-jig tool to line up the balloon images inside the frames. I punched out the squares and adhered them to the card, using Dimensionals for the piece with the So Saffron balloon.

The upper right corner looked as if it needed something, so I added one of the new Candy Dots. They look like brads without the prongs, but they are a little bit flatter. I love that the Candy Dots come on a clear sheet, so you can hold it over your project to see which color works the best.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Postage Collection
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Ink: Soft Suede
Accessories: Postage Stamp punch, Siply Scored tool, sponge, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Dimensionals

I tend to make a lot of thank-you cards with flowers (OK, I tend to make a lot of everything with flowers), so I wanted to focus on making a more masculine thank-you card. On this card I used only one color of ink, Soft Suede, so when I stamped the car images, I first stamped them on scratch paper and then on the Very Vanilla card stock so the ink color was lighter. (Again, the Stamp-a-ma-jig tool was helpful in stamping the cars evenly inside the frames.) To add to the vintage look, I sponged Soft Suede ink on the edges of the punched squares as well as on the flag with the sentiment. I adhered the pieces to the card at different angles, using Dimensionals for the square on the right as well as the sentiment. To add a little interest around the focal image, I embossed a line along each side of the card front about 1/4" away from the edge.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Postage Collection
Paper: Very Vanilla, Basic Black cardstock; Natural Composition Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Jet Black StazOn
Accessories: Postage Stamp punch, 1" square punch, Dimensionals

I decided to stay with the minimal and masculine themes for this birthday card. I wanted to try using the images without having them look like stamps, but alas, that Postage Stamp punch was just calling my name. Oh, well. For this very simple card, I cut a narrow strip of the wood grain-looking piece of Natural Composition Specialty DSP, trimmed both ends into a V and adhered it to the card base. I used Dimensionals to adhere the stamped and punched images over the strip and stamped a birthday sentiment below the middle image. With these images and a different sentiment, this card also would be great to congratulate a graduate, to say bon voyage, or to send good wishes to someone who is moving.

These cards really got me going with postage stamps, so come back in the next couple of days for more faux postage-stamp cards using other stamp sets. Thanks for stopping by!

Flower Shop cards

This week I received my Stampin' Up!^® order with goodies from the new 2013 - 2014 Annual Catalog (yippee!), including the Flower Shop stamp set and the coordinating Pansy punch. I'm a sucker for just about anything floral, so I knew as soon as I saw them that both of these items would be on my first order. I had a crafty morning today and created three cards with this fun pair.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Flower Shop, Sweet Essentials
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Smoky Slate, Whisper White
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Smoky Slate
Accessories: Pansy punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, rhinestones, Gingham Garden washi tape, paper-piercing tool and mat, Essentials paper-piercing pack, Dimensionals

I love the cheery feeling of this card. The bright colors, flower and gingham washi tape make me think of a sunny day in the country. To make the center of the flower, I punched two small scalloped circles (from the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack) and adhered one to the flower. I snipped between the scallops on the second punch, adhered it to the first circle, added a rhinestone in the middle and gently curved it up.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Flower Shop, Lovely Little Labels
Cardstock: Whisper White
Ink: Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo
Accessories: Pansy punch, Little Labels punch pack, rhinestones, Gingham Garden washi tape, Dimensionals

I used the yellow gingham washi tape again on this card, but I also added strips of the other two tapes in the Gingham Garden pack. I stamped and punched out three flowers and adhered them over the washi tape at different levels: The Daffodil Delight flower is directly on the card, the Melon Mambo flower is adhered with one layer of Dimensionals, and the Island Indigo flower is adhered with a double layer of Dimensionals. To finish the card I added a small sentiment and a few rhinestones.

