The first spring flowers

Last week we had a stretch of spring-like weather that made me want to pull out some flower stamps:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Fresh Cut Florals (WPlus9 Design Studio), Delicate Details
Paper: Thick Whisper White card stock
Ink: So Saffron, Crushed Curry, Always Artichoke,Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Gold sequins (The Makery), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Dimensionals

I love the style and variety of flower images in this stamp set -- and I also bought another coordinating set, so I have plenty of flowers to mix and match. I only used a couple of flowers on this card because I didn't want to get overwhelmed, but it definitely looks like spring. Though if I were to make this card again, I think I would use a different green; Always Artichoke seems a bit too dark here.

I wanted to add some detail behind the floral panel, so I used my new Delicate Details set from Sale-a-Bration. I used Wisteria Wonder ink for both of the images, but for the larger lace on the bottom I stamped on scratch paper first to lighten the ink. I love that extra little feminine touch.

We've settled back into winter the last few days, at least in terms of temperature. But it doesn't seem so bad now because I know that honest-to-goodness spring is just around the corner. Thanks for stopping by!

Whole lotta' happy

Last weekend I had a fun craft day with a fabulous friend, which finally gave me a chance to play with some stamp sets I'd bought before Christmas but hadn't used. I always seem to need birthday cards, so that's what I focused on.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Whole Lotta' Happy (WPlus9 Design Studio)
Paper: Thick Whisper White card stock
Ink: Cucumber Crush, Bermuda Bay, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Memento Tuxedo Black, Project Life journaling pen
Accessories: Sunny Yellow Pearl Pen (Viva Decor)

This is definitely a mailable card -- there are no layers, ribbons or bulky embellishments. (I realized as I was writing my supply list that I didn't even use any adhesive. That doesn't happen often.) But I think it still has plenty of personality.

I started by stamping the graphic "happy" sentiment three times in three different colors. I wanted to use shades of green and blue, so I chose Cucumber Crush, Bermuda Bay and Pacific Point. (I have to say that I really like this color combination.) Then at the bottom I stamped "birthday wishes" in black.

To add some detail to the background I stamped several starbursts in Daffodil Delight. A few dots of yellow pearl pen add a little dimension and shine. Finally I doodled a border around the edges of the card front.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Whole Lotta' Happy (WPlus9 Design Studio)
Paper: Thick Whisper White
Ink: Cucumber Crush, Bermuda Bay, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Memento Tuxedo Black, Project Life journaling pen
Accessories: Brights Enamel Shapes, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

I liked the color combination of the first card so much that I decided to stick with those colors (and stamp set) for another card. I selected a different "happy" stamp, inked it with Daffodil Delight and stamped it slightly below the center of the card front. I stamped the rest of the sentiment in black ink just above and below the "happy."

I cut a piece of scratch paper in a rectangle just big enough to cover the stamped sentiments. Holding the scratch paper in place, I stamped the strings for the balloons. Here's a little tip: The stamp for the strings was basically a straight line. I curved it a little when I placed it on the clear block. Then I flipped the stamp around for a couple of the strings so they didn't all look the same. I stamped the balloons on separate card stock, cut them out (by hand since I don't have the dies for this set yet) and adhered them to the card with either Dimensionals or Glue Dots to create different levels. I used a journaling pen to draw little "tails" on the balloon strings (I'm not sure I like that detail. Oh, well.) and added three enamel stars.

And there you have it: a couple of simple, happy cards. Thanks for stopping by!

Three last valentines

Happy day-after Valentine's Day! I had wanted to share these last Valentine's Day cards before the holiday, but obviously that didn't happen. So instead, consider these cards your first inspiration for next year's valentines.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Sealed with Love
Paper: Coastal Cabana, Whisper White card stock; Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper (DSP) Stack
Ink: Coastal Cabana, Real Red
Accessories: Love Notes Framelits dies, Stitched Frames Framelits dies, Wink of Stella clear glitter brush pen, Brights enamel shapes, Candy Cane Lane Baker's twine, Mono Multi liquid glue, Glue Dots

After making one hundred valentines for Meals on Wheels, I didn't have much time (or motivation) to make my own valentines. But I did want to try out my new Sealed with Love stamp set and Love Notes Framelits dies from the Stampin' Up! Occasions Catalog. I pulled out the retired Fresh Prints DSP stack, some coordinating card stock and embellishments and created these two cards. For the first card I die cut hearts from four different prints, glued them to Whisper White stitched squares, and arranged the pieces on a square card base. (Tip: I made my card base 4-1/4" square, so it will still fit in an A2-sized envelope.) For the second card I cut the heart border along the right edge of the card and added a piece of DSP for the background. For the focal point I stamped a sentiment on a white stitched circle, added two DSP "tails" and adhered it to the card base with Dimensionals. I used Wink of Stella on both cards to add a little sparkle.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Real Red card stock; Fresh Prints DSP Stack
Ink: White gel pen
Accessories: Hearts die (Sizzix), Delicate White Doilies, linen thread, Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

