Thinking of You

On a piece of Soft Sky cardstock (Stampin' Up!), I stamped one of the images from Stampin' Up!'s Baroque Motifs using Versafine Onyx Black ink.  I love that stamp set; too bad it's retired.

I then cut a piece of black cardstock and punched one long edge using a Fiskars Border Punch; unfortunately, they don't put the names of the punches on them and I bought it long before I realized I should label things.  The blue stitched ribbon was a clearance item from Stampin' Up!, and the white ribbon on top of that is from my stash, probably purchased at the dollar store.  At the very bottom of the card I stamped one of the borders from Fiskars' Borders-a-Plenty, again in Black Onyx ink.

The sentiment is Thinking of You Script by Sweet Impressions.  I cut it out using one of the Spellbinders Twisted Metal Tags and Accents, then drew around it to cut a mat out of black cardstock.  To finish the card, I used some enamel dots from My Mind's Eye, which gave some interest to the empty space on the top right of the card.

Thanks

The only time I have used this stamp set - Posh Motifs and Trimby Inkadinkado - is on this card, which is really too bad since I really like it!  Anyway, I started by stamping the large image on Pink Pirouette cardstock (Stampin' Up!) using Heliotrope ink by Color Box.  I used one of the dies from the Classic Rectangles Large (Spellbinders) to cut it out.  I cut a slightly bigger mat from a piece of yellow cardstock from my stash.  Using the same ink I stamped another motif from the set on the pink cardstock, cutting it out with one of the Standard Circles Small (Spellbinders); it was layered on another piece of yellow that I cut out with one of the Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Circles Small.  Finally, I stamped my sentiment (Thanks by Simon Says Stamp), and cut it out using one of Spellbinders' Classic Rectangles Large, and layered it on top of one of the Spellbinders' Fleur de Lis Rectangles.

All of these elements were mounted on a piece of Elegant Eggplant cardstock (Stampin' Up!), along with a piece of lace and ribbon from my stash.  The gems are by The Paper Studio, and I attached them with Glossy Accents, which is a really strong adhesive.

Happy Anniversary

This card doesn't need much explanation, so here are the "ingredients":

Patterned paper:  Cherish paper pad by Authentique (6" x 6")
Sentiment:  Happy stamp set by Simon Says Stamp
Ink:  Memento Bamboo Leaves (sentiment); Memento Angel Pink (sponging over sentiment)
Die:  Spellbinders Twisted Metal Tags and Accents
Accessories:  ribbon; sponge dauber; Glossy Accents (to glue bow)

Birthday Blessings

I started this card by running my cardstock through my Cuttlebug using the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder from Stampin' Up.  It's no longer available, but you can probably find it on eBay.  I ran a white pigment ink pad lightly over the top of the embossing.

The sentiment is a single stamp by Verve (no longer available), that I stamped with Versamagic Perfect Plumeria ink.  I then cut it out with one of the Classic Oval dies by Spellbinders; before I removed it from the die, I sponged on some Versacolor Ash Rose ink.  I cut another oval, ran some Versamark ink (a clear, sticky ink) over the edge, then embossed it with some silver embossing powder.  I also cut one of the Spellbinders Labels One and layered a Spellbinders Decorative Labels One underneath. 

On the bottom of the card, I placed some lace underneath a white ribbon, then affixed a folded pink ribbon in the center using a brad from the Stampin' Up set Antique Brads.

Thinking of You

The blue background was embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, one of my favorites!  The patterned paper is from my stash, as is the lace on either side.

The ribbon is from a roll I picked up at the dollar store.

I stamped the sentiment in Memento Bahama Blue ink, then cut it out with one of the Spellbinders Small Ovals.  I adhered it to one of the Spellbinders Floral Ovals.  For the rectangle part - from the bottom up - Spellbinders Lattice Rectangles and two of the Spellbinders Classic Rectangles.

All the pearls on the card are by Recollections (Michael's).

Happily Ever After

This is another of those simple cards that I really like.

