Little Pumpkin

Happy Halloween friends!  Today's card was made for the 2 smallest pumpkins in my family: Parker and Robbie! :0)

I started with a half sheet of SU's Only Orange card stock (retired color) folded in half, and then cut with Spellbinders largest circle die.  I layed the very top of the die over a little bit of the fold, so it wouldn't cut that edge in my Cuttlebug.  I did this so that there would be the 2 circles attached at the top and so it would open like a card.  The smaller circle at the bottom is just a single cut of card stock.  Next I took a piece of scrap cs and cut out a large oval (Spellbinders die).  I placed this oval on the circle at intervals, starting at the outer edge and working in on both sides, and using a sponge with SU's Only Orange ink to sponge around the edge of the oval.  This technique creates the depth of the pumpkin.  I used PTI's "Halloween Treats & Sweets" stamp set for the faces on both pumpkins and tag (Stazon black ink).  For the stem on the pumpkin, I used a small piece of kraft cs, ran it through my crimper to create the ridged look, and then glued to the back of the larger pumpkin.  For the leaves, I used SU's Green Galore cs (retired color) and oval punch.  I folded the cut ovals in half and ran these also through the crimper to achieve the lines, and then sponged with Greeen Galore ink to give definition.  I also used the oval punch for the tag and attached to the stem with a piece of baker's twine in orange and white from The Twinery.

I also had to make a few treats too...I mean what is Halloween without sugar, right?! :0)

 

I love making these pretzel rod treats at Halloween with a Wilton "Mummy" mold.  They are easy to make, and look great once you slip it into a clear pretzel bag and add a tag.  The tags were made with SU's "Tags So Much" set and tag punches with more Only Orange and Kiwi Kiss card stock to match the colors of the candy melts I used to mold the mummies.  Simple AND yummy! :0)

Hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween and I'll see you back here tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping by. :0) 

Boo!

Good morning friends.  Watching unbelievable pictures on the news as I type this from the wrath of storm "Sandy"...my heart and prayers go out to all those who've been impacted by this storm!  Halloween will be pretty scary for many this year, so as my mom used to say..."we'll make inside sunshine!"  I have 2 cards to share with you today and here is the first:

This is a card that was very popular last year on all the stamping blogs, and I couldn't even begin to tell you who came up with the original idea, but it is definitely a C.A.S.E.  This would be a fun card for kids to make (and easy!).  There is literally no stamping involved with this one!  You simply tear strips of a cream colored card stock, sponge the edges (SU's Soft Seude), and glue down on a black card base.  I glued my googly eyes down first, and then put the torn strips down next.  Very simple and definitely a card that makes you smile! :0)

My next card was playing with Coordinations card stock (card stock that can be sanded to give a distressed look) and SU's Spider Web embossing folder:

My camera really didn't do justice to this card, but hopefully you get the idea!  I started with SU's Only Orange (retired color) card base, and then added a piece of black "Coordinations" card stock that I embossed with the spider web folder.  I sanded it down with a very fine sandpaper (from my husbands stash), and then cut off the lower right hand corner, and punched a hole in the upper left hand corner.  The spider is from SU's "Cute as a Bug" stamp set, and I stamped her in black on white cs, and then cut her out and attached from behind with glue on the tips of her legs.  The mummy was also stamped in black on white cs (stamp from Michael's $ bin), cut out and attached with pop dots on the exposed orange corner.  I also added a couple googly eyes and then misted the whole card with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Iridescent Gold! (gives it a subtle sparkly look) :0)

Thanks again for stopping by and sharing a part of your day with me...I LOVE it when you do! :0)

Sarah's Card

Good Monday morning friends...hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  We had a wonderful weekend celebrating my niece Sarah's wedding and here is the card and gift card holder I made for her and Eric's special day:

