Vivid Vases. . .

. . . is a single stamp in the Occasions Mini.  I like the image part of the stamp very much and see myself using it often.  But, I do not see myself using the "you're a whole lot of wonderful" as much. 
So I made two stamps out of one! I cut the stamp under the vases and mounted the vases on one side of the wood block and the sentiment on the other.  For today's card I used the image, but the sentiment is from the hostess set, Express Yourself.  I used Pool Party ink and a blender pen to add a little shading on the vases.  The flowers were colored in using SU markers and the fine tip on the black marker was used to make the lines, creating the look of a shelf.  In my neck of the woods, cold and snow is forecast for this weekend.  So be careful when you are out and about, have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Wonderful Mother

While our area has yet another cold and snowy weekend to look forward to, I am over winter themed cards--lol!! So the bright and cheery card creations continue.   Over the weekend, one of the ladies at card class mentioned needing a brayer.  In
the back of my mind I was thinking that we hadn't used a brayer for awhile in card class.  After stamping and cutting images on the Scan N Cut the other day, those pieces were still sitting on my island.  I saw the white border around the stamped images and I wondered how those images would look on a brayered background.  Why just wonder?  I colored the flower in using markers and then lightly dabbed each flower with an aqua painter to spread the color on the petals.  The stem was colored in with an Old Olive marker.  Since I used yellow and orange for the flowers I wanted to use Daffodil Delight for the background.  I think the image against the brayered background looks good.  The sentiment is from a retired stamp set as I was thinking about Mother's Day cards.  But it certainly could be a thinking of you, get well or thank you card.  This just might be one of the cards that will be made during the March classes.  Have a great day and keep warm!

Happy!

Today's card includes more flowers first stamped and then cut using the Scan N Cut~~no coloring required for these flowers!  After stamping the flowers on Daffodil Delight cardstock, I loaded the cardstock onto the cutting mat, the machine scanned it and then I hit the cut button.  Quick and easy.  That being said, two of the images were not recognized.  After the images were stamped I did notice that some images were lighter than others and the SnC noticed it too!  The items to be cut need to have definite lines. As impressed as I am with the cutting ability of the SnC, the greeting on the card caught my attention right away. (My first thought was of Sydney and how she makes me happy all the time!) The greeting is one of four included in the free SAB set, See Ya Later (page 16) and is just one of the free items you can choose with a $50 SU purchase. Have a great day and keep warm!!!

Scallop Tag Topper Card

I saw a few examples of cards made using the Scallop Tag Topper punch (Occasions Mini) and liked the look.  I decided to try my hand at it and the resulting card wasn't too bad.  Not only was I excited about the style of the card, but also the flower on the front.  I stamped the flower (Happy Watercolor)  on Whisper White cardstock and then I used the Brother Scan N Cut to cut it out!  Having a machine to do the fussy cutting sure is a time saver!  I have been asked:  Color first or cut out first?  I cut before I color.  The reason being that sometime the SnC doesn't catch all the lines or there is user error~~and believe me, there has been some user error as the machine and I get acquainted!  Whatever it is, if it was colored in and then cut wrong, I would be a little disappointed.  I stamped an sentiment (Perfect Pennants) inside, keeping it far to the left side so it wouldn't be peeking out along the right edge when the card was closed. The white taffeta ribbon dyed Crisp Cantaloupe is a pretty way to tie the card together. We will definitely be creating this card at the March card classes!  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Simply Created Happenings

One of the products in the current Occasions Mini is the Happenings Simply Created Card Kit (p. 31).  I looked at the picture of it and thought is was ok.  And then one of my customers ordered the kit. While sorting the orders, this kit called my name and guess what?  It appeared on the next order I placed-lol.  I did not order the stamp set that is an add on as I decided I had plenty of sentiment stamps.    Everything in this kit is cut and ready to be added to a card.  Keep in mind that these are note cards (3-1/2" x 5"), so a little smaller than the ones we typically make.  There are enough supplies, including envelopes, to create 15 cards.  The background paper looks like a dark gray in the photos, but it is Smokey Slate.  This was a quick way to be creative, yet not spend time cutting and scoring cardstock and paper. Have a great day!

