Springtime Feeling

Hi everyone.  We have made it to another Friday.  I have to say this has been a tough week for me.  Not only was I still dealing with my cold but this past Monday marked the 6 year anniversary of my mom's passing.  I miss her every day.  I know everyone tells you it gets easier with time but I have not really found that.  I think you reach a point of being able to go on and move forward.  The loneliness of not having her here to talk to anymore never ceases.  I wish other people could be a little more understanding about this.  It is hard to feel so alone at such a sad time.  Oh well, there will be a next week and it will hopefully get better. 

The card I made to share with you today is one which reminds me a lot of my mom.  I used one of her favorite colors as the color scheme.  Let's just get started shall we.

 

I started this card with a base of Rose Red cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  I then added a layer of Pink Pirouette measuring 4" x 5 1/4".  I took this piece and ran it through my big shot using the Framed Tulips impression folder.  I attached it to the card with runner adhesive.  The final layer is a piece of Whisper White cut at 3" x 4 1/4".

 

I ran the layer through my big shot using the Elegant Lines impression folder.  I added some light pink rhinestones to the litter circles of the design.  I just wanted a little color but not too much.

 

For my greeting, I punched out a 1 1/4" circle from Rose Red.  Next I used one of my new stamp sets called A Fitting Occasion.  I stamped the circle of words and the little butterfly in the center using Rose Red ink onto Whisper White.  I punched it out using the 1" circle punch and adhered it to the rose punch with runner adhesive.  I attached it to the card using a dimensional. 

 

The final piece to complete this card front is the butterfly.  I punched it out of the embossed piece of Whisper White using the elegant butterfly punch.  I then added a piece of retired designer paper to the back of it allowing a little design to be seen through the front.  Next I punched a small butterfly out of Rose Red card stock and ran it through the big shot using the perfect polka dots impression folder.  I attached it to the center of the elegant butterfly using a glue dot.  For the finishing touch, I added pearls to the center of the small butterfly and bent its wings up so it looks like it is flying.  Once this was complete, the entire piece was attached to the card using dimensionals.

Well we are at the end of the week.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  Be sure to do something fun and relax.  Life is too short to rush through.  I will be back on Monday with another share for you.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Heart Shape Decorated Card

Hi everyone.  We are off the another start of a new week.  I have to say I hope this one does not bring illness like last week.  Our daughter Heather is on the road to recovery and is getting stronger every day.  I am so happy that she is feeling better. 

My husband on the other hand is still ill.  I finally got him to go to the doctor on Saturday.  Luckily for us, our doctor's have and immediate care clinic that is open on Saturday and Sunday for a few hours.  As I had suspected, he has bronchitis.  Now any of you who deal with men when they are ill know that they are stubborn about going to the doctor but are also so needy you cannot get anything else done. 

I did not get to spend the time working in my craft room and on the card I have for you today as much as I would have liked.  However, I did manage to finish a card a found this bit of time when my hubby is sleeping to type this message.  So before he wakes up, let me get started on the card.

 

The base card for this is the heart shaped Island Indigo card I showed you how to make this past Friday.  I did not measure the actual width of the card but I can tell you that you will need a square envelope to put it into to give to someone.   These are available to order through the Stampin' Up! catalog. 

 

The first thing I did was add the dots to the front of the card.  This technique is called paper piercing.  The template to do this with is in the paper piercing pack called Occasions in the spring catalog.  It lines up right on top of the shape and you can use it as your guide to make your piercings.  It adds a touch of elegance to the edges.  This is only done on the front flap of the card so you will need to open it up to make sure you are not going through the back piece also.

 

To create the center piece of the card, I turned once again to the hearts framelits set.  I chose one that would fit on the scallop heart and cut it out of Whisper White.  I took a cotton ball and put a little blue chalk onto it.  Then I rubbed this onto the white just to soften the background piece.  Next I used a flourish stamp from the Wedding Sweet stamp set which is retired.  I stamped this image onto the white heart using the Island Indigo ink.  The heart was then attached to the card using runner adhesive.  I then used the butterfly punches, elegant butterfly and small butterfly, and punched them out of Whisper White card stock.  I put these through my big shot using the elegant bouquet impression folder.  I wanted to add some color to these so I started by coloring the impressed images with my Rich Razzleberry and Baja Breeze Stampin' Up! markers.  I added light blue rhinestones to the center of the butterflies to make the body.  They are attached to the card using glue dots.  For a final touch, I added rhinestones onto the flourish as well as the bottom edge of the heart to make it a little more decorative.  

My hope against hope is to get back into my craft room.  I wish it had a door on it so I could just hide away and craft for a while.  Unfortunately it is located in the main area of our home making it impossible to have a door.  As long as I can find some time, I will be back with another share for you tomorrow.  I am so glad you stopped by for a while today.  Have a marvelous Monday and I will see you all tomorrow! (I hope!)

Jumping Holidays

Happy Monday to you all.  Last week, I tried to share lots of Valentine cards as that holiday will be here before we know it.  However, when I sat down to craft this weekend, I found myself skipping a few months down the road to Easter.  I know.  I have totally missed St. Patrick's Day but I promise I will make something for it too.  Anyway, I just could not help myself and want to share with you the card I made.

 

I started with a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of Daffodil Delight and scored it at 4 1/4".  I used a retired stamp set called Easter Blossom and stamped the flowers across the bottom of the Daffodil.  I did this with VersaMark ink and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I added a layer of Whisper White to this.  I cut it to be 4" x 5 1/2".  I will go over the details done to the white in just a few minutes.