I've been on a real PTI "Wreath for All Seasons" kick lately (Fall card, 50th Anniversary card, and I even did one of my Christmas cards this year with this set), and decided this set would work great for Sarah's card too!  Her colors were navy blue and silver, so that's what dictated my color choices. If you click on the picture, you'll get a closer view of the detail.  I stamped the wreath in silver and also the "love" (SU) sentiment at the right edge.  I then used SU's "Midnight Muse" ink and stamped off several times all the way around the wreath with the little flower stamp (retired SU "Watercolor Garden" set) to achieve the different shades of blue.  On the card, I layered the wreath with a piece of American Crafts POW glitter paper in silver, and also used a little heart punch (Marvey) with the glitter paper for the center of the wreath.  I added a white ribbon and little silver heart charm (both from Michael's) and then sponged the torn edge of the card with the silver ink to finish the card.  The gift card holder (PTI die) I made very similar to the card to match, but stamped "best wishes" (PTI's "Tiny Tags) in the center of the wreath. 

Thanks for stopping by, and I'll be back tomorrow to share some more Halloween with you. :0)   

Graphic 45 Class

Good morning friends.  Today I'd like to share a set of cards I made at my local scrapbooking store (Scrap, Scribble, N Stick).  There was no stamping involved in these cards, but the DP is so beautiful, it didn't need anything but a few simple embellishments.

I know it's a little hard to see them all in one picture (click on photo to enlarge), but I wanted you to see what could be done with just a few pieces of coordinating DP, and kraft and black card stock!  Renee Potgeter (owner of Scrap, Scribble, N Stick) designed these cards and I think she did a great job!  Every one of them is beautiful and SO easy to make.  So even though I'll be a stamper to the very end, I think these cards are a great way to show that there are many different avenue's available to create a "handmade" card.

I hope you all have a great weekend, and I'll be back on Monday to share my niece's wedding card and gift holder that I made for her big day tomorrow! :0)  (can't wait to see how beautiful she'll look in all her finery!!)  Thanks for stopping by...I love it when you do! 

First Love

Happy Thursday friends...it's almost the weekend! :0)  When I was thinking of my title for this post, my first thought was "First Love".  Technically that's not true, (and I'm talking stamping love here, not romantic!) as I'll always have a special place in my heart for Stampin' Up, but the first stamps online that I really, REALLY fell in love with were Magnolia Stamps.  I just happened to stumble accross a site that was showcasing these beauties, and I fell immediately in love!  Unfortunately at the time, you could only order these from the company, which just happened to be in Sweden!  At the time though, I remember thinking that how much could it be to order 2 small unmounted rubber stamps?  No, I did not know how to convert the Euro, but again, how bad could it be to order 2 small stamps...$15?....$20?  When I got my credit card statement I was floored!  $55.00!!!!!  Oh well, they were worth it! :0)  Now you can order them in the U.S., so it's much more reasonable, thank goodness!!  But anyway, here's a "Tilda" card I made for one of my daughter's birthdays:

Isn't she adorable?  After stamping her with Momento's Tuxedo Black Ink, I stamped her again on a piece of DP, and then cut out her raincoat, boots, and umbrella (this technique is called paper piecing).  I colored her hair, face, hands and knees with SU's Water Color Crayons and an Aqua Painter.  The rest was just layering her with some designer paper, and using a Martha Stewart Lace Doily punch with SU's Real Red card stock and some red ribbon (Michael's).  The sentiment is a PTI stamp (SU's oval & scalloped oval punches) and I also used a Provo Craft die to cut out the tulip flourish in the upper left hand corner.  The little flower charm was from Michael's.

Thanks for checkin' in and I'll be back with another card tomorrow.  And if you're living in my neck of the woods, remember to smile and tell the Lord "thank you" for this beautiful Indian Summer day!! :0)

Halloween Treat Favors

Good morning friends.  I have a couple Halloween treat favors to share with you today. 

Are these cute, or what?!! :0)  I wish I could take credit for these, but they are definitely CASE'd!  The ghost treat box idea came from Dawn Griffith at Dawn's Stamping Thoughts (you can link to her blog from the sidebar under "Blogs that I Follow").  The pumpkin treat holder has been on many blogs the past couple years, so I can't tell you who the origonal creator was, but obviously someone who can think outside the box! :0)  I put my own spin on both of these and you can easily make your own too.

