"TAILOR MADE TAGS" + MINI POUND CAKE PACKAGING

One of Stampin' Up!'s newest products is a selection of tag-shaped dies, which I already love.  I almost talked myself out of buying the Tailor Made Tags dies, thinking that it really isn't hard to make my own tags.  BUT . . . just look at this cute tag with its stitch lines and the shaped (Calypso Coral) reinforcer for the hole.  Are you thinking "be still, my heart"?  I don't know if the new catalog really has more projects featuring tags than previous catalogs or if I am just looking for them, but I'm excited.  Some years ago, I enjoyed tags on cards and other stamped projects, and I know my new dies will get a workout.

Late last week, I made a pound cake for my husband--using my mother's delicious recipe, which I know he loves--and I made two mini cakes with the intention of giving one to my parents and one to my sister.  With a room full of craft supplies, it would have been rude to not present the mini cakes with fun packaging, right?

I didn't have the perfect size box, but the Tag a Bag Gift Boxes (retired) worked nicely with some pretty fabric tucked around the cake and filling the ends of the boxes.  I used a heart-shaped doily to adorn the plain brown craft paper band and, of course, I had to scatter some sequins on the doily.  The sentiment that I stamped on the tag is from the (retired) Yippee-Skippee stamp set.  I'll bet some of you kept that stamp set (like me) because it has some really cute sentiments!

We (the family) always think yellow when we think of my sister, so I tucked some of The Pioneer Woman's Charming Yellow Check fabric in her box and used a Daffodil Delight die-cut hole reinforcer on her tag.

Didn't these packages turn out cute?  The pound cake turned out pretty good, too.  :-)

BIRD HOUSE EASEL BIRTHDAY CARD

 

Cousin Mildred will celebrate her 80th birthday this week, so she deserved a special card.

How cute is this easel card that's shaped like a bird house?  The dies that I used to cut the bird house and those adorable birds are from Poppy Stamps, but all other products are from Stampin' Up!  In the photo below, you can see how easily the easel portion folds into shape.  I used fringe scissors to cut a grassy border to give the front of the card a place to rest.

And another view of the card on display:

I love that the die impresses a texture on the front of the bird house and, as you can see, this neat little card folds flat for mailing.  BTW, the leafy branch was cut from Pear Pizzazz cardstock, and then I used an Early Espresso marker to color the branch portion.

Let's talk about those adorable flowers.  I punched them in assorted colors using the soon-to-be-retired Confetti Flowers punch and then shaped them with a couple of McGill flower-shaping tools that I have had and loved for years!  It isn't really necessary to shape the flowers since they get flatten during mailing, but I like to hope they maintain a little bit of the shaped dimension.  After the flowers were punched, I laid them on a foam pad (the Simply Shammy might work for this) and used the appropriate sized ball tips of the McGill tools to shape each flower and leaf.  Did you notice the cute ladybug?  It's adorable on this card!

The sentiment that I chose is from the Quite Curvy stamp set.  It's perfect, right?

I didn't have an envelope in the perfect shade of yellow, but I thought this one would suffice.  It, too, was decorated with images from Quite Curvy and colored with Stampin' Blends.  Lately, I have really been enjoying those alcohol markers!  Interestingly, I have spent a small fortune on an assortment of Copic and Prismacolor alcohol markers in the past, but the absolute EASIEST to use (for someone who wants to just pick up markers and start coloring) have been Stampin' Blends.  I still have my Blendabilities from Stampin' Up! and use them along with the Blends.  The more I use Stampin' Up!'s alcohol markers, the more I appreciate that there's no guess work . . . you choose your color, and then apply the light and dark shades of that color to your stamped image and get beautiful blending and shading.  

