Christmas Mix It Up with Non-Traditional Colors

When we think of Christmas, we think of red, green and sometimes a bit of blue and white.  Frequently around the holidays I like to challenge myself by using other colors than the traditional. 

I’ve put a bit of a vintage twist into this Christmas card by using black and vanilla as my main colors.  If you haven’t purchased the Newsprint Designer Series Paper you are going to want to have that for your paper creations going forward.  It is so lovely and it creates a wonderful background to my Christmas card. 

I got my inspiration for the layout for this card on page 96 of the 2010-2011 Stampin’ UP! Idea Book and Catalog.  I made a slight modification by creating a slit in the background paper and weaving the Very Vanilla strip to the front.  By doing that I created the perfect space for my greeting.  Don’t you just love that greeting?  It comes from the Just Believe stamp set, which by chance isn’t even from a Christmas set, but it is just perfect for this time of year!  I really love how this turned out.  What do you think?

Stamps:   Lovely as a Tree, Just Believe
Papers:  Basic Black, Very Vanilla 
Ink: Versmark, Basic Black
Accessories: Basic Rhinestones, Vintage Brads, Black Stampin’  Emboss Powder,
Tools: Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy, Snail Adhesive, Hobby Blade, Handheld Punch 1/16” Circle
Techniques Used:  Heat Embossing

The finished card size is 4-1/4” x 4- 1/14”.  I like to change up the card size every now and again too…just to mix it up!  I usually mail these in a standard greeting size envelope.

Enjoy!

December Birthdays

I’m sure many of you know someone in your family or a friend that has a December birthday.  I know it is really hard for those people because everyone likes to lump their birthdays in with Christmas.  So, in the spirit of giving I created this fun card for my son’s teacher Mrs. Hardy.  I am so in LOVE with the new bling from the catalog – okay, forgive me for saying NEW, because it is all new to me right now!  7 months of no stamping and I feel like I am on stamping overload! I’m still trying to use as much of my stamping stuff as I can!  LOL! 

A dear friend sent me a picture of a holiday card found over at  Tamara Black’s blog. It was a great starting out place for me and just the inspiration I needed for Mrs. H’s birthday card.  All the “presents” are wrapped/stamped with background stamps.  Don’t you just love those mini background stamps?

Stamps:   A to Z, Dot,Dot,Dot, Solid Stripes, En Francais, Monogram Sweet
Papers:  Pretty in Pink, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Jet Black Stazon
Accessories: Basic Rhinestones, Whisper White Satin Ribbon
Tools: Snail Adhesive, Boho Blossoms Punch, 1-3/8 Square Punch, Paper Snips, Sticky Strip, Needle and Thread, Itty Bitty Bits Punch Pack, Decorative Label Punch, 1-1/4 Circle Punch
Techniques Used:  I gathered the ribbon with needle and thread and secured with Sticky Strip behind the Basic Black layer of cardstock.  

I hope the next time you decide to design a December birthday it doesn’t contain Holly, Christmas trees or wreaths and comes in other colors besides green and red!

Enjoy!

What projects are you creating next?  Should you need any Stampin’ UP! supplies please visit my online store.

Holiday Place Cards

There are only a few short weeks to get together all those wonderful handmade gifts.  I am super excited to have our family in for a visit over the holidays!  Since I rarely get to create a big feast I am going all out and even creating some place cards for the table this year!

Stampin’ Up! offers us demonstrators some great ideas and this place card holder was just an idea that I had to make my own!  I just love the earthy feel of the colors and the papers and it’s always fun to mix and match your stamp sets to create that perfect work of heart! My stamps have been missing me so I had to use them so they would all be happy!

Stamps:  Peaceful Season (Hostess – Holiday Mini), Lovely Letters Alphabet, En Francais, Artistic Etchings
Papers:  Confetti Cream, Cherry Cobbler, Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, Early Esspresso, Soft Suede
Accessories: Antique Brads, Hemp Twine
Tools: Snail Adhesive, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Big Shot, 1/16” Handheld Punch, 1-1/4” Circle Punch, 1-3/8” Circle Punch, Two Tags Bigz Die, Paper Snips, Sticky Strip, Sponges
Techniques Used: Stamping Off, Sponging, Dry Embossing, Tearing, Direct to Paper

I just love how this project came to life.  As I look at his project many other ideas pop into my head – wouldn’t it be neat to place a little surprise in the ring?  The tag would make a perfect bookmark or a terrific addition to your Christmas Tree next year!  Please feel free to copy or to use this as a piece of inspiration for your holiday projects! 

Enjoy!

 

Do you need just the right stamps, cardstock and accessories for your projects?  Visit my online store today to get the items you’ll need for your holiday projects.

