Wish big on your birthday

We've been stuck in a patch of rainy weather this week. I don't mind the rain at all, especially when it means I don't have to water the garden. Unfortunately, we don't have the garden planted yet. Ugh. So this morning in the very overcast but (for the moment) dry weather, my sister planted the flowers in the little garden by the alley, while I focused on pulling weeds (and weeds and weeds) in the vegetable garden. We had just finished one round of tilling when the rain started again. Sigh. Guess we'll be out again tomorrow. Once everything is planted I'll post a few pictures, but for now I hope you enjoy this birthday card:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Bring on the Cake
Paper: Basic Gray, Very Vanilla card stock; This and That Epic Day Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Basic Gray
Accessories: Silver library clip, twine (unknown), Banner punch, foam dots (unknown), 1/8" Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal), Rose GOld Deco Foil (ThermoWeb), sponge, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack, paper-piercing tool and mat

I like this "wish big" image -- I think it works well for masculine cards -- but it can be a challenge for me to figure out how to use it. For this layout I started with three pieces of patterned paper, all from the This and That Epic Day pack.  I used a different width for each piece and adhered them on the Basic Gray card base so they covered the card from top to bottom but left a strip of the gray card stock showing on each side.

To add a horizontal element, I pierced two rows of holes along the bottom of the card front. Just above the piercing I added a strip of 1/8" Scor-Tape and covered it with Deco Foil for a little shine and contrast to the weathered look of the paper.

For the focal point I stamped the image in Basic Gray on Very Vanilla card stock and then sponged the edges of the card stock. I punched a small banner shape from another piece of DSP and then cut and un-twisted a small piece of twine. Using a library clip I attached the banner to the back of the focal panel and the twine to the front. I used thick foam dots to attach the panel to the card at an angle.

I don't know about you, but I'm wishing for a dry day tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!

Four square birthday balloons

Yesterday I was on a mission. I wanted to enter the card-making contest for the upcoming Rubber Stamp Events show, so I needed to make two cards that fit the theme "Hollywood Glitz." I am not a glitzy person at all, in real life or in card-making, so it was a challenge. But I stayed (mostly) focused and came up with two cards I really like. I want to share them, but I think I should wait until after the show. So, stay tuned for those in a couple of weeks -- sorry for the teaser! Instead here's a bright (non-glitzy!) birthday card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Birthday Bundle, All Shook Up (both Paper Pumpkin sets)
Paper: 110-lb white card stock (Recollections), Whisper White card stock, Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper (DSP) Stack
Ink: Real Red, Coastal Cabana, Crumb Cake, Signo white gel pen
Accessories: Red and white twine (Target), Large Stitched Rectangle Stackables Lawn Cuts dies (Lawn Fawn), Dimensionals

This is a fun layout that be used for any occasion just by changing the DSP, colors and/or image. Think leaves for fall, Halloween pumpkins, snowflakes for winter or bright spring flowers. And it would be even easier if you used punched or die-cut shapes instead of stamping and cutting, which I did for the balloons.

For this card I wanted a lively, gender-neutral pattern for the DSP. And the colors here -- Real Red, Coastal Cabana and Crumb Cake -- are festive without being either too girly or too masculine. To add a little interest to the background, I die cut the DSP with a stitched rectangle die before adhering it to a heavy white card base. I stamped a smaller background image on four Whisper White card stock squares, added coordinating balloons with Dimensionals and arranged them on the card. For a little embellishment I added a simple pieced of knotted twine.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sketch a Party framed cake

I'm back today with another quick birthday card to share:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Sketch a Party, All about Everything
Paper: Mint Macaron, Crumb Cake, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Mint Macaron, Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Calypso Coral, Basic Gray
Accessories: Nesting Squares Rounded Quick Kutz dies (We R Memory Keepers), Arrows embossing folder, 1/8" Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal), rose gold Deco Foil transfer sheets (Therm-o-Web), Dimensionals

This card started with the Crumb Cake frame, which I found in one of my scrap envelopes. (I keep my card stock in hanging file folders, and each color has an envelope where I store the small pieces and strips that I use for layers, punches and accents.) I stamped the frame with confetti images from the oldie-but-goodie set Sketch a Party and then added two stripes of rose gold Deco Foil for a little shine.

For the focal image I cut a piece of white card stock that would fit behind the frame and then stamped the cake and sentiment. It was a happy accident, but I like how the lines around "celebrate" echo the lines coming out of the candle.

To add some texture to the card I embossed a Mint Macaron card base with the Arrows embossing folder. Then I attached the focal panel to the card with Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

Better late than never for Botanicals for You

I intended to write this blog post last night and then completely forgot about it until this morning. But better late than never, right? Actually, that sentiment also could apply to the card I'm going to share. I got the Botanicals for You stamp set during Sale-A-Bration, probably about three months ago, but I hadn't used it until I made this card recently:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Botanicals for You
Paper: 110-lb white card stock (Recollections)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Watermelon Wonder, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Cucumber Crush
Accessories: Pearls, Wink of Stella clear glitter brush pen, corner rounder, Dimensionals

I should have put this stamp set to use sooner. The large, bold sentiment and various flower and leaf images make it so easy to create a quick clean and simple card perfect for any number of occasions.

