Two-tone blue hydrangea

Back in June when I was making cards to enter in a contest, I made two Pool Party card bases with a brick wall embossing paste background. I used one of the bases to make a card for the contest, but the other one sat around on my craft table. I finally put it to use for this floral, feminine card:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Love Blossoms (Raisin Boat)
Paper: Pool Party, Island Indigo, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Pool Party (pad and refill), Island Indigo, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green
Accessories: Light Molding Paste (Golden), Pattern Party Decorative Masks, linen thread, Rhythm 'n Blues sequins (Craft Medley), Bermuda Pearl Pen (Viva Decor), sponge, Dimensionals, Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter)

I love blue hydrangeas, and I think this two-tone look is really pretty. It was easy to do, too. I inked the cluster of blossoms with Pool Party ink and then used a sponge to apply Island Indigo around the edges and a bit in the middle. I stamped the image on Whisper White card stock then cut it out by hand. To add some dimension, I stamped a few smaller individual blossoms using the same technique and glued them on the cluster. I used a Pearl Pen to create the centers of the flowers.

For the stem, I inked the image with Wild Wasabi and used a sponge to apply a touch of Garden Green in the middle of the leaf. I cut out the stem and glued the top to the back of the flower cluster.

To make the card base, I mixed some Pool Party ink refill with the embossing paste and spread the paste in a diagonal across a brick wall stencil. For the background I cut a strip of Island Indigo card stock, tied a piece of linen thread around the bottom and adhered it to the right side of the card base. I attached the flower with Dimensionals. stamped the sentiment in the upper left corner and added three blue sequins. I wanted a little more Island Indigo, so I sponged ink all around the edges of the card base.

Thanks for stopping by!

Metal meets brick

I know many card-makers have a hard time creating masculine cards, myself included. For me, I think that's at least party because so many embellishments -- rhinestones, glitter, sequins, etc. -- have a decidedly feminine feel, leaving the more manly cards feeling a little boring. I tried to remedy that with this birthday card:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Basic Gray card stock, Through the Lens: Metal patterned card stock (Elizabeth Craft Designs), black glimmer paper
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Scribble Happy Birthday die (Poppy Stamps), Brick Wall embossing folder. Metal Mesh and screw brads (Making Memories), sponge

I'm not sure I love the way this card turned out, but it's definitely not boring. I started with a pack of 6" x 6" paper where all the patterns are different close-up photos of metal. I chose a bright, bold piece and layered it on a Basic Gray card base. I cut another smaller piece of Basic Gray card stock, embossed it with a brick wall pattern, lightly sponged on some black ink and adhered it along the top of the card.

I added another metal element to the card with a small piece of metal mesh, which I attached at an angle with two brads I also added a third brad in the lower right corner for balance. To add the sentiment I die cut "happy birthday" out of black glimmer paper and used liquid glue (I can't remember exactly which one) to adhere it over the mesh.

And that's it! What do you think? Too bold? Too busy? Thanks for stopping by!

Folded pinwheel birthday card

I have quite a few cards I made over the summer that I still haven't posted on my blog. I'm going to work on getting caught up with those, and here is the first one:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Inside and Out: Birthday (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Thick Very Vanilla, Riding Hood Red card stock; The Sweetest Thing - Tangerine paper pad (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Basic Gray
Accessories: Spectacular Spin Shapeabilities dies (Spellbinders), Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables dies (Lawn Fawn), Button Boutique buttons, linen thread, champagne sequins (The Makery), Glue Dots, Mono Multi liquid glue

My sister bought me this set of pinwheel-style dies for last Christmas. They're fun to use, although I'll admit that it can be tricky to get the paper out of the die since they're so detailed. But when I get one of the shapes to turn out right, it does make a great focal image on a card.

Since I used double-sided patterned paper for this pinwheel, I matted it with a circle of solid card stock to help show the details. I added two small flags of the same patterned paper on the side of the circle and a button tied with linen thread to the center of the pinwheel.

For the base of the card I used thick Very Vanilla card stock with a layer of light blue plaid paper. I adhered the focal piece to the center of the card, stamped a sentiment in the lower right corner, and added three sequins as a finishing touch.

This would be a great layout for almost any occasion, and I think it would be fun to make a set of these using different patterned papers. Thanks for stopping by!

Oh, baby!

