For the next three cards I used the Nature Walk stamp set. Sorry for the quality of my pictures. I find that I get the best light when I take the picture outside but these have a lot of shadows. I loved the black and white cards from the Occasions mini pages 24 & 25 so I wanted to make my own. I used the new First Edition DSP, Black and Vanilla paper. The black paper was embossed using the Vintage Walllpaper EF and the flowers on this card and the next one uses the Flower Fusion Sizzlet die. And of course I added a Vintage Brad.

For the second card I kept it simple and used Soft Suede and Burgandy card stock. I used my Sanded background stamp to add a little something extra. Another favorite is the Victoria trim ribbon.

The last card uses Soft Suede, Cherry and Artichoke paper. These are some of my favorite colors.

So much fun. I love all of Stampin Up's accessories!!!

New Toys

I have been playing around with some of the new things I got from the Occasions Mini catalog. I love, love, love the new Fun Flowers Big Z die. To make the above flower on the "Just for You" card I die cut the flowers, sponged them with soft suede ink and then ran them through the crimper a bunch of times (10 - 20) Then I crumpled them up, flatened them out and separated the paper. It starts to break apart after its been crumpled and crimped. I also used my favorite accessory - Antiques brads.

The other items used on these cards are the Framed Tulips embossing folder. I love the way this embossing folder just adds a look that completes the card. It is elegant yet not too busy.

Another toy is the Build a Blossom stamp set and matching punch. I debated about this set and punch for quite a while but I am so happy I got it. I plan on making Mother's day cards with this set.

Some of the supplies used are as follows:

Just for you card: Baja Breeze, soft suded and Elegant Soiree DSP, Framed Tulip embossing folder, Afterthoughts stamp set, Fun Flowers Big Z die, Suede craft ink and clear embossing powder, baja breeze seam binding.

Bliss card: Soft suede, pink pirouette, card stock, retired pink brads, 1 1/4" striped PIP ribbon, Soft suede craft ink and clear embossing powder, Bliss stamp set (saleabration) and French Script background stamp. I got the idea for this card on the February Stampin Success Magazine.

Build a Blossom card: For this card I used soft suede and crumb cake ink, Build a Blossom stamp set and punch, Vintage Flower Adornments (Occasions mini), Elements of Style stamp set for the sentiment.

Teacher Gift Class

Above are pictures of the projects we are going to make for teacher gifts. They would also be great Mother's day gifts. Included is a decorated clear stamp case with a pocket inside and a notepad, a matching card and matching gift card holder. I got the tutorial for the gift card holder in the resources section of splitcoaststampers.com. The card idea came from here.
I love the way these projects turned out. I wanted something otherthan the usual teacher stuff this year (such as pencils, apples, etc.)

The supplies used are as follows:

Stamps: Easter Blossoms (Occasions Mini), Bliss (Saleabration), Elements of Style (the sentiment), Curly Cute (for the "Thank You")

Paper: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Vanilla, Springtime Vintage DSP (Occasions Mini)

Ink: White craft ink, baja breeze, not quite navy

Other: Fun Flowers BigZ die, Scallop trim border punch,Vintage Flower Adornments, Vintage Brads, Baja Breeze seam binding, Clear mount stamp cases

More Bakery shop cards

I have made several bakery shop cards using a technique I saw on youtube. For this first card I used the "Crazy for Cupcakes" set. The cardstock is regal rose, chocolate chip, whisper white, retired DSP. I had a heck of a time masking off the cupcakes to get the 3 cupcakes on the left side of the card. I finally got it to work and love how it turned out. The hardest part of creating a card is figuring all of the measurements out.


















The stamp set was from the Birthday Bakery level one stamp set. I also used the polkadot embossing folder.

This is the inside of the card. For the

sentiment I used the level one hostess set "Afterthoughts". The cupcake are again from the "Create a Cupcake" stamp set and punch.

Lots of Cupcakes

This card uses the Elegant Lines Embossing folder, Create a Cupcake stamp set and punch and some old DSP. I love the regal rose color for the cupcakes. It makes me hungry just looking at it.

Other items used: 2 3/8" scallop circle punch and the scallop trim border punch, dazzeling diamonds glitter.

I love how these birthday tags turned out. I followed a tutorial I found on youtube to make the top of the awning. For the front of the tag I used the "Crazy for Cupcakes" stamp set. And for the back I used the "Create a Cupcake" stamp set and punch from the Occasions mini. I saw some cards my upline Jill did using this set with red and white and wanted to try it on a smaller scale.

Here are a few more birthday tags I made. For this I used the Occasions mini set create a cupcake. At first I didn't think I wanted this set, but I have been using it quite a bit lately. I want to make a bunch of tags as they are great to add to a gift when my son has a birthday party.