One of my stamping goals this weekend -- besides trying out my new toys -- is to start thinking about what cards I want to make for my Convention swaps. (At Stampin' Up! events, demonstrators bring cards or other items they've created to trade with each other. It's a fun way to see products you might not have and to get ideas for layouts, color combos, etc.) These two cards are possibilities because they are simple enough to mass produce -- and by "mass," I mean maybe ten or twenty; I'll probably bring only about sixty swaps to Convention, not the hundreds that some demos make -- and they have a few embellishments and new products.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Flower Shop, Sweet Essentials
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Very Vanilla cardstock; Natural Composition Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Elegant Eggplant
Accessories: Windows Collection Framelits dies, Pansy punch, Modern Mosaic embossing folder, pearls, paper-piercing tool and mat, Festive paper-piercing pack, Aquapainter, Dimensionals

There are a couple of details about the flower on this card that are hard to see in the photo. First, after I stamped the image in Elegant Eggplant ink, I used an Aquapainter to lightly pull some ink from the center of the flower toward the edges of the petals. So the whole flower is a subtle purple. Second, I also stamped the flower on Elegant Eggplant cardstock and punched it out. I placed that flower behind and slightly offset from the Very Vanilla flower to look like a shadow.

Come back tomorrow to see a few cards made with one of the new hostess sets, Postage Collection. Thanks for stopping by!

My summer journal

As I mentioned in my last post, I finally broke out my This and That journal from Stampin' Up!^® last weekend. I had been dragging my feet about starting it because I couldn't decide exactly how I wanted to use the journal. I finally decided that I would document Summer 2013. I have several events happening this summer -- the craft retreat, my 15-year college reunion, attending the Stampin' Up! convention -- but I want it to be more than just things I do. So I also decided to include things like my favorite TV shows of the moment, a list of the books I read this summer, fun and/or crafty ideas from magazines, etc. Basically whatever I want! Here are a few pictures of what I have done so far:

I used my Cricut with the Jubilee cartridge to cut the title letters from the Epic Day This and That Designer Series Paper (DSP). I kept it simple and unfussy, since I am not a very fancy person. I think I will add some coordinating ribbon to the coil when I am done, but for now I left it bare so I can fold the cover back easily.

I'm using all the products in the Epic Day This and That line (DSP, Designer Stickers, rotary stamp and washi tape) as well as a few other items (glue stick, snips and Basic Black ink spot). For the journaling I have a set of fine-point markers I bought at a local art store -- I like to write with about as fine a point as I can find. I have everything except the DSP gathered together in a little bag that's easy to take with me if I want to journal on the go.

I used a strip of washi tape just along the top of these collector's checklists. You can unfold the bottom of the lists to
see the whole page, or you can lift them up to see when and where I got each of my Lego minifigures this summer
(see right page).

For the most part these pages are grouped together near the beginning of my journal, but I also let myself skip pages if, for instance, I didn't like the way the background paper looked with the photos I was using. There's not really any rhyme or reason to the order of things. Once I got my first page started (the Festival of Nations page above), everything just started coming fast and furious. It was pretty awesome to not worry about things being perfect, which I usually do when I make a scrapbook.

I think I'll be able to get a few more pages done this week; I'm just waiting for some pictures I ordered. And in the meantime, who knows what else I'll decide to include in my summer journal ... Thanks for stopping by!

How sweet!

I've had a busy, crafty weekend! I got a lot done, but I don't really have a lot to show for it -- yet. Today I finally reorganized all my Stampin Up!^® ink pads and card stock to reflect the recent color changes. With just a few exceptions, I always keep my ink pads and card stock when a color retires -- I have two full Color Caddies with extenders and three file boxes filled with 8-1/2" x 11" card stock -- so reorganizing everything is quite a project. (I'll tackle the markers later this week after my order arrives on Tuesday.) And yesterday I started my new This and That journal, which I decided to call "Sum[me]r 2013." It's a random collection of things I love, read, do, etc., this summer. I have a few pages done, and I'll share them this week. But today I wanted to write one more post about the craft retreat last weekend.

This is the third craft retreat/girls' weekend I've organized. They're a lot of fun, but also a fair amount of work. I have to find a place, choose a date, invite people, collect money, plan meals, etc. (This year was probably the easiest one to plan because we already had an established group, and we went to the same place as last year, The Meadows Craft Retreat.) Every year I tell myself that I'm not going to plan another retreat, and every year everyone says how much fun they had and asks when we're going to do it again.

Well, last Saturday as everyone was gathered together for dinner, I was surprised with a gift and card from the whole group to thank me for organizing the retreats. How sweet -- and completely unexpected!

