ORGANIZATIONAL UPDATE

Of all the organizing I've done here in the Tower, this system is the one that has continually worked the best.  Since I send out over 100 Christmas cards each year, I'd be lost without this ring binder.

On the right, you can see the cards I designed for this year which I copied on my scanner.  On the left, which I removed from the rings for this photo, is the list of names:  50 friends and family on the left and 50 Silver Stampers on the right.  In the lower right there is a "key" used to record who got what card.  (Click on photo for a closer look.)

This list is stored in my computer so that next year, I can reprint it (with any changes and additions) and repeat the process. I hope this gives you some ideas on how to keep track of what cards you've made in the past and who got which one.  It's also like a trip down memory lane whenever I look at the cards I've made over the past ten years!

SWEET 16 BIRTHDAY CARD

Since our grand daughter hates pink as much as I do (I wonder if that's hereditary???) it was a challenge to make a card with bolder colors that would still be feminine.

I can't believe she's now sweet 16--where do those years go?

Anyway, since I couldn't fit 16 candles on this card, I  tilted the flame on this one as though it were being blown out.  The "sweet" was hand printed on the leaf, after which I discovered a small stamp in one of my other sets with that word...duh...

The final touch was the strip of  "lace" on the top of the white panel where I thought there was a little too much empty space.  Once I was satisfied that it was done, I mounted the white panel over the striped dsp.

ONE LAST CHRISTMAS CARD (AGAIN)

I made a dozen of these for our pastor.  It took about an hour for all 12 since they were so simple.

Using the Christmas star die really helped it to go fast.  I attached it with a SU dimensional after silver embossing the message.  Doing cards "assembly line" style is what works best!

CHRISTMAS TAG CHALLENGE #3

This tag started with a piece of plaid dsp from a SU pad I rediscovered in my stash.  Next I used die cutting and paper piecing for the quilt square.  After stamping the greeting in red, I added a gold sequin and large pearl for embellishment.

Click HERE for a look at other tag entries.

ANOTHER CHRISTMAS TAG

For the 12 Tags of Christmas challenge, I created this one using stamping, embossing and water coloring with Distress inks. 

I hope you can see the shine on this one--I used Wink of Stella over the leaves and berries.

It truly is challenging to use 2 other media in addition to stamping.  However, on some of the other tags I made (to use on Christmas gifts) I've enjoyed being able to use larger embellishments that wouldn't go through the mail on a card.

To see the other entries, click HERE.

CASEing the iPad

I liked Kim Singdahlsen's card so much, I just HAD to CASE it! 

I started with the leaf ef and the scalloped frame as my base.  Instead of flowers, I used a few leaves and acorns for a Fall theme.  Although I also liked her larger verse, I chose a small oval one instead.

Thanks for such a lovely card, Kim!

LOLL'S 12 TAGS OF CHRISTMAS

For this challenge, we were to stamp and choose two other mixed media elements.  I chose to heat emboss and sponge on the color.  I made 30 of these to use as nametags at our Bible Study Christmas brunch.

Here is the link to the challenge:  CLICK HERE

SUNFLOWER THANK YOU

This sunflower was clear embossed and water colored to make a simple thank you note for a friend.

The little SU greeting was attached with a glue dot.

I think I'm finally getting the hang of water coloring.
...took me long enough!

ONE LAST CHRISTMAS CARD

I made this card for a friend who loves to display angels at Christmas time; so I send her an angel card every year.

Since I love the colors used in the dsp, that's what I started with.  I also wanted to use the copper embossing powder I just added to my collection.  So I layered all the various pieces as shown:  copper foil cs, coordinating dsp, Rich Razzleberry cs and copper embossed angel.  The only embellishment  I used are the tiny pearls.

I love using non-traditional colors and patterns.

CAS(E) THIS SKETCH #197

This would make a good masculine card.  The only embellishment is the gold cord between the two pieces of dsp and the gold-embossed greeting.  The bold geometrics and font help make it more masculine also.


Check out the original sketch and other entries HERE..

A HAPPY AUTUMN HELLO

This is my first try with the zig-zag die I recently acquired (sorry, I don't remember where I got it.)  Continuing with the autumn leaves theme, I used a strip of dsp for the colored leaves behind the bare tree.  I used some black foam tape on the tree trunk to pop it up off the card front.

