Cut-out Heart Valentine Card

Since Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, I thought it would be fun to share another Valentine card.  This one is unique and was fun to make.  I used my Hearts Collection Framelits to cut a heart from the center of this square card.  Windows are always a fun addition to any card!

Here's a close-up of the heart that you see through the window.  I experimented to get this embossed look, and was happy with the way it turned out.

Tips & Tricks

• Did you know that you can mix embossing powders?  I combined Gold and Iridescent Ice to get a sparkly gold color.  You could mix Iridescent Ice with any color to give it a little bit of sparkle.  I store my mixed color embossing powders in empty embellishment containers.

• Have you ever tried the faux metal technique?  Cover the surface you're embossing with VersaMark ink, then sprinkle with embossing powder and heat with your heat tool.  Repeat this two more times.  As soon as you've embossed the third time, stamp your image or greeting into the still warm surface.  The stamp will sort of sink down into the soft, melted powder, giving the look of embossed metal.  It does use a fair amount of embossing powder, but it's a fun technique.

Supplies

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes, Pennant Parade
Ink:  VersaMark, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake
Paper:  Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Naturals Ivory
Accessories:  Big Shot, Hearts Collection Framelits, Iridescent Ice and Gold Embossing Powders, Heat Tool, Pretty Print Embossing Folder, Bitty Banners Framelits, Crochet Lace, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon, Sponge

Gorgeous Grunge Washi Tape Birthday Card

I made this card as a birthday card, but it kind of makes me think of New Year's Eve with the "confetti" background and the party hat.  Although there are never celebrations of that level at my house on New Year's Eve.  We have a long-standing tradition (this will be 19 years!) of getting together with college friends and just hanging out together.  I'm usually fighting sleep from about 10:00 on and have all I can do to stay awake to watch the ball drop.  I'm pretty pathetic. 

Tips & Tricks

• Washi Tape is an easy way to add a fun element to a card.  Simply tear off a piece and stick it to your card front.  I let it run off one edge here, and just folded it around to the back.  You could always trim the excess, but in my opinion, that's just an extra step that's not necessary.

• Since there are some see-through parts on the designs of the Gingham Garden Designer Washi Tape, I suggest adhering the tape, masking it off, and then stamping.  Otherwise, you'll see your background through the tape.  I've use lighter colors here, so that step wouldn't be necessary, however, darker colors would really show through the tape.

Supplies

Stamps:  Gorgeous Grunge, Pennant Parade, Itty Bitty Banners
Ink:  Melon Mambo and Daffodil Delight
Paper:  Island Indigo, Whisper White, and Melon Mambo card stock
Accessories:  Big Shot, Bitty Banners Framelits, Pennant Builder Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Gingham Garden Designer Washi Tape, Island Indigo Baker's Twine, Paper Piercing Tool and Mat

So how about you?  What New Year's Eve traditions do you have?  Do you prefer big parties, or mellow get-togethers?

Pennant Parade Christmas Tree

In the spirit of making Christmas cards out of current, non-Christmas stamp sets I already own, here's an adorable little Christmas tree made from the Pennant Parade set.  Conveniently, there is a little star and pot for the tree included in this set, so clearly, my idea to use it as a tree was not original.  This card is so simple to create, and makes a cute and fun card to give this Christmas.

Tips & Tricks

• Five of the little Cherry Cobbler banners will fit in the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder at one time...great when mass producing this card!
• I love how the Ovals Framelits make layering perfect.  I cut them out using my Big Shot and the new Magnetic Platform, of course!
• The Season of Style Designer Series Paper Stack is a tremendous value!  At just $6.95, it's a bargain you just can't miss!

Supplies

Stamps:  Pennant Parade, Christmas Greetings (retired)
Ink:  Old Olive, Crushed Curry, and Soft Suede Classic Ink
Paper:  Naturals White, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, and Old Olive card stock, Season of Style DSP Stack
Accessories:  Big Shot, Ovals Collection Framelits, Pennant Builder Punch, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Paper Snips

I'll be holding another Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack on October 20.  If you'd like to attend, please contact me for details.

Washi Tape Love

After dealing with computer issues yesterday, I'm a little slow in posting this week.  Nothing like starting out a Monday by discovering that your laptop is useless until you purchase a very expensive replacement part.  I love our Apple products, but they seriously need to develop a power cord that lasts more than two years.  Or, if they are really going to have such a short life span, then they need to drastically reduce the price on those babies.  We're on cord number three now.  And they are. not. cheap.  Oh, and the battery needs to be replaced as well, hence the uselessness of the laptop without the cord. 

But you're not here to listen to me whine about my computer issues...you want to see a card.  This is a quick and cute little 3"x3" card.  I simply cut out the heart with my trusty Big Shot and the Hearts Collection Framelits.  I then placed a few pieces of Gingham Garden Designer Washi Tape on a 2 1/2"x2 1/2" piece of Whisper White card stock, and adhered it to the inside of the front flap.  I popped a couple of (retired) buttons on the front, and stamped a little sentiment on the bottom.  Voila!  This would be perfect to stick in someone's lunch with a little "I love you" note.  Easy-peasy and super cute!