To start, I used the Paper Trey Ink "Pillow Box" die with SU's "Only Orange" (retired color) card stock for the pumpkin (and stamped "Boo all over before decorating), and black "Coordinations" card stock for the ghost.  To cut out the ghost shape, I used a small Spellbinders square label die first and then a Spellbinders circle die placed right over the top edge of the square label die.  For the pumpkin, I just used a little bit larger Spellbinders circle die.  Once your shapes are cut out (and before you assemble the Pillow Box), cut a small piece of clear acetate that will fit behind the cut out, and attach using sticky strip (regular adhesive doesn't hold too well).  At this point, you can stamp the faces using black Stazon ink (I used Paper Trey Ink's "Halloween Treats & Sweets" stamp set).  I did a little sanding on the ghost holder...this is one of the great things you can do with Coordinations card stock to make it look distressed.  The holder is now ready to put together and decorate.  I just added a simple "Boo" to the ghost using SU's 1 1/4" circle punch (orange), 1 3/8" circle punch (white), and the scallop punch (black) and attached using a pop dot.  For the pumpkin, I just tied a piece of sheer black ribbon (Michael's), and added 3 green (SU's Green Galore) leafs using the Martha Stewart leaf (or twig...I'm not really sure what you call it...just know I love it and use it a lot!) punch.

I'm going to fill the ghost holder with "Bit o Honey's" for my daughter Colleen (her favorite!!) and the pumpkin with "Jelly Belly Sunkist Tangerine" jelly beans for my youngest Calla (she loves all the fruity candy!). 

I know my instructions seem a little long (that's just cause I'm long winded!!), but these treat holders are very quick and easy to make and are also very adaptable to any of the holidays...I hope you'll give them a try! :0)

Thanks again for stopping by...I love it when you do!! :0)    

Branch Out

Good morning friends.  I'm back with another fall card using the same technique as the wreath card I showed you yesterday.  Lookie:

I used SU's "Branch Out" stamp set (LOVE this tree!!) and stamped the tree in Soft Seude, and then used the same Tim Holtz Distress Inks I used on yesterdays card to stamp the leaves.  The stamp that I am using to make the leaves is actually a flower stamp from a retired SU set (Watercolor Garden).  Once I ink this stamp, I  keep "stamping" 3 or 4 times to give the illusion of the leaves turning from dark to light.  I also used this stamp at the bottom to look like grass and also leaves that had fallen.  I mounted this layer on a piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock to make it pop a little more.  Before adding this layer to the white base card, I used a small leaf stamp (Embossing Arts Co. - Michaels) and applied all 3 colors to the stamp and then randomly stamped down the left side of the card.  Once I added the tree layer, the card was done!  Very simple and just another way to show you how versatile some stamps can be.  Something as simple as a color change can get you a lot of mileage out of a single stamp, so don't be afraid to experiment...color is good! :0)

Have a great Tuesday friends and I'll be back with a little Halloween treat for you tomorrow. :0)

Golden 50

Good morning friends.  Hope you all had a great weekend!  Ours was busy but fun.  We went to a chili cookoff Saturday evening with friends and got to sample all kinds of wonderful chili and listen to great live music...fun fun night! :0)

The card I want to share with you today is an anniversary card I made for my good friend whose in-laws were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary yesterday.

I wanted to make the card warm and golden, so I started with a piece of cream card stock and tore the bottom edge so you could see the "Celebrate" (SU stamp) that I had stamped in gold.  I used Paper Trey Ink's "Wreath For All Seasons" stamp set and stamped the grapevine wreath in SU's Soft Seude ink, and then used a stamp from an old SU set (retired) to make the colored leaves (Tim Holtz Distress Inks...Peeled Paint, Spiced Marmalade, & Fired Brick).  I also stamped really lightly a little bit of gold in the leaves too.  I have always loved using this stamp for leaves and grass on my cards...it is perfect for shading and just gives off such a delicate look!  I cut out the 1/2" numbers "50" in American Crafts POW Glitter Paper with my cricut (Base Camp cartridge) to put in the middle of the wreath, layered with a piece of Soft Seude card stock, and finished the card by adding a gold ribbon underneath the layer.  50 years is quite a milestone these days, and I'm hoping they had a wonderful day yesterday, filled with all their family and friends!

