Just Because

I can not believe Sale-A-Bration is almost over! Where has the time gone???
I have a super cute card to share with you today! This card was designed by Laura for the shoebox swap I recently participated in. Can you spot the two items you can get through Sale-A-Bration?

The Basic Black card stock layer features the "chalkboard art" technique.  Click here for technique directions and another card.  I love, love, love the Hearts a Flutter Framelits for making this fun little banner!

Ok, did you find the Sale-A-Bration goodies? I chose the "just because" greeting from the Vintage Verses stamp set. And the silver Glimmer Paper is from the FREE package you can get with a $150 merchandise order. Can't order $150 by yourself right now? Grab a few friends a put your orders together! You will not only earn the free Glimmer Paper, but also enjoy our fabulous Hostess Benefits (aka - more FREE stuff)! Hurry... Sale-A-Bration ends March 22nd.  Happy shopping... and stamping!  :} 

quilting... my way :}

If only I could sew (sigh). I've tried, many times. And still, I can barely sew on a button, and it looks terrible when I'm finished! Taking some sewing classes/ lessons is definitely on my "to do" list... just as soon as I get some free time - ha! Anywho, I get a bit of a "fabric fix" by making quilt cards. Here's one I made for a swap last month-  

Two blocks of paper (Tea for Two DSP) instead of fabric have a quilted look and feel, and it's really easy to do! I adhered the DSP to a Lucky Limeade card stock layer, and dry embossed them in the Square Lattice Embossing Folder.

After adhering the "quilted" layer, I tied on the grosgrain ribbon over the "seam." I stamped the greeting (Pretty Petites*) three times in Lucky Limeade, punched them out with the Petite Curly Label* punch, and adhered them with Dimensionals. Easy Peasy! 

*Sale-A-Bration items


Want to see two more examples of quilt cards?  Woohoo!!  :} 

stamp sets: Ornament Keepsakes, Greetings of the Season

for the Big Shot: Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder, Holiday Ornaments Framelits, Lattice Bigz Die

card stock: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla

accessories: Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, Basic Pearl

stamp sets: Ornament Keepsakes, Tiny Tags

for the Big Shot: Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder, Holiday Ornaments Framelits

card stock: Cherry Cobbler, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla

DSP: Festival of Prints Stack

punch: Jewelry Tag

Chalkboard Art for Valentine's Day

I really wanted to create a card using a hot trend in crafting and decorating right now -- chalkboard art... so I made one for Valentine's Day.  :} 

SMILE!! It turned out so cute!  And I was surprised at how easy this technique is. For my card, I started with Pretty in Pink card stock and a layer of Twitterpated DSP. 

To create the chalkboard background:
Start with a layer of Basic Black card stock (on this card: 4-3/4" x 3-1/2").
If you want an embossed image, stamp your image in Whisper White Craft ink, sprinkle with White Embossing Powder, and heat set with a Heat Tool (the image on this card is from the Hearts a Flutter stamp set).
Using a section of a Stamping Sponge, lightly rub / swirl some Whisper White Craft ink in random spots to create the look of eraser marks. 
Using a White Pencil, add lines or images for a hand-drawn look. 

Add stamped / die-cut images to create a focal point. Adhering some of the images with Dimensionals makes layering a breeze. And of course a bit of ribbon and bling are the perfect little details!

So what do you think? Are you ready to try some chalkboard art today?

THANKS is for giving

I love making hand-stamped thank you cards. It's such a wonderful, personal way to show someone you are really thankful. I get especially happy making fall-themed thank yous. I think it's because you can create so many pretty details with fall "leaves."

A strip of Comfort Cafe DSP gave me my color palette for the leaf colors. And I love the extra details on the greeting stamp (Seasonal Sayings). 
Using a technique always makes a card extra special, and for my leaves I used two easy stamping techniques. 

