I'M BACK!

I spent weeks of tearing the StampingTower apart looking for my camera battery and charger, and I finally resorted to prayer in order to find them.  After all, the Lord knew where they were, right?  (Why do we use prayer as a last resort instead of starting off there???)  Anyway, I no sooner said "Amen" when He graciously brought to mind that I had moved the charger to another room where I was taking photos of memorabilia for my Dad's album.

This photo was on the disk, and I barely remember making these cards for our pastor.  Enjoy!

MONOCHROMATIC CARD

After inking the flower with Versafine Imperial Purple and applying green marker for the stem, I stamped it three times without reinking.  Then I layered the panels as shown.

Very easy!

GIFT CARD SLIDER

(Sorry for the blurring--I've been having camera problems.)

Instead of a gift card, I made a tag to use as a book mark.

For directions on making these cards, take a look at Dawn Griffith's videos on YouTube.  She does a great job, and her other videos are great too!

FROM THE SCRAP DRAWER--Birthday Blossoms

This top-fold card was made using scraps that were still on my table from previous projects which actually never made it to the Scrap Drawer.  The yellow and white panels were glued together in case I needed an extra during the Tuesday beginners class.  The green strip was also a left over which I cut in half and glued to the card front as though it went all the way across.

The flowers*  were stamped on a larger scrap of white cs, fussy cut and mounted to the panel with dimensionals.  The greeting was stamped on a scrap of yellow, punched out and mounted below the image with dimensionals.

The final touch was the addition of 3 tiny self-stick blossoms and some yellow Stickles to the center of the rose.


*SU "So Very Grateful"

THREE OF A KIND--Sorta...

Usually, I do three of the same image.  These three are from the same SU set*, so I figured that was close enough.

The poppy was stamped with black ink and colored with Distress markers:  Fired Brick for the bloom and Frayed Burlap for the bud.  I added the red line on the side with just a ruler and the same marker used on the poppy.  The Bible verse and twine were added before mounting the panel to the card front with SU dimensionals.  The final touch was the Wink of Stella (pen) on the blossom.

The bird was stamped in Smokey Gray and colored with 2 shades of blue markers, one of which I used to highlight the verse.  The border was hand drawn with markers.  The twine was added before mounting the panel to the card front with dimensionals.

The berry branches were stamped with Smokey Gray and colored with markers.  I decided to make them blueberries, enhancing them with Wink of Stella and Glossy Accents.  Then I added a double line on the side and a few sequins above the verse.

Aside from being from the same set, these three cards also feature hand-drawn accents, Bible verses suitable for Pastor cards and a CAS* design.  Please click on the photo for a closer look.

*CAS--Clean and Simple
SU set is, appropriately, "Simply Sketched"

AUTHENTIC DOGWOOD STAMP

This stamp by Hero Arts is the only one I've seen (so far, anyway) that has Dogwood blooms with four petals instead of five.  There is a "Legend of the Dogwood" which is appropriate for Easter, but it requires an authentic 4-petal Dogwood blossom.

The leaves on this stamp are very dark, but I wanted the blossoms to be much lighter.  So I first stamped the image in Versafine Olympia Green and stamped a second image in Smokey Gray stamped off once.  I then colored both as shown with colored pencils.

Next, I cut the white cs close to the image on the sides, sponged the edges with Smokey Gray and glued it to the green dsp which I had already glued to the card front.  Then I added the lighter blossoms over the image with dimensionals.

The greeting, from the SU "Painted Petals" set, was stamped in the Olympia Green and mounted on the card with dimensionals.  The final touch of Diamond Stickles was applied to the centers of the blossoms.

This card is going to a Silver Stamper who is 88 and makes the most amazing cards!

BIRTHDAY TULIPS

This card was made using a set from My Favorite Things.
After stamping the tulips and greeting, mounting on a matching panel of pearlized purple cs, and adding it to the bottom left of the card front, the REAL fun began!

It was a challenge to add just enough sparkle with sequins, dots and gems without overpowering the simple image.  This took longer than all the previous steps, but I'm finally happy with how it turned out.

Enjoy!

