FOR AN EXTRAORDINARY BIRTHDAY

Today is the first day I've used this tag die (using scraps, of course.)  I started by cutting the whole die in white.  Next, I cut the top part from green cs, and again the light blue; then I glued the leaves and birds on top of the white.

After stamping the verse and sponging the edges with the same Distress Oxide ink, I tied the silver cord around the tag and mounted it on the card front.

This is one of those cards that looks better IRL!

SIMPLE SATURDAY #53

NOTE TO A FRIEND

It's that crazy chick stamp again!

This note will be going to Joan.  She quit stamping (horrors!) about a year ago and gave all her supplies to her daughter-in-law.  I thought it was time to send her a personal invitation to the Stamping Tower, just to see what's new here and throughout the stamping world.

No, I'm not going to pressure her to stamp again.  Her mind is made up for sure.  She quit to pursue other things, and I respect that.  I simply would like to have her company again.

The card is fashioned from scraps on my table (what else??) and is self-explanatory.

Shadow Box Card, NOT!

Somehow, every time I try to make a shadow box card, I get turned around and can't put it together.  I WILL get it eventually, but this card had to be cut apart and reassembled as a window card.  Maybe it's the heat and humidity...

I'M BACK!

We're home from our week at the beach house on the Outer Banks.  I know you're supposed to get wet at the beach, but not from rain!  After 4 days, one day with the road closed due to flooding, the weather improved enough to use the pool.  The beach was closed the whole week because of the undertow.  We heard 8 people had to be rescued.  At least I got some much-needed rest.

We came home Sunday exhausted from the 9 1/2 hour ride.  All I did was unpack the car, cook dinner and go to bed.  Monday I picked up our cat the the vet and caught up on the laundry; then yesterday I went to our Bible study meeting and met a friend for lunch.  Today I'm in the Stamping Tower--finally!

 Check back later for today's post! 

WINDOW GREETING

Yet another opportunity to use up some scraps!

After die cutting the circle off the edge of a panel of shiny gold dsp, I mounted it on the cardfront with Tombow glue.  Normally, I would have used dimensionals, but this paper was a bit too thin.  Then I stamped the greeting (W plus 9) in the opening

For embellishment, I die cut three leaves and punched out 2 glittery flowers, arranging them as shown.  For a final touch, I added the dark green embroidery floss on the left.

I could probably make hundreds more cards  without buying any more dsp or embellishments, but...  well, you know how that goes!

ANOTHER CARD FROM SCRAPS

Since I won't be doing any card classes for awhile, it's safe to use up leftover die cuts and embellishments like these.  The only new items here are the light blue gems on the butterfly.  Even the flower had the blue gem already affixed.

The blue panel came in a fully embossed sheet, so it must have been bought that way.  All I did was cut it into fourths and trim to fit the card front.

At the end of the summer I will be discarding or giving away whatever older scraps are left.   Some of what I have goes back 5 or 10 years!

SIMPLE SATURDAY #52

SUMMER BIRTHDAY CARD

Thanks to Tina Smith of Cards and Coffee Time, I made a few cards from the scraps on my table.  If you want some inspiration, take a look at her videos on YouTube.  The link to her blog is HERE.

Thanks, Tina!

NEW CARD FROM OLD LEFTOVERS

It's amazing what I can find when I clean up my tower!  The circles I found were from a card kit where I omitted the circles.  Here, they're used as a background for the dragonfly I found in my stash.

After running a white panel and ef through the Sizzix, I mounted it on a panel of brown cs that matched the scalloped circle.  I then mounted both on the yellow card and added the circles and dragon fly.

This will come in handy as a thank-you note.

JUST FOR YOU

Here's a card I made using scraps found on my table when I cleaned up (again!)

The die cut leaf matched the greens in the dsp and banner, and the sequins matched the dsp colors also.  All I had to do was to trim the dsp to size, create the banner with the SU punch and assemble.

Easy card!

JUST BECAUSE

I'm really lovin' the SU Vertical Greetings set, as you can see here.  I also used the SU cat punch for a card to go to a Silver Stamper cat lover for her birthday.

The fish tails on the tags were done with another SU punch.  I guess it was a SU day!

PAPER PLAYERS--Celebrate!

