what to do with all these embellishments?

When it's time for accessories to retire, I start looking at my stash of embellishments and think of all the ways I can use them up. 

How about using a whole bunch on one card??? All these brads were perfect for a birthday card - they remind me of candy dots or bits of confetti. 

After stamping my greeting (Sassy Salutations) in Marina Mist ink onto a 4-1/2 x 3" layer of Whisper White card stock, I used the Paper-Piercing Tool and the Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack to create two parallel rows of holes so my brads would be aligned. That layer is then attached with Dimensionals to a Notecard. 

So what do you think? Any other ideas for me to use up my stash?  :} 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yes, a day late, but no less heartfelt! I am thankful for so many things, including all of you who stop by and read my blog.  :) 
I was having coffee with a friend on Tuesday and I took her this card to express how thankful I am for our friendship - 

I created a really subtle background by inking the Parlor Prints background stamp in Crumb Cake ink, stamping off onto scratch paper, and then stamping onto my Crumb Cake card base. 
The Marina Mist layer is distressed along the bottom edge and punched with the Scallop Edge Border punch along the top edge. 

For the focal point I created three fun little paper flowers, and adhered them to a layer of Very Vanilla card stock that I spritzed with a Crumb Cake marker. I just love the Spritzing Tool, don't you??! 
After stamping the sentiment in Cajun Craze ink, I punched it out using the Jewelry Tag punch and tucked it behind a flower.

Aren't those layered paper flowers gorgeous? They are so easy to make!! Using the 1-1/4" Scallop Circle punch, I punched out five layers for each flower. After piercing a hole in the center, I used a brad to hold the layers together. Then I spritzed the top layer with a bit of water, and scrunched it up around the brad (so that it stuck straight up from the other layers). Spritzing and scrunching one layer at a time, I continued until all five layers curved upward around the brad. The layered paper flowers require a little bit of drying time, but they are so worth the wait! 

Because I know you are as thankful for card sketches as I am, here's my sketch for you to Pin or add to your collection - 

It doesn't get much easier than this, does it?  ;}   Have a wonderful weekend, and if you aren't too shopped out, don't forget about the Online Extravaganza, where you can score some amazing deals on the best craft supplies!! 

blue and orange

Here are two more of the crayon gifts that Aaron brought to help celebrate Blue Day and Orange Day. His teacher told me the kids are loving it! It's nice to be able to make something as simple as a new crayon into a fun gift :} 

 Blue Day

I kind of "hit a wall" when I was planning the Blue Day gift, because Stampin' Up! doesn't really have a color that matches the crayon wrapper. If I were one of those Moms who gets everything done months in advance, I could have used the "color picker" tool in My Digital Studio and designed a perfectly matched tag. But... well, I'm not even close to being that prepared. Soooooo, I solved my dilemma by using every shade of blue! And I love how it turned out! It's even more fun and "kid-like" than a perfectly matched tag :}

I used a Window Sheet (acetate) to create a window for my little astronaut. And I had to add a heavy layer of shimmer to that cute alien (rubbing alcohol in a Spritzer with a few drops of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint) :} 

Orange Day

Drawing on my creative use of color from the Blue Day project, I chose Peach Parfait, Tangerine Tango, and Cajun Craze to create this fun flower tag. Stamp set: Printed Petals. Framelit: Floral Frames. 

I'll bet you can't wait to see the next two colors...  ;)

snowflakes

Well, the snowflakes are about to start flying here. We're expecting our first snowstorm for the winter, which is odd for Wisconsin. I can't say I've missed the snow at all... I'd really rather skip ahead to spring. But, since that will never happen, I might as well "go with the flow." So, I thought I would share a snowflake card today.

I used the new stamp set Mixed Bunch, which is a great flower set, and even has a coordinating punch. But you can't just have a "flower set!" It has to multi-task! I stamped the image in Marina Mist onto Shimmery White card stock and added a Basic Pearl. I layered that over Marina Mist card stock that I die cut using the Scallop Squares Duo Bigz die and my Big Shot. Using Dimensionals, I adhered it to a layer of Crumb Cake card stock, which has been spritzed with my mixture of Frost White Shimmer Paint and rubbing alcohol. The sentiment from Four the Holidays is stamped in Marina Mist.
Love it! - the card, not the actual snow  ;)  The only good thing about bad weather forcing you to stay inside, is getting to stamp the whole time  :)

Tag... you're it :)

Have you started wrapping your Christmas presents yet? I have!!  :P 
If you haven't yet, grab your favorite Christmas CD (wait, does anyone besides me still use their CDs anymore???) and get crackin'. Here are some cute tags to get get you in the mood:

I used my Big Shot and Two Tags Bigz Die to cut the Garden Green and Cherry Cobbler card stock.  Both tags are on the same die, so I just put a piece of each color on the die and cut once :)

Left tag:
After adhering a small chocolate bar inside, I wrapped a piece of Cherry Cobbler 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon around the folded tag, slipping the end that's in front under the slit cut by the die. Then I tied on some Garden Green 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon to keep it closed. The snowflake image from the Dear Santa stamp set is stamped in Marina Mist and punched out with the 1" Circle punch, then layered over more punched circles. After I took the picture, I decided to add a bit of Dazzling Details to the center of the snowflake, which looked pretty cute  :)

Right tag:
I stamped the "merry" sentiment from the Tiny Tags stamp set in both Garden Green and Cherry Cobbler, then punched them out with the Jewelry Tag punch. After piercing a tiny hole in each tag, I tied them to the "m" (die cut using a die from Alphabet Simple Letters) with Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine. I added a little twine to the Garden Green button, too. The Early Espresso 3/8" Quilted Satin Ribbon adds a nice touch to tie the tag to the perfect gift  :)

Have fun wrapping all of your presents... and don't forget the hand-stamped tags!!

Marina Mist

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Marina Mist! It is such a pretty blue. Years ago, my favorite color was probably "blue." Now, if someone were to ask me, I might just answer "Marina Mist." (Well, it's pretty much a tie with Crumb Cake... and Old Olive... and Wild Wasabi... and Cherry Cobbler, and, well... I just love our fabulous colors!)
The Color Coach lists the "Dynamic Duo" as Marina Mist and Bashful Blue. The "Creative Combination" colors are Marina Mist, Crumb Cake, and Cajun Craze. The "Getting Started" colors are Marina Mist, Real Red and Old Olive.

This cute, simple baby card took only a few minutes to make. The image is from the Occasions Mini Level 1 Hostess Set A Slice of Life. This is such a versatile set :) The sentiment is from the Fabulous Phrases stamp set. Seriously, you just have to own this set ;)
I ran Whisper White card stock through my Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder to create a simple background.

This card is one of my favorites. The last Tuesday of each month I teach a class called Technique Tuesday. Each month we focus on 1 technique. In February we worked with 5 elements that make up the "vintage" style. The cards were full of layers and embellishments... and gorgeous! We used the Bliss stamp set, which is one of the Sale-a-Bration items. The Grosgrain Ribbon and Antique Brad add the perfect touch.



Now, I never would have put these 3 colors together on my own... the Marina Mist and Old Olive, sure. But the Real Red really jazzes it up! Everything is stamped from the Hello Again stamp set. The ric-rac strip of card stock is cut from the Tasteful Trim Bigz XL Die on my Big Shot. The texture on the bottom of the Red Red card stock is from the Crimper - an often overlooked tool in my drawer. (I think I heard a squeal of delight from it as it bit into the card stock *smile*) There are TWO bits of "bling" on this card... the center of the flower has a dusting of Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, and I punched out a Small Heart from Glimmer Paper. Happiness :)