Silver Wedding

One of my hubby's co-workers is getting married this afternoon. I don't know them very well, so kept things pretty simple. It was hard to get a decent picture with all that silver, though!

I started by stamping the filigree background onto white cardstock with silver brilliance ink. I also stamped the sentiment onto a scrap of white. I then layered it all onto sparkley silver paper, and added some sheer white ribbon and clear acrylic dots. Super simple, but definitely elegant.

Now I need to go get myself ready...

Butterfly Faith

A dear friend of ours is having surgery today, and I knew I needed to get a card in the mail to her. But true to my put-it-off-until-the-last-minute nature, I hadn't actually made the card. Well, Mercy's Tuesday sketch to the rescue to jump start my creativity!

I ended up pulling out an old SU set (Nature's Secret) and pairing it with BasicGrey Phoebe paper. Our friend is fighting breast cancer, so the pinks in this paper seemed appropriate. I did deviate from the sketch just a bit, altering it to fit a standard notecard (I didn't want to worry about extra postage). I'm happy with the results, and I know it will be an encouragement to our friend, too.

Simple Sympathy

It's Day 2 of Denise's Spring Fever Challenge, and today we were to make a 4x4 black and white card - using only black ink, any stamps, but no patterned paper. Well, I've needed a lot of sympathy cards these past couple weeks, and I thought I'd use today's challenge to help replenish my supply. I kept it extremely simple - the sentiment is from an old SU set (Hope for Comfort), and the flower is smARTworks (Sunny Delight). Went together in less than ten minutes, and I'm very happy with the outcome.

Check out All Things Stamped to see what others have created!

Being Still

I usually keep things pretty much stamp-related on this blog and save my personal ponderings for my other blog. I'm making an exception today, though.

Our family is currently in a state of shock, as my FIL passed away unexpectedly on Monday night. The kids and I have been/are sick, so we're staying here while hubby is now out in Arizona with his family.

There has been a lot of other stuff happening, too, and rather than me writing a novel right now I'll just say that I'm feeling rather overwhelmed.

So I made this card for myself this morning. A reminder to be quiet and find strength and comfort in my Savior. "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 What a blessing to know that whatever may happen, He is still in control and will work the circumstances to fulfill His purpose (Romans 8:28).

So if you notice I seem quieter than normal - no, you're not imagining it. Just taking care of other things as necessary. But I guarantee I'll still be making time for my personal ink therapy :)

Card details: stamps - Inkadinkado Birds Galore, SU Words of Wisdom, paper - SU, embellishments - prima flowers, dew drops.

Simple Cards

Last night the rest of my family fell asleep really early, so I headed off to my craft space to do some cleaning and sorting. I did manage about an hour's worth before the urge to stamp became too overwhelming... I made up some long-overdue cards to send out to family. I used my DCWV glitter pad and pre-made card bases, so they went together really quickly. This first one uses the My Heart sentiment again, and I was pleased to see that it fit so nicely in the oval scalloped punch.

This second card is for my grandmother, who fell and broke her hip last week (ouch!). It was a bad enough break that they had to do a full hip replacement, and now she's in transitional care as they try to get her strength back up. The sentiment on this one is from a retired SU set (Hope for Comfort) and the inside says ...and that tomorrow is even better. I like this so much better than just Get Well.

Since the cards were done so quickly, I even was able to write some real letters. Hey, I remember those! :)

Encouraging Heart

I wanted to get a card out to someone, and nothing I had on hand was quite "right." I ended up combining this week's technique and color challenges on SCS, and came up with this!

I started by cutting the heart template out of the double sided printed paper. You can't really tell in the photograph, but I also went over the white flowers with my apricot pad so it pulls in more of that background color. I stamped the sentiment (God understands our prayers even when we can't find the words to say them), then trimmed it down into a tag. Matted it, and then added the little pull tab. I made the faux brads on the heart by punching out pieces of the apricot paper, then covering it with matte accents (Ranger). Simple, but a nice touch. I stamped the background onto the sage paper, then layered it with some lace (Making Memories) and finally added three real brads. Hopefully it will encourage the recipient!

(SU stamp sets - Words of Wisdom, Aida Cloth, Totally Tabs. Heart is from Times to Treasure by Technique Tuesday)

Christmas Jar

A friend of mine brought me this wonderful jar yesterday, and I just had to share. I love all the little details! The cool layered tag, the greeting stamped on twill, touches of crystal effects, and the embellished lid... plus chocolate!

This would be a wonderful gift for just about anyone on your list!

Happy Thanksgiving

I actually managed to make a few cards to send out to family. Nothing too complicated - just a couple stamps and some watercoloring.

