Nature's Peace simplicity

When I saw the Nature's Peace stamp set in the Stampin' Up! holiday catalog, I loved it immediately. I'm a sucker for just about any Christmas stamps with a peace/nature/animal theme, and this one also has a great vintage feel. But since I already have so many Christmas stamps, I wasn't going to buy this one. Until, that is, I realized it's the perfect size for a note card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Nature's Peace
Paper: Crumb Cake note cards and envelopes, Cherry Cobbler card stock
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: Winter White embossing powder, Boho Blossoms punch, pearls

I have been a little obsessed with note cards lately. I really like the slightly smaller size (3-1/2" x 5") and the more rectangular shape compared to an A2 card. (OK, I know something can't be "more" rectangular; either it is a rectangle or it isn't. But the proportions of the two card sizes are different.) And they're great for one-layer cards like this one.

I stamped the image on the Crumb Cake note card using VersaMark ink and then embossed it with Winter White embossing powder. It's old embossing powder, so it didn't cover as smoothly and evenly as I would have liked, but it really didn't matter with the style of this stamp.

For a touch of color, I added a punched, layered Cherry Cobbler flower with a pearl center (sort of a poinsettia) near the middle of the image. I repeated the color by cutting off a narrow strip (about 1/8") from the long edge of the card front and then adhering a piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock to the back side of the card front. For one last touch I stamped and embossed a few snowflakes on the envelope.

Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween critters and creatures

I mentioned in my Halloween cats post a few days ago that I'd made a whole collection of Halloween cards using Stampin' Up!'s Whisper White note cards and envelopes. I found that I enjoyed making these simple Halloween greetings much more than elaborate cards, and I was happier with how they turned out. (Note to self: Remember this next year.) Here is the whole assortment of Halloween critters and creatures:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Critters in Costume (Lawn Fawn)
Paper: Whisper White card stock, Whisper White note cards and envelopes
Ink: Jet Black StazOn; markers: Pumpkin Pie, Smoky Slate, Soft Suede
Accessories: Critters in Costume dies (Lawn Fawn), Large Polka Dot embossing folder, Dimensionals

This was by far the fastest card to make. I had stamped and cut out the bunny and greeting last year but never used them. So I just embossed the card base and added the images with Dimensionals. Hard to get easier than that.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Halloween Hedgehogs
Paper: Whisper White card stock, Whisper White note cards and envelopes
Ink: Jet Black StazOn; markers: Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Island Indigo, Smoky Slate, Baked Brown Sugar, Chocolate Chip, Blushing Bride, Basic Black
Accessories: Arrows embossing folder, corner rounder, Dimensionals

I love, love the Halloween Hedgehogs stamp set, and this is my favorite image from the set. I colored the image, doodled a border and adhered the panel over a note card embossed with the Arrows embossing folder.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Tape It, Halloween Hedgehogs
Paper: Whisper White card stock, Whisper White note cards and envelopes
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede, Smoky Slate ink pads; markers: Pumpkin Pie, Tangelo Twist, Daffodil Delight, Crisp Cantaloupe, Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: 2-1/2" circle punch, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack, paper-piercing tool, Dimensionals

To make the background I used three images from the Tape It stamp set. I stamped each stamp on scratch paper before stamping them on the card to lighten the images. I pierced a border around the focal image and in each corner of the card base.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Halloween Hedgehogs
Paper: Whisper White card stock, Whisper White note cards and envelopes
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Old Olive Assortment and Skin Tones Assortment Blendabilities; Basic Gray, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist markers; Cool Gray - C1 marker (Copic)
Accessories: Large Polka Dot embossing folder, 2-1/2" circle punch, Lucky Limeade baker's twine, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

I used a combination of water-based and alcohol markers to color this image. I punched out the image and adhered it to the note card embossed with the Large Polka Dot embossing folder (that one has definitely become a favorite!). For a simple embellishment I added a bow of Lucky Limeade baker's twine.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Too Cute to Spook (Unity Stamp Company)
Paper: Whisper White card stock, Whisper White note cards and envelopes
Ink: Mememto Tuxedo Black; Basic Black marker; Old Olive Assortment, Daffodil Delight Assortment and Skin Tones Assortment Blendabilities
Accessories: Chalk Talk Framelits dies, Dimensionals

I do not have great skill with alcohol-based markers, so this little guy's head is a little blotchy. But I figure he's a monster, so he probably doesn't mind too much. After coloring the image, I cut it out by hand and adhered it to the note card base with Dimensionals. I added the speech bubble with the stamped sentiment and drew a border around the card base and around the speech bubble shape.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Too Cute to Spook (Unity Stamp Company), Gorgeous Grunge
Paper: Whisper White card stock, Whisper White note cards and envelopes
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Old Olive, Basic Black marker
Accessories: Basic Black baker's twine, Black Diamond Stickles glitter glue (Ranger), corner rounder, Dimensionals

I wanted to give this spider a web, but since I don't have a spider web stamp or embossing folder, I had to make my own. I drew a basic web shape with a black marker and then went over it with black glitter glue to give it more "oomph." I stamped the spider, cut it out and also applied some black glitter glue.