After watching  "Happy Friday Series/Using What's in Our Stash" on YouTube, I was inspired  to make this card.  I thought it worked very well for the Paper Players "Celebrate" challenge.

Using just one SU 6x6 pad, I chose several patterns that seemed to work well together.  I die cut three of them in different sizes and used a small balloon punch from my stash to create a birthday theme.  For the greeting, I white embossed it on a scrap of black cs.

Birthdays are fun to celebrate.  Just remember, it's not how old you are--it's how long you've lasted that counts!


Click HERE to view other entries.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

This is posted late because today was my husband's birthday, and I didn't want him to see his card on line.  We actually won't be celebrating until Saturday night at our son's house, but I gave him his card today.  Then we went out to lunch, just the two of us, at Applebee's.

We are so blessed to be able to live in this wonderful country.  Sure, we have problems now and then; but it sure beats anywhere else.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!


Paper Players challenge can be found HERE.

THREE OF A KIND--Cactus

This trio started when I came across a 6x6" dsp pad I forgot I had.  I had just received my order of a Hero Arts bundle called "Color Layering Armadillo," and these background papers were just right for the stamp set.

The first card features some copper threads and a copper foil tag, (although it looks red here.)  The hardest part of all three cards was getting the flowers on top of the cacti due to their small sizes.

This second one was the easiest of the three due to the dsp providing the background.  All I had to do was use the dies in the bundle and attach to the light green oval.

The black and white greeting stands out nicely.

Finally, this third card was fun to assemble.  The terra cotta pot turned the cactus into a house plant.  The twine gave it some texture, and the hand-written greeting gave me a card I need for a sick friend.  (I added two sequins on the label after the picture was taken.)

I was a bit unsure of how to use this set when it first arrived, but it worked out well once I incorporated the cactus dsp and the planter.  Now I just have to find a use for the armadillo in the set...

CAS BIRTHDAY CARD

I found some pre-stamped pieces in my stash, so I put them to good use.  After matching the ink color to the blue cs base, I sponged ink over the clear embossing and  mounted it to the card base.  Next, I cut the gold foil cs and notched it with the SU punch.

The greeting was already stamped and scalloped on a blue background just perfect to coordinate with the colors already used.  Even the pre-cut star was a perfect match.

After assembling all the pieces on the card, I added the three self-stick dots.

It really is worth saving unused pieces for future cards!

 

SO VERY BLESSED

Evelyn and I get together and stamp regularly, usually about once a week.   This card was one of several we made last week using only leftover materials.  It wasn't too hard a challenge since I rarely use all the sheets in a dsp pad, for instance, or everything in a kit.

These leftovers are from a SSS kit, some SU dsp, previously punched ferns and an untouched sheet of metallic gold cs. 

The challenge to make several cards using only what we have in our stash was mentioned at the end of a YouTube video from Cards and Coffee Time.  I can see myself doing this once every week or two.  It's a great way to use up large scraps or introduce elements we've forgotten we have!

KIT CARD

Cyndy, my SU demonstrator, always gives a card kit to anyone who places a $50 or more order.  It's her way of saying "Thank you."

This card was fun to put together.  The only things not included were the white flower embellishment and the "HB" oval.

First, I created the window with one oval die and  a smaller one for the greeting.  The oval I cut out was used for another card.

Next, I attached the dsp to the green cs which was pre-scored.  I trimmed down the black and dsp strips and cut the fish tails before attaching to the side of the card.  After adding the ribbon and button, I next glued down the white oval inside and added the remaining black strip to the side with a few sequins.

THREE OF A KIND--Tags

These three cards feature a tag  with a loose, swinging tag.  I like the way it gives movement to the card when it is picked up and opened.

This is the card that inspired me to make the ones above.  It was sent by a Silver Stamper, and I thought it was fun making the tag swing back and forth.  Just a little different, I thought.

Interactive cards are fun to make, play with and send!

HUMOROUS BIRTHDAY CARD

The sentiment here is from a set called "Piece of Cake" by My Favorite Things.  The set has several humorous sayings and a slice of cake.

I saved some of the gold foil paper by removing the center for another card.  Tricky, huh?

 

SIMPLE SATURDAY

HEY CHICK!

