Retro Fresh Thanks So Much Card

Happy Friday!  I think this has been the longest week ever.  So let's just say that it's a good thing that Friday is here.  What's even better is that the weather forecast says it's going to be 60 today.  After the last few freezing cold days, I'm ready for a bit of spring.

And speaking of spring, this card brings a bit of it as well.  It's the same layout as this card from a few weeks ago, just with different colors.  It's amazing how different two cards of the same layout can look when you change just a few elements.  In this case, I even used butterflies again, just did them a bit differently.

Tips & Tricks

• When adhering ribbon that's more than 1/4" wide, be sure to use Sticky Strip.  It's a guarantee that it will hold and you won't have to worry about it falling off.

• I love the new Tag Topper punches.  I also love using the corner rounder on the two corners when using the Scallop TT punch.  It just softens it a bit and gives a finished look that is consistent with the rounded edges at the other end.

Supplies

Stamps:  Oh Hello, Papillion Potpourri
Ink:  Tangerine Tango, Coastal Cabana, and Soft Suede
Paper:  Retro Fresh DSP, So Saffron, Tangerine Tango, Coastal Cabana, and Soft Suede card stock
Accessories:  Scallop Tag Topper Punch, Elegant Butterfly Punch, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Coastal Cabana Ruffled Ribbon

Don't forget that Sale-a-Bration ends on Monday.  If you'd like to place an order and earn some fabulous FREE products, contact me today!

Stampin' Up! Sale-a-Bration Sweet Sorbet

I had intended to post this on Friday, which would have made for an entire week of Sweet Sorbet cards.  Oh well, it's here today. 

Tips & Tricks

• This card uses one of my favorite layouts.  It's kind of my go-to when I can't think of anything else.  I highly recommend that everyone has a layout that they can rely on when the creative juices just aren't flowing.  Sketch it out, or print a copy of a sketch you've seen online, and keep it handy for times when you need it!

• Since the background of this card uses such a busy pattern, I made sure the next layer of patterned paper was much more subdued.  

• Do you have the new tag topper punches from the Occasions catalog yet?  I love them!  It's so fun to make a tag any size I want.  If they aren't already on your wish list, you may want to consider adding one of them to it!  I used a sponge and some Pool Party ink to soften up the edges of the scallop tag on this card.  

Supplies

Stamps:  Oh Hello
Ink:  Basic Gray and Pool Party
Paper:  Sahara Sand, Calypso Coral, Summer Starfruit, and Pool Party card stock, Sweet Sorbet Designer Series Paper
Accessories:  Scallop Tag Topper Punch, Sweet Sorbet Accessories Pack, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, and Big Shot

Just Sayin'

I've waited a long time to order from the Occasions Catalog, and the Just Sayin'/Word Bubbles Framelits bundle was the first thing on my list.  So I think it's funny that the first card I made only used the words from one stamp, and didn't use the Framelits at all!  Don't worry, I'll be playing with those a lot more this week and will have plenty of cards to show in the next couple of weeks!

I decided to play with the current Fab Friday color challenge this week.  I wasn't in love with the color combination at first, but I figured it was a great way to stretch and try something new.  I'm so glad I did, because I really like these colors together!  In fact, check back on Wednesday for another card using these same colors!  I might be sort of addicted to this combination.

Tips & Tricks

• You might notice that I didn't use a single heart/Valentine stamp on this card.  That's because I don't have any current ones, and my old retired ones just weren't singing out to me.  That's when my Hearts Collection Framelits and Small Heart Punch come in handy!  I used three different stamps, then just punched or cut out the heart shapes.  It's a great way to add texture to cards.  The dots, chevron, and splatter prints all came from different stamp sets, but are really fun together.  And none of them were heart shaped stamps.

• Use a marker and color right on your stamps to either get a multi-colored image or just select a part of an image (like I did here.)  I didn't want the word bubble around the words this time, so I just used my Real Red marker to color the words and stamp on my card.

