Valentine flower

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Grateful Greetings
Paper: Crumb Cake cardstock; Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Fun Flowers die, small heart punch, Sending Love epoxy brads, corner rounder, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

I generally like to make valentines that are cute and festive but not "mushy." For this simple card, which is sized to fit in a Stampin' Up! note card envelope, I made the focal image a large layered flower. I used two prints from the Sending Love Specialty DSP to die cut the flower shapes, snipped between the petals of the smallest flower and attached them together with a coordinating brad. I added a strip of DSP and a punched heart near the bottom of the card and then used Dimensionals to adhere the flower to the card. I stamped the sentiment, rounded the two bottom corners, and that's it!

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Sweet lollipops

A couple of weeks ago I was at the craft store and came across some packs of Pixies sticks from Doodlebug designs. They looked like coffee stirrers but in many different colors. I was intrigued and waiting in line to check out (impulse-purchase alert!) so I decided to buy a package. I chose the brown color because I thought they would make cute tree trunks or lollipop sticks on cards. Since I have candy on the brain with Valentine's Day approaching (OK, let's face it, I always have candy on the brain), I decided to start with a lollipop card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Central Park (Raisin Boat), Storybook Friends
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Ink: Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding
Accessories: Decorative Dots embossing folder, white organdy ribbon (unknown), Pixies sticks - bon bon (Doodlebug Design Inc.), Glue Dots, Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals, 1/8" Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal)

I stamped the lollipop image three times and cut them out. I cut the sticks in half and used liquid glue to adhere a stick to the back of each lollipop. While those were drying, I embossed the card base with some fun polka dots and stamped the "so sweet" banner. When the lollipops were ready, I tied a ribbon around one of the sticks and adhered them to the card base: I used a few Dimensionals placed on the back of each lollipop (around the stick) and a small piece of 1/8" Scor-Tape on the bottom end of the stick. To adhere the banner to the middle lollipop, I placed three Glue Dots on the back of the banner, adhered the middle Glue Dot to the stick and the Glue Dots on each end to the card base.

I think this would be adorable as a valentine or even a little girl's birthday card, depending on what you stamp or write inside the card. Or you could change the "so sweet" banner to say "Happy Valentine's Day" or "Happy birthday."

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Kids animal valentines

Every year I like to give a little Valentine's Day treat and handmade card to the toddlers in my class. This February we will be having a zoo theme in our room, so I thought the perfect valentine combo was a little box of animal crackers -- you know the circus-looking boxes with the string handles -- with an animal-themed tag. (Yes, I realize that 1-1/2 year-old children won't make the connection to our zoo theme at all, and their parents probably won't, either, for that matter. But it makes my little heart happy when things work out that way.) And the perfect stamp set to use for the tags was Tree's Company from Raisin Boat.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Tree's Company (Raisin Boat)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Real Red, Pool Party, Strawberry Slush
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Real Red, Pool Party, Strawberry Slush, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Sahara Sand, Crushed Curry, Wisteria Wonder
Accessories: Corner rounder, 1/16" hole punch, white crochet thread (DMC), Dimensionals

I think they turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself. I stamped and colored the tree/branch and heart "leaves" for each card on a 2-3/4" square piece of Whisper White cardstock. I rounded the corners and mounted each white piece on a 3" x 3" piece of colored cardstock. I stamped the animals on another piece of Whisper White cardstock, colored them, cut them out and adhered them to the tags with Dimensionals. Then I stamped the sentiment on each tag, punched a hole in the corner and tied on a piece of crochet thread. I wrote "Happy Valentine's Day" and my name on the back of each tag, and when it's time to pass out the treats, I'll just tape the crochet thread to the box of animal crackers.

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Simple valentine with banner

I love the Banner Blast stamp set and the coordinating Banner punch from the upcoming Stampin' Up! Sale-A-Bration catalog. I combined those two products with a pack of Designer Series Paper (DSP), some linen thread and a few pearls to make a super simple but very cute valentine.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Banner Blast
Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla cardstock; Candy Lane DSP
Ink: Riding Hood Red
Accessories: Linen thread, Banner punch, pearls, Glue Dots

This card is about 4-3/4" x 3-1/4", just the right size to fit in Stampin' Up!'s note card envelopes. Of course you could easily use this layout for a larger or smaller card by simply adjusting the length of the banner.