FEMININE BIRTHDAY CARD

This was stamped three times across a top fold card using the floral stamp in the "So Very Grateful"  SU set.

After coloring in the images with markers, I glued on tiny flower embellishments I picked up at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago.  Then I added the sentiment which is from an old SU set of wooden stamps, "Wonderful Words."  Since it will be a birthday card, I handwrote the word "you" underneath the "e" in "Celebrate," following the curve of the stamp.

To pull all the purple colors together, I used deckle-edged scissors along the bottom and added a 3/4" strip of purple pearlized cs on the inside and another narrow strip along the top of the card as a finishing touch.

The colors are a little bright; but after the winter we just had, I think it will be a welcome change!

MASCULINE CARD?

You don't usually expect to see pink blossoms on a masculine birthday card, but this is one exception.  It went to a friend of ours who lives just outside of Washington, D.C.  Since his birthday was at the height of the cherry blossom season,...well, you get the idea.

Inside reads, "with a cherry on top."  I also added, "Hope you get to enjoy the cherry blossoms!"

I think it got a laugh.

FLOWERS THAT FLY

Couldn't resist CASEing Jill Foster's design HERE.

Using the  SU! Papillon Popourri and coordinating punches, I came up with this arrangement on a standard sized card.

The dashes on the left are from a Sale-a-Bration pad of vellum which I cut to 3/4" and taped to the cardfront with Vellum tape.  For the panel, which is popped up with dimensionals, I first white embossed the floral stamp from SU! Pocket Silhouettes, sponged over it with Broken China Distress ink, and added the jute.

The message (Technique Junkies) is stamped with Versafine Smokey Gray which matches the gray on the vellum strip.  The butterflies are colored with glitter pens and attached with glue dots.  The dots were added due to a tiny smudge that needed to be "camouflaged." 

Thanks to Jill Foster for a beautiful design!

AMAZED CAT

This cat's eyes caught my eye in the Technique Junkies booth at the Stamp Show, and I couldn't resist.  I found the greeting in a birthday set at the Sweet n Sassy booth, and they make the perfect pair!

A very simple card to make. I started with Versafine Smokey Gray ink; colored the eyes, nose and mouth; added the saying and sponged the edges with gray.  After mounting it over the plaid dsp on an ivory card front, adding just one glittered brad and rounding the upper right corner, the card was done.

Easy!

ANOTHER NEW STAMP

Since I use a lot of butterflies on my cards, when I saw this stamp at the Stamp Show, I knew it would get a lot of use.

The two small punched butterflies were sitting on my table from a previous project, so I had just what I needed to make use of my new stamp.  This is also the first time I've used this sheet from the Painted Blooms dsp from the SU! Sale-a-bration catalog.

I'm really happy with the way this folio card came together!

HIDDEN LETTER BIRTHDAY

I'm enjoying this newly-learned technique from Online Card Class!

TIP:  To add another word close to a raised image, place it on the bottom of an acrylic handle with the letters upside down.  Then stamp from the top of the raised image, which would no longer be in the way.  Of course, it would have been much easier to stamp it before adding the raised letters, but I forgot.

A PRE-SUMMER'S CAT NAP

This stamp by Impression Obsession reminded me of our tuxedo cat who loves to snooze in "her" chair on the front deck.  Today was the first day warm enough to sit a spell after a long, bleak winter!

I'm looking forward to doing the same thing in another few weeks...

HAPPY EASTER!

HE IS RISEN, isn't He?

"If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.  But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."
(I Corinthians 15:19-20)

THREE OF A KIND--Floral

Margot's Flower is the title for this stamp from Technique Junkies.  I saw this at the Allentown Stamp Show and didn't even hesitate.  Today I decided to try coloring it three different ways.

First, I stamped it on a piece of watercolor paper and painted it with an aqua  painter and Distress Inks:  Fired Brick, Peeled Paint and Wild Honey.  For the center of the flower, I used Wild Honey and my Wink of Stella brush.  The black was done with India Ink Black.  I used a pale purple colored pencil to outline the image on the bottom and right sides.


For the second flower, I used colored pencils on Ivory cs.  I like to use 3 colors at a time, the lightest first.  Then I add the darkest and use the medium tones for burnishing.  The center was colored black, then I added some tiny black gems.

