Spinner Valentine Card

Interactive cards are always such fun!  To "set" the spinner before mailing, just blow on one side of the circle, then stop it with your finger and put it in the envelope.  When the recipient opens the card, the circle will spin automatically.

Meanwhile, you can play with it for awhile before sending it... *wink*  Watch out--it's addictive!


(See previous post for a birthday version of the same design.)

Fabulous Floret ala Brandy Cox

 If you haven't discovered Brandy Cox's videos on Utube, you are really missing out!  This card is patterned after her gorgeous butterfly card, with some variations of my own.  First of all, mine is a side fold; hers is a top fold.  One advantage of the side fold is that you don't have to remember to place the inside image upside down so that it's right side up when you open the card.  I wish I could say I brilliantly thought that up on purpose, but it was because I forgot to make it a top fold.  However, from the front they both look similar in design.

Next, in order to have some contrast between the floral circle and the white cs on the inside, I added the green circle that was die cut from the front so that it would be directly behind the flower opening.  Once I did that, the flower just popped!

For instructions and video, just go to Utube, type in Brandy Cox and look for a yellow butterfly card..  Then sit back and enjoy!

CASEing the iPad #10

With all the snow and ice we've been getting lately, is it any wonder I keep choosing green for my cards???

This one was inspired by Splendiferous Creations HERE.  Lisa Somerville does beautiful work!

Using a stencil buried deep in my stash no longer, I sponged two shades of green and one yellow of Distress Inks, blending the colors as I worked my way down the card.  The message is white embossed on a scrap of tinted vellum (green, of course!)  The square at the top of the tag is silver metallic, although it looks gray here.  After decorating the tag, I mounted it to the stenciled piece with a craft glue dot at the top and then mounted the panel to the card with dimensionals.

I'm looking forward to seeing some green grass again SOON!

CASEing the iPad #9

I haven't CASEd (CopyAfterSomeoneElse) in quite awhile, but since I'm stuck in my house during the latest round of winter storms...

This is one of those cards that looks better IRL than here.  (My card isn't quite so yellow.)  Although mine turned out quite a bit different than the one I copied, I still like it.  If you'd like to give it a try yourself, check out the Cardography blog HERE.

Thanks Therese for the inspiration!

HEARTS AND FLOWERS

Love those scraps!  They all happened to match beautifully (the hearts panel isn't as red as it looks here.)  I ran the punched white heart through a floral Cuttlebug embossing folder and added another white flower on top.  The gem under the "you" is a heart shaped one, and the pink heart in the "O" is also popped up with a dimensional.

Next stop:  Super Bowl (on TV!)

FOR OPENING DAY AT MOTHERS CLASS

We usually wait until the first week in February to resume our Mothers Class stamping, but we're all suffering from stamping withdrawal.  Besides, January has 5 Wednesdays this year, so that's our excuse for not waiting until February--YAY!

This is the first card we'll make in class.  I just learned this chevron technique, so it should be fun.  

CARDINAL CARD

With the weather we've been having, I'm stamping up a storm...literally!

This is an oldie but goodie from SU which I stamped in Versafine black and watercolored.  Although it was a bit time consuming, it was an easy one to do.  All I added was a scrap of black cs for the border and a tiny black gem for the eye.

Enjoy!

BIRD ADVICE

This little birdie surely has it right!  He's not worried about a thing...

ENVELOPE CARD

In keeping with my own challenge to use only what I already have in the tower to the end of this year, I rediscovered this stamp and used it today.

After stamping it in black ink on dsp, I made slits where the opening would be to insert the tag as shown.  Then I mounted it on a scrap of  textured vanilla cs and cut around it to make the border.

The background is stamped in Versamark Frost with both large and small swirl stamps.  While it dried, I placed foam mounting tape on the back of the envelope and added three tiny black gems at the intersection of the lines.  Once the Versamark dried, I mounted the envelope with its message inserted.

So far, this challenge has been easy.  I've been finding lots of stamps I'd forgotten about and plan to use them soon.  The real challenge will be in the Fall when I start running out of adhesives and cardstock!

I WON! I WON!

Hero Arts Online Classes on Stenciling drew winners from comments left on their blogs, and I was one of them--YAY!  Classes started today, so I wasted no time in putting the new information to good use on this card.

Since I don't have any stencils, I made one of my own from a Martha Stewart stars punch and a scrap piece of cardstock.  After sponging the stars onto the white panel, I added the "Birthday" die cut, the "wishes" and some extra stars from a small punch.  The embossed zig-zag line on the bottom is from a Sizzix border ef.  Now that it's mounted on a card front, I'm entering it in the Sweet and Sassy challenge HERE!

I'm on a roll!

