Hoppy Valentine

Here's a Valentine I made for my grandson. The dsp is from the scrap drawer and happened to be just right for the frog with his green spots.

The gel heart is inserted slightly under a slit in his mouth. The eyes were added for a little extra interest. The red scalloped oval helps "ground" the heart, which is mounted with SU dimensionals.

The hardest part was trying to decide whether to label this one "Valentines" or "Scrap Drawer." (I decided against the latter since the scrap drawer isn't shown.)

Congrats to Blog Candy Winner!

And the winner is...

#13--ChrisD! Please contact me by email with your snail mail address so I can get your package out right away.

Thanks to all for your wonderful comments. This past year had a lot of ups and downs, with the loss of 2 family members along the way (in addition to my mom in Nov. of 2008.) Time in the Stamping Tower was a precious refuge from the storms of life, both literal and figurative.

I am constantly praising God for His gracious blessings of stamping supplies and fellow bloggers who share in this wonderful world of creativity. I feel as though I know some of you as well as stampers I've met face to face. The ideas we all share with one another go well beyond cyber space.

As I've said before, stamping (especially cards) gives us the opportunity to bless another person's life in a special way--so keep inking up!

HAPPY NEW YEAR--Blog Candy Style!

I can hardly believe another year has gone by. It seems the older I get, the faster it goes.

Once again, I'm offering some blog candy and this challenge: Look back over all my posts for 2009 and choose a favorite; then leave a comment here with your choice. On January 15th, I'll choose a winner at random and announce it here. Until then, I'll leave this post at the top of my blog (so be sure to scroll down for the latest posts.) Meanwhile, send some of your friends over to the Stamping Tower.

Also included are some clear stamps for Valentines!

Happy Stamping in 2010!

Phresh & Phunky Valentine

While going through a folder of Basic Grey papers, I came across a batch of pinks and reds that I had saved from last year. This Phresh & Phunky combo worked well with the cardstock I already had. Since I'm not fond of pink (yellow is my favorite color) I like the way these non-traditional colors toned it down a bit.

From the sheets of letters and tags, this tag was chosen to serve as a bookmark after the card is received. I hand-printed "remove for bookmark" beneath it and used the Slit punch to hold it in place until it is removed.

(After photographing the card, I repositioned the circle overlapping the large heart so that it's now completely on the heart for better balance.)

SIMPLE SATURDAY #9

FIRST VALENTINE FOR 2010

Here's the first Valentine I've designed for this year:

The silver x's and o's are stick-on letters from Making Memories alphabet stickers. The small sticker on the large heart is a dimensional sticker from EK Success. The red and silver gel hearts are stickers purchased at AC Moore.

The lacy heart was made with a Martha Stewart heart punch. To make it "adhereable" with all the cutouts, I used double stick tape on the back. Although it doesn't show up well here, (unless you click to enlarge) I sprinkled glitter in the holes and "mushed" it into the double stick tape beneath.

The right panel is also perforated to be used as a bookmark with a brad and embroidery floss to finish it off. I used some dsp on the inside where I will stamp something underneath where the large heart overlaps.

More Valentine ideas coming!

Stampin' Fun

Here are my stampin' buddies working on Valentine designs for the Mothers Class which resumes in February. There were six of us gathered around my dining room table: three from PA and three from NJ. The sunshine was so warm, we actually had to open the window a bit--delightful!

Of course, we also made some of our own cards as we tried various combinations of the dsp and embellishment supplies we shared.

We had quiche and cold drinks for brunch. Before cleaning up we enjoyed coffee and cake (made by Linda--delish.) Leave it to me to focus on the food (lol) but the best part was all the laughter. Every once in awhile, someone would say something that ended in a familiar phrase where we all burst into song--a sign that we're all in the same age bracket!

If you look closely, you can see my reflection in the mirror of the curio cabinet as I take this photo.