I have one more "silly" picture to share with you today of my dog Brinkley.  We have quite a few squirrels in our yard because we like to feed the birds and the squirrels LOVE the bird food.  Brinkley, being VERY territorial, does not like to share his backyard with the squirrels and chases them up the tree.  I know this is pretty typical of most dogs and squirrels, but what gets us to smiling, is that Brinkley will sit at the base of the tree staring up at that squirrel for litterally hours!  You can yell "treat" or "go bye bye" and he still will not leave his spot...not until the squirrel gets tired and makes a run (or jump) to the fence and on to another yard!

 He is one determined dog, but ya gotta love him! And usually the whole time the squirrel is chattering away at him too...very funny and always brings a smile to my face! :0)

Thanks for sharing your Monday with me and I'll be back again tomorrow with another fall inspired card (don't ya just love the colors our Lord uses durring the fall...what a Master artist He is!!!!!).

Moonlight Wishes

Good Friday morning everyone!  It is STILL raining here in my neck of the woods, and I've seen enough, thank you very much!!  My husband tells me I should be grateful it's not snow, but come on...day after day after day after day?  But anyway, we'll make sunshine inside today with a really cute image from Lily of the Valley called "Moonlight Wishes".  I just love the little elfin like faces on these stamps! :0) 

I colored this little gal with my Copics (if you've never tried a Copic, you NEED to try...they are the most amazing coloring marker out there!  Pricey, but well worth it!!).  I cut her out with an oval Spellbinders Nestability, and then distressed the edges by spongeing with SU's Soft Seude.  I also added some glitter to the little pom pom on her hat and the stars.  I then layered some DP from Hobby Lobby with SU's Cherry Cobbler, added a ribbon, the image on the oval, and then a sentiment circle stamp from LOTV and a few green half backed pearls up at the top.

I usually stamp quite a few of the LOTV images, and then color them up at the same time.  Then when I'm ready to make the actual card, the coloring is all done and the card goes together quite quickly.  So please don't be put off by these LOTV cards, thinking that they are way too much work...just break down the steps a little bit, and it won't seem so overwhelming!

Next week we'll take a little Christmas break and I'll show you some fall things I've been working on! Hope you all have a great weekend and thanks again for stopping by! :0) 

Believe

Good morning friends.  Quick post to share with you today.  This card was made with a stamp I found at Hobby Lobby (and for 40% off too I might add!) and just couldn't resist! :0)

I fell in love with the detail in this santa and especially the snowflakes in his beard!  I stamped him on the weathered piece of DP (Hobby Lobby) with SU's Soft Seude ink and also distressed the edges with the same color.  I mounted him with SU's Cherry Cobbler card stock and that is also the color of the base of the card.  The other piece of DP I used was also purchased at Hobby Lobby, and then this piece (with the santas's on it)  was torn, and then all the edges were distressed with the Soft Seude ink.  I stamped the "Believe" (also at Hobby Lobby) in the Soft Seude, attached the santa layer, and then added a sheer dark red ribbon (Michael's) at the top.  Very quick and easy!

Thanks for sharing a part of your day with me, and I'll be back tomorrow with another LOTV card.

All In a Row

Good morning friends.  I'm back with another Lily of the Valley card called "All in a Row".  When this stamp first came out I knew I had to have it because it reminded me of my 3 girls.  When they were quite young, I used to sew all matchy matchy dresses for them for Christmas, and then they would love to all twirl and dance around in them.  Until I got the camera out that is...then things would inevitably go downhill and I would never get the "cute" picture I had in my mind of the 3 of them!  Although when I look back at those pictures now, I smile, even though one of them is usually crying and one has her face turned away from the camera (not Caitlin...she was ALWAYS my front and center princess!!).  Anyway, this image reminds me of them and makes me smile! :0)

I colored the girls with Copic markers and used a white gel pen for the polka dots and a gold gel pen for the stars on the dresses of the girls from left to middle.  I used a Spellbinders oval die to cut out the image and then layered with SU's Cherry Cobbler card stock and Christmas DP from my stash (wish I could tell you the manufacturer, but all I have left is scraps and no name).  I added a Cheery Lynn leaf die, cut in SU's Old Olive and a couple stars (Spellbinder die) cut out in gold (American Crafts POW glitter paper) with the red half backed pearls in the centers.  I added a red gross grain ribbon and stamped the inside of the card with "Joy to the World".

