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Sunday, December 13, 2009

Delightful Ornament

This card was the one that I created for a Christmas 10 4 $10 held back in November. I liked it so much that I used it for most of my own Christmas cards this year.

The card starts out with a base of Confetti Cream card stock. It's hard to see in this photo but the upper half of the card which is Baroque Burgundy, has been run through the Big Shot in the Petals a Plenty embossing folder. It is attached to the card base along with a strip of Always Artichoke. A 5/8" strip of Kraft CS is stamped with the Sanded background stamp inked with Sahara Sand ink.

Stamp the ornament in Baroque Burgundy ink and punch out with Ornament Punch. Wrap a snippet of silver cord around "neck" of ornament and tape to the back. Tape another snippet of cord to the back and attach the other end to the back of the Confetti Cream mat with tape. Attach this to Always Artichoke and then Craft. Attach to card front with dimensionals if desired, otherwise use the double sided adhesive. Stamp "Christmas Greetings" on the card front with Chocolate Chip ink.

Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Delightful Decorations, Grateful Greetings (both from Holiday Mini Catalog), Sanded (for Kraft strip)
Paper: Baroque Burgundy, Always Artichoke, Kraft, Confetti Cream
Ink: Baroque Burgundy, Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Ornament Punch, Petals a Plenty embossing folder, silver cord, silver brad, 1/6" handheld punch, Big Shot

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Dusty Friend

I have a couple of Christmas cards that I want to show you but I haven't scanned them yet or written up the directions. They're from a card making 10 4 $10 event that I hosted last Saturday where they made 5 cards each of two different designs. I also have a couple of other Christmas items from a stamp club meeting that I hosted on Sunday. (Yes, I was busy this past weekend!) Plus I'm leaving town tomorrow for the rest of the week, spending Thanksgiving with my Mom. So, this card will have to do for now, until I get past Thanksgiving and can start thinking Christmas.

It uses several of the new In Color elements. First, three of the Silhouette stamps are inked in Dusty Durango and stamped on to Whisper White and punched out with the 1 1/4" Square Punch. The 4th square is stamped with the phrase and punched out. Using the Scalloped Square punch, punch out 4 squares from Rich Razzleberry. Attach each white square to each Razzleberry square. Attach squares to white mat, then Rich Razzleberry. Cut piece of ribbon to go around Designer Series Paper and attach to Dusty Durango card base. Attach flower element to card.

Recipe:
Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes
Paper: Whisper White, Dusty Durango, Rich Razzleberry, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP
Ink: Dusty Durango, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: 1" Square Punch, Scalloped Square Punch, Dusty Durango Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon

Friday, November 13, 2009

Masculine Bleu

Here is another card, using the same layout and technique as the previous non-traditional Christmas card. I thought this would work pretty well if I needed a masculine card. If I were to make this card again, I'd reverse the colors and have the larger center blossom be the Not Quite Navy and the smaller one be the Kraft.

Stamps: Heard From The Heart
Paper: Not Quite Navy, Kraft, Bella Bleu, Naturals Ivory
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Gold Brad, Boho Blossoms Punch, Photo Corner Punch

Friday, November 6, 2009

Non-Traditional Christmas

It seems like when folks think of Christmas, they think of ornaments, Santa, snow, Christmas trees, lights, sparkle, that sort of thing. While those elements are very pretty and festive, some folks just aren't into all the glitz and shine.

So, I made this card. I got the idea from another card that I got from a friend but wanted to try something a bit different for Christmas. I think I succeeded. Hope you like it.

The patterned paper (Cottage Wall) is punched with the photo corner punch and the large corners are attached to Shimmer White CS, point to point in the center to make a "cross." Solid colors are punched and the corners are attached to make a "square." The center flowers are punched using the Boho Blossoms Punch. The blossoms are attached to the main element with a gold brad. This is then matted onto a piece of Rich Razzleberry. The card base of Old Olive has a mat of Rich Razzleberry attached to it and the finished punched element is attached to the top of the card. The phrase from Heard From The Heart is stamped at the bottom in Rich Razzleberry ink.

Recipe:
Stamps: Heard From The Heart
Paper: Cottage Wall DSP, Shimmer White, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Gold Brad, Boho Blossoms Punch, Photo Corner Punch

Monday, October 19, 2009

Got Bones?

This was a really cute card to make. I got my idea from Jan Tink's website. Go to her October 1st post. (I don't know how to link to the exact card except to tell you which day she posted it.). I did this card as a swap for a SU! demo group meeting and everyone liked it. I made up a bunch more to send to my friends for Halloween. I love the little pooch trying to get his bone!

The only thing that I did differently was to use clear detail embossing powder on the image. It softened it up just a bit. I tried using white EP and the detail became too "muddy." Not using any EP worked too because I still had the white image, but I liked the little bit of "glow" that I got from the clear EP. Wish Stampin' Up! had glow-in-the-dark embossing powder. Now wouldn't that be fun?!??

Start out with Old Olive card base. Cut piece of Cast a Spell DSP and attach a strip of Perfect Plum to the back at the top. With marker, draw "stitch" lines along edge of purple card stock. Attach strip of black grosgrain to the front as shown, tie bow on right side, near edge. Attach to card base.

Cut piece of black CS 2 1/4" by 2 1/4". Stamp image with Whisper White craft ink, emboss with clear detail powder. Cut Pumpkin Pie piece 2 ½" by 2 ½". Attach black stamped CS piece to Pumpkin Pie piece. With marker, draw "stitch" lines around border. Best to do this step after the two pieces are attached so that placement of stitching is correct. Attach panel to card front.

Punch Perfect Plum with Modern Label punch. Using marker, draw lines around edge of "bone". Fold in half and slip over edge of card. Use 1/16" punch to punch hole through all layers for brad. Attach with brad. Tie snippet of Pumpkin Pie ribbon around "bone."