Brother Scan N Cut

Today I am posting a few of the cuts I made using a new "toy".  I have been looking at various electronic die cutting machines and a couple of months ago, I learned about the Brother Scan N Cut.  Many of you will recognize Brother as a manufacturer of scanners and/or sewing machines.  The product I am using is both a scanner and a die cutter.  I understand that this is a machine that will be of great use to quilters.  And while that is true, the model I used for these cuts is catching the attention of papercrafters.  The SnC does not need a computer. There are a number of images, words and fonts built into the machine.  The whale and starfish are images in the machine, so I chose those patterns on the little screen and the SnC cut one layer, then the next. That was quite easy and as the reviews I have read do say, this machine can be used right out of the box!  That being said, I designed the names of Brandon and Logan using the online Brother design tool, www.scanncutcanvas.brother.com.  I chose the font and laid out the letters so they could be welded.  Once the names were designed on the computer, I saved them to a thumb drive and put that into the USB slot on the SnC.  After cutting the names, I then made the layer for each.  (Now it sounds as if it was as easy as pie.  Well, for me it took a little more figuring out than that!!)   One of the reasons I purchased the SnC is this:  you can stamp an image and put it on the cutting mat.  The SnC scans the image and then you hit cut and the image is cut out.  Again, maybe for some people it is that easy, but I needed to restamp the image as the SnC really does the best job if the image is a dark, bold line.  I also needed to figure out how to get the mat the right size, etc.  Above are two stamps I used for practice purposes.  So far I am liking what the machine does.  I am disappointed with the cutting mat as it is so not sticky!  The first night I tried it, I strictly used the screen on the machine.  I do have problems with my neck and I found that my neck was "tired" after a couple of hours leaned over this little screen.  Then yesterday I used the Brother canvas and that was much better for me. I need a little more one-on-one time with the machine before I can honestly say if it is a keeper.  Have a great day and a nice weekend, too!
 

By the Tide

I must still be in a beach state of mind as last night I wanted to make a card using the By The Tide stamp set (annual catalog).  After tearing the edges of Crumb Cake, Marina Mist and Whisper White cardstock, I wrapped linen thread around the white piece. The torn pieces of cardstock were then layered on a Marina Mist card base. The stamped script writing and the seashell are part of the stamp set.  And again, my most used stamp set, Teeny Tiny Wishes, had the "thinking of you" stamp I needed.  Finally, I couldn't resist embellishing the card with a pretty little shell I found while on vacation!  Have a great!

Easter Blessings

I was out and about yesterday and the outside temperature was 42 degrees according to my car.  And tomorrow it is going to be near 50 degrees!  Spring is on its way--yeah!  So in keeping with Spring, today's cards were created using the Blessed Easter stamp set in the Occasions Mini.  Both cards are clean and simple, although the stamped image on the card to the right was framed using an Oval Framelit.  The image was stamped using black Stazon and then colored in using my SU markers.  To add a little variation in shading, I used a blending pen on the tulips.  The oval framed card is another that we will be making in card class.  I chose to use Strawberry Slush for these cards, but I am thinking that Daffodil Delight will be pretty when I reproduce this one!  Have a great day and enjoy the little taste of Spring!

Perfect Pennants

 Today's cards were created using the  Perfect Pennants stamp set in the Occasions Mini catalog.  The color combination of both cards started out because I was going to be using the This and That Washi tape.  I also  needed to liven up the craft room a bit after our long winter~~hahah!!  This particular stamp set coordinates with the Banners Framelits Dies and although I purchased both items, the framelits weren't a necessity.  I have gotten pretty good at making banners for my cards just using my paper snips.  Now that being said, the Banners Framelits did make it darn easy to keep the sentiments straight and nicely spaced.  The Make a Wish card is one of  this weekend's card classes projects.  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Life Is Good

Yesterday was a special day~~our 40th Wedding Anniversary!  I can clearly remember our wedding day and it certainly doesn't feel like it was 40 years ago.  In the past month I have spent time on the beautiful Gulf of Mexico and have many beautiful photos to scrap: Bowditch Park, the sunset, the beach~~all so pretty and peaceful.  Then last week Sunday I woke up and when I went outside for the newspapers, my backyard was as beautiful as the vacation photos I had taken the previous week.  So I ran in for my camera and tried to capture the peaceful beauty that was all around me.   What do these pictures have to do with our 40th wedding anniversary you ask?  They are beautiful, peaceful and another reminder that life is good--just like our last 40 years together! We surely have been blessed.   Have a great day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today's card is not the usual red and white Valentine with the "I Love You" or "Be My Valentine" sentiment.  Instead it is a very pretty card that can be a Valentine or a wedding or anniversary card.  While making the bow for yesterday's little box, I wanted to create another bow with a matching flower rather than a crochet trim flower. So the bow on today's card is what I created using Soft Sky seam binding.  The Crumb Cake cardstock was embossed using a retired embossing folder and the stamped "love" is from a retired stamp set.  The card was really all about the bow, but there couldn't be a better day to post a love card than Valentine's Day!  Have a great Valentine's Day! 

Pretty Package

One of the demonstrators was kind enough to post a video showing how to make this pretty Victorian bow.  I was so taken with it, that the 3D project at the February classes will be this bow tied around one of Stampin's Up's kraft boxes.  The box I used for my first try (pictured here) was the Decorative Window Box available in our Occasions Mini.  But the printed border around  the window frame was white and I didn't care for the color difference.  I took care of that by adding an embossed Very Vanilla cardstock circle to cover the white border.  Your bows will be tied around the box of your choice:  the Window Gift box or the Kraft Gift box in our annual Catalog.  I would be so impressed if I received a gift packaged like this I would not want to open the box! I guess that is where the "it's all about the presentation" comes in!  Have a great day!