All the leaves use the technique called two-step stamping. The Gently Falling stamp set comes with both a solid and an outline stamp for each image.  
Onto Very Vanilla card stock, I stamped the solid maple leaf in Summer Starfruit ink. Then, I stamped the outline maple leaf in Early Espresso ink right over the top. This stamp set is very forgiving - an easy one for beginners who want to "step up" their cards. You don't have to stamp the outline exactly lined up with the solid image - I aim for close enough. 
For the second technique, take a look at the oak and the aspen leaves (far left pointing downward; top on a dimensional pointing to the right). The solid image oak leaf is stamped in Soft Suede ink, and the outline image is stamped over it in Early Espresso ink. I wanted the aspen leaf to be a slightly different shade, so I inked the solid image with Soft Suede ink, stamped first onto scratch paper, and then stamped onto the Very Vanilla card stock. This technique is called "stamping off" or "2nd generation stamping." It's a great technique to use when you don't necessarily want to add another color to your project. I find myself using this technique a lot when working on masculine, vintage, and monochromatic cards. 
I hand snipped all of the leaves... it takes some time, but looks oh so pretty.   ***TIP: when snipping images that use the two-step stamping technique, don't try to cut around the outside edge of everything stamped. Follow the lines of the outline image. You might cut off bits of the solid image - that's ok. Trust me, your snipped image will have a cleaner, more professional look by snipping around just the outline image. 

This card will be perfect for Aaron's teacher to thank her for all of the awesome art projects she does in her classroom. Aaron brought home the cutest project yesterday... I just have to share it! 

This sunflower has earned a permanent spot on my desk  :} 

The bottom yellow paper-plate is cut into the sunburst shape, and the top plate has been trimmed to just the center circle with four slits cut towards the center to create petals. Aaron's school picture is in the center, with sunflower seeds glued all around. Don't tell Aaron, but I had to add a bit more glue to some of the seeds. A pencil is hot-glued to the back for a stem. LOVE it!!

Thanks for dropping by. I get a whole day to stamp today, so I'm uber excited. If only I could get my brain to focus on one or two projects, instead of the hundreds I want to work on!!! 

diagonal embossed stripes

I have TWO cute Halloween projects and a fun technique to share today - woohoo!  :} 

If you've been reading for a while, you know I love texture on my paper-crafting projects. Embossing Folders are an easy way to add great texture, and I especially love when they become multi-taskers in my craft room (any Alton Brown fans out there?).  On this card, I used both the Chevron and the Stripes Embossing Folders!  :}  

All I had to do to make the diagonal embossed stripes is lay the 1-3/4" x 4-1/4" strip of More Mustard card stock at an angle inside the Embossing Folder before running it through the Big Shot - easy peasy! I like how it coordinates with the diagonal stripes on the DSP (Howlstooth & Scaringbone).  

And here's what the diagonal embossed stripes look like on a bookmark: 

A great gift for the grade school librarian, don't you think??  :} 

That pretty much wraps up my Halloween projects... did I make you want the Tricky Treats stamp set yet???  ;)  
Oh, I do have one more Halloween project to share... a freebie on my Facebook Page!  Happy Halloween!!!  :}

a "Wonderfall" card!

Don't you love how just as the colors are changing outside in nature, so are your "go to" colors in your stamp space? I'm having a hard time deciding which is my favorite color combination to use on "fall" projects. There are so many great choices! 

stamp sets: Wonderfall, Perfectly Penned 

ink: Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke 

DSP: First Edition 

card stock: Always Artichoke 

acessories: Vintage Trinkets, 7/8" Cotton Ribbon 

techniques: Triple-Time stamping, stamping on ribbon 

When selecting a stamp set to use for the Triple-Time stamping technique, try choosing a set that has multiple coordinating images, in slightly varied sizes, that aren't too small. Click here to see a few other cards using this technique.

So, do you have a favorite color combo for your "fall" projects? I'd love to know - feel free to share your combo(s) by leaving a comment  :}   Happy stamping!

an easy Christmas card for busy Moms

Yesterday's Christmas card was pretty fancy, so I thought today I'd share a simple Christmas card, that still gets the "wow" you want from the person you're sending it to:

This is a great card to try if you need to make several in a short amount of time. You can punch out the DSP squares while you're helping the kids with homework, watching TV, or "listening" to your hubby talk about sports - just keep the squares in a little container until you are ready to use them. If you start now, you might have two or three made before December! *wink, wink* By using the Postage Stamp punch, you get a faux stitched look between the squares, saving you the time of adding faux stitching later with a marker. Adhering the pieces to the 3-3/4 x 5" card stock layer (Very Vanilla on this card) is easy - the hard part is choosing in which order you want the squares!  ;} 

After adhering all of the layers and pieces, choose a sentiment and an embellishment, and you're done! You don't even need Dimensionals (gasp) to finish this card. 