Next weekend we're having a shower to celebrate the soon-to-be-arriving first baby for one of my cousins. There are a lot of little ones on that side of my family, but it's been a few years since we've had a baby shower. I love shopping for all those adorable little baby things -- and making cute baby cards. I volunteered to make the invitations, and I thought I'd share them.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Onesie (Raisin Boat)
Paper: Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Old Olive card stock; Succulent Garden Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo black; Old Olive, Pear Pizzazz, Always Artichoke markers; Warm Gray No. 3 alcohol marker (Copic Ciao); white gel pen
Accessories: Old Olive brads, white crochet thread (DMC), Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

My cousin doesn't know whether she is having a boy or a girl, so the card design and color combo needed to be neutral. I decided to use Sahara Sand and Old Olive, with white and accents of lighter green (Pear Pizzazz) and darker green (Always Artichoke). I also wanted to keep the layout fairly simple since I needed to make about forty cards of the same design.

I used Sahara Sand card stock for the card base and adhered a strip of plaid Sahara Sand DSP matted with Old Olive near the bottom of the card. I added two Old Olive brads to the strip and drew white faux stitches above and below the DSP.

The focal point of the card -- and the most tedious part to make -- was a onesie. I stamped the main image, along with the little pea pod and "Sweet Pea" sentiment, on white card stock and used markers to add color and shading. The image still looked too stark, so I added some Old Olive polka dots with the fine tip of the marker and a white bow made with crochet thread at the neckline.

I cut out all the onesies by hand and used Dimensionals to adhere them to the card bases, slightly toward the left side of the card. Then I stamped the "oh, baby!" sentiment to the right of the onesie, above the DSP layer.

For the inside of the invites, I typed up the pertinent details and printed them four to a page on standard printer paper. I cut them apart and used double-sided tape to adhere an insert inside each card. (I used just a small piece of tape, so if anyone was so inclined, they could carefully remove the insert and re-use the card.)

I do think these cards are pretty cute, although I was glad when they were done. I also volunteered to make six sets of cards as prizes for shower games, and I'll be sharing those soon. Thanks for stopping by!

Dapper gentlemen

I am on the HR team at work, and one of my responsibilities is to plan the team calendar each month, including fun activities to have available in the break room. Occasionally I design and prep the materials for my coworkers to make a simple card, which is what I did last Father's Day. I realized recently that I never posted that card design, so here it is:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Real Red card stock; various Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, Hipster Icon dies (Hero Arts), banner punch, Tiny Attacher (Tim Holtz), Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue

I had to keep the design simple enough to be completed in fifteen minutes (by people who are not stampers or card makers), and at first I wasn't sure where to start. I poked around online looking for some ideas, and when I came across the set of Hipster Icons dies, I knew they would be perfect. So for my card layout I settled on a white card base with a large layer of DSP, die-cut pieces in various colors glued on a white oval, and a small banner stapled near the upper left corner of the card. (I made these cards with some of the leftover pieces after Father's Day, and I added the Basic Black layer behind the DSP.) I also wanted to keep the design generic enough to be used for a variety of occasions, just in case anyone didn't specifically need a Father's Day card, and I think this layout fits the bill nicely.

Thanks for stopping by!

Prize winner!

Last week Taylored Expressions celebrated their ninth birthday, and as part of the festivities they had a birthday sketch challenge. Nine challenge participants were randomly selected to win a prize package filled with crafty goodies, and I was lucky enough to be one of the winners! Here is what was included in the package:

Isn't that awesome?! It's a great selection of stamps; dies; an embossing folder; coordinated paper, ink and embellishments; and even some candy to nibble while crafting. I didn't have any of these products yet -- and Swedish Fish have been one of my favorite candies since I was a kid -- so I'm looking forward to trying them out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Fall is in the air

I really wanted to make one more card for the Taylored Expressions ninth birthday sketch challenge, so I took some crafty time to play after work, and now I'm whipping through my blog post so I can get in just before the deadline.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Soft Sky, Early Espresso card stock; watercolor paper (Strathmore); 6" x 6" Wood designer cardstock paper (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Color Burst: Cadmium Scarlet, Gamboge, Burnt Umber (Ken Oliver)
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, Build-A-Scene - Trees dies (Taylored Expressions), Leaves die (Taylored Expressions), Softly Falling embossing folder, burlap trim, Tiny Attacher (Tim Holtz), Aqua Painter, Dimensionals, Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter)

There was a touch of fall in the air today, and since autumn is my favorite season, I decided to make a card featuring some fun fall trees. (In my first entry for the sketch challenge, I used these same tree dies to make some Muppet-like characters.) To make the foliage, I wet a piece of watercolor paper and then gently tapped on a tiny bit of three different Color Burst powders (the pigment is concentrated, so a little goes a long way). I used an Aqua Painter to spread and blend the colors, and when the paper was dry, I die cut the tiny leaves and tree tops. I cut the tree trunks out of dark woodgrain patterned paper, glued the pieces together and adhered them to a Soft Sky circle.

