Showing posts with label Birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birthday. Show all posts

Sunday, February 23, 2025

Storybook Badger Birthday - Stampin' Up! Storybook Moments DSP

   This is one of those cards that started out completely different and ended up not using much of any of the original elements!  I think maybe the card base and sentiment lol!  Sometimes it works out like that.  I took advantage of the great die cuts that come in the Storybook Moments DSP to create this little scene.


  This is a sweet little card in some soft nature-y colors.  I start with a Boho Blue card base for this one.  And just a quick note; the 2023-2025 In Colors of which Boho Blue is a part of will be retiring at the end of April so if this is a color you want but don't have or is a color that you love and use all the time you'll want to order/restock soon before the mad rush starts!

  I added an embossed strip of Mossy Meadow to the center.  The Eyelet embossing folder makes a nice sweet pattern for this style card. 

  Next I used one of the cute pre-designed panels that are part of this pack of DSP.  One side has a regular full page vine pattern but the opposite side has 11 individual panels that can be cut apart and used as layers on your card or scrapbook page.  I chose this one with the blues and greens and rounded the two top corners to soften it just a bit with all the other straight edges that were coming together already.

  I added my 3 die cut images to make a little scene and I popped the little butterfly on a mini dimensional.  I used the sentiment strip to make a base for the badger and plant to be adhered over so they wouldn't look like they were just floating.

  For embellishments I added a retired scalloped lace trim bow and now that I'm thinking this might be a good guy birthday card I may change it out to something a little more masculine like twine or linen thread.  And some Crushed Curry Faux Glass dots are added to highlight the sentiment strip.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Simply Said

Ink: Mossy Meadow

Paper: Boho Blue, Mossy Meadow, Storybook Moments DSP, Very Vanilla

Accessories: Eyelet embossing folder, dimensionals, Faux Glass Dots, Scalloped Lace Trim (retired)

Saturday, February 22, 2025

Simple Stripes Birthday - Stampin' Up! Delightful Wishes

   Are you sick of seeing Frames & Flowers DSP or are you inspired by the many different designs you can make with some patterned paper?  Hopefully the later!  This design uses up some long skinny scraps for this seemingly never ending pack of paper!


  I've stuck with a similar color palette to the previous Frames & Flowers DSP that I've made using Lost Lagoon as a card base that complements the DSP strips that I wanted to use.  I had this embossed panel in my orphaned card parts bin and thought it would be a good background but it ended up mostly getting covered up but you can still see a little bit of the pattern along the edges.

  Next I added my DSP and then the sentiment stamped on a Around It All wonky circle in Pretty Peacock ink.  If you haven't check out the Simply Said stamp set in the Annual catalog take a look and see if this versatile sentiment set would be a good fit for your collection.

  I jazzed the circle up with a few flowers from the Delightful Wishes stamp set.  I used Petal Pink for the base and Calypso Coral for the detail.  A few stamped off Garden Green leaves are added to soften the flowers.

  I came up with some retired Pretty Peacock faceted gems to accent the circle as a final touch.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Delightful Wishes, Simply Said

Ink: Pretty Peacock, Petal Pink, Calypso Coral, Garden Green

Paper: Lost Lagoon, Basic White, Frames & Flowers DSP

Accessories: Dotted Circles embossing folder, Around It All dies (Online Exclusive), Delightful Wishes dies, dimensionals, faceted gems (retired)

Friday, February 21, 2025

For the Books Congrats - Stampin' Up! For the Books

   Sometimes it works out that a color challenge and a sketch challenge are a perfect match for each other.  That's what happened with the Freshly Made Sketches challenge and the Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge.  I had fun putting this card together with such fun elements. The For the Books stamp set is perfect to show off these colors as bright book bindings!


  I started with a Lemon Lime Twist card base.  Using the largest of the Around It All wonky circle dies I cut a half circle from a piece of Summer Splash. I stamped a few small hearts in Summer Splash ink and then embossed the sentiment in white.

  Both stacks of books are stamped in Basic Gray and then colored in with the challenge colors using Blends markers. It's fun to mix and match and try to get a balanced look with a limited color palette. The books are fussy cut and then adhered to the card front with the one in the foreground popped on dimensionals.

  On the inside I stamped and colored another stack of books and added a "let's Celebrate" sentiment.  This would be a great card to congratulate someone who has graduated or finished an advanced degree/training program.

