Thursday, August 29, 2019

Fall is in the Air! (maybe?!)


Although it is still in the 90s here it is cooler than it has been, so maybe Fall IS in the air and the leaves will be turning from green to colors before too long. Of course, currently all of Florida has their eyes on Dorian and where the storm will finally make landfall, so we shall see if there are even any leaves left on the trees to turn (and not that many turn to begin with!) Your prayers for protection would be most appreciated! 
 

That transition from late Summer to full-on Fall is hopefully captured in this Stamp Simply project as one turns from the green of the card front to the colors inside. The die cut leaves and enamel dots arrangement on the card front sort of echoes the leaves and flowers in the little printed rectangle from the paper pad, although maybe the dots look a bit more like berries.

The bright Fall leaves on the inside were colored with Inktense color pencils, smoothed with a tiny bit of olive oil and a blending stump, and given faint drop shadows with a warm grey Copic marker.  I love how the Inktense pencils keep their clear clean colors even on Kraft card stock.  (I think this simple design would make a pretty card front on its own, perfect for mailing).

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Thursday, August 22, 2019

One Cup at a Time!


When life happens...coffee ALWAYS helps!  Gotta love these stamps and supplies from Stamp Simply!  Just perfect for times like these! 

Our son just moved to Tallahassee to finish his degree at Florida State University.  We were blessed to have had him here with us longer than most parents since he took a gap after high school and then lived at home while attending a local community college for his AA.  Still, it is a big change for all of us and while we are VERY proud and excited, we still miss him terribly and he's missing us and home a bit too.  I thought maybe a coffee card would help!


Here's what the easel card looks like when it's propped open.  I added some stamped coffee beans to the background paper, and just LOVE how the wood dots resemble coffee beans, too.  Mocha, Java, Latte?  With the enclosed gift card, you can take your pick!  


I added the pocket for a gift card on the back of the easel, but I've still gotta run to Starbuck's to purchase the gift card to put into it before I can get this into the mail.  The shaped medallion here is one of the punch outs from this fun Workshop paper pack.  

All of the stamped sentiments on this card were stamped once with copper ink, then again with black.  That seemed to soften the contrast just a tiny bit so that the black did not look quite so harsh.

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Thursday, August 15, 2019

Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice!


Sometimes cards are inspired by unexpected things and today's Stamp Simply card was just that!  We were traveling last week to visit my husband's family in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and on Saturday, my sisters-in-law and I went to the Farmer's Market. Afterward we decided to stop for a cup of coffee in Organic Grounds Coffeehouse.  This turned out to be a BIG bonus for me, because everything they serve there is gluten-free.  I went gluten-free in January of 2013, and in the past it's been quite challenging to find gluten-free food in a primarily Italian, pasta-everywhere town, but over the years it has gotten easier and this year was the best ever.  I loaded up on GF cookies, muffins, and tarts while I was there.  Yup, I treated myself, because...vacation!

Besides the coffee and food, I loved the decor and atmosphere in Organic Grounds Coffeehouse and that's where the inspiration for today's project came from!  Look at how cute and clever this wall is!  After returning home and finding this bicycle paper in the package of beautiful papers that Sharon sent me, I was inspired!  (And yes, there was a delicious gluten-free pecan pumpkin muffin in the bag of goodies I had purchased).  


I used our coffee mug die cut to cut a mug from one of the printed rectangles and two other printed papers from the paper pack, embellishing it with a Copic-colored trio of acorns fussy-cut from the leaf/acorn image in our Give Thanks stamp set.  


The inside is the pumpkin from our Welcome Fall set.  I love this image!  Here it is stamped and colored directly on the inside panel of card stock, but there are dies to match so it could be diecut and popped up on dimensionals if preferred.

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If you haven't visited the Stamp Simply online store lately, you should!  Sharon just added a lot of new designer paper, and I can personally attest that you NEED some!  It is all so scrumptious!
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Thursday, August 8, 2019

As You Recuperate!


Hi everybody!  Happy Thursday!  

Today's Stamp Simply project is a feminine get well card using the center step card tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers.  I love re-visiting their tutorials...there are so many fun folds and cool project ideas there.  


One glance at this Kaisercraft Greenhouse designer paper took me back to my mother's small greenhouse where I had a special collection of cacti and succulents among her bromeliads, orchids and ferns.  It always amazes me how one image can bring back a flood of memories!

This dainty floral really caught my eye.  I used a subtle contrasting design on the "steps" that frame the raised panel, popped the matted floral up on dimensional foam to make the larger panel even more the center of attention, and as always, tried to stage the various elements of the layout in a visual triangle.  


A relatively clean, simple, uncluttered, and very girlie card for a friend who's recovering from surgery.   
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Thursday, August 1, 2019

Count Your Blessings!


