CHEERS & SIPS BIRTHDAY CARD

I've had the Cheers & Sips bundle for a while and finally took the time to work with it while creating this birthday card.  

All of the images on this card were cut from the Celebratory Sips designer paper, which is so much fun!  I had actually stamped several different images to color, but then I didn't like how they looked after they were cut with the dies.  I'll definitely need to play around with that in the future, but using the DSP was just so easy because there are so many options!

I used blending brushes to color the background, and the stamped sentiment is from the (retired) "Birthday Banners" stamp set.  The card screamed for some colorful and sparkly gems, and I may have gone overboard.  

Below is another photo of the finished card:

It's a fun one, right?

FALL "CRATE" CARD + CUTE LITTLE FOX

 

I work at a social club in a 55+ community, and one of the sweet members brought me a homemade mini loaf of pumpkin bread last week that was so delicious!  Naturally, I wanted to send her a thank you card, and I thought something fall-ish would be appropriate.  I used Cricut Design Space to create a crate card, complete with a pumpkin, colorful leaves, and a sweet little fox.

All of the images (except the layered hearts) were Print then Cut images.  They are too easy to use, and I have been addicted to using them all summer.  On the fox's banner, which was adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals, I added a text box for the word "thanks!".  That's just one great thing about Print then Cut images--they can be personalized.  The heart "charm" is actually three cut hearts adhered together, and they were tied onto the pumpkin stem with Linen Thread.  As you can see in the photo below, this was a side-fold card:

I knew that I would need a white panel on the inside of the dark brown card, and behind that layer was the perfect place to adhere the colorful leaves.  Don't they look nice sticking out from the top of the crate?

I didn't think the card needed too many embellishments, so I chose three metallic sequins and then placed a tiny rhinestone in the center of each.

This card came together quite quickly, and working on it has only made me even more ready for all things Fall.  Since today is the official first day of Autumn, it seemed to be perfect for this blog post.

Happy first day of Fall/Autumn!!!

STAMP SALE + MORE THAN AUTUMN

 

So maybe it isn't officially Fall, but I am officially READY for Fall!  I was looking at my collection of stamp sets today and, when I opened the "More than Autumn" stamp case, I found a little baggie with some stamped die-cuts ready for color.  I used Stampin' Blends alcohol markers to color the images, and my colors are Cinnamon Cider, Crumb Cake, and Pumpkin Pie.  It's an odd combination but, surprisingly, I think the coloring turned out quite well.

One of the fun things about that little leaf die is that it cuts two pieces, which means that you can use two different colors of cardstock for the leaf and its veins and outline.  Genius!  The More than Autumn bundle is a great one to have on hand--all the time.  Although it was designed for a particular time of year, several of the images are actually generic and fantastic for ALL year (slice of pie, doughnut, coffee drink, whipped topping for the drink and a smaller one for the pie, sprinkles, straw for the drink, and some adorable small images--heart, apple, pumpkin, gingerbread).

This bundle is seriously one that every card-maker should have--and keep forever.  

STAMP SALE!!!  For 24 hours only, Stampin' Up! is having a stamp sale on September 18th.  Following are the details:

• This stamp sale only happens once a year!
• The sale will run for 24 hours.
• The 15% discount will apply to all stamps and stamp tools.
• Bundles are not included in this sale.
• Stamp sets and tools are only available while supplies last.
• See and shop all qualifying products in my online store.
• Excludes Last Chance products.

If you want to purchase the More than Autumn (or any other) bundle, just purchase the stamp set and the dies separately to get the 15% discount.  Of course, I will greatly appreciate it if you shop with me.

The "hey" for my card was created with a set of (retired) alphabet dies.  Stampin' Up! has some wonderful alphabet dies, and it's nice for crafters to have at least one set.

How about one more look at my card:

MASCULINE BIRTHDAY CARD

My niece's husband, Matt, has a birthday this month, so I needed a masculine card.  If you're a card-maker, then you know that masculine cards are sometimes quite a challenge.  I always want to use sparkly gems, bows, and brushed glitter, but men aren't usually too keen on those embellishments.

While using Cricut Design Space recently, I came across this gorgeous Print then Cut lake/mountain image and decided that it would be perfect.  My niece's family lives in Michigan, and they seem to have some of the most beautiful parks and landscapes nearby.  Naturally, they enjoy spending time outdoors because there are so many gorgeous places to do so.  My cardstock colors are Misty Moonlight, Early, Espresso, White, and Vellum.  The hiking boots were also a Print then Cut image, and I print some extras that I used on the envelope and the signature layer inside the card.  The boots that are tied to the top right of center layer are double-sided.  I wanted to make sure that if they get flipped around, they will still look like hiking boots.  This was achieved by copying the image and then flipping it in Design Space so that the two cuts could be glued together--back to back.