Images ©2013 Stampin' Up!®

My friend Lisa made the card (with the Happy Moments set, which I used for the cards in my post yesterday). Isn't it adorable? I love the combination of flowers and stripes and the piece of floral trim. The best part, though, is that everyone wrote a little note and signed the card inside. I'm not sure how Lisa managed to get that done right under my nose! I guess I need to be a little more observant.

 These are all the goodies I got in my gift bag: lotions and shower gels, chocolate, grapefruit gummies, tea, lip balm, puzzle book, mini file folder and jumbo paper clips (future craft projects!), owl key chain with the most hysterical electronic hooting sound and blue light-up eyes, and six Lego minifigures. I love everything! I will admit that when my aunt Terry arrived at the retreat last week, I did see her covertly give Lisa something wrapped up in a plastic bag, and at the time I wondered what that was all about. But in the chaos of getting cars unpacked and then heading to the grocery store, I forgot all about it. Even if I had remembered, I wouldn't have expected anything like this. It's an awesome feeling to know that other people recognize and appreciate my efforts.

I haven't decided whether I will plan another retreat next year. I guess we'll have to just wait and see. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Moments cards

I have a lot of stamp sets. A lot. But there are many more I don't have, and it's always fun to have a chance to make something with a different stamp set. While I was on the craft retreat last weekend, my friend Lisa had brought one such set, Happy Moments. So after I finished the projects I planned to do, I borrowed her stamp set to make two cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®):
Stamps: Happy Moments, Sweet Essentials
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black card stock; Brights Collection Designer Series Paper (DSP) Patterns Stack
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Old Olive
Accessories: 2-1/2" circle punch, Elegant Butterfly punch, pearls, paper-piercing tool and mat, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack, Dimensionals

For the background of this card I used three pieces of patterned paper (Regal Rose, Old Olive and Melon Mambo) from the Brights Collection DSP Patterns Stack and adhered them to a Basic Black card base. I stamped and colored the flower image on Whisper White card stock, punched it out with a circle punch and pierced a border around the edge of the circle.

On the bottom panel of DSP, I added a narrow banner of a contrasting DSP. I stamped a sentiment on a Whisper White banner and used Dimensionals to adhere that banner over the first one. For final details, I added a punched butterfly with pearls for the body and a pearl on either side of the greeting.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Happy Moments
Card stock: Pool Party, Island Indigo, Whisper White
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Pool Party, Island Indigo, Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Sycamore Street ribbon and buttons pack, pearls, white crochet thread (DMC), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

This clean and simple card is pretty self-explanatory. The one detail that is hard to see in the photo is that I added a little pearl to the center of each flower on the birthday cake image. For the other embellishments, I used two strips of ribbon along the card base and added a button tied with crochet thread to the right side of the focal panel.

Thanks for stopping by!

DSP sampler cards

When I went on my craft retreat last weekend, I brought two packs of Stampin' Up!^® Designer Series Paper (DSP) with me: Summer Smooches and the Brights Collection DSP Patterns Stack. I decided to make two cards -- one for each DSP pack -- that highlighted these fun patterned papers, sort of like little samplers.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Whisper White card stock, Summer Smooches DSP
Accessories: Postage Stamp punch, Brights Collection Designer Buttons, Island Indigo ribbon (from Sycamore Street ribbon and buttons pack), white crochet thread (DMC), paper-piercing tool and mat, Dimensionals

I used the Postage Stamp punch to punch one square from each of the twelve prints in the Summer Smooches DSP pack. I adhered them to a piece of Whisper White card stock in an arrangement of four rows and three columns and then trimmed off the extra card stock right along the edges of the punched shapes. To mimic the look of a perforated sheet of stamps, I pierced holes in the empty circles that were created between the punched pieces. I wrapped a ribbon around the panel, added a button and used Dimensionals to adhere the piece to a Whisper White card base.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Sweet Essentials
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black card stock; DSP Patterns Stack - Brights Collection
Ink: Jet Black StazOn
Accessories: Bitty Butterfly punch, rhinestones, Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Mono Multi liquid glue, Glue Dots

First off, if you notice any faint splotches on this white card base, please ignore them. I put the finished card too close to my stamp cleaning pad, and it was accidentally sprayed while someone was cleaning their stamps. Bummer. But on the positive side, a couple of people told me it just looked like confetti-type card stock.

