Merry & Bright

I was a little sad to see Merry & Bright on Stampin' Up!'s retiring list. It's such a cute stamp set, and I have to say, I didn't use it nearly enough. Anyway, here is a quick card using the snowman and the snowflake from Season of Friendship. We've had a lot of snow here in Nebraska lately, so this card is definitely appropriate right now!

The card is a CASE of this card by Kharmagirl. I kept mine a little simpler. I stamped the snowflake in Versamark and then in Whisper White on each panel. I think the rest of the card is pretty self-explanatory, so I won't go into a lot of other detail.

Thanks for looking!

Supplies Used (All Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Merry & Bright, Season of Friendship
CS: Kraft, Whisper White, Night of Navy, Bashful Blue
Ink: Versamark, Whisper White, Night of Navy; also Night of Navy & Bashful Blue Markers
Accessories: Whisper White Taffeta
Tools: 1 1/4, 1 3/8 & Scallop Circle Punches

Bind-It-All Journals

I think this is my last post of Christmas projects. These are journals that I made for the ladies in the church small group DH and I attend. (I shared a few of them earlier in the year, but here is the grouping of all of them.) I used one of the Plain Jane stamps from Verve Visual (Psalm 37:4), covered them with various CS, DSP and embellishments, and added 50 sheets of plain paper for the inside. The journals were put together with my Bind-it-All.

Thanks for looking!

Monogram Gift Sets

For extended family this year, I decided to make gift sets of monogram cards. I shared just a few of these sets earlier in the year (see this post), but here is a grouping of the majority of the sets (I gave a few away at Thanksgiving before I had a chance to take a picture).

Each set is different, contains 4 cards and envelopes, and is contained in a clear acrylic box from clearbags.com. I used the 4 1/2 x 1/2 x 5 7/8" size for these sets and also ordered some 1" for larger sets in the future.

Once I decided on a design, the cards came together pretty quickly. I used a couple of different fonts from JustRite to create the monograms. Some are just initials and some use the small letters around the outside cirlce to personalize it even more.

I had a lot of fun making these and hope the recipients will put them to good use. Thanks for looking!

(I'm not listing a specific supply list for these since I used so many different products. If you'd like details on one of them just let me know and I'll try to get them for you.)

"Gingerbread" Treats

These little gift sets were Christmas treats for a few co-workers this year. I got the idea from Lorri Heiling, Confessions of a Stamping Addict, (scroll down in her post to see her box and chocolate-filled gingerbread man cookie cutter).

I found some gingerbread man cookie cutters at Wal-Mart and filled them with melted chocolate. Once the chocolate was set, I put them in a little cellophane bag tied with twill that was stamped with Sweet from Fancy Flexible Phrases. I also found some gingerbread scented candles and added those to the gift as well. A coordinating 3x3 gift card completed the set.

For the box, I estimated how big it needed to be and then decided my measurements from there. I started with a 12x9 piece of chocolate chip CS and scored at 2 and 7 along the 9 inch side and 4.25 and 7.75 along the 12 inch side. I didn't want the sides of the box to come up all the way, so I scored again at 1.5 and 10.5 along the 12 inch side (just to the inside score lines) so I could cut off the outside squares that it created and have an opening at the top of the box. Hopefully that all makes sense! (See the top picture for a side view of the box.) If you're still with me after all of those measurements, the finished box ended up 5" wide, 4.25" high, and 3.5" across the bottom.

I kept the embellishments fairly simple in case the recipients wanted to use the box again. I rounded the corners and added some Riding Hood Red Patterns DSP. The "handles" of the box were made with the small oval punch, and I added a tag with the gingerbread man from Deer Friends and From Me to You punched out with the Word Window punch.

I had a lot of fun putting these together and was really happy with the way they turned out. Thanks for looking! Merry Christmas!

Supplies (All Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Deer Friends, Fancy Flexible Phrases, So Many Sayings, Holidays & Wishes
CS: Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White
DSP: Riding Hood Red Patterns
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red
Accessories: Twill, Linen Thread
Tools: 1 1/4, 1 3/8 & Scallop Circle Punches, Small Oval Punch, Word Window Punch, Scallop Edge Punch

Ski Slope Squash Book

Wow - I can't believe it's been so long since my last post. I apologize for that - I'm not sure where the time went! I have done a little stamping lately, mostly getting things ready for Christmas. I finally got my cards out last week, so that was a big relief.

This squash book was the final project for my stamp club this year. If you've never made one, SCS has a great tutorial. Once I figured out how to fold it, the rest came pretty easily. I used the Season of Friendship set and Ski Slope DSP, both from the Holiday mini, for the majority of the project. I also used Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, and Old Olive CS and some Real Red Patterns DSP from the Hostess Level 1 Patterns Pack.

I let each stamp club member decide how she wanted to embellish the inside. I used Short Order Numbers to create the 2008, added Merry Christmas from Holidays and Wishes, and added a couple of images from Deer Friends to the journaling spaces. I debated about whether to give this as a gift or keep it for myself, but I decided to keep it and add some pictures of DH and I after Christmas. I've been doing more non-traditional scrapbooking lately (sizes other than 12x12), so I thought this would make a fun addition to the collection.

