Thoughts & Prayers Birthday Card

This card uses the same sketch as my previous post (sketch challenge 206 on SCS). For this one, I used the Parisian Breeze Specialty DSP and Thoughts and Prayers again.

I stamped the flower image on a piece of Whisper White and then punched three 1 1/4" circles from the image. I didn't necessarily punch them out right next to each other, but I like how it looks like somewhat of a continuous flow after they were adhered to the card. The sentiment is from Papertrey's Mixed Messages set.

Thanks for looking!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Thoughts & Prayers, Mixed Messages (Papertrey)
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
DSP: Parisian Breeze Specialty
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Taffeta
Tools: 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Circle Punches

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

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

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

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

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

Simple Joys

Just a quick card using the flowers from Papertrey's Green Thumb set. I love to look at everyone else's flowers this time of year, but I have to say I prefer this type of flower garden for myself - no weeding required!

Recipe:
Stamps: Papertrey Green Thumb
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive
Accessories: Purely Pomegranate Double-Stitched Ribbon, Basic Grey Buttons
Tools: Nestabilities Rectangle and Scalloped Rectangle Dies

Little Lady Baby Card

It’s so hard to believe it’s June already! Where does the time go? I hope you are enjoying the summer so far. It’s been rainy and cool here in Nebraska, but it’s finally starting to warm up a little bit. We have some kittens at our house, so I’ve been enjoying being outside and playing with them.

Anyway – on to the card. I made this card for a couple at our church. It is a 5 ¼” square card. The black bottom layer is 5”, and each of the squares are 2 3/8”. The pink squares were embossed with the Swiss Dots embossing folder, and the white ones were stamped with one of the small flowers from Papertrey’s Green Thumb set. The focal circle and scallop were made with Nestabilities dies, and the ladybug was covered with Crystal Effects.

I really like this layout for square cards. I made a birthday card with it also that I'll share with you later this week.

Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Little Lady, Green Thumb, Mixed Messages (all Papertrey)
Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Basic Black
Accessories: Black Brads, Basic Grey Button, Black Thread
Tools: Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Nestabilities Circle and Scallop Circle Dies, Word Window Punch

Grid Technique

I used the recent Grid Technique tutorial on Splitcoast to create this card for my husband’s aunt who is retiring after many years of teaching. I’ve had a Scor-pal for awhile now, but this is the first time I’ve used it to create the background for a card. This card of Beate's also served as my inspiration.

My card base is a standard size piece of Chocolate Chip with a layer of Basic Black and Whisper White adhered on top. To create the focal background, I stamped the swirl from Baroque Motifs in River Rock and the small flower in Ruby Red and then sponged all over the cardstock in River Rock as well. I then scored the cardstock with my Scor-pal, every ½” on the diagonal (in both directions).

The small rectangle and scalloped rectangle were cut out with Nestibilities dies and stamped with Happy Retirement from Papertrey’s Mixed Messages set. The card was finished with some Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon.

Recipe:
Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Mixed Messages (Papertrey)
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: River Rock, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Vintage Brads
Tools: Nestibilities Dies, Scor-pal

Congrats to the Grad!

Since my husband is a teacher, we get at least a few graduation announcements every year. This year was a little slower than others - only one, so this is a card for his former student.

I had almost forgotten about this graduation cap in the Event Full hostess set, but I thought it would work perfectly for yesterday's Ways to Use It challenge to use "inchies". I was also inspired by this card by Silke Ledlow.

The card is pretty straightforward, so I would go into a lot of details. It is a 4x4" gift card holder. The sentiment is from Papertrey's Mixed Messages, and the 2008 at the bottom is from a small "dial" date stamp I have (with the month and day masked off).

For the inside, I just adhered a piece of black and white patterned paper on the fold of the pocket. Nothing fancy, since the important part will be what's in the pocket!

Recipe:
Stamps: Event Full, Mixed Messages, date stamp (maker unknown)
Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White
DSP: maker unknown
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Black & White ribbon (maker unknown), Silver Brads

Polka Dots and Papertrey

Today’s featured stamper on SCS was Kharmagirl, and I chose this card to CASE.

I kept the same layout and stamp set, but I changed the color combo and ribbon. I used 2 different ribbons and layered them on top of each other, so this card also qualifies for this past Monday’s Try A New Technique Challenge, Stacked Ribbon. I got this striped ribbon from Michael’s dollar bin ages ago and have never used it. I'm not sure the picture really shows the true color of the stripes, but the lighter blue stripe matches the Bashful Blue fairly well IRL.