Scrap Drawer #5

When I came across this unfinished Easel Card, I headed for the Hero Arts birthday frames and the Scrap Drawer. Like the previous birthday post, I'm thinkin' chocolate again!

The cupcake icing features dollops of Frosted Lace Stickles and a Stickles red cherry on top.

Using scraps can be like a walk down memory lane as I re-use pieces from past projects. January is such a great month to use up leftovers while enjoying the bright sunshine streaming through the window--no cabin fever here!

Scrap Drawer #4

How can you miss when you have a nice large scrap of double-sided dsp and a simple Hero Arts clear stamp!

Matching the colors in the stripes, I used my SU markers to "decorate" the cake, with chocolate icing, of course. I "lit" the candles with pale yellow glitter and "wrapped" the image with blue and green embroidery floss. Three blue gems at the bottom give it just a little more sparkle.

This would serve well for a masculine birthday, don't you think?

SCRAP DRAWER#3

Here are two cards made from the same batch of scraps. The first is on blue textured cardstock
with narrow stripes and the sunburst design. The orange ribbon was a leftover piece which was taped over the "seam" and attached on the back. The knot was tied separately and added with a glue dot.

With a scrap piece of orange cardstock, some smaller scraps of dsp and the Boho Blossom punch, there was enough to make the oval greeting and the layered blossoms. The oval outline was colored in with a matching orange marker. For embellishment, I happened to have a tiny blue flower brad which also matched the blue cardstock.

The second card uses the white cardstock as a base, with wider stripes and oodles of gems for some sparkle.

Both cards turned out to be bright and cheery--nice for January!

Scrap Drawer #2

This light blue scrap is the last of the snowflake paper for this year and not too Christmas-y. It will go out as a birthday card.

The shimmery blue paper had just enough on the edge to serve as a scalloped border and still provide some pieces for the Boho Blossoms punch. The white snowflake brad with the silver twine bow was left over from last year's Christmas cards. The silver brads added a little more bling. I thought the combination of the snowflake and blossoms coordinated with the saying also.

The bee was enhanced with Frosted Lace Stickles on the wings and Black Diamond Stickles on the body.

After assembling the dsp and embellishments, I mounted it on the white cardstock with SU dimensionals. Enjoy!

Out of the Scrap Drawer

Here's a new Stamping Tower theme for 2010--a way to use some of those scraps we all hang on to! I plan to show a "before" and "after" for each card made with only scrap dsp from my drawer of leftovers, with added cardstock and embellishments, of course.

I already had this blank gate-fold card, perforated on the right side for a tear-off bookmark. The matching dsp was cut to fit the two sides, with enough left over to punch out the boho blossoms and the scalloped oval. The blue/brown plaid was on the reverse side. I had ONE triangular blue eyelet in my stash which I added to the top with some leftover embroidery floss, both of which matched my color scheme perfectly. Two blue gems and some matching glitter gave it some bling.

The inside greeting says "Celebrate with style."

As you can see by my scrap drawer, I have plenty more card possibilities!

ROLLING TOTE

Thanks to the 50%-off sale at Hobby Lobby, I now have a long-desired Rolling Tote! (Check out their flier, if you have a Hobby Lobby near you.) It has tons of open storage space inside, with lots of zippered or velcro pockets around the outside for punches, scissors, tape rolls, etc. There was even a 12 x 12 plastic paper holder included as a bonus.

I also picked up a mini tote with lots of pockets around the outside of it for an additional $3.50. I plan to use it for small items that I can lift right out as one unit from inside the tote.

This will certainly help me with carting supplies in and out of our church building for the Mothers Class--well worth the waiting!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

...AND HAPPY BLOGGING IN THE NEW YEAR!

Check back next week to see what new stamping goodies Santa brings...

KEEPING TRACK

Here's how I keep track of my Christmas cards:

1. Make a list (using last year's as a guide) with 50 family and friends on the left side and 50 Silver Stampers on the right side. This year, I did it on my computer to make it easier to amend next year.

