Triple the Celebration

Even though I used the same stamp for the focal point, I created three different card types/styles.  The SAB set Feeling Sentimental is a fun and actually very versatile set.

Here is a group photo.

The feminine version was done in a vintage/shabby style.

I'm not a huge pink fan, but I do like it with a dark brown.  Here I used Early Espresso and Pink Pirouette.  The DSP is from the Fan Fair pack. It has the most wonderful patterns and color combos.  I simply distressed the edges and then sponged them with both colors.  I also sponged over the paper with some of the pink.

For the embellishment I took a strip of Pink Pirouette and created a banner using the technique found in THIS post.  The sentiment is from Something to Celebrate(retired).  I tied a piece of linen thread around the Victoria crochet trim and then inked it up to age it a bit.  I placed a small Antique brad inside the largest of the Vintage Faceted Designer buttons.  The brad "legs" will just barely fit inside the button holes, but it was enough to bend them and secure it to the button.  I secured the lace and the button to the card with mini glue dots.

Stamps: Feeling Sentimental, Something to Celebrate
Paper: Early Espresso, Pink Pirouette, Fan Fair DSP
Ink: Early Espresso, Pink Pirouette
Misc.: Victoria Crochet Trim. Linen Thread, Vintage Faceted designer buttons, Antique brads, Basic Pearls, Square Punch, Sponges, Glue Dots, Distressing Tool



The middle card is clean and simple.

The black and white color scheme is elegant, yet still fun.  This could be given to either a female or male and could be used for a birthday, wedding or anniversary; or, simply just because you want to celebrate a child's accomplishment, a friend's promotion or any other life event.

Stamps: Feeling Sentimental
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Pitch Black (Adirondack/Ranger)




The final card is geared with a masculine slant and is kind of a combination of the two other styles.  Clean and shabby? :)

It is also a CASE of the card posted HERE.  I LOVE Sandi's addition of the French Foliage stamp images, but for mine I wanted to keep it a little "cleaner".  Instead of linen thread I used Basic Black Taffeta ribbon to help highlight the sentiment and I used a black and tan (Crumb Cake) color scheme.  To ink the edges I used the ink pad directly on the paper to give it a little crisper edge than sponging would have.

Stamps: Feeling Sentimental
Paper: Crumb Cake, First Edition Specialty paper
Ink: Pitch Black (Adirondack/Ranger)
Misc.:Basic Black Taffeta ribbon


In all, I think it took me roughly half an hour to make all three cards, so time well spent in my opinion.  Even though the feminine card is really more my usual style, that is actually my least favorite of the three.  Go figure... 

Which do you like the best?

2013 Begins!

Happy New Year Everyone! 

Hopefully everyone made it through the celebrations with minimal damage. :)  Hard to believe that 2012 is really over.  It seems like the saying is true that time really does go faster as you get older.

I think as we get older we just keep adding more and more to our plates and just don't slow down enough to enjoy anything.  Without getting all heavy and boring...I've realized that is what I have been doing.  Missing out on many things because I'm too worried about what's coming next.

So, among the usual goals I make each year, my big one for 2013 is, to take time.  Take time for me; take time for my daughter; take time for my art; take time to do nothing.

Kaiser Kraft: Chapter 9 DSP and rub-ons; 

Stampin' Up!: Basic Black & Whisper White cardstock, Elementary Elegance Stamp Set, Pool Party Classic Ink

What will you be taking time for this year?

Taking a break from Christmas, sort of..

It's been a bit of Holiday overload the past few days, company Christmas parties, making cards, baking cookies, decorating, etc.  So, I decided to take a break and work on some non-holiday themed gifts.

Here are a couple of cards that will be going into a stationary set for a relative's gift.

One of my new favorite color combos is Midnight Muse and Pool Party.  They are so soothing and make me feel more relaxed just working with them.  Getting rid of some of the excess stress is always a good thing during the Holidays

I lightly sponged a 2" high strip of Whisper White with Pool Party.  Using Pocket Silhouettes (retired), I stamped the wildflowers in Pool Party and then Midnight Muse on top of that.  The edges were sponged with both ink colors. 

The sentiments on both cards are from the set Warmest Regards (retired).  These are very quick and easy cards to do, they don't use a lot of supplies, and you could use any color combo and sentiments on them.  So, if you need any last minute gifts you could make a set in about 20-30 minutes.

Happy Holidays!