 

The cross I chose to use is from a stamp set I bought at a stamp convention a few years ago.  I stamped it using Garden Green ink onto Whisper White card stock.  I then used my Lucky Limeade and Daffodil Delight markers to color in the stems and center of the lilies.  Using my scissors, I carefully cut out the cross to place on my card.  With my 2 way glue pen, I added glue to the petals of the lilies and added Dazzling Diamond glitter to them.  The cross is attached to the card using dimensionals.  

 

Prior to attaching the white to the daffodil, I ran it through my big shot using the adorning accents edgelits to cut the edge that you see here.  Next I used the essentials paper piercing pack to pierce the matching design right above the scallops.  Using the Garden Green ink, I stamped the greeting onto the card with another stamp from the retired Easter Blossoms stamp set.  I then sponged the edges with Daffodil Delight ink and attached it to the card with runner adhesive.

 

To complete the background of my card, I stamped the little butterfly which is from the set I bought at the convention.  I randomly stamped it around the cross with VersaMark ink and then heat embossed it using clear embossing powder.  

I wanted to keep the card fairly simple and make the cross the focal point.  I think I achieved that.  Overall, I am happy with the look of it.  Next time I might use an impression folder on the white also but we will have to see.

That's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by and be sure to come back tomorrow.  I look forward to seeing you then!!

A New Little Dog

Have you placed an order from the new catalog yet?  If not, what are you waiting for?!!  I placed mine last Friday when the catalog went live.  It shipped on Monday so I am hoping to see it arrive by the end of Wednesday or Thursday at the latest.  Then I will have all kinds of new items to play with and share with you.

My husband has an aunt who lives about 5 minutes away from us.  Now you would think we would see her a lot but unfortunately with all of our crazy lives, we do not see each other nearly enough.  When I do get to go over to visit her, I also get to spend time with her 4 adorable dogs.  They are all Shitzu's.  They are too cute for words and each has its own unique personality.  So the other day when I saw this card on a demonstrator site, I just had to make it.  I believe the original was created by Ashley Sokal.  Between the photo of the card and my aunt's dogs, I was too inspired not to do it.  Ready?  Here we go!!

Isn't she just too cute?!   I wanted to incorporate some of the new colors on this card so that you would get something from the new catalog to look at.  The base card is Raspberry Ripple cut at 4 1/4" x 11", scored at 5 1/2".  I added a layer of Basic Black cut at 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".  I adhered it to the base card using runner adhesive.    I bet without even telling you what I did for the top layer you already know.  You're right.  I took a piece of Whisper White cut at 4" x 5 1/4" and chalked my own background using my pastels.  I know I do this technique a lot but I just love the effect on the card and the calmness of working with the chalks.  I think I really learned to do this when my brother was very ill and I was caring for him.  I use to work on cards at his home and he would watch me.  It gave us both something to do and think about other than his illness.  Now back to the card.  Once the sky was complete, I took a few strips of Gumball Green, tore the tops of them and layered them onto the white for grass.  Once they were attached using runner adhesive, I added some Dazzling Diamond glitter to the edges for sparkle.  I happen to have a few butterflies left over from another card and added them using glue dots.  The entire piece was then attached to the base using runner adhesive.  Once the card was completed inside and out, I added some Stickles Glitter Glue to each butterfly for more sparkle.  By the way the butterflies were originally cut out using the embosslit Beautiful Wings and the big shot.  

For the greeting, I turned to my handy stamp set called Curly Cute.  It is one of my favorite sets.  I stamped the greeting directly onto the card using Raspberry Ripple ink.  Now let's get to the star of the card.

My aunt has 3 females and 1 male Shitzu.  This little girl doggy reminds me mostly of 2 of the females:  Roxy and Chanel.  They are both light in color with some browns mixed in.  Roxy is the oldest.  She is just so sweet.  The other dogs do run her over sometimes, but I always make sure she get her turn for lots of attention.  Chanel on the other hand is the smallest of the dogs.  She thinks she is a princess and you should always be at her beckon call.  She loves to be held and to have her tummy rubbed so I have to be sure to give her lots of time for both.  

To make this dog, I started by choosing the colors of Whisper White, Soft Suede and Basic Black.  Her face was made using a 1 3/8" circle punch for the head.  I trimmed it down just a little to give it a slight oval shape.  The muzzle is the small oval.  The eyes are the large circles from the owl builder punch and the nose is the heart of the owl builder.  For her ears, I punched a full heart, cut it in half and reshaped the ends to round them.  I added a little Very Vanilla ink to the inner ears.  White gel was added to the eyes and nose and the mouth was drawn on with a fine tip black marker.  The body is a wide oval.  For the hind leg, I used another small oval and made the feet from the modern label punch.  The tail is a 1 3/8" circle punched around the hole from a 1 1/4" circle.  All pieces except the black were edged using Soft Suede ink.  I used the matching marker to draw the front leg onto the body.   I wanted her to have a bow so I punched 2 of the small hearts from the retired heart to heart punch out and used a 1/4" circle for the center of the bow.  All parts of the dog and bow were put together using a liquid glue.  Once complete, I attached the dog to the card using dimensionals.  The last thing I did after she was attached was add some crystal effects to the bow.  