I have some other Christmas projects to post as well so I promise it won't be another 2 months before my next post! Thanks for looking!

Supplies (All Stampin' Up! except coasters):
Stamps: Season of Friendship, To You & Yours, Short Order Numbers, Holidays and Wishes, Deer Friends
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Old Olive, Whisper White
DSP: Ski Slope, Real Red Patterns
Ink: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Old Olive, Whisper White
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Felt Ribbon, Vintage Brads, Old Olive Buttons
Tools: Ticket Corner Punch, Small Oval Punch
Other: Square Coasters

Halloween Treat Bags

Since I'm sure most of you have seen one version or another of these bags, I won't go into a lot of detail on how I made them. If you haven't seen these yet or tried one yourself, I used Dianna Gibbs' tutorial. They are really easy to make.

For mine, the height of the bag is 4 1/2" and the bottom is 2 3/4" square. The bags are made from the Ghostly Greetings DSP, and I used Halloween Frights and Fancy Flexible Phrases to create the tags.

These are going to some friends and co-workers filled with some Halloween candy and a few small SU! embellishments for the stampers of the group.

Thanks for looking!

Supplies Used (All Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Halloween Frights, Fancy Flexible Phrases
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White
DSP: Ghostly Greetings
Ink: Basic Grey, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Basic Grey Taffeta, Whisper White Taffeta, Whisper White Grosgrain, Old Olive Twill & Pumpkin Pie Striped Ribbon, Jumbo Pewter Eyelets, Silver Elastic Cord
Tools: Scallop Edge Punch, 1 1/4", 1 3/8" & Scallop Circle Punches

Halloween Frights

Just a quick and easy card with the Halloween Frights set from the Holiday mini. This card was CASED from one on SCS that used the Season of Friendship set.

The card base is Kiwi Kiss, and the DSP is from Ghostly Greetings. All of the images were punched with a 1" circle punch. Otherwise, it's a pretty straight-forward card - very easy!

Thanks for looking!

Supplies Used (All Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Halloween Frights
Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
DSP: Ghostly Greetings
Ink: Basic Black, Basic Grey, Pumpkin Pie, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Basic Grey Taffeta Ribbon
Tools: 1" Circle Punch

Spider Suspension Card

This was my first time trying a suspension card. If you haven't tried one, check out the tutorial on SCS - they are very easy!

The only thing not SU! on this card is the spider and the small web in the corner of the sentiment. They are both from a $1 stamp I got from Michael's last year. I don't have a SU! spider stamp, but I thought he was appropriate to hang in the web of the Ghostly Greetings DSP. The hardware is from the Stylized Silver Hodgepodge collection, and the Happy Halloween sentiment is from the retired Fancy Flexible Phrases. I don't think you can tell from the picture, but the Pumpkin Pie cardstock in the middle of the card is wheeled with the Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel (also retired) and sponged on the edges.

Here is a close-up view of the spider.

Thanks for looking!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Fancy Flexible Phrases, Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel, Spider & Web (Michael's $1 bin)
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Basic Black, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie
DSP: Ghostly Greetings
Accessories: Stylized Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Basic Grey Taffeta Ribbon
Tools: 1 1/4" & 1" Circle Punches
Other: Dental Floss

Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack

The following cards are being offered as classes at the Norfolk, Nebraska Relay for Life Crop Day Saturday, November 1st. If you live in or around the area, join us for cropping from 8-8 at the Norfolk Middle School.

This first card is being offered at 11 am. Class participants will have the opportunity to make 10 cards of this design. It uses the Merry & Bright stamp set and Holidays & Wishes for the sentiment. The card base is Ruby Red, with a Basic Black mat, Whisper White and Always Artichoke designer series paper. The patterns for the cards will vary.

Supplies Used (All Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Merry & Bright, Holidays & Wishes
Cardstock: Ruby Red, Basic Black, Whisper White, Always Artichoke
Designer Series Paper: Always Artichoke
Ink: Basic Black, Ruby Red, Various Markers
Accessories: Basic Black Grosgrain Ribbon
Tools: 1 1/4, 1 3/8 & Scallop Circle Punches

The second card uses the new Season of Friendship stamp set from the Stampin' Up! Holiday mini catalog and the sentiment from To You & Yours from the Fall/Winter Stampin' Up! catalog. This card is being offered at 2 pm, and participants will also have the opportunity to make 10 of these cards to have ready for the holidays.

I have really enjoyed playing with this new set so far. In addition to the snowflakes, it also comes with a flower and leaves to allow you to create cards or scrapbook pages for all seasons.

Supplies Used (All Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Season of Friendship, To You & Yours
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Real Red
Ink: Baja Breeze, Real Red, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon
Tools: Scallop Edge Punch

Thanks for looking!

