Done in love

I'm back today to share more of the valentines I made for Meals on Wheels. These cards, however, have a clean and simple design that could work for many occasions.

Supplies:
Stamps: Done in Love (Unity Stamp Company)
Paper: Crumb Cake card stock (Stampin' Up!), watercolor paper (Strathmore)
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black (Tsukineko), color Burst powders - Rich Moroccan shades (Ken Oliver Crafts)
Accessories: Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables dies (Lawn Fawn), clear droplets (Pretty Pink Posh), Sparkle Silk (Fun Stampers Journey), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute), foam tape (3M), Aqua Painter (Stampin' Up!)

I love these stamps, and while they aren't traditional Valentine's Day images, I think they work well for the occasion.

To make these cards, I first die-cut the stitched rectangles from water color paper. Then I set up the image and sentiment stamps in my stamp positioner and, using black pigment ink, I stamped all the panels and set them aside to dry.

Once the ink was dry, I painted water on the flowers with an Aqua Painter. Then I lightly tapped Color Burst powder over the water. I was envisioning a loose, flowy water color look, but I must not have applied enough water, because the color didn't spread much. So I used the water brush to spread and paint the color in the flowers.

When the flowers were dry, I repeated the steps with the leaves and finally the envelopes. Originally I wasn't going to paint the envelopes because I really wanted the flowers to pop, but in the end I really like the blue, and I'm glad I added it.

Using foam tape, I adhered each panel to a Crumb Cake card base. To add a little embellishment, I splattered a bit of Sparkle Silk over just the flowers and then added three clear droplets.

I've actually managed to finish all the valentines I need for Meals on Wheels, so I just need to sign them and drop them off at the local rec center next week. I made several different card designs, so I'll be sharing them over the next week or so. Now I need to make my own Valentine's Day cards! Thanks for stopping by!

January Christmas card: Winter pine boughs

I'm taking a little break from valentines to share my Christmas card design for January. I've ordered a few new holiday stamp sets recently -- one of the benefits of making Christmas cards all year long! -- so I was excited to get a chance to play with them.

Supplies:
Stamps: Winter Blessings (Unity Stamp Company)
Paper: Crumb Cake card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Shaded Spruce (Stampin' Up!), VersaFine Clair Pinecone (Tsukineko)
Accessories: White heavy gesso (Art Basics), Timeless Label punch (Stampin' Up!), green organdy ribbon (Stampin' Up!), foam tape (3M)

I love the detail in these images, so I kept the card design very simple. I stamped the pine boughs and pinecones on Crumb Cake card stock using (appropriately!) Shaded Spruce and Pinecone inks. Then to add the look of snow, I diluted some white gesso and splattered it across the card. I discovered that because the gesso is water-based, it reacted with the green ink, which is a dye ink. So I tried to keep the "snow" on the unstamped parts of the card or on the pinecones (the brown ink is a hybrid ink and not affected by the water).

I stamped the sentiment on Crumb Cake card stock and punched it with a label punch. I added some of the gesso around the punched label; I purposely made it look a little messy so it would look like snow collecting around the edges. I attached the sentiment to the card using foam tape, with a little piece of dark green organdy ribbon behind it to help it stand out.

I added a Christmas sentiment inside the card, but without that, this card design would be great for a general winter-themed card. And now my first six Christmas cards are done!

Thanks for stopping by!

My 'type' of valentine

Over the past couple of years I seem to have developed a need to buy all the typewriter stamps. I'm not exactly sure why I'm drawn to them; maybe it's because I like words and writing. Or maybe it's a reminder of a simpler time. Whatever the reason, I just love them. And the stamp I used for today's cards is one of the newest additions to my collection.

Supplies:
Stamps: Typewriter Love (Unity Stamp Company)
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Whisper White card stock; Patterns Stack - Brights Collection (all Stampin' Up!)
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black (Tsukineko), PC924 colored pencil (Prismacolor)
Accessories: Stitched Nested Labels dies (Stampin' Up!), red/white twine (unknown), foam tape (3M), Glaze & Glue (Craft Fantastic)


For this layout, I started with a white card base and added a layer of red polka dot paper. I stamped the typewrite and sentiment on white card stock and cut it out with a label die. I colored the heart with a red colored pencil and coated it with a glaze to add a little shine and dimension. I trimmed off the top point of the label shape and then used foam tape to adhere it to the card base so it was flush with the top of the card. To finish the card I wrapped twine around the front of the card and tied it off in a bow. (I didn't take a picture of the inside, but I stamped a simple "Happy Valentine's Day" sentiment.)

