A bookcase and a baby card

When I first saw the Bookcase Builder stamp set in the Stampin' Up! Occasions catalog, I passed it by and told myself it was one I didn't need. I already had a bookshelf-type set from another company, and I didn't really need two sets so similar. Right? But then I realized that this set has a lot of different accessories to stamp on the shelves, and with both sets I could make some really fun and fancy arrangements. So I caved. Here are the first two cards I've made with the Bookcase Builder set:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Bookcase Builder, Sweet Essentials
Paper: Thick Whisper White card stock, Neutrals Designer Series Paper (DSP) Stack
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Soft Sky, Pear Pizzazz, Calypso Coral
Accessories: Subtles enamel shapes, Dimensionals

What do you think? I had fun choosing which accessories to put on the shelves and which colors to use.

I did have to make a last-minute change, though. I had intended this to be a one-layer card with all of the images stamped directly on the card front. So that's what I was doing, and everything was going along just fine. Until I added the sentiment and accidentally shifted the stamp. Grr.

I didn't want to start over completely, so instead of trashing the card, I cut off the card front, leaving about 1/4" of white space above and below the stamped images. I cut and folded a new card base and stamped the sentiment at the bottom first (I wasn't going to make that mistake twice). I added a strip of diagonally striped DSP near the top of the card base and above the sentiment and then used Dimensionals to attach the stamped focal panel to the card base so there is a border of DSP on the top and bottom. A small enamel heart finishes off the card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Bookcase Builder
Paper: Thick Whisper White card stock
Ink: Tip Top Taupe, Mint Macaron, So Saffron
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, White Perfect Accents, corner rounder, Dimensionals

For my second card I wanted to use a few of the baby-themed images. I stamped the bear, blocks and duck on a scratch piece of card stock and cut them out with a small stitched circle die. I used Dimensionals to adhere them to a white card base with Dimensionals and then stamped a sentiment in the bottom right corner and a two-tone banner in the top left corner.

I wanted to add a little something to embellish the card, but nothing seemed quite right. Then I pulled out my White Perfect Accents, and they did, in fact, seem perfect. They add a little shine without cluttering the clean layout, and the shape reinforces the circle focal images. I didn't have a recipient in mind when I made this card, but I just found out yesterday that my cousin's wife is expecting twins in the fall, so I might just have to save this card for their growing family.

Thanks for stopping by!

Two lucky elephants

This weekend my sister and I are attending a Bollywood musical revue, and I'm really looking forward to the colorful costumes, joyful dancing and energetic music. With that on my mind, it seems like the perfect time to share a couple of card made with the Lucky Elephants stamp set.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Lucky Elephant, Daydream Medallions
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Island Indigo, Crushed Curry, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Island Indigo, Crushed Curry, Basic Gray, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Fancy Fan embossing folder, Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, Gold Wink of Stella glitter brush pen, linen thread, gold sequins (Hazel & Ruby), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Glue Dots, Dimensionals

I started this card by selecting a color pallet of three rich jewel tones: Rich Razzleberry, Island Indigo and Crushed Curry. I used Rich Razzleberry card stock for the base and repeatedly stamped two medallion images all over the card front. I embossed a piece of Island Indigo card stock with the Fancy Fan embossing folder and adhered it to a punched strip of Crushed Curry card stock so just a bit of the scalloped edge is visible. I adhered the piece to the card base and just below it tied a piece of linen thread in a bow.

To make the elephant, I used markers to apply ink directly to the rubber stamp, then stamped the image on white card stock and cut it out. I used Dimensionals to adhere the elephant to the card base so he's grounded on the Island Indigo card stock. I wanted to add a bit of sparkle, so I used a gold Wink of Stella glitter brush pen to add glitter to the Crushed Curry ink on the elephant and the Crushed Curry card stock scallops. I rounded the two right corner of the card and finished it off with three gold sequins.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Lucky Elephant
Paper: Smoky Slate, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Smoky Slate, Rich Razzleberry, Island Indigo, Crushed Curry, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Modern Mosaic embossing folder, Island Indigo 1/4" cotton ribbon, Crushed Curry polka dot ribbon, Rixh Razzleberry cotton ribbon, pearls, clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen, doily (kit leftover), Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

