Blossoms by the inch

I love to get new stamping supplies: ink, card stock, stamps, embellishments, even boring adhesive. Kind of like being a kid in a candy store. But not surprisingly, the new often overshadows the old, and I forget about some of my previous favorites. So for the cards I'm going to share today, I combined my newest set from Stampin' Up!^®, Betsy's Blossoms, with one that is a couple of years old (and one that I haven't used much to boot), Cute by the Inch. I also used some of my new In Color inks and card stock along with older embellishments. The best of both worlds. (All supplies are from Stampin' Up!)

Supplies:
Stamps: Cute by the Inch, Betsy's Blossoms
Card stock: Very Vanilla, Raspberry Ripple, Old Olive
Ink: Raspberry Ripple, Old Olive pads and markers
Accessories: Snow Burst embossing folder, 1" square punch, Postage Stamp punch, Old Olive polytwill ribbon, Dimensionals

The background flower and leaves images are from the Betsy's Blossoms set, and I was happy to see how well they coordinate with the "friends" image from Cute by the Inch. I really like this layout and color combination, but I think I might have to go back and add a few pearls or rhinestones. Just a little bling.

Supplies:
Stamps: Cute by the Inch, Betsy's Blossoms
Card stock: Very Vanilla, Gumball Green, Midnight Muse
Ink: Gumball Green pad and marker, Midnight Muse marker
Accessories: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, 1" square punch, Postage Stamp punch, Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware, Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue

For this background, I stamped the leaves first and then added the flowers. That image actually includes all three flowers together on the stamp, but for some of them I used my marker to color just one or two flowers before stamping. That way I was able to fill in some of the smaller empty spaces.

Supplies:
Stamps: Cute by the Inch, Betsy's Blossoms
Card stock: Basic Gray, Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals
Ink: Basic Gray, Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals
Accessories: 1" square punch, Neutrals Collection brads, Dimensionals

This a color combination I probably wouldn't have come up with one my own, but I found it in the Color Coach tool and decided to try it out. It's actually very striking, although this picture doesn't quite do it justice (here the gray almost has a purple look to it). The layout is different from my usual style, too, but it was fun to do something new. I used Dimensionals to adhere the "thank u" square to the card so it stands out a bit from the others.




Thanks for stopping by!

Single-layer simplicity

Sometimes making a simple card is more challenging than making an elaborate one. At least for me. Since there are fewer elements on the card, each one becomes more important. And mistakes are easier to notice. So maybe it's not exactly that simple cards are harder to make, it's that they are more intimidating. But last weekend I made three very simple single-layer cards that I really liked.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®):
Stamps: Elementary Elegance
Card stock: Whisper White
Ink: Going Gray, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Curly Label punch, basic rhinestones, 1/8" Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon, Simply Scored tool, Dimensionals

I stamped the frame image directly on the white card base, slightly to the left of the middle. I stamped the greeting and a butterfly on a separate piece of card stock, punched it out and adhered it inside the frame with Dimensionals. I scored two lines along the bottom of the card and then tied a piece of ribbon just above those lines. Finally I stamped a few more butterflies around the frame and added three rhinestones on the upper right corner and one at the top of the frame. I think this layout -- with a variety of greetings and colors -- would make an elegant set of note cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Playful Pieces, It's Your Birthday
Card stock: Whisper White, textured Soft Suede, textured Crushed Curry, textured Old Olive
Ink: Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Old Olive
Accessories: 3/4" square punch ( EK Success), 1" square punch, Simply Scored tool, Dimensionals

This card actually doesn't have any embellishments, so I added interest in a couple of other ways: I used textured card stock mats behind the stars, and I added an embossed border around the card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Tea Shoppe, Something to Celebrate
Card stock: Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Barely Banana, Almost Amethyst
Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Barely Banana, Almost Amethyst
Accessories: Adorning Accents embossing folders and Edgelits dies, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, basic pearls, Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals

This card has the same layout as the previous one, but with a more feminine feel. Instead of matting the teacup images with card stock, I cut each of them out and adhered them to the card base with Dimensionals. I also added a punched flower and pearl to each teacup. Finally instead of the embossed border all the way around the card, I used a coordinating embossing folder and die to create the scalloped bottom edge.

Once I got into the groove of making these clean and simple cards, I really enjoyed it. I'll definitely be making more. Thanks for stopping by!

