Color Challenge....A Lot Late!

Hurricane Irene came and went....fortunately, here at my house, other than some yard clean up....mainly just leaves and small branches...we came out unharmed, we didn't even loose our power.  We were very, very fortunate, while many in our area were not.  There are many rivers in NJ, and it seemed that every one of them caused flooding.  Where I work, which is less than 10 minutes from my home....well, there was 2 feet of water in the store and in the entire downtown business area....no telling when we'll reopen.  Driving around right now is an adventure since so many roads, even major highways, were either washed away or closed due to flooding.  President Obama  is supposed to visit the area tomorrow to view the damage.  Irene certainly left her mark here.  So, when you see some of the devastation on the news...it truly is not an exaggeration.  They say this was a 100 year flood....I've lived in NJ all my life, I've never seen such destruction that has been so widespread as this has been.  Last week certainly was interesting....an earthquake AND a hurricane all in one week!  WOW!

Well, you know now that I'm fine....but, you came to see a card.  This is WAAAAYYY late! A few weeks ago, there was a Blogger's Challenge that was a color challenge....they are one of my favorite challenges! The colors were in the form of color dots and on my screen, the colors I used in this card matched....but I'm not sure if this is what they actually were!

Anyway, I didn't get the chance to share back when this was a Challenge, (don't remember why...sorry!!) but thought I'd share it now, 'cause I really like the way this card came out. This set, Easy Events, is one of the sets we received at Convention in July. What a GREAT set it is!! I'm sure this is going to be a great, all-purpose set.

For this card, as you can see, the flowers were stamped repeatedly across a piece of Natural Ivory and colored in with markers. The centers of each flower was dotted with my White Gel Pen, but everything looked blurry and murky, so I added in the simple Basic Pearls in each center....that's just what it needed! How cute, right?!!

This was a simple and easy card with some really fun elements.....the Basic Pearls, which I already mentioned; the Perfect Polka Dots in the background, and the fabulous new Lace Ribbon Border Punch with the Marina Mist Ribbon woven through. Oh, and that saying is just the perfect finishing touch...IMHO!....which is from the fun, new Hostess set, Happiest Birthday Wishes.

Stamps: Easy Events, Happiest Birthday Wishes
Inks: Basic Black
CS: Natural Ivory, Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, Wisteria Wonder
Big Shot: Perfect Polka Dots EF
Misc: Basic Pearls, White Gel Pen, Wisteria Wonder Marker, Pear Pizzazz Marker, Lace Ribbon Border Punch, Marina Mist Ribbon

Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting today!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

Well, Hurricane Irene is knocking at my door....she's been downgraded to a Category 1, but is bringing lots of rain with her. So, my stamp room is partially packed, everything is up off of the floor and onto my desk top....you see, my stamp room is in the basement. We've had so much rain lately (this has been the 6th wettest August on record!) that with all the rain that Irene is supposed to give us (expecting 7-12 inches tonight!), it's likely that we'll get some water down there. So, no stamping for me!! Sigh! Fortunately, our visitor should be gone by tomorrow afternoon.....definitely an unwelcome visitor!! Hopefully, the aftermath and clean up won't be too awful.

In the meantime, I have a card to share with you! This card was a quick and easy one I made last week...I needed a few thank you, thinking of you, and get well cards. This one was perfect for all those, I just changed out the greeting as needed....this was the first time I used the lovely Flower Garden Embossing Folder. Just a portion of the image was used. To make it stand out a bit more, it was sponged with White Craft Ink and then the centers of each flower was dotted with 2-Way Glue and Dazzling Diamonds Glitter. As you can see, this was paired with the brand-new Houndstooth Embossing Folder in the background. This wonderful new EF is just the perfect size for a card front, but I personally like a nice clean look inside my card....so, this is a layer on layer. Meaning that the embossing is an extra layer on the card base....both in Elegant Eggplant. One of my new favorite color combos is this wonderful color paired with the fabulous new InColor, Wisteria Wonder. Add in just a bit of Whisper White to give it a bit of crispness and set it all off......and it's perfection! Notice that the stamping on this card is minimal.....but, I really do love the finished effect.