For this card I stamped the large sentiment in the center of the card using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. Then I stamped a few flower groupings using a different color for each size of flower (small - Pumpkin Pie, medium - Daffodil Delight, large - Real Red). I added the greenery images and placed a pearl in the center of one flower in each grouping. I also painted some of the flowers with a Wink of Stella clear glitter brush pen, although it's hard to see in the picture.

I stamped the second, smaller part of the sentiment on a separate strip of white card stock. (I chose "on your special day" because this was a birthday card, but I love that you can choose several different options or even just omit the second part of the sentiment.) I trimmed the left side into banner points and adhered it to the card front with Dimensionals, making sure the right edge was aligned with the right side of the card. For one final touch I rounded the upper right corner of the card. And that's it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Upcycled Mother's Day card

For Valentine's Day my parents gave me a pretty card with lots of flowers, a little sparkle, and beautiful colors. I didn't want to just toss it in the recycling bin, but I'm also trying to get better about not saving so much "stuff." So instead of either of those optins, I decided to upcycle it into a Mother's Day card. And now that Mother's Day has passed, I can share the card without the risk of ruining the surprise for my mom.

Additional supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Lovely Little Wreath (April 2016 Paper Pumpkin)
Paper: Perfect Plum card stock
Ink: Basic Gray, Perfect Plum, Crisp Cantaloupe, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Strawberry Slush
Accessories: Labels Collection Framelits dies, Sherbet Ribbon Originals, Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue

I chose my color scheme from the floral-patterned strip, which was the front of the Valentine's Day card. I used a piece of the back of the card for stamping the sentiment (Whisper White card stock seemed too bright compared to the white flowers), and the peach patterned paper behind the focal image was layered inside the card. Even the heart rhinestone was recycled. All I added was a Perfect Plum card base, stamp and inks, a bit of ribbon, and a little adhesive. Okay, I also used a set of Framelits dies and a corner rounder, but I think my upcycled card would have worked just as well without those tools.

I was really pleased with the way everything came together, and more importantly, my mom loved her card. Thanks for stopping by!

Sparkling cake on a simple card

I'm working on making a whole mess of birthday cards, so that's probably what I'll be focused on sharing for awhile. For this clean and simple card, I used outline stickers like the ones from my last post:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: 110-lb white card stock (Recollections), silk microfine glitter paper (Krazy Kreations)
Ink: Alcohol markers: BT4 (Spectrum Noir), Rose Mist R83 (Copic), light and medium Daffodil Delight Blendabilities
Accessories: Eat Cake outline stickers (Krazy Kreations), Sweet Sadie washi tape, Go Green assortment sequins (Craft Medley), Mono Multi liquid glue, Glue Dots

Unlike the other cards, though, I didn't do any watercoloring on this card. Instead, I adhered the stickers -- the candle is a separate sticker from the cake and stand -- to a piece of microfine glitter paper and then colored parts of the images with alcohol markers. I know this isn't a new technique, but I've never tried it before. It's really easy to do, especially on the microfine glitter paper, and I love how the glitter still sparkles through the color.

When I was done coloring I cut around the stickers and glued them onto a white card base. (Hint: To cover the white edges of the glitter paper, run a black permanent marker along the edge.)

To embellish the card I placed a piece of washi tape along the left edge of the card. I decided to place the washi tape so the scallops are facing down to mimic the frosting on the cake layers. I don't know if anyone would ever notice that little detail, but I was pleased with it. Finally, I added three aqua-colored sequins.








Thanks for stopping by!

Watercolored hydrangeas

Last weekend was the Stamp and Scrapbook Expo in our area, and I had a blast. I went both days, and I even signed up to take a few classes with a friend. One of the classes, taught by an instructor from Krazy Kreations (sorry I can't remember her name!), was focused on using the ZIG Clean Color Real Brush markers with the outline stickers from Krazy Kreations. We practiced three different techniques while making focal images for three cards. Here are my completed cards:

For this card we applied a hydrangea sticker on watercolor paper and used ZIG Clean Color Real Brush markers and an aqua brush to color the pot, leaves and flowers. There were also a few individual blossom stickers, so when I got home I colored those, cut them out and added them to the main flower to create a little dimension. Not too bad for my first attempt with these brush markers, right?

For the second technique, we used a smooth-finish white card stock and gently applied the outline sticker. Then we watercolored the image and removed the sticker. We didn't use watercolor paper for this technique because removing the sticker would pull up the fibers in the paper, so we had to be a little more careful about how much water we used. The white outline created with this technique is definitely striking.

This probably looks a lot like the first card, right? That's because it's basically the same -- slightly different colors and a different twine placement, but it's the same technique. I had bought some markers at the Expo and loved that first technique, so I tried it again at home. I love the darker purple flowers, and this makes me think of stained glass.

For the record, the third technique we learned in our class was to transfer the negative parts of the sticker to the watercolor paper and then add a watercolor wash over the whole paper. (So you end up with a black image and colored outlines.) We had run out of time during class, so I did the watercolor wash at home, but I really wasn't crazy with how it turned out.

I was lucky and won a few more sticker sheets at the end of the class (and of course bought some at the Krazy Kreations booth), and I know I'm going to have fun painting them. Thanks for stopping by!