Simple card with Fresh Prints DSP

When you need to make a card but you're short on time, printed paper can be an fast, easy way to add color, patterns and images to your creation. And with double-sided paper, you can use just one of the prints or mix them together, like I did on this card:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Crumb Cake cardstock; Fresh Prints Designer Series paper (DSP) Stack
Ink: Real Red, Crumb Cake, Pool Party markers
Accessories: Scallop circle punch, Pool Party ruffled ribbon, pearls, Dimensionals

The Fresh Prints DSP Stack is 4-1/2" x 6-1/2", so half of one sheet (4-1/2" x 3-1/4") is the perfect size for the background of an A2-sized card. Better yet, while you're at it just make two cards of the same design and use the whole sheet of DSP. Then you'll have an extra card ready to go the next time you need one.

After I cut the sheet of DSP in half for this card, I cut a 1" strip off one side and flipped that piece over before adhering the DSP to a 4-3/4" x 3-1/2" piece of Crumb Cake cardstock. I covered up the seam in the DSP with a piece of Pool Party ruffled ribbon. (I remembered after the fact that the blue color in the DSP is actually Coastal Cabana, but Pool Party also coordinates beautifully.) I adhered the panel to a Real Red card base, added a pearl in each corner and adhered a stamped and punched greeting over the ribbon. To make this card perfect for any occasion, you could replace the birthday greeting with a fabric or punched flower, a large button, or another embellishment.

And that's all there is to it. If you would like to see more cards with this layout, check out my July 22, 2012, post titled "Christmas color flip." Thanks for stopping by!

Watercolor Wetlands

I was so pleased with the way my clean and simple Wetlands note cards turned out that I decided to be brave and try making a more colorful card with the Wetlands stamp set. Here is the result:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Wetlands, Hardwood
Paper: Soft Suede cardstock, watercolor paper
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Soft Suede, Soft Sky, Pool Party, Island Indigo, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Aqua Painter, linen thread, Season of Style washi tape, Glue Dots

I started by stamping the goose with StazOn ink on the watercolor paper. I also stamped the goose on a scratch piece of cardstock and cut out that image to use as a mask. I placed the mask over the first image and stamped the reeds several times on the watercolor paper.

To make the colored background, I dipped an Aqua Painter in various ink colors and "washed" them over the paper. I started with the lightest blue, Soft Sky, at the top of the panel and then blended in Pool Party and Island Indigo as I moved down. I used Always Artichoke for the ground along the bottom.

I wanted a casual feel to the card, so for the card base, I stamped the Hardwood background stamp in Soft Suede ink on Soft Suede cardstock. I wrapped a piece of linen thread around the card front three times, tied it in a knot and used washi tape to adhere the focal panel over the linen thread at an angle.

I think my watercolor skills need a bit more work, but all in all I'm happy with this card. Which do you like better: clean and simple or a little more color? Thanks for stopping by!

See Ya Later

One of the cute stamp sets available in the 2014 Sale-A-Bration (SAB) brochure from Stampin' Up! is called See Ya Later. I love the four mixed-font sentiments combined with the little matching images, and last weekend I made my first two cards with this stamp set.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: See Ya Later
Paper: Whisper White, Sahara Sand cardstock; Sweet Sorbet Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Summer Starfruit, Sahara Sand, Pool Party
Accessories: Decorative Dots embossing folder, Scallop Tag Topper punch, Summer Starfruit stitched satin ribbon, Pool Party ruffled ribbon, gold baker's twine, gold sequin trim, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

For this card I stamped the image once in Sahara Sand (with a Summer Starfruit sun) and once in Pool Party on Whisper White cardstock. I cut out the word "happy" from the Pool Party image and adhered it over the the Sahara Sand image. I used the Scallop Tag Topper punch to shape the top of the tag and added coordinating ribbon and baker's twine. At the bottom of the tag I adhered a piece of Summer Starfruit DSP and a piece of Pool Party ruffled ribbon.