I just love this SU stamp set--it's so clever.

The inside of this card is where you find the punch line.  I think what I did here is self-explanatory.  

A little sponging, some coloring and a few glue dots or a dimensional and it's ready to roll.

Enjoy!

FLY ME AWAY--Birthday Butterfly

This card makes use of one of the dsp sheets included in the SSS kit entitled "Fly Me Away."  I love the colors and the watercolor look.

This kit has been so easy to use.  All I had to do is stamp the greeting included in the kit, attach a butterfly already die cut in my stash, and add some sequins for embellishment.

I didn't think I would like using a kit, but it really is a treat to have all the elements coordinated.  YouTube is also a help in getting ideas for putting cards together with all the various components.

Not only does the kit help me make a bunch of quick cards that are really nice, but it's also cheaper than buying all the pieces separately.  Maybe you would like it too!

(No, I don't get paid to say that.)


 

CARD FOR A FRIEND

This card features the SU dsp with its shiny blossoms on a peachy background for the card front and a matching butterfly.  The burlap ribbon over the black cs border is just right with the dsp.

The sentiment is so true, and the card will be going to one of my friends in the Silver Stampers group.  We've been exchanging cards and letters since I started in the group, around 2001 or so.  We haven't met in person (yet) but I know she is a treasure.  Our common belief in Christ has deepened our friendship in a special way.

Silver Stampers (silver because of our hair color) can be identified by our inky fingers from New Jersey to Oklahoma to California and the Mid West.  We surely are a creative bunch!

FLY ME AWAY KIT--Embossing Folder

Included in the SSS kit for June is a Sizzix 3-D floral embossing folder.

After using the embossing folder on the 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" card front, I die cut these aruncus flowers and added them to the card.  Next, I white heat embossed  the greeting onto a strip of black cs and mounted it with dimensionals.  For embellishment, I added three flat sequins.

Although there are no flying images here, you could use your imagination to fly into thoughts of someone special.

FLY ME AWAY KIT--Bird Song

This card started with the feather dsp and a die cut bird.  I decided to have him tweet a "hello"--just for you!

After attaching the embroidery floss to the dsp, I mounted the panel to the card front.  The bird looked a little too dark, so I added some white Perfect Pearls to his belly and a tiny piece of silver cs behind his eye before adding him to the card front.

The greeting is a "translation" of the music note.

PAPER PLAYERS 396--Animal Antics

The inside reads, "Happy Birthday!"  This will go to one of my Silver Stamper friends, appropriately.

There is a lot of truth that gray hares multiply!

Check out the other Paper Player entries HERE, or should I say HARE...

FLY ME AWAY KIT--Bee Hello

These two die cuts were in my stash from ages ago, 

so I decided to use them on this gorgeous floral dsp in the kit.

All I had to do was cut the dsp down to size,

 add some white ribbon on the side and

mount the panel on a piece of black cardstock.

After adding the greeting and the bee,

I then attached the finished panel to the bright

green card base. 

DONE!

FLY ME AWAY SSS KIT--Hot Air Balloons

Although the kit included a beautiful gold metallic sheet, I chose to use my own silver cs with these colors.  After cutting down the 6" x 6" sheet of 3 balloons, I stamped "Sending" in black and "birthday wishes" in a matching purple ink to mount below it.  The only embellishment is the clear gem at the base of the balloon.

The other 2" of the dsp sheet was set aside for this second card.  After punching the tag, I glued some fun foam on the back and mounted it over a strip of striped dsp (also from the kit).  I then stamped the SU vertical greeting with Versafine warm gray ink and cut off 1/4" on the side of the card.

Two more easy cards!

SSS JUNE 2018 KIT--Fly Me Away

This kit features butterflies, bees, birds and hot air balloons--things that take to the skies, and all beautiful.

This card front was included in the kit along with a small sample of red, yellow and blue water color dots for coloring the flowers and butterfly.  The sentiment captured the long winter we have finally left behind.

After painting the flowers and leaves, as well as the 2 large words, and adding some green embroidery floss, I mounted the finished panel on a purple card (from my stash.)  The final touch was to add some yellow Stickles to the flower centers and some WOS to the butterfly.  There was also a matching pearlized color coordinated envelope in the kit.