 And I again hit up my retired embellishment stash and came up with these retired white sequins for the finishing touch.  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: For the Books

Ink: Versamark, Summer Splash, Basic Gray

Blends: Calypso Coral light & dark, Lemon Lime Twist light & dark, Summer Splash light & dark

Paper: Lemon Lime Twist, Summer Splash, Basic White

Accessories: Around It All dies (Online Exclusive), white embossing powder, dimensionals, white sequins (retired)




Thursday, February 20, 2025

Seagull Trio Birthday - Stampin' Up! Friendly Seagull

   I'm taking a break from showing yet another project using the Frames & Flowers DSP to join in on the Masculine Clean and Simple challenge that is over at the Paper Players this week!  I'm always in need of masculine birthday cards so it was a good prompt!  And also there are only 8 days left in Sale-a-Bration (SAB) and I haven't used the adorable Friendly Seagulls stamp set nearly enough!  If you love this set  now is the time to place your order of $60 or more and earn it as a free Sale-a-Bration reward!


  Like you can't get much more clean and simple than this!  I let these sassy birds speak for themselves and kept it all very minimalist! It is supposed to be CAS afterall!

  I started with a Basic White thick card base.  I stamped the seagulls across a panel of Basic White in Memento black and then colored them with Stampin' Blends markers.

  Since the birds are pretty neutral I wanted to add a pop of color and also something that would look good with the Daffodil Delight feet and beaks.  Blueberry Bushel was the winner so I tore 2 strips to back the bird panel which gave a nice texture but didn't make it overly fussy.

  For the sentiment I used the small scale 'happy birthday' from the Spring Corners stamp set and stamped it in black.  

As with my kick to try to use up DSP I organized my retired embellishments the other day so I looked there first to find a small gem or something that would go with this design and I had a few of these pretty yellow hearts left from the Adhesive-Backed Hearts & Flowers enamel embellishments.  Just right for this card.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased or earned for free in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Friendly Seagulls (SAB), Spring Corners (Online Exclusive)

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Daffodil Delight light & dark, Wild Wheat light, Smoky Slate light & dark, Basic Black light, Gray Granite light

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Blueberry Bushel

Accessories: Adhesive-Backed Hearts & Flowers (retired)



Sunday, February 16, 2025

Beautifully Simple Occasions - Stampin' Up! With You In Mind

 I was having a bit of stampers block the other afternoon so I decided to look through the January-April 2025 mini catalog for some inspiration and I landed on the Beautiful Bokeh suite layout.  I was drawn to the simple but sweet card on page 38 that just has the simple DSP background and a small square with the small butterfly die cut and sentiment.  I needed something easy to CASE (copy and share everything) and this was the one.  I only have the Beautiful Bokeh DSP so I decided to use some other stamp sets to put together a set of simple cards for 4 main occasions.


  I pulled out 4 pieces of the Beautiful Bokeh DSP to inspire my colors.  I chose the Fresh Freesia, Calypso Coral, Balmy Blue and Berry Burst patterns.


  I cut matching card bases and square mats slightly larger than the Stylish Shapes square die cuts I was going to stamp on.


  I stamped the sentiments from the Simply Said stamp set in each of my main colors and then added the image from the With You In Mind stamp set.  I popped up the finished squares over a piece of Iridescent Striped Trim.


  The final touch was adding one Iridescent Faceted Gem to each image panel.  I think this design could be perfect for a new stampers class or a stamp a stack event.  Just the right amount of detail but not a ton of supplies.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current supplies used to make these cards can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Simply Said, With You In Mind

Ink: Fresh Freesia, Calypso Coral, Balmy Blue, Berry Burst

Paper: Beautiful Bokeh DSP, Fresh Freesia, Calypso Coral, Balmy Blue, Berry Burst, Basic White

Accessories: Iridescent Striped Trim, dimensionals, Iridescent Faceted Gem, Stylish Shapes dies (retired)

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Spring Birthday Balloons - Stampin' Up! Spring Corners

   Just a quick share today!  I designed this birthday card with fresh spring colors as my thank you card to customer who placed orders last month.  I love these little balloons and wanted to make them the focal point of the card but since they are on the smaller side I beefed up the grouping with a few more layers.


  I started with a Basic White card base, then a layer of Summer Splash then another layer of Basic White which was embossed with the Sale-a-Bration (SAB) reward Starstruck embossing folder.  I wrapped a length of Iridescent Striped trim around it for some subtle shimmer.

  Next I used the starburst die from the Spring Corners set to cut a Basic White sunburst.  The balloons are stamped in Memento black then colored in with Stampin' Blends.  The balloons are die cut and popped on dimensionals over the sunburst.