Stamps:  Pennant Parade
Ink:  Island Indigo
Paper: Island Indigo and Whisper White card stock
Accessories:  Big Shot, Hearts Collection Framelits, buttons, Whisper White Baker's Twine, Gingham Garden Designer Washi Tape

Buttons and Banners {Sneak Peek}

Do not be alarmed...Pennant Parade is NOT retiring!  I've been trying to feature retiring sets recently, and didn't want anyone to freak out thinking that this fabulous stamp set was headed out the door.  Thankfully, it's not!  I've had these pennants punched out and sitting on my desk for weeks, just waiting to be made into a card.  I had a general idea, but it was just too boring every time I tried to make a card.  And then along came the clay and button molds...the perfect touch to ramp this card up a little!

Using my Pennant Builder Punch, I popped out three pennants, then adhered them to the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.  A couple of cute little Whisper White Baker's Twine bows complete the banner.  Then, using the Bitty Banners Framelits, I cut out the sentiment.  Those two perfectly dyed buttons are made with the new (and soon to be available) Simply Pressed Clay.  I can't believe how easy it is to dye this clay, and how true the color ends up being.  Without really trying, I was able to perfectly match the clay to Certainly Celery and Bashful Blue.  You will LOVE this new product, which will be available on May 31.  If you'd like to take a peek at the new 2013-2014 Annual Catalog, be sure to contact me so I can get one to you!

Stamps:  Pennant Parade (122740)
Ink:  Whisper White Craft Ink (101731), Marina Mist Classic Ink (126962), Bashful Blue (105221) and Certainly Celery (105230) Classic Stampin' Ink Refill
Paper:  Bashful Blue (105120), Marina Mist (119682), Certainly Celery (105125), Wild Wasabi (108641), and Whisper White (100730) card stock
Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Square Lattice Embossing Folder (119976), Bitty Banners Framelits (129267), Simply Pressed Clay (130685), Buttons & Blossoms Simply Pressed Clay Molds (131272), Whisper White Baker's Twine (124262), Petite Pennants Builder Punch (122361)

Pennant Parade

I'm on a bit of a Pennant Parade kick this week.  This card is so simple to make, and part of the reason is because there is no cutting by hand involved (yay!)  The coordinating Petite Pennants Builder Punch makes cutting out these pennants a breeze!  I also cut out the happy birthday banner with the Bitty Banners Framelits.  I seriously think this card took all of ten minutes to create.  So easy, and the non-traditional size adds interest.

I love the color combination used here:  Garden Green, More Mustard (one of my all-time favorites!), and Elegant Eggplant.  When in doubt about a color combination, know that if the colors all come from the same collection (this time, the Regals) then generally it's a good bet.  And you can always throw in a neutral or two to add balance.

Stamps:  Pennant Parade (122740), Itty Bitty Banners (126255)
Ink:  Garden Green (126973), More Mustard (126964), and Elegant Eggplant (126969) Classic Ink, Whisper White Craft Ink (101731)
Paper:  Sahara Sand (121043), Whisper White (100730), Garden Green (102584), More Mustard (100946), and Elegant Eggplant (105126) card stock
Accessories:  Very Vanilla 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon (119960), Rhinestones Basic Jewels (119246), Big Shot (113439), Bitty Banners Framelits (129267), Square Lattice Embossing Folder (119976), Petite Pennants Builder Punch (122361)

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)

Spring Sampler

It has been so gray and yucky around here lately...I'm sooooo over winter.  I'm ready for spring!  While it is bright and sunny out today, it was not when I made this card yesterday!  I had to find some way to bring some cuteness to a dreary day, and the Spring Sampler stamp set was just the ticket.  This is such an adorable set...even the rain boots and umbrellas are cute!

This card is a little 3"x3" notecard, perfect for tucking in with a little gift.  I colored the images with my markers, then punched them out with a circle punch, adding a Basic Gray circle behind it.  The buttons are from the Brights and Neutrals collections, plus one little retired white button.  I tied Whisper White Baker's Twine in the holes, but didn't want to have white on white.  Did you know that you can dye our ribbon and Baker's Twine?  It's so simple.  I simply pushed down on the twine while running it over the Basic Gray ink pad a few times.  It's good to use some scrap paper or a sponge dauber if you don't want to get ink all over your fingers. :)

Stamps:  Spring Sampler (125510), Pennant Parade (122740)
Ink:  Basic Gray Classic Ink (126981), Basic Gray (119703), Basic Black (100082), and Tempting Turquoise (119702) Stampin' Around Markers
Paper:  Basic Gray (121044), Whisper White (100730), and Tempting Turquoise (102067) card stock
Accessories:  Cloudy Day Embossing Folder (127022), Big Shot (113439), 1" Circle Punch (119868), 1 1/4" Circle Punch (119861), Bitty Banners Framelits (129267), Brights Designer Buttons (119747), Neutrals Designer Buttons (119743), Whisper White Baker's Twine (124262)

Goody, Goody...Gumballs

I know, it's supposed to be gumdrops, but there are so many gumballs on this card, that I couldn't resist.  The green, of course, is Gumball Green, my very favorite of the new In Colors.  Remember how I said that Brights make me happy?  This card has lots of them, but on the Crumb Cake background, they aren't overwhelming.  This was such a simple card to make...just punch out lots of circles, do a little water coloring, and that's pretty much it! Isn't the gumball machine from the Every Little Bit set so cute?  I don't make use of that set enough!

Stamps:  Every Little Bit, Pennant Parade 

Ink:  Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Gumball Green, Pacific Point, and Rich Razzleberry Classic Ink Pads, Staz-On Black

Paper:  Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Gumball Green, Pacific Point, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, and Crumb Cake card stock

Accessories:  Daffodil Delight 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, and 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Aquapainter