For the background I embossed the card front with the Decorative Dots embossing folder and used Glue Dots to adhere gold sequins to a few of the dots.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: See Ya Later
Cardstock: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Early Espresso Core'dinations cardstock
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Chevron embossing folder, Ovals Collection Framelits dies, Occasions paper-piercing pack, paper-piercing tool and mat, Brights Candy Dots, Dimensionals, sanding tool

To make the focal panel, I first stamped the image in Early Espresso on Whisper White cardstock. Then I colored just the cake part of the stamp, stamped it on a separate piece of cardstock, cut it out and adhered it over the one in the original image. I used the Ovals Collection Framelits dies to cut out the image and pierced a border. (I pierced the oval from the back to add some texture to the front of the image.) I adhered the oval over a strip of Early Espresso Core-dinations cardstock that was embossed with chevrons and then lightly sanded. Three Bermuda Bay Candy Dots finish off the card.

Here's a quick embossing tip: The chevrons in the embossing folder run along the long side of the folder, so if I had tried to emboss a 5-1/2" strip of cardstock, the chevrons would have been going vertically on this card, which wasn't what I wanted. Instead, I embossed a strip that was just long enough to fit "sideways" in the embossing folder. After the cardstock was embossed, I cut it into two pieces, one smaller than the other, and adhered the smaller one at the top edge of the card and the larger piece at the bottom edge. The gap between the pieces is covered up with the focal image.

Thanks for stopping by!

Beyond the kit

Cardmaking kits are a great way to create quick and easy cards. But for me one of the best parts of a kit is that after I've created all the cards, I still have the stamp set to use over and over again. In fact, one of the reasons I bought both the Everyday Occasions and Hip Hip Hooray cardmaking kits from Stampin' Up! was because I loved the different sentiments in the stamp sets. (I actually haven't assembled the Hip Hip Hooray kit yet, but I posted the cards I made with the Everyday Occasions kit on Nov. 9, 2013.) Yesterday I used the birthday stamp from each set to create a couple of cards beyond the kits.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Occasions, Gorgeous Grunge
Paper: Whisper White, So Saffron, Primrose Petals, Raspberry Ripple cardstock; champagne glimmer paper
Ink: So Saffron, Primrose Petals, Raspberry Ripple, Soft Suede
Accessories: Deco Labels Framelits dies, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Banner punch, corner rounder, Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

I had a lot of fun designing this card layout to mimic the focal image: I rounded the top corners of the Primrose Petals card base, trimmed 1/4" off the bottom of the card front to add a scalloped Raspberry Ripple border, and added a So Saffron banner on either side of the focal image.

The mat of champagne glimmer paper behind the focal image adds a great sparkle to this card. After I die cut the label shape from the glimmer paper, I punched a circle out of the middle. Since it's behind the focal image, you can't see the hole, and I saved that circle piece to use on another card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Hip Hip Hooray
Paper: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise cardstock; Designer Series Paper (DSP) Patterns Stack - Brights
Ink: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive
Accessories: Chalk Talk Framelits dies, Real Red striped grosgrain ribbon, white baker's twine, Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Dimensionals

As I did with the previous card, I used markers to apply ink directly on the stamp to create the multicolored image. After I stamped the image on Whisper White cardstock, I was excited to realize that it fit perfectly in one of the tag shapes from the set of Chalk Talk Framelits dies. At the top of the tag I added a bit of striped ribbon secured with a piece of white baker's twine.

For the background of this card I used three pieces of DSP that coordinated with the colors of the stamped image. I used the polka dot print in Old Olive and Real Red, and to repeat the stripes in the tag, I used a stripe print in Tempting Turquoise. I adhered the tag to the card with Dimensionals and added a silver brad with a star in the lower right corner.

I think these cards turned out really cute, if I do say so myself. Thanks for stopping by!