All the hearts were cut with paper from my scrap box using a Spellbinders Classic Hearts die.  I embossed the left side of the card using the "Dots" embossing folder from Just My Type by Cuttlebug.  It left a ridge on the inside edge, so I fixed that by using my Martha Stewart Scoring Board to score a line from the back side of the card.  The sentiment is from the Lots of Thoughts set by Stampin' Up! (retired, but check eBay).

For Someone Special

I stamped the sentiment, which is from the Watermill set by Stampin' Up! (retired), then traced over it with a Sakura Clear Stardust pen.  I cut it out with one of the Spellbinders Standard Circles Large.  I also cut two sizes of Spellbinders Labels Five and two of the pieces from Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Accents, layering all of them together.  The lace and ribbon are from my stash.  Simple card.

I started by embossing the purple piece of cardstock with the Damask embossing folder by Darice, using my Cuttlebug.  After mounting the piece on a piece of black cardstock, I wrapped a piece of silver ribbon around the middle.  My scrap box furnished the tree papers on the left side of the card, which I cut to different lengths and layered on more black cardstock.

The circle was stamped in Versamark ink with one of the stamps from Stampin' Up!'s Baroque Motifs set (I love this one, but sadly, it's no longer available), then embossed with black embossing powder.  I cut it out with one of the Spellbinders Standard Circles Small dies.  It is layered on a scalloped circle.

To finish the card, I stamped Happy Birthday (Hero Arts) in Versamark ink and embossed it with silver embossing powder.  It is cut out with one of the Classic Rectangles Large and layered onto one of the Lattice Rectangles.

Thinking of You

Today's card is a variation on the one I shared here.  It's the same size, and fits in a business sized envelope.

The background is a piece of patterned paper I had in my stash, which I cut slightly smaller so I had a border around it with a light purple cardstock.

Using my Cuttlebug, I cut one size from the Nested Lacey Pennants set by Spellbinders five times from white cardstock.  Then, from scraps of patterned paper, I cut five Nested Pennants (Spellbinders) and layered them on top of the Lacey Pennants after rounding the corners.

The small circles were cut using the smallest die from Spellbinders' Standard Circles Small set after I stamped either a flower (Avery Elle Simply Tags Christmas) or heart (Simon Says Stamp Pillow Talk).  I used Color Box ink in either Royal Silk or Sapphire Silk (both discontinued).

I used a piece of natural twine to create a "clothesline" to attach my pennants to.  The tiny birds are from a Memory Box die called Resting Birds.  Aren't they cute?

The sentiment is from Thinking of You Kite by Hero Arts.  The butterflies were punched using a really old punch I have in my collection.

Get Well Card

My dad was seriously ill last spring.  My mom and brother told me that I didn't need to hop on a plane, so in addition to lots of prayer, I did what I always do and made a card.

These cards were my inspiration.   I started by looking through my scrap box (which is organized by color, thanks to my awesome daughter) and choosing some that worked well together.  I cut them to the same width and different lengths, cutting a fishtail on one end.  The wheelbarrow is from the Countryside set by Stampin' Up! (retired) and is cut out with Spellbinders Standard Circles Small.

The sentiment is from a really old set that I got before I knew how important it would be to keep my stamps labeled.  <smile>  After stamping it and cutting the cardstock into a rectangle, I cut fishtails into both ends, then I took some grommets from my collection and put them on either end.  Both the wheelbarrow piece and the sentiment were attached to the background with pop dots.  The baker's twine is from Darice.

Dad is doing much better now.  2014 was a rough year for both my parents; we're hoping 2015 proves to be better.

Anniversary Card

This is one of those cards that looked better in my head than in real life.  I sent it anyway.  :)

You can't really see it in the picture, but the background of the card was done with the Mystic M-Bossabilities folder, side B.  On top of that is a piece of vellum that I stamped with one of the images from Stampin' Up's Flowering Flourishes using Versamark ink and then embossed with clear embossing powder.  The sentiment is from another Stampin' Up! set simply called Congratulations.  It was stamped in Chocolate Impress dye ink.  To finish the card, I placed pearls at each corner of the vellum where I glued it to the base card with Tombow Mono Multi Glue.  I also placed a few pearls on the stamped image.  I finished off the card with a brown bow that I created with my Bow Easy.

