Category Archives: cards

Strength, Hope, and an Alternative to the Stampin’ Scrub

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The beautiful stamps from the Strength and Hope set coming May 1 with the new Summer Mini catalog  work together in so many ways.  I’ve done a lot of creating with this set, and I have many more ideas still waiting in the wings.  This is one of the first cards I stamped:

Strength and Hope heart

  • Strength and Hope stamp set
  • Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso and Naturals White card stock
  • Early Espresso and Cherry Cobbler Classic ink pads
  • Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Write marker and a Blender pen
  • Full Heart punch
  • Pearl Jewels
  • Vanilla Smooch Spritz
  • Piercing tool, mat and template
  • Cherry Cobbler seam binding
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals

Don’t be fooled by that gathered ribbon – I have a sewing machine but didn’t use it here!  Just take a pair of tweezers and pull a few threads in the center of one cut end of the the ribbon, then flip it around and do the same from the opposite end.  Trim those long threads (but not too short!) and turn in the cut ends, then attach the gathered ribbon to some Sticky Strip and you are ready to Rock and Roll!

I smooched the heart, but I think it should be Vanilla or Naturals Ivory – it looks a little bright in the photo.  Do you ever photograph your cards to see them from another point of view?  If you’re having trouble with a layout, try taking a quick digital picture and looking at the card that way.  You’ll be AMAZED at how differently you see it!

These are 3 of the 4 images from Strength and Hope, and I hope if you’re going to be on Maui on May 14 you’ll be joining us at the Maui Stampers Stampin’ for the Girls fundraiser.  We’ll be having a great time AND raising money for research that can’t wait one more day!

I have one more silly photo for you…yep…I’m losin’ it.  The other afternoon I was crafting like mad and reached over to clean a stamp and almost sprayed Stampin’ Mist – well, almost sprayed it where it doesn’t belong:

Captain Stampin' Scrub

Captain Stampin’ Scrub wants Shelli to know that he is willing to stand in during the current Stampin’ Scrub backorder situation.  Ha!  If I would have hit him with that mist, he would have launched off my craftin’ counter and been down the stairs before you could say Stampin’ Up!  See my grid paper over there to the left?  Yes, he needs to be THAT close to me.

Happy Easter

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I saw this card a couple of weeks ago on Regina’s blog and knew it would be perfect for this week:
Lattice cross

  • NO Stamps!
  • Whisper White, Shimmer White, Marina Mist, Pear Pizazz and Daffodil Delight card stock
  • 1/8 inch white taffeta ribbon
  • Blossom Petals and Two Step Bird punches
  • Big Shot, Lattice Bigz die and Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing folder
  • bone folder
  • Tombo the Wonder Adhesive

I immediately visualized this card as a tall slender card instead of the traditional 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch card – it fits inside a small, open-end envelope.  I made changes to the color scheme and put the greeting on the inside, but this is actually quite faithful to Regina’s version.  The Lattice Bigz die is the basis for the cross.

The lilies are the sort of thing that you could do quickly, or you could agonize over for thirty minutes, and in the end you wouldn’t be able to tell the two apart.  (Choose the first option.)  I curved the edges of the smaller, rounder petal from the Blossom Petals punch with the bone folder, used tweezers to put a sliver of Daffodil Delight in the center, and then pinched the base together to form the lily shape.  It works best if you trim the point from the bottom of the petal.

Side view lattice cross

I’m a cradle Catholic, born and raised.  Went to Catholic elementary school, participated in youth organizations through high school and college, married a cradle Catholic boy and continue an active practice of my faith.  Being Catholic is as much a part of me as my goofy sense of humor and the shape of my face.  Every once in a while, a card takes on a meaning larger than just paper and accessories, and this was one of those cards.   Making this card was a meditation and  I hope you enjoy it.  To my Christian friends and readers, Happy Easter.  To all, Happy Spring.

Stampin’ for the Girls

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I can’t begin to describe how excited I am for our first ever Maui Stampers fundraiser!  There’s a gorgeous new stamp set being released in the Summer Mini catalog called Strength and Hope.  Stampin’ Up! has committed to donating $2 from the sale of each Strength and Hope set to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and we’ve decided to put on an event to raise even more funds to help find a cure.  Do you know someone whose life has been changed by breast cancer?  I thought so.

I can’t show you the actual stamp set prior to release, but I can show you some of the things we’ve made in preparation for the event:

Blushing Butterflies Strength and Hope

  • Strength and Hope stamp set
  • Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist and Peach Parfait Classic ink pads
  • Whisper White cardstock and Blushing Bride textured cardstock
  • Pearl gems
  • Blushing Bride 1/2 inch stitched poly ribbon

If  you live on Maui, or you’ll be here on May 14, I hope you’ll join us for a morning of stamping, fun and comraderie.  We’ll be at the Maui Masonic Temple at 190 W Kamehameha in Kahului from 9am til noon.  In addition to some fabulous projects, we’ll have door prizes, light refreshments, Breast Cancer educational materials, a raffle, hand-made craft items for sale and more!  Cost includes your stamp set and is $29 for Clear mount and $33 for Wood mount.