Thanks for stopping by and hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday! :0)  
                                                                                 

Coooool Lovin"

Good morning friends!  I'm back with a card that in stamping terms is called a CASE (Copy And Steal Everything).  I learned this term at the very first stamping party I went to from the demonstrator Christine Arvidson-Bont.  She informed us that the rules of CASEing are admitting that the idea is not yours, giving credit to the proper person (if you remember), AND putting your own spin on it.  So anyway, this card is a CASE, and I really wish I could give credit to the person who created the original, but I did this last year and I just don't remember (gettin old don't ya know!!).  It was a very popular card last year though, and I do remember that the one I was copying from used all shades of browns, tans, and creams to do theirs in.  I switched mine up by using blue's:

Is this not the cutest mama bear and her cub or what?!!  And technically, this is not really even a "stamped" card (other than the Merry Christmas)!  So that means all you "non-stampers" out there could do this card! :0)  I used an embossing folder with snowflakes for the Bashful Blue (SU), but you could easily switch this to a piece of designer paper.  The 2 bears are simply made from different sized circle and oval (cut in half) punches, and then I sponged mine with Bashful Blue ink and also put some glitter on the edges.  I used a black marker for the eyes since I didn't have a punch that tiny! :0)  A very simple and cute card that even kids could make!

Thanks for stopping by again and I hope I've left you feeling inspired!! :0)  (if you do have any questions on this card, just ask in the comment section, or email me at: mrhill13@comcast.net)      
  

Wise Men Still Seek Him

Good Morning friends.  We had a really wet weekend here, but actually it worked out great as I got a lot accomplished...always a good feeling! :0)  Have another Christmas card to share with you today from a stamp company called "High Hopes".

I just loved the faces on this stamp...they are SO cute!!  (especially the camel...he just makes me smile!)  I colored the camel and the 3 wise men with Stampin' Up's Watercolor Crayons and an Aqua Painter. The rest was just layering with kraft, "Bashful Blue", and navy card stock, wrapping a little gold cord below the sentiment (stamped in SU's "Night of Navy") and adding a gold star cut out with a Cuttlebug by Provo Craft die.  The navy card stock I used also has white spots on it that remind me of a night sky, which I thought was perfect for this card. (Stamp Therapy carries this card stock in their paper by the pound area)

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday and I'll be back with more Christmas the rest of the week to hopefully get you inspired to create your own Christmas cards! :0)

Silent Night

Good morning everyone.  I'm back with another Christmas card today and wanted to show you how versatile some stamps can be.  I mentioned a couple days ago how one of my favorite stamp sets is SU's "Lovely As a Tree", and showed you a Halloween card made with it.  Today I'd like to show you a very simple Christmas card made with the same stamp and technique:

I used the same glossy white card stock and sponged with shades of blue ink, this time starting at the top and working my way down to the lightest shade of blue.  I also placed a cut out circle near the top (instead of in the center in the Halloween card) before I started spongeing to create the moon.  I then simply stamped the tree image and greeting in Stazon black ink, added a little glitter to the snow line, and voila...done!  Very simple and elegant!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you again next week.  Thanks for stopping by!

Star of Wonder

Happy Thursday friends...it's almost the weekend! :0)  No big plans here, but that's ok...sometimes it's nice just to have some down time.  Maybe even get started on some Christmas cards!  The cards that I'm going to be showing you over the next few weeks are from last year, so no; I'm not one of those who has all my cards done already for this year!

