For You

I made this card a while back to showcase this gorgeous Italian paper that I received from Krafty Kat friend, Barb. I'd link you to Barb's gallery or blog so you can see her wonderful creations, but she doesn't have either....Come on, Barb, you should share your talent! ;-)

Anyway, I just loved this paper, especially the beautiful bird, so I cut out this portion of it using my Labels One Nestabilities. Then I created each of the mat layers using the next larger sizes.

The only stamping on this card is the sentiment, which I stamped with Versamark and embossed with detail gold embossing powder.

I wrapped some ribbon around the black card base, adhered all my label layers on top, tied a big bow and it's done! Not much to it, but I think it turned out nicely.

You can also see that I put a little strip of the Italian paper on the inside to tie it all together. This is one of those cards that I will have a difficult time parting with, although I did just find some more of this beautiful paper, so maybe I'll make a few more like it.

Hope you're having a good week. I've got a sick spouse - he started coming down with a bad cold on Sunday and spent most of yesterday in bed. Poor baby had to go to work for a meeting this morning, but will probably be back in bed as soon after as possible. I'm doing what I can to take care of him, but stay away from him at the same time! I cannot afford to get sick now...

Thanks for stopping by!

Card Details:
Paper: Rossi Florentine Print - Phoenix; red handmade paper, gold and vanilla card stock
Stamp: Stamp Camp
Ink: Versamark
Misc.: Ribbon - Offray; gold detail embossing powder, Spellbinders Label One Nestabilities

More card folders!

Here are another couple of card folders I made as Christmas gifts. By the time I got to these two, I was running out of time, so these folders and the cards that went with them are more uniform than the other ones I've shown.

For these two, I used my JustRite Stampers round Monogram stamper with the Special Occasions font and border, and the Small Letters set. I used Stampin' Up! Bella Rose Designer Series Papers and Riding Hood Red ink. The folder and cards were made using Very Vanilla, Riding Hood Red and Pink Pirouette card stock.

I think they are pretty self-explanatory. This first photo shows the cover of the folder and the next photo shows the opened folder with the cards inside.

Next is the second folder cover. The nice thing about the JustRite stamper is all I had to do was change out the letters for the name and, voila, I was ready to go with another personalized stamp.

This one was made using So Saffron and Baja Breeze Patterns Designer Series Paper and Baja Breeze, More Mustard and Very Vanilla card stock.


Here is the open folder. The monogram circles were stamped with Baja Breeze and So Saffron inks. All matchy-matchy!

That's about it for these two. Hope you're having a good week - I'm glad it's almost over! Thanks for looking!

Happy Birdie

Happy Monday! I've been a bad blogger this past week - sorry about that! I was out of town for work last week and just didn't find the time to post anything. Hopefully this week will be better!

I recently needed a birthday card for one of the men in my family. He is a golfer, as is obvious from the card! Nothing says golfer like plaid, right? So, I had the bright idea to paper piece the golf bag. Paper piecing is fun, but when you're working with some of these little pieces, it gets a bit tricky and time consuming!

I stamped the golf bag image four times - on white, tan, and green paper and on the plaid paper. I colored in the clubs and the metal hardware on the strap with my Copics on the white version. Everything else is paper pieced. I started with the tan bag and strap and added the other pieces on top. It was really a lot of fun to 'design' this golf bag, but I don't think I'll do another one any time soon! The border of the panel with the golf bag was colored with a gray Copic marker, and then I used my colorless blender to make the dots - I was trying to mimic the dimples on a golf ball.

The golf ball - the round piece on the felt ribbon - was run through my Swiss Dots embossing folder once, then I rotated it in the folder and ran it through my Wizard again to add more dots. I adhered it 'wrong' side up (debossed side) to simulate the dimples of a golf ball.

I think the rest is self-explanatory. Hopefully he got a chuckle out of it!

Thanks for looking and hope you have a great week!