Stamps: Petite Pairs
Inks: White Craft, Elegant Eggplant
CS: Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder
Big Shot: Houndstooth EF, Flower Garden EF
Misc: 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, White Taffeta Ribbon

Thanks so much for stopping by today!
If I don't loose power (and cable) for too long, I'll be back tomorrow with another sample to share.

Card Tins -- Final Post

The last 2 posts have been about these card tins.....they have taken over my life lately....at least most of my spare time!  Remember, there were 6 tins, each with 12 cards and matching envelopes, all hand stamped by me...and then placed in this gift bag.  Whew!  So glad that project is behind me!!  Although I have to admit that I did have fun making and creating all the cards, the tins, and even the gift bags...which I am sharing here. Just happy to move onto other things!

I'm really pleased with the way the bags came out....do you remember this wrapping paper from SU?  It was called Blizzard and is from a few years back...don't remember how far back, though.  There were 2 rolls...the blue with the little dots and the coordinating Chocolate Chip and Bashful Blue snowflake patterned paper.  The very bottom of the paper at the base of the bag was punched with my Scallop Boarder Punch....I think it's difficult to see on screen.  The Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon is also retired, but there is a newer version now...but I don't have that.  Can't really seem to purchase it with this still sitting in my collection of STUFF!  This ribbon is luscious....I'll be so sad to use up the last of it!  (I'm really giving it a gallent try to reduce my retired supply!)

The cute little tag is mostly new things....the layered circles (created with the 1 3/8" & 1 1/4" Circle Punches and layered onto a punchout from the Snowflake Punch.  Yes, the eyelet....in Bashful Blue (gotta love how everything coordinates!!) IS retired...so is the Silver Cord used to tie it to the bag.  Don't you love it?  So easy to replace this patterned paper with something in YOUR collection....definitely with something current!!  Think background papers......

And here's one last card from the box....it's actually the very last one made for each tin.  Simple and easy, but so cute.  The retired Orchid Opulence was used for the card base, but can easily be changed out for whatever color strikes your fancy.  I have to admit, that I've always loved Whisper White with Orchid Opulence and a touch of Basic Black...which is the color combo for this simple card.  The flowers were simply stamped 3 times and then the stitching was added. 

See the black punch out in the center, above and below the flower strip?  None other than the Decorative Label Punch, which was cut in half and mounted to the back of the flower strip before adding to the card. Once mounted, it still needed a little something, so the little white dots were added with my White Gel Pen, and the BLING was created with Basic Rhinestones (medium size) was added to the center of each flower! 

See?  I told you it was easy to make this one!  Oh, and I need to mention that this was inspired (but not the same) by the fun little sample on Page 98 of the SU catalog.  It was just adapted to what I happen to have in my stamp collection.

Stamps:  Vintage Vogue, Thank You Kindly
Inks:  Orchid Opulence, Basic Black
CS:  Orchid Opulence, Basic Black, Whisper White
Misc:  Basic Rhinestones, Basic Black Marker, White Gel Pen, Decorative Label Punch

Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting today!!

Just a Note....

I met with my Stamp Club ladies recently.  We always make 3 projects together....usually 2 are cards and the third is something 3D and simple to make.  This was our 3D project from the other night....it's an "oldie, but a goodie."  They LOVED this idea....THEY didn't know this idea has been around!

With school about to begin (in NJ, we usually begin right around Labor Day), there's lots of things for busy Moms to remember...and in my house, small pads of paper, or Post-It pads seem to develop legs and walk away!  By putting the Post-It pads onto an easel, they tend to stay put and be there when you need them.  It seems these ladies understood that concept perfectly...could it be that my house is not the only home where this phenomenon happens?!!

Can you tell what the easel is?  It's an inexpensive acrylic easel-type 5x7 frame!....it's just turned the opposite direction so that the Post-Its are down and the "stand" is what is giving it elevation....Am I explaining that clearly?

