Hardwood Bloom with Hope

Yippee!  It's Friday!  I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the weekend.  I have a quick and easy card to show today that uses the Blendabilities markers.  They are so much fun to use, and I'm so surprised at how much I love them.  I shouldn't be surprised, though, because I end up loving just about everything that Stampin' Up! offers.

Tips & Tricks

• I cut a strip of Daffodil Delight card stock, then cut it into a banner.  The easiest way to do that is to use your Paper Snips and cut about one inch up the center of the end.  Simply cut from each corner in to where the end of the first cut ends.  

• Next, I inked up the Hardwood background stamp, then placed the piece of Soft Suede card stock on top.  I covered that with a piece of scrap paper and then used my brayer over it to "stamp".  It's so much easier to do it this upside-down way!

• Finally, I colored the large poppy-type flower from Bloom with Hope.  I used my Cherry Cobbler Blendabilities for the petals, and Daffodil Delight for the center.  I did cut out the flower by hand...I don't do a lot of fussy cutting these days, but it was worth the effort for this flower.

Supplies

Stamps:  Bloom with Hope
Ink:  Soft Suede and Cherry Cobbler Classic Ink, Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, Cherry Cobbler and Daffodil Delight Blendabilites
Paper:  Naturals White, Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight, and Whisper White card stock
Accessories:  Brayer, Paper Snips, Big Shot, Bitty Banners Framelits

Endless Birthday Wishes Gift Card Holder

Don't you just love a Tuesday that feels like a Monday?  Or maybe what I love is the prospect of Friday coming a lot sooner this week!  I can only hope. :)

Today I have a fun card that serves double duty as a gift card holder.  This card is super simple in its construction, and really wows the recipient when they open it.  Or maybe it's the gift card inside that offers the wow?  No, I think it's the fact that the gift card pops up, because I recently gave a similar card to a relative that never shows any kind of appreciation over my handmade cards, and this one elicited the tiniest hit of being impressed from said relative.

Tips & Tricks

• Cut two pieces of Designer Series Paper or card stock 4" x 6" each, and score at 1", 2", and 3" so there are 4 one inch sections.

• Apply Sticky Strip as shown in the picture below (I'll refer to the top piece as piece A and the bottom as piece B). 

• Attach the bottom section of piece A to the inside, along the top of the crease, then fold over so that the top section of piece A is attached to the inside just under the crease.

• Piece B has Sticky Strip on only one section.  Lay this section on the inside of the card, below the already attached DSP so that the edge with the sticky strip is up against the already attached piece.

• Fold over and attach this piece to the sticky strip that's on the first piece (A).

• Just slide your gift card down between the two pieces of DSP!

Supplies
Stamps:  Endless Birthday Wishes, Work of Art
Ink:  Blackberry Bliss and Hello Honey
Paper:  Whisper White,  Blackberry Bliss, and Hello Honey card stock, Moonlight DSP
Accessories:  Big Shot, Ovals Framelits, Whisper White Baker's Twine, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Sticky Strip

Flower Patch Card in a Box

If you follow my blog, then you've probably realized that I really, really like the Flower Patch stamp set from the annual catalog.  I tend to use it a LOT.  It's just a fun set, and the possibilities are endless.  It's also the perfect set to use for a card in a box. 

I wanted to make a special card for a friend of mine.  She does so much for our homeschool community in general, as well as some other things specific to my family.  I don't really know how she has time for it all...we joke that she has 36 hours in her days!  But a card in a box definitely qualifies as special, and I modified it a bit to allow for two people to write a message on the back.  Typically when making a card in a box, the back panel is where the message would go.  I added a flap over that so that it actually opens like a card, and then both I and another friend were each able to have a panel's worth of space for writing our message of thanks.

I used the retired Gingham Garden Designer Series Paper for the flaps of the box.  You know a card is special when I give up any of my gingham or plaid DSP!  But it suits this card so well, and really was perfect for it.  I used my Flower Fair Framelits to cut out the various flowers, then whipped out my Fringe Scissors to cut some grass for the flowers to peek out of.  I love how it turned out! 

Oh, and since I went a little crazy with the flowers, they ended up sticking out of the sides when the card was folded up.  Did I worry about it fitting in to an envelope?  Of course not!  I got out my envelope punch board and made a custom envelope to fit this card.