Stamps: Warmest Regards, Pocket Silhouettes
Paper: Midnight Muse, Pool Party, Whisper White
Ink: Midnight Muse, Pool Party
Misc.: Modern Label Punch, Sponge, Dimensionals

Paper Scraps and Craft Shows

If you're like me, you have a nice little stash of paper scraps.  Well, in my case it's a rather large stash.  As you may have read in previous posts, it's an ongoing challenge for me.  I will get it cleaned up and organized and then when I start getting into craft fair mode or making larger projects, it just takes on a life of its own.

This year I was a little better about putting together projects were I would use up more of the scraps, or better yet, not have as many to add to the pile.

These emery board holders make great little stocking stuffers and sold really well at the craft fairs.  And, I was able to use up a bunch of scraps on the embellishments and even the holders as well.  I saw the idea on this blog a while back, but this is the first time I have made any.  Very simple and easy to do.

The paper for the holder measures 3" by 5",  On the 5" side score at 1/4"; on the 3" side score at 1" and 3".  Fold and seal.  I used a 3/4" circle punch to make the half circle cut-out at the top. 



The next item is a money/check holder.  The inspiration came from this.

The finished outside holder measures 3 1/4" x 7 1/2", and the inside slider measures 3 1/8" x 7 1/2".  You could trim the slider down to 7 1/4" tall, but I like out it peeks out of the top a bit.

I used SU's slit punch (retired) on the bottom of the slider.  Coupled with the circle at the top, the money or check will stay securely in place.  I added a piece of card stock on the back of the slider piece so that a message could be added for the recipient.

I was able to use up more scraps for the embellishments on these.  They were also a big hit at the craft shows.

When I wrote this post and added the link to the inspiration pic for the money holder, I was not able to access the blog anymore that she mentioned had the directions.  I will post a tutorial later this week.

Hope you all have a great day!

Fun Distressed Glue

I found a cool new technique on SCS a few days ago.  Well, it's new to me anyway.  It's called Distressed Glue and is a lot of fun.  You can use it on small pieces or make really interesting backgrounds.

My youngest niece is very much a girlie girl, and her favorite color is pink.  So, for her birthday card I used Pretty in Pink and Rich Razzleberry to make a background using the technique.  I wasn't that thrilled with it when I was done, so I used the Floral Frames Framelit dies and the Daydream Medallions stamp set to turn it into a flower.  The leaves are from the Autumn Accents die in the Holiday Mini catalog and were colored with Old Olive using the same technique.

This even falls into the quick and easy category.  The technique only takes a couple of minutes to do and the card itself is pretty straightforward. 

After creating the background, I stamped the Medallions in Rich Razzleberry and used the framelits to create the flower by simply layering three pieces and holding it together with a Clear Rhinestone brad.  The leaves were adhered with glue dots.

The flower still looked a little blah on its own, so I jazzed it up a bit with some Victoria Crochet trim looped behind the piece.  The sentiment is from Int The Stars (retired) and is stamped in Rich Razzleberry.  There you go, easy!


Supplies:
Stamps: Daydream Medallions, In The Stars (retired)
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White
Ink: Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, Ruch Razzleberry
Misc.: Floral Frames, Framelits, Autumn Accents Bigz Die, Big Shot, Victoria Crochet Trim, Scotch Quick Dry Glue, Clear Rhinestone Brad, Mini Glue Dots, Sponge Dauber

Retirement Showcase

I don't know about you, but I tend to keep many of my stamp sets and supplies even after they retire.  Sometimes though, they do get shoved to the back of the shelves and not used very often.  So I thought I would show some love to the retiring sets and products this month for a little inspiration.

I am kicking myself  a bit over not purchasing this set sooner; I just purchased it from the retiring list. Although Awash with Flowers is not my typical style, I really like how this card turned out. This is a two-step stamping set and was really easy to use with the cling mount stamps.  You can use the Stamp-a-ma-jig if you have the wood mount to help with alignment.


All the stems and flower outlines were stamped in Basic Black.  I first stamped the stems for the larger flowers and the stem with the buds.  Next came the three large flowers.  I then filled in the space with the two smaller flowers along the bottom.  I drew in the stems for the flowers along the bottom with the Black Stampin' Write Marker.  Once the outlines were done, I simply went back in with the solid stamps and color.


"Hello" is stamped in Poppy Parade and is from Elementary Elegance (SAB set).  I used the small oval punch on it and also punched an oval in Daffodil Delight to mat it.  I raised the sentiment on dimensionals to give the card a little depth.

Stamps: Awash with Flowers (retiring), Elementary Elegance (SAB)
Paper: Poppy Parade (retiring), Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz (retiring), Poppy Parade (retiring)
Misc.: Small Oval Punch, Dimensionals

Wisteria is such a pretty color and it goes wonderfully with Concord Crush.  I love purples so I am sad that Concord Crush is retiring.  This was a very quick and easy card and could be given to either a female or male.  