Recipe:
Stamps: Twick or Tweet
Paper: Cast a Spell DSP, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Perfect Plum, Old Olive
Ink: White Craft, Elegant Eggplant Marker
Accessories: Clear Detail EP, Black grosgrain ribbon, pumpkin pie grosgrain ribbon, 1/16" punch, Modern Label punch, Pumpkin Pie brad.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Frankie

I love Frankie and his smelly feet! Trick or Treat!

Card base is Dusty Durango. Trim (1") off bottom of card so that inside of card shows. Using Batty wheel and Basic Black ink, roll design on bottom of inside of card. It's hard to see in this picture, but it makes a really neat border.

Cut strip of Patterns Pack design and mat to Basic Black. Attach to card.

Stamp Frankie on Old Olive CS in Basic Black ink. Punch out with 1 1/4" circle punch. Stamp Frankie again on to Whisper White in Old Olive and punch out with 1 3/8" circle punch. Punch Scalloped Circle out of Basic Black. Layer elements together. Using mini glue dots attach googly eyes to Frankie. Using Paper Piecer, pierce two holes in top of scalloped circle and thread black cord through. Attach to card with dimensional.

Recipe:
Stamps: Batty For You, Batty Wheel
Paper: Dusty Durango, Whisper White, Old Olive, Basic Black, Patterns Pack III (Level 1 Hostess)
Ink: Basic Black, Old Olive
Accessories: Scalloped Circle Punch, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, black cord, googly eyes.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Pink Elegance

I really like the new Stampin' Up! embossing folders. While I have a lot of the Cuttlebug ones and use those often, I felt that if I'm going to eventually become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator (next year), that I should acquire the SU! ones too.

This card was very easy to make. I used Pretty in Pink card stock and ran it through the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder. I cut out around the edges to make it look a bit more three dimensional, used some regal rose ink and a sponge to add some texture, and then used my Fruit Punch Stickles glitter glue to go over all the raised areas. I attached this to a Regal Rose card base. I stamped the Oval All stamp on Whisper White and colored it in with markers, punching it out with the large oval punch. I used the scalloped oval punch to punch out a mat from Rose Red CS. The ovals were layered and attached to the card with dimensionals. And that was it! I've also made this one with the Basic Gray CS for the card base, and the So Saffron for the roses. I sent that one to my Mom and forgot to take a picture before I sent it. Oops!

Recipe:

Stamp Set: Oval All
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Whisper White
Ink: Regal Rose, Basic Black, Markers
Accessories: Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder, large oval punch, scalloped oval punch, dimensionals, Fruit Punch Stickles glitter glue

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Back To Regular Scheduled Posting


Here'sanother version of the Medallion card.
Stamp Sets: Medallion Background, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Basic Black
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Basic Black
Other: Whimsy Wheel, Sheer Black Ribbon


Same directions as the post for the So Saffron/Basic Gray card.

Monday, September 7, 2009

We Interrupt Our Regular Scheduled Posting to Bring You FALL

We're now into September and we're having the weather that we would normally have in October. It's been quite cool in Wisconsin, but thankfully it's been sunny and dry, at least for this year's Labor Day holiday weekend.

I was supremely lucky enough to be able to get a level 3 hostess set recently (thanks to Barb and Kate and Kate's friends who ordered stuff when I was hostess!), and have been wanting to make this card for a couple of weeks and finally got around to it.

This card is pretty straightforward. The card base is textured Melon Mambo. LOVE this color! In order to make sure that my design would fit on the card with all the matting, I cut the mats from the bottom up and then stamped the Whisper White after I had the panel cut. Rich Razzleberry is the bottom mat, next comes Dusty Durango topped by the Whisper White which is stamped in the mum flower stamp with Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry. The sentiment was stamped in Rich Razzleberry ink. Finished off with Crushed Curry polka dot ribbon. Wish they would do this with more of the SU! colors besides the In Colors.

Can't get much simpler than this . . . . . .

Recipe:
Stamp Set: Kind and Caring Thoughts (level 3 hostess)
Paper: Melon Mambo textured, Rich Razzleberry, Dusty Durango, Whisper White card stock
Accessories: Crushed Curry polka dot ribbon

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Was Going to Post a New Card but Can't Add a Picture

Dear Friends,

I was going to post a new card today, but for some reason the edit screen doesn't allow me to post a picture, so I guess it will have to wait. Not sure what's going on. So, I guess I'll go get ready to leave for the park where my hubby and I are planning to spend the day. It's a beautiful day here today, not too hot, lots of sun, should be a good day all around. I'll check back later today and see if I can post this card.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Saffron Medallion

According to Stampin’ Up! this medallion background stamp is the most popular stamp in the new catalog based on the number of stamps ordered. I shouldn’t wonder, this is a BEAUTIFUL and totally elegant stamp!

I inked up the stamp with Basic Gray and stamped partially off the So Saffron card front. A strip of So Saffron was cut and the Whimsy wheel was run over it using More Mustard Ink. I tried the So Saffron ink and the design was barely visible. This strip was matted on to a strip of Basic Gray card stock. A length of Basic Gray taffeta ribbon was knotted and attached to the matted strip, which was attached to the left side of the card with adhesive. The sentiment was stamped with Basic Gray ink.

Stamp Set: Medallion Background, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: So Saffron, Basic Gray
Ink: More Mustard, Basic Gray
Other: Whimsy Wheel, Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Bella Butterflies and Birds

This is another card that I made with the SC241 sketch challenge, as an idea for my upcoming card club meeting. When I'm trying out something new I always use discontinued designer series paper, just in case it doesn't work out. If it works, I have a card that I can use, if it doesn't, I haven't wasted my new current paper.

The directions for creating this card are the same as the previous one, it's just the supplies that are a bit different.