While all the valentine supplies were out and all over the craft table, I decided to make one more card and use up some leftover DSP scraps. I cut several strips in different patterns to 4-1/8" long and then arranged them on a white card base to make a background. I die cut a Real Red heart (putting to use my Sizzix Hearts die, another new product for me) and matted it with a white doily. The doily was a bit too large for the heart, so I gathered it in a few places as I adhered it to the back of the heart. A linen thread bow and faux stitching finish off this card.

That's it for my Valentine's Day cards. I promise. Now I have to get back in the craft room so I can work on my stash of everyday cards.



Thanks for stopping by!

Animal valentines and a Meals on Wheels recap

Whew! We made it to the last blog post featuring the Valentine's Day cards I made for our local Meals on Wheels organization. Today's cards are for the birds -- or, more accurately, the cats, bears and fish.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Critters in the 'Burbs (Lawn Fawn)
Paper: 110-lb Solar White card stock (Neenah Paper), Into the Woods Designer Series Paper (DSP), DSP Patterns Stack - Brights, Neutrals DSP Stack, Real Red card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Old Olive, Project Life journaling pen
Accessories: Critters in the 'Burbs Lawn Cuts dies (Lawn Fawn), hearts border punch, Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

I didn't want to spend a lot of time coloring images while I was mass-producing cards, so rather than stamp these images on white card stock, I stamped them on different pieces of DSP, cut them out with coordinating dies and adhered them to the card base. I added three tiny punched hearts to the tree to make it a bit more Valentine-y. I stamped the grass images as a last-minute edition after everything else was finished, and I think I should have tried to add some between the tree and the cat; it looks a little bit empty there.

Inside the card I wished the recipient a "purr-fect" Valentine's Day.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Thankful Forest Friends, Trees Company (Raisin Boat)
Paper: Kraft, Whisper White card stock; red glimmer paper
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: Small heart punch, 2-1/2" circle punch, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack, paper-piercing mat and tool, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

This was actually the last card design I created, and I was seriously running out of steam at the time. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, so I was thrilled when I realized the bear from Thankful Forest Friends looked like he could "hold" a punched heart. And I even had the perfect sentiment to coordinate: "Bear hugs!"

The size of this card is 3" x 4" so I could maximize the 12" x 12" sheets of Kraft card stock.

Naturally I wanted to continue my trend of adding a pun inside the card, so I wished the recipient a "beary" great Valentine's Day.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Fish Frolics, Fintastic Friends (Lawn Fawn)
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red card stock
Ink: Real Red, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)
Accessories: Hearts border punch, Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue, Glue Dots

This card is probably my least favorite of all the designs. I think the layout is okay, but I'm not sure I like the colors. I wanted bright colors, so I went with a classic red-yellow-blue combo. It's not bad; I'm just not crazy about it.

I colored the white parts of the fish with a glitter pen to add a little sparkle and used three small red hearts as bubbles. Inside the card? I stamped "Happy Valentine's Day and wrote a note that said, "Sending fishes for a special day."

So that's it. I've shared all the designs for the one hundred cards I made and donated to a local Meals on Wheels organization. It took a fair amount of time, but it was worth it to see how excited the community center employees were when I dropped off the cards. And I hope they bring a little happiness to each of the recipients. If you missed any of the previous card designs and want to check them out, here is a list of the posts with links:
From a calendar to valentines (Jan. 26, 2017)
Stuck on You (Feb. 2, 2017)
Pizza My Heart (Feb. 8, 2017)
Masculine valentines (Feb. 11, 2017)

Thanks for stopping by!

Masculine valentines

I'm back with more of my Meals on Wheels valentines, and today's cards feature some great guy-friendly designs.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Labeler Alphabet
Paper: Whisper White note cards and envelopes; Real Red, Basic Black card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Project Life journaling pen
Accessories: Small heart punch, Mustache die, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

This was definitely one of my favorite designs from the cards I donated. I had completely forgotten I bought the Mustache die ages ago when it was on the Stampin' Up! clearance rack. When I came across it in my die case, I knew I had to make a group of cards with this pun.

I stamped the sentiment with the Labeler Alphabet stamp set. I could have stamped directly on the card base, but I didn't want to risk misspelling something, so I stamped the words on leftover strips of Whisper White card stock, cut them out and adhered them to the card base with Glue Dots.

