Tag Archives: cards

You’ve Got a Friend – MOJO114

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Many years ago, my husband and I went to a James Taylor concert…kind of a blast from the past for us, as we were part of  his fan club back in the early days.  I remember walking through the amphitheater during a break and overhearing a couple of “kids” talking.  One asked the other “Isn’t it weird how all these OLD people know all the lyrics to his songs?”  I can only imagine what the reaction would be now.  I must be approaching the Ancient category.

This week’s Mojo sketch called for a small image, but I found a way to use the entire card as my canvas.  The colors from the Thoroughly Modern paper seemed to have just the right intensity and pattern for an awning, and I even had the ribbon I needed to finish the look.

  • Cheep Talk stamp set
  • Rose Red and Bermuda Bay Classic ink pads; Whisper White Craft ink pad
  • Bermuda Bay Stampin’ Write marker; Unibal Signo Gel pen
  • Bermuda Bay, Rose Red and Whisper White card stock; Thoroughly Modern Designer Series paper
  • Scallop Edge punch; White embossing powder and heat tool; Stamp-a-ma-jig
  • Rose Red 1/4″ grosgrain ribbon; Piercing tool and template

This week you can purchase the Cheep Talk stamp set, a package of note cards, and the gorgeous Pumpkin Pie Corduroy buttons for $25.71 – that’s a 40% discount!  Head on over to my Online Store and check out all the great Holiday Extravaganza deals.  See you around, Friend.

Sometimes simple is best

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I’m a huge fan of the Clean and Simple (CAS) look…I just can’t seem to pull it off myself.  I come from the “More is More” school of card design, finding it hard to hold back from adding just one more ribbon, brad, or texture.

Today’s card is more of a CAS style than anything I usually do, although it still has more layers than a purist would use.  It’s a pretty card, and an easy one to make in quantity.  (Did I mention I haven’t made my cards yet?  Are we wondering where all this recent discussion about “production” has originated?  No mystery there.)

Clean and Simple Petals a Plenty Tree

  • All Holidays stamp set
  • Shimmer White, Brushed Gold, Real Red and Always Artichoke card stock; Vellum
  • Real Red Classic Ink pad; Champagne Mist shimmer paint
  • Big Shot and Petals a Plenty embossing folder
  • Small star punch; 1/16″ hand held circle punch; gold brads; sponge dauber

You can stamp on vellum with Classic ink – just be sure to give it plenty of time so it doesn’t smear.  The Plenty Petals on the tree are brushed with my favorite Champagne Mist Shimmer paint and a sponge dauber.

To create the tree, cut your triangle piece first, then run it through the embossing folder.  You’ll get a cleaner edge than if you try to cut that heavily embossing paper with your paper trimmer.

And that Petals a Plenty folder is GOING AWAY, girls and boys!!!  That’s a mini-catalog item and if you want one, you’d better get yourself to my Online Store and click that Shop Now! button and order one!  Pronto!

Another dashing reindeer

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If you’re like me, you’re suddenly looking at the calendar and saying “DANG!  I need to get my Christmas cards made!”   (I am the Queen of the Last Minute.  But that’s a story for another time.)  Just flip open the back of your catalog and check out Mr. Dasher on page 208.  Well, it could be Ms. Dasher, but frankly, with those antlers, I’m thinking we’re looking at the male of the species.

There are so many ways to use this great image.  Today’s card is one that could easily be made in quantity, with steps that are easily broken down for assembly line production.  Just the thing for someone who needs a heap of cards in a hurry.Easy Dasher in artichoke

  • Dasher and All Holidays stamp sets
  • Always Artichoke, Real Red, Brushed Gold and Whisper White card stock
  • Soft Suede Classic Ink pad; Whisper White Craft ink pad
  • Texture Jumbo Wheel; Always Artichoke jumbo ink cartridge
  • White embossing powder; Heat tool; Real Red stitched grosgrain ribbon

I’m a big fan of diverse greeting sets.  All Holidays and Teeny Tiny Wishes are always close at hand when I’m designing cards.  They’re higher priced sets, but the cost-per-use is very low and I consider them a great investment.  I’m also a big fan of white craft ink and white embossing powder – you can emboss pretty quickly when you’re in production mode, and the results are always eye-catching.