Supplies

Stamps:  Just Sayin', Oh Hello, Gorgeous Grunge, Banner Blast
Ink:  Real Red and Coastal Cabana
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Real Red, Coastal Cabana, and Whisper White card stock
Accessories:  Big Shot, Hearts Collection Framelits, Chevron Embossing Folder, Small Heart Punch, Whisper White Baker's Twine

Valentine Shadow Box Card

It's been a long time since I made a shadow box card, and I'm so glad I decided to try it again.  These are such fun cards to make, and are super-impressive without a lot of work.  The best part is that they fold up and fit into a standard sized envelope!

Tips & Tricks

• You'll need to cut three different pieces of card stock:  the front and back pieces should be 3 1/4" x 8" and the middle piece should be 3 1/4" x 6".

• Score your strips of paper at 2" and 6" for the two longer pieces, and at 1" and 5" for the shorter piece.

• Cut out the hearts using the Hearts Collection Framelits.  It is so easy to get perfect placement using Framelits and the Magnetic Platform.  It's SO much easier than when I made this type of card using punches!

• Do any stamping on the back piece before you start to assemble...it will be MUCH easier that way! 

• Be sure to use Sticky Strip to adhere the card stock pieces.  There is no substitute!  Attach the middle piece to the back piece, setting it inside of the sides of the back.  The attach the front to the back.  The sides of the front piece should be the sides of the card.

Supplies

Stamps:  Yippee-Skippee (love), Oh Hello (chevron), Map It Out (little heart)
Ink:  Raspberry Ripple Classic Ink Pad and Stampin' Write Marker, Early Espresso Stampin' Write Marker
Paper:  Naturals White, Primrose Petals, and Raspberry Ripple card stock
Accessories:  Big Shot, Hearts Collection Framelits, Chevron Embossing Folder, Clear Block A, Raspberry Ripple Stitched Satin Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sticky Strip

Joyful Christmas Sunflower Card

I've been making tons of Christmas cards lately, but I can't quite seem to bring myself to post one today.  By Monday, I'll fully be in a Christmas mood, but it's still November, so I'm going to enjoy my Thanksgiving decorations for at least one more day.  (Although I will confess that I'm pretty sure we're going to go get our Christmas tree today.)

I hadn't intended to get any new Christmas stamp sets this year.  But I've had my eye on Joyful Christmas since the Holiday catalog came out, and when the clear mount stamp was listed as part of the Holiday Sale (which is still going on!), the price was just too good to pass up on it.  I've been playing with this set for the past couple of days and have some gorgeous Christmas cards to show off in the next couple of weeks. 

Who Knew?

• You can totally turn a poinsettia into a sunflower!  I think that an additional layer of the petals would look better (and more sunflower-like), but I used glue on this card and didn't want to mangle it in an attempt to dismantle it and add another layer.

• Crushed Curry and Gumball Green look FANTASTIC together!  Never in a million years would I have thought to combine those two colors.  It makes me sad that Gumball Green will only be around for a few more months.

• Maybe you knew this already, but RUN to the Clearance Rack and stock up on single color packs of Core'dinations Card stock.  That's where I found this Early Espresso paper.  It's also available in the Neutrals pack of Core'dinations Card Stock.

Supplies

Stamps:  Oh Hello and Joyful Christmas
Ink:  Gumball Green Crushed Curry, and Early Espresso
Paper:   Gumball Green Crushed Curry, and Soft Suede card stock, Early Espresso Core'dinations
Accessories:  Simply Pressed Clay and Molds, Linen Thread, Gumball Green Stitched Satin Ribbon, Sanding Block, Paper Snips

Oh, Hello!