If you're really liking this Candlelight Christmas DSP (and I know you loved the ornaments on yesterday's card), I invite you to check out the October Promotion from Stampin' Up! 

If you have any questions at all, feel free to email me  -  jenn.inklings@gmail.com  -  and I will be happy to help you. Have a wonderful day!!

Christmas "Mojo"

As I've said before, I'm not sure my boys know in which order the Fall and Winter holidays arrive on the calendar. Every year, around the release of the new catalog, my stamping space becomes a flurry of Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and  Fall- & Winter-themed projects. Pretty soon there will be some Valentine's Day thrown in as well! I love it though... it's nice to spend so much time "celebrating" every holiday!  ;) 
When I saw last week's Mojo Monday sketch, I immediately needed to make a Christmas card. Now, if only I had squeezed in some time last week to make the card! Oh well... better late than never!

stamp set: Petite Pairs

ink: Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green

DSP: Festival of Prints stack, Regals stack 

1" Square punch.   Festive Paper-Piercing Pack.

Window Frames Framelits.   Square Lattice Embossing Folder.

Naturals Designer Button.   Linen Thread. 

I really liked the card Mary Fish made for the sketch - I loved how she used the Window Frames Framelits for the "circle" layers. And the piercing adds the perfect little detail. 

I've been working a lot lately on the Christmas card class I'm teaching as a fundraiser for the Macon County History Museum. The quilters who meet there are interested in attending, so I sorta have "quilts" on the brain  :}  I can't wait to share with you the cards I designed for that class - they're really pretty!

On this card, I used the Flying Geese quilt pattern for my "quilted" focal point. It was a little time consuming, but easy. Using the 1" Square punch, I punched out 4 squares of DSP and 4 squares of Very Vanilla card stock. Then I cut each in half diagonally. First, I adhered a vanilla triangle to the top-left corner of a piece of copy paper (2x4"). Then I added a blue DSP triangle to "complete" the fist "square." The other blue triangle and a vanilla triangle followed, which completed the top row of the "quilt." After every piece was adhered to the copy paper, I dry embossed the layer using the Square Lattice Embossing Folder for a quilted fabric appearance. A layer of Early Espresso card stock behind my "quilted" focal point really helps draw attention to this beautiful quilt-card technique! 

Well, happy holidays ;)  Be sure to come back tomorrow for a Halloween project!  

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 :}

So, what can you do with chipboard?

That's the question we answered last night at my Technique Tuesday class. You can... 


...stamp directly on it

Stamp Set: For All You Do

Card Stock: Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Pear Pizzazz, Marina Mist

...color it a solid color by patting the chipboard with a Craft Ink Pad

Stamp Set: Trendy Trees

Card Stock: Blushing Bride, Bravo Burgundy Textured, Tempting Turquoise

...cover the chipboard with VersaMark® Ink, sprinkle on colored embossing powder, and heat emboss

Stamp Sets: Delicate Doilies, Create a Cupcake

Card Stock: Concord Crush

...cover it with Designer Series Paper

 Stamp Sets: Autumn Days, It's Your Day

Card Stock: Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait, Always Artichoke

...cover it with fabric
...die cut a variety of shapes

Stamp Set: Fifth Avenue Floral

Card Stock: Blushing Bride, Garden Green 

** Note - the stamp sets in green are on the Retiring List. **

Just a reminder... tomorrow is the LAST day to order from the current catalog. Be sure to get your favorites before they're gone! You can even order in your PJs from my online store and it ships right to your doorstep!  Happy shopping  :} 

 

a window with a view

I had so much fun last night at my Technique Tuesday class! There are so many neat projects you can make with the new Framelit and Edgelit Dies. While most projects you make will most likely use the "positive" die-cut, you can also use the "negative" to create a framed look. If you add a layer of acetate, you've got yourself a cute little window  :}
After seeing a window card that another demonstrator made using a Framelit from the 'Labels Collection,' I really wanted to try a window card using a Framelit from the 'Hearts Collection.' Wedding season will be here soon enough (and therefore bridal showers and anniversaries), so it will be nice to have a beautiful card ready to go.

