"MAGNOLIA MOOD" + "KEEPING TABS"

 

Did you know that Stampin' Up! stamp and die bundles have been discounted by 10% this month?  That's right . . . and the 10% discount ends after June 30th, so check your wishlist (and check it again!) to see if now is the right time to make your selections.  During this sale, I purchased "Magnolia Mood" and "Keeping Tabs".  The first card that I'm sharing features both bundles.  My cardstock colors are Pebbled Path, Crushed Curry and, of course, white.  While there are many colors that coordinate nicely with Pebbled Path, I think any shade of yellow makes for a nice pair.  

Doesn't the Eyelet 3D embossing look so pretty on this card?  Besides the sparkly gems, I think the gingham ribbon (retired) adds quite a lot to this card, lending just the right amount of color.  The stamped and die-cut images were colored with alcohol markers, leaving the magnolia petals and blooms uncolored.

My first time using the "Keeping Tabs" stamp set and die was on this card, and I am in love . . . even though my lovely tab got adhered a bit crooked.  I urge you to take a closer look at this bundle because it has three tab designs and lots of sentiments/words to personalize them for your project.  To cut the stamped tabs, there is a choice of punch or die.  Each time I reach for a punch, I straight up appreciate how handy it is to grab a punch and go; however, I made an economical decision to purchase the die this time, thinking that I can die-cut a lot of tabs to keep in the stamp case ready to use.  

One thing that I want to point out about this card . . . since I wanted the top of the tab to extend past the top of the card, the height was trimmed to 3.75".  This was perfect!

Up next is, for the most part, a copy of a Stampin' Up! "Magnolia Mood" sample that I just loved (see below):

Isn't it gorgeous???  While trying to figure out what to cut, what to stamp, and what/how to color, I realized that the card has so much more going on than one might imagine at first glance.  A lot.  Obviously, my rendition isn't an exact copy, but I was so very pleased.

Some of my die cut shapes were strategically placed, but I decided to not overthink the entire process.

It's hard to tell from the photos, but the birthday sentiment was embossed with silver embossing powder on Lost Lagoon cardstock.  I used Lost Lagoon ink to stamp the images on the white cardstock, but I stamped off first so the images would be lighter and subtle.

You can't tell from the first photo, but the above photo shows the texture and dimension on this card.  The silver twine was doubled in length and tied in a bow, and then I used a bone folder to enhance its natural ability to curl, which is what I love the most about silver trim.  Any time that it is offered by Stampin' Up!, I purchase a few spools.  It's so easy to work with and is especially easy to tie in a bow when the length is doubled.

Of course, a white cardstock panel needed to be adhered to the inside of the Lost Lagoon card base, and I thought it could use some stamping.  Apologies for the blah photo.  Let's finish with a better photo:

Be sure to shop the stamp and die bundles while they're on sale!

COLORFUL ASSORTMENT OF TIES FOR FATHER'S DAY

What kind of card do you make for a classy gentleman who still wears a suit and tie to church on Sunday?  You make a colorful assortment of ties, of course!  Choosing the right designer paper for the ties was so much fun!

As I laid out the selection of die-cut ties, I wasn't sure how many I would use or what other design elements would be needed.  I really had no idea what the card would look like other than the fact that it would have some ties.  Seeing them all laid out made me realize that (if I used most of the ties that I had cut) my card would be full of color and wouldn't actually need much of anything else.  After arranging them, I just loved how they looked!  

See the hanger?  At some point, I had considered cutting some smaller ties and have them hanging (as if in a closet), but I liked the larger ties best.  I still wasn't ready to give up on using the hanger, so it got to hold the "classy kind of guy" sign.

My daddy really enjoyed this card, and that's all that really matters.

Thanks for visiting my blog!  Have a stampin' good day!

"TEXTURED FLORAL" BIRTHDAY CARD

 

Saturday is my mother's birthday.  Today I'm sharing the card that I made for her, and it features Stampin' Up!'s "Textured Floral" bundle which happens to be oh, so gorgeous!  This is one of those product bundles that makes it nearly impossible to end up with something less than pleasing.  Seriously!

I knew I wanted to use the stamped die-cuts to create a wreath but, after playing around with placement and trying to be careful to not move anything that looked perfect (before gluing them in place), I realized that it was actually going to be just fine wherever I placed the pieces or however they landed.  What's not to LOVE about that?!?!

My ink colors are Old Olive, Melon Mambo, Pebbled Path, and Berry Burst.  The embossing folder that I used is Distressed Tile 3D.  I'd just like to interject that there's no such thing as having too many embossing folders and yet, if you only have one or two, you're going to be just fine because the truth of the card-making matter is that any embossed texture truly elevates your project and adds depth, dimension, and texture.

As you can see in the above photo, this card is lush with texture!  The only Stampin' Dimensional that I used was on the right end of the sentiment which, by the way, was cut with a Stitched So Sweetly (retired) die.

