Make Mine Stamps

My "Go-To" Sketch

Do you have a "go-to" sketch you use when you need to get a card made NOW?  I do and this is it.  I stumbled upon this design one day when I was playing with patterned paper and needed something quick.  This was a card that I made bunches of and gave to the church for the Someone Cares group.

I started with a base of Baja Breeze and used the Manchester DSP.  I ripped the edges (love this look!) and adhered this to the card base.  Next, I used a piece of Kraft and paper pierced it top and bottom with enough space to layer on a piece of the Baja Breeze ribbon.  After wrapping the ribbon around the Kraft and adhering it, I used the paper piercer to poke a hole through the entire layer.  Then, I used a brad and two of the flowers from the Felt Fusion Flowers.  I adhered this strip to the card base and stamped "Thinking of You" on the inside.  Once you get rolling and know what size paper you need, this is an easy card, but everyone seems to like the look.  I like to tell people that you don't have to stamp much when you use DSP! 

If you have never tried the Felt Fusion Flowers, you need to check them out.  They make a great embellishment for cards, scrapbook pages, can coolies, hats -- you name it and you can use it on that too!  Also, keep in mind that you can cut your own felt flowers with the Big Shot!  If you aren't aware of all the materials you can use in a Big Shot, let me know and I'll clue you in. 

Thom is treating me to a concert tonight -- the Isaac's -- one of my favorite groups.  They have some fabulous contemporary Christian music and I'm hoping to hear some of my favorite songs tonight.  If you have never heard them, check out their song "Heroes" as it is an incredible song for the everyday heroes among us.

Be blessed today!

DCBD Sketch Challenge #123

As you know, I'm trying to complete sketch challenges to get myself stamping more and out of my comfort zone.  I created this last weekend and did not realize that I hadn't posted it until I was looking for additional challenges from some of my favorite sites.

This is a sketch I'll keep and use over and over.  I started with a Kraft Base and used a piece of DSP from the Parisian Breeze collection as a layer.  I loved the simple checks and didn't want anything competing with the scene I knew I wanted to stamp. 

Next, I stamped on Whisper White in Chocolate Chip ink using the stamp set Scene in a Garden from the current mini catalog.  I absolutely loved this set when the mini came out and it was the first one I HAD TO HAVE.  This forcedme to use the Stamp-a-majig and that, in itself, is a challenge for me.  I'm going to keep forcing myself to use this tool until it becomes second nature -- it's really usefuland I don't know why I don't reach for it more often!  Next, I watercolored using my Watercolor Wonder Crayons and an aqua painter.  I need to learn basic background embellishing, but last Saturday, it wasn't happening.  So, I used my sponge dauber to add color in the background, separating So Saffron at the top to simulate sunshine, using Old Olive and Creamy Caramel for grass and dirt at the bottom.  Next, I mounted a piece of Night of Navy onto to the cardstock.  I mounted my Whisper White image on Bordering Blue and of course, used dimensionals to add some height.  I stamped the sentiment onto Whisper White in Chocolate Chip and mounted this on the Bordering Blue mat.  Finally, I added the 1/4" Night of Navy circles to the upper left corner.  Because I didn't like how my vase looked, I stamped a second vase on a piece of the Parisian Breeze DSP, cut it out and adhered it over the original vase.  I also covered it in Crystal Effects, along with coating the boots and the flowerpot rims, as well as the Night of Navy circles.  I love using this technique for some added dimension.  Besides that, I love to watch people run their fingers over the shiny areas -- it's an easy technique for a quick WOW!

Enjoy your day!  It's pretty dreary here but it's a great day to spend stamping!

Hugs and blessings!

Another MAN CARD!

Man cards are hard for me but only because I love embellishments!  Yes, simple cards can be gorgeous and there are some fabulous simple cards that I see all the time -- I just don't seem to do "simple" very well. 

As I make cards for the church to use, I have to refrain from using glitter.  Our Associate Minister, Danny Harp, a really neat guy whom I admire a great deal, has repeatedly asked for no glitter.  It seems that he is the first person in the chain to sign the cards and if I use glitter, it ends up all over him, his desk and anything else he touches.  I've dubbed him "The Glitter Nazi" (no offense to anyone!).  Here is a card I've made that I'll be redoing the sentiment on as a  "Man Card" for the church.

