Tag Archives: Birthdays

Up, Up and Away!

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Who’s old enough to remember that tune?

We did this card at my hostess club this past week.  It was a lot of fun, and everyone agreed it had a great WOW factor.  I know it’s a winner when I hear that kids and spouses really loved the card.

Sweet_Centers_Balloon_closed

The colors from this card were directly driven by the M&M’s.  I also decided to use the slider technique that allows the recipient to access the candy without ripping up the card.  It just so happened that there was a lot of media attention recently focused on a balloon, and with my admittedly twisted sense of humor, I decided to embellish the tag with a nod to the Boy in the Balloon:

Sweet_Centers_Balloon_open

  • Sweet Centers, Teeny Tiny Wishes, All in the Family and Best Wishes and More stamp sets
  • Real Red, Yoyo Yellow, Brilliant Blue and Whisper White card stock; Designer Series Paper scraps
  • Real Red and Brilliant Blue Classic Stampin’ Pad
  • Real Red and Yoyo Yellow Stampin’ Write Markers
  • 1 3/4″ Circle punch, Tag Corner punch, Sweet Treat cups, piercing template, Mini glue dots, Stamp-a-ma-jig

A Medallion Tri-fold

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It’s rare that I see a completed card in my head before I start it but that was the case with this card.  Some of the details came along as I worked, but I saw that Medallion on the front of the tri-fold and knew it would work.

Tri_Fold_Medallion_crop

  • Medallion, Wonderful Favorites, and All Holidays stamp sets
  • Kiwi Kiss and Baja Breeze Classic Ink pads (ret’d); Champagne Mist shimmer paint
  • Kiwi Kiss textured card stock, Baja Breeze and River Rock card stock, andDesigner Series Papers, all sadly retired
  • Vanilla Hodge Podge Hardware; Circle Ice Rhinestone brads; Flower Fusion II (retired)
  • White gel pen; ticket corner punch; Circle Scissors Plus

I free-hand cut around the Medallion, then adhered it to the Baja Breeze Designer Series paper and cut a border.  I know, I know, it’s kind of ridiculous, but it had to be done.  I stamped the center again in Baja Breeze and cut it with the Circle Scissors Plus, then stamped it one more time in Kiwi Kiss, sponged it with Champagne Mist (my go-to product of the moment!) and punched that with the scallop circle.  The rest of the embellishments are fairly simple because I wanted the Medallion to really pop.

I really miss these colors.  I think last year’s In Color collection was the absolute best and if I had to choose colors to bring back, Baja Breeze and Kiwi Kiss would be at the top of the list.  I’ll eventually get over it.  Eventually.

Four calling birds

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I’m not much of a morning person.  If there was no outside influence on my schedule, I would be up late into the night and sleep well into the morning.  Life, however, has determined that I need to be up with the birds most mornings, and thank goodness for those birds.

If I’m awake early enough, the first bird to sing in my neighborhood is a cardinal.  It’s usually a male perched in the top of a tree – often the tall coconut in my neighbor’s yard – calling out to the rising sun.  His brilliant red color makes him easy to pick out, and his distinctive song is enough to banish the fog from my brain.  Soon the doves add their cooing, the mynahs start to scold, and the francolins…well, if you’re not awake by the time the francolins start in, they’ll do the job.

This little quartet doesn’t sing out loud, but I think there’s music here all the same.

Four_Berry_Birds_crop

  • All Holidays stamps and Cornelli Lace wheel
  • Chocolate Chip, Bermuda Bay, and Very Vanilla cardstock;  Thoroughly Modern Designer Series Paper
  • Rose Red Classic ink
  • Big Shot and Merry Details Sizzlet
  • Scallop Square punch

This little fellow is found as both an exclusive Stampin’ Up!  Sizzlet (Merry Details, 116823, $5.50) and a stamp (Berry Christmas, 116509, $22.95).  I think he performs well outside the holiday arena, don’t you?

Happy Watercolors

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Have I mentioned that I don’t understand the Dormant List?

This is a happy card.  It’s a happy birthday card.  It’s a sunny yellow card.  And it’s a Dazzling-Diamonds-sparkle-your-heart-out card.  How could it not be happy?

Working with the various shades of Stampin’ Up! yellows – Barely Banana, So Saffron, Summer Sun, even (once in a great while) Yo Yo Yellow always lifts my heart.  This year we even have Crushed Curry, an intense, saturated, Smell The Spices kind of yellow!  A card like this shouldn’t wait to be sent.  It needs to be on its way in a hurry.

Sunny Banana Watercolors

Sunny Banana Watercolors

  • Naturals White, Summer Sun, Old Olive, Soft Suede and Barely Banana cardstock
  • Soft Suede, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, and Barely Banana Classic ink
  • Wonderful Watercolors, Teeny Tiny Wishes and En Francais stamps; Textures Wheel
  • Aquapainter, Dazzling Diamonds, Stampin’ Dimensionals, and Stamp-a-ma-jig

I fought this layout for a while – it’s a Splitcoast Stampers Sketch Challenge.  I couldn’t figure out what to use for the back panel – everything was too dark or too light – nothing was Just Right.  The Texture wheel by itself was too light, but when I grabbed the paper and sponged the dickens out of it I decided it would work.  The cardfront also has the Texture wheel, but you may have to trust me on that.

Why don’t you pick up some yellow and brighten your day?

I don’t get it.

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Who makes up the Dormant List?  Some of the stamps that are on the dormant list break my heart.  How about Wonderful Watercolors?

Wonderful Watercolors 113688

Wonderful Watercolors 113688

This set has such a soft, soothing style that caused me to move towards a more vintage look.  I had a “dyed with tea” sort of theme going on in my head as I stamped and moved things around.  The card started looking a little dark, but when I created a background out of the stem image I was satisfied with the color balance.