The inside of the card is fairly simple.  I stamped the saying using Raspberry Ripple ink onto Whisper White.  The saying is from the stamp set Create A Cupcake.  I punched it out using the 2 3/8" scallop circle punch and brushed the edges with a sponge and Raspberry Ripple ink.  It is attached using runner adhesive.  

I have noticed that a lot of my cards have the same overall pattern to them.  I guess I like the look of it.  Have no fear though for I will have new items to play with soon and will hopefully come up with some new patterns too.  Also believe it or not it is almost holiday card making time!!  Yes for all of you who make Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas cards it is just about time to get started on them.  I know I will have some to share with you soon.

I am so glad you took time to drop in today.  I hope you return tomorrow to see if I come up with a new idea.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  Until tomorrow, happy stamping!!!

New Colors!!!!

Well today is the day.  Today you will get to see the new in-colors coming out in the 2012-2012 Stampin' Up! catalog.  In-Colors stay around for 2 years.  So in the new catty, you will still be able to order the 5 that were introduced last year for one more year.  The one I will show you today will be introduced this year and available until the 2014-2015 catalog comes out.  Anyway, I sat down today and made a card using the new in-colors so you could take a look at them.  Are you ready?  Here we go!

 

My base card for this one is not a new color.  It is Very Vanilla card stock measuring 5 1/2" x 8 1/2".  I scored it at 4 1/4".  The layer on top of it is one of the new in-colors.  It is called Midnight Muse.  It is a beautiful dark blue.  I love the richness of it.  I cut this piece to be 4" x 5 1/4".  I ran it through my big shot machine using an impression folder called D'Vine Swirl.  I spritzed it with a champagne glitter spray and attached it to the base card with runner adhesive.  Next I ran another piece of the vanilla through my big shot using the Doily large sizzlit die.  I attached it to my card with liquid glue.  

The butterflies are cut with the big shot using an embosslit which cuts and embosses the card stock.  This embosslit is called Beautiful Wings.  I used 2 more of the new in-colors to make these.  The colors are Primrose Petals and Summer Starfruit.  The leaves behind the flower are also from a sizzlit die called Little Leaves.  I chose the 4th new in-color called Gumdrop Green to make these.  The butterflies are attached with glue dots.  I added Dazzling Diamond glitter to them.

 

In this close up of the flower, you can see the Summer Starfruit and Gumdrop Green colors really well.  I punched 2 of the Blossom flowers out.  The first punched blossom is the bottom flower is from the 5th and final in-color being introduced this year, Raspberry Ripple.  To create the top flower, I took a piece of Very Vanilla and punched my second blossom.  I them took the Raspberry Ripple and Gumdrop Green ink and sponged it onto the flower.  I let it dry for a minute and then added VersaMark ink to the top of this by stamping with the pad itself all over the flower.  I then heat embossed it using clear embossing powder.  I layered the 2 together using glue dots and attached it to the center of the doily with glue dots.  Next I added a yellow glitter to the center with liquid glue to add some dazzle. 

 

The greeting comes from the stamp set Curly Cute.  I stamped it using Midnight Muse ink and sponged the edges with the same ink.  I rounded the corners of the greeting using the corner rounder punch prior to sponging.  It is attached using glue dots.

Well what do you think of the new colors?  I love them all.  I will try to use something else new for tomorrow's card.  I think I will stick to the new colors also.  

I do appreciate you stopping by today.  Please come back by tomorrow and see what I have for you next.  Happy crafting to you all!!

Just Not My Week

I think I must be having one of "those" weeks.  I am just having the hardest time getting things accomplished.  I am so glad I had a card to share with you on Monday.  As you know, yesterday, I shared with you the piles of pieces that I was working with to make baby shower cards.  Although I am still attaching pieces, the bulk of the work is complete. 

Again, I found myself running short on time for making anything else.  To top it all off, I am getting old.  I have bursitis in my elbows and have for years.  I have been lucky and not had a flare up in a long time.  I guess it decided it was time for a visit.  My right elbow has been in a lot of pain since Monday and is just not cooperating when it comes to my crafting.  It is painful to do anything including typing which is why this post will be short.  Of course it doesn't help that I am right handed and its my right elbow causing all the problems.  So I was truly depressed in thinking I would have nothing to share with you for today.  However, God smiled and led me to a picture of a card I made a while ago that I never shared.  It is just one photo but at least I can give you something to look at.  Hopefully you will like it.

 

If you are a Stampin' Up! customer you will realize that this dsp is from a sale-a-bration catalog that came out a few years ago.   The base card for this is Whisper White with the dsp layered on top using runner adhesive.  I cut a scrap piece of Basic Black into a square and placed it in the center of the dsp as a diamond.  I then took a scrap of Whisper White and cut it to be a quarter inch smaller square.  I ran it through the big shot using an impression folder and layered it on top of the black.  Both black and white squares were attached using the runner adhesive also.

Then I used a retired color of cardstock (can't remember the name - it's that getting old thing again) and my butterfly big shot die to cut out the 2 sizes of butterflies.  I did this again with a piece of vellum.  On the vellum butterflies, I stamped the edges of them using VersaMark ink and a floral stamp I have and heat embossed them using white embossing powder.  I layered the vellum butterflies on top of the colored cardstock using a glue dot and then layered the two sized together with glue dots.  I added pearls to the middle of the butterfly which helps to cover the adhesive.  This was attached to the card using a dimensional. 

