LESS IS MORE--Sketch

This time the challenge was a one-layer card using the sketch shown HERE.

After masking the strip on the left side and sponging it with red ink, I spritzed it with Glimmer Mist Dazzling Diamonds. Hopefully, you can see the shiny spots in the photo.

Next, I stamped the small hearts down the strip and the line of hearts (one stamp) across. Using black ink, I overstamped "love" across the bottom. The results were very dull, and I was unhappy with the card. So I took my black marker, adding the tiny hearts and dashes by hand, and outlining the arrows and "tails." Now I'm happy with it.

Making one-layer cards truly IS a challenge!

Birthday Cupcake

When I realized I missed a friend's birthday on Jan. 2nd, I made this card using a cupcake clear stamp set (Hero Arts, I think.) The sentiment is from Impression Obsession, which I divided into two parts using a black marker. The inside reads "...the other food group."

I also divided the cupcake in two parts, using a piece of leftover chevron for the icing and a scrap of brown cs for the cake--chocolate, of course! The cherry is also from the same set, stamped on a piece of leftover red cs and colored over with glitter gel pens.

Hope she gets a chuckle out of this one!

Another Valentine

Here's what I came up with to make a chevron-like card for the upcoming Mothers class. Using the rick-rack die will make things go a lot faster! Moms in the class will have a choice of gems, hearts and pearls to embellish as they please

The Catalina wreath die is from Memory Box and is attached with Tombow multi glue, as are the zig-zag strips. The bottom corners are rounded, and they'll add a sentiment inside. Using kraft paper (SU Crumb Cake) will make it more masculine. We may also add a twine bow or knot later, too.

I'm looking forward to classes starting up again!

Chevron Design Card

This top fold Valentine card was inspired by Jennifer McGuire's video HERE.

After following her instructions for making the chevron strip, I added a Hero Arts flower with some red pearls, stamped "Love" on the front and attached a felt heart.

Next, I used a Fiskars corner edger scissor on the top right just to finish it off.

Although this was not difficult to do, it was too time consuming to use for a class. I'll be working on another design for Moms Club, which resumes on Feb. 1st.

Mothers Class Valentine

Here's the first card I designed for the Moms Club which starts up again on Feb. 1st. I started with a packet of single layer heart-shaped cards and envelopes, which really keeps it simple.

First I stamped the large scribbled heart in the middle. The stamp is from an Inkadinkado set, appropriately, "Hearts." Next I stamped "Love" from a SU set across the bottom. The "Be Mine" heart is a sticker I purchased at Hobby Lobby, to which I added a heart-shaped gem. The key is from a die cut set by Memory Box, which coordinates with their "Lock and Key" stamp set. The message I chose (from 7 in the set) is stamped parallel to the key on the card.

This should be a fun project!

TIP: When stamping close to something on a card, like the key here, mount your clear stamp upside down on the end of your acrylic mount and stamp from the open side.

FROM THE SCRAP DRAWER #12

It's been awhile since I raided the scrap drawer for a card! After sorting through all the scraps and pulling some out to give away, I cut down a few for this Valentine card.

To make the stripes for underneath the heart, I cut thin strips, lined them up the way I thought looked best and attached them to a scrap of white cs with double stick tape. Then I cut off the excess around the edges and taped it to the front of the card. Using a Cuttlebug die, I cut out the heart in the center of a square scrap, placed dimensionals in each corner and mounted it to the card. Not having a stamp small enough, I wrote "love" by hand with a Gelly Roll glitter pen on a narrow piece of white scrap cs. After embellishing with pearls and gems, I rounded the top corner and cut away some of the white space at the bottom of the card.

I'll be using up some more scraps later! Meanwhile, I'm determined not to buy any more dsp until I use up more of what I already have. Yeah, right...

I'VE BEEN PUBLISHED!

Imagine my surprise when I received this complimentary copy of "Just Cards!" magazine in the mail yesterday with a letter informing me that one of my cards was published! I'd forgotten that I sent it in; but there it was on page 51!

The only stamping on this card was the greeting inside (not shown.) To make it, I used some punches and a woodgrain folder for the birdhouse.

After running the red cs through the Cuttlebug, I punched a hole for the "door" and placed a small piece of black cs behind it. Then I cut the top corners at an angle for the roof and covered it with scalloped oval "slices." After punching out the bird and leaf (SU bird punch) and a small heart, I mounted everything to a kraft card using SU dimensionals and glue dots.

With the heart at the peak of the roof, this could make a cute Valentine!

TIP OF THE NEW YEAR!

Got a die that keeps hanging up on one side or section? Here's the solution: run it through your die cut machine with a piece of foil to sharpen the edges. Works like a charm!

CFC33--Kraft and Twine

First Challenge for me in the New Year!

Casual Friday's challenge is to make a clean and simple card using kraft paper and twine. I just reordered more Crumb Cake cs from SU, since I'm completely out. Fortunately, I had one last piece of scrap to use on this card.

Using stamps from two SU sets, I used the heart flowers from Valentine Defined and the greeting from Have a Heart (2002.) I then colored in the hearts with a red star gel pen for just a touch of sparkle. The tiny pearls are from a letter set (see my post on Nov. 19th.)

Check out the other entries HERE.

SPECIAL CARD

Joan came over today and asked me to design a thankyou card for her to give to her son. After hinting that her toilet seat was deteriorating, she came home the other day to find he had purchased a new seat and installed it for her!


I think these pictures speak for themselves!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hope you're all having a wonder-filled Christmas and that Santa brings you lots of new stamping toys!

Don't forget to take the time to remember what it's really all about...

HELLO AGAIN!