Anyway, the stamp used for the background is a new Al La Carte, single stamp, called Triple Treat Flower. (Item #122909; Page #18)  So fun!  Matches a few of our punches.  The background is Crumb Cake and the flower was stamped in Wild Wasabi.  Then the image was stamped twice more, once in Pool Party onto Whisper White and again in Calypso Coral onto Crumb Cake.  The 5-Petal Flower Punch was used to punch out the Pool Party/Whisper White flower; and the 1/2" Round Punch was used to punch out the little circle flower in the center.  Can you see the little dot of white in the very, very center of each flower?  A fun little touch with the White Gel Pen.

The word, "Notes" was computer generated....I was lucky enough to easily match up the color to the ink!  This was punched out using the Large Oval Punch and layerd onto the framed background.  I'm loving this color combo....on my screen, it just doesn't look nearly as pretty as it does in real life; hope it looks better on yours.

Stamps:  Triple Treat Flower, Four Frames
Inks:  Wild Wasabi, Calyso Coral, Pool Party
CS:  Crumb Cake, Wild Wasabi
Punches:  5-Petal Flower, 1/2" Round Punch, Decorative Label Punch
Misc:  Sticky Strip, White Gel Pen

Thanks so much for stopping by today and visiting!!

Here They Are....Card Tins!

As I mentioned yesterday in this post, I've been busy, busy, busy stamping away to create 6 card tins filled with cards....which is why I haven't been posting here lately.  I've been consumed with creating and making these tins and filling them with cards (all created in my spare time around Convention and vacation, of course!).   3 are for an order I received, 2 are for gifts I will give....giving me 1 extra, which I'm sure I'll use with the upcoming holiday season, if not before!

Also mentioned that I've been on a mission to use up some of my rather plentiful stash....I have so much DSP and cardstock that has retired....it's TIME for some to be used!  So, these tins, although almost entirely SU product, much has retired.......in fact, I have so much retired DSP, that I feel guilty taking advantage of the GREAT special SU now has going on.....Buy 3 packages of any Designer Series Paper and receive a 4th package of your choice FREE!  How great is that?!!      Details are here, but this special is only till the end of August.

This tin, I have to say is my favorite...or should I say favorites, since I created doubles.  When I first put on the paper and then added the ribbon, it was really rather drab.  The paper is pretty enough, but really needed some punch!  So, I pulled out some retired Ruby Red CS and that was just what this box needed!  That flower was created with a Big Shot die that is also retired....each layer was sponged, also in Ruby Red, and a Green Round Crystal Brad was added in the center.  The leaves were created using the Large Oval Punch, folding each oval in half, trimming one end to a point, put through the crimper and then sponged.  Oh, and the word, "Cards" was created using a Cuttlebug alphabet that I've had for way longer than I've had my Big Shot! 

Next up is this cute daisy tin.....again, lots of retired stuff here.  And, as you'll notice, the layout is exactly the same....actually, all 6 have the same layout.  It just made life easier to create the same thing with different papers.  I just matched the flowers to the papers, so they are all different.  Here, I simply used the Daisy Die (LOVE it!!), added in a Build A Brad and some leaves created with a non-SU leaf die that I recently purchased off of a clearance rack in a craft store.  Since the letters were each punched using scraps, I found some Bashful Blue scraps that were stamped with the now-retired Sanded Background stamp.  I only make one of this particular design.

Next.....(can you tell I was having fun with all these flowers?!!) is this box with the ruffled flower.  This one is fun and so easy....I learned how to make them from this tutorial, posted by my friend, Lynn.  This box...which, again, I made in duplicate....was really easy.  I've always loved this DSP and was hoarding it....now it's all used up; there is no more!  The flower and letters are in Riding Hood Red; the leaves are in Kiwi Kiss (have just a bit left!).

And this is the last one....the supply of this DSP is now dwindling as well.  For the flower on this one, I used the Fun Flowers Die...but, I have to admit that this is the second flower created for this box.  The first was created with Rose Red and Regal Rose layers and each layer was impressed with various embossing folders.  WAAAY too busy with the background paper, so I simplified by changing 2 of the layers out to Whisper White and lightly sponging the very edges of each petal.  The Regal Rose layer was from the original flower.  I'm so much happier with this color flower!