I colored an image from Pocket Silhouettes (retiring) with Stampin' Write Markers in Wisteria Wonder and Pear Pizzazz and then matted that on Pear Pizzazz.  After attaching a tab with the sentiment, created using the Round Tab Punch (retiring), I mounted the entire piece on Concord Crush and used dimensionals to place it on the card.  The sentiment is also from Pocket Silhouettes; I used the Concord Crush marker to color just the word friend.


Only a few select colors of Stampin' Write Markers will be available for individual purchase in the new catalog June 1st. [We don't know which ones yet. :)]  However, all current SU colors of the markers will be available for purchase in color assortment packs.


Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes (retiring)
Paper: Concord Crush (retiring), Pear Pizzazz (retiring), Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White
Ink: Stampin' Write Markers in Concord Crush (retiring), Pear Pizzazz (retiring) and Wisteria Wonder.
Misc.: Round Tab Punch (retiring), Concord Crush 1/2" Stitched-Poly Ribbon (retiring), Dimensionals

This wasn't where I was going with this card when I started and I am not sure that I totally love the layout;   but, I do like the flocal point of the pear from Faith in Nature.  It is a Hostess set that will be retiring at the end of this month.  You can earn it for free with a qualifying workshop or purchase.


I stamped the pear in Versamark on Crumb Cake and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.  Once that was cool I used a sponge to "rub in" the Pear Pizzazz ink around the image.  Once I had the coverage I wanted, I took a paper towel to wipe off any ink on the embossing.  I attached a Mini Library Clip (retiring) tied with Hemp Twine (retiring) and then mounted the image on alternating pieces of Crumb Cake and Not Quite Navy Textured card stock.  The 12 x 12 textured card stock is retiring, so if you like it as much as I do, stock up while it is still available.


Each of the mat pieces was torn at the bottom and then inked for some depth.  I used Pear Pizzazz on the Crumb Cake pieces to coordinate with the focal point.

Stamps: Faith in Nature
Paper: Crumb Cake, Not Quite Navy Textured (textured is retiring)
Ink: Pear Pizzazz (retiring), Not Quite Navy Craft (Craft inks are retiring), Versamark
Misc.: Mini Library Clips (retiring), Natural Hemp Twine (retiring), White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Sponges

You can see all the retiring stamp sets and accessories HERE.  Stamp sets are available to purchase through May 31st.  Retiring accessories are only available while supplies last, some are even discounted, so don't miss out!

Make it a great day!

Masculine Thanks

I'm finding that I am not having as difficult a time doing quick and simple cards as much as I used to. Even my daughter noticed it. When I showed her the card for this post she said, "Wow, what happened? You did a simple card!" (LOL)

I needed a thank you card for a male friend, so going with vintage, frills or collage wasn't an option anyway. I also needed to get it done quickly, which always aids in the decision to use less product.

I adore Bonsai trees which is the main reason I bought the Plant Hope set. Having only used the palm tree in the set so far, I figured it was time to get more use out of it. I colored the Bonsai stamp with markers, misted it with water, and then stamped it on watercolor paper. I then misted the paper to get the colors to bleed a little bit.

Be careful when doing this, start with just one or two light mists to see what the colors do. You can always add more water, but there's not much you can do once the colors have all bled into a muddy blob because the paper is soaked. :)

I then layered the image on a distressed piece of soft suede. The ribbon is Pear Pizzazz seam binding with Hemp Twine layered on top of that. I only put adhesive in the middle of the image mat so that the corners and edges stayed "loose" for some added dimension. The card base is textured Early Espresso cardstock.

Stamps: Plant Hope
Ink: Early Espresso, Old Olive and Soft Suede Markers
Paper: Early Espresso Textured, Soft Suede, Watercolor Paper
Misc.: Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding, Natural Hemp Twine


Make it a great day!!

Coming out of the dark...

So what's a girl to do when the desire to create seems to have flown the coop? Well, sometimes you just have to force yourself to make something...anything. My day job has been kind of sucking the life force out of me lately. :) Tired of giving in to the dark side, I made myself go into my studio this past weekend and play.

Here is my first attempt:

I felt kind of like a first time crafter. It's been months since I picked up any type of stamp or tool. It was fun.

I think this card looks much prettier in person. I couldn't get the Wisteria Wonder to photograph right. It's such a pretty color too. I used the set Sprinkled Expressions from the SAB catalog. Only a few days left to earn FREE product! The Luck Limeade 1/8" Organdy ribbon is also a SAB item that you can earn until March 30th. The flower was stamped in Wisteria Wonder and the sentiment in Elegant Eggplant. Once the matting was done I popped it up on dimensionals to give it a little depth.