We're back from Prague, but one of my "souvenirs" was a bad cold which developed into an ear infection on the plane ride home (ugh.) I'm finally over the worst of it, but now I'm way behind in my Christmas shopping. That's why I haven't posted lately.

The tree is up and decorated, the weather has turned mild again, and I'm slowly getting caught up with everything that needs to be done. I'm looking forward to doing some stamping later on today, just for my sanity.

Stamping withdrawal is a serious malady that can only be cured by--you guessed it--stamping! I'll have some new posts later on tonight...

HAPPY DECEMBER!

It's beginning to feel like Christmas. All 100 of my cards were either mailed yesterday or hand-delivered earlier. Whew! I'm glad that's done so that I can move on to other things.

First, we head for Prague this afternoon for a week with family there. After spending Black Friday addressing Christmas cards, I spent all day in the malls on Cyber Monday. It was great! I had the stores to myself, with sales people eager to help me find what I needed and sale prices still in effect...to say nothing of less exposure to flu viruses...works every year.

As soon as we get back, I'll finish Christmas shopping for family on this side of the Atlantic...after I put up the tree, that is; then concentrate on enjoying the season for its true meaning: the birth of our Savior.

Oh, and I'll be stamping, of course! Stay tuned...

THREE OF A KIND--Wreath

I'm so pleased with the versatility of this die for getting so many different looks.

The red card on top has a silver wreath cut from some silver glitter paper I bought last week. I added just a few dark red gems for embellishment.

The blue gate card is one of my favorites so far. The gems are tiny crystals and silver beads, with silver twine under the blossom.

Finally, the top note folded over is a deeper red than it looks here, which tones it down well. There is a smattering of tiny gems and beads around the wreath.

I had a little trouble at first with this die. One section wasn't cutting all the way through, and it took me a long time to get it to release. Since only one side was getting hung up, I tried putting it through the Cuttlebug, then turning the plates around and running it through again so that the "hung up" side was reversed. It worked! The wreath just popped right out after that. So if you have a similar problem with any of your dies, it could be your machine. I'm not a mechanic, but my guess is that the rollers are tighter on one side than the other, making it cut unevenly. Hope this tip helps!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

One of my favorite hymns that we sing regularly at women's Bible Study is "Count Your Many Blessings, Name Them One by One..." Being an American, we have more blessings than we could possibly count in just one day. Being a Christian, we have more blessings in Christ than we could possibly count in all of eternity!

Being a stamper, I am thankful for all the Lord has provided in the Stamping Tower. Most of all, though, I'm thankful for YOU!

FIRST CARD WITH NEW DIE

Not bad for a first attempt. I cut the wreath using this Memory Box die and some light green cardstock. I then painted the flowers with Twinkling H2O's over the green cs.

After adding some pearls (see previous post) and attaching a Hero Arts flower on the left side, it was almost done. I glued the wreath to a black cs scalloped circle and mounted it to the card with dimensionals. Although you can't see it very well here, I also added a gold twine bow behind the white flower.

This has been added to my Christmas card box, bringing the total count so far to 64--only 36 to go!

One reason for choosing this die was for its versatility throughout the seasons. I can "see" it with Spring flowers, pastel summer blossoms or even autumn leaves.

Money-saving Tip

Okay, the secret is out! Here's my source of inexpensive mini gems and pearls.

All I do is snip between the dots to separate them and remove them with a craft knife to place on a card. The white pearls can be colored with Bic or Sharpie pens to match your design.

Shown here are white and off-white pearls (small and large) and small crystal gems in red and black.

Having an inexpensive source like this allows me to be more generous in applying them, plus they are small enough to be postage friendly.

Three of a Kind--Trees

These three cards could not have been easier. In fact, the hardest part was getting the gem off the plastic strip for the tag on the first card!

For the second card, I used several markers for the "leaves" on the ground. The snow scene was done with glitter paper for the bottom third and a snowflake sticker in the upper right corner.

It's been fun experimenting with this die cut tree!

UPDATE: to attach tree, I used two tiny pieces of 3m photo mounting tape at the base of the trunk and left the branches loose.

Winter Tree

Here's the first card I've made with the other new toy that came yesterday. (See previous post.)

Using the "Twiggy Tree" die from Memory Box, I ran it through the Cuttlebug and carefully detached the tree from the die. After tearing a piece of scrap dsp and mounting both on a Soft Suede card base, I spread some Stickles "snow" along the tear. (Too bad it doesn't show up here because the sparkle really makes this card.) All I needed next was the greeting.

After stamping and embossing the greeting, I used the slot punch for both the top and the Soft Suede underneath. To make the bottom piece appear larger than the top, I punched it twice at the edge of the cs slightly more than half for each. Fitting the two pieces underneath the greeting gave it the border it needed.

Done!

Three of a Kind--Hero Arts Fern

Some new "toys" came in the mail today, and these are the first three cards I've made with them.

First, the one on the bottom which was stamped in light green ink on light green cs. The stamp has a matching die, so I used it to cut out the fern and mount it on contrasting dsp with dimensionals. After adding the flower, some pearls a bow and a greeting, I set it aside to make another card.

The second card is in the upper right. I inked up the stamp with Tim Holtz distress inks, first Peeled Paint and then on the edges with Tea Dye. This time I mounted it on pearlized paper over a darker dsp and added the embroidery floss, greeting and pearls.

For the third card, I stamped the fern in green and clear embossed it. Then I used the die to create the overlay, which is mounted with dimensionals over the stamped image. The little "hello" tag was stamped on silver foil paper and mounted with another dimensional. I had a green gem that matched the ink I used, so I added it to the tag.

I really enjoy using stamps with matching dies!