Best of Flowers

I had a work-free day on Monday thanks to Presidents Day, and I spent it reading, playing games on my Kindle and, of course, card-making. I actually had one of the best stamping days I've had in quite a while. I had a goal in mind -- I wanted to make a card using each of the images in the Best of Flowers set -- but I didn't worry about using the newest products or the latest trends or techniques. I just plugged along making cards that were "me." And I was really pleased with the results.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Best of Flowers, Yippee-Skippee!
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Gumball Green Core-dinations cardstock; Designer Series Paper (DSP) Patterns Stack - Brights
Ink: Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, Gumball Green
Accessories: Deco Labels Framelits dies, Neutrals Candy Dots, rhinestones, Gumball Green stitched satin ribbon, Dimensionals

For this happy card, I used Daffodil Delight and Gumball Green markers to make the two-color flower image. The narrow stems were a little tricky to work with, but I found that using the thinner tip of the marker worked well. I cut out the image with one of the Deco Labels Framelits dies, stamped the sentiment in Basic Gray and then matted it with another Deco Label shape. I adhered a piece of Daffodil Delight DSP to the bottom two-thirds of the card base, added a strip of ribbon along the top and adhered the focal image over the ribbon with Dimensionals. A few rhinestones and Candy Dots finish off the card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Best of Flowers
Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Poppy Parade, Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Poppy Parade, Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Crushed Curry
Accessories: Decorative Dots embossing folder, 1-1/4" scallop circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, Blender Pen, white baker's twine, gold card, Dimensionals

I love these bright colors, which make me momentarily forget all the cold, snow and ice outside. To make the flowers I used a Blender Pen to apply the initial layer of color. For each color, I opened the ink pad, scribbled a bit of color from the coordinating marker on the inside of the lid and picked up the color with a Blender Pen. I then used the marker to color on the flower and add some darker accents.

I punched out the flowers with a scallop circle punch and adhered them to coordinated circles of cardstock with Dimensionals. Then I punched three of the same size circles in the card front and glued the colored circles to the inside of the card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Best of Flowers, Stipple Hydrangea
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Almost Amethyst, Vintage Violet
Ink: Almost Amethyst, Vintage Violet, Old Olive
Accessories: Chevron embossing folder, stitched Vintage Violet ribbon, pearls, corner rounder, Dimensionals

For this card I combined the hydrangea image from the Best of Flowers set -- the smaller image stamped on the background -- with the original version of the image from several years ago -- the large focal image. I also stamped the smaller image inside the card with the sentiment.

To make the color variation in the flowers, I first inked the stamp with Almost Amethyst ink. Then I lightly touched the Vintage Violet ink pad to the stamp in a few random places.

I cut out the flower by hand and used Dimensionals to adhere it to the Chevron-embossed panel.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Best of Flowers, Simply Sketched
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Baked Brown Sugar
Ink: Bordering Blue, Baked Brown Sugar (pad and marker)
Accessories: Vintage Trinkets, Victoria crochet trim, Mocha pearls (Close to My Heart), color spritzer tool, Dimensionals

I went for a vintage style with this card by stamping the bouquet image repeatedly on the background panel so it created the look of toile. I also spritzed the background with a touch of Baked Brown Sugar and sponged the edges with Bordering Blue. I embellished the card with a touch of crochet trim, a button-shaped brad and three pearls.

I'm putting together a collection of birthday cards to give to my grandma, and I'm planning to add these to the bunch. I can't wait to give them to her!




Thanks for stopping by!

Flowers and stripes

If you follow my blog, you may know that I love to make sets of cards to give as gifts (click on the "card sets" category on the right if you want to check out some of them). The packages of pre-cut and -scored note cards and envelopes from Stampin' Up! are the perfect starting point for making card sets. Yesterday I shared a set of cards made with the Wetlands stamp set, and today I'm going to share a set made with the new Petite Petals set.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Dictionary, Petite Petals
Paper: Whisper White note cards and envelopes, Whisper White cardstock, Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper (DSP) stack
Ink: Coastal Cabana, Real Red, Crumb Cake (pad and marker)
Accessories: Petite Petals punch, Banner punch, corner rounder, Neutrals Candy Dots, Dimensionals

I love the playful combination of polka dot flowers and stripes on this card; I made six cards of this design for the set. I even decided to make the envelopes a little more fun by adding a stamped flower in the corner and a doodled border around the edge.

To make the pennants on the card, I used the Banner punch from the Sale-A-Bration brochure. The punch creates small pennant shapes that you can combine to make mini banners. But you also can use the punch to create longer pennants. Take a strip of paper that is narrower than the punched shape -- I used strips of DSP that were 1/2" wide -- insert the strip through the bottom of the punch and punch off the end. Then trim the pennant to whatever length you need.

