THREE OF A KIND

... FOUR, ACTUALLY!

Our new pastor needs some note cards, so I pulled out my SU "Country Pleasures" set and stamped the church scene four times--one for each season.  Since there is a snow man and bare trees, I had to get creative; but that's what stamping is all about, right?

For Spring, I added "leaves" by dabbing light green and yellow markers around the branches.  To cover the snowman on the lower left corner, I stamped, cut and mounted 2 leaves from another SU set, "Fabulous Florets."

The winter card was the easiest, since the trees remain bare and the snowman belongs in the scene.  All I added was the background and a tiny snowflake.

Summer was fairly easy also with two shades of green for the leaves and grass, with the "blessings" oval mounted over the snowman.  The background came from my scrap drawer, as did all the others.

Finally, the autumn card (my fave) was done with yellow, brown and orange markers for the leaves.  I also dabbed some "leaves" under the tree.  The image is mounted on a brown metallic scrap which was all the embellishment needed.  The "blessings" stamp was used on the inside left for this one, and I hope they will all bless someone as they are used!

(Don't forget to click on the photo for a larger view.)

YOUR OPINION IS NEEDED!

 This is a shadow box card I came up with for next week's Mothers Class.  At first, I was satisfied with it; but then I decided to add the strips of white on the sides.  Having done that, now I think the banner on the bottom is a little too heavy for the delicate image.

What do you think of:
a.  the size of the banner
b.  the plain green or the white strips on the sides

If you leave a comment with your answers,
I will send you something from my most recent
 cleanout of the Tower as a thankyou!

BLACKBOARD TECHNIQUE

I finally got the chance to try this technique for myself!

First, I used a label die to cut  black cs, then I stamped the image and sentiment with white pigment ink.  Then I embossed it with white ep and dabbed some white ink on the black with a sponge.

Next, I ran the front of the card through the Cuttlebug, rounded the bottom corners and added the strip of black and white Washi tape (something else I've been wanting to try.)

I had the fern previously stamped with Versamark on light green cs laying on my table, so I used it here (already die cut.)  After adding the white Hero Arts flower and some gems, I'm finally happy with the way it looks.

Trying new products and techniques is always fun!

Masculine Birthday Card

This is one of those rare cards that comes together beautifully!  Notice how the cupcake icing and the banners are essentially the same shape.  The black scallops echo the same design.

For the inside, I used the same cupcake and scalloped edging.  I then stamped and cut out the birthday hat and smaller cupcake, mounting them with dimensionals.

This was a fun card to make!

PEG STAMP BORDER

Time to get out some peg stamps and pastel inks!

This quote from Isaiah promises all the help we need when we need it.  What better way to highlight it than with Spring colors!  The border was done with several peg stamps in greens and yellows.  The yellow embroidery floss provides the finishing touch.

All-Purpose Card

This is a simple card that could be used for any occasion.

In order to keep from cutting off the leaf tips when using the oval die, I first cut around the ends of the leaves with a craft knife.  Then I slipped the die underneath to make the oval cut.

The leaves are colored with a green marker.  The shading is done by going over some of the lines again after the first coat dries and sinks into the paper a bit.  Green bakers twine provides the only embellishment needed.

The striped dsp was cut out from a large scrap--just right for this card!

Another Butterfly!

Using the same die as the previous card, I just cut the wings in half to make a side view and mounted it over the chevrons with dimensionals.

The chevrons are a fun way to use up some scraps.  I chose four coordinating paterns, cut them at an angle and mounted them with snail.  The gem flowers are stickers from my stash.

The birthday greeting fit nicely in the open space.  To finish, I mounted the gray panel over a white card with dimensionals.

Butterfly Dies Are Back!

Now that it's Spring, even though the weather is still wintry, it's time to get out our colorful butterfly stamps and dies again!

For this card, I stamped the background on pool cs with Versamark.  Then I added the butterfly and the banner.

Easy card to make and send!

This Year's Easter Card

Here's the card I sent out this year.  The embossing folder (a gift from Evelyn!) made it easy to make multiple cards.