Supplies:
Stamps: Typewriter Love (Unity stamp Company), Secretary Pool (Artistic Outpost)
Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black (Tsukineko), Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up!), PC924 pencil (Prismacolor)
Accessories: White Tea Lace Paper Doilies (Stampin' Up!), red/white twine (unknown), Holiday Rhinestone Basic Jewels (Stampin' Up!), foam tape (3M)

After I finished the last batch cards, I had a couple of typewriter images left over so I decided to try a different layout. Using a Crumb Cake card base, I stamped a collage-style image twice with Crumb Cake ink to create a subtle background. (I rotated the image 180 degrees before stamping the second time, which you can see if you look at the oval detail in the bottom right and top left parts of the image.) I glued a little piece of doily over the background image and then placed the typewriter, with foam tape on the back, so it was sitting on the doily. For finishing touches I added some red-and-white twine and a few red rhinestones. I think that this design has a little more of a feminine feel, but I like the way both designs turned out.

Thanks for stopping by!

Bee mine

I love all the hearts and flowers and pinks, reds, and purples of Valentine's Day, but I also think it's fun to take a non-traditional approach. Yellow and black might "bee" a little too non-traditional for some people, but I think it works.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Honey Bee, Pick a Pennant
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Whisper White, Basic Black card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody ink pads; light Daffodil Delight Blendabilities marker
Accessories: Detailed Bee dies, Beach House washi tape, Regals enamel shapes, Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute). foam tape (3M)

When I saw the Honey Bee Bundle in the latest Stampin' Up! catalog, I thought it was so cute. I love the images and sentiments in the stamp set, and I love that the dies cut out the stamped images as well as a couple of coordinating images, including the honeycomb shape on my cards. I cut two honeycombs out of black card stock for each card (I made four of this design) and adhered them near the middle of a white card base.

I inked up the hive stamp with Daffodil Delight ink, added a bit of Mango Melody around the edges, and then stamped the image on white card stock. I looked through some of my alphabet stamp sets and discovered that the letters in the retired Pick a Pennant set were the perfect size to fit between the lines on the beehive. Yes! So I stamped the punny "bee mine" on the right side of each hive.

I stamped two bee images using black ink (the stamp is designed to create the color gradation on the wings) and colored the stripes with a yellow marker. I die cut the hives and bees and used foam tape to adhere them over the honeycombs on the card bases. I placed a strip of yellow washi tape along the bottom of each card and, to create a little more valentine-y feel, I added a little enamel heart just below the sentiment.

What do you think? Do you gravitate toward red and pink for Valentine's Day, or do you like to try something a little different? Thanks for stopping by!

Viking valentine

Can you believe Valentine's Day is less than a month away? It always seems to sneak up on me after Christmas. Again this year, I'm making valentines to donate to local Meals on Wheels recipients. When I contacted the local organization last week to see how many cards they would need, I found out they still had some cards left from last year, so they only need fifty cards this year.

Fifty cards may sound like a lot, but last year I made over a hundred cards. And since I make multiples of each design, fifty cards really isn't too bad. Best of all, it means I have time to make the card designs a little more involved, like this punny card:

Supplies:
Stamps: Viking (Avery Elle)
Paper: Whisper White, thick Whisper White, Basic Black card stock; Wood Textures Designer Series Paper (DSP) Stack (all Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); colored pencils - PC943, PC1065, PC901, PC924, PC927, PC946, PC1084 (Prismacolor)
Accessories: Viking dies (Avery Elle), Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables dies (Lawn Fawn), jute twine (May Arts Ribbon), mini Action Wobble spring (Art Impressions), Gamsol kit (Taylored Expressions)

I love this little Viking, and I thought he would be perfect for some masculine Valentine's Day cards. I stamped the image -- and all the little hearts -- four times on white card stock, colored them with colored pencils, and used Gamsol to blend the coloring. (I would have done more, but I'm not the fastest color-er, and I didn't want to get overwhelmed.) Then I used the coordinating dies to cut out the images.

After trying out some different ideas for the background, I settled on a panel of wood texture DSP backed with a layer of black card stock. I wrapped jute twine around the front of a white card base and then and adhered the panel over the twine in the center of the card.

I adhered the Viking to a mini Action Wobble spring and then attached the spring to the wood texture DSP. Now he can do a little Viking jig! For a final touch I glued the die-cut hearts around the image to give the cards a little more Valentine's Day feel.

I'll be sharing more Meals on Wheels valentines over the coming weeks. And I need to get started on my monthly Christmas cards, too! Thanks for stopping by today!