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

Thanks So Much

I don't know about you, but I was shocked to see the Square Lattice embossing folder on the retiring list!  I love that folder, and use it all the time.  I just love the unique texture it gives, but hopefully there will be something similar in the new catalog.

Because I love this folder so much, I thought I'd show it off with this card.  I really like to layer it on a same colored card base, as it gives a subtle bit of texture and interest without drawing attention away from the main image. 

I'm also linking this card to the Fab Friday challenge.  This one was a color challenge and was really tough for me!  These are NOT colors I would normally use together, but I was pleasantly surprised to see them work as well together as they do.  That's why I like to do challenges...they push me outside my comfort zone.  Considering the creative block I've had going for the last few weeks, this was just the push I needed!

Supplies

Stamps:  Just Believe (retired), Tiny Tags (retired), Papillion Potpourri
Ink:  Early Espresso, Summer Starfruit, Crisp Cantaloupe, Smokey Slate
Paper:  Early Espresso, Summer Starfruit, Crisp Cantaloupe, Smokey Slate, and Naturals White card stock
Accessories:  Big Shot, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Chalk Talk Framelits, Jewelry Tag Punch, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Sweet Sorbet Accessories Pack, Basic Jewels Pearls

So Sorry Circle Flip Card

I wasn't going to show this card for a while, but since it's loaded with retiring products, I thought that sooner was better than later!  Unfortunately, Summer Starfruit card stock is no longer available.  Trust me, I'm as sad about that as you are! I may try to post this same card in different colors later this week.  Other retiring items include the So Sorry stamp set and the ribbon.

Tips & Tricks

• Did you know you can make a really cool linen look with the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set?  How great is that?  I love that set, for so many reasons, and now I have one more!  Just randomly stamp in two directions until you're satisfied with the look.  I used Summer Starfruit ink and card stock for a tone on tone look, and it's just perfect.

• Someone recently asked me how I know when to punch first and when to stamp first.  A lot of it is just kind of learned behavior that comes with lots of practice.  But a good rule of thumb is that if something needs to be centered, stamp then punch.  So in the case of the circle in the middle, I stamped the "So Sorry" then punched, and then stamped the flowers.  I could have stamped those before punching, but doing it after allowed me to better see the placement of the image, and I was much happier with it that way.

Supplies

Stamps:  So Sorry, Just Believe (retired), Gorgeous Grunge
Ink:  Summer Starfruit, Smokey Slate, Night of Navy
Paper:  Summer Starfruit and Very Vanilla card stock, Comfort Cafe Designer Series Paper (retired)
Accessories:  Big Shot, Circle Card Thinlits, 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Midnight Muse Stitched Satin Ribbon

Simple Shadow Box Card

This simple shadow box card is for one of my daughter's good friends.  We just found out that she has to have surgery, so I wanted to have a special card to give to her to let her know we're thinking of her and praying for her.  Thankfully it's a relatively minor issue, but she's going to have a rough few days as she recovers.  What better color combination for a little girl than pink and purple?  I love how Wisteria Wonder and Strawberry Slush look together!

I've made shadow box cards before, and even won an award for one (although technically these are called diorama cards).  But those were a bit more complicated to make.  This one is SO simple.   It really only took me a few minutes to make this!

Tips & Tricks

• Just cut two pieces (one for the front, one for the back) of card stock 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" and score at the 1/2", 1", 4 1/2", and 5" marks.

• After you've scored, cut out some type of hole in the center of your front piece.  I used the Deco Labels Framelits* here.

• Stamp the background.  I also spritzed some sparkles using the Glimmer Ink Refill and some rubbing alcohol in a spritzer bottle.  If you plan on stamping or embossing the front, go ahead and do that now.

• Once everything is stamped and embellished, adhere to two pieces together along the sides using Sticky Strip.

Supplies

Stamps:  Just Believe, Gorgeous Grunge, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Wisteria Wonder, Strawberry Slush, and Wild Wasabi, Glimmer Ink refill
Paper:  Wisteria Wonder and Naturals White card stock
Accessories:  Big Shot, Deco Labels Framelits*, Strawberry Slush Stretch Ruffle Ribbon, Dazzling Details, Bitty Banners Framelits, Linen Thread, Button, Spritzer bottle

*The RETIRED PRODUCTS LIST comes out on Monday.  Be sure to check back here for links to the list.  I have no inside knowledge, but I highly suspect that the Deco Labels Framelits will be on that list.  Due to the fact that Karen Burniston has not renewed her contract with the makers of our Framelits and other Sizzix products, I'm guessing that everything with her name next to it in the catalog will also be retiring. 