TIP:  I purchase alphabet sets of pearls, rhinestones, red and black gems to separate and use on cards.

The purple card was done with markers, which I find the most difficult to use on large images because they aren't as blendable as the other media.  After I took this photo, I added more purple to the outer areas of the petals, leaving more white (and contrast) toward the center.  The center was done with a lime green Spica pen.

It was quite a challenge to come up with three different ways to color this image, but I like how they turned out.  My favorite is the first one (watercolor).  What's yours?

HIDDEN LETTERS

Day 7 of Online Card Classes was all about letter dies and different ways to use them.  I made this card for my grandson who is turning 17 on April 6.

Can you find the hidden letters?
(Click to enlarge.)

BUTTERFLY SYMPATHY CARD

This is another card using a border die in a different way.  The previous card used the rick-rack border vertically, this one horizontally.  Unfortunately, it will be used for a sympathy card that will go in the mail today.

This is a great way to use up some scraps!

Zig Zag Pastor Card

Using a border die for the middle of a card is a great way to extend the use of those dies.

I had picked up a pad of glitter paper last week by Die Cuts With a View.  The glitter in this stack of 6x6" papers is soft and smooth, not as glitzy as other glitter papers I've used before.  It almost feels leathery, if that makes sense.

To start, I chose the four colors shown here and cut them with my die.  I then attached them to a strip of  Post-It tape to hold them in place while I added them to the middle of the ivory panel.  Next I taped the panel together with regular Scotch tape on the back.  Then I ran the panel through the Cuttlebug again with the stitched rectangle die.  Once that was cut, I taped it with ds tape to the dsp mounted on the front of the card.

After stamping the Bible verse and tying some dark brown cord around the left side, the card was done.

Just a note:  Because I used my Fiskars stamp press, I was able to go over the verse in a darker brown than what I had originally stamped it in.  I figured if it didn't match up exactly, I would stamp it again on another piece that I could mount over it.  Thankfully, it worked the first time!

BUTTERFLY BIRTHDAY

Online Card Classes have been offering lots of new ways to make use of our many dies.  Shari Carroll inspired me with her card today in using a stamp and die set to create a window with dsp behind the opening.

After stamping a piece of acetate with white ink and embossing with white ep, I attached it behind the matching die cut and popped the panel up over the dsp and a coordinating side strip.  The sequins, bow and glitter paper provide just enough bling, while the embroidery floss gives the card some color and texture.

The inside verse reads, "May your spirit keep the freedom of a butterfly in spring, may your heart be filled always with the joys of simple things...etc."

If you haven't tried an Online Card Class, treat yourself to one of them soon--you'll learn a lot of neat stuff!.

WINTER'S LAST GASP!

It's snowing like crazy around here today!

We already have 3 inches on the ground, with more on the way.

I have a stamp that says

"No matter how long the winter,

Spring is sure to follow."

Hope abounds...

HAPPY SPRING!

With another 3-6" of snow expected on Friday, this card may have to wait a bit longer before mailing!  Seems like the seasons are alternating this week.  Yesterday was very windy and cold (high of 34) today near fifty and tomorrow more snow, then up in the 40's again on Saturday.

I have a stamp I might use for the inside of this card:

"No matter how long the winter, Spring is sure to follow."

Meow Card

I couldn't resist this cat dsp I saw at Hobby Lobby!

Using the cat die from last year's Halloween set, I made it look like Jenny.  The inside will remain blank until I decide what to use it for.

Meanwhile, Jenny (my "stampin' buddy") has a new bed in the tower where she likes to keep me company.

I'M BACK!

Thanks to all the snow storms we've been getting, (every week!) I've had lots of spare time to get creative.  I'm finally caught up with all the other things I've had to do, one of which was to send out 20 thankyou notes to friends who supported me with their prayers during the difficult days away from home with my dad during his last days.  When I got home, there were flowers, homemade soups and visits to help lift my spirits.  The Lord has truly blessed me with wonderful Christian friends.