Quite a few of the cards you'll be seeing from me in the next few weeks are from the Lily of the Valley collection, and todays card is called "Star of Wonder" 

I just love the images of these young girls and this girl all bundled up is no exception!  She was stamped with Momento Black ink and then colored with Copics.  While I am still learning to color with Copics, one thing I have learned (for me anyways!) is that using fewer colors and shading with them produces nice contrast.  I basically only used 3 colors for this card...red, green, and tan.  (and just a tiny bit of light blue for the snow at the bottom)  I distressed around the edges of the stamped image with SU's "Soft Seude" ink, and also around the other layers on this card.  The "Season's Greetings" stamp is also LOTV, the stars are Spellbinders, and the tree is a Paper Trey Ink die.  The DP is from The Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby).

Hope I've inspired you a little to get started making those special cards for the special people in your lives!  Thanks for stopping by and also to all of you who leave comments...it really does encourage me to keep going with this new journey!

Happy Haunting

Good morning friends.  I'm back with another Halloween card for you to check out:

Actually I made this card last year for my youngest, as she loves haunted houses!  They scare her silly, but she still loves them!  And how could I not make a card out of a find like this...the haunted house stamp was only a $1 last year in those bins near the checkout counters at Michaels!  Gotta love it!! 

For this card I used glossy card stock and then cut out a circle about the size of the house and lightly tacked it to the center of the cardstock.  I then used a sponge and some of my "blue family" stamp pads (starting with darkest on the bottom) to sponge accross the card stock.  Remember to go lightly the first few swipes accross with each color, and then you can always go back and add more color till you get the effect you're looking for.  It's a lot easier to add color than take it away!  Once the card stock is to your liking, remove the white circle (which isn't white anymore!!) and there you have your "spotlight" to stamp the haunted house in.  Before I stamped the house though, I used SU's "Lovely As A Tree" set (one of my all time favorite sets!!) and stamped it with black Stazon ink. Then I inked up the haunted house stamp with the black Stazon ink and centered it over the white spotlight.  I added a punched out bat (Martha Stewart punch) and layered the image on black cs and then on to a white card base.  Very easy and fun card to make! :0)

I'll be concentrating on Christmas cards for the next few weeks, so hopefully you'll find some inspiration in them that will prepare your heart for the joyous season.  Thanks for stopping by...I love it when you do!

"Light the Way"

Good morning friends.  I'm back as promised with a Christmas card today.  Before I even fell in love with the image on this card, I fell in love with the title of this stamp from Lily of the Valley... "Light the Way".  It speaks to me as a Christian; reminding me who I am and whose I am!  We are called to light the way so that others may see Jesus in us, and I hope in some way, that by sharing my faith on this blog, that someone will see Jesus in me and want to know more! :0)

Lily of the Valley put out a lot of great Christmas stamps this year, but this one is by far my favorite!  I did have to buy a few of the other ones too though, so you will be seeing more cards from me and this wonderful company! :0)  This card photographed a lot lighter than it is in real life...it is much deeper reds and browns.  If you click on the picture to enlarge it, it shows up a little better, plus you can see more of the glitter on the lamp, the fur on her hood, and of course the snow.  After stamping the image in Momento Black ink, I colored her with my Copic markers and then matted it with SU's Cherry Cobbler card stock.  The DP is called "Silent Night" from Bazzill Basics Paper and is a two sided paper so that both sides coordinate.  I cut out a snowflake from the Spellbinders collection, added a red pearl to the center, a red ribbon (Michael's) off to the side and some gold dots in the corners.

Busy day today, but I'll be back again soon.  Thanks for stopping by! 

Spooktacular

Happy Monday friends!  Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  A little dreary here, but the beautiful fall colors made up for it! :0) 

Halloween is just around the corner, and although my girls are older now (17, 21, & 23), I still give them Halloween cards and treats.  And yes, I do decorate a little bit for Halloween too...mostly outside though. (have to make it festive for the little ones that come looking for treats!)  So here's one of the cards I made for this year:

 

 

Isn't this cat a hoot?  She is a new stamp from Stampin' Up called "Frightening Feline".  I stamped her in black and cut her out with a Spellbinders circle die, and then layered her with the Spellbinders scalloped die in black.  I used Stampin' Up's Wisteria Wonder card stock and SU's "Print Pattern" background stamp for the upper half of the card (I believe this is a retired stamp now), and then DP for the bottom half .  I used a strip of black gross grain ribbon in the middle of the card and added PTI's "Spooktacular" sentiment at the bottom of the card.  I also added a couple wiggle eyes to the cat and a few black half backed pearls under the sentiment.  Also sponged around the edges of everything on the card with the Wisteria Wonder ink... LOVE the finished look that spongeing gives! :0)

That's all for today and I'll be back tomorrow with a Christmas Lily of the Valley card.  Thanks for checking in...love it when you do! 