Recipe:
Stamp Set: Great Friend
Paper: So Saffron, Bordering Blue CS, Bella Birds DSP
Ink: Brocade Blue
Other: Paper Snips, Dimensionals

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Bella Butterflies


This is one of several cards that I made as ideas for the rubber stamping club that I'm working on setting up where I live. I figured that it wouldn't be too hard to show ladies how to ink up a stamp and with this layout, they can practice three times!

Stamp Set: Great Friend
Paper: Naturals Ivory, Not Quiet Navy CS, Bella Bleu DSP
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Other: Paper snips, dimensionals

Working the elements top to bottom, I started out with a piece of Bella Bleu Designer Series paper matted on to Not Quite Navy. The next layered element was using challenge SC241, cutting the pattered paper into two non-equal pieces and matting again on to Not Quite Navy. This was attached to a Naturals Ivory card base. The butterflies were stamped in Not Quite Navy ink, cut out and attached with dimensionals. And that was it!

Monday, August 17, 2009

WOW, have I been gone that long???

Hello friends and fellow stampers! I can't BELIEVE that I've been away from this blog for so long. We're past the middle of AUGUST already for crying out loud!!

I've been working hard over the past few days making card samples for a stamping club that I'm starting up in September. Gee, less than a month away. ACK!!!

Anyway, I need to write up the directions and supply list, upload the photos and then post them here. I should have at least one ready to post later today.

Stay tuned.

Kathy

Friday, July 31, 2009

New Stuff Is Here!

I just got my order of the new catty stuff and I’m going to have SO MUCH FUN! This bottle topper was made with a couple of the new In Colors along with a new Designer Series Paper. I worked up this idea as a possibility (with some revisions for the season) for our church bazaar/bake sale in November. This was so easy to make after I got the dimensions figured out. Lookie:

First the recipe:
Stamp sets: Tart and Tangy, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Pixie Pink
Punches: Scalloped Circle, 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" Circle, Tab, Scalloped Border
Other: Sticky Strip, double sided adhesive

Using the Melon Mambo card stock, make your drink holder a length of 11" and a width of 2.75". Score 1.25" from one end, and 3.25" from other end. Long end will fold up to make pocket, short end will fold back to go over bottle.

On short end, punch hole with 1 3/8" circle punch. In Crushed Curry CS, punch hole with 1 3/8" Circle Punch. Centering hole in punch, punch again with Scalloped Circle Punch to get scalloped ring. (It’s easier to do it this way than to punch the scalloped circle first and then try to punch the hole out of the middle) Glue to hole in drink holder.

For design element on bottom, stamp lemon slice in Pixie Pink ink. Punch out with 1 1/4" Circle Punch. Punch Melon Mambo CS with 1 3/8" Circle and Crushed Curry CS with Scalloped Circle punches. Layer together as shown.

Cut piece of Razzleberry Lemonade DSP 2.75" wide and 3.5" long and adhere to holder starting at top score line. Fold bottom edge up along score line (DSP should be below edge of pocket) and adhere with Sticky Strip. This will keep the pocket from popping open when you insert the drink mix tube. Punch a strip of Crushed Curry CS with the Scalloped Border Punch and attach to top edge of pocket. Center lemon slice on pocket with dimensionals.

Punch Melon Mambo CS with Tab Punch and fold. Stamp words from Teeny Tiny Wishes and adhere as shown with double sided adhesive.

Insert drink mix tube.

Drink Up!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Runnin' Out Of Cards

Friends, I'm quickly running out of cards to post. I'm waiting for my new order that has some really fun sets in it and I can't seem to get the inspiration to use any of my "old" sets. Does that happen to you? I want to use stuff that's current instead of retired, and I don't have much of that. I need to recreate a couple of cards that I made and sent out before I thought to photograph them (DUH!) but then I'm stuck. I hope to get my order from my demo this weekend. Three of the new sets that I'm getting are "On A Pedestal", "Medallion", and "Circle Circus." They look like GREAT fun, plus I'm getting a TON of embellishments! It seemed like the In Colors and new embellishments jumped out at me before the stamp sets did.

Stay Tuned.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Embrace Life

I saw this card on Laura’s website
and if you go to her post for October 26th 2008 or there abouts, (yeah I know, that’s last year but I saved her samples and didn’t do anything with them until now), you’ll find something similar to this card. I didn’t have space to do all of her embellishing so left off the ribbon, and changed up the placement of the crimped strips and circles to give some interest. I also used some diamond glaze on the top flower to balance out the double elements on the bottom. I’m rather pleased with how it turned out. My friend Kate, an SU! demonstrator, said this was one of my better efforts. Thanks Laura for the inspiration!

Recipe:
Stamps: Embrace Life, Small Script
Paper: Green Tea DS Paper, River Rock, Old Olive, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Baja Breeze, Old Olive marker
Accessories: Paper Crimper, 1 1/4" and 1/3/8" circle punch, small oval punch, diamond glaze, blender pen (for Baja Breeze on flowers)

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Blue Upsy Daisy

I'm waiting for my order from the new catalog to arrive (can't WAIT to play with the new In Colors!) so in the meantime, I'll post an "old" card.

I copied this card directly from the flier that Stampin Up! had promoting a 15% sale on new stamps from the Fall-Winter 2008 catalog. The only thing that I changed were the buttons because I didn’t have the Button Bouquet set yet.

I stamped the Upsy Daisy stamp on to Baja Breeze card stock with Night of Navy ink. It was matted to a piece of Night of Navy card stock and the edge was curled back. This was then attached to a Kiwi Kiss card base. The sentiment was stamped on to Very Vanilla card stock in Kiwi Kiss ink. The end was trimmed, and it was attached to the card. Night of Navy buttons were used for interest.

This card layout would lend itself well to many different color combinations and sentiments. I thought the Upsy Daisy was a nice all-purpose stamp set and well worth the money. AND, it's in the new catalog!