Please scroll down to look at the cards I posted today.  It's been snowing (again!), but I think this may be the last of it until next winter.  I will NOT be sad to see it go, and neither will my cats!  Meanwhile, the stamping tower has been providing the opportunity to relax and stamp up a storm (excuse the pun.)

SCRAP DRAWER #48--CONTINUED

Nothing says Spring! like butterflies and blossoms.  Here are the first of five cards I made with the tags I punched from my scraps (shown in a prior post.) 

These should make good encouragement cards.

SOMETIMES WRONG IS GOOD!

The weather forecasters were all over the scale in predicting the amount of snow we'd get today.  So far, we have 3" of new snow, but it has stopped here.  We were told to expect amounts up to 10 inches!  I sure hope this is the last of it for this season.  We haven't seen the grass since late January...time for crocuses and daffodils.  Even our cats have cabin fever!

I'm soooo glad the weather predictions were wrong this time.

FROM THE HERD

This stamp set just cracked me up when I saw it in the SU! Occasions catalog.

For this card, I used colored pencils which made it easier to get into small places.  I just adore all these faces, don't you?

After coloring everything in, I decided the pig was just too pink.  One of my friends suggested it was because he was too clean for a pig, so I added some mud.  I like that much better!

This is one of those stamps that does all the work for you--just stamp it, color it and mail it.


PS.  Check out a really clever card on Split Coast Stampers using this set.  I saw it when I posted this card there earlier.  It's the one that's to the right of mine.

SCRAP DRAWER #48

 My new SU! tag punch has come in handy.  I pulled out my dsp scraps and went crazy with it--what fun!

Can't wait to use these on some Spring cards...

IN MEMORIUM

This past Thursday my dad died at the age of 96 after a rapid decline that started only a month ago.  Up until then he had been doing well with Assisted Living, well loved by the residents and staff there.  He was truly amazing!

All who knew him will remember him most for his sense of humor, constant smile and friendly personality.  Wherever he went, he looked for ways to be helpful and positive, with never a complaint.  I consider it a blessing and a privilege to have had him in my life for so long.

We are all sad, of course; but the one who is feeling the loss most is our youngest grandson.  He was recently bragging to his friends at Kindergarten that he had a great-grampa who was 96.  My dad was here for Christmas, walking into our house on his own and eating dinner with all 12 of us around the table.  I'm so glad he was able to be here for one last family gathering, leaving a happy memory of that special Christmas, especially for his youngest great grandchild.

We look forward to the day when God "will wipe away every tear from (our) eyes, and death shall be no more..."  (Rev. 21:4)

FROM THE SCRAP DRAWER--Danish Heart Valentine

After making Danish Heart cards in Mothers Class this week, I had some left over pieces and scraps from other cards.  So I put them together in this smaller version for someone special.

Enjoy!

CRITTER CHICK

This set of Cheerful Critters makes happy cards!  This one is for a birthday.

The image is layered over a scrap of white cs cut to size and edged with a yellow marker for a perfect match.  The orange embroidery floss was wrapped around the top 2 layers before being mounted with dimensionals onto a small piece of dsp.  The green textured cs is from a pad I purchased at Hobby Lobby.

Using this set is super quick!

FISHY VALENTINE

Since I'm not in school (as a student, anyway) I plan to send this to one of my students in the Mothers Class.  I also made a bunch of shaker cards with this design for my youngest grandson to hand out in his Kindergarten class.

What a cute set this is!

DE-CLUTTER DE HOUSE--Low cabinets

Just the lower cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms...  You know the ones I mean--like the one that has the  _____(fill in the blank)_____ that fall(s) out when you open the door.  For me, it's the tupperware cabinet!  Time to straighten them out and store things more securely and/or more reachable in the back of these cabinets.

If you don't have cabinets in the bathrooms, then hit the linen closet!  Rise to the challenges in this year's series, and you'll be ready to enjoy the great outdoors come Spring!  Remember, clutter is not something to organize--it's something to give or throw away.  Once the clutter is gone, cleaning is soooo much easier...

Go for it!

SALE-A-BRATION GOODIES!