You can see in the above photo that the Early Espresso layer was embossed with Stampin' Up!'s "Forever Plaid" embossing folder.  The boots were tied on with Linen Thread.

The birthday sentiment was stamped onto a scrap of Vellum cardstock and then heat-embossed.  After making sure the embossing was cool, I gave the sentiment a torn edge on the top and bottom.  I don't recall the name of the blue embellishments as they have been retired for quite some time.  I loved them so much and bought so many that I still have quite a collection.

If I didn't mention already, this card folded on the side.  You can see the hiking boots on the bottom right of the signature layer inside the card.  

Want another look at the card and envelope:

SWEET STRAWBERRIES + WAX SEAL

A sweet family friend celebrated a birthday at the end of July, and today I'm sharing the cute strawberry card that I made for her.  This was such a quick card to make but, as you can see, it was loaded with texture, layers, and dimension.

The "Circle of Season" dies from Stampin' Up! were used to cut the circle and die-cut strawberry layers.  I think these dies make such a pretty berry--the topper is perfect, the little white flower is adorable, and I absolutely love that one die cuts the seed holes from the red berry and, when used without the "seed hole" die, it cuts the brown layer to position behind the red berry.  This makes the quickest and easiest strawberry!  

I've had a little obsession with wax seals for a couple of years, but I rarely hand-deliver envelopes and wouldn't trust that a seal on the outside of an envelope would survive being handled through normal mail processing and delivery.  I occasionally put wax seals on wrapped gifts, gift bags, tags, etc., and they're actually perfect on cards.  I've learned that if I want to be sure I'll have a decent result, I should make the seal and then apply it to my project.  

The pretty eyelet layer was created with a Martha Stewart punch, and doesn't it add such a nice feminine touch?  To avoid having to punch tiny circles for the flower centers, I used brand new In Color Flat Pearls from Stampin' Up!.  They add shiny dimension without being bulky.  Love that!  

And here's one more look at this berry sweet card:

REFRESHING LEMONADE, ANYONE?

 

I needed a sweet little hello (in the form of a card), and the perfect pitcher-shaped creation was found in Cricut Design Space.  It was a design by Robin Hardy, and I nearly squealed with excitement when my eyes saw it!  The sweet lady who will receive this card recently lost her husband, and I wanted a cheery way to let her know that it's okay to not be okay.

It's a cheery little card, isn't it?

I brushed the background layer with Wink of Stella, and (roughly) smoothed Nuvo Crystal Drops onto the lemon slices to make them look a wee bit real.

The tiny lemon slice embellishments were found at Trinity Stamps.  I don't know if they're polymer clay, but they are so freakin' cute!  I really had no ideas for how or when I would use them--they were just so cute that I thought I should have them, and wasn't this the perfect project?  Have a closer look:

And let's take one more look at the card:

It makes me want a cool glass of tangy lemonade, but I just hope it makes the recipient smile.

FROM MY HEAD TO-MA-TOES

One of my favorite things about summer (and there isn’t much about summer that I love) are home grown tomatoes.  Of course, I don't have a garden because that would require me to be outside and have to reach under some leaves to retrieve a vegetable, which I'm very unwilling to do.  ETA:  My unwillingness to pick vegetables from a garden is not because I'm too good for that--it's because I wouldn't want to reach for the same veggie that a critter/slitherer might have its eye on.  My most favorite tomatoes are the ones that my daddy finds in Woodleaf, NC, and he had two gorgeous tomatoes waiting for me last weekend when I visited.  I can't even find words to describe just how scrumptious those tomatoes were!  I enjoyed them so much and decided that I should send a tomato-shaped card of thanks.

I love making shaped cards almost as much as I love a Woodleaf tomato.  As usual, this shaped card and all of its layers were designed and cut with my Cricut Maker 3.  A little fun fact . . . the font that was used on the tag is actually my son's handwriting from many years ago.  I don't remember how he created the font, but I remember the process of writing each of the letters--uppercase and lowercase.  I had my own font at one time, but it disappeared from my computer during an upgrade years ago. I remember the process involved writing each letter and any symbols you wanted on a printed piece of paper. Each character had its own small block. It wasn’t fun having to re-write the alphabet upon realizing that one or two letters didn’t connect properly, but it was neat being able to type your own handwriting.

This card clearly demonstrates that you don't have to spend half a day and add lots of layers and embellishments to send some happy mail.  This sweet little tomato made my parents' day--almost as much as they made mine! 

