Category Archives: cards

And now for something completely different…

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Enough Shabby Chic, enough Tropical Brights…I’m ready for soothing images and more subdued colors:

Eastern Blooms inspired by Renee

  • Eastern Blooms stamp set
  • Blush Blossom, Sahara Sand and Gloss white card stock
  • Welcome Neighbor SAB Designer Series Paper pack
  • Old Olive and Blush Blossom Classic ink pads; White Craft ink
  • Embossing Buddy, Clear and White embossing powder, and heat tool
  • Old Olive 5/8 inch satin ribbon; white gel pen
  • Build a brad and Pop-up Glue dot

Today’s Sale-a-bration Don’t-Miss-It product is the Welcome Neighbor Designer Series paper pack.  There are great patterns and colors in this 6×6 assortment and it’s yours for free with a $50 order until March 31st.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I was inspired by a card on Renee VanStralen’s blog Stampin’ for Sanity.  I liked the look she got, but I was too lazy to get out my brayer and fill in all the spaces, so I adapted her technique with simple embossing.  There’s more than one way to achieve the look you want!  I did pull out the Embossing Buddy this time and managed to avoid those annoying white freckles.  If you’re going to use either the black or white embossing powder, you really do have to use the EB.

I debated with myself (and you would have enjoyed seeing me do that) with regards to a sentiment, but decided that the card seemed complete without it.  I often make a card without a sentiment and then add one to suit the occasion once I’m ready to send it.  I’ll add the sentiment on the inside of this card.

This card makes me feel serene.

More Kitchen Sink Stamping

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I kinda like this Kitchen Sink business.  Today’s card isn’t as busy, but I used just about every stamp set I could put my hands on.  I’ve just realized that at the end of the month, all of the Sale-a-bration stamp sets will become collector’s items!  It’s time to put them to work before that deadline:

Birthday Stack

  • Cheep Talk, Happy Moments and On a Pedestal stamp sets
  • Summer Sun, Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, Certainly Celery and Whisper White card stock
  • Rich Razzleberry and Bermuda Bay Classic ink pads;  White Craft ink pad
  • Summer Sun, Certainly Celery, Bermuda Bay and Melon Mambo Stamp n Write markers
  • Stamp-a-ma-jig; White embossing powder and heat tool; blender pen
  • Scallop Trim and 3/4 inch square (retired) punches; hand-held rectangle punch (retired)
  • Bermuda Bay polka dot ribbon; Big Shot and Perfect Dots embossing folder

I got a little carried away with the colors, didn’t I?  It’s tropical 🙂

Don’t miss the Sale-a-bration set Happy Moments.  I wasn’t taken with it when I first saw the SAB offering, but once I had it and started to play with it I changed my mind.  The images lend themselves to a lot of different occasions and techniques.  You heard it here, OK?

There are a couple of tricks I used here.  First, to make that Happy Birthday Banner you just stamp your message, cut it into a strip, and trim the corners with a square punch to make perfectly even points.  And no, I forgot to use the embossing buddy,  so yes, it has white “freckles”.    The other trick is to use a blender pen to selectively remove ink from a stamp.  I stamped the entire bird from Cheep Talk with Bermuda Bay ink, then used the blender pen to remove the color from his beak and legs.  I added the color I wanted with a marker.

It’s kind of a wild card, but I like it.  Hope it makes you smile.

Kitchen Sink Card Making

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Do you ever have one of those crafting moments when you can’t stop yourself?  You think “ah, that’s just it!” and then you spot a little something over there in the corner of your craft desk and before you know it, you’ve added it in.  You could call it “Kitchen Sink Card Making”,  I suppose.  Well, that happened to me:

Vintage Style and more...

  • Vintage Vogue, Bella Toile, and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand, Bashful Blue, Melon Mambo and Soft Suede card stock
  • Soft Suede, Bashful Blue and Melon Mambo Classic ink pads
  • Melon Mambo and Bashful Blue Classic Ink refills
  • Modern Label punch, Fresh Favorites buttons, and Linen Thread
  • Aquapainter,  and Stampin Sponges
  • Big Shot and Beautiful Wings embosslit

Those butterflies from yesterday’s post were lurking around on the craft table and I couldn’t resist them.  However, it appears I couldn’t resist anything else!  This was fun to play with, even it if does look a little…hmmm…shall we say “busy”?  That would be kind.

One note:  Be sure to insert a liner on the inside of a card that’s this deep in color.  A simple Very Vanilla panel would do here, although I often add a mat and stamp a little in the corner.  What the heck – if the front is gonna be all out, the inside needs a little zip too!

Re-interpreting the Mini…Summer Mini, that is!