Back to School

Howdy y’all,

I guess I should start out with some southern lingo, so you know I’m starting to adjust here in the south.  Noah has picked up on some of the word choice already and it sounds strange coming out of him.  ;) 

School started this week.  I’m excited and sad at the same time.  Noah has been so helpful since I broke my elbow and I’ve come to depend on him to help me out.  On the other hand, I’m excited because now I’ll have a bit more time to devote to stamping and getting some stamping activities going again!  To begin, I wanted to share a card that I gave to Noah yesterday to celebrate the start of his 4th grade year!

The summer mini is almost gone so I have to share some of my faves before they disappear and the Holiday mini takes over.  I know I’m behind the times, but better late than never, right?  One of my favorite stamp sets was the rough type alpha in Clear block.  I love that those tiny letters can be lined up to spell almost anything. Can you see the “rocks” in the lower left corner? How cool is that?!  Line up and stamp once! Did you notice that I forgot to stamp “grade”?  I just noticed when I was typing this out.  I guess I am human, huh, although it kinda makes sense even though I forgot part of the words. LOL!

This card uses Noah’s favorite colors, so it is actually a little “bright” for me, but it totally screams “LET’S CELEBRATE”, don’t you think? ;) Don’t you love how colors can emit emotions?  Anyhow, the Extreme Elements stamp set is a great set to create a collage and is perfect for kids to teens to adults!  Noah told me that he likes the splatter stamp because it looks like slime hitting the wall…what else would you expect from a 9 year old?  LOL! The number and letters were created using the Go Go Boots Medium Sizzlets dies for the Big Shot.  Forgive me, but the big red star is from the retired “A Little Somethin’” hostess stamp set. I hope you were lucky enough to earn that level 2 set as a hostess in 2009.  

Enjoy!

Summer is almost here!

If you stopped by for the blog hop, I hoped you enjoyed it! It was fun for me to see some of the great projects using some of the beloved stamp sets on Stampin’ Up!’s Last Chance List. 

I'm creating some cards for a lady I met here in Allen, TX.  She needed some thank you cards for some very special people that are helping her out with a very special occasion – her wedding!  The only direction she gave me was “beach elegance”.  This is what I came up with for her cards.

The main panel was water colored with Watercolor Crayons and an Aqua Painter on beautiful watercolor paper.  It was great to have all the retiring colors because when you’re creating a scene you’ll want various colors at your disposal.  **hint hint you may want to finish getting the retiring watercolor crayon colors before they are gone! I used about 12 different colors for the beach sunrise.  The words are clear embossed with Taken with Teal Craft Ink.  The entire image is spritzed with Champagne shimmer paint and an alcohol mix.

I love the ribbon treatment!  A quick twist of the ribbon, a half pearl from the pretties kit and a vintage tag complete the ensemble.

I’m missing my peanut gallery from back “home”.  They always gave me such great feedback on my creations!  If you have a minute…please let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

Saying Good-bye to Holiday Blitz

Whether you just started here or you came from Holly’s blog I’m so glad you’re here! Holly really did a fabulous job showcasing the Holy Triptych stamp set. Her work is always stunning!

I will be sharing my projects using one of my retiring stamp sets, Holiday Blitz.  It is one of those fun sets because you get 28 stamps that cover all the holidays for the year plus some extra’s that cover all the seasons too!  Small stamps are perfect when making smaller cards, tags, inchies and a host of other creative projects.  So follow me as I share with you three of my newest creations using this great holiday stamp set!

This is a quick project that uses one stamp to create a fun border by using multiple ink colors, and some of those long strips of scraps that I’ve been saving just for these cards. LOL!  These 3 x 3 cards fit in the small box created using two small envelope dies.  This cute project uses Sahara Sand, Regal Rose, and Melon Mambo. These four little cards with envelopes would make a perfect hostess gift this July 4th!

With Father’s Day right around the corner,  Holiday blitz comes to the rescue with two perfect stamps! 1” strips of Designer Series Paper and Very Vanilla cardstock quickly make these “Tie” inchies the perfect image for Dad!  A self-made Designer Series Envelope with clear-embossed “Ties” ties this project together. ;)

  My final project for the hop is a tic tac toe game!  This would be a great little gift as a take home gift from a birthday party.  The Designer Series Paper makes quick work of the cover and the game board. Actual size is 5” x 5” x 1/4” and would fit perfectly in a 5.5” square envelope.

Window sheets were used to adhere the game pieces inside and the temporary adhesive, Dotto, was used to affix the pieces on the game board.  My nine-year-old son had to play as soon as I finished…so I assume it would be a big hit with kids!

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out Lisa’s blog next to see her wonderful creations as she says good-bye to Together Forever.

Enjoy!