Stamps: Sprinkled Expressions
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White, Patterns DSP Stack-Regal Collection
Misc: Clear Rhinestone Brads, Lucky Limeade 1/8" Organdy Ribbon, Dimensionals


I like my second attempt a little better...

I really like the neutral palette of black and cream; it's so elegant looking. I stamped the First Edition DSP with the French Filigree background and then inked the edges. This was so quick and easy to put together.

The little crown stamp is from Clearly For You. I added the smallest pearls to give it a little zing. The Chantilly trim tied behind the Antique brad just added that extra little touch.

Stamps: Clearly For You, French Filigree
Ink: Basuc Black
Paper: Basic Black, Very Vanilla, First Edition DSP
Misc.: Basic Pearls, Minit Vintage Tags, Chantilly Crochet Trim, Antique Brads, Basic Black 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain, Sponges

Well, I hope you liked my attempts at getting my creative mojo back. Have a great day!

Kym

Picture Perfect Sewing

My mom is definitely the sewer in the the family, and is wonderful at it. She made all of our clothes when we were kids, which of course, we didn't like at the time. I kind of miss that now, because everything would fit us perfectly, and it lasted so much longer. Much to her dismay, neither I nor my sister, had the desire to learn the skills of a good seamstress; the extent of my sewing is refastening buttons and doing up a hem now and then, or adding some stitching to a craft project.

I do admire those that can create beautiful garments and projects with fabric though, so this is a little homage to them and my mom.


This fabulous idea was an online extra for Papercrafts magazine a couple of months ago. I thought it would be a fun and easy project to do for the craft fairs. Stampin' Up! fabrics work great for these.

The first one I made was the middle one with the Spice Cake fabric. As you can see, it's a little puffy; I overstuffed it a bit and it was a little tough to get back in the frame. :) The rest worked out much better. Simply remove the the back and the glass, cut your fabric about an inch larger (all the way around) than the cardboard piece inside the frame, glue three sides of the fabric to the back of the cardboard, fill with batting, glue the final edge down, trim any excess fabric, and then place all the pieces (except the glass) back in the frame.

The embellishments are simply clear buttons and a little ribbon or paper. Quick, easy, and inexpensive to make. But oh so cute, don't you think?

Make today great!

Paper vs. Tech

With all the cool new gadgets out there it's not surprising that many people keep their daily lives on these little electronic marvels. But some individuals, like me, still prefer to use pen and paper for our day to day task lists: the to-do list, grocery list, gift list....

Don't get me wrong, I love getting new gadgets, but there is just something about the process of writing out the list and crossing it off when complete that works much better for me.

Each year as Christmas approached I would get a wish list from each of the children in our family. So I would invariably carry around 6 different lists, and what a nightmare if one was left at home or lost. Trying to remember which niece wanted the pink iPod, or whether the game my nephew wanted was for his DS or the PS was frustrating.

So, I created a Gift Guide that I use for members of my family and friends that I regularly buy gifts for. It's all in one spot and can be updated or added to easily.

These handy little guides let you keep track of each person's favorite color, music or author; as well, as having a place to record sizes for clothing, hobbies, or any other miscellaneous information.

I made several of these for the two craft fairs I am participating in this month. I had made them a couple of years ago and they went over very well. Hopefully they will again this year. :)

Make today great!

Key Notes

Are you one of those people always looking for a scrap of paper to write down a reminder or telephone number and then losing it in the bottom of your purse or in the car? Me too! Well these little beauties are a great way to keep some paper handy.

They are key ring notepads! I received one from a stamping friend over the summer and thought it was the neatest idea I had seen in a while. So, I decided to make a few....80 to be exact. :) I will be selling them at some upcoming craft fairs.



The Big Shot does all the work, so you can make several of them in a short period of time. Each notepad has approximately 40-50 sheets of paper. I used one ream of standard copy paper to make all 80 notepads. I probably could have gotten about 85 of this size, but I messed up a couple of times when running through the big shot. Butterflies aren't so pretty when the tip of their wings are cut off. :( I do have enough paper left over to make some smaller notepads too, but not sure I will get to that.


Since I knew I was going to be making a large quantity of them, I used full 12 x 12 sheets for most of these. However, if you are only making a few at a time and have a pile of scraps that you keep ignoring, making these is a great way to use them up.