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If you’re a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator AND you’ve received your advance copy of the Summer Mini Catalog (May 1 to August 31) this card may seem vaguely familiar:

Vintage Butterflies with a Summer Mini inspiration

  • Vintage Vogue,  Bella Toile and Only Ovals stamp sets
  • Very Vanilla, Kraft and Melon Mambo card stock
  • Sahara Sand and Soft Suede Classic ink pad
  • Bashful Blue and Melon Mambo Classic ink refills
  • Big Shot and Beautiful Wings embosslit
  • Oval punch, Stampin’ Sponges Aquapainter and Bashful Blue taffeta ribbon

I looked at the images on the front of that mini catalog and fell in love with the colors and the vintage style.  The more I looked, the more I thought I could find a way to create that same feeling with stamps I already had.  I pulled out the color palette the cover artists used, rummaged around until I found a few vintage-looking stamp sets, and started to play.

I wanted to add the ribbon, but with the tall skinny card format it just seemed too wide even at 3/8″.  Eventually, the little light bulb went on in the air over my head and I figured out that I could twist the ribbon to make it fit my purpose.  The butterflies were created from the Beautiful Wings embosslit using paper that was stamped with the Bella Toile background stamp (an under-utilized stamp, I might add!).  I used the Aquapainter and Classic ink refills to selectively color bits of the image and I love the result.

By the way, that Beautiful Wings embosslit is so popular that Stampin’ Up! is STILL experiencing shipping delays.  If you want it,  my suggestion is to put in your order and get in line now!

Just because I could recreate this concept does NOT mean I won’t be buying this set.  You see, one of the many beautiful images it features is a hummingbird, my favorite bird to watch.  They are fast, tiny, jewel-colored, and crazily territorial little things and I love the zzzhhhmm noise they make when they go by.  Somehow, the little hummer has never made it to Hawaii, and I miss seeing it.

Have I got you thinking ahead about that Summer Mini??  Good.

Black and White and Sweet Stems all over

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Oh man, does it feel great when my hands and my brain are on the same page!  I get all buzzed because it happens so seldom.  I’ve seen a lot of cards using a quilt-square layout on the forums and blogs lately but nothing came to mind until yesterday.  When inspiration struck, it was very specific:

Black and White and Sweet Stems all over

  • Sweet Stems stamp set
  • Whisper White, Basic Black and Bermuda Bay card stock
  • Basic Black Classic ink pad; Whisper White Craft ink pad; Black Stampn’ Write marker
  • Embossing buddy (a MUST), WHITE embossing powder and heat tool
  • 1 3/8 and 1 1/4 inch square punches; Round tab punch
  • Corner rounder, white gel pen and Bermuda Bay polka dot grosgrain ribbon

To get that white–on-black look just right, I stamped the image in Craft White and then embossed it with white embossing powder.  You have to take your time with this – even with judicious use of the Embossing Buddy, there are a few tiny specs of white embossing powder on that black card stock.  I remove those specs with a fine paintbrush, very lightly moistened (OK, I admit it, I lick my finger and twist the fibers together).  If you leave just one, when you’ve finished with the heat tool those specs look like bowling balls.

I suppose I could have embossed the black images too, but I was in too big a hurry to see this put together.  I think start to finish it was 15 minutes – that’s a record for me!

Hello Forest Babies

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There’s a new baby I’m looking forward to meeting.  His Auntie, Grandma and Grandpa are here from the Mainland, so I’ll wait my turn – but while I am waiting, I made him a card.

Welcome from the Forest Friends

  • Forest Friends, Woodgrain and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • Naturals White, Brocade Blue, Ruby Red and Soft Suede card stock
  • Brocade Blue, Ruby Red and Soft Suede Classic ink pads
  • Versamark ink and Whisper White Craft ink pad
  • Clear embossing powder, heat tool, Stampin’ Sponges, piercing tool and mat
  • Jumbo grommet, Soft Suede polka dot ribbon and Scallop trim border punch

There was a lot of masking involved in lining up these images.  It’s not hard at all – and it doesn’t take much time.  Stamp your image on a re-positionable note and trim it out.  I just stamp again after I’ve stamped my first image – you only need the outline.  When I’ve used the mask I stick in inside the storage container for the stamp set so I don’t have to cut another one the next time.

Still workin’ through the Stash

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Here’s the deal:  I’m in the process of moving all my craft supplies into my oldest daughter’s FORMER bedroom.  When she left for University 4 1/2 years ago, I put up a 6 foot folding table in her room.  (Her younger sister promptly took a photo and sent it to her, the rat.)  When she would come home for breaks, I would clear out the debris and we would attempt to peacefully co-exist in that space.  Once she graduated, she moved home for 8 months, and I had to move out.  Everything went into the laundry room, which is a lovely laundry room but wasn’t quite designed for paper, stamps, ink, a Big Shot, ribbon, hardware…you get the picture.  Now that she’s moved to Australia for the time being (SIGH) I’m reclaiming that room.  Silver linings and all that jazz.