Well that's it for my short but sweet blog today.  My elbow is really hurting now.  I will hopefully return tomorrow with another card to share with you.   Please come back then and see what I come up with.  Thanks for dropping by today. 

My Project For the Week

I must tell you this has been a very long week in my family.  I wish I could say we have been having lots of fun but I cannot.This has been the week of medical issues.  It started Sunday with my cousin's little boy breaking his arm.  Of course I found this out while sitting in the emergency room with my husband who had injured his right ankle while working a house fire.  We also found out that day that our nephew in California had been diagnosed as having a brain tumor.  He had surgery to remove it on Tuesday.  Also on Tuesday our uncle went into the hospital for the second time with a staff infection.  To top that off, our daughter came home from work Tuesday night sick with the flu.  What a week it has been and its only Thursday.

You might wonder what all this has to do with my blog.  Well I did pretty well at making my cards for the first half of the week mainly because I started them on the weekend.  I had a project of baby shower cards to work on and thought I could easily finish them be Wednesday leaving me enough time to make another card to share with you.  That did not happen.  So instead I will show you my project as it is on Wednesday night.

 

Can you guess what I am working on?  If you guessed baby shower invitations you would be right.  My friends and I are going to put together a very special shower for a very special friend.  So here you can see all the little pieces waiting to be put together.

 

Here are the cards for the carriages and butterflies.  I hope you can see from the picture the pretty shimmer on them.  I spritzed then with my shimmer paint/alcohol mixture.  Pretty pretty!

 

I used the beautiful butterflies embosslit to make all of these.  I will not be using all of them on my cards but I will save some to use in the future so none go to waste.

 

Here you can see the fun pattern on the carriages.  I added the little pearls and ribbon to decorate them.  I truly enjoy making these.  They are simple and fun.  Now I will show you the finished product.

 

This one should look familiar to you.  I blogged about it a few weeks ago.  That blog included all the details on how to make this one.  Therefore, I will not bore you with the details now.  

I hope you can forgive the shortness of the blog.  I am truly exhausted.  Along with all the prayers I have made this week, I have also run family to the doctor appointments and run around the house caring for my husband and daughter.  I will try my best to have a new share for you tomorrow.  Please come back and see if I can come up with something.  Thanks for dropping in today!

 

 

 

 

Daffodil Delight Wedding

A few weeks ago I shared a card with you I made for my daughter to give to a friend who is getting married.  The color scheme was black, white and silver and it had interlocking rings with flowers and pearls.  Well remember the pink Mother's Day card I made last week?  You know the one with the pink rhinestones and the butterfly?  Well, my daughter saw it and loved it so much she asked if I would remake the wedding card using a yellow (it's one of the bride's colors) and rhinestones and 2 butterflies.  So I decided to be nice mommy and said yes.  My card share for today is the final result of that card.  Are you ready?  Let's get started.

 

Ta Da!!  Isn't it pretty?  Just like a ray of sunshine!  I started with a base card of Daffodil Delight cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  Next I took a piece of Whisper White card stock and cut it to be 4" x 5 1/4".  I ran it through the big shot using the Elegant Lines impression folder and using the same method as last time (do not use a numbered tab just use the bottom panel).  Attach this panel using runner adhesive.  Let me show you a close up of the greeting which will also show you the rhinestones.

 

The greeting for this card came from a stamp set called Wedding Sweet.  I stamped it onto Whisper White card stock using VersaMark ink and heat embossed it using black embossing powder.  Once it cooled, I punched it out using the word window punch.  I then punched a modern label out of a scrap of Daffodil Delight.  I layered the two together using runner adhesive and attached it to the card using dimensionals.  For the rhinestones on this one, I wanted to use colored stones again.  Unlike last week when I had the pink ones on hand, this time I did not have any yellow.  So I knew that meant if I wanted a yellow stone, I would have to make it.  To do this, I took a spare piece of plastic and put the number of stones in the various sizes on it.  I think I used about 17 of them.  Next I took out my alcohol ink called Butterscotch.  I put just a few drop onto a cotton ball and then pounced gently on the stones with it.  I added a little more ink to the cotton and pounced a little more until the color was just right.  The nice thing about this ink is it dries fast.  Using my paper piercer I picked the stones up one by one and placed them into the little circles on the impressed design just like last week.

 

Having the greeting and the stones finished meant it was time to make those gorgeous butterflies once again.  I used the same method as last week.  Take the big shot and the Beautiful Butterflies die and cut out one large and one small butterfly in Daffodil Delight.  Repeat this using vellum paper for the second set.  Layer the two together and attach using a glue pen.  I cannot remember if I put this in the past blog or not but you only put the glue along the path of the body.  The wings are free this way and you will be able to cover the glue up with the pearls.  This time I needed yellow pearls.  So out came my yellow Sharpie marker and I colored 5 of the white pearls, 3 for the large butterfly and 2 for the small butterfly.  Once they were dry, I used my paper piercing tool again to help me place them.  Next comes the Stickles glitter glue.  Add dots all over your butterfly wings and you are finished!

I must tell you my daughter was thrilled with the end result.  It looks absolutely fantastic.  I truly hope the bride likes it.  

That finishes my blog for this Monday.  I hope you all are off to a nice start of a new week.  Please come by tomorrow to see what I come up with next.  Until then, happy creating and thanks for dropping by today!!