For the covers you want something a little stiffer than just DSP, so I used the thin cardboard sheet that comes in the DSP packages and just adhered the DSP to it before cutting. To save on paper when using 12 x 12 sheets, cut the DSP covered cardboard to a slightly larger square than your shape, then run it through the Big Shot. Do the same with your copy paper.


To continue to keep the cost down, I kept the embellishments simple. I again used scraps of paper or covered cardboard. You should keep the embellishments as flat as possible anyway so that they don't get caught on items in a purse or pocket and get ripped off. Even unadorned they look quite nice. I tried to make a few of them a little more masculine for the boys too.

The most expensive item to complete these was the o-ring. I bought mine at Staples in a pack of 16 and it works out to 26 cents per o-ring. Obviously, you can watch for sales or use coupons to get them cheaper.

I hope you are inspired to make some of these too. They would make great stocking stuffers or gifts for your children's classmates.

Kym

A Warm Paisley Welcome

Here is a welcome card I did for my VC Rocks roommate a while back. At first glance, this may not seem like a Quick and Easy card, but it actually is...by my standards anyway. :) There is very little stamping on the card, and using the DSP as a design element, makes it go together pretty quickly.



I embossed a piece of Soft Suede card stock (to match the base of the card) with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder and then sponged the edges with Soft Suede. My lightening seems to have been a bit off for these pics, as that bottom mat is actually Night of Navy.




What I really like about the Paisley Petals DSP is that there are so many colors in the patterns that the color combos are almost limitless.

Stamps: Tiny Tags, Charming Ink: Always Artichoke, Baja Breeze, Night of Navy, Soft Suede Paper: Always Artichoke, Baja Breeze, Night of Navy, Soft Suede, Paisley Petals DSP Misc.: Mini Vintage Tags, Vintage Trinkets, Marina Mist Seam Binding (retired), Chantilly Crochet Trim, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Sponges


Make it a great day!

For The Holidays Hop

Welcome to the inaugural blog hop for the SU Stamping Blog Hop group. A group of bloggers that are Hopping just for the fun of it. :) The theme for our first hop is All Holidays. The hop officially begins at 9:00 AM CST, if you are here early all the posts may not be active yet, so please make sure to come back and check us out at that time. If you started with my blog or find a broken link along the way, you can find the entire list of hoppers here.

If you are following along from the beginning, you should have just hopped over from Linda's blog~Pretty Inky Paper Crafts. She has some really cute projects, hope you left her some nice comments.


I picked Halloween for my first project; which is my daughter's favorite holiday. These little treat bags make great favors for your Monster Bash or the kid's classroom party. I used a Sizzix die, an embossing folder and My Digital Studio (MDS) to make this a quick and easy project.



The Fancy Favor Box die and black card stock create the base for these cute treats. I then used the Spider Web embossing folder to give it a little detail. Before taping together, I used a sponge and Whisper White craft ink to highlight the web design.

The label was created in MDS using the Pick Your Poison and Piece of Poison digital downloads. After punching the label out with the Decorative Label punch, I sponged the edges lightly in black then added the Pumpkin Pie pieces, which were also sponged, to give it some punch. The label is mounted with dimensionals.

To finish it off, I placed various candies into a baggie and tied it up with Old Olive ribbon.

Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White craft ink
Paper: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla (label)
Misc.: Fancy Favor Box Sizzix Die, Spider Web Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Decorative Label Punch, MDS, Old Olive 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon, Sticky Strip, Dimensionals, Sponges


My second project is a card for my favorite holiday, Christmas. Also a quick and easy project, this card can be made in under 5 minutes but still creates a "wow" impression.



The Crumb Cake base is 6" x 6". The embossed snowflake and rhinestone give the card an elegant feel, while the Real Red and Pear Pizzazz colors give it the extra punch. The Real Red card stock is given some detail with the Scallop Trim border punch. The sentiment is from the Four the Holidays stamp set.

Stamps: Four The Holidays, Serene Snowflakes
Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Versamark
Paper: Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz, Real Red
Misc.: Scallop Trim border punch, Rhinestone Jewels, White Embossing Powder, Heat Gun

Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to look around my blog. I hope you enjoyed the Holiday projects shown, however, it is time to continue your journey.

The next stop on the hop is Barb's blog~The Love of Stamping! Barb is the gracious leader of our group, so please show her some appreciation with your kind comments. I'm sure she will enjoy them. :)

Make it a great day!!

Nature Scraps

I've been making an effort lately to use some of the massive amount of scraps I have lying around. It really has gotten out of hand; the nice organized container of colored file folders has evolved into a gigantic heaping mound of paper.