Card Details:
Patterned paper: Stampin' UP! Manchester DSP
Card stock: Stampin' UP! Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze; tan and green from my stash
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa
Stamps: Gina K. Designs (golf bag), Savvy Stamps (sentiment)
Misc.: Stampin' UP! felt ribbon; Copic markers; Nestabilities; Swiss Dots embossing folder

Another card folder

This folder was the first one I created a few months ago. My stamp group gets together once a month and for each meeting we take turns putting together a kit containing papers and embellishments. The following month when we get together, we show what we made using the kit. This card folder was made using the papers and embellishments from one of those kits.

The patterned papers I used are a mix of Cosmo Cricket and Frances Meyer. The folder was made using Papertrey Ink's Kraft card stock and the card bases were made using either Prism Desert Coral or the Kraft card stock. The stamps are from the Stampin' Up! Pocket Silhouettes set. At the time I made this one, I was still thinking that I would make a bunch of themed folders, so all of these cards are thank you cards. I had decided not to give this folder away as a gift for a couple of reasons, and now that I need some thank you notes for Christmas, I will just be using these cards!

I love this leaf ribbon from May Arts and thought it matched up with this stamp really well.

I stamped a few of the flowers in the set on the bottom of this patterned paper.

For this card, I was able to incorporate several of the embellishments from the kit, including the flower, the ribbon, the photo turn and the brads.

This one includes some scraps from the other cards, along with a chipboard scalloped circle that I covered with a flower from the patterned paper.

Hope you're having a good week so far! Thanks for looking!

Happy Anniversary

Several months ago, a friend asked me to make a card that she could buy to give to a couple she knows for their 25th wedding anniversary at the end of January. Did I jump right on it? Of course not! So here it is January and amidst all the other cards I'm obligated to make right now, I also had to come up with a special anniversary card for her. One of these days I'm going to learn to stop procrastinating....

So, here it is. I struggled with this one and ended up having to re-do almost all of it, but overall I'm happy with the way it turned out. The heart image is one I bought from Stamp Camp at last year's Heirloom Pro show, and since it's almost time for this year's show, I figured that stamp ought to see some ink. I stamped it with the new Versamark Dazzle ink, then heat embossed it with silver embossing powder. The happy anniversary stamp is from Cornish Heritage Farms' Script Essential Expressions set. After I cut the heart out (oooh, that sounds bad...), I decided it needed a black border, so I stamped the image again on black paper and cut it out, leaving about 1/8th of an inch all around to create the mat layer.

I embossed part of the silver paper with my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder and then scored several lines across the middle, 1/8th inch apart. I used my ticket corner punch for all four corners and added some black Heidi Swapp bling in the corners and through the middle.

Now my question - what do you think would be a fair price to charge for a card like this? I struggle with this as I will never be able to charge enough to actually make any money on my cards, but I don't want to just give them away either. So, let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping by!

Card details:

Patterned paper: from my stash (no name on it)

Card stock: Papertrey Ink Silver Shimmer card stock; Cryogen White

Stamps: Stamp Camp; Cornish Heritage Farms

Ink: Versamark Dazzle

Misc.: Ribbon - Michael's or Hobby Lobby, not sure which; Silver embossing powder - JoAnn's; Bling - Heidi Swapp

Honey Pie Card Folder

This is the front of the second in my series of card folders. This folder and card set were made using Cosmo Cricket's Honey Pie paper collection. I love these papers!

It was at this point that I realized I wasn't going to be able to do the themed folders I had intended, so this one doesn't have a sentiment stamped on the front like the last one did, and each card has a different sentiment. This is really a more versatile approach, but I still like the idea of doing multiple folders with each one being for a different occasion (birthday, thank you, thinking of you, sympathy, etc.). Someday maybe I'll work that out!

The ribbon on this folder is Martha Stewart's seam binding ribbon. It's pretty thin ribbon, but I think that makes it easier to tie a bow. The thick twill I used in the last folder was also Martha Stewart, but it was difficult to tie into a nice bow. Since these are going to people who are not paper crafters or bow tying aficionados, this thinner ribbon is better. I also learned that you need to be sure to cut the ribbon long enough to make it easy to tie a bow, which I didn't really do on the first folder.