 

Mother's Day Card #2

Happy Friday everyone.  Well it is the first day of our garage sale.  I sure hope it goes well.  We have worked hard this week getting everything ready for it.  I thought I would send you off into your weekend with another card for mom.  It always seems strange to start cards months ahead of time but we all know that time creeps up on us and if we're not careful, we are not ready for them.  Anyway, let's get going on this one.

 

Today's color scheme is purple.  I decided to make this card a little different that most of my others.  I started with a base card of Perfect Plum cut at 5" x 10", scored at 5".  Every now and then, I come up with a card that either needs a little more room or that I think would look better as a square.  This was one that needed the extra room but that also lends itself to the square shape.  Instead of adding a solid layer I wanted to do a pattern with squares.  I started by punching 9 Very Vanilla 1 3/8" squares.  I spaced them out on the card front and adhered them down using runner adhesive.  Next I punched out 9 Elegant Eggplant 1 1/4" squares.  I layered these on top of the vanilla ones and adhered them down using runner adhesive.  For the top layer of my squares, I wanted to use a designer paper.  I wish I could say this one was from Stampin' Up! but I can't.  This paper came as a mat stack from one of my local craft stores.  I bought it a few years ago and still have some.  The colors really complemented the plum and eggplant.  So I chose 3 different designs and punched out three 1" squares of each.  I then layered them on top of the eggplant squares in a random pattern using runner adhesive.  Now I wanted some glitter on my squares but this paper did not come already glittered.  So I used a glue pen to add glue to a few areas and sprinkled Dazzling Diamond glitter on them.  I love the sparkle!!  While this was drying, I moved on to the greeting.

 

For the greeting on the front, I used the retired stamp set called Well Scripted.  I stamped the saying using Perfect Plum ink onto Very Vanilla card stock.  I then took out my big shot and the new Labels Collection Framelits set.   I used the smallest size and cut out the saying.  Then I cut the next size up out of plum and one more size up out of vanilla.  I edged the saying with Perfect Plum ink and layered it on the plum.  Then I layered that onto the large vanilla label.  I attached all these together using runner adhesive. I added Dazzling Diamond glitter dots to the plum and edges the vanilla with it also.  It is attached to the card using dimensionals.  I took the Beautiful Butterflies die and the big shot and cut a small butterfly out of Perfect Plum card stock and vellum paper.  I layered these together using a glue pen.  Next I attached it to the card with glue dots.  Then I got out 2 white pearls and colored them purple using a Sharpie markers.  These made up the body of the butterfly.  I then added Stickles glitter glue dots to the wings for added effect. 

 

For my inside greeting, I used a stamp from the set Word Play.  I stamped it using Perfect Plum ink onto Very Vanilla card stock.  I then used the same Labels Collection Framelits set and my big shot to cut out the greeting.  This carried the theme from the front to the inside.  I edged it using plum ink and attached it with runner adhesive.  

Well that's it for this week.  I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.  I will be back on Monday with another share.  I hope you will all come back to see it.  Thanks for stopping by today and I will see you Monday!!

Mother's Day Card

Mother's Day falls on May 13th this year, 2 months away.  Even though my mom is not here any more, I still like to make her a card and make one for my wonderful mother in law.  So after I finished all my Easter owls, I decided to work on a couple of cards for that special day.

 

Since I always loved the color pink on my mom, I decided to start with the pink card.  I used Rose Red card stock.  This is a deep pink card stock.  I cut it at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  Next I cut a piece of Whisper White card stock at 4" x 5 1/4".  I ran it through my big shot using the Elegant Lines impression folder from Stampin' Up!.  I really like this folder but I will admit I have not used it much.  You usually make your sandwich of the cutting pads and the folder and use tab 1 on the multipurpose platform to run it through.  Well every time I would do that, my card stock would come out having areas that were cut through entirely or area that would tear easily.  I was very frustrated.  Then I learn a secret.  If you run this particular folder through using the multipurpose platform set on the no numbered tab, I gives you the chance to have the impression without the cuts and tears.  I attached this piece to my Rose Red card using runner adhesive.  This particular impression folder has these cute little circles on it so I thought little rhinestones would look cute in them.  I happen to have pink colored stones that worked perfectly.  

 

Here you can see the circles and stones better.  When it came to my greeting, I turned yet again to my Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.  I stamped it using Rose Red ink and punched it out using the word window punch.  I then punched out a modern label from Rose Red card stock.  I layered the two together using runner adhesive and attached it to the card using dimensionals.  I chose not to put rhinestones on this because I did not want to distract from the card.  

 

Here is the beautiful butterfly.  I cut this using the Beautiful Butterflies die for the big shot.  I cut one out of vellum paper and one out of Rose Red.  I layered these two together using a glue pen and attached them to the card using glue dots.  As you can see, I needed pearls for the body that were colored so I once again turned to my Sharpies for help.  I took three white pearls and used a delicate pink marker to color them.  I always let them sit for a minute or two just to be sure they are dry and then placed them on the butterfly.  I then added some Stickles glitter glue dots to the wings for added color.  

This is a very simple card but I love the look.  This would have been one my mom would have really liked.  I will share another card for this day with you tomorrow.  Please come back to visit.  Until then, thanks for dropping in today!!