Recipe:
Stamp Set: Upsy Daisy
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Night of Navy, Very Vanilla
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Night of Navy
Accessories: Night of Navy buttons

Monday, July 13, 2009

Tart Thank You

Wow, I realized that it's been almost TWO WEEKS since I last posted here! Where has the month gone??!! Well, there's family stuff, church stuff, condo stuff, and then I discovered Face Book last night . . . . OMGOMGOMG. So, that's where my time has gone. But today I felt the need to post another card.

I got my inspiration for this card from Mary Fish here. See her post for March 18th. I really liked this card! I changed a couple of things because I didn’t have all the accessories that she had. Instead of the buttons in the middle of the 5 petal flowers I used flower brads and I used a square frame because I didn’t have the round sentiment that she used. I stamped the sentiment in Whisper White craft ink and then embossed with clear detail embossing powder. Maybe I should have used white embossing powder but I sort of like the subtle look of the sentiment. I also used satin ribbon instead of organdy. Check out her blog to get the exact directions for creating the main part of this card. Thanks Mary! Again, she’s *Stampin’ Pretty.*

Here’s the recipe:
Stamp Set: Polka Dot Punches, Small Greetings from Hero Arts
Paper: Raspberry Tart Designer Series, Cameo Coral, Whisper White, Rose Red
Ink: Rose Red, Whisper White Craft
Accessories: 5-Petal Punch, Large Oval Punch by Marvy, square Hodgepodge Label holder and brads (styled silver), flower brads by Making Memories, satin ribbon, clear detail embossing powder (thank you), heat tool, dimensionals

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Botanical Blooms in Blue

Now that the weather has cooled off (temps in the 90's is just TOO warm!), I can sit comfortably upstairs at my computer and think cards.

I just love this set! I didn’t get it when I wrote up my initial order for the SAB sets this past winter, but after I found so many pretty cards using this set, I added an extra $50 worth of stuff to my order so I could get this one too!

I came across this card here and just had to make it! I used a different sentiment and lace border punch, but otherwise, I couldn’t find anything else to change. I suppose I could have changed the blue, but the color is so soft and pretty!
Recipe:
Stamps: Botanical Blooms, Sincere Salutations
Paper: Sahara Sand, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Washington Apple DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery
Accessories: Eyelet Border Punch, 1-3/8" Square Punch, Word Window Punch, Corner Rounder, White Taffeta Ribbon, Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Monday, June 15, 2009

Cheep Talk

The Retro Fresh style is somewhat outside of my comfort zone but I fell in love with this little Cheep Talk birdie so just had to have the set! The Trendy Trees came later.

The card base is Pumpkin Pie. Washington Apple designer paper is matted on to the card base. The branch is stamped on to Whisper White in Glorious Green ink. The bird is stamped with Real Red and then the ink is rubbed off the beak and legs and the proper colors of markers are used. The bird’s body is stamped again on a scrap and cut out. It is attached to the body with a dimensional. A sponge dauber is used to dab Bashful Blue ink around the edge of the bird panel. This is attached to the card with dimensionals. Paper flowers and a brad balance out the design. I couldn't get over how well this turned out!

Here's the recipe:
Stamp Set: Cheep Talk, Really Retro
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Washington Apple Designer Series paper
Ink: Real Red, Glorious Green, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip and Pumpkin Pie markers
Accessories: Paper flowers, yellow brad, dimensionals







Saturday, June 13, 2009

Trendy Trees

I know that the new catalog will be coming out next month but this set has not been retired so I'm proceeding with the posts of the cards that I made for a group of SU! demonstrators.

I found the card here

The card base is Whisper White. I used strips from the Good Morning Sunshine paper to make a "quilt" effect on the lower portion of the card. I stamped the trees in Summer Sun and Kiwi Kiss ink on Whisper White and punched out using my large oval punch. I attached them to Kiwi Kiss ovals punched out using my Wide Oval punch from Marvy. These were attached to the card with dimensionals, overlapping the edge of the Kiwi Kiss striped grosgrain ribbon (which looks WAY wrong in this picture but that’s the way it photographs and I took the picture more than once) which covers up the top edge of the printed paper strips. The sentiment was stamped on Kiwi Kiss card stock and punched out using the large oval punch. It was attached with dimensionals.

Here’s the recipe:
Stamps: Trendy Trees
Paper: Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss , Good Morning Sunshine Designer Series paper
Ink: Summer Sun, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Kiwi Kiss Striped Ribbon, large oval punch, wide oval punch by Marvy.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Back For A While

Just wanted to let you folks know that I'm back for a while and will be posting cards again soon. It's been so long since I actually posted anything that I've forgotten where I left off.

We've been trying to get things taken care of here after being gone for so much time. We're all doing OK, it gets a bit easier every day. We'll be with Mom again next week, mid week and my brother and family and sister and her husband will be there too. It would have been Mom and Dad's 60th wedding anniversary on the 19th.

Thanks for checking in!
Kathy

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Gone For A While

Friends,

Just a note to let you know that I'm not going to be online for a while. I've been dealing with the death of my father who passed away on April 18th. I've been spending a lot of time out of town, staying with my mother. We're doing fine, but it's just a lot of extra things going on.

Plus this week, home for 3 days, we've been dealing with BOTH of our vehicles in the shop. Yup, at the SAME TIME. So, we've had a rental car and the dealer is having problems getting parts for the car. We have the truck back but the car will take another couple of days. We think.

Anyway, I have things to share but no time to post. Maybe next week, we'll be home for a day longer than this week.

Kathy

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Blue Cheep Talk

I just love the Cheep Talk stamp set! Those little birds are SO CUTE! I used the following card for my inspiration.