2. Color Copy (4 to a page) each card design. Then I use the 3-hole punch on the pages (usually only 2 or 3) and store in a 3-ring binder.

3. Since I make batches of 4 or 5 designs each year, I write down which one I'm sending next to each name.

4. As cards come in, I put a red star next to the name for reference next year. (I limit my cards to 100, so I may have to drop one in favor of someone new. I hate to do that, really; but I need to draw the line somewhere.)

5. After Christmas and New Years, I add the list to the binder and store in the Tower until next November when I start all over again.

Hope this helps!

RAK from LeAnne

Is this a gorgeous card or what!! Thank you LeAnne Pulgliese from Wee Inklings for sending it. It's one of my favorites of this season.

SIMPLE SATURDAY #8

Please say "HI" to Archie in the previous post--he loves to get comments! This will be my last Simple Saturday post until January. Meanwhile, have a wonder-filled Christmas!

SIMPLE SATURDAY #7...

...will have to wait a few days. We got distracted with all the snow! (See previous posts.)

Archie is resting up for his next adventure. This is his idea of a Simple Saturday!

Keep watching--I'll be posting some cards again SOON!

Blog Candy on Inky Hugz

Check out Shelly's blog (link at right) for a chance to win a beautiful Christmas stamp set!

And This Morning...

A beautiful sunrise and the promise of temps above freezing.
(According to the same people who predicted only 2"...)

Four Hours Later...and still snowing...

Compare to previous post (below!)

What a Difference a Day Makes!

We've just gone from a warm Autumn day in the 50's yesterday, to a snowy wintry day in the low 30's today! The first snowfall is always so exciting, but I'm sure we'll be tired of it by the end of January.

Here's hoping we have more good weather for Christmas traveling! After that, it can snow all it wants...well, maybe.

SIMPLE SATURDAY #6

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Don't forget to count your blessings--we have so much to thank God for!

...not to mention an abundance of stamps and supplies...

Combining Stamps

The cat stamps make a great all-purpose card, but I wanted to use the "C" for a Christmas card. How this idea came to me, I don't know; but I do like the way it turned out!

First, I stamped the "C is for Cat" in blue on a white scrap. Then I stamped the last half of the Merry Christmas stamp (from a Hero Arts set) on another scrap. Using the word slot punch, I punched out the word "Christmas" and pasted it over the word "cat". Since the lettering is the same size on both stamps, it lined up perfectly.

After using the oval punch, which also fit perfectly over the image, I attached the new saying to the card with dimensionals.

Here are three other Christmas cards made with the same technique:


Enjoy!

SIMPLE SATURDAY #5

(This one really needs to be "clicked" to be appreciated.)

Fuzzy Blue Jay

I recently ordered a set of embossing folders from HSN, and this is one of their exclusive images. After embossing on a piece of neutral cardstock, I colored it with chalks, added Stickles to the snowflakes and a gem for the eye.

Somehow, this photographed a little fuzzy... even after several attempts. The softness of the chalking and embossing was very hard to capture, but I'm sure you get the idea. (It looks better when you click on it.)

SIMPLE SATURDAY #4

SIMPLE SATURDAY #3

Christmas Workshop Today...

...and, of course, I forgot to take pictures while everyone was here! (as usual...)

Everyone made four of three different designs, but this one was my favorite. Unfortunately, the scanner doesn't do it justice. After punching out three of the snowflakes and attaching the ribbon, the cuttlebug design was attached to the white card front using dimensionals. We stamped the snowflake in blue, attached the Merry Christmas with glue dots and added some Frosted Lace Stickles to the snowflakes. Using one of the snowflake circles that was punched out, we added a blue gem and attached it below the ribbon with another glue dot.

Enjoy!

SIMPLE SATURDAY#2

(Note: Timer shows how long it took and will appear in all Simple Saturday posts.)

BLOG CANDY ALERT!

