Endless Birthday Wishes

Today my baby turns 10.  TEN.  Yes, I'm having one of those moments when I wonder how a decade passed in the time it took me to blink.  I just can't believe she's ten, and before I know it, another decade will have gone by and she'll be an adult.  I could go down a very bad and weepy road, so instead I'll chose to be thankful for the ten wonderful years we've had with her so far, and continue to enjoy the laughter and smiles she brings to our home.  This kid is one of a kind, and I simply can't imagine my life without her in it. 

So for her birthday, I had to make my pink girl a pink card.  I thought it was so funny when she noticed the Strawberry Slush ribbon on my desk the other day and started gushing about how much she loved it.  I had already made this card, so I know she'll be thrilled to see a couple of pieces of it on her card.  And I'm just now noticing (after it's too late to do anything about it) that the ribbon seems to have moved a bit in the picture.  I should have used a bone folder to really adhere it to the sticky strip!  Oops!  

You might notice something new on this card...a new stamp set!  It's the Endless Birthday Wishes photopolymer set, and it's adorable!  The cake is great for watercoloring, and the words are in the fun handwriting style that you see on the tag.  The best part is that there are tons of different words that you can combine for any birthday greeting.  I think this one will sell out fast, so if you like the looks of it, grab it while you can!

Big Shot Organization

I've taken a bit of a blogging break, and honestly, it's been kind of great.  I haven't been feeling all that creative lately...the organizational side of me has taken over.  It seems that I can't be both at once, so when I'm feeling creative, I'm pretty messy!  Anyway, I've been cleaning out my house, and have gotten rid of more bags of stuff than I can count.  And there's still more!  But it's so nice to be rid of so much clutter.

As part of my organizing project, I tackled my stamp corner.  I've just had my Big Shot sitting on top of a card board box off to the side of my desk, with the dies, Framelits, and embossing folders in various other spots.  I really wanted everything to be together, and what I had going on just wasn't working for me.  I had a brilliant plan to use this IKEA cart to put everything on, but when I got to the store, I discovered that the bottom shelf was about 1/2" too short to fit things the way I wanted.  I was so sad, but I immediately started thinking of a way to get what I wanted.  Initially, I was going to build a cart.  But I wasn't really wanting to take on that project, so I decided to check out the thrift store.  And guess what...I found a little shelf that was the perfect size!  Better yet, it was really cheap.  I wanted to have a cart, though, not a shelf, so I needed to put wheels on it.  I removed the little wooden feet on the shelf and replaced them with wheels so I could pull it over to where I'm working (I store it on the side of my desk).  The hardware ended up costing about as much as the shelf did! 

As you can see in the picture, the Big Shot fits on top, at a perfect height whether I'm sitting or standing.  The bottom shelf holds two Large Die Boxes perfectly.  All my dies are in those boxes, along with a few other random items.

The second shelf holds a Medium Die Box full of embossing folders and a container that holds all my Framelits.

I don't like the packaging the Framelits come in, so I put each set in an empty clear mount case with a strip of magnetic adhesive to hold them in place.  Right now I have them all lined up in a plastic container, but they will also fit in one of the Large Die Boxes.  Eventually I'll get one to store them in.  For now, I kind of like having the labels easy to see from the side.  However, the container is full, so the next set I get won't fit in there.

So there you go, my handy-dandy Big Shot cart that is far more sturdy than the one I set out to get in the first place, and it cost me less!

Check back on Saturday when I'll finally have a new project to post!

Purple Praying for You {Thoughts & Prayers}

If you love purple, then this is the card for you!  And if you don't, well, I guess you could just make this in a different color scheme. :)  I've actually made a version of this card in browns, which is gorgeous.  This time, I wanted to change things up, and since the stamped image looks kind of like lavender, purple was the natural choice.

I used one of my all time favorite stamp sets, Pocket Silhouettes, which retired years ago.  But I still love it.  I stamped the same image across the paper, at varying heights, in three different shades of purple.

I also used the retiring Square Lattice embossing folder.  The fact that it's retiring still has me scratching my head.  I love this folder.

Supplies

Stamps:  Pocket Silhouettes, Thoughts & Prayers
Ink:  Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant
Paper:  Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant, and Whisper White
Accessories:  Big Shot, Square Lattice embossing folder, Linen Thread, Scallop Oval punch, Large Oval punch

Work of Art Thank You Card

I thought it would be fun to start the week off with a card that shows off tons of new products that will be available in the upcoming 2014-2015 Annual Catalog.  The Designer Series Paper you see here (twice!) is from the Moonlight DSP stack.  I'm really excited that the paper stacks are going to be in the catalog.  I've loved them since they were introduced in last year's holiday catalog.  It's such an inexpensive way to get a sampling of new Designer Series Papers.  Oh, and see those little flowers?  I just punched them out from a scrap of DSP that I had trimmed off.

This card also shows off two of the new In Colors, Hello Honey and Lost Lagoon.  I love these two colors together!  I used my Lost Lagoon marker to color some old satin and taffeta ribbons.  It was so easy to get the color I wanted. 