After running the Very Vanilla cs through the Cuttlebug folder, I rounded the corners and mounted it to the white card base with dimensionals.  For the dogwood blossom, I used grey ink on vellum, colored the center on the back with a Barely Banana marker and cut it out by hand.  I then mounted it on the cross with a glue dot.

For embellishment, I kept it simple with just a touch of Stickles in the flower center.  Most of the blossoms had green and gold centers, and some had purple Stickles.  Inside it said "He is risen,"  which I also stamped on the envelope.

Die Cut Birthday

This is the first card made using the Paper Trey Ink Birthday die and coordinating stamp set.

Starting with a 6x6 pad of designer sheets from My Mind's Eye, I chose the floral to use with a SU Mixed Bunch stamp and punch.  The red and yellow polka dot papers worked beautifully with this pattern, and the red and white twine finished the card off nicely.

The inside says, "May all your stamp dreams come true."  That's a good wish for any stamper!

Foxy Card

This fox stamp arrived the other day in my Paper Trey Ink order, and it lends itself very well to coloring with pencils.  I used a blend of warm browns and a brownish red to get a realistic look, just like the foxes we see around here from time to time.

I chose the subtle dsp from a pad of My Mind's Eye patterns to complement the reds in the fox and the embroidery floss.  The loops in the bow also reflect the dsp design.

There's just enough room inside to write a brief note at the top and bottom.

SIMPLE SATURDAY #27

Violets Card

This is one of the cards we made at Mothers Class on Wednesday.  Using an Our Daily Bread Designs stamp, we stamped it twice on white cs, colored it in with markers, cut out just the blossoms on the second image, and mounted them with dimensionals.  The flower pot was cut free hand out of a SU dsp from my stash.

The card base is Cream Felt from the Paper Cut and has a slight texture to it similar to watercolor paper.  The purple dsp is from a sheet of SU 12 x 12 paper.

After attaching the vase to the card with dimensionals, we mounted the flowers over it.  Then the greeting was stamped and the twine added on top.  For a final embellishment, we added yellow Stickles to the flower centers.  Easy and elegant top fold card!

SPECIAL MOTHERS CLASS

Instead of meeting at the church this week, we held a special morning/lunch session at Jackie's house.  From left to right are:  Jackie (our hostess), Nicole, Kim, Bambi and me.  (absent from the photo are Joan and Evelyn.)  We are each holding a stamp set that we chose from the package shown on the table.  One of my friends who moved down South sent me that box filled with stamps she was giving away.  What a joy to have received such a gift!  As you can tell by the smiles, the joy was felt by all.

From joy to concentration, the next photo shows Jackie, Kim and Bambi making their thank-you notes.  Jackie's husband made pork barbecue for lunch--YUM!  After lunch we made a few more cards, and I taught a new technique using a label Nestabilities die (see previous post.)

We had lots of laughter along with the creativity of trying out new stamps.  Thanks again, Bev!

LABEL DIE CLOSURE

When I saw this technique, I knew I had to take it to Mothers Class for all of us to try.  (I think it was on Pinterest.)

To start, I took the label die and ran it through the Cuttlebug with the C plate on top, but moved down a bit so that it wouldn't just cut out the label.  Instead, it enabled me to use it as a "hinge" on the card front.  Next, I cut off  enough of the right side of the front so that it would fit neatly under the tab.

After that, it was just a matter of decorating and embellishing to complete the card.  It's amazing how different each card was when we were done!

I plan to add more to the right side and the inside later.  I hope you give this one a try--it was fun!

SUNFLOWER THANK-YOU

Nothing personalizes a card like your own handwriting.  This is from a retired SU set, Summer Sunflower.

After inking the flower in yellow, I added orange ink along the edges, stamped it on white cs and cut it out.  Since this is a two-step stamping set, I used brown ink for the center and added Cinnamon Stickles over it.  While it dried, I stamped the stem and leaves, cut out the image and mounted it on the plain dsp.  Using an old pair of corner scissors, I trimmed the corners on the dsp and card base and mounted the plaid with ds tape.