What would be on your “Marooned on a desert island” list of supplies?

 

 

 

A Christmas Topiary

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This is not an original design, and I am thrilled to be able to remember that THIS card is the source of my inspiration.  I’m embarrassed by the number of times I’ve used someone else’s work as a starting point, but can’t remember the crafter, website, or anything else that would allow me to give credit where credit is due.  It’s a very clever use for these images, and I really enjoy finding ways to expand the use of a stamp set.

Berry Christmas Topiary Crop

  • Berry Christmas and Holiday Best (Hostess Level I) stamp sets
  • Big Shot and Stampin’ Up! Perfect Details Texturz plate
  • Old Olive, Ruby Red, Very Vanilla, Really Rust and Brushed Gold card stock
  • Old Olive and  Ruby Red Classic Ink pads
  • Scallop Square punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Iridescent Ice Stampin’ Emboss Powder and Heat Tool

The sentiment is trimmed from the Holiday Best Christmas image.  This is a pretty simple card – no ribbons, no brads, nothin’ – and it relies on the texture from the Big Shot and the bit of sparkle from the embossing powder to set it apart.  We sure do love our embellishments, but if you don’t have much, you can still make an appealing card.

To get all of this lined up, you really need to get out the SAMJ or you’ll waste a lot of paper.   Trust me on this.

Shimmery pines

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It amazes me how quickly days pass by.  It’s always been that way for me.  I’m sure  I thought Christmas or my birthday or whatever longed-for day in the future would never arrive when I was small, but I don’t remember that.  I just know that every day I wake up thinking “How am I going to do everything I want today?” and every night I wonder where the day went.

This card has been waiting patiently in the To-Do list of my mind for a while.  A few days ago, it actually made it to the paper To-Do list, which is a significant step on the road to “git ‘er done”.  This was going to be a Dasher Snow Globe, because I had a lovely comment which put that idea into my mind, but Dasher is off visiting Crystal and his Snow Globe Debut will have to wait.

Shimmer_Pines_Snowglobe

  • Patterned Pines and All Holidays Stamp sets
  • Whisper White and Brushed Gold cardstock
  • Old Olive and Tempting Turquoise Classic Ink pads; Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write Marker
  • Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Old Olive wide grosgrain ribbon, Irridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Stampin’ Sponges

Cards are SO difficult to photograph!  You can’t see the Shimmer mixed in with the Tempting Turquoise sponged on as background, but I promise you it’s there.  The First Star just to the left of the center Pine is stamped in Shimmer Paint too.  And the base of the globe is gold, not olive.   Really.

I’m working on posting the template for the Snow Globe card since so many of you are interested, but for now, leave me a comment with your email address if you would like a copy.   The template is now available HERE

If you’re interested in an Over-The-Top Snow Globe, check out THIS tutorial over at SplitCoastStampers.  But don’t say I didn’t warn you.  Your To-Do list will languish for days if you get hooked on those.

Pretty Pheasants All in a Row

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This Autumn Days stamp set has proved itself much more versatile than I anticipated. The leaves, the grasses, and especially the pheasants have surprised me in the best possible way.

We do have pheasants on Maui…not down here at sea level where I live, but on Haleakala, in the area of the island we call “Upcountry”.  Maui has so many micro climates – wet side, dry side, sand at sea level, red dirt at upper elevations, lava flows and forest – if you don’t like what you see, keep going because in a few miles it will change.  I always like what I see.

I colored these fellows with markers and then masked them so they could step through the weeds together.