As I was making them, our son announced that he wanted to make one for his cousins in AZ. He stamped and colored this all himself - like those purple grapes? :)

stamps by SU (Always on My Mind, Happy Harmony), sepia versafine ink, watercolor crayons, Fabriano notecard

With Sympathy

I just found out that a friend of mine lost her grandmother; I generally have a number of cards for birthdays, etc. made up and ready to go, but I've depleted my Sympathy stash over the past few months.

I kept the design relatively simple. I used the Brocade Background designer paper (SU), and stamped a single swirl (Autumn Leaves). I cut a strip from one of the other papers in the pack, and added just a bit of distress ink to help it stand out from the background. I stamped the sentiment (retired SU set - Hope for Comfort) on some River Rock cardstock, and then glued it all down and added a single prima. I matted the panel and then mounted it to the card base. I added another River Rock panel to the inside so that it's easier to read the sentiment. I used another stamp from the HfC set, and it reads "May you find comfort in God's word and in the knowledge that others care and sympathize with you."

I do like how it turned out, and I may have to make a couple more to keep on hand for these difficult times.

Big News from Stampin' Up!

So didja hear yet?!? SU is changing its angel policy! I'm sooooo excited about this announcement! Effective November 15, hand-stamped items made with SU images can be sold in fixed retail locations. And yes, that means online as well. Wooooo Hooooo!! This was one of my beefs with SU, and I'm so thrilled that they're making this change. FYI: You still need to stamp each and every item with one of their copyright images to be in compliance. But happy selling, people!! :)

Live - Laugh - Love

As I've been sorting through my vast accumulation of supplies, I've uncovered a few "treasures." This clip frame was originally available from the Post Office, showcasing their dinosaur stamps for a rather pricey $9.95. Well, I stumbled upon it in the dollar aisle of our grocery store, and snapped up several. I've decided I truly don't need them all, but wanted to make at least 1 sample (just so prospective buyers see the potential!). I took it apart, and decided I'd reuse as much of the existing materials as possible. I flipped the front mat over, and covered it with black versamagic ink. I heat set, and then ran it through my Big Shot with the tiny mosaic cuttlebug texture folder. I had to run it through twice becuase of the size, but I think this particular pattern matched up pretty well. Now on to the actual images - I computer generated the text, then accented them images from Artifacts and Antique Collectibles. The hardest part was actually getting the spacing right on the words! It's simple, but I do really like the final result. Hmmm.... maybe I should keep all those frames after all :)

Happy chipboard

I dug out my neglected chipboard for this one. My new mantra seems to be, "I will not hoard!" Anyway, I started out by covering the flower with vanilla craft ink, then Irridescent Ice EP (which is just clear EP with dazzling diamonds glitter already mixed in). I accented the middle with an image from Big Pieces. BTW, don't waste your time trying to glue an accent down to embossed chipboard - go right for the glue dots!

I played around with various colors and patterns for the background, and finally settled on fine lace (almost amethyst stamped on apricot appeal), dotted (certainly celery on very vanilla), and then a soft sky card base (sentiment from Happy Everything, stamped with almost amethyst).

Hope your day is happy!!

Carte Postale Friend

Carte Postale is a lovely set - perfect for simple, elegant cards. The sentiment is from God's Blessing (another favorite). Obviously I went with a very simple color scheme, but I wanted to break it up just a tiny bit, so I dyed some Elizabeth fiber with a Creamy Caramel craft reinker. And then of course there's the corner rounder punch - a small detail that just makes the card look "softer."

And let me say that I am truly thankful for friends who strengthen me with prayers, bless me with love, and encourage me with hope!

From the Heart

I wanted to send some cards out to my former downlines, so the next few cards you'll be seeing are all going to be Stampin' Up! This one uses one of my favorite sets - Heartfelt Thanks. I also used the Aida cloth and Paisley backgrounds. The sentiment is from Holidays & Wishes, and I used the stamp-a-ma-jig to line it up on the rounded tab punch. The green accent piece is "paper flannel." Basically you just take a piece of cardstock and repeatedly crumple it until the fibers have broken down and it begins to separate. You then pull it apart and have two pieces to work with! I love the soft texture it gives. As a final touch, I accented the tab with two copper brads (from the hardware set).

Using up scraps

One last flashback... As I dug through my old samples, I was struck by these two cards and the way I had made use of paper scraps.

The first card uses images from Artfully Asian. The paper strips are the old text-weight printed paper that SU used to carry (anyone else remember this?) If I recall correctly, the idea was to use it for making custom envelopes or to save weight on layered scrapbook pages. Anyway, I had used some of it for a large swap I did, and ended up with some small strips left over. Couldn't bring myself to throw them away, so I randomly stamped a few images, then wove them together into a simple design and glued it all down. I like the idea, but wish that the edges looked a bit more finished. Oh, and did you notice the wire on the tag?