After attaching the sunflower with foam tape, I hand-wrote "thanks" on the front and added my thank-you note inside.

I didn't have access to Split Coast Stampers at the time I made this, but checked it out later and found tons of ideas for this set!

TIP:  Whenever you need ideas on how to use a stamp or set, Split Coast Stampers is a wonderful resource.  Check it out HERE!

Ready for Spring

With winter almost over, it's time to start stamping Spring florals!

Using two SU sets, I first stamped and colored the fern on a piece of white cs, added the purple floral dsp on the edge and ran it through my Cuttlebug leaving out the dsp.  Then I ran the card front through with a wood stripe design, but it didn't add anything to the card once the top piece was on.  So I ran it through again with the diamond design--much better.

Here's a tip:  If you don't like the way something looks once embossed, you CAN run it through again with something different!

QUESTION:  Has anyone had a problem with creating a watercolor background with Distress inks and water on a craft sheet?  Every time I've tried, it comes out warped and not very appealing color-wise.  None of the videos I've seen have had a problem like this.  I used this technique for the base of the flower here.  I planned to use it as a panel for another card, but it was so warped I could only punch out the flower and use it underneath the vellum overlay.

MIXED BUNCH AND PUNCH

Here's a quick card using the Mixed Bunch SU set and the coordinating punch.

Starting with plain white printer paper scraps, I punched out 4 blossoms.  For the top one, I stamped first and then punched on the same paper.  Next, taking one at a time, I crinkled each one up into a wad, opened it up and sponged over all the creases with red ink.  Then I stacked them up using some snail in the centers to keep them together while I punched a hole in the center.

For the flower center, I stamped on a scrap piece of white cs with the same red ink.  Using a scrap of yellow cs, I punched out the largest of the Boho Blossom punch pieces and assembled the flower as shown.  For the center, I used a brad; but you could use anything decorative.  The leaves are another piece of scrap green cs punched out with the same punch as the flower and cut apart.  The stem is just a straight piece of the same green scrap.

Inside I used "May all your stamp dreams come true" to send to a Silver Stamper friend.

Did you notice how many times I used the word "scrap?"

Baby Card

When my friend Joyce asked me to make a card for a baby shower she's attending, I headed straight to my scrap drawer!  Since pink is my least favorite color (we call it "the dreaded pink" around here) there wasn't a whole lot of it in the Tower.

Starting with a pre-scored card from a K & Company pad, I chose one with a raspberry shade and matched colors from other scraps of dsp.  (Since they're scraps from previous projects, I can't tell you where they came from:(   Next, I headed to YouTube for some ideas and, thanks to Kristina Werner, I came up with this CASE of her card.

The largest piece of scrap with the branches and flowers set the stage for the design.  I wrote "welcome" in my own handwriting and set it aside to dry.  Next, I used my circle punch to create the scallops on top.  Using a striped paper helped line everything up evenly.  Once the circles were attached with snail, I laid the large piece over it with dimensionals, covering half of the circles and, again, lining it up with the stripes below.  To give it a more feminine flair, I used my Martha Stewart edger punch, which also shows the light green print inside.

For the nest, I used the SU set "Take Care" and hand cut an egg from one of the leftover scraps.  Then I die cut the letters from a scrap of  raspberry-colored textured paper and glued them on with TomBow glue.  After adding the pink gem and pearls in the upper left-hand corner, the card was done!

REVERSE EMBOSSING

Not sure if that's the term for this technique...

Using Hero Arts Poppy Background, I first inked it up with Versamark and embossed the square in white.  This left the poppies blank so they could be colored.

Although I used red markers as the media for watercoloring, the poppies look pink here.  After coloring them, I added some black and yellow in the centers of the two main blossoms.  Last, I watercolored the stems.

To mount the image, I first ran it through the Xyron machine so that I could be sure it would lay flat.  I mounted it on black cs, trimmed the edges to make it fit the card front and attached it to the card with SU dimensionals.  I made it a sympathy card to have on hand, adding the pink gems for a final touch.