I will be participating in some annual craft fairs in a couple of months and the smaller items will be a perfect way to whittle that pile down a bit.

I recently sent these items to one of my fellow VC Rockers; they were so quick and easy to make and I love how they turned out.

This is a 3" x 3" acrylic frame with a magnet on the back. The First Edition DSP was stamped with the stem image from Fabulous Florets in Wild Wasabi, and the edges sponged with Marina Mist. It was then mounted on Marina Mist card stock and simply slid into the frame.

The flower, also from Fabulous Florets, was colored with Early Espresso and Pink Pirouette markers and stamped on Pink Pirouette card stock. Once cut out, I sponged the edges with Pink Pirouette for some dimension and attached it to the front of the frame with a couple of glue dots.


I seem to be very fond of this tag combination lately, but it is just so quick to do and adds a great little accent. As you can see from other projects, like here and here, it is quite versatile too.

This time I stamped the bee from Nature Walk in Early Espresso and added a little So Saffron for just a touch of color. I hand wrote "notes" and stamped a background using one of the Tiny Tags stamps before punching it out with the Jewelry Tag Punch. Tied them on with some linen thread and done! Took me under 10 minutes to complete.

Stamps: Fabulous Florets, Nature Walk, Tiny Tags
Ink: Early Espresso, Pink Pirouette, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi
Paper: Marina Mist, Pink Pirouette, Wild Wasabi, First Edition Specialty DSP
Misc.: Mini Vintage Tags, Jewelry Tag Punch, Linen Thread, Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals, Magnetic Acrylic Frame, Sticky Notes pad




After making this notepad key ring for Carey, I decided to make a bunch of these for the craft fairs in all sorts of shapes and sizes. (I will be showing those in a future post.) They are an excellent way to use up those scraps! I got the idea from another fellow VC Rocker, Mary Jo, who sent one to me as a RAK.

Simply glue your patterned paper of choice to some thin cardboard, the type that comes in the DSP packages from SU works perfectly. Once dry, cut it down into smaller pieces to run through your die cut machine~I used the Big Shot and the Beautiful Butterflies die from SU. Next, just cut some plain copy paper into the same shape; I have found that about 40 sheets or so makes a nice size "notepad".

I used the Crop-A-Dile to punch the hole and then added the O ring. You could add a little decoration to them if you wanted, but I would suggest not putting too much on there as it will tend to get caught on other items and get ripped off.

Paper: Gabrielle Collection (BoBunny), Copy Paper (Staples)
Misc.: Crop-A-Dile, Big Shot, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, Tombow Multi Glue, O Ring (Staples), Thin cardboard

Enjoy the Day!

Blushing Flower

I've had an order of new stamp sets from the Summer Mini sitting around and decided that they needed to be broken in.


Now, I am not typically a floral type girl, but Fabulous Florets has this great silhouette stamp in it that I couldn't pass up. I embossed it with white embossing powder on Naturals White cardstock; then I created a mask with post-it notes and colored it in using a sponge dauber and Blushing Bride ink.

The green mat is a piece of Pear Pizzazz patterned paper from the In-Color Designer Series Paper Pack (Hostess Level 1); and the card base is Blushing Bride.


After stamping the Mini Vintage Tag with part of the leaf in Pear Pizzazz, I stamped the sentiment in Versamark and Blushing Bride and embossed it with clear embossing powder so that it would stand out a little more. The tag was then tied to the piece using Linen thread.

Stamps: Fabulous Florets, Tiny Tags
Paper: Blushing Bride, Naturals White, Pear Pizzazz DSP
Ink: Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, Versamark
Misc: Mini Vintage Tags, Linen Thread, Clear and White Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Sponge Daubers


By the way - Wednesday, June 1st, the retiring stamp sets and accessory lists will come out. Make sure you don't miss out on the items you want/need! Retiring items go fast, so make sure to contact me early with your order; or place your order online on my website by clicking on the Shop Now button.

Butterfly Shimmer

Shimmery pastels is a fun little technique I came across when looking for a quick technique demo using Shimmer Paint. Tami White has a wonderful how-to video on her blog.

I thought Tami's use of the Beautiful Wings embosslit was a great choice to highlight the technique, so I used the butterflies on my own card as well. {I will try and make this the last brown and teal card for a while. :)}

The card base is Chocolate Chip and measures 4" x 4" and the Not Quite Navy mat is 3.25" x 3.25". This DSP is from the Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack in Neutrals. I used Chocolate Chip to stamp the floral image and sentiment from Just Believe.

