Thanks Always!

Be sure to check out yesterday's post for a chance to win some blog candy!

I guess you can tell by my latest projects that I really like the Always set and the colors in the Berry Bliss DSP! This card doesn't use any of the DSP, but I used the colors from the DSP to create my stamped background (as I did for this card).

My background is a piece of 3 1/4 x 4 1/2" Very Vanilla layered on Chocolate Chip. On the Vanilla piece, I randomly stamped the flower and 3 small images from Always in Purely Pomegranate, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip and River Rock. I then wheeled the Rough Texture wheel over the entire piece in River Rock.

The center strip is a 4 1/4 x 1 7/8" piece of Very Vanilla layered on Purely Pomegranate. I stamped the letters from Jumbo Outline Alpha in Purely Pomegranate. I then added "So Much" from one of the phrases in So Many Sayings in Chocolate Chip inside the letter K. This is the first time I've had a chance to play around with the Jumbo Outline Alpha, and I really like these letters. I can see so many possibilities for them!

Recipe:
Stamps: Always, Jumbo Outline Alpha, So Many Sayings, Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, River Rock
Marker: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Vintage Brads

Blog Candy - and a Contest (of sorts)!

I noticed that my blog counter is nearing 20,000 hits, so I thought this would be a good time for some blog candy. And I haven't had any for awhile. The blog candy is an altered Target mailbox, a set of 4 monogram cards (with the monogram of your choice), a package of epoxy Valentine stickers, and a bag of foam heart stickers. For a chance to win the blog candy, just leave a comment on this post by Friday morning. I will use Random.org to choose the winner.

The contest part is not really a true contest, but I would love for you to answer this question in your comment (but you don't have to just to enter):
"What is the strangest place you have found something craft related in your house?"

The reason I ask is because I found the orange backing from a piece of sticky strip on my cat's back the other day. I have also found those little pieces at the foot of my bed (inside the covers) and in one of my bathroom cabinets. Now I hope you're not thinking I have a messy house. I really don't! But my craft room can get a little chaotic at times. I use little pieces of sticky strip to adhere ribbon, and I think that backing has the most static cling of anything I know. No matter how hard I try to get it in the trash, I still find pieces of it on the floor - which then sticks to the bottom of my feet and then gets carried throughout the house. So - I can't wait to hear your stories!

For the mailbox, I used 2 different patterns from the new Berry Bliss DSP and a strip of Chocolate Chip cardstock. The "I Heart" image on the front is from Sweet on You (I think it was in one of the mini catalogs from 2006? - I'm not exactly sure.) The "U" is from the new Jumbo Outline Alpha set. I stamped it in Chocolate Chip on the Berry Bliss paper and then cut it out before adhering it. Since the letters aren't very big, you have to be careful in cutting, but I think it really adds a lot to the letter. Always is from Fancy Flexible Phrases.

I used Berry Bliss for the monogram cards also, along with Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White cardstock. The letter is also from Jumbo Outline Alpha. After the winner is chosen, she can select whatever letter she'd like, I'll finish the cards and mail them out!



Recipe:
Stamps: Sweet on You, Fancy Flexible Phrases, Jumbo Outline Alpha
Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
DSP: Berry Bliss
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon

Masculine Valentine?

When I started this card, my goal was to make a more masculine Valentine's Day card. I'm not sure I really accomplished that though. What do you think?

The card base is Chocolate Chip with a piece of Berry Bliss DSP at the top and Purely Pomegranate in the center. The stem from Always was stamped in Chocolate Chip at the bottom. For the focal image, I stamped the heart in Versamark and then Purely Pomegranate Classic Ink and then embossed it with Iridescent Ice embossing powder. It is matted on Chocolate Chip and Purely Pomegranate cardstock. The Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon is knotted through the right edge of the image and adhered with Vintage Brads on the left side. I really wanted to add the "everything" definition from Define Your Life also, but I couldn't figure out a place to make it fit on this particular card. Maybe that will be my challenge for the next one.

Recipe:
Stamps: Always
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
DSP: Berry Bliss
Ink: Versamark, Purely Pomegranate, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Vintage Brads

Love Always!

I just got my first order from the Spring/Summer catalog, so of course I couldn't wait to play with my new stuff. I will have a Stamp Club order in the next week or so, so I only ordered Always and the Berry Bliss DSP to get me started. I really love the new Always set!

This first card is the same layout as a previous card I did with the True Friend set. I sometimes have a hard time using designer paper, so I tend to fall back on using the stamps in the set to make my own patterns. For the bottom pattern on this card, I used the smaller stamps in the set with Purely Pomegranate, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip and River Rock ink. I then wheeled the entire piece with the Rough Texture wheel in River Rock. I like to use that wheel to give the piece just a little bit of texture and soften up the vanilla or white piece of cardstock that I've used underneath.

The rest is pretty self-explanatory, so I won't bore you with the minute details. The only other thing I did a little differently was I added some dots underneath the word forever to bring some attention to that word in the sentiment.