This is the card folder open, showing all of the cards and envelopes.

I used the same stamps for this folder as I did for the last one, except that each card has a different sentiment.

I had some coordinating Cosmo Cricket ribbon that I used on this card.

Each of the envelopes was stamped with the same image as the card, using Stampin' UP!'s So Saffron ink. I really like all the different colors in this paper collection.

For the coordinating envelope for this card, if I remember correctly, I didn't stamp a good image, so I just covered it up with coordinating paper instead. I've said it many times - most of my projects are an exercise in hiding a mistake of some sort!

I hope you had a fun and safe New Year's Eve and wish you a very happy 2009! I have to admit that 2008 was a pretty wonderful year for me, especially related to my paper crafting hobby, so I'm not sure how 2009 can be any better, but time will tell!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy New Year!

Card details:

Patterned paper: Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie

Card stock: Stampin' UP! Regal Rose, Rose Red, Mellow Moss, So Saffron; Prism Natural Smooth

Ink: Stampin' UP!

Markers: Copic - R000, R11, R21, R35, R85; Y30; YR00; YG03, YG95; G94, G99

Stamps: Stampin' UP! Flores Suaves and Bloomin' Beautiful; Papertrey Ink; Denami Designs; Stampendous

Birthday wishes card folder

A couple of months ago, my stamping friend, fellow Krafty Kat and Stampin' UP! upline, Miriam, showed me some card folders she had made, each containing matching cards and envelopes. I thought they were such a cute idea and that they would make wonderful Christmas gifts.

I had the great notion that I could make them themed - one for birthday cards, one for thank you cards, one for thinking of you cards, etc. Well, being the procrastinator that I am, when I finally got started on them, I quickly realized I was going to be lucky to get one folder set done for each person on my list, so there went that idea!

Over the next few posts, I'll show you all the ones I did, starting with the first one I made, when I still thought I'd be doing them by category. It contains four birthday cards, each with the same sentiment.

The first picture shows the folder cover. The ribbon goes through the folder to hold the cards in place, as shown in the next photo, and is tied with a bow to keep it closed up.

This is the open folder with the four cards held in place by the ribbon.

I stamped the focal image from each card on its coordinating envelope. I also decorated the inside of each card with strips of the patterned paper and card stock, but I won't bore you with all of those photos!

For each card there is the matted focal image, the matted patterned paper and the stamped sentiment, but each one is laid out a bit differently, using different Nestability dies.

All of the images were colored with Copic markers and each one was airbrushed while still in its Nestability die to give it a nice background and add the appearance of an additional mat. I was trying to keep them from being too thick so they would fit into the folders better. I did end up revising the folder template that Miriam had given me to deepen the spine and the pockets.

This was a fun project and I really liked how this whole set turned out. I only had one sheet of that beautiful patterned paper, so I'm not sure I will be able to duplicate these cards, but I will be able to create 'refill' cards using the same color scheme once these run out. Assuming the recipient liked them and lets me know when they have been used up, of course!

Card details:
Patterned paper: K&Company Ancestry.com Teal Floral & Newsprint Flat Paper
Card stock: Prism Island Mist Medium and Dark; Papertrey Ink Kraft
Stamps: Stampin' UP! Flores Suaves and Bloomin' Beautiful; Papertrey Ink Butterfly Kisses (sentiment)
Inks: Adirondack Mushroom, Stampin' UP! Baja Breeze
Misc.: Copic Markers (W1,E31, E37,E55,E57,G94,G29,G82,Y38,BG10,BG15,BG72); brads; Nestabilities

Merry Christmas!

This is the Christmas card I sent out this year. All the products are from Stampin' UP!, except for the Cuttlebug embossing folder, the pearls and the rhinestone. It was a fun card to make, but it turned out to be a lot of work to make 50 of them!