THREE OF A KIND--Part II

All three of these are die cut on glitter paper, and two are mounted on a plain piece of cs so that the word "JOY"  shows up better.  The inside reads, "Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad." (Psalm 96:11)

These finish off my Christmas cards for this year--all 100 of them!  How did I do that you might ask?  Unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, I've been housebound this week with a nasty cold and a car in the repair shop.  To keep from going stir crazy, I stamped and die cut for pure joy!



Die:  from Frantic Stamper
DSP:  SU!

ENCOURAGEMENT CARD

 This card was inspired by the SU dsp "Petals and Paisleys" with the copper ep and coordinating cardstock.  As a matter of fact, that's what I like about SU--how everything coordinates so beautifully.

Since I had some of the matching cs in my stash and a number of other stamps and die cuts that were compatible, I opted out of getting more than the dsp this time.  The die cut leaf is from LaLa Land Crafts.  To highlight the leaf and greeting, I added a strip of dsp which was on the opposite side and mounted them on that.  I also included a closeup of the copper embossed greeting below.

This card went right out to encourage someone in our Bible study group.

ACORNY THANK YOU

Evelyn graciously lent me her Acorny set for me to try out.  Having the coordinating punch really makes it easy to use.

Using a background that is dry embossed gives any card a nice texture.  I really got a lot of use out of the swirly leaf ef in my stash, which is the ideal backdrop for autumn cards.

After stamping the caps and punching them and the acorns out, I sponged the edges of the acorns with green and brown inks and attached the tops with dimensionals.  As I've been doing on all my cards with twine lately, I punched tiny holes on the side to keep the jute I used in place.  The greeting was stamped on a scrap of the same color as the card base.

Thank you, Evelyn!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

When I opened this card, I laughed out loud!  The pumpkin on the front has "It"s Halloween" stamped over it.  The inside reads, "...time to dress up the cat."

The cat in this picture does not look amused...

THREE OF A KIND--CHRISTMAS

These were easy to make, thanks to a pad of Christmas dsp I purchased at AC Moore few weeks ago.

First I chose a base color for each design.  Then I cut the dsp to 4 x 5 1/4" and glued them to the card front.

Next I ran the "Joy" die through the Big Shot for each of the foil colors needed.  After gluing them to the front, I stamped the inside and added them to the cards I've finished so far. 

This brings the count to 72 (of 100) done!

FOXY CARD

 ...PRETTY SLY, HUH?

I received this in the mail from one of my Silver Stamper friends and just HAD to find out how it was done.  Well, between Amazon and YouTube, I discovered it was a die cut set available on Amazon.  So, of course, I ordered it immediately.

 The inventor of this card (and several others like it) has a "how-to" on YouTube, so as soon as it gets here I'll be making some foxes!  When closed, the card fits into a regular A2 envelope.  The tail is attached to the back with a brad, so it is moveable.

The double gate fold opens to reveal the message inside.  According to the video, you need only one sheet of cardstock for the base.    The other pieces fit on the base easily.

Very clever!

FROM THE SCRAP DRAWER #64

This is a card I made awhile back, but never got around to posting it.

I started out with a large scrap as a background and a coordinating textured cs panel as the base.  Next, I created a frame from a double stitched square (MFT) and a flower die cut from scraps in the same dsp family.

The greeting was die cut from two other pieces of scrap and glued slightly offset onto each other.  Then it was mounted on a scrap of vellum, glued to the back of the square.  All the pieces were then assembled as shown.

HAPPY CAT

This is a Halloween cat turned into a birthday kitty, and a happy one at that!

The cat was die cut and sponged to resemble one of our cats.  The birthday hat and balloons are from an old set of stickers.  The cat collar is just a pearl below his chin.

...a cheery card for a dreary day.  We're getting sleet/rain as I post this.  The forecast is for the much needed rain to last on and off all day with temps in the 40s.  I hope we get some Indian Summer weather before heading into winter!

METALLIC SPARKLE

It may be hard to see here, but there is some sparkle on the dsp atop the frosted copper metallic banner.  The leaf was die cut and sponged with Distress inks, and the jute was tied around the leaf stem.

Do check out the $5 stamps at Papertrey Ink.  They have a good variety of them online.  (Just my opinion, not a sales pitch.)

NOVEMBER BIRTHDAY

The cable knit on this card front is just perfect for an Autumn birthday.  It's been really nice sweater weather here in New Jersey lately!