I didn't use all the patterns in the DSP stack for this card; instead I punched one butterfly in each color from either the polka dot or stripe pattern. I also punched ten butterflies from Basic Black card stock, which, once I had an arrangement I liked, I adhered to the card base. I placed one Glue Dot in the center of each patterned butterfly and then adhered them to the Basic Black butterflies, slightly lower and to the right. I added rhinestones for the butterflies' bodies, gently pulled the wings up to add a little dimension and stamped the word "friends" in the lower right corner of the card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Walk with the animals

One of my favorite things about The Meadows Craft Retreat is the animals. The owners have a hobby farm with cows, chickens, pigs, goats and dogs. I love taking breaks from crafting to visit with the animals ... and of course take pictures.

Rusty was crazy about hunting the birds.

Buttons was very friendly and thought he was one of the dogs.

Blackie and Bubba, baby pygmy goats

Daisy is about fourteen years old and slow to get around. But she loved any attention.

The owners got two new calves just before we left on Sunday. They were about three and five days old.

There was a pine-cone wreath on the front porch with a robin's nest in it. I took a peak inside and found these
tiny baby birds. I think there are three of them.

Thanks for stopping by!

A cute souvenir ... three years late

In January 2010 I took a trip to San Diego with my friend Lisa. Our hotel was right on the beach, and we spent a lot of time strolling in the sand, collecting seashells and soaking up the sun. It was a fabulous break from the cold and snow of Minnesota. On one of our excursions about town we stopped at a needlework/knitting shop, and we each bought a kit to make a beaded cross-stitch flamingo magnet. Lisa started her project while we were still in San Diego, but I held on to mine.

When I was trying to decide what craft projects to bring on the retreat last weekend, I put that kit into my bag. By Friday night during the retreat I had already finished all the card sets I'd planned to make, plus a few extra cards, so on Saturday morning I decided to start the flamingo magnet. I didn't expect to complete the kit, but I had it all stitched and beaded shortly after dinner on Saturday night. (And as it happens, Lisa was also on the craft retreat, so it was fun to reminisce while I was stitching.) So in less than a day I had a cute little souvenir that I'd been holding on to for more than three years. Better late than never! But best of all, I actually finished all the projects I brought on the retreat -- I'll be sharing the rest of the cards I made later this week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Bright Blossoms cards

Earlier today I posted some of the flower pictures I took during our craft retreat last weekend. It seemed only fitting to follow that up with the three floral cards I made using the Stampin' Up!^® set Bright Blossoms.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Bright Blossoms
Card stock: Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, Real Red
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Lucky Limeade
Accessories: 1" square punch, Postage Stamp punch, Whimsy embossing folders (Lifestyle Crafts), Lucky Limeade baker's twine, Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Dimensionals

This clean, classic design is definitely a go-to layout for me. The stamped flowers fit perfectly in the 1" square punch, and I love the little extra detail provided by the embossed background panel.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Bright Blossoms
Card stock: Island Indigo, Whisper White
Ink: Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade
Accessories: 1" square punch, Postage Stamp punch, Island Indigo baker's twine, paper-piercing tool and mat, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack, Dimensionals

Well, I did tell you it was a go-to layout, didn't I? With this version I used the same flower image on all three of the punched squares and just changed the orientation of the image. For a little bit of texture, I pierced a scalloped border along the bottom edge of the card front.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Bright Blossoms, Petite Pairs
Card stock: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Island Indigo
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade
Accessories: 2-1/2" circle punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Whimsy embossing folders (Lifestyle Crafts), rhinestones, Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Mono Multi liquid glue

For the focal image I used markers to color parts of the stamps (the vases, flower stems and leaves) and then used one of the punches from the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack to make the flowers. (Incidentally, it is the one punch from the pack that I thought I probably wouldn't use very much. Hah! I use it all the time.) I added a flag for the greeting and adhered it with the focal image to an embossed background panel.

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