I stamped and punched out the "love" image and then punched out five more banner pieces from a pack of DSP. (Or you could eliminate the stamped image and just use DSP banner pieces.) To assemble the banner, I first tied a knot at one end of a piece of linen thread and then stretched out the thread along my work surface. I adhered a Glue Dot on the back of each banner piece (near the top) and stuck them on the linen thread, spacing them about 1/8" apart. I tied a knot and trimmed the other end of the linen thread and then flipped over the banner. I placed another Glue Dot on top of each one already on the banner pieces, so the linen thread was sandwiched between the Glue Dots. I adhered the banner to the Crumb Cake card base, added a few pearls and that's it! A quick and easy design you could use for almost any occasion by changing the stamped image and DSP -- and it's a great way to use up those little scraps of DSP that you just can't bear to throw out.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pristine snow

We received a few inches of fresh fluffy snow overnight, and when I went out to shovel this morning I couldn't resist snapping a picture of the pristine snow in the yard, while it is still perfectly white, sparkling in the sun and unmarred by any tracks.

Beautiful, isn't it? It really was sparkling, although that didn't come through in the picture. I do my fair share of grumbling about the snow and all the hassles it causes, but it does create such a feeling of peace.

I have been feeling not-so-peaceful this week while fighting a nasty cold. My head has finally cleared some, but I still fill a bit like a few of the Seven Dwarfs -- namely Sneezy, Sleepy and their long-lost cousin Sniffly. I hope to get some crafty projects done this weekend so I will have more cards to share with you soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

Simply Scrappin' Kit cards

If you're anything like me, you have a hard time passing by a scrapbooking or cardmaking kit. It's so nice to have several coordinating products gathered together and ready to go. Of course once you buy a kit there's the small matter of actually creating something so it doesn't just sit around collecting dust. I have several old Simply Scrappin' Kits from Stampin' Up! that have been doing just that, so I decided to use one of the kits to create two card sets.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Cardstock: Whisper White (for inside the cards)
Accessories: Bandstand Simply Scrappin' Kit, Whisper White baker's twine, Cherry Cobbler baker's twine, rhinestones, Candy Dots - Subtles, clear buttons, Designer Buttons - Playground, Pansy punch, small heart punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Envelope Punch Board, cellophane bag, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

The cards are 3" x 4", so they are perfect to tuck in a gift bag or basket or to leave a little note on a desk or in a backpack or lunch bag. I made two of each card pictured and eight of each envelope and divided them into two sets of cards.

This Simply Scrappin' Kit  kit included eight sheets of 12" x 12" cardstock (two sheets each of Old Olive, Pool Party, Cherry Cobbler and So Saffron), six 12" x 12" sheets of Designer Series Paper (DSP; three sheets each of two double-sided prints) and six 6" x 12" sheets of heavyweight stickers (two sheets each of three different designs). To make the cards and envelopes I used one sheet of each color cardstock, two sheets of each style of DSP and about half the stickers.

From each piece of cardstock I cut four 4" x 6" pieces for the cards; that left one 6" x 8" piece of each color to use for punching shapes and making bag toppers (see below). I decorated the cards with primarily the stickers, but I added a few embellishments, including buttons, baker's twine and rhinestones. The only cardstock I used that wasn't included in the kit was a piece of Whisper White layered inside each card.

For the envelopes I cut each piece of DSP into four 6" x 6" pieces (sixteen pieces total), and I used the Envelope Punch Board to make each piece into an envelope. On the front of each envelope I added a label from the sticker sheets so there was a space to write the recipient's name. Since the cards are too small to be mailed, I didn't worry about adding any kind of closure to the flaps.

To package each card set, I placed the eight cards and envelopes in a 6" x 8" cellophane bag. (I arranged them so the envelopes are in the middle and half the cards are on either side of the envelopes. That way you can see a pretty card in the front and the back of the bag.) I trimmed a couple of inches off the top of the bag and then placed a piece of folded cardstock over the top. I stapled the topper closed and used a few stickers to cover the staples and embellish the topper.

That's two card sets done and ready to give. And I still have kit materials left: one sheet of each color cardstock, two sheets of DSP and plenty of stickers -- enough to make one more set of cards like these or a few larger A2 cards. Thanks for stopping by!

Word bubbles and washi tape

I'm back today with a few more word-bubble cards, this time combined with washi tape.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Just Sayin'
Paper: Whisper White, So Saffron cardstock; champagne glimmer paper
Ink: Baked Brown Sugar
Accessories: Word Bubbles Framelits dies, Retro Fresh washi tape, Bird Builder punch, Merry Minis punch pack, corner rounder, Whisper White baker's twine, Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

When I sat down to make this card I knew I wanted to use the "You're how old?" sentiment from the Just Sayin' set with a collection of birthday candles. The Retro Fresh striped washi tape was perfect for the candles, so I adhered six strips of different lengths along the front of a Whisper White card base. For the candle flames, I punched the wing shape from the Bird Builder punch out of So Saffron cardstock, and to add a little sparkle I used the ornament punch from the Merry Minis punch pack with champagne glimmer paper. I trimmed off the tops of the ornaments and adhered them in the middle of the So Saffron shapes. I wrapped a piece of baker's twine around the card front and used Dimensionals to adhere the die-cut sentiment over the knot in the twine. I really liked how this card turned out, so I decided to a similar kid's birthday card:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes
Paper: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight cardstock; silver glimmer paper
Ink: Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Word Bubbles Framelits dies, Ditto Dots washi tape (Doodlebug Design Inc.), Bird Builder punch, Merry Minis punch pack, 1/8" silver ribbon, Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