Stampin' Up! products used to complete this card:

Dies:  Birds & More, Little Numbers (retired)

Punches:  Confetti Flowers, Bitty Blooms 

Stamp Set:  Quite Curvy

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Blends, Early Espresso Stampin' Write Marker

Cardstock:  Thick Whisper White, So Saffron, Pear Pizzazz, Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape, Poppy Parade, Mossy Meadow, Balmy Blue

Tools:  Fringe Scissors (retired), Stampin' Blends

Accessories:  Ladybug Trinkets, White Baker's Twine

GLIMMERY "DRAGONFLY GARDEN" SLIM CARD

One of the best things about being a card-maker is being able to make whatever size card you want.  Sometimes you might want a card to fit a particular envelope, and other times it might be necessary to tweak the size of the card to the size of the image you wish to use.

The tall, narrow image from Dragonfly Garden would certainly fit on a regular A2 size card, but doesn't it shine on this tall, slim design?  I wanted the dragonfly to be the focal point and was very pleased with how this card turned out.

I used Stampin' Blends to color the dragonfly.  The sentiment was stamped with Highland Heather ink onto a strip of white cardstock with distressed edges.  

I thought the sequins were a nice embellishment, but adding the So Saffron tab to the end of the sentiment strip was a nice decorative touch, along with the Baker's twine bow and rhinestone.  The finished card was approximately 3.5" x 8.5" and easily fit into a letter-size envelope.  

And, of course, the dragonfly wings had to have a touch of Wink of Stella glimmer!

"DARLING DONKEYS" BIRTHDAY CARD

This past Sunday was my daddy's birthday.  When I thought about what kind of card to make for him, I kept wondering if I should use seashells, sailboat, lighthouse, whiskey theme, die-cut tools, or maybe torn strips of designer paper and a large sentiment.  But then Stampin' Up!'s Darling Donkeys stamp set looked too fun to resist.  Although it's no longer available, it's a keeper and one that I will continue to enjoy.  The card that I ended up making was very heavily inspired by a very creative one designed by Lorri Heiling.  Isn't that one of the best things about making cards . . . there are so many samples to inspire you!  

I never intended for the fence top to be slanted--that was a mishap that took place after all of the donkeys had been stamped, colored, pain-stakingly cut out with scissors, and adhered in place.  Re-making the card would mean re-making (and cutting) all three donkeys, so I decided that this card represents a fence on a hill or a fence that has an issue with sinking.

It seems that there are so many cute ways to use the image of the donkey portrayed above as jumping for joy.  He can be jumping, flying, or kicking, and he can be happy or sassy.  That little guy sitting in the grass looks like he wishes there was something he could do about his crazy, out-of-control friend, but he certainly can't squeeze through the hole in the fence.  He is adorable, though!

In case you're wondering, the cardstock that I used for the card is Smoky Slate.  After embossing the front with the Pinewood Planks embossing folder, I used sponges to color the "fence" with Soft Suede and Smoky Slate ink.  

Even with the mishap, I was very pleased with this card--and daddy was, too!  I have previously sent a couple of donkey cards to my parents, and I figured one more wouldn't hurt.  

EASTER CARDS

My Easter cards this year featured Stampin' Up!'s Arrange a Wreath and Dragonfly Garden product bundles, along with Country Floral embossing folder, glimmer paper and cardstock accents featuring three of the Forever Flourishing dies, and an Iridescent Ice embossed sentiment.

Most of the cards were pretty much the same with slight variations.

The dragonflies were stamped onto Vellum cardstock, colored with Stampin' Blends markers, and then punched with the Dragonflies punch. 

 

Cardstock colors were Basic White, So Saffron, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, and Soft Sea Foam.

And a couple of the cards featured only dragonflies and no wreath.

I wish you a HAPPY EASTER and a HAPPY SPRING

COLORING DSP WITH STAMPIN' BLENDS

 

Some of my Stampin' Blends markers were scattered about on my desk, so I decided to put them to use.  I didn't stamp images to color this time . . . instead, I cut up a pretty piece of True Love designer paper which provided a LOT of floral bouquets that I can use on cards.