  The sentiment is stamped in Memento black on a narrow strip of Summer Splash and is adhered over the balloon strings.  

  Finally a few Sale-a-Bration reward Purple Adhesive-Backed Sequins are scattered around the balloons.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the supplies used to make this card can be purchased or earned for free in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Spring Corners (Online Exclusive)

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Fresh Freesia light & dark, Summer Splash light & dark, Granny Apple Green light & dark

Accessories: Spring Corners dies (Online Exclusive), Starstruck embossing folder (SAB), Iridescent Striped Trim, Purple Adhesive-Backed Sequins (SAB), dimensionals

Friday, February 14, 2025

Fresh Garden Birthday - Stampin' Up! Storybook Garden Patch

 While we might have had snow and freezing rain the last few days my flower bulbs are decidedly trying to tell me that it's almost spring.  I have daffodils and tulips poking up through the mulch and the maple trees have tiny buds already!  So taking my cue from (some parts of) nature I made a gardening themed birthday card using the most recent challenge colors that I gave my customers for inspiration.  I used the current Freshly Made Sketches challenge for the layout.


 I haven't used the Storybook Moments Suite products much at all so far and I really think it's mostly due to the cold wet winter we've been having so far this year.  I just haven't been inspired to make spring garden or adorable woodland animal cards.  And also to be honest, I think the coloring aspect of the line art images has been a bit of a mental block for me.  I'm not a natural color-er so it takes some self-motivation and the right mindset to keep at it until I get a result that I like!  

  I started with a Basic Beige card base and then cut a Very Vanilla Spotlight on Nature circle.  I strung a bit of linen thread through the holes in the circle and tied a bow before adhering it with dimensionals.  

 The 3 images from the Storybook Garden Patch stamp set are stamped in Stazon onto watercolor paper.  I used a water painter brush and just stamped a clear block into each color ink pad and picked up the color from there.  Like I said I played around for a bit trying to get the shading to my liking before die cutting.

  The images are popped on dimensionals on the edge of the circle to follow the sketch.  The sentiment from Saying Hey stamp set is stamped in black to the side.  And finally a few retired Adhesive-Backed Speckled Dots are added to the circle to echo the terracotta color of the pots.

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE

Stamps: Storybook Garden Patch, Saying Hey

Ink: Stazon black, Cajun Craze, Garden Green, Blueberry Bushel

Paper: Basic Beige, Very Vanilla, watercolor paper

Accessories: Spotlight on Nature dies, Storybook Garden Patch dies, dimensionals, linen thread, Adhesive-Backed Speckled Dots (retired)



Thursday, February 13, 2025

Birthday Hearts - Stampin' Up! Attention Shoppers

   I'm back today guest designing for Seize the Birthday challenge and they have a timely topping for us to incorporate into a birthday card.  Add a heart!  Check out what the Design Team has created then join in and share your card in the gallery!


  Hearts are especially perfect this week but they work for all year round if you're a card maker.  I shifted into birthday mode for this challenge and pulled out my Hearts of Elegance dies to get me started.  It's nice to be reminded that products that are Valentine's day themed can work for more than just one kind of card.


 My colors are from the Paper Players challenge and I think they are perfect for a bright birthday card!  The card base is Basic White thick, then a smaller layer of Basic White.  I had some off cuts of Floral Delight DSP in this pretty Daffodil Delight eyelet pattern that were the perfect size to make 3 panels for a background.

  I used the Hearts of Elegance dies to cut a Flirty Flamingo heart and a Summer Splash heart.  The Flirty Flamingo heart is embossed with the Eyelet embossing folder which echoes the pattern on the DSP.  Both hearts are popped on the card front with dimensionals.

  The sentiment and cake from the Attention Shoppers stamp set are stamped in Basic Gray.  I colored the cake with Stampin' Blends and after die cutting added it and the sentiment strip to the card front.  You can't tell from the photo but I colored the candle flames with clear Wink of Stella.

  For embellishments I added a baker's twine bow and a few Summer Splash In Color Shimmer Gems.

