IT HAS BEEN 1O DAYS!!!

 

 

I thought I would place a quick post today.  I'm sorry to say right now I don't have any new cards to show you.  My last post was December 20 and since then it has been very  busy with Christmas preparations and getting cards in the mail.  It all seemed to be a little over-whelming for me this year so  decided something had to give and............it was blogging.

 

Now I am trying to get caught up with everything that got slighted during the last month.  I hope to be back with a new card no later than a week from today.............hopefully sooner.

 

In the meantime, I do hope that all of you have had a wonderful time during the holiday with your family and friends.  I also want to wish a HAPPY, HEALTHY NEW YEAR IN 2014!!!

 

And as they say in the movies...............I'LL BE BACK!

STAMPIN' UP! - JOYFUL CHRISTMAS

 

This is a card I made from one of Ann Schach's  (The Stampin' Schach) lessons of the month.  It isn't a color I would normally use for Christmas, but I absolutely love it!  There will definitely be more made like it for next year.

 

Thank you for stopping by!  Your comments are always welcome and appreciated.

CHRISTMAS CARD FOR ANN

I became acquainted with Ann Schach (The Stampin' Schach) about 2 1/2 years ago I think when we both took a class from Michelle Zindorf.  We have stayed in touch and recently I signed up with Stampin' Up! with her.  One of the first sets I purchased as a demonstrator was the Joyful Christmas stamp set.  Originally I hadn't planned on getting it, but was seeing a few ideas for it and am really glad it was added to my original order.

 

 

This is the Christmas card I sent to Ann.  I made the flower and leaves by stamping the designs with VersaMark on vellum and then embossed it with white powder.  I sponged the SU Baja Breeze and I think Old Olive inks over the pieces and then trimmed them.  It is really easy to cut out the pieces when they have been heat embossed.  Tiny pearls were added to the center of the poinsettia.  (Ann is a great lover of pearls!)

 

The poinsettia was added to a piece of white card stock which I had spritzed with Baja Breze ink using the SU tool and the marker.  I stamped the sentiment and then mounted this piece onto a Baja Breeze mat.  I chose an embossing folder with random dots to use on the front of the card.  It seemed to tie in the sprited dots on the layer with the flower.  Rather than adding the layer straight on the front of the card, I like the way the layer was angled.

 

 

It's probably a little late for you to order this set to use for this year, but if you would like to consider it for next year, I'll be more than happy to order it for you. 

 

Thank you for stopping by!  Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!

EMBOSSING IN WHITE

 

When I attended one of the SU Workshops several months ago, we made a card similar to this.   The stamped design on this is not from Stampin' Up! but is a Stampendous design.  It was on my table and I thought it would be a great one to use for this card.  I stamped the design with VersaMark and embossed with white powder.

 

 

And here is a peek of the inside of the card.  I don't always think to add a little design inside but I did for this one. 

 

One of my favorite things about Stampin' Up! is that the colors are available in cardstock, inks, markers, ribbons and a lot of other embellishments.  This makes card making so much easier. 

 

The Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa and Black cardstock are all from Stampin' Up!.   The off white card stock is from PapertreyInk.  The little sentiment is from the SU Itty Bitty Banners stamp set (Clear Set for $11.95 or Wood Mounted for $15.95). 

 

The cardstock mentioned, the stamp set and VersaMark inks can be ordered through me.  Let me know anytime if you would like to place an order for something you see on my blog from Stampin' Up! that you would like to add to your  collection.

 

Thank you for stopping by!  Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!

 

STAMPIN' UP! - BEAUTIFUL SEASON

I thought I had scheduled posts for last Thursday and Friday but with all that has been going on, I guess that didn't get done.  I have been busy getting our Christmas and Holiday cards out to friends and family.  We also had the funeral of one of my husband's cousins.

 

 

I'm sorry I guess this set is retired.  I bought it last year after Christmas but didn't get around to using it until this year.  Actually I didn't make these cards until after I had more than enough to send for 2013.......so I have a head start on 2014. 



 

 

Intended for December 12: This first card was made using a retired SU embossing folder on the front of the card base.  I then stamped the design on a piece of white card stock and colored it with my Copic markers and SU markers.  The design was cut and embossed with a Spellbinders Classic Oval and then mounted onto a mat which had been cut with the next largest Classic Oval.