I started out with a Pacific Point card base. A piece of Good Morning Sunshine designer paper was cut and matted to Kiwi Kiss and then attached to the card base. A strip of Pacific Point striped grosgrain ribbon was attached over the top of the designer paper panel. The branch was inked up in Glorious Green and stamped on Whisper White. The flower was stamped in Summer Sun and cut out. The branch leaves was stamped again and cut out to fill in the area at the end of the branch. The flower was attached using a 3D glue dot. A yellow button from Fresh Favorites II was attached to the flower with a flat glue dot. The little bird was inked up in Pacific Point, and then the color removed from the feet and beak, colored back in with the appropriate colored markers and then stamped on the branch. The imagine was inked up and stamped again on another scrap of paper, and cut out. The body piece was attached with a dimensional. The panel was attached to the card with dimensionals.

Here’s the recipe for this card.

Stamp Set: Cheep Talk
Paper: Good Morning Sunshine Designer Series paper, Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Summer Sun, Whisper White
Ink: Glorious Green, Pacific Point, Close to Cocoa, Summer Sun, Close to Cocoa and Summer Sun markers (for bird feet and beak)

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Sweet Stems

I’m afraid that I don’t have the "author" for this card, so if someone knows who designed this one, please let me know and I’ll give proper credit.

I love this little set! I started out with a card base of Cameo Coral. A piece of Raspberry Tart designer paper was matted to Rose Red and attached to the card base. The green panel is pierced on top and bottom. The flowers from the Sweet Stems set were stamped in Basic Black, colored with Rose Red, Regal Rose and Green Galore markers and punched out using the 1 1/4" circle punch. These were matted on to Green Galore mats punched with the 1 3/8" circle punch. The scalloped circle mats were created by punching out Regal Rose and Rose red and staggering them so part of the other color showed. The two outside mats are Rose Red on top of Regal Rose, the center one is Regal Rose on top of Rose Red. I used my white gel pen to draw the dots on the top layer of the scalloped circle. The flowers elements are attached using dimensionals. I didn’t feel that a sentiment would work on the front of this card, just didn’t seem like there was enough room, but a small one could be done using an oval punch if the main panel was moved up a little bit. I couldn’t change my layout because the dimensionals tore the paper when I tried to move the panel. I don’t think the recipient will mind.

Here’s the recipe:
Stamp Set: Sweet Stems
Paper: Rose Red, Regal Rose, Kiwi Kiss, Raspberry Tart Designer Series paper
Ink: Basic Black, Rose Red, Regal Rose and Green Galore markers, white gel pen
Accessories: Paper piercer and mat, scalloped circle punch, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punch

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Polka Dot Flowers

I recently participated in a 10 4 $10 event. Folks made 10 different cards for $10. It’s a GREAT way to try out some of the new Stampin’ Up! sets and products to see if you want to buy them. I’m friends with one of the Stampin Up! demonstrators and we had the event at my church. Because the ladies were all great, the folks all had a good time (the ladies from my church who attended said they really enjoyed themselves), and because of the little gifts each demonstrator gave me, I decided to make them all thank you cards. Because they’re all part of the same group of course I couldn’t make duplicate cards and because they’re all demonstrators I couldn't make just ANY card but had to pull out all the stops and make GREAT cards! So, I have new cards to show you, in addition to the 10 cards that I myself made at the event. But first, the thank you’s. I think this is some of my best work to date.

I got the idea for this card here. I shamelessly copied it because I couldn’t come up with any good ways to change it. Thanks Nancy for a GREAT card idea!

The card base is Bashful Blue. Delicate Dots designer paper was matted on to So Saffron and attached to the card base. Strips of Bashful Blue and So Saffron were cut and design done using the paper piercer and piercing template, and then attached to the bottom of the card. I stamped the "flower" from the set in Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Certainly Celery and Sahara Sand on Very Vanilla card stock. These were punched out with the 1 1/4" circle punch and then matted to the coordinating solid punched with the 1 3/8" circle punch. These were attached with dimensionals, to scalloped circles punched in the coordinating colors. The holes in the scallops were done with the 1/16" hand held punch. A length of 5/8" Certainly Celery twill ribbon was tied at the top.

Here’s the recipe:
Stamps: Polka Dot PunchesPaper: Delicate Dots DP, Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Sahara Sand, and Very Vanilla CSInk: Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, and Sahara SandEmbellishments: 5/8" Certainly Celery Poly-Twill Ribbon, Bashful Blue Brad, So Saffron Brad, Certainly Celery Brad, Pewter BradTools: Paper Piercer & Mat Pack, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Circle PunchesSupplies: Stampin' Dimensionals, 1/16" handheld punch

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Looks like a Buckle?

This card is going to a man who’s an outdoorsy type person, so I thought the designer paper looked a little bit Western, and the striped embossing folder looked a little bit like barn board. I hadn’t intended that the stripes go sideways, but that’s the way it came out of the embossing folder, and I think it looks better than the other way.

My medallion is different than the other two that I made. I cut the square wrong, so it was too short in one direction. So, instead of chucking the piece or using it for something else, I trimmed it so it was the short distance all the way around, decided to just punch two sides instead of four, and it almost looks like a belt buckle, don’t you think?

So, the directions again, are the same as the other cards only, as I said, the square was cut wrong so was trimmed so that it was one and three quarter inches on all sides, and punched on just two. If I had tried to punch all four sides the way I first had it cut, the inside would have fallen out.

Here’s the Recipe:
Stamp: Hero Arts
Paper: River Rock (card base and circle), Chocolate Chip (medallion, Old Olive (leaves), Really Rust ("Belt"), Apple Cider Designer Series paper
Accessories: Distressed Stripes Cuttlebug Embossing folder, Scalloped Border Punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, Sweetest Stem Embosslit folder, Cuttlebug machine

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Washington Apple with a Sweetest Stem

I needed a birthday card for my nephew who will be 11. I don’t have many if any masculine stamps so tried to come up with an idea that would be both fun and not too "girlie." I hope I accomplished that with this card. Check the previous post for dimensions and directions.