I arranged the leaves over a narrow strip of leaf dsp and the jute twine.  The one red leaf is popped up with SU dimensionals.  The greeting is one of the Papertrey Ink $5 sets in my collection.

It's sad to see the end of October approaching.  I love the colors, the cool nights and the warm afternoons.  It's good stamping weather, though!

PERFECT COLOR MATCH

 This is a recycled card that was just too cute to throw away, especially since the colors in the bow and leaves match the Mint Macaron and Rich Razzleberry cardstocks I had on hand.

How convenient!

AUTUMN BIRTHDAY

The hardest part of this card was photographing it!

The leaves are finally turning color around here--much later than usual, but well worth the wait.  I think this card captures the colors well.

The two front leaves are attached with a glue dot for the yellow and a dimensional for the green.  The second two are attached to the tops of acetate strips with glue dots.  The last two are attached to the back panel.  My greeting and signature are on a panel that doesn't show when the card is standing.

BETTER IRL

Unfortunately, this card looks much better in real life.  The cardstock used is not as orange as it looks here.  I tried to deepen it on Photo Shop, but I couldn't get it right.  At least you can get the idea.

The side piece is a scrap of autumn leaves dsp from AC Moore.  The leaf was die cut from a piece of marbled metallic paper.  The dsp was embossed with my go-to autumn ef,  after the greeting was stamped.  The tiny leaves are from a container of them that has been in my stash for at least 4 or 5 years.  The final touch was the gold twine.

SPEAKING OF SCRAPS...

This card was made using scraps from two other cards I made with these dsp's.  Since I also had the SU! "Six-Sided Sampler" set, used on the envelope flap, it worked out great.

Aligning the hexagons are trickier than it would seem.  So what I do is assemble the design using temporary tape on each piece.  Once they're all aligned, I start gluing them one hexagon at a time onto a piece of coordinating cs, which I fussy cut after gluing the pieces down.  Then it gets mounted with dimensionals and embellished with twine and sequins.

The banner and greeting are from a set by Frantic Stamper.

FROM THE SCRAP DRAWER

Using a scrap from the previous card, I made what seemed at first to be too dull--until I ran the leaf through the autumn ef.  What a difference!  The swirls on the leaf coordinate beautifully with the swirls on the dsp.

The greeting is from the SU! set, "Well Scripted."

 

PEG STAMP BOUQUET

I was recently asked to make some cards for a friend who wanted to pay for a set of 10; so, why not?

This is one of the cards I made with the dsp as my inspiration.  I just love all the ways my peg stamps have been used:  baskets, borders, embellishments, etc.

I also lined the envelopes with the same dsp, which I purchased at Hobby Lobby awhile ago.  The greeting is from a stamp and die set by Frantic Stamper.

THREE OF A KIND--Christmas

I've been on a roll getting more Christmas cards done.  These three were done with the SU! set, "Wonder of Christmas."  All three were silver embossed and colored with markers.

The top left card has a typing paper folded insert with the angel on the top (like a card within a card.)  The inside reads "The Lord is come."  The silver cording is held in place by a notch at the top and bottom of the card front.

The upper right card is a flip card with an additional verse on the inside.

The bottom card has an added scallop on the bottom of the white panel made with a die from W Plus 9.

My total of Christmas cards done is now up to 67--YAY!

AUTUMN BLESSINGS

With all that's been going on around here, which included hospital visits for my husband (he's fine now) and a friend (she's ok, too) my posts had to be put on hold, even though I still did get some stamping done.  (This card is one of them.)

First I ran the white panel through the Big Shot with an autumn embossing folder to give it some texture.  (Click on card to get a better view.)  Then I used the leaf die to cut the leaf outline, even though it looks like the leaf is on top here.  To line up the veins with the leaf outline, I placed the white panel on the gold cs, placed the inset in the opening and  taped it down with post-it tape.  After carefully removing the white panel, I ran the card through the Big Shot.  Then I sponged the veins to make them stand out.

While the white panel was still unattached, I added the greeting and mounted it on the gold card front.  The final touch was the tiny pearl at the base of the leaf.



The leaf die with its inset for the veins was a set I purchased at Hobby Lobby a year or two ago.  The greeting was done with a die and stamp set from Papertrey Ink.  The $5 stamp set included 9 coordinated sayings.  The "Blessed" die was also $5 sold separately.