This is one of the cards that I made to send to one of my college roommates for her 40th birthday.  I think she'll like it...at least I hope she does!  I think that Oh, Hello and Gorgeous Grunge are a match made in stamping heaven.  I love how these two sets work perfectly together.  I'm also in love with this year's In Colors, especially Baked Brown Sugar, Crisp Cantaloupe, and Pistachio Pudding.  And I am shocked by that last one.  There really aren't words to describe how much I hate mint green.  Remember Mint Medley?  Oh, how I hated that color.  I danced with joy when that retired.  I think it's because as a child, the walls in my dentist's office were that color, and I absolutely hated going there.  I had more things done to my mouth during my growing up years than any kid should have to endure.  Unfortunately, I think my oldest daughter is following in my footsteps.  It's much harder to watch your child go through that stuff than it ever was to endure it myself! 

Anyway, my dental issues seem to have influenced how I feel about mint green, so I think you can understand why I was so shocked to realize that I really do love Pistachio Pudding!  It's a more updated "mint" and not minty at all, which is probably why I like it. 

Tips & Tricks

• Now that the novelty of the Simply Pressed Clay and Molds has worn off, I'm happy to report that I still use them all the time!  The embellishments they add to any card are so affordable, and I love that they can be customized to match any project.  The only negative is that you can only make three buttons or flowers at a time.  But did you know that if you stick the molds in the freezer for about 30 minutes (in a deep freeze...a fridge freezer may take a bit longer), the clay will (temporarily) harden long enough to pop out of the mold?  You can then set them aside to dry, and free up the mold for more clay.  

• I always try to make extra buttons and flowers when I dye clay.  I keep the extras in old embellishment containers (you know, those round containers that buttons, brads and other items come in.)  It's a great way to reuse empty containers, and have beautiful embellishments ready for your next project!

Supplies

Stamps:  Oh, Hello and Gorgeous Grunge
Ink:   Sahara Sand, Baked Brown Sugar, Crisp Cantaloupe, and Pistachio Pudding
Paper:  Baked Brown Sugar and Whisper White
Accessories:  Big Shot, Ovals Collection Framelits, Simply Pressed Clay and Molds, Whisper White Baker's Twine

Oh, Hello

Oh, Hello is a set that I just haven't used enough.  I've been wanting to make a card using the In-Color color combination of Baked Brown Sugar, Crisp Cantaloupe, and Pistachio Pudding, and I just thought this set worked well with those colors.  While this card looks simple, I will make the disclaimer that there was a bit of work that went into it.  Not hard work, mind you, just a little time consuming.  To get the arrow stripe up the side, I got out my trusty Stamp-a-ma-jig to make sure the arrows were perfectly aligned.  Then I stamped the other "arrow" stamp in each of the three colors, and cut out each of the pieces in order to glue them down in the alternating pattern.  The oval chevron image fits perfectly into the third smallest of the Ovals Collection Framelits, which makes cutting that out super easy.  Then I cut the flower out with my paper snips.  Don't look too closely...I didn't do that great of a job!  I've gotten so spoiled by using Framelits to cut everything out!  I'm not sure about the flower there...what do you think?  Should it stay, or should I have left it off?

Stamps:  Oh, Hello
Ink:  Baked Brown Sugar, Crisp Cantaloupe, and Pistachio Pudding
Paper:  Naturals White card stock
Accessories:  Big Shot, Ovals Collection Framelits, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Paper Snips, Stamp-a-ma-jig

One More {Mosaic Madness}

OK, this is it with the streak of Mosaic Madness cards...at least for a little while!  I can't stay away from my new favorite set for too long!  I love the simplicity of this card.  I used the chevron oval image from Oh, Hello in Baked Brown Sugar (stamped off once) and love the combination of it with Mosaic Madness.  Soft Suede and Pool Party combine beautifully with Baked Brown Sugar (which is possibly my new favorite brown).  This is a quick card to put together, and I'm sure that it would look fantastic with so many different color combinations.  In fact, I really want to recreate this one with Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, and Baked Brown Sugar.  I think that would look amazing!  This is a great card to CASE, so give it a try with three of your favorite colors!