I’m going to see what other designer papers I have that would work with this. This is SUCH a versatile card design!

Here’s the recipe:
Stamp Sets: Upsy Daisy (sentiment)
Paper: Bashful Blue (card base), So Saffron (leaves), Pumpkin Pie (band), Riding Hood Red (medallion), Washington Apple Designer Series paper
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Scalloped Border Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Cuttlebug machine and Bloom Dots embossing folder, Sweetest Stem Embosslit folder

Friday, March 13, 2009

Sweetest Stem Embosslit Card

Folks! I think I’ve hit on a card layout/idea that works no matter WHAT kind of paper I have or what the occasion is!

I was cruising through Splitcoast Stampers the other day and came upon a blog and a card that I thought was outstanding. It's SO versatile and would work with just about any patterned paper as long as it had three or more colors in it. First, I found this card (go to the January 18th post) that I decided to CASE. It's by Nancy Hendel. I just LOVED her card.

Here’s how mine went together with a few modifications:

I used the Swiss Dots folder to emboss the base card which was Certainly Celery. Because the embossing didn’t go all the way to the edge, I trimmed a couple sides to eliminate that part. A piece of the Green Tea Designer Series paper was cut and attached to the bottom half of the card front. Next, a square of Baja Breeze was cut to just a bit over 2 ½". This made the square big enough so the center didn’t fall out when the scalloped border punch was used to do the cut out design. I lined this piece up in the scalloped border punch and did all four sides. (Check out Nancy’s medallion tutorial for January 18th.) Next, a circle was cut out of Certainly Celery CS with the 1/1/4" circle punch. Next, a piece of Old Olive cardstock the size of the embosslit die was cut and run through the Cuttlebug. The Certainly Celery circle was attached to the center of the blue square and the embossed leaf element was layered on to that with small dimensionals. A strip of Old Olive card stock was cut at 1 1/4" and threaded through the medallion. This whole thing was then attached to the card, covering up the edge of the patterned paper. Three Rain Dots were attached to the blank Old Olive area and adhesive pearls were attached to the leaves.

This is a fun card to make and the medallion is very unique. This card could be made with just about any paper (I’m going to try it with some brighter papers with more colors) and embellished with rhinestones, glitter, eyelets, brads, anything you want!

I LOVE the way this card turned out! I will be posting more.

Recipe:
Stamp set: None
Paper: Green Tea DS paper, Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery, Old Olive
Accessories: Scalloped Border Punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, Cuttlebug machine and Swiss Dots embossing folder, White Rain Dots by Cloud9 Design, Sweetest Stem Embosslit folder, adhesive pearls by K&Company

Monday, March 9, 2009

Thoughts and Prayers

I just got the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set and unfortunately, had to use it right away. I got my idea for my card from Splitcoast Stampers here

I used Kiwi Kiss for the card base and used my Martha Stewart lace scalloped border punch on the bottom edge of the Whisper White layer. I inked up my branch stamp with Kiwi Kiss ink and removed the ink from the flowers using a blender pen. I then used a Bashful Blue marker to color in the flowers. This was stamped on Whisper White and matted to Baja Breeze. I used the two way glue pen to put adhesive on to the flowers and applied Dazzling Diamonds glitter. Once that was dry, I glued a piece of Baja Breeze striped grosgrain ribbon across the upper left corner of the matted piece. This was attached to the card. The sentiment was stamped on to Whisper White in Kiwi Kiss ink and punched out with the large oval punch. This was matted on to Baja Breeze which had been punched out with the Marvy oval punch. This was attached to the card front and the card was done.

I really like this set, I look forward to using it for something other than a sympathy card.

Here’s the recipe:
Stamp Set: Thoughts and Prayers
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Bashful Blue Marker
Accessories: Baja Breeze striped grosgrain ribbon, Martha Stewart scalloped lace border punch, large oval punch by SU! and wide oval punch from Marvy, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, two way glue

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Hearts and Swirls

Here’s another card using Laura’s idea. Again, I changed the embossing folder and trimmed off the unembossed edges, and used the scalloped square punch for the second background square. This was very easy to put together once I got the colors coordinated. The heart pieces were created the same as the other one, with the scalloped square layer being the shimmer paper. It doesn’t show up in the picture, but it adds just the right amount of shine. I stamped the sentiment on Shimmer White and trimmed the ends into a curve. The squares and the sentiment were attached to the card with dimensionals. This one will probably go to my Mom and Dad.

Here’s the Recipe:
Stamp Set: Hero Arts (sentiment)
Paper: Whisper White, Shimmer White, Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Night of Navy, metallic shimmer paper from Marco Paper, The Luxury Stack by DCWV (for hearts)
Ink: Night of Navy
Accessories: Cuttlebug Folder "D’vine Swirl", heart punch by Marvy, 1 1/4" and Scalloped Square punches, dimensionals

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Stampless Heart Card

Every once in a while I come across an idea that doesn’t use any stamps. This card is CASE’d from one that I found on Laura Fredrickson’s Blog (go to posting date Feb. 4). Please check her out, she has MARVELOUS card ideas!! I changed it up a bit by using the "Birds and Swirls" Cuttlebug folder and using the scalloped square punch as my second square layer.

Because I didn’t want to make the whole card base out of my Shimmer White card stock, I used Whisper White instead. I then ran a quarter sheet of Shimmer White through my Cuttlebug with "Birds and Swirls" and the unembossed edges were trimmed off. This was attached to the card base. The hearts are punched out of the Luxury Stack and attached to the appropriate colors of square cardstock. The Scalloped Square metallic papers are gold for the Really Rust and Chocolate Chip, and green for the Always Artichoke. It’s hard to see in this picture but the shimmer really adds a nice touch. The heart squares are attached to the scalloped squares and then attached to the card with dimensionals.
I had debated about doing a sentiment on the front, but didn’t want to cover up any more of the embossed design so let it be. Sometimes, less is more. I wound up sending this to my sister and brother-in-law for their anniversary.
I wish the detail showed up more but I was having a problem with lighting this time. So many of my pic attempts didn't want to focus! I was thrilled to get THIS one!