This card started as a sketch challenge and I knew immediately what I wanted to do.  I fell in love with the Manchester DSP as soon as I saw it.  The colors in this argyle print are fabulous!  When I look at this, I see Baja Breeze, Sage Shadow, Kraft, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, and Always Artichoke. 

This card started with a base of Always Artichoke.  I used the argyle print from the Manchester DSP and then created the faux Woodgrain.  This is so very easy to do and I love the look of it -- FOR MAN CARDS! 

Once I stamped the image on Very Vanilla with Always Artichoke, I matted the image with Sage Shadow and Kraft, mounting them all with dimensionals (I've got a real addiction to dimensionals!).  I used my distressing tool to rough up all the edges prior to mounting them.

As I looked at all the Designer Series Papers, I realized that many of my current favorites will be leaving us at the end of June because they contain the current In Colors.  Anything with Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point or Kiwi Kiss is a goner.  Stampin' Up! is offering a special promotion in May on Designer Series Papers in honor of National Scrapbooking Month.  Buy three designs and get one design free -- this includes any of the Textured Papers as well (Designer Series or regular colors).  You can mix and match them as you please.  Make your list now, but keep in mind that any DSP containing any of the In Colors will be retiring very soon.  If there is something you love, make certain you get it in May during this special promotion. 

Or, if you are of the other mind set, buy only those that use our regular colors and you won't ever have to worry about not having something that matches! 

Make it a great day and be a blessing to someone else -- you'll be blessed!

Good Morning Sunshine!

 When the current catalog came out, I wasn't entirely crazy about this Designer Series Paper.  However, once I started working with it, I've decided I like it a great deal!  This was another sketch challenge and this one also came together fairly easily.  I started with a base of Kiwi Kiss and used a piece of the DSP Good Morning Sunshine.  This is probably my favorite pattern from the package because it has so much color and really pops!  First, I used my square punch to cut the square in the Kiwi Kiss base.  Next, before I layered on the DSP, I used my largest square punch to cut a larger square, framing the Kiwi Kiss square and adhered the DSP to the Kiwi Kiss. Next, I used a base of So Sunshine and then Pacific Point and pierced both pieces.  I wrapped the Kiwi Kiss ribbon around the those pieces and adhered them to the card.  I used one of the buttons from the SoHo collection and attached it using my crop-a-dile.  Hint:  When you use these buttons and the crop-a-dile, you need to change the top so it is flat and doesn't put a dent in your button...but I wasn't scrapping this card due to the dent!  I stamped the sentiment from Great Friend onto a Whisper White square and adhered this to the inside of the card.  This is one of those cards that I wouldn't have made without the sketch challenge.  I normally only do "normal" sized cards and this one is a different shape.  I'm growing to like making cards of different sizes as long as I have envelopes for them.  Stampin' Up! has envelopes for this size card and I am now keeping them in my stash.

Have a fabulous, blessed day! 

TSSC 66 Challenge Card

As soon as I saw this sketch, I knew exactly what I wanted to stamp!  I love when that happens and it doesn't happen often enough to me.  I'm trying to get away from the tried and true and use techniques that force me out of my comfort zone.  It's the only way I can better my stamping abilities and that is my goal.

You can click on the image to make it larger in order to see this picture better.  This set, Inspired by Nature, is one of my absolute favorites.  It is currently on the dormant list and that does not necessarily mean that it won't make the new catty in July.  I started with a base of Chocolate Chip and then layered on a panel of Almost Apricot.  This is a color I don't use often, but when I do, I really like it.  Next, I cut a circle the size of the Almost Apricot panel (used my retiring Coluzzle system) and stamped the grass from the stamp set in Old Olive.  I sponged bashful blue all over the circled panel to simulate the sky, but you can't really see it in the picture, or for that matter, on the card.  Next, I stamped the flowers in Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red and Old Olive ink onto Vellum and overlayed this onto the Almost Apricot panel.  I stamped the sentiment on top of the vellum in Chocolate Chip ink (yep, you're right -- I got impatient and smudged it a bit while adding my circles!).  Finally, I added the 1/4" Ruby Red circles to balance the card, top and bottom.  I am thrilled with this card and will definitely use this template again.

The kids from Lee University are here today and we will be lunching with them.  Such a great group of singers, under the direction of Danny Murray.  We love to listen to them and they are a fun crowd to be around.  It is going to be a very blessed day indeed!