RETIREMENT CARD

 I was recently asked to make a card for a friend's father-in-law.  I came up with this idea of a detachable checklist that could be posted later on the fridge as a reminder to keep busy!

First, I printed out a check list, cut it down and taped it to navy cs.  It was then attached to the card with a phillips-head screw brad.  Since it would swivel, I added a sentiment to be "discovered" underneath.  Silver cording was tied on the side.

For the inside, I used a Simon Says Stamp die for the "you" and a phrase from the coordinating stamp set.  The wavy congratulations is from a wooden Hero Arts stamp set.

Also, for this post I used a piece of white foam board for the photo.  Since it stands on its own, it works perfectly!

FOUR AND TWENTY BLACKBIRDS +

 

A few minutes earlier, there were hundreds more blackbirds, but I couldn't get to my camera fast enough.  At least here, you get the idea of what we got to see at the bird feeder, on the ground, in the birdbath (filled with sunflower seeds) and in the trees.   (No sound--the window was closed.)     My cats were not impressed... 

FRESH, CLEAN SNOW!

We woke up this morning to a blanket of new snow, just enough to look pretty without interfering with our ability to get up and down our driveway!

Feminine Valentine for a Sweet Granddaughter

Inchies are back!  These were started with a 1" square punch and a heart punch.  Scraps of red, purple and pink were attached to the back, then the squares were mounted on a larger piece of white cs with dimensionals.

After adding bakers twine and the greeting, the white panel was done--super easy to do! I attached it to the  pink card base with double-stick tape and stamped the greeting below.

The heart border punch provides the perfect Valentine touch!

FROM MY FILE--Peace Roses

This was a pre-stamped image I found in my file today from several years back when I stamped a whole page of them.  Although you can't tell here, I colored the main rose from another image and popped it up on this bouquet.

Since I love Peace roses, I tried to capture the color here; but it came out a bit too bold for that particular variety.  I started with a yellow marker and added pink on the edges of the petals.  Before mounting on the green cs with dimensionals, I distressed the edges of the white panel.  Then I added a generous amount of yellow Stickles to give it some sparkle.


TIP:  A fun way to add images to your collection is to get together with other stampers who each bring a variety of their newest stamps.  Using white cardstock and black ink, go to town stamping pages of images that you can use later.  Not only do you save money that way, but you also get a chance to use that one stamp you like out of a whole set!  Just be sure to allow enough space around each image for possible future die cutting.

BEE HAPPY

No more snowflakes for me--I'm heading straight for Spring with all my new and old floral stamps!

This one I inked up with Fired Brick and Forest Moss Distress Ink pads and stamped it on watercolor paper.  I then took the pads and smeared some ink on an acrylic block to use as a pallet for my aqua painter.  After coloring in the leaves and flowers, I used a black marker for the centers.

To highlight the poppy seeds, I used tiny black gems from a letter set and some gold glitter for the centers.  The greeting and the gold twine finished the look I wanted.  Leaving long "tails" on the bow coordinates beautifully with the wavy die cut frame, which is mounted with dimensionals.

For a closer look at the flower centers, click on the image.


TIP:  The easiest way to cut a double frame is to put both pieces of cs down on the plate, cut out the smaller opening on both and remove the bottom cs piece.  Carefully line up the larger die around the opening in the top piece and run it through again.   Perfect every time!  The leftover centers and narrow frame can then be used for other cards.

SNOWSTORM STAMPING

It may be snowing outside, but I'm thinking Spring!

This lily was stamped and filed in my pre-stamped folder ages ago, so I decided to finally use it on a card using my new Distress Ink Markers and an aqua painter.  After watercoloring the flower and adding black Stickles to the stamens, I set it aside to dry and cut the mats.  I found another image in the file, so I cut out the painted blossom and mounted it over the second one with dimensionals.

Next, I tied embroidery floss around the layers and mounted it to the card of white Bazzill cs with double-stick tape.  Then I made the label, added a light green gem and attached it with a tiny piece of dimensional tape.  Done!

For beginners, all you need is a flower stamp, some black ink and some markers to make a nice Spring card.