Here’s the recipe:
Stamp set: None
Paper: Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Shimmer White, Whisper White, metallic shimmer paper from Marco Paper, The Luxury Stack from DCWV (for hearts)
Accessories: Cuttlebug Folder "Birds and Swirls", heart punch by Marvy, 1 1/4" and Scalloped Square punches, dimensionals

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Merci

I made this card for an elderly friend of mine who made me some scones the other day. They were DE-LISH and I thought she’d enjoy one of my cards.

This card uses the Merci set, a Sale-a-bration set from 2008 which had never seen ink. It just didn’t seem to lend itself to my style of cardmaking but that’s just because I needed to get inspired. The paper was what did it for me. I just LOVE this pattern!! Normally I’m working with the main element and then have to find paper to match. This time I found this great patterned paper and then had to try to find the colors to match. I probably should have made the flower blue and the little hearts pink, but I did it backwards, before I realized my "mistake," and wanted to get SOME blue in there. Oh well.

The main card base is Brocade Blue and a piece of patterned and glitterered paper (you can't see the glitter in the picture but it’s there in a few places) was attached to that. A 1" strip of Brocade Blue was run through the Cuttlebug with a Swiss Dots embossing folder and attached to the card.. I stamped the main image on watercolor paper with Black StazOn ink. It was colored in with a watercolor brush and ink pads. I also used markers for the stem and heart outline. This was matted on to Brocade Blue and Regal Rose. "Merci" was stamped with Brocade Blue on a scrap of watercolor paper and punched out with one side of the Tab Punch. This was glued to the lower right side of the main image mat. This was attached to the card with dimensionals.

Here’s the recipe:
Stamps: Merci
Paper: Watercolor Paper, Brocade Blue, Regal Rose, Rose Red, "Once Upon A Time" Mat Stack by DCWV
Ink: Brocade Blue, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Summer Sun, Always Artichoke and Rose Red markers, Black StazOn
Accessories: Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder, Tab Punch, dimensionals, watercolor brush

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Swiss Hearts

We've been having a snow storm today here in Milwaukee, WI. I turned on the Weather Channel early this afternoon and what city should be featured but . . . . . Milwaukee! I thought we were through with it which is why my husband and I went out and shoveled and dug out our car, and now it's snowing again! ACK!!

So, that meant that I have been stuck indoors and could . . . . . STAMP! Yay!

Before I post what I did today, I want to post something that I did last week, that lead to what I did today. I watch Laura Fredrickson's blog religiously, she's a fantastic source of inspiration for me and a lot of other folks out there, so check her out here. She had a link to another blog here where I got my inspiration for this card. I'll post some of my CASE's of Laura's stuff soon, but wanted to get this one out there first.

The paper that I used for the hearts lent itself better to a colored background so I chose Barely Banana for that. I used my new Swiss Dots embossing folder. I got several new ones the other day, but the Swiss Dots is my favorite. I can truthfully say that it took me longer to pick out the heart colors than it did to make the entire card. I used a black marker to ink up just the "hello" word on one of the Hero Arts stamps and stamped that on the bottom heart. Very simple! Thanks Jennifer for the inspiration!

Recipe:
Stamps: Hero Arts Friendly Greetings
Paper: Barely Banana, Textured Designer Mat Pad by Brenda Walton-K&Company
Ink: Basic Black marker
Accessories: 3/4" Small Heart Punch, Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Think Happy Kiwi Thoughts

I’ve been trying to be inspired and make something on my own that I’m not copying from someone else. The cards that I’ve made the last three days have been completely CASE’d from others which is why I'm not posting them until I can attach the proper credits to them.

This was a card that I tried to make from a card I found on the Internet, and it didn’t turn out anything like I thought it would which is why I’m posting it. It doesn’t resemble at all the idea I started out with originally. The only element that's even REMOTELY similar is the medallion. I’m sure all of you have had that happen to you. I’m not sure if I like this card or not. I think it will have to grow on me.

I started out using the colors from the Murifield designer paper as my inspiration. The final result isn’t what I thought it would be, mainly because I used so little of the actual designer paper. The card I started out with used Certainly Celery as the background, but that didn’t seem to look right with the brightness of the blue accent so I changed to the Kiwi Kiss which is what I should have started with in the first place.

I used my Leafy Branch Cuttlebug folder to emboss the background on Kiwi Kiss card stock. This was attached to a Pacific Point card base. Pacific Point was used with my Vintage die for the corner pieces. The flower was stamped with Versamark and embossed with embossing powder and punched out. I did it this way because I didn't trust myself to get the flower in the middle of the dotted circle image. And no, I didn't think at the time to use my stampamajig. The dotted circle was stamped with Kiwi Kiss on Very Vanilla card stock and punched with the 1 1/4" circle punch. This was attached to a circle of Pacific Point punched with the 1 3/8" circle punch. I used the Murifield retired paper in the plaid pattern and used the scalloped circle punch. All elements were attached with a brad.

Recipe:
Stamp Set: Think Happy Thoughts
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Piont, Very Vanilla, Murifield
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Versamark
Accessories: Cuttlebug embossing folder "Leafy Branch", Vintage die, Pearl luster Sapphire embossing powder by Stampendous, 3/4", 1 1/4", 1 3/8" and scalloped circle punches, vanilla brad from Hodge Podge Hardware, ribbon from Michael’s, dimensionals

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Black Birthday Soup

Boy, that's some name, huh? "Black Soup?" Well, that's what happens when I'm trying for something catchy and miss. Oh well.