 

Intended for December 13:  For this card I stepped it up a bit and added some more layers. The ecru colored card base was embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder.   I thought this piece of dp that I had in my "stash" went nicely with the stamped design.  This time the stamped design was added to a mat of SU Garden Green card stock.  Using a Spellbinders Labels 28 I cut out the sentiment from the Beautiful Season stamp set and then edged the label with the green ink and lightly sponged additional green ink over the sentiment.

I hope you enjoyed these two cards that did not get posted last week.  Thank you for stopping by.........and please stop by again soon.  Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!

STAMPIN' UP! - SIMPLY SOFT

 

Retired

 

The idea for this card came from one I saw on Pinterest.  I changed the embossing folder for the card base and used a different Martha Stewart punch. 

I wanted to change up the colors and make it a little more my own, so I found this piece of dp in my box of pieces.  The picture makes the dp look a little brighter pink than the stamped design, but the lightest color in the dp layer actualy goes very well with it.

 

My days seem to get so busy that I don't have a lot of time to sit and think about what I would like to make so Pinterest is a wonderful place to get ideas and get the juices flowing. 

 

Thank you for stopping by!  Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!

STAMPIN' UP! - Thinlits Labels Die

I really love the new Stampin' Up! Thinlit Dies!!!  They make such an interesting card to send instead of the standard A2 cards that I normally do.  

The left panel and the right panel both open.  I'm going to be making more cards in the future with this die for birthdays etc.  If you are interested in purchasing one for yourself, just let me know.  I'll be happy to help you with one of these or anything from Stampin' Up!

Thank you so much for stopping by!  Your comments are always appreciated!!!

MORE THREE CANDLES

Using the same design that was used on yesterday's cards, I mounted the designs onto Stampin' Up! Real Red card stock. 

And for this one I used a "Merry Christmas" stamp from Penny Black.

Thank you for stopping by!

THREE CANDLES

These two examples show how easy it is to make pretty Clean and Simple cards to send.  Because I make between 75 and 100 cards each year, this is one design I used for several cards.  The candles are a DeNami Design and so easy to color.  These are one-layer cards.  I colored them with SU markers so the color wouldn't bleed through the card stock.  The picture doesn't show it very well, but I added Stampendous flat gold metal stickers on the "berries" for some bling.

I almost sold this candle stamp at the Fall Stamp Sale...........sure glad I didn't.  The sentiment on the left is from Hero Arts.  The sentiment on the right is from Paper Inspirations and are stamps I have had in my supplies for several years.

So tell me what you think........Thank you for stopping by!

WHITE ON WHITE - PEACE ON EARTH

To give the card a look of snow I embossed the front of the card with a Cuttlebug folder with random dots  Then I added the two pieces that were cut with Memory Box dies.  I stamped the sentiment and then ran a line of Stickles Crystal Ice Glitter Glue along the base of the tree line for some sparkle.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

YESTERDAY'S CARD ONLY IN RED

These dimensional stickers have touches of glitter on them which really make the card even more special.

NON-TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS COLORS

Last year I had already purchased some new items that I wanted to use on Christmas cards for 2013 and that was long before I signed up to sell Stampin' Up! products.  I am trying to use up a lot of those items so I'm sorry this isn't a Stampin' Up! design. 

 

I thought this turned out kind of pretty and wanted to share it.  The package of dimensional Poinsettias that I had from K&Company had two that were perfect shades to put on the Stampin' Up! Pretty In Pink card stock (so I did use SU product here).    The "Season's Greetings" is a stamp that I have had in my supplies.

 

So what do you think?  I'd love to hear from you.  Thanks for stopping by!

CASING A CHRISTMAS CARD

Last year I received a Christmas card from my friend, Lynette, that was made like this.  Since I had some of the very same paper which had been in my supplies for a very long time, I decided to make one nearly identical.  The ribbon I attached is different and the way I did my sentiment is different.  I still have more of that paper though so I think I'll probably made a few more like this to use for the people who live in the independent living center where my mother lives.  I think it makes a really neat presentation.