And I know I've mentioned it before, but I am SO HAPPY that the Tag Topper Punches will be carried over to the annual catalog!  This tag features three stamps from the new set, Work of Art.  The "thank" and the "you" are actually two different stamps, which is nice, because you can place them however you want.  There's also another stamp that says "just for" that matches the "thank" stamp.  There are also tons of different brush stroke images.  It's a very fun set!

Supplies

Stamps:  Work of Art
Ink:  Lost Lagoon and Basic Gray
Paper:  Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey, and Smokey Slate card stock, Moonlight DSP
Accessories:  Scallop Tag Topper Punch, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Dazzling Details, white satin ribbon, Very Vanilla 1/8" taffeta ribbon

2014-2016 In Color Sneak Peek

It might not be an elaborate card, but this one shows off some brand new products coming out in the new annual catalog on June 2.  (Need a catalog?  Just let me know!)

First, let me introduce the new In Colors, from top to bottom:

Blackberry Bliss
Lost Lagoon
Mossy Meadow
Hello Honey
Tangelo Twist

I think my favorite is Hello Honey.  It is very different from Summer Starfruit, but it helps ease the loss. :)

The other new product is the stamp set I used, which is called Work of Art.  It's full of images that look like brush strokes.  I LOVE it.  I'll warn you now that you'll probably be seeing a lot of cards that use this set!

Supplies

 

Stamps:  Work of Art

Paper:  Naturals White

Ink:  Blackberry Bliss, Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow, Hello Honey, Tangelo Twist, Basic Gray

Accessories:  you could use the Stamp-a-ma-jig, but I was actually able to line these brush strokes up without using it

Betsy's Blossoms Thank You Card

Um, whoops!  I completely forgot to post this card yesterday!   I love this card.  It's so simple to make.  I've always been someone who likes a lot of layers on a card (and I still do), but I've come to embrace the simple cards, too.  For someone like me, who loves lots of layers, it's a challenge to create simple cards, but I'm finding that it's getting easier to do.  I can't really take credit for this one, though.  I saw something similar somewhere online, so if I've CASEd your card, let me know so I can give credit where it's due!

Hey, speaking of simple cards, be sure to check back tomorrow.  I have a VERY simple card that not only shows a brand new stamp set, but a peek at the new In Colors for 2014-2016!

Tips & Tricks

• This card uses the retiring Betsy's Blossoms stamp set.  And what I love is that it uses the same large flower stamp for all three flowers.  I simply punched them out using different sized circle punches.

• If you look closely, you'll see that the "Thank You" is a little crooked.  Now, I'll confess that I used this picture because it doesn't look too bad.  But if you saw it straight on, you would wonder what was going on!  The way to avoid crooked stamping is to use the Stamp-a-ma-jig.  This handy tool helps align things perfectly!

Supplies

Stamps:  Betsy's Blossoms, Thank You Kindly (retired)
Ink:  Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe, So Saffron, and Pistachio Pudding
Paper:  Naturals White card stock
Accessories:  2 1/2", 1 3/8", and 1 1/4" Circle Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals

Four Frames Thank You Card

Happy Monday, everyone!  I've been waiting for this week for a long time.  I've mentioned before that I homeschool my kids, and on Friday, we'll be done with our year!  Actually, we never really "finish", because I do make my kids do math all through the summer.  That may seem cruel, but I've just found that life is a lot easier in the fall if they haven't forgotten everything over the summer.  Anyway, we're all excited to wrap things up on Friday, so let's get the week started!

This card is one that we made on Friday night.  And yes, that's the long-retired Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper (although if you click here, you can find it in my online store!)  I've used this layout before, but it's such a classic that I had to use it again on this card.

Tips & Tricks

• This card would be perfectly fine had I just embossed it and put the paper on.  But sponging along the raised part of the embossing makes the image pop.  I used Crumb Cake ink to give it a soft, distressed look.

• It would be great if there was a slightly larger Decorative Label punch to allow for layering.  Unfortunately, there's not, but I have a great trick to get around that problem.  Punch a second label from a different color, then just cut it in half the long way.  I snipped the little tips off the sides of that piece, and then just adhered the two pieces to the top and bottom.  It doesn't perfectly mat the label, but it sure comes close!

Supplies

Stamps:  Just Believe, Four Frames
Ink:  Crumb Cake, Old Olive
Paper:  Old Olive, Soft Sky, and Naturals White card stock, Everyday Enchantment DSP
Accessories:  Big Shot, Tulip Frame Embossing Folder, Paper Snips, Sponge, Decorative Label Punch

Gently Falling Thinking of You Card

Tonight I have some friends coming over to stamp, and this is one of the cards we'll be making.  I'm not sure why, but the colors are coming out kind of weird in the picture.  Ever since I rearranged my basement a few months ago, my pictures have been off.  I just haven't been able to recreate the lighting I had going on before, and I think that's why.  So in case you're wondering, that's Cajun Craze going across the middle of the card, not some crazy bright orange color!

Tips & Tricks

• I'm so sad that Gently Falling is retiring.  I love a good leaf set, and this is a favorite.  When I'm using this set, I always stamp the outline first (although the order doesn't really matter), then, before stamping the background, I stamp off once on my grid paper.  It makes the outline pop and gives a softer look.