World Card Making Day

Good Morning friends!  I know I said yesterday I wouldn't post again till next week, but then I remembered today is World Card Making Day...what kind of new blogger would I be, to not post a card on this day of all days?!!  So anyway, I'm back with a card I made from Paper Trey Ink's "Daydreamer" stamp set.

This set has so many beautiful floral images, but my favorite is the poppies!  The bright red just "pops" on these beauties!  I used a 5 x 5 white for the card base, and then stamped the poppies in Stampin' Up's Real Red and stems in Old Olive on another piece of white card stock.  I matted the stamped layer with a piece of Real Red card stock, did some paper piercing in 2 of the corners, and there you have it...a quick and beautiful bright card!

Hope you have a great day stamping!  Thanks for stopping in again, and I'll be back next week with some holiday cards (they'll be here before you know it friends!!).     

LOTV Birthday Card

Good Friday morning everyone.  It's a cool but beautiful day here in "my neck of the woods".  Fall is my absolute favorite season of the year, and the colors I so enjoy have been brilliant this past week!  I am not a fan of winter (too long!!), spring is too short (seems like only 3 or 4 days long in Michigan), and while I enjoy summer when it first arrives, and being warm again, I do not like 80 & 90 degree temps day after day after day!  My favorite colors are earth tones, so when the trees start turning, I am in my glory!  And every year I am amazed by what my Lord has created...He is truly a master artist and I am in awe!  I know I'm rambling a bit here, but I just wanted you all to know that my love of color is so inspired by God and I do thank Him for letting me see the beauty in color each and every day!

And now onto my card for today...it is another from one of my favorite stamp companies!  Lily of the Valley has been around for a few years now and they are located in England.  I happened to stumble across the very talented Bev Rochester's blog (All That I Love) who design's for Lily of the Valley, and have been in love ever since! :0)  Take a look:

This stamp is called "Never Too Old for Cupcake" and I have colored her with Copic markers and paired her up with DP from LOTV "Promise Pad".  I love the shades of lavendar and turquoise blues in this particular pad of DP!  If you click on the image, it's easier to see that she has been glittered up so she's quite sparkly.  I have added some lavendar tulle (from Michael's) and a little tag from PTI's "Tiny Tags" set.  I also used a Provo Craft die to cut out the tulip embellishments in the corners and a Stampin' Up punch for the middle strip behind the image.  I sponged lightly around the circle (Spellbinders die) with "Pool Party" ink from Stampin' Up and added a few half backed pearls to finish dressing it up.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you all back here next week.  Thanks for stopping by!

In Love With "Kraft"

Good morning friends.  Today I have 3 cards to share with you that are all made from my favorite color card stock (at the moment that is!) ...Kraft! 

 

I needed a stash of "guy" cards, and that is what prompted all these cards with Stampin' Up's Soft Seude color.  Once I got started, I just couldn't seem to stop!  I feel much better now knowing that I don't have to panic everytime I need a card for a guy. :0)

The background for all 3 cards is an embossing folder by Lifestyle Crafts, that has been sponged with Soft Seude ink.  The first card uses Stampin' Up's "Sail Away" stamp in the new color Raspberry Ripple.  I have also tied some of the bakers twine (in Cherry Cobbler) around the layer with the sailboat.  The second card uses the bear from Stampin' Up's "Under the Stars" set (I have definitely gotten my money's worth out of this set! :0)   The cut out stars are from Spellbinders.  My third card uses a couple leaf stamps from Rubber Stampede & Embossing Arts Co.  I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade, & Peeled Paint (thanks to my good friend Sue for turning me on to these wonderful colors and inks!!) on the 2 leafs.  Remember that you can click on each card if you want to see a closer up version.

