Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Tempting Trees


Oh, I wish you could see these cards in person! They really lose something online! I pulled out an Earth Tone Mat Stack that I picked up at JoAnn's awhile back and paired a few pieces up with Artichoke Ink and Naturals Ivory Cardstock, a couple of brads and a piece of ribbon. The "in person" card is so earthy and restful. Perfect for the man in your life, or even a card for the holidays. I sponged the Ivory cardstock with a little Artichoke and a little Olive to brighten it a little and added a few speckles with the speckle stamp. The card below has glitter on the trees (that doesn't show up in the scan... uggh!) - It's so pretty! It looks like a frosty morning. Two birthday cards done!! I have to do some girl cards tomorrow!!




Count Your Blessings



Good morning, friends!

I think I've decided that before I start many more birthday cards, I need to clean my stamp room. My whole house, perhaps!! It's a disaster in here! www.flylady.net , here I come, (again!). Seriously - if you need help with organization, that is the place to go!

Anyway - here is a softer colored birthday card, perfect for an older lady in your life. The colors are Barely Banana, Pretty in Pink and Rose Red. I stamped a circle shadow stamp in banana, then the flowerpot from Nice & Easy Notes. My greetings from Nice and Easy are mounted on the ends of the blocks, rather than with the picture itself, so it's easy to mix & match the words and greetings. I used my markers - Pink, Banana, Rose and Moss - to color the flowers and leaves, speckled with the speckle stamp and added just a bit of Rose sponging to the edge of the white cardstock. My background is stamped with the retired Leafy Glade background and the words are from Friend to Friend. It seemed to need a little glitz - so I added the gold cord as a finishing touch.

I can't wait to get a few of the sets from the new mini catalog that I saw yesterday! I'll be preordering here in a week or so, so I'll try to give you some sneak peaks! :) I really, really like some of them!

Have a good day!

Sunday, October 29, 2006

WildLife



I had so much fun yesterday in Green Bay!! :) I visited Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's, the teacher store, and hit the jackpot at Michaels!! :) They had wonderful little Mary Engelbreit things in their $1 spot - great for last minute gifts - and I was able to find a set of those very cute nesting boxes (Mary E, of course) for $2 on clearance. Plus I got some very cute stitched ribbon - and I got to get a hot donut from Krispie Kreme... Mmmmmmm....

Anyway! My card for today is made from an older set called Yukon. I used three colors for this card - Navy, Moss & Caramel, with a wide piece of navy organdy and a little gold cord to finish it off. Such a simple, reproducible guy card! I need to make oodles of birthday cards this week, so you'll probably be seeing a number of them!! :)

Have a blessed day!

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Changing Seasons

Have you ever had those weeks when you just couldn't seem to get anything done???? Arrgh! I was horrified to find that I hadn't posted since Wednesday, so I pulled out an "old favorite" to share with you this morning. Sometimes you need a card that is both elegant and simple. One way to give that impression is to choose one or two coordinating colors for your entire card. This sympathy card uses Lovely as a Tree in Brilliant Blue ink, stamped over three Mellow Moss background squares on Confetti Ivory cardstock. The Navy layer on the Moss card base tones down the Brilliant Blue of the trees and greeting.

Well, I'm off to Green Bay today... Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's, Michaels.... Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!! :)

Bye!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Thanksgiving Treats

Looking for a quick gift idea? How about this little project? It could hold tea bags, hot chocolate mix... even gift cards!! First, make an origami cup from an 8.5" x 8.5" piece of cardstock. Need help? Check out this site
www.netguides.org.uk/guides/origami/Cup.html. When your cup is complete, open it up and stamp the front and back flaps. (I used Lovely as a Tree and Rust ink.) Then put your cup back together, leaving the back flap up.
The image on the little tag used two stamps from Little Somethings. I stamped the acorn, masked it, and then stamped my leaf. I watercolored them using my markers and a watercolor brush, then mounted them on a little piece of Olive. The tag is Close to Cocoa cardstock punched with my Tag Punch. I used a square eyelet to finish it off, threaded it with Linen Thread and taped it to the inside of my little pouch. Voila! All done!
Thank you so much, those of you who have left comments! It's nice to know that someone is looking at the projects! :) Have a great day!

Monday, October 23, 2006

Pretty Pansies



Happy thoughts of spring! :) Tonight's card is a little fussier than I usually have time for, but I love the pansies... even if it is snowing outside! I took the time to stamp my pansies in "pieces". First I stamped them in Apricot edged with an Eggplant marker, and then stamped the detail in eggplant, as well. I stamped more pansies - this time the shadow was in Eggplant, stamped off once, and the detail in Eggplant - full strength. I then cut out the full pansies (Eggplant and Apricot) and layered the Eggplant pansy "faces" on them. The leaves were stamped in different strengths of Celery. The card uses the retired background stamp - Leafy Glade - , gold cord, gold embossing on the joy stamp , and brads from the Vintage Brad collection. A little more time consuming than some I would make... but, oh, so pretty!! :) A good card for someone who will really appreciate it... like maybe my Mom!