  Thanks again to the Seize the Birthday team for letting me join them.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Attention Shoppers

Ink: Basic Gray

Blends: Flirty Flamingo light & dark, Summer Splash light & dark, Daffodil Delight light & dark

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Floral Delight DSP, Flirty Flamingo, Summer Splash, 

Accessories: Hearts of Elegance dies, Eyelet embossing folder, dimensionals, Attention Shoppers dies, baker's twine, 2024-2026 In Color Shimmer Gems, Wink of Stella




Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Flamingo Flowers - Stampin' Up! Delightful Wishes

   Today is the worst kind of snow day and I feel for all those moms of little kids who are home from school today!  There's nothing worse than having a day off from school due to snow but you can't even go out and play in it!  The snow we got yesterday is wet and heavy and all slush and it has continued to rain on and off all day.  You'd need 50 pairs of mittens to be able to play in this snow!  Instead of being outside I'm all cozied up in the stamp room and have some lovely colors on this floral birthday card today!


  I used the just closed Just Add Ink challenge to get started on this card.  They had a nice summer looking inspiration photo and I pulled out the colors to use.  I decided on Flirty Flamingo, Granny Apple Green, Coastal Cabana and Crumb Cake.

  While my card yesterday was a clean and simple one this is the complete opposite with a lot of distressing and fussy layers and bling.

  The card front is a panel of Crumb Cake that is first stamped with the the round script stamp in the Elements of Text stamp set.  I used Crumb Cake ink and then heavily distressed the whole panel.  I crumpled it up and smoothed it out, then crumpled it again along different folds.  I used a sponge and some Crumb Cake ink to bring out some of the creases as well as sponged it along the edges.  Finally a few small tears finish up the distressing.

  Next I stamped 2 of the flower sprigs from the Delightful Wishes stamp set and then fussy cut them.  There is a die that cuts out just the flower portion but I wanted to have the leaves and stems included so I kept them together with fussy cutting.  I popped the flowers on dimensionals around the edge of the scripty circle.

  I cut a few leaves from Granny Apple Green and tucked them in behind the flowers.

  The sentiment is stamped in Coastal Cabana and then die cut.  The 2 sentiment pieces are also popped on dimensionals.

  Finally I blinged the card out with a bunch of Summer Splash In Color Shimmer gems.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Delightful Wishes, Elements of Text (Online Exclusive)

Ink: Flirty Flamingo, Granny Apple Green, Coastal Cabana, Crumb Cake 

Paper: Crumb Cake, Basic White, Granny Apple Green

Accessories: Delight Wishes dies, dimensionals, 2024-2026 In Color Shimmer Gems


Monday, February 10, 2025

Brighten Your Skies - Stampin' Up! Sharing Loving Crafting

 Coming in late with my card today as I stayed up well past my bedtime celebrating last night and things were slow to get moving this morning!!  Go Birds!  We are Philly fans in this house and it was glorious watching the game last night.  I only had a stomach ache in the first half lol!  We all know how quick things can turn in a football game so I wasn't breathing completely easy until it was 40-6!  Anyhoo...I know we can all stay stamping friends regardless of who we rooted for in the Super Bowl!  And I have a fun card to share today using the colors from Inspire Create challenge; any pink, any yellow, any blue.


 I started with a gorgeous piece of Everyday Skies DSP for my card front.  That made it easy to pull Azure Afternoon for my blue and Bubble Bath for my pink as those are colors in the DSP.  I made a frame using the retired Stylish Shapes dies but any square dies would work for the same effect.

  I embossed the sentiment from Sharing Loving Crafting stamp set in white on Azure Afternoon DSP and punched it out.  It's popped on a Lemon Lolly circle with dimensionals.

  Using the Sale-a-Bration (SAB) stamp set Documenting the Day I stamped and punched out the sun and heart and added them around the sentiment.

  A few retired adhesive sequins in a blue that's close enough to Azure Afternoon are added for a bit of sparkle.  I think they may be Tahitian Tide but the packaging is long gone so don't hold me to it!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current items used on this card can be purchased or earned for free in my ONLINE STORE.  

Stamps: Sharing Loving Crafting (Online Exclusive), Documenting the Day (SAB)

Ink: Versamark, Bubble Bath, Daffodil Delight

Paper: Everyday Skies DSP (Online Exclusive), Azure Afternoon, Lemon Lolly, Basic White

Accessories: circle punches (or dies), dimensionals, white embossing powder, sequins (retired), Stylish Shapes dies (retired)




Sunday, February 9, 2025

Crabby Birthday - Stampin' Up! Ocean Friends

   I had pulled these colors out the other day after seeing them on a challenge and then a few days went by where I was working on some other things and finally yesterday I got around to using them on a card.  Well, went I went back just now to make sure I give the right challenge the credit for the color inspiration and I realized that it's a clean and simple challenge and this card doesn't fit that at all!  Oh well! But the colors are from the CAS Colours & Sketches challenge; Poppy Parade, Melon Mambo & Summer Splash.  I'll have to try again and keep to a clean and simple card next time!