Warm Words and a case

Quite a while back I saw a card my upline Jill made using the "Warm Words" stamp set as the stems of flowers. I have been wanting to try this for some time. I used the Floral Fusion Sizzlets Die to cut the flowers. It is hard to see in the pictures but I stamped the paper before I cut the flowers and then sponged the edges.

The designer paper is a level hostess set. The ribbon is the Pear Pizzazz seam binding.

This is a picture of the inside of the card. I guess I am ready for spring!!! The sentiment is from a retired set "Blooming with Love".

More Valentines cards

This card was fun to make. The colors are very vanilla and riding hood red. I used the Love Letter DSP. I used Riding hood Red ink on my background stamp En Francais and stamped on the polka dot paper. I used two embossing folders - Square lattace (on the vanilla) and the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder on the Ridinghood red paper. I love the way the embossing adds so much to a card. The ribbon was purchased from clearance rack a few months back.

This is one of my favorite cards. The green DSP is from the Holiday mini (no longer available). I stamped the flourish from the Baroque Motifs stamp set in my old olive craft ink and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. The rose red card stock was embossed with the square lattace embossing folder. I love the flower heart from the Filled with Love stamp set.

I also made these cards when I was using my Riding Hood Red, Espresso, and crumb cake paper. This is one of my favorite color combinations. I love, love, love the reds.

These next two cards were made with the Lots of Love letterpress plates. They are both available in the Occasions Mini catalog.

I made this last card as a valentine card for my husband. This is about as masculine a card as I get.

Thanks for stopping by.

Wow its been a long time since I posted.

Just becuase I haven't posted anything on my blog doesn't mean I haven't been stamping. I did a ton of stamping for Christmas but have chosen not to post these as I am so ready to stamp something else.

Instead of spending hours posting in a day I thought I would break it down and post a few here and there.

Today's cards are all made using the stamp set "Greeting Card Kids". I have to admit that I don't own this stamp set and had to borrow it from my friend and upline Jill.

This card is pretting simple. For the background I used Pretty in Pink (pip) and the new Lots of Love letterpress plate that I purchased from the holiday mini. I used versamark ink on the plate and ran it through the big shot. The scallops were made using the Tasteful Trim Bigz Die also from the holiday mini. It is such a soft looking card and like how it turned out.


I would have to say that this is my favorite card. So many tools used on this card. I also purchased the Heart Pressed letterpress plate from the Occasions mini catalog. I used white craft ink on the plate and ran it through the Big Shot. I love how it turned out - subtle. The half scallop circle was made from the Petal Cone Bigz L Die also from the occasions mini catalog. The pink was embossed with Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder. The button I got from the clearance rack a few months ago. I love these buttons and brads!!!! It was so much fun to make this card - I made 5 extra to send to my aunts.

The colors used on this card are ridinghood red, espresso and crumb cake. I love, love, love this color combination. (You will be seeing it again). For this card I used the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. The scallop square was made using the Scallop Square Duo Bigz Die. I must love this layout as I used it alot.

My other favorite stamp set is the Tiny Tags set with matching tag punch. This set is great with the vintage trinkets (which include the tiny brads and vintage safety pins.

My last card was made using ridinghood red again. This time I paired it with black and the Love Letter DSP.

These cards were so much fun to make.

I will post more soon!!!

Here are a couple of cards I made using the Day of Gratitude stamp set along with the medallion background stamp. I saw something similar on splitcoaststampers but didn't note the original. I will be better about that in the future. Sad to say I made two other fun cards that I forgot to take pictures of before I used them.

Welcome Christmas

I absolutely love the "Welcome Christmas" stamp set. I have been having fun playing with it. Here are a couple of the cards I came up with. I have made a set of coasters using the kids and the sled that I will photograph and post later. The first card uses crumb cake, Not Quite Navy and Baja Breeze paper. I don't love this combination but wanted to try something different.

Come to Bethlehem stamp set cards

Here are a couple of cards I made with the "Come to Bethlehem" stamp set. I used shimmer paint on the second picture (although it doesn't photograph well.) I have redone these cards using my Night of Navy craft ink rather than the classic ink. I will post these later. The image is much more bold with the craft ink. The paper lace technique I got from here.

Fun with Punch Potpourri Hostess set

I have been playing around with the heart from the hostess level one Punch Potpourri set. The card designs are very similar but I made some slight changes. I think the one using the riding hood red is my favorite. I also used my Big Shot movers and shapers to cut the heart. For the embossing I used my brayer to roll crumb cake ink onto the Elegant Lines embossing folder. Then I ran it through the Big Shot using vanilla paper. I saw the technique on splitcoaststampers but I can't remember where. I will be using this technique more in the future.

More "Because I Care" Cards

I have enjoyed the level 1 hostess set "Because I Care" a lot. I think it is currently one of my most used stamp sets. Here are three more cards I came up with.

For the above card I used Espresso, Cherry and crumb cake paper. My favorite part of this card is the taffeta ribbon and safety pin from the vintage trinkets accessories. I also used the French Filigree background stamp set using crumb cake ink.