SIMPLE SATURDAY #46

PAPER PLAYERS SKETCH CHALLENGE -- #314

For this e-a-s-y challenge, I chose to use a burlap leaf from a packet of them I picked up at Michael's the other day.  After coating it with some Wink of Stella gold  (barely seen here) I mounted it to the card front with clear foam.  Done!

TWO MORE PASTOR CARDS

These two cards were made using a clear stamp set with matching die from Paper Trey Ink.  They have a lot of little stamp sets for $5 each, such as the splits I've posted before and this little set.  There are a variety of sayings that go with "blessed," whether you use the die or not.  (The die is also $5.)

They also had a Thanksgiving stamp set which I plan to try later on this week--so stay tuned!

SILVER STAMPERS

I've mentioned Silver Stampers several times on this blog, but I want to mention them again.  I've just received over 30 birthday cards this past week--today is the day!--and it has been so uplifting.  If you are over 50 and love to send (and receive) cards, then you would surely enjoy this wonderful group of stampers.  The annual dues ($12) cover the cost of maintaining and mailing the annual directory and birthday list. 

Membership gives you the opportunity to make some new friends by mail, or sometimes in person.  You can correspond with one or two on the list or 50 or more--it's up to you.  There are over 100 members from all over the country.  I keep in touch with about 10 or 12 on a regular basis, send birthday and Christmas cards to about 50 and receive as many back.  Some write or type long newsletters, some just sign the card and others enclose a separate note so their card can be re-used.  You could start out by picking one name from each month of the birthday list,  which would give you just one a month.

If you think this might be something you'd enjoy, you can contact the current coordinator, Gretchen King.  Her email address is gk1146@softcom.net.  (All levels of stamping are welcome, beginners to advanced.)  Just tell her Doris sent you!

DE-CLUTTERING TIME AGAIN!

In preparation for the Fall de-cluttering class I'm leading, I've been getting a head start.  After all, I can't teach what I don't do!  Starting with the Stamping Tower, I took out 4 bags of giveaways and 2 bags of garbage.

It was so inspiring to get that done, that the next place I did was the laundry room.  There were 4 overhead cabinets filled with "stuff" and 3 added  floor cabinets of more stuff.  That purge yielded 6 -- yes 6!-- large garbage bags of stuff, including some items on top of the wall cabinets that were there when we moved in 26 years ago!  I found things that were duplicates and triplicates because they had been pushed to the back and forgotten.  Thankfully, we finally found someone who is now repainting the room for us, which involved removal of foil wallpaper, installing new faucets and adding a shutoff valve in the basement just for the laundry room.  He's also putting in a new floor.  When the room is done, it will be minus 2 of the the 3 extra cabinets so that it stays neater.

Finally, last week I cleaned out the linen closet and gave away another 6 bags of extra sheets and assorted table cloths,  plus one giant bag of items for garbage pickup.  I kept 2 of each size tablecloth and 2 sets of sheets for each bed.

Here's a tip from my daughter who is on her way to becoming a certified home organizer:  Store bed linens in the closet or a drawer of the room where they will be used instead of the linen closet.  Same with guest room towels.  Other towels can be stored in the bathroom where they are used either in a basket or a wall rack like those found in hotel rooms.  The saved linen closet space can then be used for bulky seasonal items.

If you'd like to follow along on the weekly challenges of my class, the first challenge (next Tuesday) will be to de-clutter paperwork, magazines, catalogs etc. and establish a file drawer (or two.)

THREE OF A KIND--Baskets of Wishes

 For today's post, I played with my new SU set which was delivered here yesterday.  The first card I made is for an October birthday.  I stamped the basket in Walnut Stain Distress ink.  The flowers were stamped in light gray and colored with glitter pens.  The jute bow is the only embellishment.

The second card will be for either a late October or early November birthday.  I water-colored the basket and colored the squashes with markers.  I plan to add some sequins later.

Finally, I really went to town on the last one.  I white embossed the basket and filled in the spaces with a white gel pen so that it would look like a ceramic basket.  I used glitter gel pens for the succulents so they'd stand out from the dark green background.  The dsp I chose was a scrap that also had a cutout on the top left corner; but since it was the only piece left, I covered it up with the birthday banner from a Frantic Stamper set.  Enjoy!

HAPPY LABOR DAY...

...AND MAY ALL YOUR LABORS BE FRUITFUL!

ANOTHER GREAT SAVE

This card came out horrible, believe it or not.  The "Happy" was originally the same paper as the background, but it didn't show up at all; so I had to fix it.