WOW!  Did I clean up with my SU! party!  Here is what I got:

2 pkgs of cardstock and 2 of designer papers
2 pkgs of dimensionals
the coordinating embossing folder
the tag punch
1 pkg of twine
1 container of silver embellishments
and SIX! stamp sets

With my hostess benefits, the Sale-a-bration freebie and the Christmas gift certificate from my favorite DIL, this whole assortment cost me less than $40, including tax and shipping--YAY!

I'm ready to start stamping!  (understatement...)

TIME TO DE-CLUTTER DE HOUSE AGAIN!

With all the winter storms badgering our area this winter, forcing us to stay inside waaaay more than we would like, it's time to put some cabin fever to good use!

HERE'S THE CHALLENGE:  Start with purging the paper piles in the house.  We don't need those Christmas catalogs any more, do we?  File what needs filing, shred what needs shredding, and do some purging and tossing.  Then brag about your accomplishments here where it might give someone else a boost.

Next week will be a new challenge, so let's get started!

Here's a tip:  I've cut down on the space used for white cardstock scraps (I use them for small greetings on cards) by following my rule of keeping only those pieces that are larger than a business card.  When the scrap drawer gets too full, I just go through it and toss the smaller pieces (or give them away.)

TUXEDO CAT CARD

This will be going to a special friend who also happens to like our two cats, and this card features one of them.  The cat is a die cut, and I used a cloud die to accent the purring.

Inside, I signed it from our family, "both human and feline."  He will definitely laugh when he reads that.  Our cats befriended him when he was here doing some work for us.  If you know anything about cats, it is not common for them to be so friendly toward a "stranger" but for this person they made a delightful exception.

MONOCHROMATIC DESIGN

For this card, I started with a scrap of fern dsp.  This gave me the color, stamp and die cut I would use.

First I stamped the fern twice from a set by Papertrey Ink, then cut them with the matching die.  The greeting was also part of the same set.

The light colored panel is green parchment paper from my stash, and the card base is SU! Always Artichoke.  After mounting the ferns with dimensionals, I stamped the greeting with Versafine Olympia Green ink and added some tiny white pearls for a soft finishing touch.

It really is a challenge to stick to one color family!

THREE OF A KIND--DANISH HEARTS

These (Simon Says Stamp) Danish Hearts were fun to die cut and weave two different ways.  Each Danish Heart was mounted on an embossed hearts cardfront with dimensionals.

After using the Love die, I glued the message to the heart and added some smaller hearts and gems to finish.

Although they look clean and simple, there were many steps involved.  The weaving took the most time, but I think it was worth it for such a special card.

THREE OF A KIND--ORGANIC GRACE

I'm making up for lost time with this old SU! set.  There are four wooden stamps in the set, but this one seems to be working best for me lately.

I think I'll  just let the cards speak for themselves.

MORE PASTOR CARDS

The sentiments on these two cards are from the SU! set, "Trust God" which has some really nice sayings.

While waiting for my SU! order to arrive, I've been going back to some of my old sets and using them in new ways.  This first one uses the fern from Organic Grace, stamped three times without re-inking, and the splotches from French Foliage which is still one of my all-time favorite sets.  I also still enjoy the Butterflies Sizzlit, especially the tiny butterflies.


The second card started with a retro design panel mounted to a light blue card.  Because of the glitter already imbedded in the dsp, no further embellishments were needed.

The envelope of flowers is one of the stamps from "Send a Celebration," and I colored them with my colored pencils set.

I just hope these aren't too feminine for our pastor.

ARE YOU A CHEESE?

If not, then don't let your age bother you!

With my warped sense of humor, I thought the dotted swiss strip was the perfect accent for a swiss cheese image ;)  The plaid background was in my drawer of 12x12 dsp sheets, and very Spring-y.  This card will go to an Irish lady this month.


NOTE:  If you haven't taken advantage of the Sale-a-Bration promotion going on at Stampin'Up, take a look at what they have to offer.  I was a hostess last week with 10 guests.  Not only did we have a good time (lots of laughs!) but I also received over $100 worth of free products plus one free set from the Sale-a-Bration catalog.  When the shipment comes in, I'll photograph what I got so you can see.  The new Occasions catalog is the best they've come out with in awhile, so be sure to check it out.  (BTW, I'm not a demonstrator--just a happy customer!)