50th Anniversary times Three

I remember when my grandparents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary it was such a special occasion.  I wasn’t making cards back then, so I am sure they received a store-bought card.  The horror!  They deserved so much more!  Well, I have been creating some beautiful 50th Wedding Anniversary cards for someone that has three of these big events coming up in the next few weeks!  I thought I would share these most recent creations.  I am thrilled at how they came out!  I most definitely would have given any of these to my grandparents at their celebration!

Click on the photos for a larger view.

 

Key Features: Gold Embossed and Edged

 

 

 

 

 

 

Key Features: Gold Embossed and 3D Flowers with Matching Envelope

 

 

 

 

Key Features: Gold Embossed, 3D Pearled and Shimmered Butterfly with Matching envelope. 

 

 

 

Be sure to check back tomorrow after 10:00 AM for the start of the Stampin’ Addicts Blog Hop!

Enjoy!

Babies and Birds – Spring is around the corner!

I just got the Stampin’ UP! Extra Large Two-Step Bird punch(117191)!  I have waited patiently for it to arrive…not really…but it arrived last week amidst all the craziness of us trying to sell our home.  This punch is just the perfect touch for your card making or your scrapbooking for babies, spring, new homes (nests) or any thinking of you card! 

One of my very good friends just had her baby (Nathan Joseph) this past week so I decided to make her a cute little quick card with this punch.  I have seen the bird punch used with flowers and specifically the Extra Large Fancy Flower Punch (118073) but I haven’t seen it yet with a cute little nest.  This flower punch made making the nest a breeze.  The Solid Stripe single stamp (115707) gave the nest a hay feel and a quick fringe of the flower petals were the final touches to this cute little nest.

The card is 3D 4.25” x 4.25” and I have a bit of cardstock behind the bird holding it up so that is appears sitting in the nest instead of flat against it.  I don’t think the picture does it justice, but I’m sure you get the picture.  It might be even cuter with some little eggs – What do you think?

Like what you see?  Visit my website and place your order now!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Quick and Simple Birthday Cards

So glad you stopped by today, whether you joined me from Jennifer’s blog, Stampin’ on the Fly, or just started here! There are 24 stops on this tour, so feel free to hop through all stops over the next 2 days. You can click on the picture above to visit Stampin’ Addicts and see all the stops on the tour.

Quick and Simple birthday cards to me are those cards that are either easy enough for a new stamper to create or cards that can be duplicated with little effort.  Two of the cards that I have on display for you today were designed for some new stampers from the Alpha Phi Sorority that I had over this week.  All the cards that were made are to be donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC)!

I rarely get to make little girl birthday cards since we are a family of mostly little men, so this was a real treat for me!  Punches and the Big Shot make these cards quick to create in a bunch and have on hand from year to year. I know I would be happy to have a pre-made card with all the birthday parties my son attends every year!  

Of course, I had to make some cards for the boys too!  These fun cards use strips of Designer Series Paper and punches.  If you keep your scraps these cards are a breeze to create with those little strips of paper you have been saving! The punched out center is perfect as is or you can insert a picture of the special birthday boy! I just love the Family Phrases greetings when creating cards for kids because it looks like it is handwritten!

My final birthday project is a quick and simple one-layer birthday note that is perfect to include with some flowers or on a gift package.  The 3 x 3 style lends itself to a quick and simple card!  Adding a stamped image, a few well-placed embellishments and a greeting makes this card both easy for a beginner and quick to duplicate.

If you need a larger image to view, remember to just click on the photo.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!  Barbara has some great “ladies night out” birthday treats in store for you on her blog, Creative Stampin Spot.

Enjoy!

BOLO – Upcoming Blog Hop

"Be On The Lookout" and mark your calendars!  One of my favorite hangouts, Stampin' Addicts, is having its first birthday this month!  To celebrate, I'll be joining 24 talented stampers in showcasing birthday-themed projects February 20th and 21st.  I’ll be showcasing some quick and easy birthday cards for kids and some big kids too, so you won't want to miss it!

The Carrot or the Stick

I say the carrot! 

This cute little concoction came to me last night after my phone rang at 12:24 AM! Falling asleep wasn’t that easy so of course my mind wanders to stamping.  Who knows how I came to be thinking about carrots, but that is what came to mind. 

Now to make thinking about carrots even stranger…I talked to a friend this morning who told me she wanted a carrot pattern for Easter!  OMG! Do you hear the twilight zone song in your head too?  So, I figured if two of us are thinking about carrots maybe some of you are too.  It’s not too early to start planning Easter gifts, but this project is not for Easter.   I think it is a perfect gift for someone that has helped you out or done some other good deed.  Just a reminder, all photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

I had a carrot pattern that I ended up altering.  I added the twist closure to the top of it and added some frayed ribbon for the carrot greenery at the top!  I would love to hear what you think of my carrot twist box.