  Here is my crabby birthday card!  I started with a piece of the Friends of the Ocean DSP in a wavy Melon Mambo pattern (definitely not CAS!).  I cut out 2 Around It All dies circles out of Summer Splash then embossed them with the Soft Waves embossing folder.  

  The sentiment is stamped in Summer Splash onto a Deckled Rectangle die.  I tied a piece of White baker's twine around it before adhering it on dimensionals over the 2 embossed circles.

  The crabs from Ocean Friends are stamped in Poppy Parade and die cut and added to the card front.  Finally I added a few enamel dots in a color which I think is retired Magenta Madness but looks like Melon Mambo.  The embellishment bin is a bit of mess to say the least lol!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Ocean Friends, Simply Said

Ink: Summer Splash, Poppy Parade

Paper: Friends of the Ocean DSP, Basic White, Summer Splash

Accessories: Soft Waves embossing folder, Ocean Friends dies, Around It All dies, dimensionals, bakers twine, Magenta Madness enamel dots (retired)

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Spotted Background Birthday - Stampin' Up! With You In Mind

   While I haven't shared much the last few days I have been busy stamping!  I've been getting ready for my monthly class as well as working on a set of 100 cards for my church to use for an upcoming women's retreat.  You'll be seeing all the designs over the coming days so stay tuned!  But for today I've got a card I designed using the Color Hues challenge; Navy and Lime!  Such a cool combo!


  I guess this card would fit into the Testosterone Tuesday guy card category!  I kept it very simple and gave my new Around It All dies a good workout.

  The card base is Lemon Lime Twist, then I cut out the background circle in Night of Navy using 3 sizes of the circle-ish shapes from this big 12 die set.  Look for these die in the Online Exclusives section of my online store!

 Once I had the background arranged I used one of the larger dies to cut out the stamped sentiment from the With You In Mind stamp set.  I added a Lemon Lime Twist leaf and then popped it on dimensionals.

  A Natural Tones linen thread in Night of Navy bow was added to the leaf stem and 2 retired Enamel Dot Essentials are the finishing touch.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: With You In Mind

Ink: Night of Navy, Lemon Lime Twist

Paper: Night of Navy, Lemon Lime Twist, Basic White

Accessories: Around It All dies (Online Exclusive), dimensionals, Natural Tones linen thread, enamel dot essentials (retired)



Thursday, January 23, 2025

Oh Crab! - Stampin' Up! Ocean Friends

     The fabulous team at Seize the Birthday challenge is back with some more birthday card inspiration for you and they are letting me continue to join in the fun for January and February as a guest designer!  This time we are to use Kraft and Red as the colors for our card!

  I have to admit that these colors had me stumped for a bit as all I could think about was Valentine's Day but after I got that out of my system and got to thinking all things birthday and looking at my new Ocean Friends bundle there was only one way to go!


  This one was so fun to put together and I kept chuckling to myself (I'm easily amused!) the whole time.

  I started with a Crumb Cake (kraft) card base, then I used 2 more panels of Crumb Cake and tore the top edge off. Using a sponge I added Crumb Cake ink to darken the torn edge to make it look like a sandy beach.  I added some little pebbles in Crumb Cake to break up the sandy expanse.

  Next I used Basic White cardstock, the Alphabet a la Mode dies and foam adhesive sheets to make my "Oh Crab!"  and adhered them to the top of the card.

  Using some creative marker work I inked up the stamps to make 'it's your' and then used an ink pad to ink up only part of a 'happy birthday' sentiment. More dimensionals are used for the sentiment pieces.

  Finally comes the red part of my card, the crab!  He's a 2 step stamp with the outline in full strength Real Red and the fill stamp in stamped off once Real Red.  He's die cut and then added to the card front with more dimensionals.

  Finally I added the red enamel stars from my retired embellishment stash as everything else red that I had was way too Christmas-y for a birthday card!

  This was such a fun challenge and really made me get creative to bring my idea to life!  I can't wait to see your project in the Seize the Birthday gallery!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased or earned for free in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Ocean Friends, With You In Mind, Friendly Seagulls (SAB), Amazing Phrasing (retired)

Ink: Real Red, Crumb Cake, Memento Black, Basic Black Stampin' Write marker

Paper: Crumb Cake, Basic White

Accessories: Ocean Friends dies, Alphabet a la Mode dies, dimensionals, foam adhesive sheets, enamel stars (retired)



Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Wildflower Wish - Stampin' Up! Birthday Celebration

   January is always a great time to check your supply of birthday cards and make sure you have enough for your needs the first few months of the new year.  The Birthday Celebrations bundle and coordinating DSP are an easy way to make a stack of birthday cards so you're ready to pop them in the mail on time for all of your family and friends!