For the background I stapled a piece of burlap trim to a piece of embossed Early Espresso card stock and then adhered the panel on a Soft Sky card base. I used Dimensionals to attach the circle with the trees and scattered a few tiny leaves along the bottom of the card.

I've had a lot of fun playing along with this sketch challenge. This time I decided to rotate the sketch (on the right) to create a landscape card. I made the middle layer larger (almost as big as the card base) and used ribbon for the accent strip. The leaves were perfect for the confetti. If you would like to see my other cards for the Taylored Expressions sketch challenge, check out these posts: "Happy ninth birthday," "A few birthday candles," "Simply Sitting Pretty," and "Stamping friends are the best!"

Thanks for stopping by! Happy birthday, Taylored Expressions!

Stamping friends are the best!

I'm back tonight to share my last card for the Taylored Expressions birthday sketch challenge. (Well, I think it will be my last one. I suppose last-minute inspiration could still strike tomorrow or Tuesday!)

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Wanda (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Whisper White, thick Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Berry Burst card stock; Wood 6" x 6" designer cardstock paper (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Blush Blossom, Smokey Slate, Powder Pink, Berry Burst, Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip, Dapper Denim
Accessories: Layering Ovals Framelits dies, paper piercer, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack, mini pinking scissors (Fiskars), 4mm and 6mm sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter), Dimensionals, Glue Dots

This card will be headed to a great friend and stamping buddy, and I hope it makes her smile. I chose these colors because she really likes rich jewel tones, and this image is very appropriate for all the crafting fun we have. I may just need to invest in a crafty tool belt...

I think everything about this card is pretty self-explanatory, but I'll do a quick rundown. I stamped and colored the focal image and then die cut it with an oval die. I stamped the sentiment on a strip of white card stock, trimmed it into pennant ends and adhered it to the oval. I wanted to give it some dimension, so I attached two Dimensionals on top of each other and placed them behind the middle of the banner. Then I attached the two ends with Glue Dots.

For the card base I used thick Whisper White card stock and added a layer of woodgrain patterned paper matted with Bermuda Bay card stock. I wanted a little more detail on the base, so I pierced a border all around the edge of the card. Slightly above the middle of the panel I adhered a strip of Berry Burst card stock stamped with the two small images from the Wanda set and trimmed with a mini pinking scissors for an extra detail. I used Dimensionals to attach the focal image onto the card base and then added several clear sequins. Inside the card I stamped the sentiment "Stamping friends are the best!"

If you would like to see my other cards for the Taylored Expressions sketch challenge (see the sketch to the right), check out these posts: "Happy ninth birthday," "A few birthday candles," and "Simply Sitting Pretty." Thanks for stopping by!

Simply Sitting Pretty

I've been having a great time making cards for the birthday sketch challenge at Taylored Expressions. So far I've made two birthday cards (a colorful kids card and a simpler, shimmery card), and now I have an all-occasion card to share:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Hardwood
Paper: Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, vellum card stock; Wood 6" x 6" Designer Cardstock Paper (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Frost White shimmer paint
Accessories: Sitting Pretty and Sitting Pretty Accessories dies (Taylored Expressions), Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, Shine and Sparkle sequins (Hazel and Ruby), sponge dauber, Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter), Dimensionals

I have a confession to make: Sometimes the products that I am most excited to buy are the very ones that I have the hardest time using. I think it's because I get intimidated and worry that my finished projects won't live up to the amazing-ness of the products themselves. The dies I used on this card were some of those products.

When I went to the stamp show in July, the Taylored Expressions booth was on the top of my must-see list, and I fought through the crowds to make sure I got the Sitting Pretty, Sitting Pretty Accessories, and Sitting Pretty Nautical Accessories dies. But then they sat in their packaging ... until today.

I decided to use the shelf as the horizontal element in the sketch (see below) with a couple of accessories in front of a vellum circle, sort of like a spotlight. I wasn't sure if it would work, but in the end, I really, really like how this card turned out. It's clean and simple (my favorite) but still has fun details, like the wood-patterned shelf and frame, the stitched border on the vellum circle, and the woodgrain "texture" of the white background panel.

I played around with a couple of different ideas for that background panel. I wanted something subtle, so it didn't detract from the focal image, but I also wanted it to look like a wall or wallpaper to fit in with the shelf and accessories. In the end I decided to stamp the Hardwood background stamp on white card stock using Frost White shimmer paint. It's distinct but not overpowering, and it has a beautiful shine when it catches the light.

The sketch for Taylored Expressions's
birthday challenge

 My friend Lisa was crafting with me today, and I have to credit her with the idea to use vellum for the die-cut circle. I love how it mutes the background stamp enough to let the shelf accessories stand out, but it doesn't take over the card.