Sunday, October 22, 2006

A Blue Birthday

Since I spent the weekend at a quilt retreat, I'm going to post this Birthday card that we made at the show on Thursday. The colors were "fallish" to correspond with the chill in the air! :) First, we stamped our Brocade Blue cardstock with the Houndstooth stamp which we'd brayered lightly with Brocade ink. The flower from Heartfelt Thanks was stamped using the Bliss Blue, Old Olive and Not Quite Navy markers... spritzed with water after coloring on the stamp to soften the image a little. We speckled our Ivory Naturals cardstock with the speckle stamp and Mellow Moss Ink, layered it on a torn piece of Old Olive and bedecked it with a ribbon. Then we layered it all on a straight cut piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock, and finished up by stamping our greeting in Not Quite Navy. Simple, Quick & Easy... my three favorite words.

Have a good day!

Friday, October 20, 2006

Sparkling Snow


Today's "Blog Bling" is a snowy trading card done in different shades of blue. On my piece of glossy cardstock I stamped a number of snowflakes with versamark ink. Then I inked up my brayer (Brocade Blue, I think!) and brayered over the versamark snowflakes - a number of times, until I really noticed the white snowflakes "pop out". Wipe this layer off with a tissue or paper towel to shine up your snowflakes. I then stamped two more snowflakes in versamark and embossed them with Iridescent Ice embossing powder. As a final touch, I stamped tiny snowflakes in Ballet Blue ink. I layered my focal piece on Brocade Blue and Ballet Blue and added the little corner piece stamped with "joy". (I actually added the little corner piece to cover up some Ballet Blue snowflakes that turned green since I'd forgotten to clean my stamp first.... but we won't go there!) After tying a little silver cord all around, my little package was ready for presentation. :)

A couple of the gals at my show last night wondered if they could give me a challenge. They would give me a stamp that they just couldn't seem to figure out anything to do with, and tell me what paper colors they had. I would then make a card or two for inspiration. It sounds like fun! Want to join them? Email me and we'll work out the details. I may have to have you send me the actual stamp, or set, if I don't own it already. Then I'll send back both the set and the cards I make. I'll probably post them first, though!

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful day!

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Heartfelt Joy

Remember my color group challenge to myself from the other day? This is my Bold Brights card... Turquoise, Apricot, Celery and Regal Rose. We all have favorite color groupings and this one is definitely out of my comfort zone! I used the Heartfelt Thanks set again, stamping the outline of the flower as a background on my turquoise base and then using my markers to color the bolder flower to stamp on the white cardstock. After I colored each flower with markers, I spritzed the stamp with a little water to soften the look when I stamped it. It's hard to see in the picture, but "up close" the flowers almost look watercolored. I layered the main image on Rose and Celery, stamped the Apricot piece with "heartfelt" and tried to figure out what I was missing. I settled on trimming the corners of my white cardstock, accenting the colored cardstock with gold brads, and then stamping "joy" very, very lightly in Regal Rose. I tried adding ribbon, but it seemed to detract from the simple lines, so I stopped. :) Don't be afraid to enjoy simplicity - in life as well as stamping!!


I'm off to school now, then to prepare for my show this evening. :) Hope your day is one of heartfelt joy!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006


Have you ever wondered what to do with those "little" images? Try framing them!! Use your square punch - any size will do - and make a frame for that tiny piece of artwork.
This card is a simple color block card with eyelets & a few small pieces of ribbon to dress it up. I used the heart flag from Little Somethings both to provide background on the Burgundy cardstock and as my main image, which I watercolored using my markers & a watercolor brush. How do you watercolor with markers? Simple! Using one of your storage boxes as a palette, scribble the marker on the box and pick up the color with a wet watercolor brush. Works like a charm!
I'm working on putting together my show for Thursday night. I'm pleased with the projects, but I'm not going to post them here until after the workshop. I'd hate to give anything away! If any of you are in the Pembine, Wisconsin area, you are more than welcome to come!! I especially like the Thanksgiving pouch. Fun, fun, fun!! :)
Happy Stamping!

Monday, October 16, 2006

Hedgie Love Notes



Have you seen the new Love Notes & Envelopes from Stampin' Up!? They are adorable! 3" x 3" when folded. Of course, you can't mail them, but think of the possibilities for gift cards, valentines, and "just because"! :)

For my "love note" I simply cut a 3" x 6" piece of Vanilla Naturals and folded it in half. I love that I can buy the Envelopes seperately!! :) I stamped my Hedgie (from a retired set, Halloween Hedgehogs) and colored it using watercolor crayons and pencils, then centered it in my tag punch. It's matted on moss & cocoa cardstock and accented with a spiral clip, more gingham ribbon & a little linen thread. My Little Hellos set worked again for the "friends". Next to the Ruby Red strip I did a little paper piercing to balance out my accessories.