Where is all this going?  As part of moving I’m going through lots of crafting supplies.  Some are staying, some are going, and some, well, I just haven’t decided yet.  But I keep coming across retired products – stamps, papers, ribbons, In Color stuff – and remembering how much I loved those things when they were current.  Some of them I still love a whole lot.  Like this goofy owl:

Love Owl Ways

  • Love Owl Ways stamp set (retired) and Wood grain background stamp
  • Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede and Naturals White card stock; Thoroughly Modern DSP
  • Soft Suede Classic Ink Pad; Soft Suede, Cameo Coral and Bermuda Bay ink refills
  • Soft Suede and Cameo Coral Stampin’ Write markers; white gel pen
  • Aquapainter, Ticket Corner punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals and Soft Suede polka dot ribbon

You can’t see it in the photo but there’s a little Champagne Mist shimmer in the owl’s wings and chest because there was already shimmer paint in the lid of the stamp pad when I went to watercolor with my aquapainter.  I usually just put a drop from the re-inker into the lid of the pad when I watercolor, because if I don’t use it all or if I change my mind and need more, it’s there next time I need it.

If owls are your thing, then I’m sorry to torment you with retired stamps.  There’s hope, though – I’ve seen the Stampin’ Up!  Summer Mini catalog, and it may or may not feature a new owl stamp set.  How’s that for sneaky??

Inspired by Poppin’ Pastels

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True confessions time:  I have never tried the Poppin’ Pastels technique until now.  I know.  What was I thinking?

I thought it would be hard.  I thought it would be messy.  I thought it would look stupid.  I thought wrong!

Inspired by Poppin' Pastels

  • Inspired by Nature and Whimsical Words (SAB) stamp sets
  • Certainly Celery and  Whisper White card stock; retired Designer Series Paper
  • Versamark ink pad;  Certainly Celery and Almost Amethyst Classic ink pads
  • Stampin’ Pastels, Curly Label punch,and So Saffron grosgrain ribbon (retired)
  • Stampin’ Sponges, Brayer and Perfect Details Texturz plate

This is so easy and so fun.  Reminds me of those old coloring books way back in the time before dirt when you just dipped your paintbrush into water and painted it onto the page to reveal the colors.  It was MAGIC!  So is this.

Stamp your image in Versamark and be sure you use a clean Versamark pad, not the yukky one you keep just for embossing.  Open up your Stampin’ Pastels and grab one of the little applicators (they’re basically skinny little Q-tips) and start dusting the color where you want it.  You can mix and blend and shade to your heart’s content.  There’s even an eraser if you smudge the pastels onto the paper.  Too cool.

The other little trick I discovered is to use a brayer and a Big Shot Texturz plate to create visual texture on cardstock.  If you look closely at the Certainly Celery card base, you’ll see a design that isn’t embossed, it’s inked.  I just brayered the ink directly onto the Texturz plate, put the cardstock face down, covered it with scratch paper and brayered again.  More subtle than running it through the Big Shot.

Go try something new today!!

Blast from the Past Page Two

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This was the first paper I found in my foray through the scrap bin.  I loved this paper the first time I laid eyes on it, and it took me a while to cut into it – I kept thinking there was something I needed to save it for!  Upsy Daisy is so appealing.

Always Upsy Daisy

  • Always Stamp set
  • Baja Breeze, Brushed Silver and Gloss White card stock; Retired Designer Series Paper
  • Baja Breeze Classic ink pad
  • 1 3/4″ circle punch; Embossing Buddy, Clear Detail Embossing Powder and heat tool
  • White taffeta ribbon and Stampin’ Dimensionals
  • Paper Snips

I think I’ve rhapsodized about the Stampin’ Up! Paper Snips before, but if you weren’t listening, well, here I go again!  They are so sharp and precise and they making cutting details so easy.  Did you notice I even cut out the space between the bird’s two skinny bird legs?  I made an X with a craft knife then used the snips to finish the job.

Speaking of craft knives, I have the one that belonged to my grandfather.  I remember finding it in his desk drawer when my sister and I went through the house before it was sold, and at the time I just wanted it because it was his.  Now I keep it on my craft table and and I get so much pleasure from using it.  Such a small thing, but it reminds me of him.

In Color: Blast from the Past

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I was digging through the DSP (Designer Series Paper, but you knew that) scrap bin the other night.  It’s not very organized, though it’s better than it used to be.  I kept running across retired paper and thinking about how much I loved this design or that color.  Before I knew it I had a handful of things I wanted to use, so this is a warning:  The next couple of days will be “SU Retro”.

SU Retro Kindness

  • Define Your Life and Contempo Alphabet stamp sets
  • Baja Breeze (ret), River Rock(ret), Night of Navy and Naturals White card stock
  • Retired Designer Series Paper
  • Baja Breeze (ret), Old Olive and Night of Navy Classic ink pads
  • Spiral punch, Stampin’ Sponges, Basic Gray taffeta ribbon and Filigree Designer brads
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals, Clear embossing powder, Embossing buddy, and Heat tool

This layout came from the Stampin’ Addicts Sketch Challenge from this week (SASC44) but I twisted it around.  I’m getting kind of rebellious about that kind of thing lately!  It’s not intentional, it’s just that my mind sees the possibilities of doing something different.

I sponged around the edge of the Naturals White panel with Baja Breeze ink to soften it a little.  And while we’re on the subject of Baja Breeze, if I haven’t mentioned it before (though I know I have) Baja Breeze is one of my all-time absolute please-bring-it-back FAVORITE Stampin’ Up! colors.  Ever.