Thanks for stopping by!

Wetlands with a touch of color

Ever since last summer I've had my eye on the Wetlands stamp set in the Stampin' Up! catalog. I immediately loved the sayings and images, especially the Canada goose, but I wasn't sure how much I would use it. Well, I've seen so many beautiful cards made with the set that I finally caved and bought it on my last order.

Most of the samples I've seen made with Wetlands have been beautifully colored or sponged (seriously, just Google "Stampin' Up! Wetlands"). But adding color is sometimes intimidating to me because it never seems to look as good on paper as it does in my head. So I decided to go a different direction and make a set of very clean and simple, one-layer cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Wetlands
Cardstock: Whisper White note cards and envelopes, scratch piece of 3" x 4-1/2" cardstock
Ink: Soft Suede (marker and pad), Old Olive, Crushed Curry, Pool Party
Accessories: Sponges and/or cotton swabs

For each card I stamped the image in the lower left corner with Soft Suede ink. I wanted to accent one part of each image with a touch of color, so I first tried using a sponge to apply the colored ink. That worked well for the water in the image with the birds, but it wasn't as detailed as I wanted for the other images. For those -- and for the shadows in the water image -- I tapped the end of a cotton swab on the colored ink pad and then rubbed it on the card. That gave me a lot more control over where I was adding the color.

When I was done with each image, I stamped the sentiment with Soft Suede ink. To add the border, I cut a piece of scratch cardstock to 3" x 4-1/2", placed it in the middle of the card and used a Soft Suede marker to carefully trace around the cardstock. Note: Go slowly near the corners so your marker doesn't slip.

For the full card set, I made two cards with each image and switched the sentiments (e.g., the second goose card says "Thinking of you"). To package the set, I placed the cards and envelopes in a cellophane bag, folded the top of the bag down to the back and then tied it closed with a piece of gold baker's twine.

I really like the way this simple card set turned out, and I'm glad I finally bought this stamp set. Thanks for stopping by!

Using a grid template to align punched shapes

When I finished making the sewing-themed note cards last week, I had lots of scraps of patterned paper left over. Rather than just recycle them, I decided to punch out hearts galore and make some simple all-occasion cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Cool Caribbean long notes, 6" x 6" Collectable "Unforgettable" paper pad (My Mind's Eye)
Accessories: Small Heart punch, Dimensionals, rhinestones, Mono Multi liquid glue

I made a few different versions of this card using different pattern assortments and arrangements; for one of the cards I used just three prints and aligned them in diagonal stripes. To make it easier to line up the hearts, I made a simple template with graph paper. It's easy to do, and here's how:

Step 1: Cut a piece of 1/4"-grid graph paper to the same size as your card base.

Step 2: Determine where and how far apart you want the shapes to be placed on your card. Mark the corresponding places on the intersecting lines on the graph paper.

Step 3: Using a paper-piercing tool, poke holes through the points you marked in Step 2.

Step 4: Place the pierced graph paper over your card base and mark the placement of the holes on the card. A felt-tip pen or fine-point marker works well for this. You can mark all the holes or just selected ones, such as those of one vertical or horizontal line.

Step 5: Adhere the punched shapes over the dots marked on the card. You also could use the dots as a guide for placing ribbon or strips of paper.

Step 6: Embellish your card as desired.

Thanks for stopping by!

A little touch of spring

This winter is beginning to grate on my nerves. Wait, scratch that. It's been on my nerves for nearly two months already. The cold. The snow. The wind. I've worn my snowpants more times these last six weeks than I have the past two winters combined. Enough already.