I kept the polka dots on the main layer, but instead of using DSP as Kharmagirl did, I used my new Cuttlebug polka dot embossing folder. I’ve been waiting to get this one, but I finally found it at Hobby Lobby recently and couldn’t pass it up. Also, since I embossed the layers, I stamped my sentiment on a small piece of Whisper White instead of stamping directly on the paper.

This was a fun card to make. Thanks for looking!

Recipe:
Stamps: Papertrey Green Thumb
Cardstock: Papertrey Stamper’s Select White, Whisper White, Old Olive Bashful Blue
Ink: Bashful Blue, Old Olive
Accessories: White Eyelets, Old Olive Felt Fusion Flower, Green Ribbon (unknown maker), Striped Ribbon (unknown maker)
Tools: Cuttlebug Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Corner Rounder, Crop-a-dile

Every Day is a Gift

This card is a CASE of one I saw on Laurie Schmidlin's blog, Just Give Me Stamps. I loved the layout and layering Laurie used, so I recreated it with Papertrey's, Out on a Limb set. I also tried the Faux Linen Technique she used on her main image, but I'm not sure mine came out as well as hers. It is very subtle in real life, but I'm not sure you can see it on the card.

I just finished preparing for Stamp Club on Monday, so I will share that project with you early next week.

Recipe:
Stamps: Out on a Limb (Papertrey), Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel
CS: Ruby Red, River Rock, Glossy White
DSP: Ginger Blossoms
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: River Rock Double-Stitched Ribbon, Gold Brads
Technique: Faux Linen

First Ever Criss-Cross Card!

I have loved all the criss-cross cards I’ve seen posted on SCS and everyone’s blogs, but for some reason, I have never made one myself – until last weekend anyway. The double-sided DSP made it so easy.

I used the new Ginger Blossom DSP and the coordinating Ruby Red and River Rock cardstock. The sentiment and small stamped flowers are from Papertrey’s Green Thumb set.

Recipe:
Stamps: Papertrey Green Thumb
CS: Ruby Red, River Rock, Very Vanilla
DSP: Ginger Blossom
Ink: Ruby Red, Groovy Guava
Accessories: River Rock Double-Stitched Ribbon, Bold Brights Brads
Tools: Round Tab Punch, Ticket Corner Punch

Happy Valentine's Day!

Just a quick post today, but I wanted to share my hubby's Valentine's Day card with you. It's ok - I've already given it to him, so I won't spoil the surprise!

I didn't want the card to be too girly, so hopefully, I accomplished that goal. The heart from Always was stamped in Versamark, embossed with white embossing powder and then layered on Whisper White CS. The definition of love background stamp (not sure of the exact name, maybe By Definition? - it's retired now and I couldn't find its original box) was stamped in Versamark on the Real Red CS and then embossed with clear embossing powder. The little tag on the side says "I love you" and comes from Papertrey's Out on a Limb set.

Recipe:
Stamps: Always, By Definition, Out on a Limb (Papertrey)
CS: Basic Black, Whisper White, Real Red
Ink: Versamark, Real Red
Accessories: Vintage Brads
Tools: Ticket Corner Punch
Other: White and Clear Embossing Powders

Simple Thank You

Another card for my basket... This one is pretty simple, but I wanted to have a good variety of cards and thought this would be a good addition since it is gender neutral. And I wanted to have a balance of some quick cards along with the ones that might take more time to create.

The card layout is CASED from one on Alli Miles blog, Card Metaphors. The bottom is stamped with Seeing Spots, a set I’ve had for quite awhile. I used it a lot when I first got it, but it hasn’t seen ink in awhile. I think it's a great set to make fun, but quick cards, and depending on the color combination you use, can be very versatile.

Recipe:
Stamps: Seeing Spots, Papertrey Mixed Messages
CS: Ruby Red, Basic Black, River Rock
Ink: Ruby Red, Basic Black, River Rock
Accessories: Vintage Brads
Tools: Round Tab Punch

Birthday Card & Box Set

I thought I'd give you a little break from all of the Jersey Shore birthday cards I've been doing lately (I do have one more to share, but I'll save that for later in the week). Besides making cards, one of my favorite other projects is making boxes or bags of all sorts - I love making coordinating gift sets! This one is for a basket give-away I'm putting together and is similar to a set I made for my niece’s birthday this summer – pre-blog days though, so it is only in my SCS gallery.