Cardstock colors are white and Soft Sea Foam.  I really liked this card and was proud to send it to my mother, and she seemed to love it! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOTHER!!!!

"FLUFFIEST FRIENDS" THANK YOU

 

If you like adorable fluffy animals that are so fun and easy to color, then you would really enjoy Stampin' Up!'s "Fluffiest Friends" stamp set and coordinating dies.  The animals in this set are so very sweet!  I needed a thank you card recently and chose this chunky cat for the focal point.  After the cat was colored, I looked for a coordinating piece of designer paper and found one from the (retired) Garden Impressions collection.

As you can see from the above photo, circle dies were used to cut a window in the front of the card and then frame it with coordinating cardstock.  The die-cut fluffy cat was placed on the inside of the card--through the die-cut circle window--using Stampin' Dimensionals.  The sentiment is from "Sweetly Scripted", which is turning out to be a very handy and useful stamp set.  When my first embossed attempt didn't show up on the card, I stamped the sentiment again onto a scrap of white cardstock, which was heat-embossed with gold and then trimmed to fit across the bottom front of the card.

Hopefully, you can see a bit of shimmer on the purple flower, which was brushed with Wink of Stella.  After the cat was adhered to the inside of the card, I decided to use a marker to add the polka dots. In the photo below, you can see how the card looked on display:

I really liked how the circle of dots framed the fluffy cat when the card was open.  Of course, I had to take care when writing my message, but there was actually plenty of space to do so.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!  Have a stampin' good day!

 

"MUSICAL JAMBOREE" BIRTHDAY CARD

 

My great-nephew had a birthday last month.  Since I had not yet played with the new "Musical Jamboree" stamp set, I decided to use the images from it for Campbell's birthday card.  I'm not sure if that was a good decision for him, but I really enjoyed working with and coloring these fun animals.  Don't they look happy to be sharing their musical ability?  The images were colored with alcohol markers, and the birthday sentiment is from Stampin' Up!'s "Sweetly Scripted" stamp set.

In the above photo, you can see that I used a book binding fold for the card.  This is such an easy and fun design and gives cards a little something different.  

What does every card need?  An envelope that gives a hint to what's inside:

I haven't heard from Campbell, but I hope the card at least made him smile.  I hope it made you smile, too.

Have a stampin' good day!

ASSORTED BLANK NOTE CARDS

My mother enjoys sending cards (love that!), and I enjoy providing them for her. She prefers blank cards without sentiments, so I created an assortment for her for Mother's Day.  Today I'm sharing them with you! 

The above card features Stampin' Up!'s brand new stamp set--"Attention Shoppers"--and Distressed Tile 3D embossing folder.  This fun stamp set has coordinating dies.  The shapes were first cut, then stamped, and then colored with alcohol markers.  As you can see in the photo below, I added a few sequins for a little dash of oomph.

The card below features Stampin' Up!'s new Eyelet 3D embossing folder.  The die-cut butterfly and jewel-colored heart were items that I had leftover from other projects.

In the photo below, you can see the shimmer on the heart that was added with Wink of Stella.

The card below was quite an eclectic mix of images, but I think they work well together with a clean and simple design.  And I love the colors!

There wasn't any stamping on the next two cards.  I put to use some card bases from a kit, a couple of die-cut rectangles, and pieces of fabric (with lovely torn edges) that feature lovely image transfers--basically, image rub-ons.  

Of course, I had to add some sequins that show up better in the photo below.

The last card features flowers that were colored with alcohol markers, the Distressed Tile 3D embossing folder, and sequins.

There were other cards included in the set that I've previously shared on my blog.  Overall, it was a really nice assortment of cards, and they were well-received.  

TIP:  When you're busy creating and change directions along the way, be sure to keep the components that you've already worked on.  You never know when you'll dig through the "rejects/unused" items and find that they are perfect for something else.

Have a stampin' good day! 

"FLOWER CART" AND "LAZY DAYS" MOTHER'S DAY CARDS

 

What better time than Mother's Day to share Mother's Day cards, right?  I made a handful of cards last week that featured Stampin' Up!'s "Flower Cart" bundle in two different colors . . . Flirty Flamingo and Highland Heather.  The cart wheel bases and the banners were cut from silver glimmer paper, but the banner is so little that it almost gets lost on the cards.

I love that the "Flower Cart" stamp set has some two-step stamping images, and they are so easy to line up.  As I mentioned in a recent blog post, I like to die-cut a lot of shapes from white cardstock, keep them in the stamp case, and then stamp them when I'm ready to use them.

I underestimated how long it would take to assemble all of my stamped images and die-cut shapes.  Making these cards literally took the better part of an entire day.  Of course, I had to step away from the process a few times to tackle some laundry and other chores.

From the above photo, you can see the detail on the cart's "wooden" box.  To enhance the detail, I inked the die with Pecan Pie ink before cutting the shape from Pecan Pie cardstock.  Inking the die made a really big difference!