Recipe:
Stamps: Always, Rough Texture Wheel
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, River Rock
Other: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon


For my second card, I used some of the Berry Bliss DSP. I used a layout from Just Give Me Stamps as my starting point. I cut the DSP into 3 panels and then layered them on Pretty in Pink panels, and then onto a single piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock. The Pretty in Pink heart is stamped on Whisper White. I distressed the edges, added Vintage brads to each corner and layered it onto Chocolate Chip.

The finished size of this card is 4 x 5 1/4. It is slightly smaller than normal so the tab could extend past the edge of the card and still fit it in a normal size envelope. I went back and forth several times on the placement of the ribbon and the sentiment, but I am really happy with the end result.

It was fun to be back in my stamp area creating just for the fun of it. I haven't done that in quite awhile, and it reminded me how much I love this hobby!

Recipe:
Stamps: Always
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White CS, Berry Bliss DSP
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip
Other: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Vintage Brads

Big Bold 4th Birthday

My nephew's 4th birthday is next week, so I decided to get his card done a little early and not wait until the last minute like usual. His card is similar to a Christmas card I made with the Big Bold birthday set. On the birthday card I used 4 presents though since he will be 4 (and I knew he'd notice if there were less than that). I stamped the various presents in Old Olive, second generation Blue Bayou and Pumpkin Pie and added the bow in Basic Black. The designer paper on the bottom is from the Creative License Simply Scrappin' kit from the Fall/Winter catalog. I added a strip of Pumpkin Pie to separate the DSP from the presents and added Blue Bayou double-stitched ribbon on top of the Pumpkin Pie.

To create the sentiment, I used a Pumpkin Pie marker to ink the word Happy from one of the sentiments in the It's Your Birthday set. I then added the 4th from Short Order Numbers in Blue Bayou. I punched it out with the 1 1/4" circle punch, added it to a Blue Bayou scallop circle, and adhered it to the card with the black brad.

Recipe:
Stamps: Big Bold Birthday, It's Your Birthday, Short Order Numbers
Paper: Blue Bayou, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Creative License Simply Scrappin' Kit
Ink: Old Olive, Blue Bayou, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black
Other, Blue Bayou Double-Stitched Ribbon, Black Brad, Pumpkin Pie Marker
Tools: 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch

Time Well Spent Anniversary

My in-laws anniversary was on New Year's Day, so this is the card I made for them. I got the idea for the card from one on Nancy Riley's blog, iStamp. It was a rak she received from Lorri Heiling. I really liked the way Lorri used the white gel pen to outline her flowers, so I decided to duplicate that idea with the heart from Time Well Spent.

I stamped the heart in Basic Black on four 1 3/4" squares of Purely Pomegranate. I then colored the flower with the white gel pen and made a flower center with my Basic Black marker. Each of the squares were then mounted on 1 7/8" squares of Whisper White. The background piece is Basic Black cardstock (I don't remember the exact dimensions) that I stamped with the smallest flower from Time Well Spent in Whisper White. I added a piece of Black Gingham ribbon to the bottom and adhered it all to a Purely Pomegranate card base. Happy Anniversary from Hugs & Wishes was added at the bottom in Basic Black.

Recipe:
Stamps: Time Well Spent, Hugs & Wishes
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Basic Black, Whisper White
Other: Black Gingham Ribbon

A New Beginning!

Happy New Year! I can't believe it's 2008 already! And I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted to my blog. I started out with good intentions of working on a watermark and getting right back into posting. However, life seemed to have another plan for me. I won't go into detail, but my husband and I had a difficult end to the year (no, we're not splitting up or anything like that). We are looking forward to great things in the new year though.

I haven't had any desire to stamp for quite awhile and hadn't even touched my stamps for around 6 weeks or so. I was finally able to get into my workroom today and play around a little. Even though I didn't come up with anything earth shattering, it was good to get back into it.

This first card is the one I made today. It uses a color combination and stamp combination I've used before - just a little different layout. The main image also uses the cracked glass technique.

Recipe:
Stamps: Stem Silhouettes, So Many Sayings, Linen, Baroque Motifs
CS: Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, River Rock, Very Vanilla
Ink: Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, River Rock, Versamark
Other: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Vintage Brads
Technique: Cracked Glass

This second card is one that I've had in my stash for quite awhile, but I don't think I ever posted it to my blog. I needed a special thank you card to send to my parents for a generous gift they gave my husband and I while we were visiting over Christmas. And I decided this was the one. The left panel uses the emboss resist technique with the open flower from Heartfelt Thanks.

Recipe:
Stamps: Heartfelt Thanks
CS: Whisper White, Glossy White, Pretty in Pink, Going Gray
Ink: Versamark, Pretty in Pink, Going Gray
Markers: Regal Rose, Certainly Celery
Other: Clear Embossing Powder
Technique: Emboss Resist

I hope to be able to post a little more regularly now and have some more new things soon! Hope you had a great day with family and friends!