  
For a fast card, the die cuts that come as part of the Wildflower Birthday DSP can't be beat!  I used them
on this card and it took just a few minutes to pull together.

  I showed this card coming together in my Facebook Live last week (along with a few other projects).  You can watch the replay here if you like to see the visuals:


 I started with a Pool Party base and then added a strip of the Wildflower Birthday Celebrations in a gold and Pool Party pattern down one edge.

  Then I chose the bouquet of flowers from the die cuts.  The sentiment is stamped in Blueberry Bushel and punched out with the new To The Point Label punch and added that to the card front with dimensionals.

  I added a few smaller die cuts to the side of the label making sure to use one of the gold leaf die cuts to help tie in the gold from the DSP strip on the card front.

  A bit of Pretty in Pink stitched ribbon and an adhesive-backed heart sequin also help pull all the elements of the card together.

  If you're looking to be even more organized about sending birthday cards in 2025 then you need to check out the Perpetual Beauty Calendar Kit in the online store!  Such a handy and beautiful way to keep track of special dates each month and you only need to write them in once!  No need to transfer all the dates to a planner or paper calendar each year!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Birthday Celebration

Ink: Blueberry Bushel

Paper: Pool Party, Wildflower Birthday DSP, Basic White

Accessories: To The Point Label punch, dimensionals, Pretty in Pink Bordered ribbon, adhesive-backed heart sequin (Online Exclusive)

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Around the Flowers - Stampin' Up! Around It All Dies

   Sometimes an idea actually turns out close to the way I hoped it would!  I was looking at the Around It All dies and thinking they would be cute as layered flowers and tucked the idea away to try it out one of these days.  Then I saw that I was due to post a new stamping challenge for my customers and the colors were Coastal Cabana, Petunia Pop and Shy Shamrock. Then I saw the Freshly Made Sketches challenge!  It was stamping fate so this is a card that I had to make.... 'had' is doing a lot of work in that sentence but still lol!


    I started with a Basic White thick card base, then topped it with a layer of Basic White that is embossed with the Sale-A-Bration (SAB) reward Starstruck embossing folder.

  Then using the 4 smallest circles from the Around It All die set I cut a variety of circles using both card stock and DSP in Petunia Pop and Coastal Cabana.  This die set is an Online Exclusive and a nice addition to your stamping supplies as a super versatile circle-ish shape.  Eagle eyed stampers might spot that 2 of the 3 DSPs used are also Sale-A-Bration rewards! The top 2 layers of each flower are adhered with dimensionals.

Next I used the smallest circle to cut out the leaves from Shy Shamrock cardstock.  Each flower got 2 leaves.  

  Then using the layout from the challenge I arranged my flowers on the card front and adhered them with glue.  I thought about another layer of dimensionals but I think that would have made the card a bit thick for mailing.

  For the sentiment I wanted one that was very small so as not to cover up the whole flower so after searching through my sets I found this one from the Hearts & Hugs stamp set and stamped it in Shy Shamrock ink and added it to the flower.

  For a bit of sparkle I added some 2024-2026 In Color Shimmer gems to the flower centers.  I think this color combo it really cute and perfect for spring flowers and the FMS challenge came by at just the right time!

Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

  All of the supplies used to make this card can be purchased or earned for free in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Hearts & Hugs

Ink: Shy Shamrock

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Shy Shamrock, Petunia Pop, Coastal Cabana, Fruit Salad DSP (SAB), Bloom Impressions DSP (SAB), 2024-2026 In Color DSP

Accessories: Starstruck embossing folder (SAB), Around It All dies (Online Exclusive), dimensionals, 2024-2026 In Color Shimmer gems







Tuesday, January 14, 2025

CAS Wood Texture Birthday - Stampin' Up! Kiss of Texture

   It just so happens that the timing works out so that I'm sharing a masculine card for Testosterone Tuesday!  We all agree that guy cards can be hard especially if you don't have a stamp set that is geared towards one of their hobbies like golf or video games or woodworking!  I used the somewhat masculine colors from the CAS Colours & Sketches challenge for this masculine birthday card that has some stamped texture along with a few cute birthday candles!