This last card is my favorite of all I've posted this week. I really like the image itself, and love the mosaic border. Time consuming, but a very nice effect. Simple, too - just cut tiny (and slightly irregular) squares, then arrange them around a focal image. Great mindless project to do while watching TV! :)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Perfect Plaids

Another stroll down memory lane... The Perfect Plaids stamp set has four long images that can be mixed and matched to make your own plaid designs. Quite fun, and I thought it was pretty user friendly. Anyway, this first card is another image from Nice & Easy Notes. Quite countryish with shades of brown and red, then topped with twine. And another fine example of coloring with pastels (see yesterday's post)

This second card uses the flower from A Greeting for All Reasons, accented with Crystal Effects and then a bead in the center. And there's more of that mulberry paper!

I have more one post set for tomorrow: using paper scraps. And then hopefully by next week I really will have had time to make some new stuff to share!!

Wire!

More cards that were buried in my craft pit. As promised, today is about wire. SU introduced this into the catalog a few years ago, so of course I had to have it (but only used it a few times!) Anyway, here are two creations.

This first one uses Nice & Easy Notes, a set that was just retired. It was on my first SU order, as I just knew I'd be able to use it for virtually every card I ever needed (to save us money, snort!). I stamped the card base with white ink, then colored the central image with pastels, layered it with mulberry, then accented it with the twisted wire heart. My coloring is quite lousy and the layout is simplistic, but I still like the wire accent!

The second one is an anniversary card with Tropical Blossoms. I really hate how I did the card base, but I like the idea of the wavy layers on the focal image, accented with the beads and wire. Not too sure about those colors - I often tried to use colors that weren't really "me" just so I could have a variety to show to people. So nice not to have to worry about that anymore!!

Vintage Postcard

As I've been cleaning up my craft pit, I discovered a box with some of my old set samplers. What a reminder of how my style has changed over the years! There were definitely some cringe inducing examples, but there were also a few that had stood the test of time. Since I still haven't had time to stamp anything new, thought I'd share some "oldies but goodies."

Today we'll be revisiting "Vintage Postcard." This first card uses a shaving cream background. The silhouette was then stamped in pigment ink and embossed with a pearl EP. I'm not sure whether that stuff is even available anymore, but I love the different type of shine you get with it.

The second card uses a technique I saw demo'd at a stamp convention. Simple, and kind of fun. Start at one side of the main panel and mask off a line (post-it note, or scrap paper with repositionable adhesive). Stamp the images, then move the mask so you've covering what you've just done, then use a second mask to create the next panel. Just work your way across the card, and then you can leave it as is or accent the lines, as I've done here. I also stippled the areas as I stamped them, just to visually separate each section. I finished it off with an organdy bow, zapped with the heat gun to make it crinkly.

Tomorrow we'll flash back to wire! :)

Petal Prints - part 5

Two more cards today, and then you won't have to look at Petal Prints for awhile! :) Both of these cards use the detail "overstamp." Honestly, I don't use them all that often, as I prefer the pressed flower look, but they can still be fun! This first card was for a swap, and I needed it to be something I could produce in large quantities. I stamped out full sheets of the flower, then chopped away. The bright tones are quite unusual for me - particularly as orange is my absolute least favorite color - but I do like to play with them occasionally.

The last card was one of the first I made with watercolor crayons. I was actually wetting them too much, but the "fuzziness" didn't really matter with the initial impression. This is a very forgiving set for trying new techniques!

Well, hope you've all enjoyed this look at one of my favorite sets. I still don't have the new catalog in my possession, but I admit that posting these "oldies but goodies" was a fun way to pass the time. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Petal Prints - part 4

Today is all about the leaf image. This is sort of a one-sheet-wonder type idea, with a technique I call monochromatic resist. Start be stamping the image with versamark on glossy cardstock, and let it dry (or zap it with the heat gun if you're as impatient as I am!). Next, go over the images with some colors - I used baby wipes here (with dots of reinker), but sponges or a brayer work really well, too. Finally, go back with the original image and stamp in a dark color. Simple, but quite lovely!

I used a panel layout on the first card, and I made the second card last year, when I was cleaning off my desk and came across a small scrap. Although you can't really tell in the photo, the mat is folded over, and I reall liked the tiny bit of dimension that it provides.

(Please ignore the brownish purple that is showing up in the leaf panels - I promise it's just shades of green IRL. The colors got a bit funky when I reduced file size)