Seeing stars

Stars are always a fun, festive theme for birthday cards. Here are three "starry" cards I made this weekend.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^® unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Starring You
Card stock: Cool Caribbean, Real Red, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Cool Caribbean
Accessories: Large and small star punches, 1-3/4" circle punch, white crochet thread (DMC), plaid embossing folder (Sizzix), glue stick, Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

This card was a lot easier to make than it looks. I punched several small and large stars and glued them to the card front. Then I embossed the card front in an embossing folder. I've seen many cards made with this technique, but this was the first time I tried it. And I really like how it turned out. A couple of things to keep in mind: Be sure to use an adhesive that covers the entire punched shape, such as a glue stick or liquid glue, and be sure to use an embossing folder with a fairly small pattern that covers the whole piece of card stock.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Pennant Parade
Card stock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Night of Navy, Pumpkin Pie, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Night of Navy, Pumpkin Pie, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Petite Pennants Builder punch, large star punch, paper piercer, mini silver brads, circle brad

Each colored strip of card stock on this card is about 7/8" wide. To make the banner, I adhered each pennant to the card. Then I placed a mini silver brad in between the pennants (using a paper piercer to make the holes) and one brad in each end.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Nursery Necessities, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Birthday Greetings (inside of card)
Card stock: Real Red, Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Taken with Teal, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Taken with Teal
Accessories: Large and small star punches, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals

I really like the combination of fun, bright colors, clean layout and bold stars on this card. I layered the punched stars and adhered them with Dimensionals to pieces of Whisper White card stock. I also matted each piece of white card stock with the same color as the stars. I thought about putting some type of embellishment -- maybe a brad or another small punched star -- in the middle of the card, but then I decided I'd better leave well enough alone.

I also thought I'd show you a picture of the inside of this card. Generally my cards are fairly plain inside because I just stamp a greeting or leave it blank if I want to write a longer message. But once in awhile I stamp the inside of the card to match the outside, which is what I did here. I like the randomness of these stars compared to the deliberate arrangement on the front of the card.










Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to moms everywhere! And that includes grandmas, godmothers, aunts, cousins, friends, anyone who plays a nurturing, care-taking role in our lives. I thought I would share the two Mother's Day cards I made for my mom and grandma.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®):
Stamps: Tea Shoppe
Card stock: Very Vanilla, Pink Pirouette
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Pear Pizzazz markers
Accessories: Adorning Accents embossing folders and Edgelits dies, basic pearls, Pretty in Pink satin ribbon, large oval punch, Modern Label punch, Dimensionals

To make the teacup, I used Pink Pirouette and Pear Pizzazz markers to color directly on the rubber stamp, and then I stamped the image on the Very Vanilla card base. I used the same technique for the "tea for two" image, stamping on a small piece of card stock and then punching it out with an oval punch. The piece of Pink Pirouette card stock behind the oval was punched with the Modern Label punch. One label shape isn't long enough to span the entire length of the oval, so the trick is to cut the label in half and adhere the two pieces so a little bit of the label is visible at each side of the oval. I love the delicate scalloped edge at the bottom of the card against the Pink Pirouette card stock, and I repeated the pink at the top of the card with satin ribbon.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Elementary Elegance, Well Scripted
Card stock: Pool Party, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Pool Party, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Pool Party seam binding ribbon, Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon, Mocha opaque gems (Close to My Heart), Curly Label punch, corner rounder, Dimensionals

For the focal image, I stamped the frame in Chocolate Chip on Pool Party (I love this color combo!), rounded the corners and used Dimensionals to adhere it to a layer of Chocolate Chip card stock. I stamped the greeting on a separate piece of Pool Party card stock, punched it out with the Curly Label punch and used Dimensionals to adhere it to the middle of the frame. I tied a piece of Pool Party ribbon around the card and then tied a small piece of Chocolate Chip ribbon around the knot. I glued the focal image over the ribbon, and added a few stamped birds and a pearl to finish off the background of this card.

I didn't stamp "Happy Mother's Day" on the front of either of these cards, so they would also be great for birthdays or just to let someone know you're thinking of them. Thanks for stopping by!

Easy Events card assortment

Just one week ago I was relaxing and enjoying my long-awaited craft retreat. Sigh. Real life catches up with us so fast. But I have one more set of cards to share from the retreat. These cards were all made with the Stampin' Up!^® set Easy Events. (All supplies are from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.)

Supplies:
Stamps: Easy Events
Paper: Whisper White, Early Espresso, textured Old Olive card stock; Brights Collection Patterns Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Jet Black StazOn pad; Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede Old Olive, Daffodil Delight markers
Accessories: 1/8" Early Espresso taffeta ribbon, Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Ovals small and large dies (Spellbinders), paper piercer, Dimensionals, bone folder

This card makes me think of The Sound of Music. You know, "... an absurd little bird is popping out to say 'Cuckoo.'" That combined with the Old Olive DSP, which reminds me of the curtains Maria uses to make the children's play clothes. Anyway, I omitted the "hello" greeting when I stamped the image because I wanted to make an all-occasion card. I made embossed lines on the top half of the card and pierced holes in the scallops on the smaller oval.