The shimmery pastel technique is basically the same as the mother of pearl technique only you are using chalks to color the piece instead of ink. I used Whisper White cardstock and Frost White Shimmer paint to start. I then colored the piece with Chocolate Chip and Not Quite Navy Stampin' Pastels using sponge daubers before running it through the Big Shot in the embosslit. This was a very quick card and an easy technique demonstration.

Stamps: Just Believe
Paper: Chocolate Chip DSP, Chocolate Chip, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Misc: Frost White Shimmer Paint, Stampin' Pastels, Saran Wrap, Sponge Daubers,Tombow Multi Glue


Have a great day!

Color My World

Welcome to the first VC Rocks blog hop for the 2011 season! If you don't know what VC Rocks is, please check out the VC Rocks Blog for more info. If you come across a broken link or get lost along your hopping journey the VC Blog has a list of all the hop participants. Or, if you came directly to my site and would like to start the hop at the beginning, go to the VC blog to see who's first in line. :)

If you have been following the hop, you should have arrived here from Sharon's blog ~ Created By You What a great project.

The theme for our hop is Color My World. We were to design projects that used some kind of coloring technique. Not being a coloring type girl, very few of my sets are line art stamps or ones that lend themselves well to coloring; so, I was thankful we were able to use retired sets for this hop. I created three projects for the hop and the coloring techniques I used were with reinkers, markers and sponges.

This first card was SO quick and easy. I have always admired the CAS style of cards, but have difficulty making them myself as I prefer Vintage/Distressed. It has been sunny and really nice here the last couple of days, so I gave this card a "beachy" kind of feel in honor of the rain letting up.

Using a wet paint brush and reinkers in Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz and Crumb Cake, I color swiped a 3" x 3.5" piece of Naturals White cardstock. I then stamped the triple palm tree image from Balmy Breezes in Early Espresso. The word Dreams is from a sentiment in the Happy Harmony set. I used the Early Espresso marker to color just that word for stamping. The piece was then layered onto Baja Breeze with a Naturals White card base.

Stamps: Balmy Breezes, Happy Harmony (both retired)
Ink: Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzaz, Crumb Cake reinkers, and Early Espresso marker
Paper: Baja Breeze, Naturals White
Misc: Paint Brush


This next card uses my all time favorite color combo-Brown and Teal. For this one I used Baja Breeze and Early Espresso. I first inked the flower image from Embrace Life with Versamark and then with Early Espresso before stamping and clear embossing. By inking with Versamark first, before your color, and embossing with clear powder, you then basically have any "color" embossing powder you want.

Using the Baja Breeze marker, I then colored in the flowers to give them more depth and make them stand out as a focal point.

I randomly stamped the branch/leaf stamp from the set on the Baja Breeze mat in Baja ink. I then used the Weathered background stamp, also with Baja ink, over that. I finished off the focal point with Early Espresso grosgrain ribbon and stamped the sentiment in Early Espresso.

Stamps: Embrace Life (retired)
Ink: Baja Breeze ink pad and marker, Early Espresso
Paper: Baja Breeze, Early Espresso
Misc: Clear Detail Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Early Espresso 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon



My final project is a 6" x 6" layout that is definitely more my style and again uses the Espresso and Baja color combo.

I colored the Presto Patterns DSP with Baja Breeze and Crumb Cake using sponges. Next I spritzed it in a couple of places with Log Cabin Smooch Spritz, and then spritzed again with Frost White Shimmer Mist (made from Frost White Shimmer Paint). Finally, I sponged on some more Baja and also Pear Pizzazz. I colored the edges with Early Espresso and a sponge.

I stamped the butterfly from Clearly For You on Naturals White cardstock in Early Espresso. Then I colored it in with Baja Breeze and Certainly Celery markers and cut it out. I sponged the Vintage Tag with Pear Pizzazz and adhered the butterfly with a Pop Dot clipping it to the piece with a Mini Library clip. The pearls were colored with a green Sharpie marker.


For the flowers I used the Sizzix Bigz Die-Fun Flowers. I misted them with water and then crumpled them up. After carefully uncrumpling, I sponged the entire flower with Baja Breeze ink and then sponged the edges with Early Espresso.


I colored another pearl with the green Sharpie and placed it on top of an Antique brad for the center of the flower. I colored the edges of the Celery ribbon using a sponge and Early Espresso to give it a grungier look. To "ruffle" the ribbon I put down a length of Sticky Strip tape and then scrunched the ribbon together as I pressed it down on the tape.