So....what do you think?  As you can see, I left the tops of each of the tins plain, which I believe works.  Decorating the tops is a time-consuming process, and when left blank, it makes you focus on the box itself.  I really love the way each one of these turned out....so, when I e-mailed photos of the boxes to my customer asking which 3 she wanted, she couldn't decide...she's leaving it up to me!  A difficult decision, to be sure!!

I haven't listed all the supplies for these boxes, as I mentioned above, most have retired, but you could easily switch out any of the papers and/or flowers to fit what YOU have in your own personal collection.  If you have any questions, please drop me a line! 

Oh.....when I was first commissioned to make these boxes, I looked everywhere on the internet and couldn't find these tins anywhere!  Well, yesterday, I rec'd a popular craft magazine and these tins are once more available.  So, if you want to know where you can find them, just ask, and I'll be happy to share that info privately.

Whew!  This was a long post!  Hope this explains why....and makes up for my most recent absence.  As always......

Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting today!

Edited to add:  If you have any questions, please e-mail me so I can get back to you!



Busy Stamping Away......

It's been awhile....where has the time gone?!!  I cannot believe that it's been a few weeks since my last post... BUT, I have some eye candy for you today!

I had an order for some cards.....you see back in late June, I needed a quick thank you gift, so I took some cards out of my stash and threw them in a lunch box tin that I decorated and wrapped it all up really pretty.  Well, she loved it so much she ordered THREE!  Each with 12 cards.  Well, as I said in the title to this article, I've been busy stamping away!!

Well, those tins are no longer available for purchase.....I had two in my stash, but put out a plea to some of my sister demos and found another four, so I bought them all from her.  That gave me six gifts.....so I made six sets.  The outsides are all different....I'll share them soon, but the contents are all the same.  I'm on a mission to use up a lot of my retired stock and some of the stuff in my stash that has been collecting dust for way too long!  So, although I'll give you the information on these samples, much of what I've used has retired.

This card on the right is one of the cards in each of the box sets and uses the long-retired Vintage Violet and the matching ribbon.  (You see?....I have stuff from long  ago that really needs to be used!)  Simple layout...the background layer features a Cuttlebug folder that is one of the first I ever purchased....before SU came out with their own. 

The stamps are definitely current SU....the greeting is from one of my favorite word sets, Short & Sweet and punched out with the Word Window Punch.  The focal point image is from Pocket Silhouettes....a set that has been neglected.  This was one of the featured sets at Convention in July....this particular image was a silhouette on the stage.  It really is a great image and I've fallen in love with it all over again!

The little spray of leaves was simply stamped onto a square of Almost Amethyst (remember when that was one of my favorite colors?!!....yup!  Still have some of the cardstock!)  Then graduated squares of Vintage Violet and Whisper White were layered over top, but had the circle punched with the 1 3/4" Circle Punch....these layers were adhered together and then popped up on Dimensionals before being added over the Almost Amethyst layer.  Inside the card, there's a simple layer of Whisper White cardstock, so that a message can be easily added....and read!

Stamps:  Pocket Silhouettes, Short & Sweet

Inks:  Vintage Violet

CS:  Vintage Violet, Almost Amethyst, Whisper White

Misc:  1 3/4" Circle Punch, Vintage Violet Ribbon, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Dimensionals

Here's another card that was included.....and probably one of my favorites.  The two I'm sharing today are cards that I've created and are my original ideas, I think.  (They may look similar to others seen online....I do a lot of crusin' around the internet looking at ideas, so they were probably inspired by things I've seen!)  This card has all current SU product.  (What was I thinking?!!)

Element of Style is the set used here, in Chocolate Chip on Very Vanilla...this gives the card such a classic look, don't you think?  The greeting is from the set called Oval All, another neglected set.  The stamp is just the perfect match to those flower branches and added to this card, it's just right for those cards when you need to drop someone a note to let them know you were thinking of them.  The textured Very Vanilla layer was put through the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder in my Big Shot....the perfect touch!

