Fall Leaves

While driving in the car yesterday, I was admiring the pretty Fall leaves.  That reminded me of a video I watched the other day with tips for making realistic-looking leaves for cards and scrapbook pages.  After a little sponging, scoring, crumbling and spritzing of my die cut leaves they became the perfect addition to a card I had started earlier.  Actually, the leaves were the perfect complement to the Natural Composition specialty paper which had been brayered lightly with Chocolate Chip ink. The More Mustard card base matched the leaves nicely and this truly is a Fall card.  One thing I would change--the color ink I used for the sentiment.  I used Early Espresso ink, but against the Artichoke cardstock it isn't dark enough.  Or maybe I should have used a lighter color cardstock.  All in all, the card looks wonder"fall"!  Have a nice weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Cute Cartoon

Someone shared this on another website and I am sharing it here.  Hope you had a great day!

Peace On Earth

I have been playing with Christmas ideas and today's cards use  images from the Watercolor Winter stamp set  and a greeting from the Greetings of the Season stamp set, both in the Holiday mini. The color combination of Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso is used for both cards as is the Top Note die.  The pine cone card was stamped using ink pads only, while the holly card was stamped using an Early Espresso ink pad and then colored in using a blender pen and ink pads.  One element that I have added and which is not available thru Stampin' Up is the Top Note mat I made using my Cricut.  To finish off the card, I adhered a white piece of cardstock inside the card which was stamped using the same image as on the front of the card.    As I play with Christmas ideas, I am reminding myself to enjoy the colors of Autumn!  Have a great day.

Christmas 8x8

I went to a little craft show in the area over the weekend and that prompted me to do something with my Merry Moments Simply Scrappin' kit.  So yesterday,  I spent the better part of the afternoon working on a Christmas Scrapbook. Pictured here is a two-page layout  created using elements from the kit.  I did add Dazzling Details in the center of the flowers and I needed additional cardstock for the mats for photos, but the kit went a long way. One of the main colors in this kit is gray--a color I do not usually associate with Christmas, so that was a bit of a challenge for me.  I am happy with the finished product and it will make a nice Christmas gift.  Have a wonderful day!

Cricut Sunday

Yesterday was our monthly Cricut get-together and as always, it was a fun afternoon.  Cindy provided a cute card for our project with a matching envelope and Kathy provided delicious Tortilla soup, chips, dips and something I rarely have--French Silk Pie!!!  Cindy was the enabler of the day cranking out the cutest items cut using the new Critters 2 cartridge.  I wonder how many of us will be owners of that cartridge in the near future?   Exploring the Artiste cartridge more, I made this mini magazine holder sized especially for a set of cards I made earlier.  The  Indigo Blue cardstock  is perfect for this--pretty color and a sturdy weight.  I then cut Indigo Blue DSP 1/4 inch smaller to cover the holder.  I did have to trim it a bit so that it fit leaving a tiny border around the cardstock. I tied a beige ribbon around it but it needs a little something more--maybe a label identifying the contents.  I will think on that!  Have a good week!

Coffins Revisited!

 

I had some time yesterday to play with the little Halloween coffins.  I had mentioned in Thursday's post that at 3" the tabs were a little difficult to work with.  The coffins pictured here are each cut at 3 1/2".  Using gray cardstock, I found it was much easier to find the little registration marks and in turn the creasing/scoring of the edges was easier.  I used the Tombow Multi-glue on each little tab and although my fingers were a little on the sticky side, the Multi-glue has held beautifully.  Before forming the boxes, I inked the edges, stamped the RIP, filled each coffin with 4 hugs and kisses and a little raffia and tied it together with various Halloween color ribbon.  Cute, cute, cute!!!!  Have a wonderful weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time.