If you want to be sure to get the items from your wish list that appear on the retiring list, go here to place an online order.  If you use hostess code 9WKB7ZYE, you'll receive a gift from me. :)

More Mosaic Madness

Yikes!  I totally thought I had posted this card on Friday, but clearly I didn't!  I hope this card will make up for my stupidity. :)  I didn't intend for this to be a masculine card, but as soon as I showed it to my husband, that was his first thought.  I think it works well for anyone, and the more I look at this, the more I love it. 

I mentioned it before...Mosaic Madness is my favorite new set from the upcoming 2013-2014 Annual Catalog.  I am trying to resist the pull of the coordinating quatrefoil Designer Series Paper...it's called Quatrefancy and it comes with a printed window sheet.  It's very fun looking and making my no-DSP resolve harder to enforce.

So back to this card...can you see the embossing on the front?  I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp the images inside the embossed areas.  While it was a tad time consuming, it really wasn't hard.  It's definitely worth trying, because you will be so impressed with yourself after you're done!  Some VersaMark ink and clear embossing powder makes the image pop on the punched pieces.  I added some more texture by simply crumpling up some Soft Suede card stock, then adhering it to the front of the card.

Stamps:  Mosaic Madness (130246), Just Believe (116948)
Ink:  Crumb Cake (126975), Midnight Muse (126860), Soft Suede (126978), and VersaMark (102283)
Paper:  Crumb Cake (120953), Midnight Muse (126843), Soft Suede (115318), and Very Vanilla (101650) card stock
Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder (129984),  Mosaic Punch (131267), Bitty Banners Framelits (129267), Neutrals Designer Buttons (119743), Midnight Muse 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon (126847)

{Retiring} Just Believe

Sigh...I can't believe this set is retiring.  It's one of my very favorites, and I use it a LOT.  This is definitely one that I'll be hanging onto, because I love it so much (don't I say that about every set?  I really mean it about this one, though!)

And yes, I'm still using that clear block technique.  It's just so fun, and I've decided I like the sparkly look with these.  But this will be the last one for a while.  Although I'm going to give you a tip about this technique.  Because water or alcohol is used, the card stock tends to pucker or warp a bit.  You can see evidence of that along the bottom of this card.  So you'll want to use a liberal amount of adhesive on cards like these.  I highly recommend using something like sticky strip or multipurpose glue, as snail doesn't quite do the trick for card stock that's been spritzed.  If you use the glue, it wouldn't hurt to lay something heavy on top of it for a couple minutes just to be sure it dries nice and smooth. 

Stamps:  Just Believe (116948)
Ink:  Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake (126975), and Early Espresso (126974)
Paper:  Baja Breeze, Naturals White (102316)
Accessories:  Early Espresso Ribbon, Dazzling Details (124117), Stampin' Spritzer (126185), Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (116806), Clear Block E (118484)

Beautiful Butterflies

This card...I made it for two challenges, then took so long posting it that I was too late to link to the challenges.  Oh well, at least I can still share it with you.  I really like how much dimension this card has.  The way I achieved that is by sponging ink on the edges of all the card stock pieces, including the big butterfly.  The butterflies were created using the Beautiful Wings Embosslit, which both cuts AND embosses the butterfly.  (I have several Embosslits, but this one is absolutely my favorite.) Each butterfly was given a body made out of pearls.  Oh, and the ribbon...I love that ruffled ribbon and the texture it gives to a card.

Stamps:  Just Believe (116948)
Ink:  Sahara Sand (126976), Calypso Coral (126983), Lucky Limeade (126985), and Pink Pirouette (126956)
Paper:  Sahara Sand (121043), Calypso Coral (122976), Lucky Limeade (122977), and Pink Pirouette (111351) card stock
Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Beautiful Wings Embosslit (118138), Honeycomb Embossing Folder (129378), Pearl Basic Jewels (119246), and Lucky Limeade 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon (122977)

Just Believe

This is a special card, because I made it for a special person. :)  My friend asked me to make some cards for her, and when she does that, I almost always go with her favorite color, purple.  She specifically mentioned including some kind of plants as well as some sort of insects.  The butterfly choice was a no-brainer, and it took me all of about two seconds to decide on using the Just Believe set, one of my absolute favorites.