The colors that I worked with are:  Highland Heather, Night of Navy, Granny Apple Green, Pink Pirouette, Calypso Coral, and Daffodil Delight.  While I still have plenty yet to color, look at what I have ready to use:

Aren't they gorgeous?  Take a look at the first completed card featuring my colored bouquets:

Stampin' Up! products featured on my card include:

Stamp Set:  Very Versailles

DSP:  True Love

Cardstock:  Highland Heather, Whisper White

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Sahara Sand, Highland Heather

Stampin' Blends:  Highland Heather, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green

Punch:  Story Label

Embossing Folder:  Painted Texture 3D

Accessories:  Stampin' Dimensionals, Baker's Twine, Wink of Stella

The printed design on the True Love designer paper is so easy to color and cut out with scissors, and the Stampin' Blends make the colored designs look printed with the easy shading that can be accomplished with the markers.  I know some people don't enjoy coloring, but I find it very enjoyable and relaxing.  All of the coloring shown in this post was completed in one evening.

The glimmer from Wink of Stella doesn't always show up well in photos but, in the above photo, you can see that it added a lot to the flowers.  Besides adding glimmer, I think the Wink of Stella sharpens colored images.

Now tell the truth . . . are you ready to grab a handful of Stampin' Blends and start coloring?

"TASTEFUL TOUCHES" & FRIENDS

So maybe stamp sets don't really have friends (besides the stampers who use them), but that's what I'm calling the other products that I used along with Tasteful Touches to make this card.  Those "friends" are as follows:

In Good Taste designer paper

Gold Brushed Metallic paper

Dragonfly Garden stamp set

Stampin' Blends markers (Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Bay, Real Red, Daffodil Delight)

Sprig punch

Pool Party cardstock

Vellum cardstock

White cardstock

Wink of Stella

Although I like (and own) a lot of floral stamp sets, there are some that are simply a dream to color.  I don't always have time to dedicate to coloring, but when I do . . . I don't want to stop.  The floral image in Tasteful Touches is a fantastic flower for coloring and also for cutting out by hand.  This stamp set is one that every stamper should own!  It has beautiful sentiments, great background and "filler" images and, of course, what I consider a perfect flower because it's not too small, not too big, and just . . . well . . . perfect.  When it comes to coloring, I usually go for a water brush or Blender Pen and ink, but this time I used Stampin' Blends and wondered why I don't use them more often.  They're dreamy!

I already had some dragonflies stamped, punched, and colored (for the Easter cards I plan to make) so I gave one of them a place on this card but, as you can see, the one stamp set (Tasteful Touches) and a piece of In Good Taste designer paper would have been enough to give this card texture, bright color, and dimension. 

Stay tuned because I'll have another card in a couple of days that features these same pretty flowers.

APPLE BUILDER PUNCH + HARVEST HELLOS

 

I haven't had a lot of time lately for stamping, but I treated myself to a card-making session last night.  It was so enjoyable!  I actually made this card three times before I got it the way I wanted, but any stamper knows that sometimes that's the case.

For my card, I used Stampin' Up!'s Apple Builder punch:

and Harvest Hellos stamp set:

I've had these products for a couple of months, but this was the first time that I've used them.  The apple punch is a keeper, and I love the size of the apple!  Of course, being able to use the same punch to create a pumpkin and jack-o-lantern is a bonus!  I kept my card clean and simple and was quite pleased with it:

Product details for this card:

Stamp Set:  Harvest Hellos

Cardstock/Paper:  White, Real Red, Granny Apple Green, Watercolor Paper, Berry Delightful

Ink:  Granny Apple Green, Real Red, So Saffron, Early Espresso, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Black