Shelly is giving away some blog candy in celebration of her blogaversary. Check it out at Inky Hugz (link at right.)

EASEL CARD

This was a fun card to make, and soooo easy! (...but not so easy to explain...)

Using the standard card size of Soft Suede cardstock, I used my Scor-Pal to make the middle crease plus another fold in the middle of the card top to create the base for the easel.

Next, with a scrap of metallic brown cs, I gold embossed the leaf and cut two slits on each side for the striped dsp to pass through.

Then I cut a sheet of Baja Breeze to fit over the card front and mounted the coordinating dsp over it. After threading the striped paper through the leaf image, I mounted the pieces and added the embroidery floss bow. Using Scotch double-stick tape, I secured the finished front part onto the lower half of the card top.

For the easel "stop" I mounted the oval greeting with dimensionals so that it would hold the card front in place. Although you can't see it here, I also added a wider strip of striped paper behind where the image sits just to give it a finished look for when the card is first opened.

After I finished the card, I added a mini Post-It note inside so the recipient would know how to prop up the Easel. Then I tested the instructions on my DH, and he did it!


(For further ideas, go to SCS Gallery and type TLC242 in search box.)

SIMPLE SATURDAY #1

SIMPLE SATURDAY

Our visit with family in Prague was wonderful, as usual. Now that we're back, I'll be posting photos and video of the grandkids on our Fox Mtn. blog (link at right.) Just give me another day to recover from jet lag!

Meanwhile, since you may be wondering why it says "Saturday" on Friday, it's because I'm announcing my intent to post an easy-to-do card on Saturdays. Be sure to stop by each week for something elegant and simple that you can CASE in ten minutes or less!

OFF TO PRAGUE!

...where else? Can't wait to see Laura and family, especially Owen who is 4 and 11/12ths as he would say.

Meanwhile, Evelyn will be covering for me with the Mothers Class. They'll be making Halloween treat holders with the Sweet Treat cups in the mini catalog. If you haven't tried them yet, order a box and play with them. You don't need the stamp set that goes with it, although that's fun too. Of course, when it comes to stamping, "need" is a relative term!

Look for a new post when I get back--more Christmas card designs coming.........

AUTUMN SPLENDOR

This is how Joan and I celebrated World Card Making Day at the Tower!

I just love this set!

Using the Joseph's Coat technique, these cards were fun to do. Three were made with SU dsp, the other (far left) with colorful designer paper from my stash. Because of the busy-ness of the colorful leaves, it almost looks like a "find the hidden leaf" kind of card ;)

The baja breeze (blue) card came out like a leaf within a leaf, although I didn't notice it until I was done. Next time, I'll try to line it up intentionally. The little squiggle at the bottom is from the retired Fall Whimsy set, which coordinates well because of the similar curve.

The two kraft cards would serve well for masculine cards.

Which do you like best?

Backpack Encouragements

Now that kids are back in school, my daughter asked me to make little postcard encouragements for her to add to my grandson's backpack. I thought I'd post them as an encouragement to you moms who might like to try the same thing!

Each one is different and each has some kind of tactile embellishment for my grandson to enjoy. If you click on the picture, you can get a closer view of each one!

Let me know what you may come up with for YOUR little one...

Autumn Grid

Here's my version of Dawn Griffith's Faux Grid technique--thanks Dawn! (May 29, 2009)

Following Dawn's video, I used white cardstock for my grid and mounted it on dark brown cs. Instead of her cute fishies, I used leaves and an acorn from an old retired SU stamp set (Fall Whimsy.) After coloring in the squares and images, I added the greeting. For the finishing touch, I used Ice Stickles for a little glitz.

We all enjoyed making these cards at Mothers Class, too!

(Check out Dawn's videos--link at right!)

Special Card for a Special Person

Using the same technique in the previous post, I made this card to send to our Pastor who had a stroke last week. His recovery so far is miraculous!

Technique Tuesday Remake

Here's a new card made with the technique we learned at Cyndy's Technique Tuesday class.