I hope you’ll join us in supporting this wonderful cause.

The cutest little designer bags you’ve ever seen

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At our team meeting last month, Lisa brought this card as a shoebox swap:

Lisa's Purses card

I don’t know all the details, because she had most of it prepped for us to put together.  She did tell us the little handbags are made from a section of the Build A Cupcake punch.  Can you stand it?  This card is a punch-a-holic heaven…the scallop ribbon, scallop and regular squares, scallop and regular ovals, and a few round punches too.  The handbag handles are made by punching a small circle out of cardstock and then using a larger circle to frame the small one and create the handle.  This was our favorite card!

She had another version she’d made, but I don’t have a photo of it.   You could go so many directions with little changes in this design!  I think she CASEd it, but I didn’t hear her mention the name of the crafter so if it’s you, please let us know.

Spring is Blossoming

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There’s a little taste of good things to come this month from Stampin’ Up!  From April 1 to 30, when you spend $20 on Stampin’ Up! products (I KNOW.  Who are they kidding?  $20??) you can purchase the Four Frames stamp set and the Petals Designer Series paper that will be included in the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog.

I have mixed feelings about these sneak peaks.  Part of me gets really excited and wants to jump right in, and part of me feels disappointed because when I come to that page in the new catalog I’ll see that set and say “oh, I’ve already got this”.  Weird,  I know.

So let’s check in with the excited part of me, ok?

Four Frames with Paisley Petals

  • Four Frames Stamp Set
  • Not Quite Navy, Bravo Burgundy, Certainly Celery and Whisper White card stock
  • Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper
  • Not Quite Navy, Bravo Burgundy and Peach Parfait Classic ink pads
  • Decorative Label  and Eyelet Trim punches
  • Marina Mist 3/8 inch taffeta ribbon
  • Big Shot and Lattice Textured Impressions embossing folder
  • Aquapainter
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals

This is a pretty simple card, and I love how the frame on the stamp finishes off the edge of the punch so I don’t feel compelled to mess around with matting it.   That Certainly Celery trim was an inspiration that shocked me a little, but I’ve come around to it and like the way it looks.  (Honestly?  There was a narrow piece of Certainly Celery card stock sitting on the craft table right in front of me as I was making the card.  I have no idea how it got there.)

The papers the Paisley Petals group are gorgeous.  I’m not a big Paisley fan, and these papers are a stylized paisley on one side and stunning florals on the other.  I broke down and ordered both the stamps and the papers, reasoning that I loved them both and by spending the money now, I would have more to spend in July when the full IBC comes out.  How’s that for creative financing??

Here are the details on the offer:

 

If you need help figuring out what to spend the $20 on in order to qualify for this promotion, just let me know!  I have LOTS of ideas 🙂

Shop in your jammies around the clock at my Online Store.

Thank you in any language

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It takes a very special person to make a girl feel at home when she’s 8,000 miles across the world – give or take a few.  Every time I talk to Sara, she has a story about Isabel, her host mom.  I would love to meet this woman, but since a trip to Spain isn’t possible right now, I made her a card:

 

5th Avenue Gracias

  • Gracias, Four Frames and 5th Avenue Floral stamp sets
  • Wild Wasabi, Rose Red and Whisper White card stock
  • Black Stazon ink pad
  • Wild Wasabi and Rose Red Classic ink pads
  • Black wide stripe grosgrain ribbon
  • Decorative label punch
  • Champagne Shimmer paint mixed with rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle
  • Aquapainter

How can you not love a woman who insists your daughter MUST eat breakfast so that she won’t faint on the walk to school?  Who cooks hamburgers (made with ground chicken, a better choice) for the first time in her life for her American student?  Who treats my daughter as her own…of course I am going to love this woman, even if I never meet her.

My daughters tease me, telling me it’s my own fault they’ve traveled so far.  I raised them to be confident, strong young women.  I live on Maui, for goodness sake, you would think they might like to spend time here!  But they are both where they belong, and they both call to check in regularly.  They don’t fool me, though – it’s not always the first question, but it’s never long before they ask “How’s Pookie?” (That’s Captain Stupidhead in Girl-Speak.)

I’m writing my message to Isabel in English, and Sara will have to translate.  I want to get it right, and I’m sure Sara will make sure she understands.  Isabel is a mother, too, and I think the language is the same.