I cased this card from the latest issue of Stampin Success (a magazine for Stampin Up demonstrators). I embossed the flower and sentiment using versamark ink and gold embossing powder. I also used the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. This card is simple but elegant. It would also make a great anniversary, wedding, or sympathy card.

For the last card I used Marina mist paper and ink. The punch is one of my favorites and can be found on page 25 of the holiday mini catalog. I have been using the Vintage Wallpaper EF a lot but I have to admit that I think the Final Press EF used on this card is one of my favorites.

Cracked Glass Technique- Lovely as a Tree

For these two cards I used the cracked glass technique found here. This is one of my favorite stamps sets (Lovely as a Tree)- it is timeless and so versatile.

For the first card I used Espresso, Artichoke and Vanilla paper. I stamped the tree using the espresso ink. Then I used my woodgrain background stamp over it. If you double click on the picture you can enlarge it to see this better. Then I used the cracked glass technique. The hardest part was holding the paper and trying not to burn myself with the heat gun. I used my Vintage Wallpaper EF for the texture. I also sponged espresso ink on top to make it look more vintage.

This bottom card is very similar to the top one with a few minor changes. I used cajun and crumb cake paper instead of the artichoke. When I stamped the tree. I stamped it in cajun ink first then rolled my stamp in the espresso ink. I got to use some of my favorite accessores on this card - the espresso taffeta ribbon and the vintage trinkets. I also used the Tiny Tags stamp set and punch for the mini tags on the safety pin.

I have been having such a good time stamping lately. I think I have taken some of the pressure off myself when making a card and just having fun playing with my stuff.

TFL.

I have been wanting to try some new techniques and www.splitcoaststampers.com has some great tutorials and this was one of them. The tutorial can be found here. It is hard to see in the picture but I stamped one of the leaves from the Autumn Splendor set on the espresso paper using espresso ink. The I embossed it using my square lattace EF. The paper on the right of the card is actually gold paper that I stamped with the woodgrain background. I stamped the large leaf from the Autumn Spendor set using chocolate chip craft ink then embossed with clear embossing powder. I did this on the polished stone paper I made. Finally, I stamped the sentiment from the Day of Gratitude stamp set using versamark and gold embossing powder. Despite the above description it actually went together fairly quickly (which is good for me as it usually takes me a LONG time to come up with a layout.)

A birthday card for a friend

This card is for my friend Heidi who had a birthday this last Thursday. I used the thumping technique on the flourish stamp. I first stamped the image in Baja Breeze ink then used my Not Quite Navy marker to thump (color) various parts of the stamp. I also used my new Very Vintage Roller. I used Baja Breeze ink on Baja Breeze paper. The embossing was done with my favorite embossing folder - final press.

Day of Gratitude Cards

I have been really busy making a lot of cards. I usually have a hard time using my DSP. Most of the cards I make are without any DSP. I love Stampin Up's Designer paper. Once I purchase it I always have a ton left over - so my goal is to try and use it more on my cards. Another reason it is hard to use is because when I only get two pages of each design I have to be careful when planning my craft night so that there is enough paper to go around. But here is what I came up with for some of my fall cards.
I knew when I saw the Day of Gratitude stamp set I wanted it. And the thick textured DSP is so beautiful and fun.

For this card I used a Sizzix tags die I got at Michaels. Don't you just love the buttons that Stampin Up has? I love that the colors match perfectly. I embossed with the Polka Dots embossing folder and the Autumn Spice DSP. Also, I love the deep rich color of the cajun craze paper & ink.


Again, on this card I wanted to use my new tag dies for the Big Shot. Besides using the Day of Gratitude stamp set I also used my new woodgrain background stamp (it is hard to see in the picture because I wanted a real light background). I used crumb cake ink on the woodgrain stamp and stamped off once. The leaves are from the Autumn Splendor stamp set. I colored them using my blender pens and ink pads (I got the coloring technique from here.

This last card is one of my favorites. For the main image I used the Wandering Words stamp set that was in last years holiday mini (I just didn't use it enough last year and couldn't wait to bring it back out). I colored the stamp with my markers. Again, I used the Polka Dot embossing folder. On the green DSP I used my Baroque Motifs stamp using old olive ink. I stamped the leaf using the Day of Gratitude stamp set and then cut the leaves out and used dimensionals. This card took me awhile to come up with but I had a great time creating it!!

TFL

Halloween M&M Treat holders

I recently received my Wicked Fun DSP and couldn't wait to use it. However, I do have to admit that I have a hard time cutting the paper. I don't want to make a mistake because once its cut it will never go back. For the Frankenstein M&M holder I cased Becky Roberts here. Then I just varied this template to make the additional 3 designs.

Stamps Used: Wicked Cool, Batty for you, Smarty Pants, Teeny Tiny Wishes