Scrap cards...

Ok... so as you may know, my block is over. I only had an hour of stamping time before I went off to Karate. I was determined to get two cards done in that hour. I felt the pressure... my brow started to glisten... my palms started to get clammy... my heart was pounding hard in my chest.

Here's what I came up with... They are 3 x 3 Note cards... I had imagined punching a hole in the envelope and hanging this card on a gift basket/gift bag with some ribbon. Better still, save the envelope punch the hole in the card and hang it from a basket/bag, etc... Hmmm... Do you smell that? *sniffs the air, looking intently around*... Oh never mind, I am just thinking too much... LOL

Recipe (baby boy):
Swell News Stamp Set; Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue and Very Vanilla card stock; Versamark; Stazon Jet Black; Stampin' Pastels and Blender pen. Accessories: Fresh Favorites II eyelets (brocade blue), Crafter's Tool Kit, Prep School Ribbon.

Recipe (baby girl):
Swell News stamp set; Pretty in Pink, Lavendar Lace and Very Vanilla Card stock, Versamark, Stazon Jet Black; Stampin' Pastels and Blender pen. Accessories: Fresh Favorites II eyelets (rose red), Crafter's Tool Kit, Sweet Shop Ribbon.

As you can see, they are cute and simple... Just the way I like it! I am off to make more cards! I think I am on a roll. LOL!

6 cards made...

Well, I have broken the stamper's block. I decided to work on some cards for an upcoming Craft Fair. So, I thought about what might sell... I got out all my stamp sets that had multiple purposes.

One of the sets is Greetings Galore. The other set is Feathered Friends. I have 2 more sets I plan on using for "Baby" cards... Now, as I am making these cards, Ms. Peggy calls and tells me that the Catalogs are in! Luckily, I was able to go to Ms. Kimberly's house to get one as mine has yet to arrive in the mail! UGH!!!

OMG! The catalog is sooooooo cool and has such cute new things in it... But that's for another post!

Recipe (Baby Boy):

Riveting and Greetings Galore Stamp Sets; Whisper White and Bashful Blue card stock; Bashful Blue Ink Pad; Stazon; Versamark; non-SU scalloped circle punch (can't wait for the new one) & CCS (Creative Memories) circle cutter; Accessories: Hodgepodge Pewter, White Grosgain Ribbon, Sponges, Stampin' Pastels (to color the image) & Blender Pen, Baby Wipe; 1/16" punch; Crystal Clear Embossing Powder.

I made the same version of this card using everything the same but using Pretty in Pink Card stock, ink, etc. for the Baby Girl card.

Recipe (Baby Girl):

Feathered Friend Stamp Set; Flitting By Jumbo Wheel; Stazon; Pretty in Pink Ink Pad; Stampin' Pastels with Blender Pen; Confetti White, Pretty in Pink and Certainly Celery card stock; Accessories: Hodgepodge Pewter, White Organdy Ribbon, Rhinestone brads (pink), Crafter's Tool Kit and Sponges.

I made a baby boy card similarly to this one. It didn't turn out as well but it is still cute. I will have to post it some other time as I am dying to look at the new catalog again for the third time... LOL!! BBL - It's dinner time here in our house... mmmm smells good!

Another Note Card

Here's another note card for an aunt. I am making 10 each of two different styles for this particular aunt. This stamp set is wonderful! The verses are generic enough for a project like this!! I am debating whether or not I will monogram these cards... It would personalize it, letting that person know it was made just for them... I just like how clean and simple this card is... UGH!!

Ok, what do you think? Should I or shouldn't I? I will let your votes count! hehe. I sure can't decide on what to do...

Recipe:

Vases in Vogue stamp set; Very Vanilla card stock; Purely Pomegranate ink pad.

Recipe:

Vases in Vogue Stamp set; Very Vanilla card stock; Blue Bayou ink pad.

Resist Embossing

So, I am gearing up to make gifts for family members this year. I have a few aunts (everyone has someone in their family like this) who have everything they could ever need or want. So, I decided to make them some note cards.

Here is a sample of the card I have made. It is so simple yet so elegant. I used black embossing powder on the Baroque Motif's swirl then used the baby wipe background technique, leaving part of the card lighter than the others to really give the swirling effect... I will probably give 15 - 20 of these cards with envelopes to this particular aunt.

Recipe:
Baroque Motifs and Big Deal Alphabet; Very Vanilla card stock; Soft Sky and basic black ink pads; Accessories: Black embossing powder and baby wipes

BB #3 - Thinking of You!

