a simple card sketch - four ways!

Sometimes I like to give the creative side of my brain a little kick... either to get things started or to get my creativity to move in a different direction. I like to read paper crafting magazines, look through the photo gallery in Stampin' Up!'s online forum for demonstrators, and browse blogs. Earlier this week, a card sketch on the Clean & Simple blog caught my eye. I liked it so much, that I made quite a variety of projects using the same sketch. Today I'm sharing three cards and a  gift tag, all inspired by the sketch.   :} 

stamp sets: Circle Circus, A Word For You

stamp sets: Pleasant Poppies, Friendly Phrases

stamp set: Curly Cute          Embossing Folder: Lacy Brocade

stamp sets: Merry Minis, Tiny Tags 

Creating the scalloped-edge rectangle was super easy! Using the Scallop Squares Duo Bigz Die, I simply die-cut two of each square. For the card fronts, I adhered the larger squares together with five scallops overlapping. For the tag, the smaller squares are adhered together with three scallops overlapping. 

Speaking of die-cutting, have you ever wished you could see all of Stampin' Up!'s products for the Big Shot in one place??? Your wish has been granted!  :}  

Big Shot PDF      http://bit.ly/BigShotUS

Don't have the Big Shot (yet) but want to create those beautiful embossed textures (like on the thank-you card) with the Embossing Folders??? Another wish granted!! The Texture Boutique Embossing Machine is here! 

whew... That turned out to be quite a long post! Thanks for sticking around to the end.  Now go stamp!!  ;}

stamping at the bakery

Part of the adventure in our move is finding new places to stamp and new people to stamp with  :}  There's a fabulous bakery in Decatur that not only has some of the most amazing soups, sandwiches, and desserts... it's also a super fun place to stamp! I already held two classes this month at Wildflour Bakery, and I can't wait for the next two in October!! This week I will be sharing the fun projects we made  :}  At my first class (on the 11th), we made four birthday cards.

I love the bright, cheerful colors on this card. And that bicycle couldn't be any cuter! Did you know that Stampin' Up! designs an exclusive stamp set each year to help support Ronald McDonald House Charities®?

 

This year's stamp set is called Moving Forward, and for each purchase of this stamp set, Stampin' Up! donates $3 to RMHC®. So... it's kinda like a moral obligation to purchase this stamp set, too... right???  ;}

We used the masking technique to stamp our image and sentiment. We "masked" the text under the bicycle stamp using a "sticky" note, so that we would only apply ink to the image. (Just remember to remove the "sticky" note before stamping on the card stock.) For the birthday greeting, we masked the blimp image and inked only the text. To add a cute finishing touch, we used markers to "ink" the flowers, and stamped them in the bicycle basket.
Thanks for dropping by today - check back tomorrow to see another cute birthday card :}

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...  ;)

a card for EVERY occasion!

My project today just makes me giggle  :}  Today is Aaron's 100th Day of School, and they are celebrating with a "Circus Day in 4K." Well, I can't let a celebration pass by without a card to acknowledge it, right???

So, I made Aaron's teacher and teacher's aide Happy 100th Day of School cards. I like these cute little 3x3 cards for a quick just because note. And, they are an easy way to use up some scraps  :}
Attached to the Real Red card base is a strip of Tempting Turquoise (punched with the Pinking Hearts Border punch), a strip of Daffodil Delight, and a piece of 'Big Top Birthday' DSP.
The clown and sentiment (Under the Big Top stamp set) are stamped in Basic Black ink. I used Peach Parfait, Real Red, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, and Tempting Turquoise markers to color the clown.
The Tempting Turquoise button adds a cute finishing touch. Did you know that the Brights 'Designer Buttons' are one of the Sale-A-Bration choices? For every $50 you spend not including tax & shipping, you get to choose a freebie from the Sale-A-Bration catalog. Want more freebies? Host a workshop and earn even more goodies. Like getting freebies every month? Join the Stampin' Up! family and get freebies every month for the rest of the year. Whether you want to get a discount on the supplies for your hobby or build a business, there's room for everyone on my team. You can shop, learn more, and contact me if you like from my website.
Have a great day and a wonderful weekend!

using some "mojo" for class

Good morning :}
I'm getting excited to see my stamping friends at my Technique Tuesday class tonight! One of our cards will be using the Mojo Monday 226 sketch:

This 4-1/4" square card features the Sale-A-Bration stamp set Sprinkled Expressions. So cute! And I love the bright happy colors: Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry, and Tempting Turquoise.


Remember Xander's birthday card? Well, after I wrapped his present, I snapped a picture really quick before we left for the party. (I couldn't resist - it looked so cute!)

This is a great way to use your stash of retired DSP and ribbon!! I think you could wrap up an old shoe like this, and all anyone would remember would be your pretty present and coordinating, handmade card. (Don't worry, we didn't give Xander an old shoe... the Legos were a big hit.)

Well, I'd better get to cutting the kits for tonight... happy stamping, friends!

the sky's the limit

Even though it is freezing cold here, the sun is shining, which inspired me to work with some bright colors today. I grabbed the Up, Up, & Away stamp set and the à la card template from the December issue of Stampin' Success.

I used the Scallop Oval Frame Bigz die to die cut the Old Olive and Whisper White card stock. After stamping the birds and clouds directly onto the white oval, I masked the clouds and lightly sponged on some Tempting Turquoise ink. The balloon on the left uses the two-step stamping technique; both balloons are adhered with Dimensionals.

Remember my earlier post about using scraps? Seriously, I have issues... here's the scrap of ribbon I found in my Brights scrap drawer:

This is a little small, even for me to save. But I did... so I used it! I cut it in half and frayed the edges before adhering it behind the sentiment, which is punched out with the Small Oval punch.

Now for the fun part! I bumped up this card by making it an easel card:

Super cute, right??!!  It's so fun to have a way to display special cards  :)  The secret to keeping the card propped open is to attach something inside the card using Dimensionals, which creates an edge for the card-front to rest against. Click here to read an earlier post with more information about creating an easel card.

I hope this brightens your day, wherever you are. May it always be sunny in your craft room  :)

new shape!!

Sometimes I make the best discoveries when I'm just playing with my toys... stamping toys, that is. Yesterday, I was just having fun at my desk using new goodies from the "Big Top" Product Suite (IBC pages 62-65). While I was making a variety of projects, I came up with a brand new shape! See if you can spot it on these 2 projects:

Need a hint? Here's a few close-ups:

I'm probably more excited about this shape than I should be, but I just love it!! I use my Decorative Label punch all the time, so it's nice to have something to mat behind it.

Want to know how to make this shape? It's super easy!

First punch out your card stock (or paper) with the 2-1/2" Circle punch. Then, slip one side of the circle into the Decorative Label punch, going through the bottom opening. After punching, repeat this process on the opposite side of the circle. Yay!! New shape!!
Have fun playing in your stamping room today!  :)

Tempting Turquoise

I have always loved using Tempting Turquoise... it's a fun, bright color. With that in mind, I look forward to using it again... with my own color combos. The suggested colors on my Color Coach were a real stretch for me, but I think the cards turned out OK. The "Creative Combination" colors are Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, and Tangerine Tango. The "Sweet Set" colors are Tempting Turquoise, Rich Razzleberry, and Pumpkin Pie.

The Real Red threw me off on this card, so I used it sparingly. Stamp set: Bugs & Kisses.

I stamped the background flower using one of my Sale-a-Bration freebies: Sweet Summer. The sentiment is from the Thank You Kindly stamp set, one of the alternate Sale-a-Bration choices.