Tim's got the coffee made and some raucous Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas music playing so I'm off to wrap the last two gifts and start my Christmas day!

Hope you have a very merry Christmas and enjoy spending time with your loved ones!

Birthday wishes

OK, I'm running out of things to post....I'm trying to keep the holiday theme going, but I don't have any other holiday cards to share....until I post my Christmas card tomorrow. So here is a birthday card, with holiday colors, that I made earlier this month.

I made this card using the SC205 sketch from Splitcoast Stampers. The patterned paper is all from the BasicGrey Wassail 6x6 pad. The three packages image is from Lockhart Stamp Company - I thought it was a perfect image for the patterned paper with the packages. I colored it with Copic markers to match the paper. I used my colorless blender to make the dots in the background.

Another simple card, but I liked the color scheme and thought it was perfect for a December birthday. This could have just as easily been a Christmas card, if I'd used a different sentiment, of course.

Hope you're having a good week and that you are ready for the big guy in the red suit ;-) I still have a little gift wrapping to do, and one more gift to make and then I'm done and ready to enjoy the long weekend!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Card details:
Patterned paper: BasicGrey Wassail
Card stock: Papertrey Ink Kraft
Stamps: Lockhart Stamp Company Itty Bitty Three Packages; Papertrey Ink Butterfly Kisses (sentiment)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Misc.: Copic Markers; brads; Nestabilities

Christmas Wishes

I'm a bit strapped for things to post at the moment since I've been working on Christmas gifts and Christmas cards exclusively for the last couple of weeks and can't post those just yet. I'll have a lot to share after Christmas! I'm happy to say that I am finished with all of it and now just have a few little things to wrap up and put under the tree.

This is a quick card I made a while ago, but never posted. There's not much to it - the Santa was punched from the same paper I used for this card. I cut the two mat layers using my Nestabilities. I tied the satin ribbon around the flourish patterned background paper and added a bow above the circles - it looks a bit like a Christmas ornament, I think.

Thanks for looking and I hope you have a great day!

Card details:
Patterned paper: Glitz Design - Kringle Santa and Kringle Flourish
Card stock: Stampin' UP!; Stardreams stationery
Stamp: Amuse Artstamps
Ink: Stampin' UP!

Winter bird

As soon as I saw the Winter Birds set from Inkadinkado, I had to have it - I think these birds are gorgeous and just wish I had been able to do more with them this season.

This is a I card I made to take to my massage therapist a couple of weeks ago for her to sell at her spa . Except for the bird stamp, everything on the card is from Stampin' UP!. The card is pretty self explanatory and not complicated, but I like the color combination.

I'm making progress on all my Christmas preparations, but still have more to do than I'd like. Today I am planning to gift wrap and pack up all the boxes for mailing, then it's back to the Christmas cards....

Hope your week is going well!

Card details:
Patterned paper: Stampin' UP! Ski Slope
Card stock: Stampin' UP! Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red
Stamp: Inkadinkado
Ink: Stampin' UP! Baja Breeze
Ribbon: Stampin' UP! Riding Hood Red

Merry Christmas dear friend....again...

Here's a quick little Christmas card I made using some coordinating papers from Frances Meyer and the Merry Christmas dear friend stamp I used on a previous card. The ribbon is from Stampin' UP!.

I'm still way behind on all my Christmas preparations, so I'm taking some time off from work this week to get finished up in time to put everything in the mail. Hope you're in better shape for your Christmas preparations than I am!

Sorry, this is just a quick post to let you know I'm still alive! Thanks for looking and have a great week!

Card details:
Patterned papers: Frances Meyer
Cardstock: Stampin' UP!; Papertrey Ink Kraft
Ribbon: Stampin' UP!
Stamp: Stampin' UP!
Ink: Stampin' UP! Riding Hood Red

From the guy with the red suit

Here's another all-Stampin' UP! Christmas card that I made last week. The patterned paper is from the Ski Slope pack. I stamped the Santa image using Riding Hood Red ink and cut it and its mat with my Nestabilities.