Here is a card that I have CASEd from everyone... too many to mention... LOL! At any rate, this was a fun card. You can use any sentiment you want and that's what makes this card so versatile.

Stampin' Dimensionals are a must! They pop up the each petal and flower center. It just looks so lovely and classy. Wow, I just noticed I didn't sponge around the card in Old Olive... I almost never do that!

Recipe:
Sincere Salutations and Floral stamp sets; Old Olive, Summer Sun, Kraft and Very Vanilla card stock; Summer Sun and Old Olive ink pads. Accessories: Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals, Distressing Tool (from the Cutter Kit) and the Tearing Edge.

BB #2 - Olive You!

Here's a card I did a short time ago. I love this set. Being Italian-American, olives have a special place in my heart... hehehehehe.

I did use some non-SU items. The heart-shaped brads were bought at Joann's and the circles were cut using Creative Memories CCS (Custom Cutting System).

The template for this card was on the SU! website. I am sure I will do this type of card again. Things I would change: Cut the partial circle out using the CCS instead of cutting it from the template. I am completely anal about straight lines... sorry, I am trying to get over my affliction but it's hard!

Most of my sets are now retired or they are so new most people can't get them yet. For that, I can't apologize.

Recipe:
Olive You and Soft Swirls Stamp sets; Summer Sun, Close to Cocoa and Whisper White card stock; Close to Cocoa, Real Red, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip ink pads; Chocolate Chip Marker; Accessories: Color Spritzing Tool, Aqua Painter, Sponges, Chocolate Grosgain Ribbon, Horizontal slot punch; exacto knife; and heart-shaped brads.

BB Cards

Good morning... OK by the time I finished this post it was afternoon. I had to stop mid-blog and go off to Karate. Whew, I am tiiiiiiiiiiiiiired! hehe.

I have "stamper's block." I was working on a double slider. I am so frustrated (yes, because I am a perfectionist). I was looking through the Stampin' Success when I saw the double slider (no not for the first time) thinking it would cure my "stamper's block."

Now... BB stands for Before Blog. Here are a few more cards that I have made... This one in particular was CASEd from Beate's Blog. I love the Gatefold card and with this stamp set, it is oh so elegant! I basically made it exactly the way she did because I have never tried a Gatefold. Plus, it was the first card I made with the Baroque Motifs stamp set.

Recipe:

Baroque Motifs Stamp set; Groovy Guava, Purely Pomegranate and Wild Wasabi ink pads; Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi and Shimmering White card stock; Accessories: 3/4" and 1" circle punches, sponges, Fire & Ice Brads (Circles, red).

Slit Punch Frame

I got this idea from Maria Bell... It was a lot of fun! My only suggestion is that if you use it as a frame, be sure you sponge EVERYTHING before assembling the card. After I put it together, I wished I had sponged more... I can't stop sponging... hehe

Here I used another non-SU product. Creative Memories Custom Cutting System (CCS). It's a personal choice whether you want to use the Coluzzle from SU! I "grew up" using the CCS. Anyway, I cut a 3" Circle with the CCS right out of the middle of my card front and used the slit punch starting inside the circle I had cut out...

Recipe:

Three for You Punch Box, Hugs and Wishes, & Year After Year Stamp Sets; Purely Pomegranate, Wild Wasabi and Shimmering White card stock; Purely Pomegranate, Wild Wasabi and Groovy Guava ink pads; Bashful Blue Stampin Pastel Chalk. Accessories: Large Oval Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Sponges and Daubers.

Before the blog...

I have a bunch of cards to put up. A little at a time i will add to my collection, however, i will only add my own ideas... I am not saying that I didn't get the card ideas from somewhere... especially this card... but I alter all ideas I get to make them a little more me... I did the Shirt Fold Tutorial from Cambria.

The original card I did was in the red/burgandy of the POP paper pack... I love this paper... I only have two sheets left, the Celery (seen here) and the Rose Red (the one I gave away). When July 1st hits, I am SO getting this paper again!

Recipe:
All-Around Argyle Stamp Set; Always Artichoke card stock; Pallet of Prints Argyle print paper (celery); Always Artichoke ink pad; Always Artichoke Marker; Accessories: non-SU mini buttons and a sponge. Quick and Easy! The way I like it!

Weathered Zebra

I was playing with the Black Embossing powder a few weeks ago. This card sat there all embossed waiting for something to make special. I thought and thought and thought... I was trying to go for a more marbleized effect and this came out so bold...