Enjoy your Sunday and be a blessing to someone in need!

Small Gift Tote

Happy Saturday!  I'm stamping all day today until I leave to see my niece as she goes to her first prom tonight.  I'm excited for her!

This is the third project we did in my Techniques Classes this month.  It's a great little tote purse that you can fill as is, or include a small cello bag with treats.  You can leave it open or close it and it is very quick to come together.

This was created using Bravo Burgundy cardstock.  You'll cut one piece of cardstock 3" x 8.5" and score at 3 1/2" and at 5".  You'll cut another piece of cardstock 3" x 7" and score this at .5", 2", 5" and 6.5".  Score this also at .5" along one of the long sides.  Fold it up and put it together and embellish as you would like.  We used retired DSP and the stems were made using the Big Shot.  We punched the 5-Petal flower in Very Vanilla and put a 1/4" circle in Bravo Burgundy.  All were popped up with dimensionals (but I bet you already guessed that, right?).  We used velcro to close the "box/bag" and pinched the sides in to make the triangle shape.  Bravo Burguny ribbon handles completed this project!

I'm working on sketch challenges today and have about 4 that I'm trying to complete.  I hope it is an easy day and the ideas flow from my brain to my fingertips as I see them, but most of the time, that isn't how it works for me!

Have a very blessed day!

Swap Card

I love to swap but because my time is limited, I don't participate in swaps as often as I would like.  And, I'm not good at cards for men so when I saw a swap that was geared toward cards for men, I knew I had to challenge myself and join.  The cards are due back to me this weekend and I can't wait to see what I get.

Here is the card I sent.  I used the Manchester DSP in shades of Baja Breeze, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla and Kraft.  The base card is Always Artichoke with a layer of Very Vanilla on top.  I placed the stripe on the top of the Very Vanilla and used a second piece of the DSP for the bottom.  Then, I wrapped a piece of the Always Artichoke ribbon around the middle across the Very Vanilla.  I created a faux wood panel and placed two brads in that piece.  Next, I stamped the hammer in Chocolate Chip ink on Kraft and cut this out.  I used dimensionals to attach both the faux wood panel and the hammer, placing the hammer to appear as if it was hammering in the brads.  Finally, I stamped the words from the hammer stamp across the bottom.  These stamps are from the Totally Tool set which is in the current catalog.  Love this set and am forcing myself to use it at least once a week to see what I can continue to come up with. 

Thom is treating my father, my brother and my nephew to the OSU Spring game this weekend so I'm going to be in stamp heaven all day on Saturday.  Plus, my neice is going to prom and I can't wait to see her with her date.  It should be a great Saturday!  The weather is supposed to be gorgeous so make it a fabulous day! 

And, if you are looking for something to do on Sunday morning, The Voices of Lee from Lee University are going to be in town at North Terrace Church of Christ.  They are an acapella group and they are absolutely out of this world!  Service starts at 8:30 a.m. and they will be providing the music for worship.  Come and join us!  We'd love to see you there and you'll be blessed by their worship...trust me!

April Techniques Club - Second Card

Here is the second card we did in April for my Technique gals.  Clean and simple, yet very unique...you can use this technique in a variety of ways!

As you can see, I could use some lessons in photography, but we'll have to make do.  This is the frosted wax paper technique and is very clean, simple and quick.  Odds are good that you have wax paper in your house and if you have ink pads, you've got all that you need.

This card has a base of Night of Navy.  Next, we frosted glossy white paper with Baja Breeze and Night of Navy.  Then, we layered Night of Navy onto Baja Breese and wrapped this piece with Baja Breeze striped ribbon.  We punched two flowers and adhered them with brads.  Then, we stamped Elegant Thank You from the current catalog (one of the stamps you can get free with a $40 order from the current mini!) onto Glossy White in Night of Navy ink.  We layered this onto Baja Breeze and popped this up with dimensionals.  Super easy and very pretty.  Everyone loved it and it went together very quickly. 

You could use this for an animal print background; stamp images and then cut them out to be used on cards or scrapbook pages; create multi-color backgrounds for cards, and the list goes on.  My hope is that I'll see some cards coming from those who learned this technique and if I do, I'll post them here so you can see them too!

More to come tomorrow.  In the meantime, enjoy your day.  Be blessed and be a blessing!