HUMOROUS CARD CHALLENGE #2

Inside reads:  "...and it was DELICIOUS!"

Since I'm not buying new stamps this year (we'll see how that goes...) I typed up my own.  First I glued the verse to a scrap of cs and die cut it.  Then I mounted it on the card with dimensionals.  I did the same thing with the "punch line" inside.

For other humorous cards, you can visit the Simon Wednesday Challenge Blog HERE.

STAMPING UP A STORM...literally!

As you can see from my last few posts, I've been at it full time since the storm dumped all the snow on the East Coast!  We just got plowed out at 3 pm today, and the sun is shining brightly through the tower windows on the west side of the house.  Nice and toasty in here!

Be sure to scroll down for the latest posts...

HUMOROUS CARD CHALLENGE

For this stamp set, I chose to make a tri-fold card.  I cut a 12 x 12" sheet of cs at 5 1/2" and scored it at 4" and 8" so that it would fit in a standard size envelope.

The birdie image was stamped on watercolor paper with Versafine Smokey Gray and painted with Distress Inks and my Niji brush.  I stamped another bird, colored it, cut it out, and attached it with glue dots over the first one to make it pop.  After mounting the image to the black square with foam tape, I glued it to the card front and added the saying below.

For the inside flap, I stamped the cat on a scrap of cs and used colored pencils for the image.  Then I simply glued it to the flap.

This card will be entered HERE in the Simon Says Stamp challenge on
 their blog where I hope to win the $50 gift certificate!

PS:  After posting the card, I realized I didn't need to make it a tri-fold; so I cut it apart and remounted two of the panels on Very Vanilla cs.  That leaves me with the extra panel for the front of another card later on.

CASCADE VALENTINE

The "dreaded pink" rises again!  This time, at technique class last week where we learned how to make the cascade card...not that I would remember ;)

Basically, it's two angled pieces joined in the middle with slits in the folds so that one piece slides down over the other.  Got that?

For a simpler version, however, you can look up "Concertina Card" on Splitcoast Stampers under tutorials.  Beate's video is very easy to follow!

CORRIE TEN BOOM QUOTE

I really like how this one turned out!  The glitter in the dsp gives it some sparkle, while the black keeps it masculine.

The verse is another one from a Sweet and Sassy set; and Corrie Ten Boom said it well!

TWO MORE PASTOR CARDS

 In keeping with the snowy scene outside my tower window, I've used my tree die and torn paper "snow" for these cards.


First, I made a tri-fold  4 1/4" x 3 5/8" (from a 4 1/4" x 11" piece) and used the two-part verse so that the first half would be on the outside.

 The second half is stamped on the inside flap, with another plain piece for the personal note on the inside center panel.


The second card (scroll down) is a top fold with Stickles painted on the tree with a brush.  I added a narrow strip to ground the tree and verse which are mounted on a piece of embossed white cs that looks like bark.

Thank you Sweet and Sassy for such wonderful verses!

BYE-BYE JANUARY THAW!

It's snowing here again, and the night temps are going to be single digits the rest of the week.  We were enjoying the milder temps for awhile, but it's back to winter now.

Good stamping weather, though!

ARGYLE DESIGN

Re-discovering a paper pad I bought ages ago, I came up with this card.  It was very hard to photograph--it kept popping open.  So here's a TIP:  to keep a card shut while photographing, hold it shut with some temporary tape you can remove later.

The dsp along the bottom is actually on the inside of this top fold card. I just cut a quarter inch off  to let it show.  The dsp has glitter along the white criss-cross lines, and the white and silver bakers twine adds extra shine along with the three silver pearls on the left. Unfortunately, the gray cs  looks a bit dull in the photo; but in real life, it's just right.

The verse is from a set of scripturally-sound sayings from Sweet and Sassy.  Since we're expecting snow again this week, I'll be posting more cards using this set later...

HOW'S THIS FOR A CHALLENGE???

...and now for something entirely different...

I'm challenging myself to NOT BUYING anything new, stampingwise that is, for the rest of this year.  The only exceptions would be using the SU gift certificate I got for Christmas and keeping the commitment I signed up for at Technique Tuesday (for the Greenhouse Society stamp of the month.)  Surely I have enough in this room to last until next Christmas, even enough to supply my Mothers Class projects!  It should be interesting to see how long it all really lasts, although I could ask for something I might need in Sept. for my birthday.  I'm calling it the "stamping diet" ;)

I'll be keeping you posted (literally.)

SIMPLE SATURDAY #33--Untimed

One more pastor card before heading off to my daughter's house to celebrate my son's birthday there.  Although I forgot to set the timer, this card didn't take long!

I hope you will take the opportunity to reflect on the verses I post for these pastor cards.  They make great "thoughts for the day."