August Christmas card: Santa gnome

I'm just sneaking in my Christmas cards this month! I actually designed this card a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't have a chance to finish them until yesterday.

Supplies:
Stamps: Happy Winter Gnome (Unity Stamp Co.)
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Whisper White card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Shaded Spruce, Gray Granite (Stampin' Up!); alcohol markers - Shaded Spruce, Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, Nude, Bronze, Mocha (Stampin' Up! Blends/Blendabilities) and W3, R81 (Copic)
Accessories: Layering Ovals dies (Stampin' Up!). red rhinestones (Stampin' Up!), foam tape (3M)

I was having trouble finding inspiration this month, so I went with a simple design. I started by stamping the Santa on white card stock and coloring him with alcohol markers. According to the stamp set, he's a winter gnome, but he looks like Santa to me, so I guess I'll call him a Santa gnome. :)

I used an oval die to cut out the Santa gnome and then set him aside to finish the rest of the card. I chose thick white card stock for the card base and made a simple background by randomly stamping the other two images in this stamp set: a small snowflake (using Gray Granite ink) and the sentiment "happy winter" (Shaded Spruce ink). I stamped the images twice before re-inking the stamps, so there is a little variation in the colors.

I applied strips of foam tape to the back of the die-cut oval and then adhered it to the middle of the card front. A few red rhinestones add just a hint of sparkle and pull a little bit of the red from Santa's coat onto the card base.

It's hard to believe September is only a couple of days away. I'd better start thinking about my September Christmas card now! Thanks for stopping by!

Bunches of blooms

I'm trying to group together some of the cards I have left to share so that I have some chance of catching up on my blog posts. Today I'm focusing on a few flowery cards.

Supplies (all Stampin; Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Garden in Bloom, Petite Pairs
Paper: Whisper White, thick Whisper White, Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Granny Apple Green card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Melon Mambo, Flirty Flamingo, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green
Accessories: Apothecary Accents dies, Sprig punch, Stitched Frames Stacklets dies (Taylored Expressions), Princess sequins (Craft Medley), sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), jute twine (May Arts Ribbon), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute), foam tape (3M)

These two cards use the same color pallet; the only difference is that for the card on the left I stamped the outlines using black instead of the flower color, like on the right. It's interesting how different they look! There are no fancy techniques on either of these cards, just basic stamping with a few die-cut or punched shapes and a little embellishment. I've always loved the stamping part of making cards, so sometimes it's nice to just let shine.

Supplies:
Stamps: Flip the Floral (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Sugar Cube card stock (Taylored Expressions); Basic Black, Pool Party card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Oreo (Taylored Expressions); colored pencils - PC909, PC929, PC935, PC1008, PC916, PC932, PC912, blender pencil (Prismacolor)
Accessories: Sentimental dies (Avery Elle), Hello die (Gina K Designs), sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), black enamel dots (Eyelet Outlet), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

I made the white panels for these cards at the Taylored Expressions Stamp Joy event last fall. We were learning different ways to use this floral border stamp, so we used a stamp positioner to stamp it in a vertical and horizontal orientation. (We also did a diagonal piece, but I think I messed up that panel.) I turned the panels into easy cards by mounting them on card bases and adding die-cut words. I did cut the words out a few times and then glued them together to add some dimension.

I colored the flowers on the left card with colored pencils (although I wish I had used different colors for the roses instead of just pink), and I left them black and white -- with a pop of Pool Party -- for the right card.

Supplies:
Stamps: It's Spring Time (Rubbernecker Stamps)
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Wild Wasabi, Yoyo Yellow card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Color Fuse ink sets #1 (Lemon, Custard, Autumn), #5 (Rose, Blush, Bubblegum), #10 (Moss, Clover) (Rubbernecker Stamps); Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

These are two more cards with lots of stamping. I love the detail on these flowers; each flower is made with three separate stamps for the petals and then another stamp for the center, although in looking at these now, I can see that I was a little off with some of the flower centers. Oh, well! It was really fun to play with the Color Fuse inks (sets of four ink cubes in graduated color groupings), and these bright colors make for cheerful birthday cards. 

Supplies:
Stamps: Mod Floral Stack (Reverse Confetti)
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Basic Black card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Lime Rickey, Aquatini, Something Borrowed, Flirty Fuschia (Catherine Pooler); Intens-ified Black (Hero Arts)
Accessories Moonshine Confetti (Hero Arts), foam tape (3M), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

OK, this isn't your traditional flower, but it definitely has a floral vibe -- and the stamp set is called Mod Floral Stack -- so I decided to include it here.

This is a very simple card. I stamped the petal images in four cool shades of green, blue, and purple on a panel of white card stock and added one piece of round confetti at the top of the flower. I stamped the sentiment along the top of the panel using black ink.

When that was done, I didn't like the placement of the images; everything seemed too high. So I added a strip of black card stock along the bottom of the panel. I really like that extra emphasis on the bottom of the card and how it echos the line created by the sentiment. To finish the card I used foam tape to mount it on a white card base.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you and your loved ones are safe, healthy, and happy.

Rooting for You card set

I haven't posted a card set in awhile (probably because I haven't made many recently), so for today's post I'm sharing a set of cards I made as a birthday gift for a friend. (I apologize in advance that the photos aren't great. I had to take them later in the day, and my lighting is not the best.)

Supplies:
Stamps: Rooting for You (Concord & 9th)
Paper: Whisper White, thick Whisper White card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Pear Pizzazz, Mossy Meadow, So Saffron, Pool Party, Calypso Coral (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Rooting for You dies (Concord & 9th), Subtles Candy Dots (Stampin' Up!), foam tape (3M), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

I realize that I forgot to take a picture of the full card set. I made six cards total, two of each of the different letter board signs with a variety of plants and planters.