Thanks for stopping in today, and I'll be back tomorrow with a brighter card! :0)

Anniversary Card

Good morning everyone!  Today I am celebrating 25 years of marriage with my husband Chris, and thought I would share with you the card and gift packaging I made.  Here is the card:

I am really into using kraft card stock and embossing folders lately...I LOVE the distressed look!  This card uses Stampin' Up's "Lots of Love" Letter Press Plate (I believe this is a retired item now) and "Under the Stars" stamp set.  This grizzly bear just cracks me up and I tend to use him a lot on male cards.  I used the letter press plate in my Cuttlebug and then sponged it with Stampin' Up's Soft Seude ink.  I also stamped the bear in the Soft Seude and then layered it with Soft Seude card stock.  The sentiment I typed on the computer and is printed on vellum.  I added copper colored brads to the four corners to dress it up a little.

My husband is an extreme dark chocolate lover, and so I "dressed up" a few of the Lindt chocolate bars that he loves with more of the kraft card stock.

The smaller package is a piece of card stock cut at 8 1/2 x 7 1/2 and scored at 2", 2 1/2", 6", 6 1/2" and then stamped with the star and bear from the "Under the Stars" set.  The package on the right is a full sheet of card stock (8 1/2 x 11) and scored at 2 1/4" and 6 1/4" on the short side.  I then stamped the number "25" using my Versa Mark pad and the star stamp again with the Soft Seude ink.  I tried to crimp the ends but it didn't work too well because of the thickness of 2 layers of card stock.  I also used Bakers Twine from The Twinery (color is "Flax") on my card and the packages.

Thanks for checking in again today...I love it when you do! :-) 

Celebrate

Good morning everyone!  A bright and cheery birthday card to share with you today.  This was a super easy and quick card to create, just using a few DP scraps, Paper Trey Ink stamps, and ribbon.  I LOVE these little $5 stamp sets that PTI puts out and I have gotten so much use out of this particular set!  The flowers and leaves also make wonderful backgrounds for your cards too (I'll have to remember to show you a card using this set as a background soon!).  I did use the coordinating die from PTI to cut out the 3 flowers, but this shape is simple enough that it would be easy to cut it out by yourself. I used pop dots behind the flowers to make them stand out a little more too.  The "Celebrate" stamp is from an older set by Stamping Up (Wonderful Words) that I still use quite a bit...I love the font and how bold it looks.

Have a great day and I'll be back tomorrow with an anniversary card for my husband.  Thanks for tagging along today...I love it when you visit (and comment too)!

Thankful Card

Good morning everyone!  It is another beautiful day here in the midwest and I am loving these cooler but sunny days! The leaves are starting to turn color and I am hoping we will not be denied our fantastic color display we usually see here (the crazy weather we've had this year has some "experts" saying we might not see much color this fall).  I'll just keep praying! :-)

My card for today was made for a special friend who also loves to stamp, and who is so good about sharing her stamps with me.  She has 2 sons, so she has more "manly" stamps than I do, and is my number one go to when I need to make a card for a guy.  But anyway, had to make her a card to say thanks, 'cause isn't it so much more fun to get a card in the mail than a bill?!

I used kraft card stock (5 1/2 x 4 1/4) and ran it through my Cuttlebug with the large dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug by Provo Craft) and then distressed it a bit by spongeing it with Stamping Up's Soft Seude ink.  I covered the bottom of the card with a piece of blue & white polka dot DP.  I used Paper Trey Ink's "Thankful" die in a light blue card stock and also cut out my flower in Paper Trey Ink's "Flower Fusion #12" die.  I used Stamping Up's Pumpkin Pie ink for the flower and Old Olive ink (SU) for the leaves (Sizzlits Little Leaves die by SU).  I also sponged around the thankful and flower and leaves with the Soft Seude to finish it off.

Any questions, just email me.  Have a great day and remember: "This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it"!