I didn't want the card to be only black and white, so I intended to stamp the word "mustache" with Real Red ink. Of course I got on a roll with the black ink and forgot to switch colors, so instead I punched out a Real Red heart and added it above the mustache for a little pop of color. I also added a red heart inside the card below the rest of the sentiment.

Obviously I didn't worry about stamping the individual letters perfectly straight or aligned. With these letters I actually like the imperfect look -- it has a bit of charm and seems more authentic to those retro label makers. (The words inside the card were also stamped on separate card stack, cut out and adhered with Glue Dots.)

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Backgrounds Rule, Labeler Alphabet
Paper: Kraft, Real Red, Whisper White card stock; 6" x 6" Wood Designer Card Stock Paper (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Large heart punch, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

For the background on this card (it is note card size, 3-1/2" x 5") I cut a 3" x 4-1/2" piece of woodgrain-style patterned paper and stamped the ruler image on the paper. For the simple focal image I punched a red heart and added the sentiment, which I stamped and cut out of white card stock. To continue the theme inside the card, I wrote a note that said, "I hope your day really measures up."

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: You're My Type
Paper: Vanilla card base (Halcraft); Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler card stock; First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Small heart punch, Cherry-Cobbler striped washi tape, Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue

For this card design, the trickiest part was cutting out the typewriter by hand. It definitely wasn't hard (although I like to "fussy cut"), but everything else was really straightforward. I adhered a panel of newsprint-style DSP along the left side of the card. (The text was something related to newspapers, so that was a nice coincidence.) I added a strip of washi tape and a small punched heart for a bit of color.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Paper: Naturals Ivory, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler card stock
Accessories: Sweetheart punch, Love Notes Framelits dies, linen thread, Baker's Twine Trio Pack, Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue

Okay, I admit that this might not be the most masculine card design. But it's very clean and simple, not at all frilly, so I think it would be an acceptable card for the guy in your life. You could even remove the twine or tie the pieces in a knot instead of a bow to make the card a little more "manly."

I made the arrow with one of the dies from the Love Notes Framelits set, but it wasn't long enough to span the whole punched heart. I cut the arrow in two pieces (about one-third of the way from the point) and glued the tail end on the front of the heart and the pointed end to the back of the heart. Ta da -- a longer arrow!

I have one more group of Meals on Wheels valentines to share in my next post (animal-themed valentines) and I'm going to include links to all the cards I made in case you missed any designs or are looking for some inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!

Pizza My Heart

Sorry I haven't been posting much the last couple of weeks. I was really focused on trying to finish all my valentines for Meals on Wheels. And last Sunday I managed to do just that. I wasn't sure I'd get to a hundred cards, but I did. I dropped them off at the local community center on Monday afternoon, and the staff was excited to get them. I'll be sharing the rest of my card designs in my next few posts, and today's card features an adorable heart-shaped pizza.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Pizza My Heart (Lawn Fawn)
Paper: Whisper White note cards and envelopes, So Saffron card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Delightful Dijon, Real Red, Crumb Cake, Crushed Curry, Cucumber Crush, Cajun Craze, Smoky Slate, Basic Gray
Accessories: Dimensionals

I love this stamp set and how you can add whatever toppings you like. For my pizza, I stamped it on So Saffron card stock, colored the crust with Delightful Dijon and Crumb Cake (I used one color first and then colored over that with the second), used a Real Red marker to draw a line around the edge to represent sauce, and then stamped the toppings: cheese (Crushed Curry), pepperoni (Cajun Craze), mushrooms (Crumb Cake) and peppers (Cucumber Crush).  Icut out the pizza and adhered it to a white note card with Dimensionals.

 To finish the layout I stamped the sentiment, a few red hearts and a pizza cutter, which I colored Real Red, Basic Gray and Smoky Slate. Inside the card I stamped "Happy Valentine's Day" and wrote a note that wished the recipient a special day "no matter how you slice it." Hee.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stuck on You

I'm back with another design for my Meals on Wheels Valentine's Day cards:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Stuck on You (Lawn Fawn)
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red card stock
Ink: Cucumber Crush, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Stuck on You Lawn Cuts dies (Lawn Fawn), hearts border punch, google eyes (unknown), Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

There really isn't anything complicated here. I stamped the cactus and pot, then die cut them and glued them together. I added a small punched heart in one of the cactus's arms and two google eyes on its trunk. I adhered it to a white note card base with Dimensionals and stamped the sentiment below the image.

I really like to make clean and simple cards, and this one definitely fits the bill. But part of me wonders if this is too clean and simple. Does it need a border? More embellishment? Something else? I don't know if I'll have time to go back and enhance this batch of cards -- I'm hoping to make fifty more cards by Monday -- but if I do, I may have to give it a little oomph.

Thanks for stopping by!