Supplies:
Stamps: Easy Events
Card stock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Pacific Point
Ink: Jet Black StazOn pad; Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Old Olive markers
Accessories: Old Olive scallop polka dot ribbon, Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Ovals small and large dies (Spellbinders), paper piercer, mat pack, Dimensionals, Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal)

I think the image of these two birds is really cute. But the original stamp has the saying "wedding wishes" below the birds and a little heart above them. I just omitted those parts of the image when I stamped it and instead stamped the "hello" greeting (from the cuckoo clock image) on the bottom right corner instead. Now instead of lovebirds, they are just two friendly birds having a little chat.

Supplies:
Stamps: Easy Events
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, textured Old Olive, Whisper White, Pacific Point, Early Espresso card stock; Brights Collection Patterns DSP
Ink: Early Espresso pad; Old Olive, Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso markers
Accessories: Brights Collection glimmer brads, 1/8" Old Olive taffeta ribbon

I used another greeting switcheroo on this card. The original greeting with the snail image is "sorry I'm late," but I left that off and instead stamped "happy birthday" from a different stamp. If I were to make this card again, I think I would change how I colored the snail. More than one person looked at this card from a distance and made a comment about the pumpkin.

Supplies:
Stamps: Easy Events
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Pacific Point card stock; Brights Collection Patterns DSP
Ink: Jet Black StazOn pad; Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Pacific Point markers
Accessories: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, 2-3/8" scallop circle punch, 2-1/2" circle punch, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Dimensionals

I like all the polka dots on this card: on the umbrella, the DSP and the embossed background. Just a bright, fun baby card.

Supplies:
Stamps: Easy Events
Card stock: Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Melon Mambo
Ink: Jet Black StazOn pad; Basic Black, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Melon Mambo markers
Accessories: 2-3/8" scallop circle punch, 2-1/2" circle punch, 1" circle punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Lily White mini jewels (Doodlebug Design), color spritzer tool, white crochet thread (DMC), Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue

I wanted to make a clean and simple thank-you card, so I started with a white card base, spritzed with the Pumpkin Pie marker to add a little bit of color, and added the crochet thread and focal image. To add a little detail to the flowers, I colored each flower and then added a small punched flower of the same color and a rhinestone. I didn't have a corner rounder with me, so I used a 1" circle punch to round the corners. (Insert the corner of the card stock through the opening in the bottom of the punch and then punch the paper.) It still seemed like the card needed something, so I doodled a border around the edge.

Supplies:
Stamps: Easy Events
Card stock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Basic Black, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Pacific Point, Rich Razzleberry
Ink: Jet Black StazOn pad; Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise, Pacific Point, Rich Razzleberry markers
Accessories: Stripes embossing folder, 1/8" Basic Black taffeta ribbon, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, basic rhinestones, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue

To make the main image here, I stamped the flower-trio image three times (without the greeting) on Whisper White card stock, using the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to line them up. Then I used each of the colors in the Brights Collection (except Old Olive, which I used for the leaves) to color the flowers. I added punched flowers and rhinestones, matted the focal image with Basic Black and adhered the piece to the embossed card base. I love this little rainbow garden.

Supplies:
Stamps: Easy Events
Card stock: Real Red, Whisper White, textured Old Olive, Early Espresso
Ink: Jet Black StazOn pad; Early Espresso, Real Red, Old Olive, Always Artichoke markers
Accessories: 1/8" Real Red taffeta ribbon, 2-1/2" circle punch, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Dimensionals

This card has the same layout as the Daffodil Delight "for baby" card but with different colors, image and embellishments. It's fun to see the different looks you can create with the same card layout.

Supplies:
Stamps: Easy Events, Petite Pairs
Card stock: Regal Rose, Whisper White, textured Old Olive
Ink: Jet Black StazOn pad; Regal Rose, Old Olive markers; glitter gel pen (unknown)
Accessories: Lots of Tags Sizzlits dies, polka dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug), Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, basic rhinestones, Dimensionals

Again, I omitted the greeting from the stamped image (this was the "happy birthday" I used with the snail birthday card) so I could use a different greeting. I die cut the tag shapes first and then stamped the cupcake on one and the greeting on the other. To create a little sparkle, I added on a few rhinestones and used a glitter gel pen to color the cupcake stand and the inside of a few of the letters on the greeting. (It has a fun shimmer in real life.) For the background I embossed a strip of Regal Rose card stock and added a little scallop edge to each side.

Whew! That was a longer post than I thought it would be. I realized when I sat down tonight that this is my 150th blog post. Hard to believe! On one hand I feel like I should have done something more grand for the occasion, but on the other, these cards are pretty typically my style, so it's probably a fitting post after all. Hope you found something you liked. Thanks for stopping by!