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #83

I read one time that if you can spend an hour a day doing something you love, you will soon become an expert.  I don't really believe that is true of stamping because there are so many different papers, stamps and inks out there, not to mention the different techniques.  And, if you are not challenged, it is hard to get better.  My goal is to try to complete three to four challenges per week and this is one of those cards. 

I fell in love with the Mojo Monday sketch and rummaged through my stamps to see what stamps "spoke to me."  The winner was Friends 24-7, 113218,from the current catalog.  And because I am so in love with the Parisian Breeze DSP, I decided to use it as well.  I think the two go very well together.

You'll notice that this is square card and I don't normally "do" square cards.  Mostly because they cost more to mail and I don't have envelopes on my shelf that fit square cards.  But, I decided to go ahead with this one as I'm placing an order today and I'm adding the square envelopes so I can continue with square cards!  At any rate, I started with a base card in the Parisian Breeze DSP.  Next, I used a square of Kraft and rouged up the edges with the Stampin' Up'! distressing tool (LOVE that thing!).  On a Baja Breeze square, I used the Sanded background stamp in Baja Breeze ink and then adhered that to the Kraft piece.  Once they were adhered to the card, I stamped the image in Chocolate Chip ink onto Whisper White and gave it the same roughed up edges.  I have to admit, at this point, I thought about stamping him again on Vellum and overlaying him to give him some presence.  Then I remembered seeing a card where someone had used iridiscent nail polish over the image and I loved the way it looked.  So, I decided to give it a try.  I painted the bird only in the image and really let the nail polish pool.  Then, because I'm an impatient sort, I got out the heat gun and heated the image, thinking it would help to dry it.  Here's the best part:  It not only dried it, but it bubbled up and gave the image a sort of "feathery" look that was perfect for the bird!  It looks fabulous in real life and I'm going to be using this technique again!  You can sort of see the effect in the picture and in real life, he sparkles right off the page -- it's truly gorgeous!  Finally, I attached him to the card with dimensionals.

Next, I used another piece of the DSP, cutting a huge piece to make the scallop.  I wanted something a bit different so I scored the DSP and turned the edge over on the top so you can see the back of the floral DSP -- it's as pretty as the front! I used the White satin ribbon and stamped "Praying for You" from the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set in Chocolate Chip ink and then adhered the ribbon around this piece.  I pierced above and below the ribbon and then pierced the scallops.  Finally, I popped this up with dimensionals and placed it on the card. 

The finishing touch was to use Chocolate Chip and Baja Breeze felt flowers from the Felt Flower Fusion kit and a rhinestone brad from the Ice Collection to form the flower.  I attached this to the card using the brad and voila!  I finished the challenge!

I hope you enjoy this card and have a wonderful, God-filled day!  Be blessed!

It was a Sketch Challenge!

But if you think I can remember which one, or from where, you'd be wrong!  Sorry -- I try to keep track but I sometimes print the sketches to work on later when I have time to really sit and stamp something I want to sign.  This card was designed for my April Technique Junkies and they all loved the technique -- Cracked Glass.  If you haven't tried it, you need to.  Really, it gets raves when people see your card.  They see it, have to touch it, and then make a comment asking if YOU did THAT?  And you can then reply, "Ummmhmmmm, THAT."

This card started with a base of Bashful Blue.  I used the stripe from the Sale-A-Bration Delicate Dots.  Next, I stamped the image from Blooming with Love, #114936, in the current catalog in Brown Staz-On Ink.  I used aqua painters and the Watercolor Wonder Crayons to color my image.  Then I embossed using Versamark and Glassy Glaze embossing powder.  Once I cracked the glass, I matted the image on So Saffron and adhered it to the card.  I used another piece of the Delicate Dots DSP and wrapped the gorgeous So Saffron 5/8" ribbon around the blue piece and adhered it to the card.  I stamped "For You" and then adhered this to the Certainly Celery scallop, popping it on the card with dimensionals.  Finally, to balance the other side, I punched three 1/4" circles from Sahara Sand and adhered them to the left of the stamped image.  I'll be honest -- I hated the sketch but decided to see what I could do with it anyway and I love the outcome!  I already know who will be the recipient of this card and can't wait for the reaction!

I'll share another card from my April Junkies group tomorrow and hope to get a couple of challenges under my belt by Thursday!  Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous, God-filled day!