TIP:  In place of ribbon, I use embroidery floss on most of my cards.  It's less bulky for mailing, and less expensive.  With such a variety available, you can easily match the colors to your cardstocks and inks.

PS:  We got less than 6" of snow last night and have already been plowed out--YAY!

HEXAGON HUGS

Another hexagon card similar to one I saw in CardMaker Magazine.  This is going out with a hand-written message inside for a friend whose whole family has been sick (2 recovering from surgeries and she with the flu.)  It's been a long haul for all of them!

This is what I love about making our own cards.  It's such a wonderful way to bless a friend in need.  As I've said before, it's really a ministry.

For this card, I added texture with an ef and popped it up on the card front with dimensionals.  The hexagons were left over from my previous 2 cards and just happened to match a piece of light blue cs laying on my table (from who-knows-where...)  Very simple card to assemble.

ANOTHER HEXAGON CARD from the SCRAP DRAWER

Since I had some leftover hexagons on my table, I made another card.  This time I left a little bit of white cs around the border when I cut it down.  After wrapping some jute around the tan layering swatch (which I got from the Paper Cut) I stamped the greeting at the bottom and mounted it on the front of the card.

This time I kept the embellishments even simpler by adding a tiny flower with a blue gem on top of 2 layers from my SU Boho Blossom punch.

I've always liked the blue/brown combination, so I'm glad to have used it here.  Maybe I'll redo my living room in these colors!

FROM THE SCRAP DRAWER #14

Time to use up more of those scraps!  This time I came up with another hexagon design.

After using a Sizzix embossing folder on the front of the card, I mounted the hexagon panel with SU dimensionals.  To make the panel, I taped the hexagons onto a scrap of white cs and cut around the outside edges by hand.  Very easy...

I added the jute on the left and some pearls and gems on the hexagons for embellishment.  Then I stamped the greeting and inside message for a birthday card.

This just proves that simple is best, but doesn't have to be boring.

French Script for a French Friend

This is a duplicate of the card I made for Lucienne's birthday.  Since she is a French lady, I began with French Script which is inked up with 3 Distress Ink colors and spritzed with water before stamping on a white panel.  After sponging the edges with Forest Moss DI, I mounted the panel on the green card with dimensionals.

Next, I pulled out a favorite Hero Arts clear set (Big and Small Flowers) and stamped the flower in Wild Honey DI then colored it using my aqua painter with ink that I dabbed on my acrylic block.  Once I finished painting the blossom, I ran it through my CB in a Swiss Dots ef.  To complete the flower, I used some green scraps for the stem and leaves, gluing the stem down with TomBow Multi Glue.  After stamping the leaves with green ink and shading them with my aqua painter, I cut them out.  To attach them to the card, I folded them and added glue to just one side.  This was a great way to add some dimension!

Meanwhile, back at the flower, I used my Epiphany Crafts button maker and a piece of blue scrap dsp.  Instead of threading the embroidery floss through the tiny holes, I made a bow and attached it to the button with a glue dot.  I used another glue dot to add it to the flower.  The greeting was stamped with green ink, punched out, taped to the scalloped oval and attached with dimensionals.  Last, I used a variety of gems and pearls for the final embellishments.

Lucienne loved the card and the daisies I hand-delivered!

Valentine for an Out-of-this-world Husband

 This looks so much like him (not!) that I made this for Valentine's Day.  The eyes are glued on with TomBow Mono Multi glue.  The image was colored with my aqua painter using green and blue distress inks to match the dsp beneath.  I used dimensionals for the white panel and double-stick tape for the dsp.  Matching green embroidery floss was tied around the panel--no bows for a macho man!

Something a little more romantic will go inside.  The card front was inspired by Sylvia's blog HERE!

Thanks, Sylvia.  Your card is adorable.

MY TOWER IS A BIT NIPPY THIS WEEK!

Can you see me waving at the top???

(Click for a closer view.)


Just kidding...  This tower is on our street, barely visible in winter and completely hidden from our house when the leaves come out.  Temps have been in the teens and twenties by day and single digits by night...brr...