Stamps: Clearly For You
Ink: Baja Breeze ink pad and marker, Early Espresso and Pear Pizzaz ink pad, Certainly Celery marker
Paper: Presto Patterns DSP, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso (textured)
Misc: Antique Brads, Jewels Basic Pearls, Certainly Celery Satin Ribbon, Sizzix Bigz Die Fun Flowers, Vintage Tags, Mini Library Clips, Log Cabin Smooch Spritz, Frost White Shimmer paint (made into shimmer mist), Pop Dots, Sponges, Sticky Strip, Sharpie marker


I hope you enjoyed the projects, but it's time to move on. The next stop on the hop is Angela's blog ~ Life with a Wiener Dog. Frankfurter is very cute and Angela's projects are pretty cute too. :)


Have fun!

Paisley Petals Companion Card

This is the card that I made to go along with the notepad set from yesterday's post. Again, I went for simple and quick with the style.



The designs in the Paisley Petals paper lend themselves quite well to being the focal point of a project. There are so many great colors that coordinate with this paper - Baja Breeze, Cherry Cobbler, Chocolate Chip, Marina Mist, Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, River Rock, Soft Suede and Tangerine Tango. Some other choices include Bravo Burgundy, Peach Parfait (In-Color) and Mellow Moss (Retired). Think of all the different projects that can be made with that many color choices!

If you missed getting any of this paper during the sneak peak promotion in April, don't worry-it will be available again July 1st, in the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog!

Stamps: All Holidays
Paper: Mellow Moss (retired), Not Quite Navy, Paisley Petals DSP
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Jewels Basic Pearls, MDS (for sentiment inside card)

Enjoy!

Paisley Petals Test Case

Now that they are no longer available to purchase, I have finally got around to making something with the Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper and the Four Frames Stamp set. The good thing about that is, they will both be available AGAIN in the new 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog coming in July!! Only a couple of months away!

While big floral prints are not typically my style, my Mom likes them, so I made a gift for her using the paper and stamp set for Mother's Day. She was definitely my guinea pig for this one, as it was also the first clear case notepad set I have made. Fortunately, she loved it. (But then Moms are a bit prejudiced when it comes to their kids talents.) :)

I have seen a lot of the cover inserts made for these cases using Stampin' Up!'s My Digital Studio. Using MDS gives you the opportunity to add beautiful digital embellishments and rearrange your layout as many times as you like, without wasting any supplies. Since the digital layouts are not bulky like normal layouts, they slip right into the case cover. I will definitely be making more of this fun and easy project, and next time will be printing some MDS cover inserts as well.


While I wanted to showcase the floral pattern of the paper, I still think the front cover is a little plain. If I hadn't waited until the last minute to make it, I probably would have embellished it a bit differently.



I really like how the inside turned out and was actually surprised at the thickness of the two pads together not causing a problem with closing the case. These are so handy for your purse or car whenever you need to write a reminder note to yourself or make a quick to do list.

Both of the large green mat pieces and the little piece under the clip are Mellow Moss, however, the lighting makes them look like two different shades of green. Of course I didn't look closely at the pictures until after giving it to her. Oh well...can't retake them now.

Stamps: Four Frames (available in July), Notes & Details, Office Accoutrement (retired)
Paper: Paisley Petals DSP (available in July), Not Quite Navy, Mellow Moss (retired)
Accessories: Clip Assortment, Basic Pearls, Decorative Label Punch, Double Stitched Baja Breeze Grosgrain, Mini notepad, Post-It note pad, Mini pen

Enjoy!

The dreaded "S" word

Wow, I can't believe how long it has been since I lasted posted! Sorry about that. :(

It has been very dreary and windy the last couple of days and it is getting downright cold. Now, for me to say it is cold is generally unheard of as I go around most of the winter without a coat. But today, we actually got our first little ssssssnowfall.

YIKES, the dreaded S word! It wasn't much, but it was still not welcome. My ideal winter would be to snow on Christmas Eve a soft, fluffy gentle snow. You know the kind, the perfect snowfall you always see in the movies where you get snowed in with that special someone and spend the evening curled up next to the fire, or sharing some much needed quality time with your family, and then it would be gone the day after Christmas. (and be about 68 degrees and sunny the rest of the time) Perfect! :)

I thought this card would be appropriate to post since we have been seeing the little flecks blowing about today.

Cardstock: Soft Suede, Real Red, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizazz
Ink: Soft Suede, Whisper White
Accessories: White Embossing Powder, Build-a-Brad, Scallop Edge Punch, Heat Tool

I stamped the trees in Whisper White craft ink and then embossed them with white detail powder. The green mat and Build-a-Brad center are the new Pear Pizazz In-Color. I really liked the clean easy style of this card, and it went together very quickly.

I hope wherever you are the weather is clear and bright!


Enjoy!