Simple Thank You

I made 10 of this card for a swap coming up this week with the local MOMS Club. I got the layout idea from an old weekend sketch challenge on Beate's Blog (WSC59). I love the layout so much I may have to repeat it! It's perfect for showcasing coordinating Designer Series paper.

Stamps: Pocket Sillouettes
Inks: Kiwi Kiss, Not Quite Navy
Papers: Urban Garden, whisper white, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Nestabilities Scalloped Circle, Paper Piercer and template, White grosgrain ribbon

Notes: I used a special technique that I just learned to space holes evenly around a circle. You can find a tutorial on Beate's blog here.

Quick Card Dump

I just made a bunch of cards today for the new Sunshine Coordinator of my local Moms Club. She'll use these to correspond to some of our members on behalf of the club. I've been feeling like paper piercing lately so all my cards seem to have that type of enhancement. I've also included 2 cards that I made in preparation for a shoebox swap I participated in recently. Everyone always asks me what a shoebox swap is....it's my favorite kind of swap! Everyone participating designs a project and precuts the supplies for all the participants to make the project themselves at a gathering. That way everyone gets to make the cards themselves, but each person only has to design one card. It's a lot of fun...if you haven't tried one with your friends, you must!


Stamps: Nursery Necessities, Nurser Letters (wheel)
Inks: Ballet Blue, Chocolate Chip
Papers: Bashful Blue, Naturals Ivory, Chocolate Chip, Ballet Blue Textured
Accessories: Bashful Blue Grosgrain, dimensionals, large star punch, paper piercer and template
Obviously this is the same card, just with different colors for a girl.
Inks: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip
Papers: Pretty in Pink, Naturals Ivory, Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose Textured
Accessories: Pretty in Pink Grosgrain, dimensionals, large star punch, paper piercer and template

This is a generic card that can be used for almost any occasion.
Stamps: Live your Dreams
Inks: Mellow Moss, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral
Papers: Afternoon Tea DS, White, Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky
Accessories: Soft Sky Double Stitched Ribbon, Paper Piercer and template
Notes: Uses direct to paper technique to create a dark edge on patterned paper with a chocolate chip ink pad.
Stamps: Fine Lace background, Close as a Memory
Inks: Lavendar Lace, Cameo Coral, Mellow Moss, Garden Green
Papers: Mellow Moss, White, Lavendar Lace
Accessories: Moss grosgrain ribbon, paper piercer and template

This is the card that I used in the shoebox swap. Can I just say that I love scallops!
Stamps: Embrace Life, Warm Words
Inks: Mellow Moss, So Saffron, Close to Cocoa
Papers: Ginger Blossom, Groovy Guava, Mellow Moss Textured, So Saffron, White, Kraft
Accessories: Moss Gingham ribbon, Scallop Punch, Slit Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Green Circle Rhinestone Brad, Paper Piercer and template
Note: the flower punch was used to create 2 different flowers and I layered them on top of each other before joining them with a brad.

And here's the final card that I made for the shoebox swap, but didn't actually use. It's almost a copy of a card that's in the Spring/Summer Idea Book with a few very minor changes.

Stamps: One of a Kind, Canvas background
Inks: Close to Cocoa, Whisper White Craft, Pretty in Pink
Papers: Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoal, Rose Red Textured, White
Accessories: Pink brad, Boho Blossoms Punch, Pink Taffeta ribbon, Paper Piercer and template

Make a Wish

I'm so sorry I haven't blogged in so long. It's been a busy month...I've been to Florida for a much needed vacation and since then I've been getting ready for a craft supply consignment sale that I'm hosting this weekend. I signed up for another card swap some local stamper friends of mine and this is what I came up with. This is a birthday card swap, and it's due next week. Since my weekend's going to be very busy, I had to get these done this week!

This color combination is a new one for me, I saw it in one of the recent Stampin' Up! magazines: Cocoa, pink, and turquoise. I just love the "She's All That" stamp set. I hope it is put into the next catalog so I'll have more excuses to use it in my classes!

Stamps: She's All That, Paisley (background)
Papers: Close to Cocoa, White, Pretty in Pink, Tempting Turquoise
Inks: Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Cuttlebug Embossing folder, turquoise rhinestone brad, Boho Blossoms punch, scallop punch, circle punches

Another Resist Card!

I'm participating in a card swap in a few weeks so I figured I'd try embossing resist one more time before I move onto another set of techniques for next month. So here's one more, a variation on embossing resist called "Emerging Color." It's the same as embossing resist, except I stamped some swirls on the paper before I applied the embossed image.

This card also satisfies one of Beate's Fresh & Fun weekend challenges, which I haven't done in a while. It feels good to jump into the game again!

Stamps: Fabulous Flowers, Priceless
Inks: Bravo Burgundy, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral
Papers: Ruby Red, River Rock, Whisper White, Bravo Burgundy, Groovy Guava, Ginger Blossom DS
Accessories: Brass Brads, 1/4" circle, River Rock Double Stitched Ribbon, Versamark, Clear Embossing Powder, brayer

Note: On the right side I punched 1/4 inch holes and inserted a brad in the middle, this made the accent a little more visible. Also, after embossing the flower, I brayed over it with Ruby Red ink and stamped more swirls in burgundy.

More is More

I'm still working on last week's Dare to Get Dirty Slitcoast Challenges. Not sure how many I'm actually going to accomplish. I tried to tackle a couple of them while preparing for the Shoebox Swap with my downline (see previous post). There was one challenge called "More is More" that asked us to create 2 cards, one simple and then add a lot of stuff to the card, layers, embellishments, etc. Then there was another challenge that requested using lots of brads. So I combined these and came up with 3 cards, the middle one being the shoebox swap card that we all made last night.

These all used Bashful Blue as the base for the cards and applied the canvas stamp from "Oh, So Lovely" 3 times in Bashful Blue ink on the bottom left corner of each card front.

The one on the right was the "simple" card, using the "Oh, So Lovely" flower on watercolor paper (stamped with Stazon Black) and then watercolored with WW crayons and an aquapainter. Actually, before I stamped the flower, I stamped the canvas rectangle in Bashful Blue off on scrap paper and then put the "second generation" lighter image on the watercolor paper (it's a little hard to see in the picture because it's light. I then framed the flower with Wild Wasabi, tore the right edge of the Wasabi, and tied some orange grosgrain ribbon along the left side. I stamped a greeting vertically in black ink on the left side of the Wasabi. Pretty straight forward.

The middle card took it a step further, by adding a black border around the watercolored image, shifting the image up so that it hung off the Wasabi paper. I also used the notebook punch on the left side and wrapped Wasabi double stitched ribbon horizontally around the flower image. I tied a little piece of orange ribbon the the double stitched ribbon. Put the greeting on the bottom of the Wasabi for this one.

The card on the left I used to satisfy the "Lots of Brads" challenge by adding 7 black brads to the left side of the Wasabi instead of the hole punches. This one had the flower image back on the Wasabi entirely and the greeting on the left again.

Challenges are so much fun!!! I wish I had time to do more!!!

Our Shoebox Swap

I was so excited to do a Shoebox Swap at my Quick Inkers Downline meeting last night. We had such a great time! I was so please with both of the cards that my fellow demos made I just had to share. Both used stamp sets and accessories that I don't have (yet!) which made it even more fun. The cutest part was listening to my kids giggling while playing with their Dad while we stamped.

Aren't these cards just lovely? I'm so glad I get to stamp with these talented women. It's so wonderful to know that there other stamping addicts like myself! The card that I made for this swap will be in my next post.....