 

Recipe – Carrot Twist Box
Stamps: Very Vintage Wheel, Vintage Vogue, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
Inks:  Creamy Caramel, Perfect Plum, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive
Paper: Only Orange, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Sponge, 3/4” Circle Punch, 1-1/4” Olid Olive Striped Grosgrain, Dimensionals, Bone Folder, Dimensionals 
Technique: 3D Twist Closure

We all love carrots when we do something right…so make someone’s day and give them a carrot!

Enjoy!

Creating with Children

Have you ever shown a child one of your creative works of art?  They are always so impressed and excited about your project!  The joy and smiles show in their eyes and it always gives you such a great feeling of accomplishment, doesn’t it?  So remember when you have a child creating with you return the favor and let them know that they did a great job with their precious works of heart!

I had two events this week that involved children.  I had such a fabulous time because the children were so excited to have the time to craft and spend time with each other! There were squeals of delight, big smiles and giggles throughout our stamping time together.  Now I think that sounds a little bit like us stampers when we get together too!  I guess that means we never grow out of the fun times!  Don’t forget to involve your children or someone else’s when you craft the next time…your world will definitely be changed for the better!

Here are photos of the projects I created this past week for these fun events. Parents helped with all aspects of these projects and no stamps, or ink pads were hurt or damaged in the making of these projects.  ;) Feel free to click on any photo to view a larger photo.

Recipe – Valentines Day
Stamps: Fundamental Phrases, I {Love} Love Wheel, Extreme Elements
Inks:  Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper
Accessories: Heart punch, Heart to Heart Punch, Stamping Up! Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit

Recipe – Happy Birthday Molly
Stamps: I {Love} Love Wheel, Fundamental Phrases, Love You Much, Love Bandit
Inks:  Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black 
Paper: Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper
Accessories: Real Red Marker, Punches – Small Heart, Scallop Circle, 1-1/4” Circle, 1-13/8 Circle, Heart, Heart to Heart, and corner punch, Stamping Up! Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit, Real red 1/4” grosgrain ribbon, stampin’ dimensionals, red satin ribbon, clips assortment

Enjoy!

When do you use hearts?

I always thought that hearts were only for Valentine’s day.  Maybe you were like me at one time.  I stayed away from hearts because I thought they were too girly…so when Stampin’ Up! came out with the I {heart} Hearts stamp set I immediately looked passed the set.  Everyone I knew was saying things like that is one of my must have sets….and I said “Really????” in disbelief.  So I purchased the set to see what I could do with hearts.  These are two of the projects that I designed. Both for different events other than Valentine’s Day, but both could easily fall into the Valentine’s Day category with a change of the greeting.

Recipe – Mother’s Day
Stamps: I {heart} Hearts, Well Scripted
Inks:  Bravo Burgundy, Creamy Caramel, VersaMark
Paper: Bravo Burgundy, Creamy Caramel, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Gold Brad, Kind Thought Brocade Stencil, Sponge, Champagne Shimmer Paint, Sponge Dauber
Technique: Distressing, VersaMark Resist

Recipe – Happy Anniversary
Stamps: Medallion, I {heart} Hearts
Inks:  Real Red
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red
Accessories: Punches – Modern Label, Heart to Heart, Word Window, 1-3/4 Circle, Dimensionals
Technique: Can you see the I {heart} Hearts image in here?

If you haven’t given {hearts} a chance…this might be your opportunity to stamp your heart out!  ;) This fun set comes in both clear block cling mount and wood mount.

Enjoy!

Butterfly Bitty Box

This is a project I created last year.  I am thrilled to find out that the shimmer paint will continue to be available due to its popularity.  So if you didn’t get it yet…you still have some time to purchase it! You’ll notice a slight twinkle on the third layer of the butterfly, but it more beautiful in real life.

I spent a lot of time at the end of the year playing with my stamp pad re-inkers.  Re-inkers are not just for reinking your stamp pads as you can tell by the second layer of the butterfly.

It is fun to layer images to create 3D effects, try adding dimension between layers to get a different look when creating your cards, projects and scrapbook pages.

A friend of mine suggested this color combination to me and I am just hooked on it!  Thanks, Cindy!

Stamps
A Great Friend

Inks (Pages 155-157, 190)
Rich Razzleberry
Old Olive

Paper (Pages 155-167) 
Rich Razzleberry 
Old Olive 
Whisper White
Household Glossy Photo Paper

Accessories (Pages 158-205) 
Stampin’ Up! Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die 
Stampin’ Up! Bitty Box & Envelope Bigz XL Die 
Big Shot
Hemp Twine 
Paper Snips
Dimensionals
Sticky Strip
Frost White Shimmer Paint

Reinkers 
Bermuda Bay
Rich Razzleberry
Old Olive
Household Alcohol
Cotton Balls

Enjoy!