After dusting the word with anti-static powder,  I went over the whole word with a Versamark marker.  Then I sprinkled it with gold ep and repeated the process 3 times.  Next, I gold embossed the "birthday" label and used glue dots to hold it in place.

To fill the huge expanse of nothingness above the words, I gold embossed the butterfly which was in my stash and added the black gems.  It seems to have filled the space perfectly.

...and to think this card was headed for the trash (almost!)

HUMOROUS CARD FOR A FRIEND

Today is Jackie's birthday, and I made this card just for her.

I used my computer to print the punchline inside which reads, :"The trick is getting them all on the cake.!"  I signed the back of the card also with "A one-hour card made by..."

Of course, I also enclosed a gift card.  After all, birthdays are serious business.

SPLITS--Saying Hello

This SPLIT set is for sympathy cards; but thankfully I don't need one right now, so I used the greeting  from another set.

This will be used to send someone a quick note.  The dsp was cut short, so I just cut down the size of the card and went with it.  Since this is the least ornate of the SPLITS, it work great.

This last card was the second made with this SPLIT set, "Just a Note."  I was able to match the colors in the dsp.  The yellow strip is from the reverse side of the floral dsp and made a nice backdrop for the greeting.

THREE OF A KIND--SPLITS

Can you tell I'm lovin' these Splits from PaperTrey Ink??

These three each use a different set and are cut to three different sizes.  It was fun making these!

My favorite is the sympathy card, but it's sad that I needed it this week.

SPLITS--Thanksgiving Card

This set is going to make some nice Thanksgiving cards.  Before popping it up on the card, I stamped some oak leaves with my peg stamp.  Then I colored in the stamped leaves around the greeting and mounted it on the card front.

I added the jute and sequins for some embellishment and rounded the bottom right corner.

I think I like this SPLIT set the most!

SPLITS from Paper Trey Ink

I was so impressed with these Mini Sets of "Splits" that I ordered three different ones.  This is the first try, and already I can see that they're going to be used a lot.

This one is called "Just a Note," but there are lots of other stamps that will fit in the space provided.  The matching dies make them easy to pop up for dimension.  This one is mounted offset so that the dsp underneath would show.  I had sequins that matched the colors in the dsp, so I added them for embellishment.

BOTANICAL BIRTHDAY

Once again, the Botanical Builder dies come in handy for a summery birthday card.  The frame is from W Plus 9 which I used on a piece from the English Garden dsp pack. 

The greeting and scalloped punch are from SU!.

It seems the Botanical set has endless uses...

SOFTER PASTOR CARD

Although not as masculine as others I've made for our pastor, I really like the soft look of this card.  I do think the embossed panel gives it enough texture to keep it from being too feminine.

The butterfly is die cut from a ;iece of dsp which matches the gray and yellow used on the card base and panel.  The Bible verse was done in an airy font, which complements the butterfly.

ANOTHER FUSE TOOL CARD

This shaker card, filled with bird seed, made an interactive birthday card for a blogger friend's granddaughter.

In addition to the shaker, I also put the bird on an action wobble for added interest!

BIRDSEED CARD

This little bird is just perfect for this card on which I added some birdseed at the bottom.  Very appropriate, don't you think?

After using some brown ink on the beak, feet and tail of the bird, I popped him up on the card. This will make a nice pastor card.

The message is from the SU! "Trust God" set, which I enjoy using a lot.

FUSE TOOL

Evelyn and I got to play with her new fuse tool (which I gave her for her birthday,) and it was a lot of fun!

We each made this same card, filling a pouch with assorted sequins, beads and flowers.  The Fuse Tool sure made it a lot easier to make a shaker card.  Although it doesn't shake as freely as it would with two layers of foam, it also keeps the contents from falling to the bottom.  I guess that's what you call a trade off.

LITTLE TREE, BIG WISH

Since I'm teaching "De-clutter de House" at Bible Study this Fall, (along with Scripture references each week)  I figured I need to practice what I'll be teaching!  After spending Sat. afternoon purging my stamping room closet, I packed up 4 shopping bags/baskets full of giveaway stuff and called Joan to take it to her DIL.  She is a new stamper who will appreciate some free stamping items.

This embossing folder oval has a tree at the bottom which can either be used for Christmas or covered over for a different card anytime during the year.  It's been in my stash for a long time, so I'm ready to let it go, however.  I think I'll give it to one of my "J" friends!