The SSS kits sell out fast, so I'm grateful to have been able to get this one.  The cards I've made so far have turned out beautifully and were easy to make.

More to follow...

PAPER PLAYERS #395--Sketch

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!


I'm finally back!  It's been a long time, with my weekly card class requiring a great deal of preparation.  During those times, we also had 2 storms with power outages of 8 days and 4 days.  Lots of other stuff going on...  We've also had tons of rain and dreariness until just the past week, although some of you had a lot worse;  so I'm not complaining.

On the good news side, Rick and I just celebrated our 51st anniversary.  We usually go on a short weekend trip, but this year we're getting a new updated kitchen--YAY!  We've just started the process, so I'll share the "before" pictures soon, as well as some during the upheaval and, of course, the "after" photos.

Meanwhile, I'm happy to be submitting another Paper Players challenge.  This card features a rose that was stamped with No-Line Fadeout ink and water colored.  I used Fossilized Amber and Spiced Marmalade Distress Oxide inks with water, staying inside the lines before the no-line ink faded away. 

 Click HERE for a look at the sketch and other submissions.

CARD CLASS GRAND FINALE

Thanks to Bonnie Klass on her blog  HERE, I now have the "Grand Finale" card for my last Tuesday morning class! 

I opted to use sponging over the clear embossed background instead of Bonnie's water color version.  Since the ladies in my class are not stampers per se,  I've been keeping each project super simple focusing mainly on assembling the elements I provide ahead of time.  However, next week they will be doing the clear embossing for the backtround and switching to the white ep for the greeting.  I can't wait to watch their faces light up as they discover the "magic" of heat embossing! 

I still remember the first time someone showed me gold embossing--how 'bout you?

PAPER PLAYERS #391--Tic Tac Toe

This is the birthday card I came up with for my sister.  I enjoyed making it for this challenge!

The stamp and dsp is from Stampin'Up.  The main flower, made from scraps,  is popped up with dimensionals.   The greeting is not as faded in real life.

Two stamp themes that I have a lot of are Bible verses and humorous sayings.  They certainly get a lot of use, or should I say "a lot of ink!"


Check out the other entries HERE.

THREE OF A KIND--Locked Card

These cards are so much fun, I 

couldn't resist making a bunch at once!

The purple and another (not shown) are

Mothers Day cards I will be sending to my

daughter and favorite daughter-in-law with a note

about what wonderful grandchildren they've been raising.

The blue and yellow birthday card will go to a 

friend I've had since junior high.  She actually has

a pair of earrings that match!

(The dsp used on all the cards are from the current StampinUp

catalog that will retire at the end of May.)

 

GROWN UP DINOSAUR CARD

After seeing this punch line last week, I just HAD to order it from My Favorite Things to use it for some Silver Stamper cards!

I first stamped and colored the dinosaur.  I then made a slit in its mouth and inserted a fern in it.  To give him a jungle setting, I took a piece of SU dsp and cut around the leaves at the top so that I'd have room for the greeting.

Finally, I continued the theme inside by stamping over a fern image.

PAPER PLAYERS #390--Sketch Challenge

It's finally getting to feel like Spring here!

It's been cold, showery and windy for this whole week,

but it's sunny and in the 60's today.

I don't remember it ever being so cold for so long in April.

This was an easy sketch to work with, and I

enjoyed making this card.

Check out the other entries HERE!

PAPER PLAYERS #388--LeAnne's Colors

IS IT SPRING YET???

The Calendar says "Yes" but the weather says "No!"

At least we can finally see a few crocuses,

except for the ones eaten by hungry chipmonks.

Well, it's already Spring in the stamping world; and the colors

chosen by LeAnne say it best.  Check out the other 

cards HERE!

ANOTHER STAMP AND DIE SET

This squirrel is from another Hero Arts set, 

(CM201 Color Layering Squirrel)

 with 3-step stamping and matching dies.

The sentiment is from the Hero Arts kit

featured in my previous post.

It was a long winter with tons of snow,

bleak afternoons brightened with stamping

and lots squirrel watching.

I made this for my grandson's birthday this weekend.

I can't believe he's 20 already!