MOMS CLUB VALENTINE

What to do with so many ideas?  Put them all on one card!  Here's what I came up with for the Valentine class next month.

Starting with a chocolatey base of SU Early Espresso cs cut the long way, I folded it in half and then half again on the front to form a "Z fold" card. Then I decorated the front with various sized hearts--a great way to use up patterns from the scrap drawer!  I stamped the sentiment in red, cut it square and attached it to the front (left side only!)

Next I used the slot punch to create slits for the tube of  M&Ms which is inserted at the top and bottom and secured on the back with Scotch tape.  After adding the red and white bakers twine to keep the folded half closed, I cut a piece of dsp to fit the right side (4 x 5 1/4".)  I used the SU scalloped oval punch for the background of the inside message which is made using Memory Box alphabet dies and a quilled heart.

Finally, I slipped the large red heart under the candy tube and added a small heart-felt felt heart so there would be something decorative there after the candy is removed.

With so many steps for the card, this should take the class awhile to make.  They'll be making one for each child with a handmade envelope to present in person.  With such a thick tube inside, it won't be postage friendly...

NEW QUILT DIE

This is a small die, just right for a card, but a challenge for using such small pieces.  The first one I did had to be scrapped; but this one turned out great.  I ran the die through my CB four times, using 4 paper patterns.

Starting with a red square, I ran some snail along the edges and across the middle to hold the tiny pieces as I went along.  First I used one of the four outlines as a frame and filled in with the dsp.  Then I punched out a star for the center, added a light green gem and mounted it on the card with dimensionals..

Although they look symmetrical, I discovered that the diamond shapes fit only one way in the spaces--something to consider when applying them.  One thing I would change next time is the border punch.  I think it would look better with a pointy edge rather than the scallops with this design.

This card is going to a friend who needs some encouraging words.

UPDATE:  I cut off the scalloped edge and added a dark green strip on the right.  I think this added some depth to the card, and now I'm happy with it.

TIP:   When taking a photo of a card that keeps popping open, use some temporary tape to hold it closed.  Then remove the adhesive when you're done.

ANOTHER SWEET AND SASSY STAMP

 

This card presented some problems along the way.  I inked it in black and stamped off on a piece of scrap.  When I stamped it onto the white cs,  part of the image didn't print out; and it was right in the middle.  After coloring with markers, I found another flower in my stash that fit the spot perfectly, so I used it to cover up the empty space.  After adding the bakers twine bow and the sentiment, the card was done.  I mounted it with dimensionals on navy blue cs for some deep contrast.

This is a good example of how not to give up on a card!

NEW CAT STAMP

This card is going to a friend facing surgery next week who loves our Siamese cat.  It features a new cat set from Sweet and Sassy Stamps, "Purrfect Friend" and paw prints from an old, old Hero Arts set my husband gave me when I first started stamping.

After cutting out the image with a scalloped circle die and watercoloring the cat, I mounted it on the brown cs with dimensionals and added the brown bakers twine.  To finish it off, I added the paw prints at the bottom, the inside and the envelope.

As I've said before, cardmaking is not only an art--it's also a ministry.  This will be a blessing to our friend in letting him know we're keeping him in our thoughts and prayers.

SAME STAMP, ANOTHER CARD

Talk about easy...  This is a plain and simple card using the same stamp as the previous version in yesterday's post.  Somehow, using a monochromatic color scheme simplifies everything!

All I did was stamp it in green, add two flowers and some jute and mount it to the card with dimensionals.  The greeting was embossed in white.  Do you recognize the famous handwriting?  If you're a Kristina Werner fan, you got it right!




NOTE:  The cling stamp I used is from Hampton Arts, but there is no title on the package and no similar stamp on their site.  I don't remember where I got it.  (sorry)

NEW HOME CARD

 One of my good friends has moved to North Carolina from here in New Jersey, so I wanted to make an extra special card for her.