Sadly, there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. I mean, logically I know it will end. Eventually. But at this point it won't be soon enough. So yesterday I decided to create my own little touch of spring with a flowery card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Hardwood
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Crisp Cantaloupe, Calypso Coral, Old Olive, Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, vellum
Ink: Whisper White craft, Calypso Coral, Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant
Accessories: Secret Garden Framelits dies; punches: Pansy, Petite Petals, Elegant Butterfly, Bitty Butterfly, Itty Bitty Shapes pack; gold sequin trim; gold baker's twine; pearls; sponges; Dimensionals; Glue Dots; Mono Multi liquid glue

This card just makes me happy, and I really enjoyed making it. I started with the new Hardwood background stamped in Whisper White craft ink on Crumb Cake cardstock, and I love the subtle visual interest it adds.

To make the large flowers, I layered together shapes from the Pansy punch (Crisp Cantaloupe), Petite Petals punch (Calypso Coral) and the mini scalloped circle from the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack (Calypso Coral). I curled the petals of each punched shape and sponged the edges with Calypso Coral ink before gluing them together, and then I added a pearl in the center.

For the small flowers I used the Petite Petals punch (Wisteria Wonder) and the mini scalloped circle punch (Elegant Eggplant). I shaped the petals and inked them with Elegant Eggplant ink and added a gold sequin in the center.

To finish my scene I added some greenery, a couple of butterflies and a sprinkling of gold sequins. I tied a piece of gold baker's twine around the left side of the panel and then used Dimensionals to adhere it to a Crumb Cake card base.

Now when I'm feeling desperate for spring, I can just sit back and look at this card. Thanks for stopping by!

My funny valentines

On Friday I saw a brief story on the morning news that our local Meals on Wheels organization was collecting homemade Valentine's Day cards to deliver to senior citizens along with their meals. That was a project right up my alley, so over the weekend I decided to make some simple, lighthearted valentines. (I didn't have any time to dilly-dally because the deadline was in just a few days. No pressure!) I love corny valentine puns, and I went all out for these cards. I hope they make the recipients smile!

Note: In each picture the card front is on the left, and the inside is on the right. Because there are quite a few pictures, I'm just going to list the supplies for each card. If you have any questions, leave me a comment and I will respond as soon as I can.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Cattitude (Raisin Boat)
Cardstock: Sour Apple bib cards, white and Pink Lemonade bib overlays (The Paper Cut); Whisper White; Pink Pirouette; silver glimmer paper
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Smoky Slate, Basic Black, Pink Pirouette, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Decorative Dots embossing folder, 1-3/4" circle punch, Heart to Heart punch, crochet thread (DMC), Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Grandma's Kitchen (Raisin Boat)
Cardstock: Espresso bib cards, cream bib overlays (The Paper Cut); Very Vanilla; Real Red
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Real Red, So Saffron, Early Espresso
Accessories: Modern Mosaic embossing folder, 1-3/4" circle punch, Heart to Heart punch, Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Bumble bee incentive stamp
Cardstock: Black bib cards, white bib overlays (The Paper Cut); Whisper White; Crushed Curry; silver glimmer paper
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Crushed Curry
Accessories: Honeycomb embossing folder, 1-3/4" circle punch, Small Heart punch, silver 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Into the Woods (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip textured, Real Red, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, white scalloped oval (The Paper Cut)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Real Red, white gel pen
Accessories: Real Red polka dot ribbon, Heart to Heart punch, corner rounder, Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Gnome Sweet Gnome (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip textured, Real Red, Whisper White, white scalloped oval (The Paper Cut)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Real Red, Blush Blossom, Sahara Sand, Marina Mist, Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Night of Navy
Accessories: Marina Mist scalloped polka dot ribbon, Real Red 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Small Heart punch, corner rounder, Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Ruff Day
Cardstock: Real Red textured and smooth, Whisper White, white scalloped oval (The Paper Cut)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Real Red, Basic Gray, Soft Suede, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Soft Suede polka dot ribbon, Owl Builder punch, Heart to Heart punch, Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Good Fortune (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Real Red textured and smooth, Whisper White, silver glimmer paper
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Real Red, Smoky Slate, So Saffron, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Small Heart punch, corner rounder, Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue





Which one is your favorite? Thanks for stopping by!