This card was made for a 14 year old boy who’s favorite color is black. Now I know that black is a pretty basic color that goes with anything, but I wanted the other color to be something that wouldn’t stand out too much but would still look like a nice contrast. Grey was simply too "blah." I’ve never been too fond of the Bordering Blue color because it looked too grey to me, except then it’s against black and then it has a definite blue tone to it. I had used this layout for another card but felt that it lent itself well for this design. I really like how it turned out! The black really sets off the blue.

The base is Basic Black. A mat of Bordering Blue and another one of Basic Black were cut out. The black mat was run part way through my paper crimper (you can't see the crimps in this picture but they’re there), about half way up from the bottom and the top was trimmed to fit.

The "Happy Birthday" sentiment was stamped on Bordering Blue in black ink and the bottom edge was torn. It was layered on to the black mat leaving enough room at the top for the brads and then attached to the Boarding Blue mat. The brads were then attached using the paper-piercing tool and template and the whole things was then attached to the card base.

Recipe:
Stamp Set: Alphabet Soup
Paper: Basic Black, Bordering Blue
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Paper Crimper, gold square brads, Paper Piercing tool from Crafter’s Tool Kit, Paper Piercing Template

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Birthday Blooms

This card was made for a 4 year old girl and I’d been told that her favorite colors were purple and pink. I had to work a bit to come up with the right combination. The contrast was almost too much for me but I figured this was for a 4 year old and I know how they like flash and dash. After I’d finished the card, it still didn’t look right so that’s when I added a little bit more "flash," meaning the stickles.

The card was made with Pixie Pink as the base. The Lovely Lilac front was cut a half inch shorter than the width of the card and then punched using the Fiskars scallop punch. I have both the Fiskars and Stampin’ Up! scalloped punches but wanted the holes so saved myself the extra steps by using the Fiskars one.

The flower and the leaves were stamped on Whisper White CS. The flower was stamped again on Pixie Pink and cut out. It was attached to the white with a rhinestone brad, and this was layered on to a mat of Pixie Pink and Mello Moss which was then attached to the card base.

This card was pretty simple and could be used for a number of different occasions simply by changing up the colors and sentiments.

Recipe:
Stamp Set: Friendship Blooms, Sincere Salutations
Paper: Pixie Pink, Mello Moss, Lovely Lilac, Whisper White
Ink: Pixie Pink, Mello Moss, Lovely Lilac
Accessories: Scalloped Punch (Fiskars), Purple Rhinestone Brad, Fruit Pumch Stickles (could also use Crystal)

Friday, January 16, 2009

Winter Wonderland in Blue

Here's some food for thought.....if you have a stamp set that you haven’t used at all or maybe just one time and it's been retired but you still REALLY LIKE it, don’t sell it or give it away, keep it somewhere out of sight so you can’t see that you still have it. Then when a catalog comes out that has a set similar (I’m convinced that they discontinue stuff so they can bring it back in a couple years "changed" just a little bit), get your hidden set out and you’ll be set! Then you can use the money that you saved by not buying another similar set, to buy something else that you really need/want.

I was inspired to make this card because of the Sleigh Bells Ring set that was in the Fall/Winter catalog. I KNEW I had a set similar to that one but couldn't remember if I still had it. Fortunately, I DID.

This color/paper combination seemed to lend itself well for a masculine card. It’s hard to see but I used the crystal Stickles on part of the skating rink and also on the road. I SO like how it turned out!

Recipe:
Stamp Set: Winter Wonderland
Paper: Four Seasons DSP (ret.), Night of Navy, Whisper White
Ink: Night of Navy
Accessories: Navy grosgrain ribbon from Michael’s, crystal Stickles

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Winter Wonderland in Red

Have you ever had a stamp set that you bought because you really liked a sample that you saw made with it, but when you got the set you couldn't find the sample and you couldn't figure out what else to do with it? Or else the sample didn't look as good as it did the first time you saw it? You let the stamp set sit around forever, and then decided you were going to try to sell it?

Well, that's what went on with this set, except that I wasn't able to sell it. Boy am I glad I didn't!

In the Fall/Winter catalog I saw the Sleigh Bells Ring set but didn't buy it. Had too many other things on my list that I wanted first. But I still liked that set. Then I got to thinking "Oh, Oh, Oh! I HAVE a similar set somewhere, now where the heck did I hide it??" So, I went looking and DID find it!

I really like how this card turned out. The Ski Slope Designer Series paper really added a nice touch, and we do need bright cheery cards in this drab, dreary winter, don't we? I started out with a Riding Hood Red card base (because I was out of Real Red which is actually the color in the designer paper) and the Whisper White as a mat, then the designer paper. The image is stamped on WW in Riding Hood Red, and matted on Riding Hood Red. It’s hard to see in the picture but I used the crystal Stickles on some of the snow around the skating rink and along the road. The seam of the two papers is covered by the ribbon.

Recipe:
Stamp Set: Winter Wonderland
Paper: Ski Slope DP, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: Blue Bayou double stitched ribbon, crystal Stickles

Friday, January 9, 2009

I'm Back.....sort of

Dear Friends,

I could not BELIEVE it when I checked this blog and it's been almost THREE MONTHS since I posted something! I knew that I wasn't going to be able to get to this for a while, but wow. I don't know what happened to November, and then we were out of town twice in December for extended periods, and I've been dealing with year end financial stuff at my church because I'm Financial Secretary.

I have several cards to share, but it takes time to write up the directions and the recipe, plus posting them on SCS so that folks have a link back here.

I apologize to those of you who have been checking back in hopes of seeing something new. I'll try to get something posted here very soon. We had snow here this morning so I've been inside. As good an excuse as any for getting something posted here, huh?

Thanks for checking in!
Kathy

Lovely As A Tree

This post also uses the new Brusho Crystal Color Powder.  I wanted to try making a landscape, but knew, because of how Brusho works (you can...