 

Colorful Pearls

Hi everyone.  I thought I would share with you another card I made this past weekend at my crop.  When we were making our cute little butterfly, we used the Beautiful Butterflies die for the big shot to make the wings.  If you have this die, you know there is a full large butterfly, a full small butterfly, a large individual wing and a small individual wing.  Since I knew I would use only the individual wings for the project, I could have just cut out those.  However, I knew I would eventually use the complete butterflies too so I used a piece of vellum paper large enough to cut all pieces.  This particular card utilizes one large and one small left over vellum butterfly. 

 

I chose the color scheme for this card from the scraps of card stock I had left from my class.  The stack was just sitting beside me so I thought why not put the extras to work.  The colors I chose are Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, and Wild Wasabi.  I started with a base are of Whisper White base card cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  I then took a scrap piece of the tangerine and the daffodil and punched out 1",  3/4" and 1/2" circles.  I cut a piece of wasabi to be 4" x 5 1/4".  I scattered the circles on the top of it until I liked how they looked.  Once I was happy with the look, I attached them using runner adhesive.  

 

Once all the circles were attached, I ran the piece of wasabi through the big shot using an impression folder with music notes all over.  I wanted you to really get to see them so I thought I would show you this close up.  This particular impression folder is from a company called The Paper Studio.  I picked it up at a local craft store.  As you can hopefully see, by running the piece of wasabi with the circles attached through the big shot, you get the appearance of it being just one piece of card stock instead of separate pieces.  I like this effect very much.  

 

This is a close up of my large butterfly.

Here is a close up of the small butterfly.

To make these adorable butterflies, I started by running a scrap piece of tangerine and a scrap of daffodil through the big shot using the Beautiful Butterflies die.  Once they were cut out, I layered a vellum butterfly on top of them using a glue pen to attach the two together.  The butterflies were then attached to the card using glue dots.  I turned to my trusty Stickles glitter glue to add dots to the wings of the butterflies to jazz them up and make them sparkle.  I thought about adding glitter glue dots to the center for the body but wanted something a little different.  This is where the colored pearls come into play.  Now if you go to your local craft store, you can usually find white or black pearls pretty easily.  However, I have never found any really colorful pearls.  So I made my own.  That's right, I created these colors all by myself.  Want to know how?  Okay I will tell you my secret.  Start with white pearls.  I usually separate however many I need away from the rest of the white one.  You want to keep them on the plastic they come on so you can remove them easily once they are colored.  I tend to save my plastic sheets once all the gems have been used.  Once you have the number of pearls you will need (in this case, I wanted 2 for the yellow and 3 for the orange), put them on an empty plastic sheet or on an area of the sheet where they do not touch the rest.  Space them apart far enough so you can get to all sides.  Now all you need is a set of Sharpie markers.  That's right - Sharpie marker.  You simply color your pearls using your markers and ta-da -- instant colored pearls.  I have tried other ways of coloring my pearls but found that either the color came off or it was really dull looking.  With the Sharpies, you get a vibrant color that dries extremely quickly and does not wipe off at all!!  Absolutely easy to do and beautiful to look at.

I hope you will give colored pearls a try.  It is nice to be able to customize them for your projects.  It just gives that added pizzazz you are looking for.  Well, that's all I have for today.  I will be back tomorrow with a new project.  I will admit, I don't have it made yet but I will get to work as soon as I can.  Maybe I will color some more pearls!  

Thanks for dropping by today and I will see you all tomorrow!

Butterflies In The Window

Once again here we are at the end of a week.  I cannot believe it is Friday.  The weather here in Phoenix has be crazy this week.  We went from the mid 80's to the low 60's and back into the 70's.  I just wish we could get some rain.  We had lots and lots of wind this week which gave everyone sinus problems.  I certainly hope it will stabilize in the coming week so everyone will feel better. 

Today's share is another stain glass creation.  It is the last one for the week and I am hoping to share more punch art next week.  The stamp I used for the main image is not one from Stampin' Up! but most of my stain glass stamps come from a different company.  Most of them I have had for years - much longer than I have been a SU! demonstrator.  Anyway, let's get started on today's card.

 

I started with a base card of Whisper White cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  I then added a layer of Perfect Plum measuring 4" x 5 1/4".  Before attaching it to the white, I did sponge the edges with Perfect Plum ink.  It is attached using runner adhesive.  Next I cut a piece of Pretty In Pink to be 3 3/4" x 3 3/4".  I ran it through the big shot using the Manhattan Flower impression folder.  Next I brushed the edges of it using a sponge with Regal Rose ink.  I also attached the white strip at the bottom of the pink using runner adhesive and then attached the whole thing to the plum piece with runner adhesive.  I scalloped the edge of the white prior to attaching it to the pink.

 

To make the scallop along the edge of the white strip, I first used the new Adorning Accents Edgelits that work with the big shot.  They are simply a strip that you lay across your card stock and run it through your big shot using tab 2.  It cut the pretty scallop shape you see on this card.  To emboss the scallop and add a little texture I used the Adorning Accents Textured Impressions Embossing Folders that coordinate with the edgelits.  All of these are in the Occasions Mini catalog.  I took another piece of white and stamped my greeting using Perfect Plum ink.  I got my greeting from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.  I punched it out using the word window punch and sponged the edges of it with the plum ink.  I then layered it on top of a Pretty in Pink modern label (you use the modern label punch for that but I bet you already knew that).  I attached it to the card using dimensionals and added pearls to the ends.  