Halloween Tomb/Coffin

I received some new CTMH toys yesterday and had to post what I made using one of them, the Cricut Artiste cartridge.  When I first saw the cartridge, it included at least a couple projects that I would like to create, but kept telling myself I did not need another cartridge.  And then I started seeing various items made using the Artiste cartridge and called my friend, Regina, to order it.  Here is my first cute little project--a little tomb/coffin just in time for Halloween!  I cut it at 3" and it is adorable. The one thing I will say is that the smaller the tomb, the smaller the little tabs that need to be glued to form the shape of the tomb.  I will be making more of these very soon, together with the other project on the cartridge that I am so taken with.  Have a great day!

How I Spent A Day In My Craft Room!

The other day, I got the brilliant idea to make multiple sets of die cut mats to be used as a layer with Stampin' Up's Decorative Label punch since I like the finished look when the stamped and punched label is matted. Well once I started, it turned into an all day affair--lol!! Two Cricut mats and a new Cricut blade later, I now have multiple sets of decorative label punch mats in every color of cardstock that SU has in their color families--almost. I did not make mats for a few of the neutrals. I then started to make mats for the Top Note die, but only made the number I actually needed in the colors needed. I will save making Top Note mats in every color for another day, like maybe in the middle of winter when I am stuck in the house due to snow and cold.  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time.

Little Christmas Bird

There is definitely a chill in the air this morning (45 degrees) so a good morning to post a Christmas card. I was playing in my scraproom with a particular card sketch and a couple Christmas stamp sets. The extremely cute stamp set, For The Birds, includes a cute Merry Christmas bird/sentiment image which fit perfectly on the larger white piece of cardstock. I needed two smaller images and what better set than Jolly Bingo Bits. The JBB sets includes 24 seasonal stamps, including the two used here, so I had a wide variety of images from which to choose. The Real Red ribbon is retired, but since I do not have the new 1/4" Real Red stitched grosgrain ribbon in my collection, it works just fine. This is another one of those "I have it, I am going to use it moments" and a reminder to all to use product that you bought 'cuz you liked it, but now it sits unused. That happens to me often with ribbon because I am saving it for something special. But then, what is more special than Christmas! Have a great day.

Fall Nugget Holders

There is definitely a little "Fall" in the air this morning. Actually, as I type it is 48 degrees so my little Hershey nugget candy favors made from Fall colored cardstock are very appropriate. You will need the Two Tags die for this easy to create item. The favor is created using two of the same die cuts which are adhered together on the bottom. The tag on the right uses two of the narrower tags trimmed down to 3 1/2 inches. Each tag is then scored 1" from the bottom, folded at the score and adhered together. Sticky Strip is my choice of adhesive for these favors as it is stronger and holds better when adhereing cardstock. The 1 3/4" scallop circle is the base of the tag embellishment which is then layered with various sized circle punches. The sentiment is from the Mixed Medley hostess set in the Holiday mini and mini glue dots keep the nugget in place. My Crop-a-dile easily punched through the layers and the coordinating ribbon tops it off beautifully. By the way, neither the ribbon nor the cardstock is SU:) Have a "wonderfall" day!

Happy Birthday, John

Happy Monday! Great news for me~~my JOY frame was chosen as a favorite at Splitcoast Stampers. Being named as a favorite is exciting and two weeks in a row is doubly exciting! Today's card was made with my husband in mind. Yesterday was his birthday and we had a wonderful day with our children, granddaughter

and grandpuppy, too. The day was so busy, John never did receive the card--oops! I used the color combination of Marina Mist and Soft Suede, die cutting the Marina Mist using one of the framelits from the Apothecary Accents collection. Rather than stamping on the actual die cut, I stamped on Vanilla cardstock and centered it behind the negative space. The greeting is part of the Wacky Wishes hostess set and the little cupcake is from my favorite retired Short & Sweet. The border around the Soft Suede cardstock was easy to create with the help of my Simply Scored tool. No matter which scoring tool you have, remember to put it to use every once in a while to create a little dimension on your cards. Have a wonderful day!

