Plain & Simple

Many people complain that they just don't have the time to scrap or stamp, but what they don't realize is that plain & simple can be easy and just as nice. In this card example, I went to my scraps stash to see what I had to work with. I found this strip of Creamy Carmel cardstock wheeled with the So Swirly wheel in carmel ink, a piece of brown grosgrain ribbon and scraps of Ivory Naturals, Chocolate Chip and Pacific Point cardstock.

My quick solution was to go with a neutral Soft Vanilla background for the card and one color of ink: Chocolate chip. I used my scallop square and 3/4" punches to give this card some added interest. Notice that I mounted the punched out circle element from the b is for birthday stamp on the brown scalloped cardstock. By mounting the simple, 1 color stamped element onto a vibrant color that shows through the center of the b, it gives the card a focal element against the neutral tones used throughout. I used my glue glider pro with Perma Tac adhesive on the card and used some Crop n' Glue Ribbon Adhesive to mount the knotted ribbon. Duplicate this card idea in 5 minutes or less using the Party Hearty stamp set from Stampin'  Up!® along with your color choices.

Some other fun color combinations to try:

White, Black, Grey + Vibrant color

Or try some monochromatic colors: Pirouette Pink, Pretty in Pink, Riding Hood Red or Bravo Burgandy  Or mix in a patterned paper in place of the wheeled pattern or scallop punched CS.

Remember that when you get discouraged, head to your stash pile of pre-stamped items, paper scraps and extra embellishments to kick start the process. You will feel so satisfied when you get to "recycle" those into a fantastic card or project. Happy Creating!

Birthday Card "Spot"light

Now is the time to earn a FREE Stampin’ Up!® Spring/Summer catalog & idea book, by placing an online order on my SU website. Hurry, this offer is good while supplies last! Also, it is Sale-A-Bration time, and you can choose a FREE S-A-B product with the purchase of $50 in merchandise. Or two FREE ITEMS with $100, etc. It is the best time to scrape together your scrap and stamp funds to take advantage of these bonus giveaways!

CS Colors used: Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive and Whisper White.

Love You Gingham Card

Carrying on with my love of the Bella Rose Designer Paper and A Happy Heart Stamp set, here is another quick card idea using Riding Hood Red ink and a Pretty in Pink marker. The white accents were done with a white gel pen. I used a 1/2" circle punch to raise up the encircled heart with Stampin’ Dimensionals adhesive foam. I used my Glue Arts® Glue Glider Pro with Perma Tac adhesive cartridge on the rest of the card. The cardstock is Real Red, Whisper White & Pretty in Pink from Stampin’ Up!®. Order these and other products on my Stampin’ Up!® website. 

Love - buttoned up no more!

I wanted to show that you don’t have to spend a lot of time to create a great card. This card is called “Buttoned Up Love”. 

Sometimes simple is good. Here I used a gorgeous red patterned paper from Stampin’ Up!®’s Bella Rose Designer Paper pack, some green galore CS for the button and Whisper White for the background and layer. Using a Pink Passion, Real Red and Green Galore marker, I colorized the wishy graphic and verse from A Happy Heart set to give a multi-color look. I worked from light to dark by coloring the Pink Passion first and adding darker red accents over top. This gives the stamping more interest. I used my Sizzix® Big Kick with the Buttons #5 die to create the paper button. I left this really plain and simple...no extra ribbons or floss, brads or other embellishments. I just let the bold colors pop. If you don't own a diecutting machine, substitute a large button in the corner. All adhesives were from Glue Arts!

So, don't be intimidated to make a card, just try something plain and simple today. You may end up loving it!

Valentine's Checkered Love Make-n-Take

So as you can see, I have gotten into the Valentine’s spirit. I loved this new set that I purchased from Stampin’ Up!® that has so many great stamping possibilities. It is called A Happy Heart. Later this week, I will be posting some of the other card creations done with this set, if possible. ; )

Here is a peek at the Checkered Love make-n-take card done at my Stampin’ Up!® Friday night Stamper’s Club workshop. And here is a list of supplies used on this project:

Inks: Riding Hood Red Classic Ink

Markers: Pretty in Pink & Basic Black

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Basic Black and Real Red

Designer Paper: Bella Rose

Tools: Scallop Edge Punch & 1/2" circle punch

Ribbon: Black Hemp

Adhesive: For this sample I used Glue Arts Perma Tac Adhesive with Glue Glider Pro (for my demo, I used the dotto adhesive from Stampin’ Up!). On the raised elements, I used Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Here is a picture of the inside view and message. I carried a touch of the patterned paper to the inside along with another raised heart circle. This is actually part of a larger stamp that says i (heart in circle) u, shown at the bottom of the card above. You can use the omission technique to just stamp the heart or stamp the whole image and punch the circled heart out using a 1/2" circle punch.

Order this set on my Stampin’ Up!® website to get it in time for making your very own cards using the ideas I will be posting this week. Also, you can take a peek at the brand new Spring/Summer catalog and all of the great new products!

A Peek at the Glue Arts Display for CHA!