Thinking of You

I wish I had something other than cards to share with you, but I wasn't able to do much else during 2014 due to all the tendinitis I have in my elbow and one shoulder.  I have missed cross stitching; in fact, I just finished the ornament for my daughter and son-in-law!  Since I am a slow stitcher and can't stitch for more than an hour at a time, it takes a long time to finish anything.  I still have to stitch my other daughter's ornament.  I think I will just give them two ornaments this year.

I started this card by stamping flowers from Stampin' Up!s Sweet Stems set, which is now retired, in Versafine Onyx Black ink.  I then cut them out using a Spellbinders Classic Ovals Large die, then matting them with Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Ovals Large.  The ribbon behind the ovals is from the dollar store, and the rhinestones are Pretty Pink from Queen & Co.  I attached them with Glossy Accents since I wanted to make sure they would stay on the ribbon.

For the sentiment, I cut it three times using the Thinking of You die from Simon Says Stamp, then glued them on top of each other using little dots of Tombow Mono Multi Glue.  I glued them to the card with more of the Tombow glue.

My inspiration for this card can be found here.

Psalm 96:4

Today I have another card using the Psalm 96:4 stamp I used on my last card.  My inspiration card can be found here.

To start, I embossed the white piece using Wildflower Gate by Anna Griffin (Cuttlebug).  I then cut rectangles from a patterned paper in the Front Porch 6" x 6" paper pad by Pebbles, adding a V cut in one end. 

I cut one of the tags from Fancy Tags by Spellbinders and sponged it with Colonial Blue ink by Memories.  I then stamped the verse (Biblical Impressions) using Versafine Black Onyx ink.

The ribbon is, I believe, from Stampin' Up.  The buttons are from my stash; I layered two of them together, used white embroidery floss to tie a bow to keep them together, and glued them my card with Glossy Accents.

The Lord is Great

Today's card uses a stamp set I reach for many times:  Baroque Motifs from Stampin' Up!  Unfortunately, it's no longer available, although the digital version is.

My card is almost an exact copy of the one I found here on Splitcoast Stampers.  The paper I used is Soft Suede by Stampin' Up!, white, and blue from the Seaside pack by The Paper Company, which I found at JoAnn's.  The brown ink is Chocolate by Impress; the blue is Ballet Blue by Stampin' Up!

For the squares, I used Spellbinders Classic Squares, both large and small.  By combining the two sets, I was able to cut squares that were each 1/4" larger than the previous one.  I couldn't do that for the rectangles, so I just used my paper trimmer to cut the brown layer 1/4" larger than the stamped piece.

The stamp is an old one by Biblical Impressions.  In fact, a lot of my supplies for this card are older ones!  I tend to hold on to ink pads and stamps that I like rather than getting rid of them.

A pearl in Brilliant Blue by Queen & Co. finished off the card.

The Mighty One Will Save

It's been so long since I've blogged that I'm having a difficult time matching the Post-It Notes I write out for each card I make to the cards, so rather than waste time combing through each one and trying to blog about each one in chronological order, I'll just see what I can easily match up and go from there.  You'll never know when I actually made the card, right?

First up is a card I believe I made as part of the widow's encouragement project at my church. It is 5" x 7".

This verse from Zephaniah 3:17 is one of my favorites, so when I saw the stamp over at Verve Stamps, I had to get it. 

I started by stamping the verse in Versafine Onyx Black ink on one of the ovals from Spellbinders Large Classic Ovals.  I sponged the oval with Memento Angel Pink ink.  I then cut one of the motifs from Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Accents four times, then arranging them around the oval. 

 

The background paper and sheer pink ribbon are from my stash.  The rhinestone spray is by Recollections (Michael's).  

Birthday Card

My daughter, Grace, celebrated her 23rd birthday at the end of June.  Her husband suggested I make a feminine card instead of one with monkeys on it as I was thinking of doing.

My card combines several different ideas.  This one is the basic idea, while this one at Splitcoaststampers.com inspired the rest of the front.