FROM THE SCRAP DRAWER--#43

I can't believe how many cards have been made just from leftover pieces from other projects!

This one started with a strip of dsp applied to the left side of the card and trimmed to fit.  Next I added the embossing on the right side.  The fern was already water colored on a piece of watercolor paper, so I fussy-cut it and used it as a background for the flower I stamped on vellum.  After stamping the flower and heat embossing it with clear ep, I colored the back to coordinate with the colors in the dsp.  Then I mounted it to the fern with a glue dot.

I stamped the sentiment on white cs and taped it across the top at the same angle as the printing in the dsp.  Finally, I added some Stickles to the flower and put it on display on my window sill...another easy card!

ANOTHER SPRING FLORAL CARD

I discovered this strip of leftover dsp and the coordinated flowers in my stash and made use of both on this one card.

After attaching the strip down the middle, I embossed the borders and added the embroidery floss on the left.  The flowers had been pre-stamped in purple (not a match!) so I went over the image with colored pencils to change the shade.  The oval was then mounted with dimensionals.

With this card, I discovered that I could stamp something in a soft shade of ink and then add deeper shades with colored pencils later for a nice combination.

IT MAY NOT BE SPRING OUTSIDE, BUT...

...IT'S BEGINNING TO FEEL LIKE SPRING IN THE TOWER!

With record cold temps outside, I've been pulling out lots of floral stamps to brighten the days.  This one is from a hostess set I earned a while back.  I think the secret of making cards that look "together" is to resist the temptation to over-embellish.  A few coordinated sequins was all this card needed for a little sparkle.

After coloring in the leaves and flowers with colored pencils, I fussy-cut the image and mounted it on the die cut panel with foam tape.  The sentiment was stamped on a scrap of the same paper as the card base and applied to the front with ds tape.

Easy!

SOME THINGS OLD ARE NEW AGAIN

Now that Christmas card-making is over, the tree punch has become a flag punch just by cutting off the trunk.  This gate card made use of some of the many scraps in my collection.

When open, the dark blue cs inside provides contrast for all the white on the front.  Below the greeting, I added "Just think, you're not as old as you will be next year!"  This card will go to someone with a good sense of humor.

Next time you want to make a banner, just pull out your tree punch!

A HAPPY RAINBOW

When I saw the resist paper in the SU Sale-a-bration catalog, I had to try the same technique on some similar dsp in my stash--and it worked!  (SU will not be happy about that...)

I kept the card simple to let the colors take center stage.

SIMPLE SATURDAY #38

(A little early!)

STAIR STEP BIRTHDAY CARD

Today is my son's birthday, and I made this card using some argyle dsp, a Greenhouse Society stamp of winter branches and 2 sentiment stamps.  Since I colored the berries orange, I carried the same color through in the cs, gems and ink for a masculine look.

The base is white cs cut at 4 1/4" x 11" and scored at 1&1/4", 2&1/2", 4&1/4", 8&1/4" and 10&1/2" to form the steps and a half inch piece at the back to keep it upright.  For mailing,  I used my enveloper to make a 5" square envelope.  (To fit into a standard A2 envie, just trim the top square slightly.)

Star Dust Stickles was added for the "snow" on the branches and also on the bee's wings.

ANOTHER BUTTERFLY

This card was made with the large butterfly die in the SU! Sale-a-bration catalog.  The paper used is a dsp also featured in the catalog and some lightweight vellum. The wings "flutter" as you move the card, a nice effect.

The blue background and gems are from my stash.  It's always great when colors match, especially when from different sources.

This was so easy to make, it could have been a "simple Saturday" card!

IS IT SPRING YET?

Using a scrap piece of dsp and a die cut butterfly, I put together this Spring-like card for a winter birthday.  The die used is one of a set featured in the new SU! Sale-a-bration catalog.  The greeting is stamped with Mowed Lawn Distress Ink.  Inside will read "Always maintain a kind of summer even in the middle of winter."

As I post this, it is 15 degrees and snowing, so I guess it's not Spring yet :)