 

 

PAPER PLAYERS #387--Musical

Somehow I can't read the words to this hymn

without the melody coming to mind

for the rest of the day!  Can you?

Check out the other challenge entries HERE.

WINTER DOLDRUMS TO BLAME FOR PURCHASES

With so much snow and so little sun,

I just HAD to order some new stamps and dies.

This sentiment makes for a great encouragement card.

It's part of a stamp and die set from Hero Arts

which has 11 birds, 15 sentiments and

6 tiny stamps, including one with music notes.

These are part of a kit which also includes 3 ink spots,

two twig nests, 22 dies, and several sheets of cardstock,

2 with woodgrain embossing (I used the brown one here.)

I don't remember what the kit sold for, but it

was very reasonable.

For more ideas on how this set can be used,

check it out on Pinterest or YouTube.

 

 

THANK YOU NOTE

This morning at Bible Study we all walked in

to a surprise breakfast banquet provided

by the lady who had refreshments

this week.  As a tribute to her gratitude

for all that the Lord is doing in her life (and ours)

she brought sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, bagels and

a fruit platter.  She ordered everything

from a local deli/caterer and brought steaming hot

foil containers of all the food.  It was delicious!

This card is a thank you note I will be mailing to this woman

on behalf of all the ladies who were in attendance today.  Her

generosity spoke volumes of the Lord's giving 

blessing after blessing for all of us.

Amen.

 

PAPER PLAYERS #386--Sketch Challenge

Today is the first day I got to play with some new 

stamping materials.  This card features dsp from a new

6x6 pad of floral designs, and the blossom is an anemone from

an Altenew stamp set I just purchased.

Since the anemone I wanted to make is white,

it gave me a chance to use my chalks again to add some

blush in the center.  I haven't used them in a long time, so it was fun!

Check out the other Paper Player entries HERE.

EASTER BLESSINGS

Here's another version of the previous Easter card.

Same daffodil, different color.

The easel card keeps the message

up for viewing awhile longer.

TWO MORE CAT CARDS

Using the same dsp pad as the previous post,

I made two additional cat cards.

(See previous post.)

It's been fun revisiting old supplies!

BTW, we are still without power from the snow storm last weekend.

Rick keeps us warm and safe with the generator going.

He runs it an hour or two during the day and

four hours around dinner time.  He set up my PC for me to

do the bills (electronically) and post a few cards on my blog--

a luxury these days!  It's snowing again right now,

with more on the way in a few days.  Meanwhile, we wait...

patiently...

CAT CARDS--Three of a Kind

After rediscovering an old 6x6 pad of cat dsp's, 

I decided to make some cards with them.

It also gave me another opportunity to use my SU cat punch.

UPDATE ON THE LATEST

I haven't posted lately because I've been distracted with a lot of issues.  Rick developed a viral lung infection (not the flu) and is still being treated for it.  He had a terrible cough for weeks,  plus shortness of breath; and I was scared for awhile.  He's doing much better now, thankfully.  He had to stay away from people to avoid getting something else, so until this week he rarely went out.  I also had to avoid people or places where I could have brought something home.  Not much fun.

Meanwhile, our two cats had problems.  Jenny, our tuxedo cat, became diabetic at age 13.  I had to learn to give her 2 shots a day and wean her off the dry cat food she was used to.  Her brother/littermate developed a blockage in his urethra that was incurable, so we had to put him down.

Finally, after a long spell of unseasonably warm weather, it has turned more wintery.  The last storm hit on Friday with 8" of heavy snow, high winds, gusts over 45 mph and a power outage that they say will not be restored until Thursday night.  There are trees down everywhere, except on our property--truly an answer to prayer!  Lots of roads blocked, which is one reason why it's taking so long to get the power lines back up.  We run our generator every couple of hours to keep the heat up, refrigerator going and electronic devices charged.  One of my friends has invited me over to take a shower and wash my hair when her power returns tomorrow.  (so she's been told.)

I do have much to be thankful for:  Rick's health improving, milder weather again, lots of very good friends, and stamping, of course!   I just finished making 25 Easter cards and numerous kits for my card classes.  I hope to post some of them when the power returns.  Until then,  I'll be in my sunny Tower in the afternoons!