There are several layers to this card, staring with a base of Naturals Ivory, followed by a layer of Perfect Plum, embossed with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder.  The next layer uses a veeeeeery old background stamp that is very similar to En Francais, so let's pretend that's what I used. :)  Next is a piece of Very Vanilla, stamped with the gorgeous flower image from this set.  It's not really showing up well in the picture, but I sponged the edges with Always Artichoke.  Then to top it all off, is that one lovely little butterfly from Papillion Potpourri, stamped in Elegant Eggplant on Perfect Plum cardstock and punched out with the new Bitty Butterfly punch.  The finishing touches include the Always Artichoke seam binding ribbon and the the Dazzling Details glitter adhesive in the centers of the flowers.

Stamps:  Just Believe (116948), Papillion Potpourri (123757)
Ink:  Elegant Eggplant Classic Ink (126969), Always Artichoke (119701), Perfect Plum (119700), and Elegant Eggplant (119701) Stampin' Around Markers
Paper:  Elegant Eggplant (105126), Perfect Plum (101889), Naturals Ivory (101849), and Very Vanilla (101650) card stock
Accessories:  Always Artichoke Seam Binding Ribbon (121000), Dazzling Details (124117), Big Shot (113439), Square Lattice Embossing Folder (119976), Labels Collection Framelits (125598), Bitty Butterfly Punch (129406)

Swap Card

This past week I was in Orlando at Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference.  I've never gone to a big SU! event, so this was a first for me.  One of the highlights for many people at SU! events is to swap card fronts.  It's just the front of a card that you can trade with other demonstrators, in order to get new ideas.  This is the card I took to swap, and while some people make hundreds of swaps, I stuck with just 20.  I'm sure it would have been great fun to swap every day I was there, but what do I need with a million card fronts? :)  Check back later in the week, because I'll be posting the swaps I received.

My card uses the new Honeycomb Embossing Folder, which is super-trendy right now.  I love it!  When paired with the Core'dinations Card Stock and a sanding block, the result is amazing.  I love how the lighter shade of brown shows through after it's been embossed and lightly sanded.  I used a couple of strips of Comfort Cafe Designer Series Paper at the bottom, and stamped one of my all time favorites, the flowers from Just Believe.  I punched that with the 2 1/2" Circle Punch and sponged the edges.  The final details include the sentiment banner, and a little ribbon from behind the flowers.  This card was simple, yet doesn't look like it was!

Editing to add that I was positive that the Early Espresso Core'dinations had carried over to the Spring Catalog, but guess what...that's right, it didn't.  It's a good thing I didn't make more of these!  My apologies to any demonstrators out there who received a card with retired product on it!

Stamps:  Just Believe

Ink:  Crumb Cake and Summer Starfruit markers, Whisper White Craft Ink

Paper:  Early Espresso Core'dinations, Crumb Cake, and Very Vanilla Card Stock

Accessories:  Summer Starfruit Stitched Satin Ribbon, 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Honeycomb Embossing Folder, Itty Bitty Banners Framelits, sanding block

Just Believe

I'm linking up to Fab Friday again this week.  This time it's a color challenge that uses some of my very favorite colors.  I just love Cajun Craze...it might even be my absolute favorite color.  I remember when Stampin' Up! retired Really Rust.  That had been my favorite and I couldn't believe they would get rid of it.  I don't know why I was worried, though, Cajun Craze is even more beautiful.  I don't miss Really Rust at all. :)

This card uses the Just Believe stamp set...it's one I come back to time and time again.  While I was tempted to run the piece of Cajun Craze through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice embossing folder (and it would look great that way!), I decide to pull out a reeeeeeeally old set, Itty Bitty Backgrounds.  It was one of the very first sets I bought, and I don't think I'll ever get rid of it.  Since this one was retired long ago, you could achieve a similar look using the Color Spritzing Tool and a marker.  The butterflies and pearls give this card some extra dimension.