Today's Stamp Simply card came from a serendipitous moment with a pad of Authentique designer paper...flipping through the pad, the floral against the woodgrain reminded me of a printed cloth atop a rustic table.  All it needed was a hot beverage and a prayer of thanks for it!  I don't know about you, but I'm not worth much before I've had my morning cup of tea or coffee!  Sometimes it takes several!  


This time of year is always a bit of a flurry with Summer coming to a close and everything gearing up for Fall.  It is easy to be swept away in the stress of it all, so it's nice to have a reminder to count your blessings.  


I love these sentiments because they are as perfect for every day as they are for Thanksgiving.

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Thursday, July 25, 2019

Anniversary Wishes!


Today's Stamp Simply project was inspired by the lovely embossed silver bridal and menswear fabric-like prints/textures of Kaisercraft's Two Souls designer paper.  Although this card was designed as a Silver Anniversary greeting, it could just as easily, with a simple change of the sentiment, have been in celebration of a wedding.  


The classic, elegant lines of our Thinking of You Rose look so lovely stamped in Delicata Silvery Shimmer and embossed with silver detail embossing powder.  I left the rose uncolored, the neutral color scheme reminiscent of a traditional wedding with a bride in white lace and the groom in a black and white tuxedo.  


The inside is also clean and simple, with a single strip of white lace.

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Thursday, July 18, 2019

Thinking of You!


Hello everyone!  I hope you've been enjoying July!  For me, it means "Tour de Fleece" while the Tour de France is happening, so I've been busy spinning some beautiful fibers on two spindles and two wheels.  More on that later!

I'm back today with a beautiful Graphic 45/Stamp Simply project. Their papers are always so gloriously gorgeous that I want to cover up as little as possible, so the layouts are relatively clean and simple.  


Today I couldn't resist making the focal point mimic this beautiful paper.  I used distress oxide inks to stamp the sentiment and floral in coordinating colors, then added a spray of greenery, faux canvas ribbon, tulle, twine and flowers.  


Here's the inside.  Again, sweet and simple.  

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Thursday, July 4, 2019

Happy 4th of July!


Happy 4th of July to all of my American friends!  I hope you are all having a lovely holiday celebrating the incredible freedoms we are so privileged to enjoy!  As the wife of a retired career Navy guy, our family is well aware of the sacrifices made by our service men and women and their families to ensure our freedom and independence. So proud to be American.  ðŸ‡ºðŸ‡¸

Today's Stamp Simply project is a twisted patriotic thank you/hello/get well card to send to my BFF's son.  He has been in Coast Guard bootcamp, but was recently hospitalized for pneumonia. Just want him to know that all his grueling hard work is appreciated, and that he's in my thoughts and prayers.


Twisted cards look complicated but they're SO easy! My friend Kelly wrote a twisted card tutorial that shows how quick and simple they are to put together.  Just perfect for showing off the stars and stripes of this Echo Park patriotic paper.  


Heart and star dies used together made the perfect backdrop and the lines of the striped paper make it easy to align the words, especially if you use a stamp platform.


The ampersand from our Welcome Fall set comes in handy when you're combining phrases.  I used sentiments from several stamp sets for this card.  


This fold makes a tiny pocket that would be perfect for enclosing a note or gift card.

Supplies for this project, all from Stamp Simply:
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Thursday, June 27, 2019

Warm Winter Wishes


Hello friends!  Here today with a fun Christmas project (it's nearly July 😉) using one of Stamp Simply's new Floral Cluster stamps, Winter Poinsettia, along with our Java dies that were released back April.  Reminds me of an arrangement I gave to my BFF one year!


I folded a piece of green card stock and placed the fold just inside the cutting line of the mug die to create a top-folding shaped card. A piece of designer paper cut with the same die covers the front, with ivory card stock and designer paper on the inside.  The beautiful floral extends beyond the top edge of the fold.  I used a second die cut of the floral to sandwich the fold of the card base, which adds sturdiness and gives a more finished look to the back of the floral portion of the card, especially since Copic markers tend to bleed through.


This sentiment was a perfect fit for the inside!  Gotta LOVE serendipity!  In this photo you can also see the way that underneath piece of card stock is scored to line up with the the fold of the mug and how its corners were clipped to allow the card to open and close.

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Thursday, June 20, 2019

Sending Warm Wishes!


Today's Stamp Simply project is a nearly monochromatic card that would work for either a masculine or feminine birthday.  Splashes of distress oxide ink help to brighten the background and add a little interest to this muted color scheme.  It's kinda nice to have a stash of sorta generic cards on hand, especially when they're clean and simple (aka fast and easy to make) and relatively flat for mailing.  


The sentiment was stamped on a slightly texturized sheet of "Safari" designer paper.  I had originally stamped the focal image on white card stock.  Sponging the edges with tea dye and frayed burlap distress inks (not oxides) helped it to blend better with the rest of the design.  


These stamp sets are so fun to work with because there are practically infinite combinations of sentiments for all kinds of occasions, even for cards with sentiments that are "inside and out." 

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