For the card and box, I used Papertrey’s Little Lady set – I love that lady bug! After stamping the lady bug on the card, I covered her body with Crystal Effects for a little bit of dimension. For additional dimension, I embossed the Groovy Guava background piece with the Cuttlebug Spots & Dots embossing folder – another one of my favorites.

I stamped the smaller lady bug and one of the small flowers on the box top. You can’t really see it in the picture, but the box bottom is a plain piece of Groovy Guava. The tag on the box was created with my new Nestabilities die cuts. I cut a piece of Whisper White with the smallest rectangle and a piece of Groovy Guava with the smallest scalloped rectangle. The Birthday Wishes sentiment is from Papertrey’s Mixed Messages set. The sayings in this set are a little smaller than I expected when I ordered it, but they are perfect for small tags like this.

Recipe:
Stamps: Little Lady and Mixed Messages (Papertrey)
CS: Groovy Guava, Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Basic Black, Groovy Guava
Accessories: Black Gingham Ribbon, Black Grosgrain Ribbon (unknown source), Vintage Brads
Tools: Nestabilities Rectangle and Scalloped Rectangle Dies, Cuttlebug Spots & Dots Embossing Folder, Rectange Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Crystal Effects

A Trio of Papertrey

I've had a little more time the last few nights to play with my new Out on a Limb set, and these are the cards I came up with. I plan to give them to a friend of ours as a little thank you for purchasing several card sets from me over the last few months. I know she'll really like this set, along with the quotes.

This first card is probably my favorite of the three. I love the Night of Navy background with the Whisper White and Kraft. The Night of Navy is stamped with Linen and distressed around the edges. I also distressed the main panel.

The quote on this one says: "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away."

Recipe:
Stamps: Out on a Limb, Linen
CS: Kraft, Whisper White, Night of Navy
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Night of Navy
Accessories: Whisper White Taffeta

I started out with a really different layout in mind for this second card, but I just couldn't get it to look right. I'm happy with the end result though. The main panel and the Chocolate Chip background are wheeled with the Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel. The striped paper at the bottom is from the same Wild Asparagus pack that I used on Monday's card. Two cards in one week with patterned paper - I'm on a roll!

The quote on this card says: "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." (Helen Keller) With a different sentiment, this would be a great masculine card.

Recipe:
Stamps: Out on a Limb, Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel
CS: Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, Kraft
DSP: Wild Asparagus (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Vintage Brads, Chocolate Chip Taffeta

The final card is a CASE of one Nichole showed on her blog, Capture the Moment, as she was counting down the new release. I changed a few things from her original design - I used the full leaf overlay instead of the open and used Groovy Guava for my berries instead of sticking with a monochromatic theme. I also used the Guava cardstock for the sentiment.

The quote reads: "God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars." (Martin Luther)

Recipe:
Stamps: Out on a Limb
CS: Always Artichoke (card base), Very Vanilla, Groovy Guava
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Groovy Guava
Accessories: Vintage Brads

Out on a Limb

I tend to like wood mounted stamps better than clear, but I do stray a little bit when it comes to the Papertrey sets. I love Nichole's designs! I hadn't gotten any of the recent sets, so I finally broke down and placed a big order. I had some birthday money that I hadn't spent yet, so I ordered a couple of stamp sets and a couple of Nestibilities die sets. I was so excited when it all came yesterday!

I played around a little bit with the die cuts first. I got a set of regular rectangles and a set of scalloped rectangles. I think I have the die cutting part figured out, but I need to work on the "sandwich" for the embossing part. The rectangles on both of these cards are embossed, but I don't know if you can see that in the picture. I needed to get these sympathy cards done so I didn't play around with the scallops yet, but I'm sure I will tonight.

Both of these cards use the Out on a Limb stamp set. (I love the quotes in this set and can't wait to use them!) The focal images are also stamped with Linen in 2nd generation River Rock. The patterned paper is from the Wild Asparagus pack from My Mind's Eye. I'm trying to force myself to use more pattered paper so hopefully it'll get a little easier for me after awhile!

Recipe:
Stamps: Out on a Limb (Papertrey), Linen
CS: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Blue Bayou, River Rock, Always Artichoke
DSP: Wild Asparagus (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Blue Bayou, Night of Navy (marker - center of blue flowers), Always Artichoke, River Rock
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Taffeta