Have to run now! Have a wonderful day!! :)

Friday, October 13, 2006

Peaceful Elegance


I am not necessarily an "Amethyst" person, but I had a piece of Amethyst cardstock laying in my scrap pile, so I decided to see what I could come up with. I chose the set Heartfelt Thanks, my favorite from last year's catalog, and picked out some markers to color my stamp. Using Amethyst, Regal Rose, Celery, with little Apricot watercolored in, I was able to get the restful, serene look I was after. The flower is stamped on Vanilla cardstock, sponged & speckled with Regal Rose, which is torn to match the Celery that it is layered on. I stamped half of the Amethyst cardstock with the single flower from Heartfelt Thanks, stamped and cut out the Thanks stamp, and mounted them all on a folded piece of Ivory Naturals cardstock. The two Amethyst brads that I found in my stash seem to pull it all together. Another quick & easy template to follow!
Is it time to pull out that 2-step stamping set??? :)

Regal Thanks

Greetings everyone!

How did you do with the challenge from yesterday?? I can't wait to hear from you!

I decided to share my regals card next, because it was my girls' favorite. I stamped a folded piece of Burgundy cardstock with the Houndstooth Background stamp. (I would really like to get the Canvas and Linen Backgrounds, as well. They seem to add texture without being overbearing.) I cut and distressed a piece of Artichoke cardstock for my center strip & used a little more of my Moss gingham grosgrain to tie it off. My image - the wheelbarrow from Love Ya Bunches - was stamped with black ink on a piece of Ivory Naturals cardstock. After using my inkpads and a paintbrush to watercolor, I used a little yellow pastel to highlight the edges, mounted this on the new Elegant Eggplant, added a couple of eyelets, and Viola! my card was finished! :) My favorite eyelet tip - punch the holes for double eyelets with the double hole punch. They are always evenly spaced that way!

Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow!

Farewell Fall


I had so much fun creating last night! I sat down with different Stampin Up! publications and picked out some cards that I could use for templates. I seldom used the same colors, but the ideas were fuel for thought. I decided that I would make at least one card from each color group, earth, regals, subtles and brights. Here is my earth tone card for the evening.
I started by stamping the leaves from Lovely As a Tree in Rust ink on Rust cardstock. I then stamped the same image in Black ink on a piece of Vanilla cardstock and colored it in with my watercolor crayons and a paintbrush. I added a few Moss speckles & sponged the edges with rust for color. I layered this focal piece on rust, and then again on Mustard, cut a little larger and torn on one side. I used Moss gingham grosgrain ribbon, a moss button and a little piece of linen thread as my embellishments, holding them in place with SU!'s Mini Glue Dots - one of my favorite ways to hold embellishments in place. They are small and super strong, so they are great for holding buttons in place, or cardstock with brads in it. I stamped my Sincere Salutations greeting in Moss ink on Moss cardstock, tore the edges and crumpled it a bit to look more "fall-ish". How fun!
Now a challenge! Using this card as a template, look through your (mostly unused) stamps and find one that you could use as a focal point. Pick out a few pieces of coordinating cardstock and jump in and try it! It doesn't have to look like mine. Mine doesn't look like the one in the book! Just enjoy the process. And - if you can bear to part with it when you're done LOL - bless someone's day with it when you're finished. Oh, and be sure to leave me a note when you're through! :)
PS If you like the look of this stamp, or these colors, be sure to check out the Stampin' Up! website for the current Stampin' Up!/Country Living promotional kit. It comes with precut stamps, cardstock, inks & lots of embellishments, as well as instructions for a number of different projects. It would make a great Christmas gift for you or someone you love!

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Baby Dear


ATC's, 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" mini cards, are a wonderful way to use smaller images. Today's card would work well as a gift enclosure for the new mother in your midst.
I started by stamping the Giraffe from Little Hellos on a small piece of white naturals cardstock, and coloring it with my Stampin'Write markers. I sponged the edges and layered it on Pretty in Pink cardstock, after adding a silver brad and some dry embossing for depth. The Bliss Blue cs (I still have some left, so I haven't bought the new Bashful Blue yet!) is stamped with the Houndstooth BG stamp. I tore the edge, layered it on my base color - Celery - and wrapped it all up with gingham grosgrain - one of my favorite accessories.
ATC's are great mini canvases to try out different techniques. Maybe tomorrow I'll post the mini snowshower ATC that I finished last night... since I heard it's supposed to snow today!! Brrrrrr! Off to make myself some hot chocolate. Bye!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

"Stamped Stamps"


It's fall! Don't you just love the fall colors?? I pulled out my SU Watercolor Minis set and my retired Leafy Glade background stamp to put together this quick card using Ruby Red, Old Olive & Very Vanilla cardstock. The trick for the stamped stamps? I punched a square slightly smaller than my Mustard background stamp in a piece of regular copy paper & stamped the tulips through the square. (The tulips are stamped in Coral, Ruby Red and Old Olive) I trimmed the edges with my handy-dandy Fiskars mini zigzag scissors and sponged them lightly with ruby red to add some texture. The picture doesn't show it, but I added a little glitter, too. Glitter is kind of like flour on the nose when baking. It lets people know you've been working hard because invariably more ends up on you than on your card!!


The word window punch works great for the tab on the side, but, unfortunately, I don't have it yet. A tight budget, I'm told, fosters creativity. Let's just say that I'm very creative! LOL


Thanks for stopping by! I hope you'll visit often!!