• Another way to soften up any card is to sponge around the edges.  You'll see that I've done that twice here:  once on the Always Artichoke sentiment, and again on the tag.

• And if you are wanting some soft texture, crumple up some paper!  That Cajun Craze piece was just crumpled up, then when I was happy with the way it looked, I smoothed it out with a bone folder and adhered it to the card.  So simple!

Now, in case you are looking at this card thinking everything on it is either retiring or already retired, I have wonderful news.  The Tag Topper Punches will be in the new catalog!  I am super excited about that, because I love them both! 

Supplies

Stamps:  Gently Falling, Sincere Salutations, Woodgrain
Ink:  Baked Brown Sugar, Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Always Artichoke
Paper:  Baked Brown Sugar, Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke, and Very Vanilla card stock
Accessories:  Decorative Label Punch, Always Artichoke Seam Binding Ribbon, Linen Thread, Angled Tag Topper Punch

Retro Fresh Awesome Thanks

I thought I'd play along with the most recent challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments.  This week it's a color challenge, and it's a combination I've used a lot lately.  I love these colors together, and especially love the Retro Fresh Designer Series Paper.  I'll be sad to see that go, but I'm super happy that the washi tape is sticking around.  Oh my, I wasn't even trying for that pun!  But I'm a dork, so I'm giggling.

Tips & Tricks

• I love to use the Arrows Embossing Folder to emboss a scrap, then trim it to use as a paper embellishment.  I used it as an arrow on this card, and then today I'm using it as a little flag.  It's a fun and simple way to add texture and interest to a card.

• I might just shed a tear over the fact that the stretch ruffle trim is retiring.  I really love this stuff...it's so pretty and it's easy to use.  I've found that the best adhesive to use with it is Sticky Strip.  It holds well, but the fabric will lift off of it (unlike paper) to allow for repositioning.  I've used it here as a fun way to kind of mat the Very Vanilla card stock.

Supplies

Stamps:  Yippee-Skippee
Ink:  Coastal Cabana and Tangerine Tango Stampin' Write Markers
Paper:  Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, and Very Vanilla card stock, Retro Fresh DSP
Accessories:  Big Shot, Arrows Embossing Folder, Coastal Cabana Stretch Ruffle Trim, buttons, Linen Thread

Papillion Potpourri Mother's Day Card

Wow, am I late in getting a card posted today!  Since this coming Sunday is Mother's Day, I thought it would be appropriate to show this card this week.  And yes, there are lots of retired products used on this, but if you have these stamps sitting on your shelf, it's a good way to use them.  And you should use them!  Sometimes we let some really great sets just sit there, all forlorn and forgotten, when they should be seeing some ink and contributing to pretty cards! 

This card was really simple to make.  I just stamped the grass using the Inspired by Nature set, then stamped, punched, and added the butterflies from Papillion Potpourri.  And while I was certain that the Deco Labels Framelits would be on the retiring list, they weren't!  I am SO excited about this.  And guess what...there's a new set to use with them that's coming out in the new catalog!

Supplies

Stamps:  Inspired by Nature (retired), Papillion Potpourri, All Year Cheer II (retired)
Ink:  Pear Pizzazz, Raspberry Ripple, Pretty in Pink (retired)
Paper:  Raspberry Ripple, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Sahara Sand card stock
Accessories:  Elegant Butterfly Punch, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Big Shot, Deco Labels Framelits, Raspberry Ripple Stitched Satin Ribbon

Hey, speaking of the new catalog, let me know if I can set aside a copy for you!

Retro Fresh Happy Card {Retiring Products}

Oh, how I love the Retro Fresh Designer Series Paper!  I'm so sad that it's going away at the end of this month.  The good news, however, is that the Retro Fresh Designer Washi Tape isn't!  That's right, it's in the new catalog that comes out in June!  I got a sneak peek at it yesterday and was SO happy to see it in the new catalog.  So while I won't be able to get the DSP, I can still enjoy this color combination with the Washi tape.  And since I'm so happy about that, what better card to show off today, right?

I've decided that I have too much ribbon.  Actually, I already knew that, but finally came to terms with the fact that it's completely out of control and I have to use it up.  So those little orange banners you see peeking out?  Yup, old, long-retired ribbon.  And using those little pieces didn't even make a dent in my stash.  I'd better get to work using that ribbon.  I'm told myself that I can't buy any new ribbon until the old is gone (or at least mostly gone), and that's going to be hard.  I'll have to be creative and find some interesting ways to use my ribbon!

Supplies

Stamps:  Yippee-Skippee
Ink:  Coastal Cabana, Baked Brown Sugar, and Tangerine Tango Stampin' Write Markers
Paper:   Very Vanilla, Coastal Cabana, Baked Brown Sugar, and So Saffron card stock, Retro Fresh DSP
Accessories:  Big Shot, Arrows Embossing Folder, Chalk Talk Framelits, Coastal Cabana Stretch Ruffle Trim, Tangerine Tango ribbon, Sticky Strip, Paper Snips