 

Here is a close up of the butterflies.  Now I am not going to bore you again on how to do stain glass.  You can visit one of the other samples to get the instructions if you need.  Once my glitter had dried, I realized the top butterfly was very light and would need to be backed on a color that would help it stand out.  So I took a piece of Whisper White card stock and used my pastels to create a sky scene on it.  Once the sky was finished, I attached my butterfly window to it using glue dots.  I then cut it out so that no sky showed around the image.  I know it might be hard to see but you can see the blue of the sky behind the panes of the window.  I attached the entire window to the pink using runner adhesive.

For me, this has been a really fun week.  I love working with glitter! I hope you enjoyed some of the creations you saw on here.  I wish you all a wonderful weekend filled with fun.  I will be back Monday with another card to share.  Until then. thanks for dropping by today!!

 

 

Lovely Springtime

Happy Leap Year Day!!!   Welcome to Wednesday everyone.  Well yesterday we finally cooled down again here in Phoenix.  Our high was only in the 60's instead of in the upper 70's to low 80's.  Now some of you may think those temperatures are nothing to complain about and you are right.  It is just that the sooner we start warming up, the hotter the summer usually is.  Believe me, 115 degrees is nothing to reach during the summer and the longer it can be put off the better.

As we move into these nice temperatures though we see the flowers beginning to come back and the trees looking green again.  Well you cannot help but think of spring.  It always amazes me how we jump from holiday to holiday in the stores.  Now I love Easter but with it being over a month away, I am not ready to shop for it.  So I decided today I would make another critter based on the tutorial from Kim Score.  While I did use some of the information for this one, I changes a few of the items to suit my needs.  So let's get started.

 

I started with a base card of Marina Mist cut at 4 1/4" x 11", scored at 5 1/2".  I then cut a piece of Basic Black card stock at 4" x 5 1/4".  I took that piece and sprayed it with a champagne shimmer spray made with 2 oz of alcohol and a few drops of the champagne shimmer paint.  I know you cannot really see it in the picture but when the light hits the card just right, it sparkles!  Once it was sprayed and dried (this happens very quickly) I ran it through the big shot using the Finial Press impression folder.  Next I took a piece of Whisper White card stock and using the Lace Ribbon Border punch, I punched a strip to place across the card.  

 

I turned to my Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set for the greeting on this one.  I stamped the greeting with StazOn black ink onto Whisper White card stock.  I then punched it out using the Word Window punch.  Next I took a scrap piece of Marina Mist card stock and punched out a Modern Label.  I layered the greeting on top of the modern label.  I wanted to add a little something to the greeting so I went to my box of brads.  These are not from Stampin' Up! but they are cute.  I picked up these little flowers at a convention not too long ago.  I used a light purple set for this card.  I attached this using dimensionals.

 

Here is a close up of my butterfly.  The face is the same from the dragonfly yesterday.  I did use one piece of the body that Kim had in her instructions.  I made the antennas black first but changed it when I realized you would not be able to see them on the background.  I went with Melon Mambo instead.  I also used the scallop flower from the teeny tiny punch pack.  I punched one in black, cut it in half, and placed them behind the eyelids for lashes.  Again if I had been thinking ahead, I would have used a different color since they really do not show up.  I added glitter to the nose for personality.  The wings included in the instructions were completely different from what I did so I will share this with you.   For my wings, I chose to use Vellum Paper.  I ran 2 pieces of this through my big shot using the Beautiful Butterflies die.  I used the half butterfly wings on it, cutting out 2 of each size.  I then used some glitter from my huge stash of glitter to add colorful dots to the wings.  I let these dry completely.  Once dry, I attached the small ones first to the body using a glue pen, and then I attached the large ones behind that using the glue stick.  I attached the completed butterfly to the card using dimensionals. 

Finally everyone at my house if feeling a little better.  Hopefully all will be well by the weekend.  I will return tomorrow with another card to share with you.  Thanks for dropping by today and I will see you tomorrow. 

 

Springtime Card

Here in Phoenix, it already feels like spring.  Sometimes we get lucky and actually have a winter that feels cold and brisk.  This year however, it has felt more like fall stayed and now spring is here.  Perhaps some of the storms they keep showing off the west coast will appear here and we will get to be cold just one more time. 

With the springtime feel in the air, I found myself gravitating towards the pastel colors this weekend.  So I decided why not get a start on my spring cards.  Today's is a birthday card I created.  My family has several spring birthdays so it will come in handy. 

 

The base card for this one is made using So Saffron card stock cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  I then took a piece of Whisper White to use for my first layer.  I cut it at 2 3/4" x 5 1/2".  Then I used my 1/2", 3/4" and 1" circle punches to punch holes in the various places on the strip.  Once I had the circles punched, I applied my VersaMark ink pad directly to the card stock and completely cover it.  I sprinkled white embossing powder with Dazzling Diamond glitter mixed in it all over the white card.  I then heat embossed it.  This added a nice texture and a little sparkle.  

 

For my greeting, I turned to a stamp I bought from a company named DeNami.  I love the loop look of the letters and the fact that it is vertical.  I used my stamp-a-ma-jig and stamped it using StazOn ink.  I then took my VersaMark ink pad and inked up the stamp again.  I used the stamp-a-ma-jig again and stamped right over the StazOn .  It is off set just a little creating that shadow look.  I did heat emboss it using Iridescent Ice embossing powder.  

 

Last but not least, I wanted to add the butterflies.  I took out my Beautiful Wings embosslit die and my big shot.  I cut out butterflies using Marina Mist, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, and Perfect Plum.   Based on the size of the holes, I placed butterflies that fit in them.  I chose not to add any glitter to them (I know you are shocked) but I actually did not think they needed any.