To figure out how to make the card base, I watched the excellent video by Becca Feeken on YouTube.

My card base was made using Spellbinders Decorative Labels Eight.  The next layer I cut with Spellbinders Labels Eight, then embossed the oval on the top with Designer Frames by Sizzix for Stampin' Up!  Using my Stamp-a-ma-jig, I stamped my words in the oval.  (The stamp is from the set Salutations by Anna Griffin, and the ink is Violet pigment ink by Color Box.)  Finally, I ran just the bottom of the panel through my Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots embossing folder.  The ribbon was a last minute addition.

It was fun to learn a new technique, one I know I will continue to use often. 

Anniversary Card

This card required a lot of cutting with my Cuttlebug, but the results were definitely worth it!

My card is almost an exact copy of the ones here.   Like my inspiration, I started by cutting nine motifs with one of the Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Pendants.  I then used 1/4" Pop Dots, which I cut in half, to affix them to my card base.  Each motif except for the center one received a pearl in its center.  My focal image was stamped and then cut out with Spellbinders Fancy Tags Three.  I cut an oval to fit behind the center to give it some color before using more Pop Dots to affix it to my card.

Graduation Card

Our nephew graduated from high school in early June.  You guessed it - I made him a card.

The card is really very simple.  The decorative paper (Paper Pizazz) was cut using Spellbinders Labels Eight, then mounted on a piece of red cardstock (even though it looks orange in the picture).  The Diploma stamp is by Inkadinkado, which I stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and cut out with Spellbinders Classic Ovals.  I then mounted it on a larger oval, cut with the same set.

The Congratulations stamp is by Uptown Rubber Stamps.  I used a water-based marker to color it, then stamped it on white cardstock, again mounting it on a piece of black.  Both the diploma and congratulations were affixed to the card using 1/4" pop dots.

Personal news:  I am scheduled for knee replacement surgery on Tuesday, July 23.  At the time I am writing this blog post (about 10 days prior to it going live), my pain level continues to increase.  I use a cane whenever I go out, but I told my husband that I think my shopping days are pretty much over for now.  (Thank goodness for Amazon!)  I don't really know what to expect as far as recovery goes - it may be more difficult because I have fibromyalgia - but I know that it will be worth it to finally have a knee that works.  (I have had problems with my knee since my late teens.)  I don't know when I will be able to blog again - we have a lot of appointments between July 1 and July 18 -  but I do hope to get some crocheting and maybe cross stitch done while I am recovering, so as long as I can remember to take pictures, I will have projects to share.  And if I am able to schedule a few more posts in advance, I will do just that!

Mother's Day Cards

I made matching Mother's Day cards for both our moms this year, although I did put different poems on the inside of each.

My inspiration card is here.

I tried something new for my sentiment.  Many months ago when I was at the large Michael's Arts and Crafts store near here, I found a starter set of Silhouette Sketch Pens.  These are designed to replace the cutting blade in my Silhouette Portrait.  I found a font I liked and after sketching my words, I cut them out using one of the dies in the Spellbinders Floral Ovals set.  I then used a larger Floral Oval die and cut it out of the purple cardstock.  1/4" Pop Dots were used to pop up both ovals.

For my background, I ran a piece of white cardstock through my Cuttlebug with the Spellbinders M-bossabilities embossing folder, Mystic, using side B.

Right before mounting all of that on another piece of purple cardstock, I put a piece of silver ribbon around it, then tied a "cheater's bow" on one end.

It was fun to learn how to use the sketch pens, and I will certainly use them again!

Anniversary Card

My daughter and son-in-law celebrated their third wedding anniversary at the end of May.  I can't believe it's been that long already!  Here is the card I made for them.

The card I used for inspiration (and pinned to Pinterest, of course) was posted on Splitcoaststampers.  For my version, I used Spellbinders Fancy Tags Three; my stamp didn't have a manufacturer listed on it.  I popped the sentiment up on 1/4" Pop Dots.  To create the bow, I used my Bow Easy, a great tool for anyone who makes bows.

Straightforward and pretty!