Pheasants_in_a_row

  • Autumn Days and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • Chocolate Chip, Dusty Durango and Very Vanilla cardstock
  • Chocolate Chip, Dusty Durango, Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie and Summer Sun Stampin’ Write Markers
  • Chocolate Chip and More Mustard Class ink pads; Basic Black Stampin’ Write Journaler
  • Chocolate Chip narrow grosgrain ribbon; mini glue dots; Stampin’ Sponges; Scotch Post-it notes (for mask)

They’re all relaxed-like, cruising through the weeds, because they know they’re safe for now – it’s Big Cousin Tom Turkey who needs to be lookin’ out in November.

 

My Digital Studio

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Well, I’ve taken the leap and landed on both feet – at least for the first attempt!  I’ve had My Digital Studio for a couple of weeks, and have been trying to squeeze in the training and some play time.  One of the tasks I needed to complete for certification through Stampin’ Up!  was to design a card and have it printed by the printing service Stampin’ Up! has contracted.  My debut arrived yesterday afternoon and I am absolutely thrilled.

4th_Nov_09-001

I used the Summer Home Designer Series Papers with the Friends 24-7 Stamp brush set.   Friends 24-7 has been on my wish list for a long time, and now I have it – along with many, many other stamp sets – at the click of my mouse!

The part you can’t see from the upload – and this isn’t a scan, it’s a direct jpg from the MDS program – is the gorgeous quality of the printing and the paper.  I really ought to try a home print job on my inkjet printer, but I kinda hate to waste the ink because there’s no way it will compare with the look and feel of this card.  I’m something of a paper snob, and this paper is really beautiful.

Now, check out the inside:

4th_Nov_09-002

4th_Nov_09-003

I know it’s hard to see, but there’s a gorgeous filigree image that continues across the entire inside of the card.  I was able to align the two pages perfectly using the tools in MDS, and faded the image out enough so that it creates a subtle watermark.  I’m really pleased.

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to part with this card.  It’s stored on my hard drive and I can print another one any time I want one.  We’ll see.

For more information about My Digital Studio, click HERE or contact me.

Beautiful leaves

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Last month Ray and I were in New Hampshire and Boston to see the fall color and visit our daughter at Tufts University.  We got a little bit of everything in just over a week…gorgeous blue sky, cloudy sky, snow…brilliant leaves…great food…and of course, time with our favorite university student.  (I can say this now that her sister is graduated and her brother is still in high school.)  In Hawaii, leaves don’t change color much, so the sight of a tree like this really took our breath away.

Portsmouth-leaves

I’ve wanted to work with these colors since I got home, and this morning I had my opportunity.  I love the reds and oranges in the photo, and the way they contrast with the brilliant blue sky. Within 24 hours, by the way, we were looking at grey skies and snow, so that blue sky is a fond memory!  No blues in my card though…I had a different idea.

Autumn Days Leaf Wreath

  • Autumn Days, Woodgrain and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • More Mustard, Soft Suede, Dusty Durango and Naturals Ivory cardstock
  • More Mustard, Soft Suede, Dusty Durango, Old Olive, and Pumpkin pie Classic Ink pad; Versamark ink pad
  • Dusty Durango Stampin’ Write marker and Aquapainter
  • Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon, Vintage brads, piercing tool and mat pack, double rectangle punch, 3/4″ square punch and corner rounder punch
  • Tissue paper and Dotto

I wanted my wreath to have a nice circular shape, so I traced a circle very lightly with a pencil onto my cardstock before I started.  I think if I were to do it again, I would try to avoid getting ink on the stems of the leaves – they’re not a big deal, but I would be happier if they weren’t visible.   I just played with the leaves in the circle until I liked the pattern and fullness.  Of course, then I got the brilliant idea that the image needed the Woodgrain background.  I’m crazy, but I’m not crazy enough to cut out all those leaves for masking.  That’s nuts.  Seriously.

Instead, I placed a piece of tissue paper over the image, drew an arrow to indicate the top, and traced around the inside and outside perimeters of the wreath.  I did a rough cut around the edges and used a little Dotto to hold that mask in place.  When I stamped the Woodgrain, it looked a little stark so I blurred it with my Aquapainter.