For this version I changed the washi tape and then switched the colors of the flames to better coordinate with the candles. I stamped the sentiment on Whisper White cardstock and cut it out with one of the Word Bubbles Framelits dies. Then I trimmed off the "tail" of the die-cut and used Dimensionals to adhere it over the ribbon.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Just Sayin'
Cardstock: Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black, Bermuda Bay, Pool Party
Ink: Jet Black StazOn
Accessories: Owls washi tape (Sandy Lion), Word Bubbles Framelits dies, Owl Builder punch, 2-1/2" circle punch, corner rounder, 1/8" Bermuda Bay taffeta ribbon, Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue

The starting point for this card was the washi tape, which I received way back in October as a birthday gift but hadn't used yet. I chose a couple of coordinating colors -- Bermuda Bay and Pool Party -- to make the punched owl and then adhered him to a Basic Black circle on a layer of Whisper White cardstock. I stamped and die-cut a sentiment from the Just Sayin' set and then cut out a second word bubble from Bermuda Bay to use as shadow. The completed panel is adhered to a Real Red card base. I'm not completely satisfied with this layout, but overall I think it's a cute card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Wacky word bubbles

When I first saw the 2014 Occasions Catalog from Stampin' Up!, I was most excited about the Word Bubbles Framelits dies. I've looked at --and almost bought -- similar dies from other companies, so I was happy that I could finally get them from Stampin' Up! There is also a coordinating stamp set available, called Just Sayin' (and I bought that, too), but I love that you can use the Framelits dies to put any sentiment into a speech or thought bubble. I went to work this weekend using the Word Bubbles Framelits dies with a few of the sentiments in the Yippee-Skippee! stamp set to make a few lighthearted cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Yippee-Skippee!, Storybook Friends
Cardstock: Pool Party, Gumball Green, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Guball Green, Crushed Curry, Basic Black marker
Accessories: Word Bubbles Framelits dies, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Owl Builder punch (for the heart), corner rounder, Dimensionals

This duck from the Storybook Friends set has always looked to me as if he were yelling, or maybe quacking very emphatically. He was a perfect candidate for a speech bubble, but what would he be yelling about? I honed in on this "I freakin' love you!" sentiment, and for some reason it seemed perfect. I stamped and colored in the sentiment, die cut it and drew the border around the speech bubble by hand. I'm not exactly sure what it is about this card, but it quacks -- er, cracks -- me up. I think it would be a fun valentine for someone with a quirky sense of humor.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Yippee-Skippee!, Storybook Friends
Cardstock: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Wild Wasabi
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Soft Suede, Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Word Bubbles Framelits dies, 1-3/4" circle punch, Circles Collection Framelits dies, Word Window punch, Decorative Dots embossing folder, Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

I've used this puppy and sentiment together before, but they make such a great pair for a children's birthday card that I wanted to try it again. This time, though, I created a spinner card. (For directions on how to make a spinner card, see the "Spinning hamster" post.) I love this excited little puppy spinning head over tail, and it makes the sentiment seem even more appropriate.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Big Bold Birthday, Yippee-Skippee!
Cardstock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Word Bubbles Framelits dies, Brights Candy Dots, 1/8" Bermuda Bay taffeta ribbon, Simply Scored Tool, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

For this clean and simple birthday card, I decided to split the sentiment into two speech bubbles. For the first part of the sentiment, I wanted to flip the word bubble, so I die cut the shape, flipped it over and used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp "Carbs, schmarbs!" in the center. For the second word bubble, I stamped "Eat the cake" on the cardstock first and then cut it out. I wanted to shorten the length of that word bubble, so I placed the right edge of the Framelits die closer to the words, ran it through the Big Shot and then hand trimmed the left edge, using a scrap die-cut shape as a guide to get the corners even. Then, of course, I needed to add some cake, so I stamped and cut out a simple cupcake and used a few Candy Dots as sprinkles.

I still have a few other ideas for these Word Bubbles Framelits dies, and I hope I'll have a chance to try them out soon. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy new year!

It's a few days late, but all the citizens of Snowburg want to extend their warmest wishes for a very happy new year! It's been a busy holiday season in Snowburg; the village has expanded with the addition of a bakery, a Christmas tree lot, an improved ice skating pond and a Christmas tree in the town square. Santa even made a stop on the cottage roof. Here are a few photos:

Thanks for stopping by!