I like the simplicity of this card.  It was quick to make and looks great.  Give it a try.  

That's it for today.  I will be back with another spring theme card tomorrow.  Have a wonderful Monday and I will see you tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Baby Buggy

You know as much as I enjoy blogging and sharing my cards with you, I also have favorite blogs I like to visit to see what other people are doing.  I have to admit, and I am ashamed to say, I am about a month behind on viewing these.  January was such a difficult month for us with the death of 2 friends within a week of each other.  Our lives were put into perspective so quickly, it was amazing.  My husband and I are still a bit numb by everything that has happened.  We pray for the families and try to be there for them as much as we can.  So while I love to visit blogs and be creative, my priorities have shifted somewhat and I am a little behind on my card making.

But have no fear, I do have a card to share with you today.  I was talking with my friend Lisa last week.  She is 5 months pregnant with a little girl and is trying to plan her baby shower.  She gave me and idea of a color scheme she was thinking of using on the invitations - hot pink and zebra.  Now for some odd reason when she said this, my mind started going a mile a minute and before long I had an idea for a card.  I sat down and created it within an hour or so.  When I shared it with her on Friday, she loved it.  So I thought I would share it with you today.

 

I learned to make this carriage after seeing a card made in the shape of the carriage.  I felt it had too small of a space inside to include all information you might want so I took the carriage idea and incorporated it onto a card.  My base card for this one is Melon Mambo.  I love the deep pink of this.  I added a layer of Basic Black cut at 4" x 5 1/4" to the front.  I then cut a piece of Pretty in Pink.  The measurement of this one is 3 3/4" x 5".  I ran it through my big shot using an impression folder from Cuttlebug called D'Vine Swirl.  I then placed it in my color catcher and spritzed it with frosted white shimmer spray I made by adding a few drops of frosted white shimmer paint into some alcohol in a small spray bottle.  This adds a shine to it when the light catches it just right.  The butterflies flying around on the card were cut and embossed using and embosslit folder called Beautiful Wings.  I used Shimmer White card stock for them.  I will tell you the zebra print card stock is not from Stampin' Up!.  It is a glitter print I found at my local craft store.  I cut the shape using the scallop circle die for the big shot.  I then cut a piece out to form the carriage look.  

 

For the hood, I took a strip of melon mambo about 1 1/2" wide and punched it using the eyelet border punch. I then cut it down to about 3/4" wide.   I attached it to the hood at a diagonal using a liquid glue and snipped off the excess being sure to round the end.  I did the same for the border along the body of the carriage.  I then used my sizzlit die called Swirls Scribbles.  I used the largest swirl from it, trimmed off any extra pieces and glued it using liquid glue to make the carriage handle.  Once these pieces were adhered, I took my Basic Pearl Jewels and added little pearls to the center dot of each eyelet.  I made the bow using the Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon.  

 

The wheels of the carriage are all that's left to make.  I used the 1 1/4" circle punch for the Melon Mambo outer wheel, the 1" circle for the zebra inner wheel, the boho blossom punch for the flower on the wheel and the 1/4" circle for the center of the flower.  I then added a pearl to each wheel to add a nice decoration to it.  Now your carriage is complete!

I know it seems like a lot of steps but it really is simple to make once you get going.  Give it a try.  It makes a cute invitation or baby card.  You can choose your colors and DSP based on boy or girl (or if you do not know, go with a neutral color scheme).  

Well, that's it for today.  Thanks for listening to my ramble and for stopping by to see the card.  Please come again tomorrow.  Until then, have a wonderful day!

Another Love Card

Welcome to Thursday!!  And Happy Groundhog's Day!  I have to try to remember to make a card with a groundhog on it one of these days.  Every year I say I want to and every year I forget.  Must be old age setting in already. 

While I was able to work in my craft room yesterday, I found myself cleaning up more than crafting.  I needed to  make room to stamp and that took longer than I thought.  So the card I began working on is half completed.  I do plan on finishing it today and will show it to you tomorrow.  For today, I came across a Valentine I made last year and thought I would share it with you.

 

Just like yesterday, this card started with a base card of Basic Black.  I then cut a piece of Whisper White the same dimensions as the other card and punched along the sides again.  This time I used the border punch called Pinking Hearts.  The other color I used on this card is a retired color called Passion Pink.  If I were making it this year, I would use Melon Mambo.  I stamped the greeting in Passion Pink ink (retired).  The stamp set this is from is called Well Scripted and is also retired.  I then turned to my wonderful big shot machine and got to work on all the other pieces.

The butterflies were made using the embosslit die called Beautiful Wings.  These are both cut and embossed at the same time.  The hearts were done using the embosslit  die called Scalloped Heart of Hearts.  I first cut 2 in black.  Then I cut 2 in pink.  On the pink ones, I trimmed the scalloped border off the edges.  This allowed the pink heart to fit inside the black.  I attached the hearts together using glue dots.  I also adhered them and all the butterflies to the card using glue dots or Tombo liquid glue (especially for the small butterflies - the glue dots show).  I must have been really out of it when I made this one.  It screams for glitter yet I used none.  I will have to fix that.  Shame on me.

Well that's it for the day.  I do so appreciate your comments and feedback on my cards.  I will be back tomorrow with another one.  Until then, thanks for stopping by today.