This card has a layout very similar to the previous one. For the background on this card I used the Modern Mosaic embossing folder instead of stamping images. To ground the cut-out elephant I used three strips of ribbon instead of a panel of card stock. (Quick tip: When attaching ribbon to embossed card stock, the texture often keeps the ribbon from lying flat. I solved that problem by adhering each ribbon to a strip of card stock the same color and slightly narrower than the ribbon. Then I glued the strips of card stock to the card front.)

The Smoky Slate elephant blended into the background a bit too much, so I broke up the gray by placing half a doily behind the elephant. I added tiny pearls to the elephant's blanket and a small punched flower with a pearl center in the upper right corner of the card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Beetles and bugs (the stamped kind)

Whenever Stampin' Up! releases a new catalog, there always seems to be products that are instant hits. You know what I mean -- the stamp sets that everyone buys and loves makes hundreds of adorable samples with, like the Window Shopping bundle, Dragonfly Dreams bundle and Oh So Succulent bundle, to name a few from the 2017 Occasions catalog. I don't want to take anything away from those sets, because I think they're cute, too. But sometimes I seem to gravitate toward the less-popular products. Maybe I like to root for the underdog. Or maybe I'm just contrary. Who knows. But whatever the reason, I'll be focusing on a few of those stamp sets in my next three blog posts, starting with Beetles & Bugs.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Beetles & Bugs
Paper: Crumb Cake note cards and envelopes, First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP), Very Vanilla card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Darling Divas trim (Michaels), black mini brads (Joann's), sponge

I know a lot of people don't like bugs and do not find this stamp set at all appealing. I actually liked it right away, and I also knew right away that I wanted to make a vintage-style card with some of the images. I started with a Crumb Cake note card and added a piece of newsprint-style DSP to the left side of the card. On the rest of the card base I stamped six of the bug images, using black ink for the outline and Crumb Cake for one of the detail layers for each bug. (Bonus: The multi-step parts of these stamps are very easy to line up. Awesome!) I sponged Crumb Cake ink around the whole card front, added a piece of trim over the edge of DSP and placed a mini black brad in the upper left corner.

I really liked how this card turned out, so I made a set of six, varying the selection and arrangement of bugs on each card.

Inside the cards I adhered a layer of Very Vanilla card stock stamped with a ladybug in the lower left corner. I continued the theme by stamping a little trail of ants on the envelopes.

I realize that these cards aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I know exactly who I'm going to give them to, and I think she'll love them.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Beetles & Bugs, Labeler Alphabet
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Bermuda Bay card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Peekaboo Peach, Watermelon Wonder, Project Life journaling pen
Accessories: Confetti Stars border punch, Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

I wanted to make a more colorful and kid-friendly card for my next project. Using black ink I stamped the bug outlines in a clockwise direction around the edges of the white card base, creating a frame. (Here's a tip: Start with the largest images first, then add the medium-sized ones and finally fill in any open spaces with the smallest images.) I filled in the detail layers using different combinations of Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Watermelon Wonder and Peekaboo Peach.

The empty space in the middle of the card was the perfect place for a sentiment. I used the Labeler Alphabet stamp set to create my own punny greeting, cut out the words and used Dimensionals to adhere them to a piece of white card stock I trimmed to fit inside the bug frame. I doodled a border around the card stock, added a few small Bermuda Bay stars and finished the card by adhering the layer to the center of the frame with Dimensionals.

Later this week I'll be sharing a couple of cards made with Lucky Elephant. Thanks for stopping by!