Thanks for stopping by!

STAMPIN' UP! - Of the Earth

Today I'm taking a little break from Christmas cards.  My post for today is later than I had planned but I feel like I'm still catching my breath after a very busy four days of activities.

One of those activities was this past Friday when I went to a craft show with one of our daughters and two granddaughters.  One of the crafters there had a huge selection of her hand made cards using stamps from various companies.  I was pretty sure I had the right stamp set for this card so I bought one of hers to help me remember how I wanted to make one like it.

The card she made used similar colors but the ones I chose are just a little brighter.....Riding Hood Red, Marina Mist and Wild Wasabi.  I stamped the design in each color on white card stock pieces measuring 1 1/4" x 3".  Before adding the pieces to the front of the card with foam dots, I embossed a portion of the card front with the Swiss Dots folder.  Two lines were scored under the floral designs.  The sentiment is one I have in my stamp "stash".

I made two others similar to this using Birthday sentiments and I can see the same thing being made with a variety of other colors and other designs.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

WITH HEARTFELT SYMPATHY

 

Pinterest is such a great place for me to get started making a card.  The general idea for this card was one I found there. 

 

The card I saw on Pinterest did not have the leaves colored in so I stamped the leaves in Old Olive and finished the card by coloring in the berries and stamping a sentiment in the upper right corner.   After my first attempt, I decided I wanted a little more color so I stamped the outline with Memento Tuxedo Black and then colored in the leaves with Wild Wasabi and Real Red for the berries.  For the matting, I used the same color that I had used on the leaves.  The sentiment is from that same stamp set.

 

 

Simply Sketched - Item #129672

(email me if this is a set you would like to order)

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving Day!!!  If you are participating in any of the Black Friday shopping, good luck finding some good deals.  As for me, I woudn't even consider joining in on the madness but if I find any Black Friday bargains they will definitely be on line.

Thank you for stopping by!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

No card today...........I hope all of you are spending time with family and or friends.  Today is a time for all of us to think about all of the people (and things) for which we are thankful.  Please enjoy your day and if you are traveling, I pray you all stay safe!

SIMPLE NOTE CARDS

One thing I have in my "stash" is a package of pre-scored blank note cards with envelopes.  While I had the Stampin' Up Stippled Blossom stamp set out I decided I would make up a bunch of note cards using the same flower that I had used on the card posted yesterday.  I used various sentiments on the fronts and used a variety of colors.  These are just three.   

 

While I like the colored ones the best, the third one shown has kind of an interesting look to it too.  The Stippled Blossoms stamp set is available and if you would like me to order it for you, I'd be happy to do that.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRIET!

My friend, Harriet, had a birthday this past Sunday and I sent one like this to her except I'm pretty sure her card had "Birthday Wishes" as the sentiment on the front of the card.

 

The picture makes the flower look more orange than it should because I believe I used Calypso Coral papers and ink and also Pistaschio Pudding ink for the leaves.  The stamp set I used is Stampin' Up's Stippled Blossoms.  This was a set I didn't think I wanted, but when I signed up to sell SU products, it was on my first order.  I'm so glad I have it. 

 

I was having so much fun with this two-step set that I also made some very simple note cards with the set that I will show tomorrow. 

 

Thank you for stopping by!

 

 



FOR A VERY DEAR FRIEND

This card was made using the Stampin' Up! "Too Kind" stamp set.  I love this two-step procedure.  I had seen a card on Pinterest that gave me the idea to sponge green over the stems as if the flowers blowing in the wind on a hill.  The rest of the background was lightly sponged with a light blue ink (either Baja Breeze or Bashful Blue).  The other inks and papers used on the card were Wild Wasabi, Crisp Cantelope and Calypso Coral.

 

Thank you for stopping by!

STAMPIN' UP! - Thinlits Label Die

As soon as I saw the circle and label thinlits, I knew I was going to want them.  I had seen various "flip" cards but these dies make it SO easy!  I previously posted another card made with this die, but this is the first attempt I had made.

When I had attended a workshop, the card we made was a tri-fold and if you use the die as it is, you won't get that extra "flap".  The red card base above was on my table for several days before I decided to still go ahead and use it.