  Excuse the lighting in this photo!  I swear if I miss the small sweet 15 minute window in the afternoon to take card photos in my stamp room they just kind of look off!  But this one is clean and simple and you get the gist!

  I used these colors for another card that ended up being very much not 'Clean and Simple' so I wanted to try again and keep it CAS this time.

  I started with a Basic White thick card base, then using the new Online Exclusive Kiss of Texture stamp set I inked up the solid square stamp in each of my colors then "kissed" the woodgrain stamp to the inked stamp to pull away some of the ink leaving the woodgrain pattern behind which I stamped onto Basic White.  Be sure to clean your stamps after each color! After I had each color stamped I cut the squares out and adhered them down the side of the card front leaving room for the sentiment.

  The sentiment is from the Simply Said stamp set and is stamped in Early Espresso.  I stamped 3 candles from the Choose Happy stamp set in Early Espresso then colored them in with Stampin' Blends markers then fussy cut them out.  I popped them up with dimensionals onto the squares.

  A few adhesive-backed Speckle Dots are added to highlight the sentiment just a little bit.  

  I'm happy with how this one turned out and the Kiss of Texture stamp set shouldn't be overlooked for the fun and easy technique you can do with it for adding texture with a stamped image!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Kiss of Texture (Online Exclusive), Simply Said, Choose Happy

Ink: Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive

Blends: Pumpkin Pie light & dark, Old Olive light & dark, Deep combo pack (SU100), color lifter

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White

Accessories: dimensionals, Adhesive-backed Speckled Dots (retired)




Monday, January 13, 2025

Delightful Birthday - Stampin' Up! Delightful Wishes

  I used the new Delightful Wishes bundle to make a very spring inspired birthday card using the Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge colors.  This bundle is shown in the January-April 2025 Mini Catalog with lots and lots of yellow which I love but I thought it would be fun to try the images with something different.


  I used Basic White thick for the card base and then layered a piece of Petunia Pop and then a layer of Highland Heather embossed with the Forever Plaid embossing folder.

  I stamped 3 of the flowers first in Petunia Pop and then the second layer in Highland Heather.  Coordinating leaves are stamped in Lemon Lime Twist.  Once they were die cut I arranged them around the sentiment.

  The sentiment is the 2 part die cut for the 'wishing' popped up on dimensionals over the 'you a happy birthday' stamped in Petunia Pop on a narrow strip of Basic White also popped on dimensionals.

  Each flower center is accented with an Iridescent Faceted Gem.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Delightful Wishes

Ink: Petunia Pop, Highland Heather, Lemon Lime Twist

Paper: Basic White thick, basic White, Petunia Pop, Highland Heather

Accessories: Forever Plaid embossing folder, Delightful Wishes dies, dimensionals, Iridescent Faceted Gem



Saturday, January 11, 2025

Mambo Lobster - Stampin' Up! Ocean Friends

   Central Virginia got some more snow last night and until noon today a good portion of the Richmond Metro area was under a boil water advisory so needless to say a lot has been going on in my area!  I was supposed to have my new Mini Catalog & Sale-a-Bration open house this afternoon but after watching the weather and there being some wide variations on the snow totals and whatnot I decided to play it safe and cancel the event.  I did a Facebook Live event instead and at least got to show off some of the new products and put together a few projects.  I hope my customers enjoyed seeing it all from the warm comfort of their own homes!  I'l be sharing those projects in the next few days but today I've got another card I made using the Ocean Friends bundle.


  I used the Global Design Project layout.  Ever since this challenge went to Instagram only and stopped posting the challenge to their blog I seem to miss it more weeks than not but I saw the new graphic and saved it so I could try to get to it.

  I wanted to stick to fun, bright colors for this card so I chose to use Summer Splash, Melon Mambo and Lemon Lime Twist for the main elements.
  
  The card base is Summer Splash, then a layer of Basic White and another piece of Summer Splash agian that is embossed with the new Soft Waves embossing folder.

  I added a die cut coral piece in Lemon Lime Twist then the Melon Mambo lobster on the other side to follow the given sketch. 

  The sentiment is from the Simply Said stamp set and is stamped in Pretty Peacock onto Pool Party cardstock.  I trimmed the sentiments in to two parts again to follow the sketch.

  Finally I added a few Sunny Day Iridescent Dots in Melon Mambo for a bit of shine and sparkle.  