Stamps:  Just Believe, Itty Bitty Backgrounds (retired)
Ink:  VersaMark, Crumb Cake, More Mustard, and Cajun Craze markers
Paper:  Naturals Ivory, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Crumb Cake, and Very Vanilla card stock, Comfort Cafe DSP
Accessories:   Beautiful Wings Embosslit,  Bitty Banners Framelits, pearls, sponge

Comfort Cafe Flowers

This might just be my favorite card of them all.  The Cajun Craze piece is embossed with the Square Lattice Die, then topped with a piece of Comfort Cafe DSP.  For the flowers, I colored right onto the stamp using Soft Suede, Midnight Muse, and Cajun Craze, then stamped it onto a piece of Very Vanilla card stock.  After cutting out the flowers with the Labels Collection Framelits, I sponged around the edges with a little bit of Soft Suede.  It's all topped off with some butterflies I made using the Beautiful Wings Embosslit.  A piece of Soft Suede taffeta ribbon tops the whole thing off.

Stamps:  Just Believe

Ink:  Midnight Muse, Cajun Craze, and Soft Suede markers, Soft Suede Classic ink pad

Paper:  Naturals Ivory, Cajun Craze, Midnight Muse, and Very Vanilla card stock, Comfort Cafe DSP

Accessories: Soft Suede Taffeta Ribbon, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Labels Collection Framelits, Square Lattice Die, Big Shot, pearls, sponge

Faux Suede

Another faux technique!  Faux suede is even easier than faux silk...just crumple up some cards stock as much as you can.  The more you crumple, the better, as you want to break down the paper fibers as much as possible.  Once you've done lots of crumpling, your card stock should feel much softer than it did when you started.  If not, keep crumpling!  Once it's soft and sort of leathery feeling, you can pull apart the layers of the card stock, so that you have two pieces.  The "inside" part will feel (and look) kind of fuzzy, which gives it the look of suede.  For this card, I cut one strip of card stock, then used both pieces after I pulled them apart.  See that roughed up edge on the piece the flowers are stamped on?  I did that by simply running the edge of a pair of scissors along the card stock until I was happy with the look.

For the flowers, I stamped them with Whisper White Craft Ink, then tapped over the image with More Mustard and Cajun Craze pastels.  Sadly, those have retired, but for those of you lucky enough to own them, give this technique a try.  It's especially stunning on Whisper White or Basic Black card stock.

Stamps:  Just Believe

Ink:  Whisper White Craft Ink

Paper:  Cajun Craze, Chocolate Chip, and More Mustard card stock

Accessories:  Stampin' Pastels, sponge daubers, linen thread

Faux Silk

This card is one we made in club a few months ago, and it features a technique called faux silk.  It's so soft and pretty, but couldn't be easier.  Simply stamp on the back of a piece of tissue paper, crumple it up, then smooth it out, and mount it to a piece of Whisper White card stock.  That's it!  Another easy technique that adds the look of texture to the base of this card is to simply stamp onto the card stock with the ink pad.  Now, this isn't going to give quite the same look with the new firm foam pads, but if you have the old felt pads, it definitely adds a little something to a card.  So there you go, two super easy techniques to try on your next card!

Stamps:  Just Believe

Ink:  Elegant Eggplant Classic Ink Pad, Always Artichoke and Elegant Eggplant Markers

Paper:  white tissue paper, Elegant Eggplant, More Mustard, Whisper White, and Crumb Cake card stock

Accessories:  Always Artichoke Seam Binding Ribbon

Paisley Petals

I wanted to quickly share a couple of cards that use the Paisley Petals DSP.  I love the green and brown combination...I wish I had put those together sooner.  The card stock is Early Espresso, and the green in the stamped image is Always Artichoke.  It's hard to see, but I topped that with some of the teeny tiny little pearls.  Trust me, it looks better in person than in a picture.

This one uses one of my favorite stamp sets, Just Believe.  I was so worried that it might retire, and was sooooo relieved that it made the cut!  This card uses just three colors:  Bravo Burgundy, Crumb Cake, and Very Vanilla.  There are pearls on these flowers, too, along with lots of Crumb Cake seam binding ribbon.  I also used the new Adorning Accents Edgelits from the Occasions Mini.  And guess what...there are more of them to come in the new catalog!