The vertical stamp is from Paper Inspirations and the little trees were created using a die from Simon Says.  The dp is a scrap of paper left over from projects in a previous year.

If you want to have a tri-fold card, you will want to trim your card stock to 8 1/2 by 5 1/2 but then trim off a very thin piece from the 8 1/2 inch edge.  Below you will see a picture of how you will place your paper in the die:

Remember if you want to order any of the Stampin' Up items that you see on my blog, you can email me and I'll get them for you.  Thank you for stopping by!  

STAMPIN UP "TOO KIND" Stamp Set

I love that the flowers are two-step stamps.  I made several cards yesterday using this set and will be showing them on the blog in a few days. 

 

The card base is white card stock and I added Baja Breeze (solid) and Baja Breeze striped dp for the background.  I used Baja Breeze, Marina Mist and Old Olive inks for the flowers.  To finish the image I sponged Old Olive ink around the stems to "ground" them and also very lightly sponged Baja Breeze for some "sky"

 

Although I used two colors for the flower blossoms, it also works well if you want to use just one color.  Stamp off the more solid design once before stamping it onto the image.  Then  stamp the 2nd step with the design fully inked.  You can get a nice result that way as well and there is no problem trying to get two colors to coordinate.

(NOTE:  When this first got posted I had given the wrong name for the stamp set.  I had started to post a different card and then forgot to change the name of the stamp set.)

 

Thank you for stopping by!

FROSTY WINTER MORNING

 

Both of the dies used on this card are from Memory Box.  I had used a friend's dies when we got together last June.  The background paper is from a 12 x 12 Little Yellow Bicycle designer paper.  I loved that the paper looked like it was snowing.  To give the look of some drifts added some Stickles Glitter Glue. 

 

I have a second post for today to show the Stampin Up Stippled Blossom  set.

ALTERNATE VERSION OF OCTOBER 28 POST

 

I like this one better simply because the added white piece behind the Poinesttia really set off the flower better.  I also like the added sprig of Holly on the right hand panel of the card.

 

Thank you for stopping by!

CHRISTMAS TREE IN RED & WHITE

Today the staff is putting on a Thanksgiving Buffet for the residents where my mother lives and their guests.  Ideally each one would have 1 or 2 family members join them.  I have an appointment that I am unable to change and I am so thankful to my husband for stepping up and offering to join my mother for that meal.  I've heard they put out an outstanding buffet!

 

While I was working on a couple of cards a few days ago using ribbons, I decided to make one more with a combination of red & white ribbons.

 

 

After getting the ribbons taped down in place on the back side, I added another piece of thin white card stock to the back to protect the edges of the ribbons.  The  piece just seemed to plain so I sponged on some Real Red ink around the tree and still wasn't satisfied.  Since the white ribbon had the red polka dots, I punched out some tiny red circles and added them around the tree.It seemed to fill in the blank space better.

 

The final step was to make the big bow using the oval punches as I described in my November 5th post.  Once again the plain white bow looked too plain so I added another red punch to the center.

 

Thank you so much for stopping by!

HOLLY DIMENSIONAL STICKERS

Yesterday my time was spent working on Christmas cards to send to friends and also preparing cards for the residents at the Independent Living Center where my mother lives.  Since many of the residents do not get out to shop, the staff appreciates that I donate cards for the residents to send to their family and friends.  I still need to take pictures of some of the cards I made yesterday. 

 

Last Wednesday I made the cards below.  They are two of the more simple cards that I will be taking for them to use. 

 

Tomorrow I should be able to have a new card for you to see.

 

Thank you for stopping by!

DISNEYWORLD AND EPCOT

 

The first night at the Magic Kingdom we were greeted with a beautiful rainbow.

 

Fireworks after a performance outside Cinderella's Castle

 

Cinderella's Castle - special lighting for Christmas

 

The Tower of Terror

 

Entering Epcot

 

One of my favorite pictures - My husband with our Grandson

 

All six grandchildren in their "Mouse Ears"

 

The Lion King show

 

The Lion King

 

"Mt. Everest" in the background - roller coaster ride

 

 

Finding Nemo Show

 

 

 

One really tired granddaughter