I layered 3 Stampin' UP! felt snowflakes and put a silver snowflake brad through the center. For the blue snowflake, I added some new blue glitter I picked up a couple of weeks ago, when I took my husband with me to see Scrap Chic Boutique's new shop. While I was chatting with the owners, he was looking around and picked up this container of glitter and insisted on getting it for me. He always likes it when there is a bit of glitter on my cards, so he has been dubbed 'the glitter king'. Unfortunately, I think I got more of it on me and around my stamp room than I did on the snowflake!

This is obviously a pretty simple card, but it was nice to get a few done fairly quickly.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you're having a good week!

Card Details:
Patterned paper: Stampin' UP!
Stamps: Stampin' UP!
Ink: Stampin' UP! Riding Hood Red
Snowflakes: Stampin' UP!
Ribbon: Stampin' UP! Riding Hood Red
Misc.: Brad - JoAnn's; glitter - Powder Keg

Merry Christmas, dear friend

This card is a Stampin' UP! only card, which I think is a first for me so far. I really like the Ski Slope papers, so I've made a few cards with them this week. My massage therapist sells some of my cards at her spa and I needed to get a few Christmas cards ready to take to her when I go for my appointment tomorrow. I also used the sketch challenge from this week's card sketch challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers.

There isn't much to this card - I layered the three strips of patterned paper on top of another layer of patterned paper - too busy, maybe? I wrapped a bit of brown felt ribbon around the bottom of the middle strip.

Next, I stamped the Merry Christmas stamp from the Curly Label set twice, once in Old Olive and once in Riding Hood Red. I cut the sentiment from the Riding Hood Red version and popped it up with some foam tape on top of the Old Olive version, which I had cut out with the curly label punch. The panel was added to the card with some foam tape under the bottom so it rests flat against the ribbon.

I layered three of the felt snowflakes and stuck a rhinestone brad through the center for a little sparkle. I then adhered it all to a white card base.

Hope you've had a good week - mine has been busy and somewhat productive but I'm still ridiculously far behind...

Card details:
Patterned paper: Stampin' UP! Ski Slope
Stamp: Stampin' UP! Curly label punch set
Ink: Stampin' UP! Old Olive and Riding Hood Red
Misc. : Curly label punch; felt snowflakes and felt ribbon - Stampin' UP!

Snowmen fall...

I can't believe it's December already. I'm so behind on my Christmas cards, shopping, etc. Every year it's the same thing - I think I have so much time and then all of a sudden I'm in a panic because I've procrastinated and suddenly Christmas is right around the corner! So, forgive me if I'm a little spotty in my posting for a while as I try to get some things done.

This card is for Repeat Impressions. The main image is the Tiny Twig Hair Snowman, which I stamped three times - one just looked too lonely! I had some little 'snowballs' that I decided to use to make it look like my little snowmen are in the middle of a snowball fight. Their scarves are Liquid Pearls and their noses are orange Stickles. I went over the outline of the snowmen with my silver Copic Spica glitter pen. The image and its mat were cut out using my new Labels One Nestabilities - this is my favorite of the new shapes.

The red and white striped twine is from Martha Stewart and the bow has a snowflake brad in the center of it. The background paper is from the Stampin' UP! Ski Slope collection.

Hope those of you in the US had a nice Thanksgiving weekend! Happy December and thanks for looking!

Card Details:

Stamps: Repeat Impressions: 2016-D, Tiny Twig Hair Snowman, 4601-H, Snowmen fall...

Patterned Paper: Stampin' UP! Ski Slope

Card stock: Stampin' UP! Old Olive, Riding Hood Red

Ink: Memento Cottage Ivy, London Fog

Misc.: Martha Stewart twine; Ranger Stickles, Liquid Pearls; Snowflake brad; Copic Spica glitter pen; Nestabilities