There are quite a few steps on this card, so I'll try to remember them all  ;)
I worked on the Blushing Bride layer of card stock first. After die cutting the heart from the center, I used the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder to add texture, distressed the edges for more texture, and then highlighted those details by sponging Blushing Bride ink around the edges.
I spritzed Blushing Bride Smooch Spritz onto a 4 x 5-1/4" layer of Twitterpated DSP, and adhered that layer to my Riding Hood Red card base. After stamping the flowery heart from the Take It to Heart stamp set, I used a heart Framelit to cut it out, and then I sponged the edges in Blushing Bride ink. To make sure I placed that heart in the center, I set the window-frame layer on the card front so I could use it as a placement guide. Once I had the center image adhered, I was ready to work on the rest of the card.

I used mini Glue Dots to adhere the 3-1/2 x 4-1/2" Window Sheet layer to the back of the Blushing Bride window frame. Then I used Dimensionals to adhere the window layer to the card.
After the window card is assembled, it's just pure fun to embellish the front. For this card, I stamped the sentiment from the Sweetly Said stamp set in Basic Gray ink onto a Whisper White strip (die cut using the Petal Cone Bigz L die). To adhere the sentiment, I used one Dimensional on the left end and two stacked Dimensionals in the center.

The card was getting a little too Valentiney, so I added the pop of Island Indigo and Basic Gray. The his & hers hearts and the fun little ribbon treatment are the perfect over-the-top finishing touches.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today... stay tuned for more projects using the Framelit and Edgelit Dies  :}

Technique Tuesday

Happy Tuesday! It's the last Tuesday of the month, so that means it's time for my Technique Tuesday class. I have a card to share with you today that's actually from my last technique class (Oh, Scrap), as well as a sneak peek at one of tonight's cards.

Scraps of Designer Series Paper and card stock are perfect for small layers on your cards. You can add interest to each layer with texture, such as tearing along the edge, or by stamping right onto your DSP.

Tonight we will be working with the Framelits and Edgelits. Here's a sneak peek at one of the cards:

 Looks like fun, right??? I look forward to sharing our projects with you later this week. Have a wonderful day!!  :}

eventful morning

There's nothing like trying to grab a few extra minutes of sleep, only to jump out of bed at the sound of scraping metal coming from the front of your house. I live in a nice neighborhood, with lots of nice neighbors, and a few "not-so-nice" neighbors. One of my "not-so-nice" neighbors backed up his large delivery truck and got stuck at the end of my driveway. While I was getting dressed so I could go speak with him, he and his friends got the truck un-stuck, and then he drove off.  Not nice  :(  Here's the damage he left behind:

I am so very thankful to live in a nice community with such a nice police department. The officer that took my report this morning was so friendly and helpful.  Hmmm... I might just have to send a thank-you card to the police station...

Anywho... on to more pleasant things!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this card! It's one of the cards from my "Oh Scrap" class, and works perfectly for the theme challenge on the Paper Players blog - using flowers.

You know how you end up with all those skinny strips of Designer Series Paper? This is a fun way to make sure those little coordinating strips of paper don't go to waste!
All of the 1/2" wide strips of paper on this card are from the Berry Blossoms DSP. The three flowers (stamped in Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, and Wisteria Wonder) are from the coordinating Fruit & Flowers stamp set. I snipped each flower (I do love the 'fussy-cutting'), attached each with a Dimensional, and added a Rhinestone to each center for some fun bling. The sentiment from Elementary Elegance is stamped in Early Espresso.
I wish you could see the card in person... it's even cuter than what I can capture with the camera! Here's a view from another angle:

Love it! So stinkin' cute  :}
Do you have a favorite flower stamp or technique? I'd love to hear about it - feel free to leave a comment on your favorite way to use flowers on your projects.

scrappy squares

My Technique Tuesday class earlier this week was called "Oh Scrap!" We made a variety of projects that featured different ways to use scraps. This card was easy to make, and makes good use of those little scraps of coordinating DSP.

All of the squares of Twitterpated DSP were punched with the 1-1/4" Square punch. They are layered around two (adhered together at a 90 degree angle) squares of Pear Pizzazz card stock. The secret is adhering the first square correctly... When you put your adhesive on the back of the first square, only place the adhesive on half, so that when your squares come back around, you can slip the edge of the last square under the first one.
Even though this card was inspired by one of my Mom's cards, I changed it up a tiny bit. On my card, the Basic Gray layer is stamped first using one of the pretty stamps from Bordering on Romance, and then the card stock is dry embossed using the 'Square Lattice' Embossing Folder and the Big Shot. I had to keep the die cut 'Paper Doily'... LOVE that die!!
I look forward to sharing more projects with you that will help you go through those scraps (which multiply when we're not looking, right?). Do you have a favorite "use-up-the-scraps" project or technique?

a color challenge

Well, I guess one good thing leads to another... I decided to try another blog challenge. This one is a color challenge from the "Create with Connie and Mary" blog. When I saw the color challenge - Peach Parfait, Calypso Coral, and Lucky Limeade - I got really happy. I have made a TON of projects using this color combination! In fact, these are the main colors in my Catalog Display area. Want to see???