  I'm so glad I finally got to play along with the GDP challenge this week.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Ocean Friends, Simply Said

Ink: Melon Mambo, Pretty Peacock

Paper: Summer Splash, Basic White, Lemon Lime Twist, Pool Party

Accessories: Soft Waves embossing folder, Ocean Friends dies, dimensionals, Sunny Day Iridescent Dots



Friday, January 10, 2025

Tune In Birthday - Stampin' Up! Tune In

   I always need to stock my masculine birthday cards and it never seems to be a priority until I have to send one out and I don't have one!  I'm making 2025 the year when I'm not caught short on masculine cards so I used the Freshly Made Sketches challenge this week to to put together a quick birthday card using a set from the annual catalog and adding some nice new Timeless Plaid DSP.


  Some plaid patterns can be fussy but I chose this tone on tone blue pattern because it isn't fussy and I think fits the 'fresh' guidelines of the challenge. The Timeless Plaid DSP has more understated colors and I think a lot of them would be perfect for guy cards.  

  I started with a Basic White thick base then added a strip of Misty Moonlight down the center.  Next is the DSP with a very narrow strip of Peach Pie cardstock down one edge.  At first I was going to add Night of Navy but thought a brighter color would play better off the other blues.

  Next I stamped the tv from the Tune In bundle using both Pecan Pie ink and cardstock and then die cut it.  I colored in the tv feet and the band around the screen with a Pecan Pie Blends marker.

  The sentiment is stamped in Misty Moonlight and I added the pixel stamp twice in stamped off Peach Pie for a very subtle look.  That panel was die cut to fit the screen then the tv is popped on dimensionals.

  The antennae is stamped in Pecan Pie then colored in with Boho Blue Blends.  After it was die cut it  was popped on the top of the tv.

  Finally I added some retired enamel dots in Misty Moonlight on the tv knobs for some embellishment.

  I'm thinking this might be a good card to re-make in several color variations to pad my supply!  February is a birthday heavy month in our family and they wouldn't go to waste lol!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Tune In

Ink: Pecan Pie, Misty Moonlight, Peach Pie

Blends: Pecan Pie dark, Boho Blue light & dark

Paper: Basic White thick, Misty Moonlight, Pecan Pie, Basic White, Peach Pie, Timeless Plaid DSP

Accessories: Tune In dies, dimensionals, Misty Moonlight enamel dots (retired)



Thursday, January 9, 2025

Birthday Garden - Stampin' Up! Storybook Garden Patch

   Some fun news here to start the New Year off!  I am thrilled to be joining the Seize the Birthday design team as a Party Guest for the next 2 months!  I love playing along with this talented group of card makers and I hope I can add some inspiration to the mix!  I hope you'll play along and share your card in the gallery so we can oooohhh and aaaahhh over it.  And it's always a good idea to get a head start on those birthday cards you'll need this year.


  The first challenge I'm doing is to Use Something New.  Well that certainly isn't hard with my recent very large demonstrator preorder but the problem was choosing which new items to focus on!  I decided to play it straight and use a set of products that hadn't seen any ink yet; Storybook Moments Suite!  



  I started with a piece of Storybook Moments DSP in a pretty swirly vine pattern for the background.  Then I used one of the layout ideas from the Sept.-Dec. mini catalog for my focal piece.  Using the retired Tailor Made Tags dies I cut a large tag out of Basic Beige cardstock, then layered a Mossy Meadow frame over the top.  The frame dies in the Storybook Friends die set are lovely and give such an elegant way to highlight an image or add a fun shape.  This one in particular is perfect with this DSP as the little swirls are very similar.

  Then I cut 3 circles with the Stylish Shapes dies out of watercolor paper.  The produce images are stamped in Crumb Cake also on watercolor paper and then colored in with a Blender pen and inks.  After they were die cut I popped them on dimensionals on the circles.

  The sentiment is from another new stamp set Delightful Wishes and I just stamped it in Lost Lagoon ink and trimmed it down so it wouldn't cover up too much of the carrot.

  Finally for the embellishments I added a linen thread bow at the top and a few Earth Tones Shimmer Gems in Very Vanilla on the swirls of the frame.  I think this card will be a perfect card for a gardener!

  I hope to see your card in the Seize the Birthday challenge gallery!

 Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Storybook Garden Patch, Delightful Wishes

Ink: Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Mossy Meadow, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Blackberry Bliss, Lost Lagoon

Paper: Storybook Moments DSP, Basic Beige, watercolor paper, Mossy Meadow, Lost Lagoon

Accessories: Storybook Friends dies, Storybook Garden Patch dies, Tailor Made Tags dies (retired), dimensionals, linen thread, Earth Tones Shimmer Gems