Suspension Card

As I was thinking about what cards we should make at card classes scheduled for February 22nd and 23rd, I ran across a picture of a suspension card.  Needless to say, I went downstairs to try my hand at it.  So long as you have framelits, string/thread and a favorite stamp, suspension cards are quite easy to make.  The suspension card I created is simple, but you can add layers, emboss the various layers, embellish and so much more. For my card I used the Sketched Birthday stamp set, circle framelits and Fancy Fan embossing folder.  I am not sure that this is the exact card we will be making, but February classes will include a suspension card.  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

In yesterday's post I mentioned that adding twine or brads could add a lot to a rather simple card.  So today I decided to follow up on that.  When I was in Florida, I purchased some12 x 12 paper at the Owl and The Pussycat, a stamp store that I visit annually when I am in Fort Myers.  The paper is from Kaisercraft and consists of a variety of 6 vintage-looking and tropical pictures.  I immediately knew that I could use these pictures to make cards.  The picture I chose for this Pistachio Pudding card was simply layered on a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock prior to adhering it to the card base, stamped with a sentiment from A Dozen Thoughts and then wrapped with a piece of twine. Sometimes a picture is all you need to make a great card. I spent more time deciding what color card base to use than I did creating the card!  As I type this post it is -6 degrees.  My plan is to stay warm today!  You do the same and have a great day!

Watercolor Wonder & Butterflies, too

Today's card is  quick, easy & pretty, too!  After layering a piece of DSP  from the Watercolor Wonder collection in the Celebrate Everyday catalog on Island Indigo, I added a few butterflies created with the Beautiful Wings embosslit.  A strip of  retired Island Indigo ribbon added a little texture.  The sentiment (hostess Express Yourself) was stamped with Gumball Green ink.  Use up the scraps of DSP you might have by making cards like this one.  If you don't have ribbon, add a couple of brads, buttons or twine~~anything can be used to add a little extra something to your cards.  Have a great day and keep warm!!

Local Colors

Today's post is not about creating cards, but rather photos of a pretty little row of beach houses and their matching mailboxes!  When we visit Fort Myers Beach, we walk from our condo to Times Square, the center of town where there are  restaurants, entertainment, little specialty shops and more.  Last year we walked to Times Square via the beach.  This year we all decided to walk the street there and the beach back.  So one morning as we were walking to Times Square via the street, this row of mailboxes caught my eye as I wondered what Stampin' Up colors would match.  For sure there is Peach Parfait, Strawberry Slush, Gable Green, Raspberry Ripple, Lovely Lilac and Lavender Lace.  The yellow and blue don't exactly match any of the SU colors that I know of but are close to Tempting Turquoise and Daffodil Delight. The next time we walked to Times Square,  I took a photo of the street of houses leading to the beach that matched the mailboxes. Now I wish I would have taken a photo of the row of houses looking from the beach to the street!  (Next year, if I remember!)  These two photos are so Florida and I think these pictures will offer a little bit of warmth on this freezing morning in Chicago and elsewhere!  Have a great weekend, keep warm and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Sweet Sorbet Hello

Today's card was created using a variety of Stampin' Up products.  I started out with a piece of the DSP from the Sale-a-bration Sweet Sorbet paper collection and worked from there.  After layering  strips of DSP on black cardstock, I added a white scallop edge using our punch.  Dimensionals were used to adhere this to the card base.  After stamping "hello" (Four You) using black Stazon, I wrapped the Pool Party card base with retired ribbon and then proceeded to smudge the upper corner with a little Stazon--haha!!  So the little butterfly in the corner was a necessary addition and finishes the card off nicely.  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time.

Happy Retirement Card

I am back from vacation and missed my scrap room although while I was gone I had such a good time.  We were in a new condo this year and it was gorgeous!!  We had a balcony that overlooked the Gulf and a balcony that overlooked the bay!  Unfortunately, the weather wasn't that great, but it certainly was loads better than the weather here the past few weeks.  I was able to wear capris and even spent a couple of afternoons in the pool. Each day~~even the cloudy, dreary days~~the sailboats were out.  So today's card includes a sailboat (retired) and the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  After stamping the sailboat on Coastal Cabana cardstock, I stamped again on white cardstock.  The sails were cut from the white stamped image and adhered over the same area of the stamped image on the Coastal Cabana.  The print papers are from the Fresh Prints DSP Stack which is in the Occasions Mini.  I hand cut the little banners and ran the Crumb Cake banner thru the Big Shot with an embossing folder.  We had about 5 inches of snow overnight, so it will be a good day for me to stay in and do laundry (the downside of vacation)!!  Have a great day and be safe!!