Stamps:  Mosaic Madness, Teeny Tiny Wishes, and Oh, Hello
Ink:  Soft Suede, Pool Party, and Baked Brown Sugar
Paper:  Pool Party and Naturals White card stock
Accessories:  Mosaic Punch, Big Shot, Bitty Banners

Oh Hello Chalkboard

If you spend any time on Pinterest, you know that chalkboards are really trendy right now.  I've wanted to make a chalkboard card for a while, and finally sat down to play this weekend.  This is a very simple card, but it turned out almost exactly how I had envisioned it in my head.  I love it when that happens.

To give it that chalkboard look, simply smudge a bit of Whisper White craft ink in a few random spots on a piece of Basic Black card stock.  I used a little piece of flannel, but a sponge dauber would probably work great!  The sentiment is embossed with Whisper White embossing powder.  So simple...I think this is going to be a card we make at club next month!

Also, I'm loving this color combination.  I have been in such a rut and not feeling very creative lately.  I've also found myself gravitating toward my old standby color combinations and knew I needed some variety.  I sat down and looked through the catalog to find some combos that jumped out at me.  This was one of them (see page 35).  It actually also had Old Olive with it, but it just didn't look right to me on this card, so I left it out.  I only made it half way through the catalog and have a pretty big list of different color combinations to try out.  Check back to see what one I pick next. :)

Stamps:  Pennant Parade (122740), Oh Hello (130730)
Ink:  Whisper White craft ink (101731)
Paper:  Summer Starfruit (12639), Pool Party (122924), Soft Suede (115318), and Basic Black (121045) card stock
Accessories:  Petite Pennant Builder Punch (122361), Whisper White Stampin' Emboss Powder (109132), Heat Tool (129053), Whisper White Baker's Twine (123262)

Oh, Hello!

The Oh, Hello set was one that I received at Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference.  And honestly, I wasn't sure I would really use it that much.  At first glance, it's not really my style.  Or so I thought.  I have to say, my style has definitely changed over the past couple of years.  I've always been drawn to the bold images rather than line art that requires watercoloring.  And I don't tend to like ornate things.  Or vintage.  Except that now I sort of do.  I think that after fighting the vintage craze for a couple of years, I've finally started to embrace it.  I'm pretty sure that the crochet trim has helped...how can you not love a style that uses that gorgeous trim?  I LOVE that stuff!

So, the card.  I stamped the large oval image with Soft Suede ink onto Crumb Cake card stock.  I'd love to tell you that I cut it out with my new oval Framelits, but I'd be lying.  They are on a truck somewhere between Utah and Pennsylvania right now.  But let's just pretend that I cut it out with the Framelits, shall we?  Because I most definitely would have, had they been in my possession.  I roughed up the edge with the new Stampin' Distress Tool...what a fabulous new toy!  I did the same thing on the smaller oval.  So fun!  I sponged Soft Suede ink all over this card...not just the base, but on each of the layers.  It adds a bit of dimension, which I think is a must.  Some pearls, linen thread, and of course, my favorite crochet trim add the final touch.

Just a word about the images down the side of the card...the image has been repeated five times.  I highly recommend getting this set in wood mount, as using the Stamp-a-ma-jig is most definitely necessary.  I find that much easier to use with wood mount stamps rather than clear mount.  

Stamps:  Oh, Hello (130730)

Ink:  Soft Suede (126978), Crumb Cake (126975), and Marina Mist (126962) Classic Ink Pads, Marina Mist (119679), So Saffron, Crumb Cake (120967), and Old Olive (100079) Stampin' Around Markers

Paper:  Naturals Ivory (101849), So Saffron ( ), and Crumb Cake (120953) card stock

Accessories:  Linen Thread (104199), Crochet Trim (118481), Pearl Basic Jewels (119247), Extra-Large Oval Punch (119859), Bitty Banners Framelits (129267), Big Shot (113439), Stampin' Distress Tool (127562), Stampin' Sponge (101610) Stamp-a-ma-jig (101049), Ovals Collection Framelits (129381)