COUNTRY BIRDHOUSE HELLO

 

It was past time to send a hello to a family friend, so I spent some time this morning stamping and coloring.  I used one little (retired) bundle . . . Country Birdhouse . . . to create this card, along with that pretty gold foil layer.  My cardstock colors are Coastal Cabana, Poppy Parade, Calypso Coral, Mossy Meadow, and Crushed Curry.  

Aren't the colors gorgeous?  While this product bundle has dies to cut all of the pieces to build the birdhouse, it also includes a stamp (and coordinating die) that gave me the option to color which is exactly what I wanted to do today.  Unfortunately, Stampin' Up! has already retired this bundle, but I knew that it was a keeper!

In the center of the flowers, I used Holiday Rhinestone Basic Jewels, and I used a Wink of Stella glitter brush on the die-cut bird so he, too, would sparkle.

Above is another close-up of some of the details.

This was such a fun project to work on!  I think it also serves to remind us that when there are products that we really enjoy--products that seem to have thought of everything--we must be sure to hold onto them.  Below is one more look at the card:

ANOTHER "JUST A NOTE"

 

Many years ago--before the computer and internet age--there was an office supply store in Charlotte, NC . . . Bush Stationers.  I was a young, single, fresh-from-college-to-my-first-real-job-living-in-the-big-city girl who really didn't have the extra $$$ to spend on frivolous office supplies and stationery, and yet my '72 Camaro (BTW, it was several years old but not yet considered vintage) would just pull into the parking lot of Bush Stationers because it somehow knew that I needed a unique looking pen that was filled with an unprofessional color of ink.  I don't remember anything about my favorite pens other than their shape and fun colors, but I loved those pens that I could only find at Bush Stationers!  Would love to be able to buy them now, but they have truly become a part of history.  I wasn't fully aware at the time that not everyone had a great fondness for unique papers, pens, and other fun office-related gadgets, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I have always had more ink pens (piles and piles of them) than many people own in a lifetime.  Give me all the office and stationery supplies!  Fast-forward to 2025 with the USPS always releasing new postage stamp designs, and I can say with certainty that my fascination has only expanded.  And now Stampin' Up! brings us the "Just a Note" bundle, which I used to design the cheery and colorful card that I'm sharing today:

My card features Lemon Lime Twist cardstock and a piece of Full of Life designer paper.  The front of the card was stamped with images from Just a Note stamp set.  The postage shape was cut and detailed with Perennial Postage dies and stamped with a sentiment from the Perennial Postage stamp set.  A scrap of Silver Foil was used to cut the paper clip, which held the postage shape onto the "file folder" pocket.  Inside the pocket was a piece of cardstock that was decorated on the front with space on the back for writing a message.

Just a few strips of cardstock made the front of this piece colorful, and I used a die-cut heart to let the recipient know to pull this layer out of the pocket.  Don't you love how sparkly the Adhesive-Backed Shiny Sequins look on the front of the file folder?

The Just a Note dies include a heart-shaped clip, which I cut from Pool Party cardstock and placed in the corner.  Notice how it decorates a corner on the front and back of this layer?

The die-cut arrow was left from a previous project and seemed like a perfect addition to my card, as did the Pool Party Pompom Ribbon across the front of the file folder.  This project seemed to have it all . . . texture, dimension, surprises, sparkle and, of course, CHEER!  

"JUST A NOTE" BUNDLE

 

I recently purchased Stampin' Up!'s "Just a Note" bundle, mainly for the adorable accessory dies.  I mean . . . what's not to love about the clipboard clip, the paper clip, and the paper edge that looks like it's been freshly torn from a notebook?  The dies in this bundle also build a binder clip and include two sizes of arrows, a small heart and star, and an adorable heart-shaped corner clip, which you will see on the inside of my card.  The only other thing that you might want with this bundle is some shiny foil cardstock.  Here's a photo of the front of my card:

This bundle has a stamp for lines (for the look of notebook paper), but I decided to use the torn edge die on a pretty piece of designer paper.  You'll notice that I also die-cut the tiny hearts from that same piece of paper.  For the clipboard, I used a piece from the "Need for Tweed" collection and, of course, silver foil was used to cut the clipboard clip and the paper clip.

Those little hearts are too cute, right?

Of course, I had to include some sparkly gems.  The sentiment is from the Perennial Post stamp set.

See the inside of the card--and that cute heart clip on the corner--in the above photo.  

I think this is such a useful bundle--especially the dies!  My plan is to cut a bunch of the assorted clips so they'll be ready to use.  Want to see what the bundle looks like:

Want to order?  Click HERE