When both pieces were dry, I pierced a small hole through the card stock in the web and pulled a piece of Basic Black baker's twine through the hole. I taped one end of the twine to the back of the piece of card stock and the other end to the back of the spider. Then I used a Dimensional to adhere the spider below the web.

Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween candy for a challenge

I think challenges are a great way to get your creative juices flowing and make something you wouldn't have otherwise. It's been awhile since I've entered any challenges, so to get back into the swing of things, I created a card for Raisin Boat's Halloween challenge.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Central Park (Raisin Boat), Trick or Treat (Lawn Fawn)
Paper: Crumb Cake, Tangelo Twist, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant card stock
Ink: Tangelo Twist, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant
Accessories: 1-1/4" circle punch, small oval punch (retired), 1-3/4" scallop circle punch, 7/8" scallop circle punch, Ice White pearl pen (Viva Decor)

Even though it wasn't required, I wanted to use Raisin Boat stamps for the challenge. The challenge (pun intended) for me was that I don't own any of Raisin Boat's cute Halloween sets. So I had to improvise.

Using the Central Park stamp set, I stamped one of the oval images and one of the circle images in four different colors. I punched out the stamped images as well as some scalloped circles. I cut apart sections of the scalloped circles and glued them behind the punched-out circles and ovals to create the look of pieces of wrapped candy.

To make the card, I first trimmed down the card base so it is 5" wide instead of 5-1/2". Then I layered several pieces of "candy" along the bottom of the card, some of them going past the edges of the card base. I used a pearl pen to make a border along the top of the card and stamped an appropriate "trick or treat" sentiment.

Do you have any challenge recommendations?Leave a comment below. Thanks for stopping by!

500 blog posts and a Christmas star

This is my 500th blog post! Woohoo! I debated what to share for this post: Something that represents my typical clean-and-simple style? Or something elaborate and fancier than I usually make? This bold Christmas card seemed like a good choice; it has a simple layout and a little sparkle.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Bright and Beautiful
Paper: Textured and smooth Rich Razzleberry card stock, old sheet music (unknown)
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Stars Framelits dies, gold sequin trim, gold baker's twine, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

This card started with the sheet music. A few months ago at a rubber stamp show I saw several cute cards that had images stamped directly on newsprint-looking paper or authentic vintage sheet music. One vendor was even selling pieces of old sheet music cut down for making cards. At about the same time the church where my yoga class meets was clearing out old items, including piles and piles of old choir music. Score! I took a good-sized stack for myself and a few friends, and this card idea has been percolating in my head ever since.

I cut a piece of the sheet music to 5-1/4" x 4" and tore along the right edge. I stamped the largest star image in the middle and "joy" in the lower right corner and adhered the paper to a textured Rich Razzleberry card base. I stamped the smallest star on smooth Rich Razzleberry card stock, cut it out and adhered it to the middle of the large star with a Dimensional. A few gold sequins and some gold baker's twine add the perfect finishing touches.

Whether you've read a hundred of my blog posts or just one, thank you for being a part of this little adventure. And thanks for stopping by!

Halloween cats

Happy World Card-Making Day! I spent a good part of this afternoon making cards, and I finally used some of my new stamps from the Holiday Catalog to make Christmas cards. I promise I'll share those another day, but today I want to show you a couple of Halloween cards featuring not-too-spooky cats.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Frightening Feline
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White card stock; Designer Series Paper (DSP) Patterns Stack - Brights (retired)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Basic Black marker
Accessories: Corner rounder, Candy Dots - Brights, rhinestones, Basic Black 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Dimensionals

I love the combination of round and straight on this card: circles and stripes, curved corners and straight edges. The pieces of DSP are 3/4" x 4" (Pumpkin Pie) and 3-1/2" x 4" (Old Olive) with approximately a 1/8" gap between the pieces. The Basic Black ribbon echoes that gap (same width and color) and "holds together" all three pieces of DSP. I embellished the cat image with green Candy Dot eyes and a rhinestone collar, and I doodled a border around the focal panel.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Critters in Costume (Lawn Fawn)
Paper: Whisper White card stock, Polka Dot Parade DSP, Whisper White note cards and envelopes
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; markers: Basic Gray, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Blushing Bride
Accessories: Critters in Costume dies (Lawn Fawn), white baker's twine, rhinestones, Dimensionals

This card is the smaller note card size (3-1/2" x 5" compared to A2 size, which is 4-1/4" x 5-1/2"), and it was the first of a whole string of Halloween note cards I made last week. (Those are more cards that I'll share in another post.) On this card I again combined two different DSP patterns, but this time both have circles or dots. I used a small strip of the Rich Razzleberry piece to anchor the focal image on the Old Olive background. A baker's twine bow and a few rhinestones provide simple embellishment for this little Halloween kitty.

Thanks for stopping by!