The tricky part of this technique is cutting the paper so that you get the stripes going in two different directions for the chevron look. After cutting strips in varying widths, they were attached to a piece of plain cardstock that was run through the Xyron machine.

For the "bow," I taped the ribbon around the cardstock. Using another small piece, I tied a knot and added it to the ribbon with a glue dot.

The image was popped up using dimensionals, with the finished piece mounted over coordinating textured cardstock attached to a white card.

I plan to make another card using Fall colors and a leaf image. This technique is fun!

BIRTHDAY BASH TODAY!

Today was my birthday, and it was wonderful! The weather couldn't have been better, the party was a lot of fun with all my good friends here, and Rick just took me out to dinner so I didn't have to cook. Old age does have its benefits;)

The dining room table was used to display all the Silver Stamper cards I received, along with a few others from friends and family. In the foreground are the little thankyou treat bags I made for each guest.

The cake was solid chocolate cake with whipped cream icing--yum! The only thing I wanted on it were the roses and the LXV candles I added.

Since I didn't want any gifts, everyone brought things for the Hope Food Pantry instead. Joyce had lots of items to bring down there afterward, so my party benefited others as well. You might want to consider doing the same thing in your neighborhood, even if you don't have a birthday coming up. Food pantries are being stretched to the limit in this economy.

I'm so grateful for such wonderful friends who have helped me celebrate all my special occasions over the years.

Thanksgiving Card

Choosing scraps of Fall colors, I used my MS square punch again for this card. With the squirrel brad, it will go to a friend who traps squirrels and releases them on the other side of the highway so they leave her bird feeders alone!

This format is so versatile--every card can be different depending on what scraps and embellishments are used.

(Sorry for the blurry look--it's because of the button and brad in the scanner.)

Christmas Card Design #2

Here's a simple card using only one color.

First, I stamped the trees on white cardstock with green ink and colored over the bird with a black marker. I carefully tore the paper to remove the green lines under the trees, repositioned it to look like snow and stamped the verse below in black.

After mounting the white pieces on sage green cs, I added Frosted Lace Stickles to the torn edge.

Done!

DOTTO FUN

Here's a fun way to decide how you want to arrange the pieces on a card--just use DOTTO to temporarily attach all the parts and move them around.

This card is another version of the previous post, shown two different ways. Since I had no brown ribbon left, I cut the white piece and mounted the halves apart to simulate a ribbon look. By using the DOTTO, I could then stand my card up to view it from a more distant perspective. Once I decide which way I want it, I'll use permanent tape to assemble it and mail it out.

I think it will be the second one with the oval placed slightly higher. Or maybe I'll make it vertical instead of horizontal...hmmm...or maybe...

Versatile Card

Here's a card that can be used any time of year, and sooooo easy!

First, with removable tape, I attached torn typing paper on the diagonal corners to mask the card. Then I stamped the flowers in black ink, sponged over them with the green and yellow inks, highlighting the centers with a white gel pen. After adding some dots with a black marker, I removed the masking pieces to finish the card.

The ribbon is mounted around the white cs and taped on the back. The bow was tied on separately so that it could be moved up and down to where it looks best. I then mounted the white cs to a green layer before attaching to the yellow cs. The oval punches were used for the greeting and popped out with a dimensional.

Imagine this same technique with fall colors and leaves OR blue and white with snow flakes! Maybe a Christmas card with red and green...

The possibilities are endless!

Thankyou Card

It was so sweet of Germaine Ferrao to include this little clear stamp in her letter to me recently. So, of course, I used it to make a thankyou note for her.

The flower was stamped once on white cardstock, stamped again on another piece of white and watercolored. The second image was cut and the petals applied to the bottom layer with tiny pieces of foam tape. I used a Martha Stewart punch for the ferns and mounted all to the card after adding a green gingham strip.

A few Dew Drops and a sentiment, and the card was done. Thanks again, Germaine!