Blog Update

Since my posts have been pretty sporadic the last month or so, I just wanted to give you a quick update. I haven't stopped stamping all together and am not giving up on my blog. My reason for being MIA for awhile is actually a good one, no, I take that back, a great one. My husband and I are expecting our first! I can't even begin to tell you how excited we are!

So, for the last several weeks, I have been dealing with fatigue and nausea at various times of the day and night. Unfortunately, I haven't had the energy or motivation to do much stamping during that time. I'm a little behind now on Christmas cards and other holiday projects, but I'll sure I'll get caught up at some point!

I do have a few projects to share this week, so check back in the next day or so!

To You & Yours

In addition to Thanksgiving cards, I've been trying to decide on a design (or two) for our Christmas cards. I needed a fairly simple design this year, so I decided to go with the To You & Yours set from the Fall/Winter catalog. I thought the images could stand alone without a lot of additional detail added to them.

For both cards, I stamped the house image in Chocolate Chip and used my rectangle nestibilities to cut it out along with the scalloped mat. On the first card, I embossed pieces of both Riding Hood Red and Chocolate Chip with the Textile Embossing Folder and added a scalloped piece of Kraft layered with the new Alpine striped ribbon (from the Holiday mini) in the middle.

The tag is stamped with one of the sentiments from the set, "From Our House To Yours", and is attached with a piece of Linen Thread.

The second card uses most of the same elements, just a different layout and different ribbon. For this card, I used the Chocolate Chip felt ribbon that is also part of the Alpine Ribbon Originals in the Holiday mini. I love the texture of the ribbon, but I think it's probably a little too bulky to mail. If I end up using it on any of our cards, it will probably only be ones that can be hand-delivered. Otherwise, I could always use the taffeta ribbon with this layout.

I'm pretty sure I'll use the first one as one of our designs, but I'm not sure about the others yet. If you happen to have any suggestions for this set and these colors, I'd love to hear them!

Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: To You & Yours
Cardstock: Kraft, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red
Accessories: Alpine Ribbon Originals, Linen Thread, Vintage Brads
Tools: Textile Embossing Folder, Rectangle and Scallop Rectange Nestibilities, Scallop Edge Punch

Season of Friendship

This card uses another set from the upcoming Holiday Mini - Season of Friendship. The set contains the tree image, leaves, snowflake, flower, bird, and sentiment that says "The season of friendship lasts forever." It also uses the Autumn Vine DSP available in the mini. The DSP has several patterns that incorporate More Mustard, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, and Sage Shadow.

The card itself is pretty simple, finished size is 5" square. The tree is stamped in Chocolate Chip, and the leaves are stamped in 1st and 2nd generation More Mustard and Really Rust. The edges of the Chocolate Chip and Really Rust mat layers were distressed before adhering. The sentiment is from Stem Silhouettes. (I used it because I am working on some possibilities for my Thanksgiving cards.) It is stamped in Really Rust, and the edges were also sponged in Really Rust. The buttons are from the Earth Elements collection and have linen thread tied through the holes.

Thanks for looking!

Recipe: (All supplies SU!)
Stamps: Season of Friendship, Stem Silhouettes
Cardstock: More Mustard, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
DSP: Autumn Vine
Ink: Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Really Rust
Accessories: Earth Elements Buttons, Linen Thread

Halloween Frights

Once again I have to apologize for the lack of posts over the last few weeks. Besides stamp club 2 weeks ago, I hadn't done any stamping until this weekend. I got my preorder from the Holiday Mini and some new things from the catalog and couldn't let them sit long before trying them out. Anyway, I have a few things to share this week.

The first is a layout I've had in my head since I saw the Halloween Frights set in the mini. Sorry for the less than perfect picture. I haven't quite figured out how to take a decent picture of a 12x12 layout yet. Anyway, the base of the layout is Basic Grey with a 10 1/2 x 8 1/2" square of Basic Black layered on top for the frame of the pictures. The white rectangles are just placeholders for now for 2 4x6 pictures. The other 2 are 4x4 squares.

To make the halloween scenes, I started with glossy paper and cut out a mask from a post-it note of the moon image (for the bottom one). I brayered both with Pumpkin Pie ink and then removed my mask before stamping the remainder of the images with Basic Black. I finished the squares with a few accents from the white gel pen.

The tree image in the top square is from Seasons of Friendship, and the wheel in the bottom square is called Frightful Fence. Otherwise, all of the other images are from Halloween Frights. All of these are available in the Holiday Mini starting on October 1st.

The tag in the upper right was stamped with October from the Full Calendar set in Pumpkin Pie and 31st from Short Order Numbers in Basic Grey. It is attached with a piece of silver elastic cord (also available in the mini). I bought mine for a project last year and didn't end up using it, so I was glad to see it back this year! The cord is held in place by a mini library clip clipped to the side of the Basic Black piece.

Finally, the bottom was created with strips from Ghostly Greetings DSP as well as strips of Basic Black and Pumpkin Pie stamped with the 2 sentiments from Halloween Frights.

Thanks for looking!