The little banner isn’t pegged down completely flat – it has a little lift to it in real life.  Those lovely, symetrical corners were created with the corner of the square punch – you didn’t think I could get them like that on my own, did you? And just in case you don’t know the piercing tool and mat trick, that’s the way to get perfect placement for your brads anywhere on your project.

This is a 5 x 5 inch card, a size I almost never work with.  I think I’ll have to change that.

 

Hugs and Kisses through the mail

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My Sara called yesterday.  She had a rough day.  College is like that – the learning experiences are multi–faceted and sometimes you feel kinda beat up.  As a matter of fact, life is like that, and it would be dreadfully dull if it weren’t.  She’s fine, and she’s making good decisions, but it would sure nice to be able to give her a hug.  This is as close as I’ll get to that until she’s home for Christmas:

Simply_Said_CC243

  • Simply Said and Define Your Life stamp sets; Texture Wheel
  • Basic Black, Bermuda Bay and Whisper White card stock
  • Basic Black and Bermuda Bay Classic Stamp pad
  • Stamp-a-ma-jig and Rhinestone brads

I sat down last night when the household quieted down to put together a love note for Sara.  It’s a relatively simple card, but I wanted the message to stand out.  I love the saturated Bermuda Bay In Color with the crisp black and white, and I think I should use brights this way more often.  Big bold colors aren’t usually my first choice, but this is a look I really like.  I hope Sara will like it too…at least more than Chemistry.

November, the month that gets cheated

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I love Christmas.  It’s a wonderful family holiday, and for me as for many, it’s a holy season as well.  I don’t like over-commercialization though, and it makes me crazy to hear Christmas music in stores in October.

(Quick diversion – my local Chico’s was playing Christmas music in early October, around the 7th or so.  I commented to my friend who works there how much I objected to it and she suggested I send an email to corporate.  I did, and received a nice reply  – then learned a week later that my email was forwarded to all the stores and they took the music off!!  WOO HOO!!  A company that listens…what a concept.)

So, back to topic…Christmas is in December.  And in my opinion, Christmas decorations and music belong in December.  That would be AFTER Thanksgiving, one of the best holidays in the American calendar.  But I am in the craft business, and everyone knows you cannot do all of your Christmas crafting in one month, especially when that one month is also crammed full of holiday parties, Christmas cookies, Christmas shopping and wrapping, school Christmas programs, Nutcrackers, Messiahs, Festivals of Trees, and the arrival of Santa in his Canoe (and yes, he does come in a Canoe, I have seen him myself).  I’ve posted a few other Christmas cards, and starting today you’ll see a few more.  You won’t see them every day, because this is the Thankful Month, but you’ll see enough.

All right, I’ll get off my soap box now.  I do tend to rant and rave.

Kraft_Navy_Ornament

  • Delightful Decorations, All Holidays, and Snow Swirled Stamp sets
  • Night of Navy, Whisper White and Kraft card stock
  • Night of Navy and Sahara Sand Classic Stamp pads
  • Big Shot and Petals a Plenty Embossing folder
  • Linen twine, Stampin’ Dimensionals and the Ornament punch

This is a card that is simple enough to produce in quantity without making a crafter any more insane that she/he already is.  (See how Politically Correct I am becoming??)  There are nearly endless color combinations you could use on this card too.  And note the tone-on-tone background on the card front – using a couple of sentiments is one of my favorite ways of adding texture to a card front.  I used to stamp randomly, but that didn’t work well because the words didn’t like being stamped on top of one another when I didn’t leave adequate space between images.  Now I start with one image and stamp it diagonally down the page.  I fill in with a second stamp in line with the first one, and continue across and down the paper.  If I have a third sentiment I’ll use that next , but as often as not, I just alternate two stamps across until the page is full.   A wheel would work really well too – I was just too lazy to go find my Jumbo Handle.

Enjoy Christmas crafting…but don’t forget the Thankful month.