Better late than never

I love to send birthday cards to my friends and family, and I do my best to get them mailed on time. But there are those times when life seems to get in the way, and I end up mailing cards late. Last month I needed a belated birthday card for one of my cousins, and this is what I created:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Off to Party (Raisin Boat)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pacific Point, Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, Smoky Slate, Soft Sky, red glimmer paper
Ink: Pacific Point, Smoky Slate, Gumball Green, Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Accessories: Cloudy Day embossing folder, 1-3/4" circle punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, linen thread, Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue

I love the detail of the customizable license plate on this car - so cute! I stamped the car in Pacific Point and cut it out, including the windshield. I stamped the bottom part of the car again in Smoky Slate and Tuxedo Black, cut out the fender and tires, and glued them on the blue car. For the headlights I punched out small circles of red glimmer paper. Finally I stamped, colored and cut out the presents and adhered them to the back of the car so you can peak at them through the windshield.

To create the background scene, I embossed clouds on a piece of Soft Sky cardstock and added a half circle at the top of the panel for the sun. I cut out a hill and a road, adhered them to the card base and added the car with Dimensionals. A piece of linen thread makes a quick, simple embellishment.

Thanks for stopping by!

'Sew cute' card set

A few weeks ago I picked up an exclusive sewing-themed card kit at Archiver's (so sad that they are closing!). The kit included Tim Holtz stamps and all the supplies to make eight 3" x 3" cards and coordinating envelopes. The sample cards were definitely cute, but I wanted to make them a little larger so they could be mailed. Here are the cards I created:

Supplies:
Archiver's exclusive "Sew" Cute card kit: Tim Holtz sewing blueprint stamps, 6" x 6" My Mind's Eye Collectable "Unforgettable" paper pad, black and off-white cardstock, American Crafts yellow string, Mark Richards 3 mm teal nailhead stickers
Other supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted): Tuxedo Black ink pad (Memento), Crumb Cake cardstock and note card envelopes, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue

The complete set includes two of each of these cards, which are 3-1/2" x 5". For each card I kept the same combination of stamped image and patterned papers that were in the kit samples; I just changed the size of the background paper to 3" x 4-1/2". I inked the edges of the card base and the patterned papers and added a few simple accents and embellishments to finish the cards.

Because I made the cards larger than the kit instructions, the 6" x 6" patterned papers weren't large enough to make matching envelopes. I liked the idea of the coordinating envelopes, though, so instead I used the patterned papers to cover the flaps of Stampin' Up!'s note card envelopes. I just traced the flap on the paper, cut it out, adhered the paper to the flap with liquid glue and then trimmed the edges as needed.

Thanks for stopping by!

A whale of a baby card

Baby cards are always so much fun to make. They're cute and sweet and make you go "Awwwww." I don't have too many opportunities to make baby cards, so I enjoyed sitting down to create one yesterday for a cousin's baptism.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Stacks of Wishes, Sweet Essentials
Cardstock: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Marina Mist, Real Red, Basic Black
Ink: Marina Mist
Accessories: Cloudy Day and Woodgrain embossing folders, Happy Whale Clearlits die, corner rounder, Marina Mist dotted scallop ribbon, white baker's twine, Designer Buttons - Playground, wave scissors (Provo Craft), 1/16" hole punch, Glue Dots, Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

Makes you say, "Awwwwww," right? (Well, that's what I think, but I may be partial.) I started with a Marina Mist card base and added a layer of Whisper White embossed with clouds at the top of the card. Using the Happy Whale Clearlits die, which includes whale, water splashes, heart, anchor and fish shapes, I cut the whale out of Marina Mist cardstock and the heart out of Real Red. I adhered them near the middle of the card and added a 1/16" Basic Black circle for the whale's eye.

For the water, I embossed a piece of Bashful Blue cardstock with the Woodgrain embossing folder and cut along the top edge with a wavy scissors. I wrapped a piece of Marina Mist ribbon around the bottom of the Bashful Blue cardstock and used Dimensionals to adhere it to the card base. For another pop of red I added a button, with a little flag, to the ribbon.

Inside the card I added a layer of Whisper White cardstock stamped with "hello, baby." I had a few die-cut shapes left over from cutting out the whale, so I glued the two anchors in the bottom right corner. I really like how that carries over the theme from the front of the card and adds another touch of color.



Thanks for stopping by!