This stamp set was so much fun to play with. Each plant and planter is two stamps: one for the outline and one for the fill-in color. So I just took a piece of white card stock and stamped a whole mess of the four plant outlines and the four planter outlines using black ink. Then I chose two greens for the plants and three colors for the planters and stamped the fill-in images. I also stamped the six letter board signs, using a different frame color for each type of sign.

Once everything was stamped, I used the coordinating dies to cut out all of the pieces. Then I put together the plants and planters, adhering them with a little drop of liquid glue.

For each card base I used a piece of thick Whisper White card stock. (I cut and scored my card stock so the fold is at the top of the card. I'm not sure why I prefer this, but I almost always design my cards this way.) I stamped the single shelf slightly below the middle of the card and then added the letter board and plants using foam tape. The bottom of the card seemed too empty, so I added two Candy Dots in the lower right corner (I chose the color to coordinate with the letter board sign).

Supplies:
Stamps: Rooting for You (Concord & 9th), Tiny Words Birthday (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Pear Pizzazz, Mossy Meadow, So Saffron, Pool Party, Calypso Coral (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Rooting for You dies (Concord & 9th), Simple Strips die (Taylored Expressions), sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), foam tape (3M), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

When I was done assembling the card set, I had enough little plants left over to make one more card. I used a Crumb Cake card base and added a row of plants, placing some of them slightly higher or lower and using foam tape on a couple to create more dimension. I added a stamped sentiment on a strip of white card stock and finished the card with a few of my favorite sequins.

Thanks for stopping by!

What's the buzz?

I'm trying (again!) to post on my blog more regularly. I have such a back-log of cards to post that I feel like I'll never get caught up! This afternoon I spent a little time prepping photos for three posts - let's see if I can get them all done this week. I'll start with a couple of sweet bumblebee cards I made in the spring.

 

 

I really liked this stamp set when I first saw it (and I still do), but once I got it, I struggled a bit with how to use it. (Don't you hate that?) I did use it for a couple of bee-themed valentines, which I loved, but I wanted to come up with a different layout for some birthday cards.

 

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Honey Bee
Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White card stock; Golden Honey Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Pool Party, Soft Suede
Accessories: Detailed Bee dies, gold glitter enamel dots, polka dot washi tape (Kamoi Kakoshi Co.), foam tape (3M)

For my birthday cards I decided to focus on the large beehive image -- stamped on white card stock and die cut -- and the bees from the coordinating Golden Honey Specialty DSP (I love the gold foil!). I used the dies to cut out one large bee and two small bees and set them aside to create the card base.

I used Pool Party card stock for the base and glued the bee hive just slightly above the middle of the card front. I stamped the curved sentiment above the beehive using Soft Suede ink and then filled the rest of the card front with Pool Party flowers.

Using foam tape I added the three bees around the hive. Then I added a bit more gold with polka dot washi tape along the bottom of the card and a few gold glitter enamel dots (I love that they look like little drops of honey).

 

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Honey Bee, Delicate Details
Paper: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Whisper White card stock; Golden Honey Specialty DSP
Ink: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Detailed Bee dies, gold glitter enamel dots, foam tape (3M)

My second birthday card started out the same way: with a stamped and die-cut bee hive and three bees die cut from the DSP (although this time I used two large and one small).

I decided to use a neutral color pallet for this card, and while I was trying out some different color combinations, I came across this panel of Crumb Cake that I had previously stamped with the lacy background. I liked how the lace looked with the bee hive, so I went with it!

I glued the hive over the background and stamped the sentiment just below it. Again, I used foam tape to add the bees. To give the card a little texture, I distressed the top and bottom edges of the Crumb Cake panel and then adhered it to a Soft Suede card base, leaving a narrow border of the Soft Suede showing at the top and bottom. A row of three gold glitter enamel dots in the upper right corner finish off the card.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a bee-utiful week!

A nod to the Muppets

Happy Friday! We're due for a storm tonight, and the sky is already getting dark, so I thought I'd bring a little color -- and nostalgia -- to this gloomy evening.

 

Supplies (all Taylored Expressions unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Mini Strips - Fun and Funny, Whole Llama Love

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black card stock (Stampin' Up!); Cookie Monster, Lime Zest, Pineapple, Plum Punch, Candy Corn card stock

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)

Accessories: Build-a-Scene - Trees dies, Frame in Frame 2 Cutting Plate, Splatter embossing folder, Brick embossing folder, 3/8" circle punch (Stampin' Up!), googly eyes (Inkadinkadoo), Brights Candy Dots (Stampin' Up!), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute), foam tape (3M)

Almost exactly three years ago, I shared a card featuring these characters that remind me so much of the Muppets. I loved watching The Muppet Show on TV as a kid, and one of my all-time favorite Christmas albums is John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together. I still listen to it multiple times every year, and since we have an Amazon Echo I can ask Alexa to play it whenever, and I don't have to dig out the CD. :)

But back to the card. I used six of the different treetop dies from the Build-a-Scene - Trees die set and chose six fun, bright card stock colors. I cut a few of each shape from each color of card stock and then mixed and matched them to create the heads and hair. (That sounds much simpler than it was; I kept moving around pieces, and I changed my mind I don't know how many times before I finally glued everything together.) I added googly eyes, and for the mouths, I punched 3/8" black circles and then cut them in half. For a few of the characters I also added Candy Dots for their noses.

The card bases are pretty straightforward. I embossed four card bases (two with a splatter texture and two with a brick wall texture) and then added a scalloped frame. (For the Lime Zest card base, I stamped the sentiment on a strip of white card stock and adhered that to the card base before adding the frame.) Using foam tape I added four faces in each frame and then finished with the sentiments. No need for extra embellishments with these fun characters!

 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for stopping by!