A couple of tasty trucks

I typically don't do a lot of coloring when I'm making cards -- it just seems to take so much time -- but sometimes there are images that just need to be colored. So that's what I did with these two Tasty Trucks cards:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Tasty Trucks
Paper: 110-lb Solar White (Neenah Paper)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, colored pencils and blending pencil (Prismacolor)
Accessories: Adorning Accents embossing folder, magenta sequins (unknown), clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen, Glue Dots

I don't know how many purple food trucks are out there, but purple is the favorite color of little girl who will be receiving this card, so purple it is. I stamped the truck and its accessories directly on the white card base and then colored them with colored pencils. I added a little sparkle with a few magenta sequins, and an embossed scallop along the bottom creates just a bit of texture.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Tasty Trucks
Paper: 110-lb Solar White card stock (Neenah Paper), Tangerine Tango card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Tangerine Tango, colored pencils and blending pencil (Prismacolor)
Accessories: Blue sequins (Craft Medley), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Glue Dots, Dimensionals

I decided to go a little more masculine for the second card. I used a Tangerine Tango card base this time, and I stamped the truck image repeatedly across the front of the card.

For the focal image I stamped the truck on white card stock and colored it with colored pencils. I rounded two opposite corners of the white card stock and attached it to the card base with Dimensionals. I stamped the sentiment on a small scrap of white card stock and adhered it to the card base so it's tucked under the focal layer. I finished the card with three blue sequins. (I'm pretty sure everything is better with sequins.)

If you don't have the Tasty Trucks stamp set yet, you have until March 31, 2017, to earn it through Sale-A-Bration by spending at least $50  (before tax and S&H). Thanks for stopping by!

Avant Garden

I've been feeling very unmotivated to be crafty lately. I'm not exactly sure why -- various work, life and the-world-has-gone-mad stresses, I think -- but it's been a struggle to create anything. This weekend, though, I was actually fairly productive, and even better, I really like the cards I made. I focused on using some of my new Sale-a-Bration and Occasions stamp sets, and today I'll share a couple of cards using the Avant Garden set.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Avant Garden
Paper: 110-lb Solar White card stock (Neenah Paper), Basic Black card stock, gold paper
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, colored pencils and blending pencil (Prismacolor)
Accessories: Dotted scallop ribbon border punch, black/white baker's twine, gold Wink of Stella glitter brush pen, gold sequins (The Makery), Glue Dots, Dimensionals

This card makes me so happy; I just love the toile-style background and the black/white/gold color combination. To make the background, I stamped the two line-art images repeatedly, changing the orientation each time. I added splatters with the gold Wink of Stella glitter brush pen (squeeze a bit of extra liquid into the tip of the pin and then flick the tip of the brush on the edge of the pen cap).

For the focal image I stamped the flower stem on white card stock and colored it with colored pencils. I stamped a birthday sentiment on the bottom of the card stock and added a baker's twine bow on the flower's stem. (The one thing I would change with this card is the placement if the focal stamp. Originally I forgot I wanted to add the sentiment, so I centered the flower on the white panel. If I were to make the card again, I would stamp the flowers higher so there was more room for the sentiment.) I matted the piece with gold paper and added a scalloped strip of black card stock on the left side. I adhered the whole panel to the card with Dimensionals and finished it off with three gold sequins.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Avant Garden, Delicate Details
Paper: 110-lb Solar White card stock (Neenah Paper), Calypso Coral card stock
Ink: Calypso Coral, Soft Suede, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Linen thread, Subtles enamel dots, Espress-o Yourself mini prills (USArtquest), Simply Scored tool, clear-drying glue (Art Institute Glitter), Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Since I used the line-art images in the first card, I wanted to use the bold images for the second one. I stamped two flowers with Calypso Coral and Pear Pizzazz and added mini prills in the flower centers for texture. For the bow I looped linen thread around two fingers and used a smaller piece of thread to tie a knot in the middle of the loops.

To make the background I stamped four of the images from the Delicate details set along the bottom third of the card base. I couldn't decide what to do on the top of the card base, so I used the Simply Scored tool to score a border of two lines around the un-stamped portion of the card. I layered the focal piece onto Calypso Coral card stock and adhered the whole panel to the card base with Dimensionals.

I'm looking forward to my next stamping session, and I'm grateful for that. Thanks for stopping by!