Christmas Gift Card Holders

The gift card holders made at card classes over the weekend were a big hit. So today I am posting gift card holders ready for Christmas~~embellished with sparkly tulle rather than a pretty paper flower. I made the crumb/espresso holder first and I thought it was very pretty. The cardstock is part of my "leftovers collection" from last Christmas and was purchased at my local scrapbook store. The Cherry Cobbler cardstock, ink and seam binding all match nicely and the Linen Cotton Thread adds to the rustic yet pretty feel.This was just going to be a practice piece, but since it looks so good, someone special will get this in their Christmas stocking. I used Garden Green DSP for the second gift card holder/envelope. The Cherry Cobbler Baker's twine is as perfect on this one as the linen thread is on the Crumb Cake envelope. By the way, you will notice that the punched image on both envelopes is matted with coordinating cardstock. A while back I figured out how to create these mats using my Cricut and Sure Cuts A Lot program. The label mats are not perfect, but come darn close! Have a wonderful weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time.

Serene Flowers & Butterflies

Today's card was inspired by a card I came across on our demonstrator's website. Connie's card used the Serene Silhouettes stamp set--a favorite of mine! She added texture by using a piece of cardstock that was torn, embossed and inked. I did the same on my card and for a little more dimension, I framed the image using my Simply Scored tool and sponged lightly around the card edges. The sponged white butterflies with tiny pearls added the perfect touch of elegance. Have a wonderful day!

Acrylic Block Stamping

My clear blocks needed a good cleaning after the weekend card classes. When I was putting them back on the counter, I decided to use the smallest one as a background stamp. After a few "trys" I was able to figure out the touch so that the acrylic block left just the right amount of ink with the right amount of texture. I used a centering ruler and my stamp-a-ma-jig for the spacing. And then I pulled out one of my very favorite retired SU stamp sets, Short & Sweet and Early Espresso ink to stamp the image and sentiment. I was pleased with the Old Olive and Perfect Plum card, so used Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive together with the Merry Mini stamps to make a Christmas version. The cards are simple and cute and do not involve a lot of time and supplies. If you have an acrylic block and a little stampin' time, try this out. Have a great day!

Rosette Die?

I am convincing myself that I do not need the Designer Rosette die that is in the main catalog. A while ago (more than a year ago) I purchased the Tim Holtz rosette die and I was not happy with it. Rather than having scored lines, the TH die had perforated lines for the folding. When I used DSP or white core cardstock the perforated lines would show bits of white and I would have the need to sponge the rosettes. I have been seeing so many beautiful projects using the SU die, that I am very tempted to purchase it. But first, I wanted to make a couple using my Simply Scored board from Stampin' Up. The blue one has a scalloped edge which I created using the scallop edge punch after cutting the strip of cardstock and before scoring. The pattern paper rosette is actually a scrap piece of pattern paper which I used to see if the scored edges would be as noticeable as when the lines were perforated. I will think on it a little while longer as I know that if I purchase the die now, I will get a free spool of ribbon, too--and you know how I like ribbon! Have a great day!

Halloween Moon Is A Favorite!

I was quite surprised when I was checking my emails yesterday morning and found out that the Halloween version of my Midnight Moon card was a favorite on Splitcoast Stampers! Prior to having my card chosen as a favorite, I had been thinking about how perfect the card would be if I replaced the black striped ribbon with thin strips of black cardstock so as to make the fence more "real". Here is the new version of my Halloween Moon card. That woodgrain embossing folder is absolutely perfect when used to create a fence. The only thing that would make the fence more perfect is if there was a little space between each slate of the fence--hahahah!! Don't worry! No more versions of this card. But I need to say one more thing~~the original card, Midnight Moon, was also favorited!!! I was just going to call it a night when I read the email and I am thrilled. Twice in the same week!! Have a wonderful day!

Halloween Version . . .

. . .of yesterday's Nighttime Moon card. I received a few comments about how yesterday's card would be a great Halloween card, so here it is. I used gray ink for brayering the sky and black ink for the tree image and sentiment. Black cardstock embossed with the new Woodgrain embossing folder makes for good fencing! Off to card class. Have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Nighttime Moon

This was a rather easy card to make yet it looks like I spent a lot of time on it. Thanks to my brayer, this card looks exactly as I imagined it would. I used Night of Navy ink with the brayer and Night of Navy DSP and cardstock. I rarely use Riding Hood Red, but I thought it would be a good contrast. Little did I know that using the scallop edge punch with the Riding Hood Red cardstock would be ideal. The scallop trim that I added almost looks like the top of a cedar-stained fence against the night sky. The tree silhouette is an image from the Serene Silhouettes stamp set and the sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes. Have a great day and I will see some of you at card class this weekend.