Recipe: (All Supplies SU!)
Stamps: Halloween Frights, Frightful Fence Jumbo Wheel, Season of Friendship, Full Calendar, Short Order Numbers
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Basic Black, Glossy White, Pumpkin Pie
DSP: Ghostly Greetings
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Whisper White, Basic Grey, Signo White Gel Pen
Accessories: Silver Elastic Cord, Mini Library Clip
Tools: Brayer

Celebrate

Sorry I haven't had anything to share lately. I just haven't felt very creative, so I decided to let myself take a little break. I needed a birthday card, so I did manage to at least finish this card. I debated about sharing it though because I don't think I like it very well. It looked so much better in my head than it does IRL. Oh well - I guess that happens sometimes!

I used the same layout as my Wild About You baby card. I also used lots of Crystal Effects on this card. All of the flowers, the butterfly, and the inside of the silver label holder are covered with Crystal Effects. I love that stuff, but I think I got a little carried away with it here!

Anyway, thanks for looking! Have a great weekend!

Recipe:
Stamps: Green Thumb & Little Lady (Papertrey)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, So Saffron
Ink: Riding Hood Red, So Saffron, Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Stylized Silver Hodgepodge Hardward
Tools: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, 1 3/8" Square Punch, Scallop Edge Punch
Other: Crystal Effects

I was also given an award that I haven't shared yet. Regina, from Stamping Heaven gave me the "I love your blog" award. Thanks Regina! Be sure to check out her blog too when you get a chance. She has some great projects!

Look Who's Turning 6!

This card is for my niece’s upcoming 6th birthday. I fell in love with this owl when I first saw it but waited awhile to get it. Even though I try not to buy too many non-SU! sets, I just couldn’t resist this one!

The layout for the card was inspired by this one on SCS. I stamped the owl, branch and party hat separately and cut them out before adhering them to the card. The eyes were stamped separately as well, cut out, and covered with Crystal Effects.

The rest of the card is fairly straightforward – the Pink Pirouette cardstock was embossed with the Cuttlebug Happy Birthday embossing folder, and the Riding Hood Red strip was wheeled in Versamark with the Take A Number wheel. The chipboard 6 was painted and then covered with Crystal Effects as well.

I love the way it turned out! Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: u r a hoot (Cornish Heritage Farms), Take A Number Wheel
Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, Creamy Caramel, Brown (Archiver’s)
DP: Basic Grey Blush
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Versamark, Basic Black Marker
Other: Chipboard Number 6 (unknown maker)
Tools: Cuttlebug Happy Birthday Embossing Folder, Scallop Edge Punch, Crystal Effects

This second card was for my MIL whose birthday was Friday. In addition to the owl set, I also used the Lined Paper background from Cornish Heritage Farms. This card was a 5" square. The owl's eyes, circles and top of the party hat, and chipboard ? are all covered in Crystal Effects.

Recipe:
Stamps: u r a hoot & Lined Paper Background (Cornish Heritage Farms)
Cardstock: Rose Red, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Creamy Caramel, Brown (Archiver's)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie & Basic Black Markers
Accessories: Pumpkin Pie Felt Fusion Flower, Brown Brad (Spare Parts)
Other: Chipboard ? (unknown maker)
Tools: Cuttlebug Textile Embossing Folder, Spiral Punch, Crystal Effects

Happy Anniversary CASE

This week's featured stamper on Splitcoast was Jessica Rone, aka knightrone. If you haven't seen her gallery, be sure to take a look when you get a chance, or check out her blog, Can You Say Addicted to Stamps?.

I chose to CASE this card of Jessica's. I changed the colors slightly, her black to Chocolate Chip, and Certainly Celery to Old Olive, and added a little bit of Pink Pirouette. I also changed the stamp set, sentiment and ribbon. I left off the paper piercing, mainly because I forgot until after I put everything together!

Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Hugs & Wishes, Out on a Limb (Papertrey)
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pink Pirouette
Accessories: Old Olive Poly-Twill Ribbon
Tools: Textile Embossing Folder, Scallop Edge Punch

Purse Gift Card Holder

This was a second CASE I did for last week's featured stamper but hadn't had a chance to post yet. My parents came to visit this past weekend, so I didn't have any time to stamp during the week last week or over the weekend. Anyway, I thought this little "purse" card was a cute way to present a gift card, so I tried my hand at one.

I don't have specific measurements, but I started with a 5" square piece of scrap paper as my template (so the end result would fit in a square envelope if desired), folded it in half, and then just eyeballed the angle for the sides. The Chocolate Chip and Baja Breeze cardstock are both stamped with Stitched in Whisper White. I then added some Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon as well as paper piercing and faux stitching along the sides.

The inside piece is Chocolate Chip cardstock also stamped with Stitched. I added a little pocket for the gift card and a word window punch stamped with "a little something" from So Many Sayings. The insert is attached to another strip of cardstock that is folded over and serves as the "clasp" of the purse. It is adhered to the pocket with a velcro dot.

Finally, I punched both sides of the pocket with the slit punch and threaded Chocolate Chip taffeta through to form the handles of the purse.

Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Stitched, So Many Sayings
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze
Ink: Whisper White
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Basic Grey Button, Velcro Dot
Tools: 1" Circle Punch, Word Window Punch, Slit Punch, Signo White Gel Pen

Wild About You Baby Card

Several of our friends have had babies recently (all girls for some reason!), so this card is for one of the couples. The basic idea of the card was CASED from this one on SCS, and then I made just a few minor changes.

I stamped each of the animals and then punched out at least part of them with the 1 3/8" square punch. The lion was stamped first with Apricot Appeal and then stamped a second time with Pumpkin Pie and a third time with Apricot Appeal. His mane and face were then cut out and popped up on dimensionals. The elephant was also stamped a second time, and his ear was cut out and adhered with a dimensional. The three squares were also adhered to the vertical strip with dimensionals.

The rest of the card is pretty straightforward, so I'll just leave you with the supplies I used. Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Wild About You, Riveting, Green Thumb (Papertrey)
Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, So Saffron, Whisper White
Ink: Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, So Saffron, Rose Red & Old Olive Markers, Basic Black Marker
Accessories: Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon
Tools: Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, 1 3/8" Square Punch, 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Circle Punches, Scallop Edge Punch

Monogram Gift Sets

I'm working on some monogram sets for Christmas gifts, so I thought I'd share a few with you. I think I have 5 of 12 sets done so far. I won't bore you with all of them, but here are a just a couple. I'm trying to make them all different, but that may get challenging as I get more done. I'm also trying to keep them fairly flat, i.e. no brads, bows, dimensionals, etc. (another challenge for me), but I don't want the recipient to have to worry about extra postage. Each set will have 4 matching cards and will be enclosed in a clear box.

Both of the cards use the Stitched background. On the first, I stamped it with Chocolate Chip on Baja Breeze. The monogram was done with the JustRite wooden stamp kit.

The second card uses my favorite combo for the Stitched background, Whisper White on Basic Black. The monogram was also done with the JustRite stamp, and then I added one of the circles from Papertrey's Monogram set around it before punching it out. The green accent is Stampin' Up!'s new Kiwi Kiss. I really like how it looks with the black and white.

Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Stitched, JustRite Monogram Set, Papertrey Monogram Set
Cardstock: (1) Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze; (2) Whisper White, Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss
Ink: (1) Chocolate Chip; (2) Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White
Accessories: (1) Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon
Tools: (1) 1 1/4", 1 3/8" & Scallop Circle Punches, Corner Rounder; (2) 1 3/8", 1 1/2" & Scallop Circle Punches, Scallop Edge Punch

Featured Stamper Silhouettes

I had some free time this afternoon, so I decided to take a look at this week's featured stamper challenge. Kim has a great gallery, and I decided to CASE this card. My Stem Silhouettes set doesn't see near enough ink, so I thought Kim's card would be a perfect opportunity to break it out.

I kept the same basic colors as Kim, but I changed my background cardstock to Very Vanilla, my layer to Chocolate Chip, and my card base to Old Olive. I liked the paper piercing on Kim's card, but I decided to change the placement a little bit and added it around my square instead. I just left off the piercing where my stem extended past the square. I also changed the sentiment and ribbon and added some brads and distressing.

I think this is a great fall card, and I may just end up using this design for my Thanksgiving cards this year.

Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Stem Silhouettes
Cardstock: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Ink: Old Olive, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Brown Gingham Ribbon, Brown Brads
Techniques: Paper Piercing, Distressing, Sponging

Enjoy Every Moment Mini-Scrapbook

I’ve wanted to make one of these mini-scrapbooks/brag books for quite awhile and finally got around to it! If you aren’t familiar with these, you can find step-by-step instructions on SCS. This will be one of my upcoming stamp club projects.

For mine, I used the new Baja Breeze and Riding Hood Red cardstock. I'm really loving these 2 colors together. For stamp club though, I am planning to let each girl choose her own color combo from the 6 new SU! in colors. I’ll have all of the other pieces ready to go and just cut those as we’re getting started. I am also planning to let everyone choose to a certain extent how to design the front of her book, i.e. wheel just the same piece that I did or wheel the entire front background, select different stamps/embellishments for the “O” in enjoy, etc.

Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Enjoy Every Moment, Daisy Dash Jumbo Wheel
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Whisper White Craft
Accessories: Fire Rhinestone, Black Gingham, Pewter Jumbo Eyelets
Tools: Crop-a-Dile, 1", 1 1/4", 1 3/8" & Scallop Circle Punches, Scallop Edge Punch

Bind-It-All Journals

I’ve had fun playing with my bind-it-all and some of Stampin’ Up!’s new in-colors this past week. I wanted to make some journals to have ready as gifts, so these are the ones I’ve done so far. I used the 5 x 7 ½” bind-it-all covers and ½” silver coils, as well as Verve’s Psalm 37:4 stamp for each.