Punch/Dies:  Apple Builder, Tasteful Labels

Embossing Folder:  Brick & Mortar

Accessories:  Blender Pen, Sponge Dauber, White Baker's Twine, Wink of Stella

The apple and leaf images were stamped on Granny Apple Green cardstock using Granny Apple Green ink and then the apple image was stamped again onto Real Red cardstock using Real Red ink.  The apple stem image was stamped with Early Espresso ink onto the same color cardstock, and then the punch was used to cut those images.  Wink of Stella was used on the highlight lines on the apples.  The front of the card was embossed, and then I adhered the designer paper to the bottom half of the card front.  After stamping the sentiment on a scrap of Real Red cardstock, it was die-cut and adhered to the top left of the card.  It was a circle shape, but I trimmed the part of the circle that extended beyond the top of the card.  I assembled the apple pieces and decided on the placement of them.  Before adhering them into place, I used Soft Suede ink to stamp the twisted sprig image.  I know that image is more appropriate for pumpkins, but I couldn't resist using it.  

Coloring the apple slice was a bit tricky.  Leaving it white with a red peel added nothing to the card!  After playing around with how to color the image and which colors to use, I found that I had the most control of color with the Blender Pen and ink.  I used Real Red for the peel, So Saffron for the white area, and the core portion was a mix of Sahara Sand and So Saffron--with an Early Espresso colored seed.  It's amazing how coloring the image really brought it to life.

I don't know how this stamp set and punch didn't turn my head before, but I thoroughly enjoyed working with the two.  I hadn't planned to use a sentiment from the stamp set because I didn't pay much attention to them but, after taking another look, I discovered that I love that they appear to have been typed on an old typewriter.  [squeal]

So there you have it.  A fun and cheery card that's perfect for any time!  

SEWING PROJECT: WIP BAG W/VINYL FRONT

What's a "WIP" bag?

It's a work-in-progress bag that holds all (or most) of the items needed to complete a project, and the bags that I made have a quilted back and see-through vinyl front.  

I've made 5 of these bags so far, but the two that I'm sharing today were made for my mother and sister.  They're my fourth and fifth versions and, while I'm pretty proud of how they turned out, I don't share them as an example of perfection because they are NOT perfect.  Sewing is still new to me, and sewing vinyl is a tricky thing.  And . . . anyone who has sewn binding knows that it's one of the most dreaded parts of a project that requires it.  

First up is the bag that I made for my mother:

The bag is approximately 12" x 13" with a zippered top to keep items securely inside.  As I mentioned already, the front is see-through vinyl so that the contents can be easily seen without opening the bag.

From the angle of the above photo, you can see down into the bag.  I machine-quilted the back, and you can get a glimpse of the vinyl front.

The second bag (below) was made for my sister:

Again, the back of the bag was machine-quilted.

Of course, a sweet little card was made for my mother and sister, and I tucked the card inside their bag.

The card was kept very simple.  I used a blending brush to apply Balmy Blue ink to the center of the card front.  The stamped images are from the Quite Curvy stamp set.

What do you think of these bags?  They really are quite handy!  I've been carrying one with me when I take my husband for his chemo and infusion visits and have enjoyed having something to do while I wait in the car.

FREEHAND RAINBOW HELLO

This post will be as short and sweet as the card I'm sharing today.  It was a fast one to make, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process--which was 100% freehand with a Tombow calligraphy pen, Stampin' Up!'s Watercolor Pencils, and a Blender Pen.

I began by using a pencil to write H-E-L-L-O and then traced the letters with my Tombow permanent ink pen.  Although the pencil lines were no longer visible, I used an eraser over the letters to make sure they were gone since I wasn't sure how they'd react with the Blender Pen.  And then the fun coloring began.  In each letter, I mixed two colors, and the neighboring letter included a "rainbow progressive" color from the previous letter.  Once the coloring was complete, I used the Tombow pen to write "Oh" and "there".  As you can imagine, the card looked quite plain.  The addition of the tiny triangles and dots added just enough pizzazz, and I kept them to the right of the card since I wanted to use twine on the left edge.

This may have been my first try at freehand text on a card, but it won't be my last.  As a matter of fact, I look forward to creating a set of cards similar to this one.

What are your thoughts?