Finally, I thought... a zebra is black and white! So, keeping the colors simple and bold, I used Basic Black, Whisper White and Real Red.

Recipe:

Wild About You, Zoofari and Weathered Stamp Sets, Basic Black ink pad; Versamark; Basic Black, Whisper White and Real Red card stock; Accessories: Black Embossing Powder; Bold Brights Brads (Real Red); Sponge; 1/16" hole punch, Spiral Punch

I am working on some cards today. I am sure I will post something tomorrow morning... until then... Happy Stamping!

Have I Toad You Lately...

Ok, I had a dream about this card and just had to put it down on paper. While I try to only use Stampin' Up! products, I sometimes don't quite make it. Like with this card.

I used to be a Creative Memories Consultant and still, from time to time use their products. I am trying to break free from the "you can't stamp in your albums" mentality. I am slowly growing itchy to scrapbook. Anyway, the only thing that I used from CM is the 12" Decorative Trimmer.

So the decorative trimmer was used to make the wavy edge of the card bottom. I used the 30 degrees line on the cutter to make this wavy edge on an angle. If you have the trimmer, you will know what I mean.

As for the picture frame, I did a reverse masking technique with the frame from Label Classics - cutting out the center of the image so I could stamp the Frog with Heart on the inside.

Recipe:

Unfrogettable and Label Classics Stamp Sets; See You Around Jumbo Wheel; Sahara Sand and Basic Black Paper; Basic Black, Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Close to Cocoa and Chocolate Chip ink pads; Versamark ink pad; Accessories: Aqua Painter, Sponges, Crystal Effects, White Gel Pen, Crafter's Tool Kit, Linen Thread, Silver Brad and googly eyes

Playing around...

We had just learned a "baby wipe" technique and I gave it a try. The "baby wipe" technique can be done many different ways. I just looked it up on Split Coast Stampers. Here they used the baby wipe as a stamp pad so that you can mix the colors. Very clever!

I was taught to use a baby wipe to make backgrounds! Dab the baby wipe into the ink pad and wipe it all over the card front! If you emboss resist an image first, then schmear (It's an east coast thing... hehe) the baby wipe over the card front, you get something like this!

However, me being me, I had to play just a bit further. I used the Crystal Clear embossing powder and mixed in a tiny bit of the Black embossing powder. I was looking to see if I could get the vanilla bean ice cream look to the card. Personally, I added too much black to the clear. I would have liked it to be a bit lighter...

Recipe:
Baroque Motifs stamp set; Very Vanilla card stock; Purely Pomegranate ink pad; Crystal Clear & Black embossing powder. Accessories - baby wipes.

What's great about this card? I can use it as a note card, I can personalize it with a monogram, I can leave it just like this... it's very versatile and elegant... Click on the image and it will enlarge the picture so you can see the details.

Zoofari Baby Card

Here's another card I have created. It has masking and watercoloring in it. It was a fun card to create and I had it on my mind since I got this stamp set. My problem is that I am pretty new to stamping and once I get an idea in my head, I can't usually get it out until I have all of the supplies.

Recipe:

Zoofari and Riveting Stamp Sets; See You Around Jumbo Wheel; Blush Blossom, Bashful Blue, Pretty In Pink Card Stock; Basic Black, Going Gray, Bashful Blue, Close To Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, More Mustard, Garden Green, Ruby Red ink; 1 1/2" Circle Punch; Ice Circles Rhinestone Brad (light blue); Ticket Corner Punch; White Gel Pen

Nothing else really fancy going into this card... it was simple and quick. The worst of it was cutting out the masks. Now that they are cut out, all other cards or masks needed will be a breeze.

First Post!

Hi There! I have been asked to start a blog... so, here I am! I may not post much by way of words... but I will post my cards every chance I get! So, here is my first one.

This card was made for a swap. There is just something about this Baroque Motifs set. When I first saw it, I didn't "love it." However, when I got this set in my hot little hands, I realized all the potential it has.

This card was made with the following Stampin' Up! Products. Elegant Eggplant, So Saffron and Old Olive paper; Elegant Eggplant ink; Olive Organdy ribbon; Ticket Corner Punch; Tearing Edge, Distressing Tool, Sponges, Dimensionals.

The center image that is mounted has been stamped twice. One was cut out and popped up on Demensionals. I sponged everything with the Elegant Eggplant ink, including the card thought it's difficult to tell. Hope you like it!