Happy Birthday Down Under

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Today is Carol’s birthday, except of course it’s tomorrow when I’m writing this, but it’s yesterday in Australia.  Thank goodness for Google or I would be entirely lost – I rely on my time widgets to keep me organized.  I’m going to break one of my rules and show you her card.  I don’t think she’s gotten it yet, because I sent it a little late and the Australian Postal Gorillas will likely decide to throw it on the ground and STOMP on it for a few extra days, and oh yeah because I forgot to calculate an extra day because it’s tomorrow there…ok, I’ll stop.

Now, I need to warn you that this card is  made with a lot of retired Stampin’ Up! product.  If it drives you crazy to see retired things that you can’t get, then go look at another post:

Happy Birthday Carol

  • So Happy for You (SAB) and the wheel that coordinated with Carte Postal
  • Pink Pirouette, Old Olive and Whisper White card stock – Current!
  • Pink Pirouette and Rose Red Classic ink pads – Current!
  • Eyelet border punch – Current!
  • Rose Red seam binding – Current!
  • Pearl jewels – Current!
  • Those cute little felt flowers, who knows what they were called, but I bought this batch on the Clearance Rack

The ruffled ribbon is made by laying down a length of Sticky Strip and folding the ribbon into little pleats and sticking it down as you fold.

As difficult as it is to be so far from my daughter, I know she is exactly where she belongs, and she is very happy.  I talk with her face to face as often as we can manage thanks to Skype.  What more could a mother ask?  Happy birthday, sweetie.

Little Red Truck

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I’m a little worried that this truck may not make it into the next Idea Book and Catalog:

Masculine Birthday Truck

  • Loads of Love and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • Naturals Ivory, Basic Black, Real Red and Going Grey card stock
  • First Edition Designer Series Paper
  • Staz-on Black ink pad
  • Watercolor pencils and the Aquapainter
  • Real Red and Basic Black 1/8 inch taffeta ribbon

This little truck has been around for a long time, and although I know some people think it has outgrown its usefulness (you know who you are!) I still love it.  I like the rounded edges and the slightly chubby look of the fenders, and though I didn’t use them this time I also love the accessory images that come with it.

I’m also pretty crazy about that First Edition DSP.  Yes, I know I could tear up book pages and get the same look, but the paper quality isn’t the same and I’m a book lover and I just can’t bring myself to tear up a perfectly good book.  And no, I don’t have a Kindle…at least not yet.  My husband and son both have one and love them, and I suspect I’ll succumb to the convenience of an e-reader, but for now I really love the tactile experience of a book.

Did you notice I chose the Kangaroo pages, Carol??  Just for you, honey.  But this isn’t your birthday card.

 

Manly cards – collage

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My Frou-Frou-Ribbon card got me started playing with collage, and when I edited out the ribbon and switched up the colors a bit I thought it was a worthy Man-Card:

Manly Time

  • Sense of Time and Charming stamp sets
  • Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Pacific Point and Garden Green card stock
  • Garden Green Patterns Designer Series Paper
  • Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Pacific Point and Garden Green Classic ink pads
  • Square Punch (just about any one will do, I used 1 1/4 inch)
  • Mini Library Clips

I’m not quite certain that a stamp set named “Charming” belongs on a Manly card, but I guess we’ll just have to imagine that the name refers to the Prince.  The images from the Bliss set didn’t have the right look.

Let me tell  you a secret about cutting out that clock face.  I didn’t want to struggle with lining up a die cut, or even with the Circle Scissors Plus, so I just cut it out free hand.  I did a decent but not fabulous job, because I had a plan:  I was going to distress the edges.  It’s a sneaky little trick, but it hides every imperfection and adds texture to boot.

The pennant edge is really simple – just cut your cardstock to the width you want, stamp your sentiment, and use a corner of the square punch to create a perfect little pair of points.

So…masculine colors, no ribbon, rough edges and a pair of easy techniques…surely it’s a Man Card.

A Frou Frou ribbon

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This card didn’t make the Manly card cut – the ribbon was too Frou-Frou:

Blissful Sense of Time collage

  • Sense of Time, Bliss (SAB) and Sincere Salutations stamp sets
  • Naturals White, Baja Breeze, Pear Pizazz and Night of Navy card stock
  • Baja Breeze, Pear Pizazz and Night of Navy Classic ink pads
  • Large oval and Decorative Label punches
  • Baja Breeze seam binding and Sticky Strip
  • Piercing tool, mat and template
  • Stampin’ Sponges

Collage is such fun.  I have to remind myself not to get too fussy with it, but to just let it flow and be happy with the results.  Doesn’t that sound like a good way to live your life?

That ruffled ribbon is VERY easy – just brush the cut edges of the seam binding until you can grab a couple of threads in the middle – I use tweezers – and pull.  When the ribbon is bunched up halfway, turn it around and do the same thing from the other end.  Don’t trim the ends too much – stick those long strings on some sticky strip and then press the ruffled ribbon down and Voila! – it will be fabulous, dahling.