I learned a few things about the bind-it-all during this project, so I thought I'd share. First, I put one cover together completely and then wasn't able to get it into the opening of the machine to punch it because it was too thick. It seems that the chipboard cover and one layer of cardstock or DSP on each side is really the most it can handle. I did manage to fit an additional layer of cardstock on one of them, but it wasn't the best fit. Secondly, one of the sites I visited for information on the bind-it-all recommended inside pages 3/16" less in width than the cover. I found that 1/4" worked best for me. Anyway, on to the projects!

I like all of the journals, but I think this first one is my favorite. It uses 2 of SU!'s new in-colors, Baja Breeze and Riding Hood Red. I love those colors together! Since I don't have DSP or accessories yet that match the new in-colors, I used Basic Grey DP and buttons. They match the SU! colors nicely, but I can't wait to see what SU! has in store for us in the new catty.

Recipe:
Stamps: Psalm 37:4 (Verve)
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
DP: Basic Grey Blush
Ink: Riding Hood Red
Accessories: Basic Grey Infuse Buttons
Tools: Nestibilities Circle and Scallop Circle Dies

The second one uses 2 other new in-colors, Kiwi Kiss and Tangerine Tango. It also uses some Basic Grey DP. For this one, I embossed the cardstock for the front cover with the Swiss Dots embossing folder. Since the cardstock was larger than the folder, I embossed the top half first and then lined up the last row of dots back in the folder and embossed the bottom half. Hopefully that makes sense. I did have one row of dots that was slightly squished, but my middle strip covered that up (and I think you could gently push them out from the back if they did show).

Recipe:
Stamps: Psalm 37:4
Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip
DP: Basic Grey Mellow
Ink: Tangerine Tango
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Orange Rhinestone Brads,
Tools: Nestibilities Circle and Scallop Circle Dies

The next two are similar but use different DP and layouts. I used this week’s sketch challenge for the first one. The second is the same as this card I made a few week’s ago.

Recipe: (for both)
Stamps: Psalm 37:4
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
DP: Basic Grey Infuse & Mellow
Ink: Purely Pomegranate
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Primas, Vintage Brads
Tools: Nestibilities Rectangle & Scalloped Rectangle Dies, Corner Rounder

Thanks for looking!

Priceless Butterflies

I made this card for the featured stamper challenge a few week's ago, but for some reason, I never got it posted. I wasn't totally thrilled with the end result, so maybe that's why! Anyway, I chose to CASE this card by Stephanie Hargis. I loved the layout and playful feel of Stephanie's original card.

I kept the same layout but substituted the butterflies from Priceless for the Verve stamps Stephanie used on the original. I also changed the colors and type of ribbon I used. I kept my sentiment in the circle punches and used one from Papertrey's Mixed Messages set.

Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Priceless, Mixed Messages (Papertrey)
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip
DSP: Berry Bliss
Ink: Purely Pomegranate
Accessories: Purely Pomegranate Double-Stitched Ribbon
Tools: 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Circle Punches, Corner Rounder

Enjoy Your Day

I really liked the sketch challenge from week before last, so I made another card with it. I actually made it earlier last week but since it was for a friend's birthday I wanted to wait a little bit before posting. Hopefully she's received it by now!

I used the Summer Picnic DSP from the Occasions Mini and continued the circle theme with the O in enjoy. The present in the middle is from Riveting and is popped up on a dimensional. The scallop circle was also adhered with dimensionals.

Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Enjoy Every Moment, Riveting
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie
DSP: Summer Picnic
Ink: Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Pumpkin Pie Striped Ribbon, Black Eyelets
Tools: Crop-a-Dile, 1/2, 3/4, 1 1/4, 1 3/8 & Scallop Circle Punches

Holiday Penguins

I've had the Wild About You set on my wish list for the longest time and finally decided to get it recently. I've had a lot of fun playing around with it over the last few days. I've had several Wild About You cards saved in my favorites over at SCS, so I decided to try out one on Saturday. This card is really a CASE of two different cards. You can see them here and here.

My card is a 4 1/4" square of Bashful Blue. The background layer is a piece of vellum that was embossed with the Snowflakes embossing folder and adhered to a square of Basic Black cardstock with black eyelets. I layered Black Gingham ribbon onto Bashful Blue Taffeta and then added the penguin focal image. The "snow" at the bottom of the penguins was created with white foam paint. I haven't had much luck finding puffy paint, so this will do for now. The sentiment is from Fancy Flexible Phrases and was embossed with Irridescent Ice Embossing Powder.

Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Wild About You, Fancy Flexible Phrases
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Bashful Blue, Versamark
Accessories: Bashful Blue Taffeta Ribbon, Black Gingham Ribbon, Black Eyelets
Tools: Crop-a-Dile, 1 3/8" Square Punch, Irridescent Ice Embossing Powder

Wild About Penguins

I had just made a holiday card with the penguin from Wild About You yesterday, so when I saw artystamper's penguin card I knew it was the one I'd case for this week's featured stamper challenge.

I changed several things about her card but kept the same general idea. I used the same layout and went with the same blue and black color combination. On my card, I substituted Bashful Blue for the Bazzill blue that was used on the original. I also kept a penguin in the main image but used the one from Wild About You and stamped him twice. At the bottom of the focal image, I substituted eyelets for her brads and moved my sentiment to a circle punch on the side.