Using the Grand Madison Door die from Poppy Stamps, I created a door from the outline of the die cut and stamped it with the Hero Arts wood grain background stamp.  (I can use the door die cut later.)  With my ruler and a brown marker, I outlined the door panels and added a brass "kick plate" at the bottom.  To make the door knob, I placed a piece of scor-tape on the back of a shiny brass scrap and punched it out with my Cropodile, removed the backing and placed it on the door.

Next, I took three of my peg stamps and created the wreath (after practicing on a piece of scrap first) directly on the door panel.  Then I added the bow, mounted the door with dimensionals and clipped the corners of the card.

Inside, I created a banner at the top using the same peg stamps and inks as the wreath.  Instead of stamping a greeting, I hand wrote a brief message, clipped the corners to match the card and attached it inside.

This year, I plan to add interest to the inside of my cards as I make them.  Expressing a sentiment in my own handwriting is also a great way to personalize each card.

What changes/improvements are you planning to make in the New Year? 

Another New Stamp

This time, the stamp is from Hampton Arts and has flowers and background all in one stamp.  It took me awhile to decide how to use it.  Here's how it "evolved" to what you see:

It all started with a piece of heavy red cs already cut to 5 1/2 x 8 1/2".  Although I knew better, I tried folding it in half without scoring it first and ended up with crinkles.  (You've done that at least once, right?)  So, to cover up the crinkles, I found some leftover dsp that would go with the color scheme I had in mind and applied it over the fold and on the bottom of the inside.

Next I used the Fiskars border punch along the bottom; but that left me with very little room to mount the square stamped image.  Tilting it didn't work with horizontal script and vertical flower stems, so I added a piece of dark green cs which I tilted to provide a contrast between the dsp and the image.  (Are you still following this?)  This left a wide blank space in the upper right corner, so I added the twine to fill in.  This worked ok, but what to do with the rest of the blank space beneath it???  Out came the 3/4" punch and a small saying stamped on leftover dsp.

Meanwhile, back at the image, it was time to make that work.  First, I used my gel glitter pens to highlight the flowers; but I needed something that would make it pop.  I found 4 tiny white flowers in my stash and 4 pink flower gems from Hero Arts--perfect!  I still needed something to bring the whole card front together, so it was back to my stash where I found just the right sized butterfly already stamped and cut out.

Whew!  Now that was work; but at least it was worth it in the end.  I hope you enjoyed this story of how my card evolved.  (This card is not going to just anybody...)

NEW YEAR, NEW STAMPS

Now that the holiday rush is over, I can once again relax in the stamping tower and be more creative.    Today was the first opportunity I've had to try some of the new stamp sets that accumulated on my "new toys" spot.  I have a special place set aside to keep new stamps and products until I have time to use them.  With the holiday rush, some of them have been on the shelf for weeks.  So here we go!

First, I opened a clear stamp set from Sweet and Sassy Stamps, and do I love them!  These stamps ink up nicely and give an outstanding image, especially on the greeting.  This one from "Poppies and Greetings" came out better than I expected.  After coloring the image with colored pencils and mounting the two large blossoms (stamped separately on scrap cs) with dimensionals, I stamped the greeting above.  Since I wanted a bit more of the designer paper underneath to show, I used a Fiskars border punch.  Then I added the black lines freehand to frame it.  Before mounting it on the card, I used a light blue watercolor pencil to highlight the edges of the flowers and leaves.  (The black around the flowers is just a shadow from taking the photo with the sun coming in the window.)    After mounting the white panel to the card with dimensionals, I added some black glitter to the flower centers for the final touch.  Now that it's done, I think this card would make a nice Valentine for someone special!

Check back later for  more new stamps!

Embossed Metal Background

This card took all of 5 minutes to create!  I first ran a piece of metal sheeting, green on one side, silver on the other, through the Cuttlebug with a diamond embossing folder.  After sanding it lightly and tying a piece of silver cording around it, I attached it to the card front with double-stick tape.

Next, I stamped the Bible verse with black ink, used a Nestabilities label die, sponged the edges with green ink and added it to the card with dimensionals.  Done!

The verse is from a new Sweet and Sassy set I purchased weeks ago, but haven't had time to try until now.