Stamps:  Element of Style, Oval All

Inks:  Chocolate Chip

CS:  Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip

Misc:  Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper EF, Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Dimensionals

Those are the only two individual cards I will be sharing from the gift tins.  The other cards are all CASEd ideas, and they've already been shared elsewhere online....since I needed 12 different cards for each tin, it was just easier to copy.   Obviously, I cannot take credit for them!  But, here you can see all of them spread around.  This is just one set!  The cards are all lovely (IMHO!!) and I'm very pleased with the finished projects.....come back soon and I'll share the tins.  Oh....the front center items in this group photo show the index cards.  I've matched the tabs in each set to the flowers on the outside of each box/tin.

(This set is for a close friend's birthday....she is receiving a few extra cards in her set.)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Things With Wings

This card was created a couple of months ago and was inspired by a card creation in Stampin' Success....a fabulous, full-color magazine available only to demonstrators..  This publication is a wonderful resource  full of lots of terrific artwork, business tips, and product ideas....another GREAT reason to become a demonstrator!!  (How do you think we came up with all our ideas?!!)

Anyway, this is based on a card in the magazine a few months back, but I've changed it up a a bit.  This sample was created for a Bloggers' Challenge a couple of months ago (for the Things With Wings Challenge), but  I just hadn't had the chance to share it with all of you before now!

As you can see, the one stamp was used repeatedly across the base of the Whisper White square.  Ink once, stamp twice....that's how the "shaded" look was created.....such an easy technique.  Although I used Wild Wasabi Ink, the lighter color seemed to resemble Pear Pizzazz, so that's the color of the green background. 

As you can see, I'm a fan of pinks and greens together, AND polka dots....that dotted ribbon is now retired, but seemed to go so well with the impressed background, which seemed to go with the stamped images!  Isn' it fun?!!  Here's the info:

Stamps:  Pocket Silhouettes, Short & Sweet

Inks:  Wild Wasabi

CS:  Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette

Big Shot:  Dotted Embossing Folder (Non-SU), Beautiful Wings Embosslits

Misc:  Scallop Trim Border Punch, Small Oval Punch (retired), Large Oval Punch, Melon Mambo Dotted Grosgrain Ribbon (retired), Basic Pearls, Mini Glue Dots (used to adhere butterflies), 5/16" Neutrals Brad in White

Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting today!

Bloggers' Challenge -- Embossing

Sorry this is so late!!  Things were crazy last week at work....and now I'm "playing" in Myrtle Beach, SC!  Tried to get this posted before I left, but just plain ole' ran out of time.  Happily, I have internet service (which was a big surprise...didn't think I'd have it at my sister's condo), so, here I am.  Hopefully, you'll think this card sample is "better late than never!" 

Embossing is what got me hooked on stamping.....you see, I was at a craft convention...it seems like a thousand years ago....and saw a woman emboss a cute little teddy bear in gold....ohhhh! It was like magic.....I sooooo wanted to learn to do that!

Thinking back, gold teddies are not what I'm into any more, but I still really love embossed cards....we've certainly come a very long way since those early days.....as you can see from my card this week, there are NO gold embossed teddy bears here! LOL Actually, this is another of my Convention swaps....and it fits perfectly with this week's Bloggers' theme.   Our list "Mom," Lisa, gave us the Challenge this week....to emboss.

The flowers were embossed and then colored in using a color wash that I learned from Gretchen Barron's tutorial on her blog.....she is amazing.  Be sure to check out her blog.  After the flowers dried overnight, I cut each one out and added them to the card.

Hint:  I usually emboss Basic Black Craft Ink with Clear Embossing Powder...keeps those stray dots away!

And, speaking of embossing....today dry embossing SOOOO popular! Check out the So Saffron layer....YUP!...dry embossed with my Vintage Wallpaper EF. So, this card covers 2 different types of embossing. A dozen years or so ago, I would have been happy learning how to re-create that gold teddy bear....never in my wildest dreams did I think we could go beyond that!

Stamps: Fabulous Florets, Word Play
Inks: Basic Black Craft, Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight
CS:  Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango, So Saffron, Shimmery White
Big Shot:  Tasteful Trim, Vintage Wallpaper EF, Scallop Circle #2 Die (used the larger of the 2), Little Leaves Sizzlet
Misc:  Circle Scissor Plus, Basic Pearls, Aqua Brush, Clear EP 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!