In addition to these changes, I also added the Snowflake embossing folder to the Bashful Blue background and Swiss Dots to the Basic Black strip in the middle. The "snow" underneath the penguins was created with white foam paint, and the ribbon is Black Gingham layered on top of Bashful Blue Taffeta.

I'll share my other penguin card in the next few days. Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Wild About You, So Many Scallops
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Bashful Blue
Accessories: Bashful Blue Taffeta Ribbon, Black Gingham Ribbon, Black Eyelets, White Foam Paint
Tools: Crop-a-Dile, Snowflakes & Swiss Dots Embossing Folders 3/4", 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Circle Punches

Sketch Challenge x 2

For this week’s sketch challenge, I did a couple of different cards. The first is for my niece’s birthday next month. The branch and leaves are from Papertrey’s Out On a Limb set. Otherwise, I think the card is pretty straightforward. The scallops were done with my corner rounder, but I’m looking forward to getting my new scallop edge punch soon!

Recipe:
Stamps: Wild About You, It’s Your Birthday, Short Order Numbers, Out On a Limb (Papertrey)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon
Tools: Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Corner Rounder, Rectangle Punch, 1" & 1 1/4" Circle Punches

The second card is similar to one I did with the Sketch For You to Try from a few weeks ago. I used the True Friend set again with the Rough Texture jumbo wheel. The ribbon is Old Olive twill from the Occasions Mini. I'd love to see more of that ribbon in the new catty. It's so easy to work with! The only non-Stampin' Up! item on this card is the button in the center of the flower. It is another one from Basic Grey's Infuse collection.

Recipe:
Stamps: True Friend, Hugs & Wishes, Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel
Cardstock: Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Ink: Groovy Guava, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Old Olive Poly-Twill Ribbon, Basic Grey Button

Another Award!

Thanks to Nancy Morgan from Paper Smiles for giving me an award on her blog! Nancy's blog is amazing! If you haven't had a chance to check it out, go take a look - you won't regret it!

The rules for this award are:
1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.
2. Link to the person who awarded you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links to those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of those you've nominated.

Here are the ladies I am nominating for the award - all brilliant and wonderful stampers!

Nancy Riley, iSTAMP
Lorri Heiling , Confessions of a Stamping Addict
Laura Fredrickson, Scrapnextras
Silke Ledlow, My Life
Amy Sheffer, Pickled Paper Designs
Christina Fischer, Flowers and Ink
Jennifer Meyer, Jennifer's Sweet Designs

Welcome Little One

DH and I got back from our family reunion last night. We had a great time reconnecting with relatives (and for me, meeting many for the first time) and thoroughly enjoyed the Black Hills. We were there just a few years ago, but I don't think you could ever get enough of that beautiful scenery!

I started on last week's sketch challenge before we left, but I didn't have quite enough time to get everything done. So - I finished it up last night. I just got the Wild About You set, and some friends of ours just had a baby, so that's the direction I went with the card. I wheeled the Ruby Red background piece with the Rough Texture wheel (which I just saw today was retiring - I love to use this wheel to add just a subtle texture to a project). The elephant was stamped in Ruby Red also, and I cut out an additional piece for her ear and adhered it with dimensionals. The diaper pin in the scalloped circle is also adhered on dimensionals.

The ribbon is Whisper White Taffeta that I dyed with Ruby Red ink. I had read about that on Cindy Lawrence's blog, the creative closet, and thought I'd give it a try. I think it turned out fairly well. The only problem I had with it was giving it enough time to dry. I set it aside overnight, but it was still rubbing off some ink when I checked it the next morning. I left it to dry while we were gone, so I'm not sure how long it really took. I'm sure you could heat set it also, but you'd just want to be careful not to scorch the ribbon. Anyway, I like the technique, and I'm sure I'll use it again!

The rest of the card is pretty self-explanatory. I made another card with this same sketch today, but it's going in the mail to someone who reads my blog so I'll have to wait a little bit to post it.

Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Wild About You, Riveting, Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel
Cardstock: Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Groovy Guava
DSP: Ginger Blossom
Ink: Ruby Red, Groovy Guava, Pretty in Pink & Old Olive Markers
Accessories: Red Eyelets, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon (dyed Ruby Red)
Tools: Ticket Corner Punch, Crop-a-Dile, 1/2", 1 1/4", 1 3/8" & Scallop Circle Punches, Distressing Tool

Enjoy!

This card doesn't look anything like what I intended when I started. I went through several variations before I finally settled on this one. It's just a simple layout, but I like the addition of the row of buttons.

The stem of the flower is from Big Blooms (a set I just had to have from the 2007 Spring Mini but have hardly ever used). The buttons are from Basic Grey's Infuse collection. I picked them up at Archiver's not long ago, and they work great with several of SU!'s colors. I love the variety of sizes, colors and styles.

DH and I are getting ready to leave for a family reunion in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I'm looking foward to getting away for a little bit and having a few days off work!

Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Enjoy Every Moment
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate, Chocolate Chip, River Rock, Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Purely Pomegrante, Certainly Celery
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Felt Fusion Flowers, Basic Grey Buttons, Thread

Delight Yourself in the Lord

I've always liked this verse, so I was excited when Verve Stamps came out with it in their new Plain Jane line, and even more excited when I had the chance to get it with Free Shipping! Can't beat that!

This card has a pretty straightforward layout, but I love the way it turned out with the Basic Grey DP. I stamped the verse with Purely Pomegranate, layered it on a scalloped rectangle, and added a few Primas that I've had in my stash for quite awhile. I am working on a journal with this same layout but don't have it bound yet. My plan is to make a few for Christmas gifts so I thought I'd get a head start while I had everything out for the card.

Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Psalm 37:4 (Verve Stamps)
Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
DSP: Basic Grey Infuse
Ink: Purely Pomegranate
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Prima Flowers, Brads
Tools: Rectangle and Scalloped Rectangle Nestibilities Dies, Corner Rounder

In Stitches

A friend of mine periodically asks me to make sets of cards for her. There are occasions when she needs a specific type of card, but this time she was looking for a variety of general, all occasion cards. So - here is one that I'll be including in her set.

I love this Stitched background stamp in Whisper White on Basic Black cardstock. In fact, I think that's the only way I've ever used it. I totally overlooked this stamp in the catalog until I saw some of the great samples on SCS. Isn't that the way it seems to go! Anyway, maybe now I just need to break out of my rut and try using it with some different colors!

I really don't think this background needs much added to it to make a great card. So, I used a very simple focal point. I stamped one of the sentiments from Papertrey's Green Thumb set onto a Nestibilities circle, layered on a Rose Red scalloped circle. A few Felt Fusion flowers (fingers crossed that there are more colors in the new catty - love those things and have a hard time not hoarding them), some Rose Red Prints DSP, brads, and that's it!

Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Stitched, Green Thumb (Papertrey)
Cardstock: Basic Black, Rose Red, Whisper White, Stamper's Select (Papertrey, for the base)
DSP: Rose Red Prints
Ink: Rose Red
Accessories: Felt Fusion Flowers, Black Brads
Tools: Circle and Scallop Circle Nestibilities Dies

True Friend

My True Friend set hasn't seen ink in quite awhile, so I decided to use it with Jen del Muro's Sketch For You To Try for this week. I started out with a piece of Groovy Guava DSP from Ginger Blossom as my background, but I decided it was a little busy for what I wanted on the card. Instead, I decided to go with Groovy Guava cardstock wheeled with the Rough Texture wheel and layered on Chocolate Chip. The Very Vanilla squares on the right were stamped with Groovy Guava, River Rock and Chocolate Chip and then wheeled with Rough Texture in River Rock. The focal image and sentiment were also wheeled with River Rock. The rest of the card is pretty straightforward. I distressed and sponged a few of the edges and added some Vintage brads.

Thanks for looking!

Recipe: (All Supplies Stampin' Up!)
Stamps: True Friend, Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel
Cardstock: River Rock, Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava, Very Vanilla
Ink: River Rock, Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava
Accessories: Vintage Brads

Celebrate Today!

I was doing a little blog surfing last night and came across Julee Tilman's sketch challenge for the week (Mojo Monday). I jotted it down and thought I'd try it when I got time. Well, when I went to bed, I kept getting ideas for a card using that sketch. Most of the time when that happens, I know I just need to get up and at least start on it or I'll never get to sleep! So - here is the card I created, almost exactly what I envisioned in my head. Don't you love it when it works out that way!

I embossed a piece of River Rock cardstock with the Textile embossing folder and chose to use the opposite side. I like the subtle texture it gives the card. I used my corner rounder to create the scalloped edge of the Blue Bayou piece. (For those who haven't heard, Stampin' Up! is coming out with a scalloped edge punch in the new catalog! I haven't preordered anything yet, but I'm sure I'll end up with that punch at some point. Anyway, back to the card.) I added a piece of Chocolate Chip Taffeta ribbon to my scalloped piece, threaded it through the label holder and then added brads to the openings as well. The sentiment and small flower inside the label holder are from Papertrey's Mixed Messages set.

For my focal piece, I stamped the stem and one of the overlays from Out On a Limb. I wanted to use the Cracked Glass technique on it, but I'm almost out of Glassy Glaze and didn't think I could stretch it that far. So, I decided just to cover the entire piece in Versamark and emboss it with clear embossing powder. You can't really see it in the picture, but I really like the look it gives, just a subtle glaze over the entire piece. I then added brads to the bottom of the piece and adhered it to the card with dimensionals.

I love how it turned out! Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Out On a Limb & Mixed Messages (Papertrey)
Cardstock: Blue Bayou, Chocolate Chip, River Rock, Very Vanilla
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Blue Bayou, Versamark
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Spare Parts Brads, Label Holder (unknown maker)
Other: Clear Embossing Powder, Textile Embossing Folder