Starting on Gifts

A very appreciated gift that I give to people during Christmas is a set of assorted cards which includes birthday, thinking of you, get well, sympathy and all-occasion cards. Today's card is an example of the type of cards I include in the package, following a few simple guidelines: a pretty card embellished with embossing folders, punches and mini brads rather than bulky bows or buttons to avoid need for extra postage; no fancy folds or odd-sized cards; and finally, I add a white layer inside the card for a handwritten message. Don't forget the most important thing: the presentation!!! Embellish the cellophane or gift bag that contains the cards with pretty ribbons, add a little raffia and a cute little holiday gift tag. The recipient will be thrilled with the pretty packaging and the handmade cards inside. Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time.

hello baby

I wanted to create a card that would incorporate the Crumb Cake tulle in such a way as to make the tulle look soft and pretty rather than look like "nylons"--lol! (I say that because the first couple of times I used this Crumb Cake tulle, that is exactly what the tulle reminded me of--nylon stockings!) Beginning with an Ivory card base, I added the tulle, Baja Breeze cardstock and Designer Series paper and then Crumb Cake cardstock. Should I stamp directly on the Crumb Cake cardstock or add a framelit element? Neither was what I was looking for. But the Baja Breeze seam binding ribbon was another story! Everything about the card is soft and pretty, just as a baby card should be. So, out came the Teeny Tiny Wishes set and I have created a perfect baby card. I do not need a baby card at the present time, but when I do need one, I am prepared! Have a great day.

Shimmery White Ornament~~FRAMED

It is another post regarding the Shimmery White Ornament from last week. I was wondering if the ornament would fit in a scrapbook/shadow box frame. The one frame I had here was not deep enough. So I visited my local craft store as they have shadow box frames on sale at 50% off. Sure enough, the shadow box frame I purchased was just the right depth. The "Merry Christmas" sentiment is from the Greetings of the Season stamp set. I am sure that this would be a beautiful addition to someone's holiday decor. Since the Shimmery White ornament is very time consuming, I have decided that at the Tags Class in October we will make a mini version of it (red ornament in the center of photo to the right). This will give you the opportunity to learn the basics of this project while creating a pretty finishing touch for a gift-wrapped package! The tags pictured are not necessarily the tags we will be making at the Tags Class in October, but we may make some of them. It is still a little early (for me) to plan Christmas tags--lol! Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Happy Labor Day!

Hope you are enjoying the "last weekend of summer". We certainly are enjoying time with our family and friends. Today's card is a quick one. The left side of the card was embossed using the Stripes folder; the white layer was stamped using a sentiment from the Word Play set, both from the main catalog. The star was punched using one of the punches from the Merry Mini Punch Pack in the Holiday Mini. My favorite element of this card is the ribbon slide, also from the Holiday Mini. Have a great day!

SU September Special

Wanted to let you know that during the month of September you will receive a free package of ribbon for every $40 Stampin' Up purchase before tax and shipping. The free 3/8 inch Stitched Satin Ribbon is avilable in the five new In Colors: Gumball Green, Raspberry Ripple, Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit and Primrose Petals. The ribbon is priced at $8.95 for 10 yards, so this is a great deal. I will now probably add Summer Starfruit to my collection with my next $40 purchase. And who am I kidding? I will probably have multiples of the other four colors as free is always a good thing and I will definitely be spending more than $40 this month--lol.

Just go to my website at www.stampintimesomewhere.stampinup.net to shop online or give me a call/send me an email and I will place your order and answer any questions. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend! (FYI, the ribbon does not come on a wooden spool as far as we know, but rather on the usual cardboard spool.)