The trickiest part of using vellum is finding a way to adhere it without seeing the glue or tape. I used clear-drying glue to adhere the shelf, frame and vase to the vellum circle. Then I applied glue to the back of the vellum so it was hidden behind the die cuts and attached the vellum to the stamped background panel. (The edges of the circle aren't completely flat against the card stock, but I'm okay with that.) I attached the panel to the card base with Dimensionals and added a few simple sequins.

I think I'm all blogged out for today (and I'm fighting a nagging toothache), so I'll post my last challenge card tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!

A few birthday candles

In my last post I mentioned that Taylored Expressions is hosting a sketch challenge to celebrate its ninth birthday (see the sketch at the bottom of this post), and I shared my first entry for the challenge. Today I made three more cards (yippee!), and here is the next one:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Make A Wish stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Shimmery White, Daffodil Delight, Bermuda Bay, Lemon Lime Twist, Real Red card stock
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Bermuda Bay, Lemon Lime Twist, Real Red
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, Streamers embossing folder (Taylored Expressions), clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen, large iridescent sequins (unknown), Metallics Sequin Assortment, Art Glitter Glue (Art Institue Glitter), Dimensionals

I created another birthday card for the challenge because I have a slew of family and friends celebrating birthdays in the next few months. I need to stock up on the birthday cards!

This card is more subtle and sophisticated than yesterday's, but think it's just as festive. I really wanted the bright, bold colors of the candle to pop, so I used white card stock for the card base and the middle panel. To add some texture and visual interest I embossed the middle panel with the Streamers embossing folder.

One thing that is hard to capture in a photo is the sparkle on this card. The white paper is shimmery card stock, and I used my Wink of Stella brush pen to add glitter to the candle flames, the yellow banner behind the focal layer and some of the embossed streamers on the background.

The last sparkly detail is a scattering of white iridescent sequins. I did stray from the sketch a bit with the sequins because I really wanted to add a few in the upper left corner instead of placing them all along the right side of the card.

The last detail I want to point out is about the die-cut candles. Once I had the three candles adhered to the circle, the red and blue candles looked too long. I fixed the problem by just trimming about 1/4" off the bottom of each candle. The way the candle stamps were designed, you can't tell at all that I altered them a bit.







 I'm halfway through posting my cards for the Taylored Expressions ninth birthday sketch challenge. Stay tuned for the last two. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy ninth birthday!

Happy September! I can't believe it's already back-to-school season and Labor Day weekend. Where did the summer go? But I love autumn, so I'm ready for it.

This month, Taylored Expressions is celebrating its ninth birthday (woohoo!) and, as part of the festivities, is hosting a birthday sketch challenge. Nine participants will win a prize pack of Taylored Expressions products, and one person will be chosen to be a guest designer with the Creative Team for the October Release. How awesome is that?! I had other crafty projects I wanted to finish this weekend, but this challenge moved to the top of the to-do list. So far I've created one card, but I'd like to finish at least two more. I'll share them in separate posts, so here's the first one:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Make a Wish (Taylored Expressions), Geo-Graphic (Paper Smooches)
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Tempting Turquoise, Hello Honey, Basic Black, Baked Brown Sugar, Flirty Flamingo, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White card stock; Brights Collection Designer Series Paper (DSP) Patterns Stack
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Build-A-Scene - Trees dies (Taylored Expressions), Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, 1/4" hole punch, Streamers embossing folder (Taylored Expressions), iridescent sequins (unkown), Brights enamel shapes, google eyes (Inkadinkadoo), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter), Dimensionals

This is definitely a bright, busy card -- not quite my usual style -- but I think I can get away with it since this is a kid's birthday card.

My favorite part of this card is the focal layer with the three Muppet-like characters. I made those little guys ages ago and put them on a card, but I decided I didn't like that card, so I pulled them off to save for later. This was the perfect opportunity to let them shine.

The sketch for Taylored Expressions's
birthday challenge

Here's a little secret about those characters: They're made with a set of tree dies (Build-A-Scene - Trees) and a couple of circle punches! Crazy, right? I kept looking at the dies for the treetops and seeing heads and hair for Muppet-style characters. So I went with it and created these three fun guys, using a couple of small circle punches to make their mouths, enamel dots for the noses, and of course googly eyes.

The rest of the card is pretty self-explanatory. I stamped a background on the Rich Razzleberry card base, embossed a festive pattern on the middle layer, and used a strip of tone-on-tone polka dot DSP to make the banner piece. To finish off the card, I added a few iridescent sequins and enamel stars in Daffodil Delight and Tempting Turquoise.

I'm not sure yet who will be the recipient of this card, but I hope it make him/her smile! I'll be back this weekend with more cards for the challenge. Until then, thanks for stopping by!