Supplies
Stamps:  Flower Patch
Ink:  Pool Party, Island Indigo, Cantaloupe Crisp, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz, Wisteria Wonder, Rich Razzleberry
Paper:  Island Indigo, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz, and Whisper White card stock, (retired) Gingham Garden DSP
Accessories:  Big Shot, Flower Fair Framelits, Paper Snips, Fringe Scissors, Sticky Strip, Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Stampin' Dimensionals, hot glue gun, hot glue, and Blendabilities markers

Hardwood Father's Day Card

I know, I know, Father's Day was in June.  Somehow I missed posting this, and even though we've long passed Father's Day, I still wanted to share it.  Plus, I have the best dad in the whole world, so there's nothing wrong with a card that makes me think of him, even in August.

This card uses the Hardwood background stamp, which I LOVE.  I also used the Woodgrain embossing folder for the strip of paper going across the card.  Yes, I love any product with any kind of woodgrain on it!

After stamping the tree from Thoughts & Prayers, I cut it out using the Labels Framelits Collection and my Big Shot, then sponged around the edges of it and the smaller label with Soft Suede.  I topped it off with some Linen Thread, and that's it.  Easy-peasy!


Supplies
Stamps:  Thoughts & Prayers, All Year Cheer, Hardwood
Ink:  Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, and Ivory Naturals
Accessories:  Big Shot, Labels Collection Framelits, Linen Thread, Woodgrain Embossing Folder, Sponge

Toughts & Prayers Background Technique

I had a request for a card using the sponging technique with a silhouette image, and this is what I came up with.  I don't have a lot of current images that fit the silhouette category, but the tree from Thoughts & Prayers works perfectly for this technique.

I embossed the tree using Early Espresso embossing powder.  I stamped the tree first, rather than sponging first.  I like to do it this way so that the tree is placed where I want it, and I can sponge around it and work the "ground" around the base of the tree.

For the sponging, I used Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, and Baked Brown Sugar.  I simply dabbed and rubbed the sponge around the card, beginning with the brown for the ground.  Next I used Pumpkin Pie at the top, and worked my way down.  I filled in with Crushed Curry and just blended the two together.  For the tag, I stamped right on a piece of cotton ribbon.  That's it!  Such an easy card, but the bright sunset makes it look like it took a lot more time than it did!

Supplies
Stamps:  Thoughts & Prayers, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Early Espresso, and Baked Brown Sugar Classic Ink, VersaMark
Paper:  Baked Brown Sugar and Very Vanilla card stock
Accessories:  Sponge, cotton ribbon, Heat Tool, Early Espresso embossing powder

Nuts About You Joy Fold Card

I have had so much fun with the Nuts About You hostess set.  It's just so cute.  This card is a joy fold card turned on it's side.  The grass is what keeps the first flap closed, and I love how it looks cute and is functional all at the same time!

I'm keeping it short and sweet today...I hope you'll forgive my brevity.  I'm hoping to get back into a more regular posting routine now that school is starting and (hopefully) life will settle down a bit.  Does that make any sense at all?  Isn't summer supposed to be a time to relax before the hectic school year?  Apparently that's not the case for my life!

Supplies

Stamps:  Nuts About You
Ink:  Wild Wasabi, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, and Basic Gray
Paper:  Garden Green, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, and Soft Suede card stock, Gingham Garden DSP
Accessories:  Big Shot, Fringe Scissors, Linen Thread, 3/4" Circle Punch

Be You Flower Patch Card

Oh, Flower Patch, how I love you!  This set is fabulous!  If you don't have it, you need it.  I'm just loving all the different flowers you can create with it.   I'm having such trouble getting good pictures of my cards lately, and I'm not entirely sure how to fix that problem.  So because of that, I feel like once again, the picture doesn't do the card justice.  I realize this doesn't sound very humble, but in real life, this is a great card!  The color combination is great (I love these In Colors!) and it's just a pretty, fun card.

I love this sentiment, as I explained before, and if you look closely, you'll see that this card emphasizes that idea in more than one way.  See the centers of the flowers?  One of these things is not like the others...did you spot it?  The blue flower has a white center, and all the others have blue centers.  I love that!  Wondering how I got those blue pearls?  I made them using my new Blendabilities markers.  I just took the darkest Coastal Cabana marker and colored them.  Cool, isn't it?  You can do that with rhinestones, buttons...all kind of embellishments.  If you want to try out the Blendabilities, just let me know.  I'd be happy to demonstrate their many uses for you and help you place an order.  Trust me, they are totally worth getting!

Supplies
Stamps:  Flower Patch, Chalk Lines
Ink:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Coastal Cabana (Classic Ink and Blendabilities), Strawberry Slush, Pistachio Pudding
Paper:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Whisper White
Accessories:  Pearls Basic Jewels, Stretch Ruffle Trim, Distressing Tool