The die-cut tags on these cards are from the "Tailor Made Tags" dies, which I use often and keep within reach.

In the photo below, you can see the shine/glimmer on the cart's wheel base.

The card that I made for my mother features the "Lazy Days" bundle, which is now retired.  I'm sure I would be fine if I had not noticed this bundle during its final days of availability, but I am so glad to have it.  Every time I reach for it, I feel thankful to have finally noticed it (just in the nick of time).

Apparently, there are MANY ways to arrange a porch and as many other choices for creating a porch view.  I just love this bundle!

And that die-cut pillow.  Oh, my goodness, it's just the cutest.

To all the mothers, I wish you a happy and blessed Mother's Day!

BRYSON'S BIRTHDAY BICYCLE CARD

My nephew, Bryson, celebrated a birthday over the weekend, and today I'm sharing the card that I made for him.  It features the brand new "Dotted Circles 3D" embossing folder from Stampin' Up!, which I am really enjoying.  As you can tell from the photo, those dots really pop!  I used a snippet of "Meandering Meadow" designer paper in the white photo frame and thought it was a nice scenic background for the bicycle.  Take a closer look at the Glossy Dots Assortment on the bicycle wheel and the Iridescent Rhinestone (which I colored black with a Stampin' Blends marker) on the camera lens:

The happy birthday sentiment (a retired Stampin' Up! die) was cut from Pool Party and Basic Black cardstock, layered with an offset, and then brushed with Wink of Stella.  Another retired die set (On Film Framelits) was used to cut the photo frame and camera, and a piece of black twine was used to create a strap for the camera.  For the bicycle, I used a Memory Box die (Brand New Bicycle).  The seat and handlebar grips were cut from Lemon Lime Twist cardstock, and I used a Stampin' Blends marker to color the tires.

I think what really pops on this card is the designer paper, and I love that Stampin' Up! has another new collection . . . "Thoughtful Journey" . . . which also features gorgeous landscapes on one side and beautiful watercolor designs on the other.  When I came home from work the night that I made this card, I was feeling a bit pressured because I needed to get the card made so I could mail it in time.  I had no idea what I would make and, when I came across the bicycle and camera dies (two things of interest for my nephew), everything else just fell into place--including the designer paper, which brought this card to life.

Thanks for taking a peek at my blog!  Have a stampin' good day!

"COUNTRY FLOWERS"

In the previous blog post, I mentioned Stampin' Up!'s Country Woods Suite Collection and that it includes the "Country Birdhouse" bundle.  Well . . . it also includes another gorgeous bundle - "Country Flowers".  I love, love, love the colors in the card that I'm sharing today, which features some of the dies and images from "Country Flowers".  Speaking of dies . . . I seem to be making a habit of die-cutting a handful of shapes from white cardstock and stamping them after they've been cut.  Sometimes I just do my best to line up a stamp with a die-cut shape, and then there are times when I go to a teensy extra step.

The photo above shows the scrap of white cardstock that I used to cut the floral images for my card. This scrap is now kept in the stamp case (along with the dies) to be used again and again as a template for accurately stamping the coordinating images.  I should mention that I always use a stamp positioning tool for this method in case I need to stamp the images more than once. The photo above shows the template on the tool.  On the acrylic part of the tool (which you can't see in the photo), I have used the template to line up the respective stamps.  

The die-cut shapes are placed back (on the template) into the spaces where they were cut. The stamps are inked and then stamped onto the die-cut shapes as you can see in the above photo.  When removed from the template, the die-cut and perfectly stamped shapes (see photo below) are ready to be colored. 

I should use this method all the time because it always feels like a win to have a perfect border around die-cut shapes.  Don't they look great?  Can you guess what makes them even better?  That's right . . . color!  Below is a photo of the finished card:

The images were colored with alcohol markers.  I played around with mixing some colors to get the dirty/aged texture on the gray and green pots, which I think gave them some much needed depth.  For the stool, I adhered a scrap of "Country Woods" designer paper to a piece of cardstock prior to die-cutting it, and that turned out to be good thing because the stool was nice and sturdy--and the embossed texture of the card behind it didn't get pushed through the DSP when all the layers were assembled.  The floor of the card is also from the "Country Woods" designer paper collection.  Now . . . those deeply embossed dots?  They were created with the brand new "Dotted Circle" 3D embossing folder.  

The Adhesive-Backed Shiny Sequins were a perfect finishing touch for this card.  My cardstock colors are Lemon Lolly and Bubble Bath.

I'm really excited about this fantastic suite of products!  My plan is to prepare plenty of stamped and die-cut images that I can work on coloring whenever and wherever.  Then . . . all of the time-consuming elements will be complete and ready to land on some cards.

This suite of products is probably going to end up on your wishlist. :-)

Have a stampin' good day!