Vintage Watercolors

Vintage Watercolors

  • Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede and Naturals Ivory cardstock
  • Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede, and Mellow Moss Classic Ink
  • Wonderful Watercolors and Sincere Salutations Stamp sets
  • Wide Oval and handheld rectangle (ret) punches, Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon
  • Aquapainter, Stamp-a-ma-jig and Stampin’ Sponges

You can link to the Dormant List from the sidebar of the blog or by just clicking here.  A word of warning though – the link to the Dormant List is a link to the general Stampin’ Up! customer website and not my Demonstrator Website.  They’re two different places.

My First Mojo

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Card challenges can be addicting.   They stretch you to try new techniques, layouts, and colors.  Sometimes they go together so easily that you are exhilarated.  Sometimes you push and pull and struggle and end up throwing the whole thing away (well, I do anyway.  It’s just paper.)

I’ve been following the Mojo Monday blog and challenges for a while but haven’t taken the leap.  This week I jumped – just couldn’t resist those scallops along the bottom.  The Mojo bloggers have such awesome samples that it’s a little tough to get started, but it was fun to play with this sketch.

Mojo Monday 105

Mojo Monday 105

  • Blush Blossom and Whisper White cardstock, retired Stampin’ Up! DSP
  • Cameo Coral, Kiwi Kiss Classic Ink
  • Champagne Mist shimmer paint and sponge daubers
  • Crazy for Cupcakes and Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp Sets
  • Wide Oval, Scallop edge and 1/16″ circle punches
  • Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon and Gold cord
  • Stamp-a-ma-jig, crewel needle, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I keep pulling out that darn Kiwi Kiss paper and ink.  I really loved last year’s In Color collection from Stampin’ Up! and I’m having a hard time letting go of it.  Eventually I’ll run out of scraps…but then there will be this year’s In Color collection to deal with.  If it’s not one challenge, it’s another!

Indispensible tools

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Sometimes the best tools are the ones you never see.  Oh, I love that Big Shot.  I love the shapes and letters and boxes.   I really love the textures it creates. But the tools that I love are the ones that make me look good.  Tools like the bone folder that give me smooth creases.   Tools like the piercing tool and template that give me nice, straight lines of evenly spaced holes.  Tools like the Stamp-a-ma-jig that enable me to put images and words (especially words!) right where I want them.  I especially love to pick out just a couple of words or a phrase to personalize my message and the only way to do that is with the SAMJ.   What’s even better, each of these tools can fill in for a number of outside-the-box purposes and none of them take up a whole lotta space.  So there’s my commercial for the un-sung heros of the Stamping Universe.

Embossed_Embrace_Life_crop

  • Embrace Life, Itty Bitty Backgrounds, Best Wishes and Teeny Tiny Messages stamp sets
  • Pumpkin Pie, Dusty Durango and Mellow Moss Classic Ink
  • Very Vanilla, Dusty Durango, Mellow Moss, and Pumpkin Pie cardstock, So Saffron DSP (patterns have changed)
  • Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder and Big Shot
  • Piercing tool and template, Linen thread, Stamp a ma jig
  • Fresh Favorites Buttons, 1/2″ circle punch

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Banana

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Did I mention that Crystal makes an absolutely divine banana cake?  Some of you who were at our class on Saturday obviously think so, because I’ve had multiple requests for the recipe.  Without further ado…

Crystal’s Best Ever Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 1 box instant banana cream pudding
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup mashed bananas (3 – 4 bananas)
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Grease a 9 x 13 pan.  Combine all ingredients and pour into pan.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes.

This recipe got me thinking about chocolate and bananas, which is a very dangerous thing for me to be doing.  To remove myself from the kitchen, I headed for the Chocolate Chip and Barely Banana cardstock and ink.  (Yes, I know, it’s a very cheesy connection.)  Of course, with all this food on the mind I immediately pulled down my Crazy for Cupcakes stamps.  However, this was NOT a “before you know it the card was done” kind of creation.  I did a lot of fussing and fiddling which does not show in the final product, but the one thing that does show is my Amazing Discovery for Today:

Chocolate Chip with Champagne Mist Shimmer paint

Chocolate Chip with Champagne Mist Shimmer paint

Can you see the shimmer?  It’s hard, I know, but imagine a gorgeous bronzed look with a little sparkle.  This is equal parts Chocolate Chip Classic ink refill and Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint.  When I mixed it together I couldn’t believe my eyes.  I used my Aquapainter to brush it on.  Of course, I couldn’t leave well enough alone – I seldom can – so I tried the same combination using Barely Banana Classic ink refill.  You be the judge:

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Banana cupcakes

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Banana cupcakes

  • Very Vanilla, Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip and Naturals Ivory cardstock
  • Retired Designer Series Paper
  • Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral, Barely Banana, and Sahara Sand Classic ink
  • Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint
  • Texture Jumbo Stampin’ Wheel (run through the Sahara Sand ink pad)
  • Versamark ink, Clear Embossing Powder and Heat Tool
  • Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write Marker
  • Big Shot and Stampin’ Up! Backgrounds I Texturz Plate
  • Double rectangle punch and Chocolate Chip Taffeta ribbon

My faithful but not very sophisticated little point-and-push does not do justice to these colors.  You will have to use your imagination to appreciate how glorious this is!

Somehow, the entire thing reminds me of an ice cream parlor.  This is not the best thing for someone who needs to stay out of the kitchen and away from the chocolate chips and bananas (oh, all right, it’s just the chocolate chips.  we knew that.)  Hope you enjoyed the card.  I’m going for a long walk!