If you see any dust, could you just ignore that?  ;)  Someday I'll get around to the dusting... someday...

Now, I could have linked to several previously posted projects I made using Peach Parfait, Calypso Coral, and Lucky Limeade... but where's the fun in that? Since the Creative Elements stamp set I used for yesterday's project was still sitting on my desk, I used that to make today's card for the CCMC185 - Color Challenge.

Isn't it pretty??? It's a wee bit over the top, but not really complicated. The Peach Parfait DSP has the swirly background stamped in Calypso Coral ink, as well as spritzing with Calypso Coral and Lucky Limeade markers using the Color Spritzer Tool. I stamped the flower in Calypso Coral ink onto Very Vanilla textured card stock, and then lightly colored it in using a Blender Pen and Peach Parfait ink. For the butterfly, I used the "rock-and-roll" technique (Peach Parfait and Calypso Coral ink). After snipping out the butterfly, I sponged the edges with Crumb Cake ink so it would stand out a little more. The sentiment is stamped in Calypso Coral ink onto Peach Parfait card stock. And I couldn't resist adding a small Pearl to add one more finishing detail. Fun challenge!!

Well, the snow is really coming down now. I guess I'll force myself to hunker down inside all weekend and stamp... I'm thinking some scrapbooking is on the agenda. What are you doing this weekend? I hope you find time to create a few projects of your own!  :)

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  :)

scrappy fun

I didn't quite know where to start today, so I settled on actually starting in my scrap drawers (and well, let's face it, there were plenty of scraps on my desk that hadn't even been cleaned up yet). I keep a set of small drawers just to the left of my work space, where I organize my scraps by color collection (Brights, Subtles, In Color, etc.) While I am very good about using scraps when working on a project, I don't often start with scraps. Well, today I did just that, and it feels good to use up some "stuff."

I started with the strips of Twitterpated DSP that were accidentally cut crooked in the Big Shot (still sitting on my desk). They couldn't be used for making a medallion, but were just too pretty to throw away... I hope I'm not the only one with this "issue."  ;)  I salvaged the best parts of the strips and layered them on this card. I added a tiny bit of dry embossing to my card front using a Finial Press Embossing Folder that I cut up. Click here to learn more about that technique.
In my "In Color" scrap drawer, I had a large piece of Pear Pizzazz that I had previously stamped and dry embossed with the Snow Burst Embossing Folder, then didn't like how it turned out... again, my issue, I couldn't bring myself to toss such a large piece of quality card stock. I trimmed it up and spritzed it liberally with my mixture of Frost White Shimmer Paint (in rubbing alcohol). To this layer, I attached a Paper Daisy using a Pear Pizzazz Glimmer Brad. I also used the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch on a tiny scrap of Riding Hood Red card stock, and tucked that behind the Pear Pizzazz layer.
Then I used some of the Pleated Satin Ribbon that I had cut the wrong length for a previous project, that was still taking up valuable real estate in my work space. I trimmed it a bit, and attached it using Sticky Strip.
I used two Blushing Bride scraps to stamp the flower from the new Mixed Bunch stamp set, and then punched out those images using the new Blossom punch. I stamped leaves in Pear Pizzazz ink onto a long, skinny scrap of Pear Pizzazz card stock (stamp set: Build a Blossom / punch: Blossom Petals). I needed one more flower to balance the card, so I punched a scrap of Riding Hood Red card stock with the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch, and stamped in the center with Riding Hood Red ink (Mixed Bunch). These flowers are crumpled to distress them a bit, attached with Dimensionals, and two Twitterpated Buttons add a cute finishing touch.

I am feeling so great about using up a few scraps! Want some more "scrappy" ideas??? Local friends can sign up for January's Technique Tuesday: Oh, Scrap! - register by January 30th to reserve your spot.