With Valentine’s day just a little over three weeks away, I created this poster, centerpiece and candles to showcase Glue Arts’ Wall Art Decor Adhesive at the Craft & Hobby Association Winter Trade Show, often referred to CHA. The Winter show is taking place right now in Anaheim, CA showcasing the latest product releases from Craft and Hobby manufacturers. It is a crafter’s dream to walk and observe the show. There are project samples, make-n-takes and lots of products to drool over. Can you tell that I am struggling not being there this year?

Well, even though I am not there, a bit of me is. The foam board poster shows how you can combine your own personal diecutting machines, punches, papers, Wall Art Decor Adhesive and your own creativity to decorate a room, table top or a wall for any occasion. You can customize a hallway, embellish around framed artwork or shelving and liven up a room with temporary designs using this product. This project also is great for creating school projects & posters!

For my sample, I used my QuicKutz Silhouette digital craft cutter & software along with some diecut flowers using my Sizzix Big Kick and the Flower Layers #3 die. I used papers from assorted manufacturers with coordinating colors. Here are some pictures of the items. I did also use some other Glue Arts adhesives on the centerpiece and candle wrappers.

Projecto Collageo

Well, I haven’t posted much in the New Year, but that is because I have been creating offline. I have been working on some project submissions, an article for Scrap & Stamp Arts along with samples and a display for Glue Arts featuring their Wall Art Decor Adhesive at Winter CHA in Anaheim, CA. I am sorry that I can't share these projects with you yet, but I did a collage featuring some thumbnail snippets of the projects so you can see what I have been up to. I am hoping to do some scrapbook layouts and cards to post soon! 

So check back for more creative inspiration.

Party Hearty Birthday Card

I wanted to share with you this birthday card I made for my dad’s upcoming birthday on the 4th of January. I wanted to make something bright and fun to put a smile on his face. My dad will be turning 71, however he is very young in looks and still knows how to tease his daughters. This was made using Bold Bright papers and markers from Stampin’ Up!® using my favorite new birthday set, Party Hearty and a verse from the Hugs and Wishes set on the inside. I included a smaller preview of the inside view, too! So as you get ready to celebrate the New Year, think of this set as a great one to use for birthdays or New Year's cards.

P.S. My daughter Kai has her endoscopy tomorrow, so please pray for good results and progress in the New Year in finding a cure for EE and EGID, and for all those affected by it.

Country French Clipboard Calendar

Well, now that I have finished the Countdown to Christmas, I am anxiously counting down the days until the New Year begins! This is a clipboard calendar I made for my mom using Stampin’ Up!® products: chipboard clipboard, patterned papers, versamark ink, gold embossing powder, ivory tafetta & certainly celery ribbons, the full calendar and Mark the Date stamp sets along with So Saffron and Certainly Celery Inks to highlight the special days. This project appeared in my 12 Tips article in Scrap & Stamp Arts magazine, Dec. 2008 issue.

Christmas Day - what this season really is about

Today there will only be an inspirational post — a story I have to share that has summed up the spirit of the Christmas season for me. It begins with a part time job that I started at the mall. I was assisting customers and tried to make my way over to this man who had a question. I apologized for the delay and he commented that he knew how it goes this time of year in retail— he had just gotten off work at Walmart. He wanted to find this lotion for his wife that she requested for Christmas, but we were sold out of it. The only thing I had left in that scent was a gift basket with some body spray, body wash, a body buff and some minty scrub. It was the only one left in the store and on sale for 50% off...a bargain at around $16. The man stood there perplexed pondering the decision. I thought it would be a pretty easy choice and a great price. I went on to help other customers and hadn’t noticed where the young man disappeared to until I felt a tap on my shoulder as he was leaving the store. Beaming with a smile, he opened his shopping bag to show me the contents. He proudly commented on his way out, “I splurged!” My heart immediately swelled as did my eyes with tears. It was at that moment, that I realized what the true spirit of Christmas was really about...a selfless gift of love that was truly a sacrifice. For this man, it meant splurging his last dollars on a gift for someone he really cared about. For God, it was sending us his son on Christmas day knowing that he would give up his life for us. I wish you and your family a blessed and wonderful Christmas Day!

Day 1- Flurry of a Season

It seemed so appropriate to use this Flurry of a Season card as my post for the day before Christmas because at this time we are all in a flurry of assorted preparations for the big day. It may be baking goodies, grocery shopping for holiday meals, rushing to the mall for that one last gift you forgot to purchase or hurrying to another holiday event. It becomes a flurry of rushing here and there and not always getting to relax and enjoy the holidays. I hope that your Christmas Eve. is spent with family & friends and a little respite from the seasonal flurries!

Day 2 - Gettin’ Digi for Christmas

This tired little elf has to draw the line at how many handmade Christmas cards she can make. We have lived in too many places, made so many wonderful friends that how can we choose who would get cut from the Christmas card list. My solution...a Christmas E-Newsletter with pictures and a brief update. This way we can update our friends on all the latest events of the year and share some pictures of the highlights. Dan, my DH, took this amazing picture of our house lit up for the holidays, and I just had to include it in the card/newsletter. It also features pictures of Ashley & Kylie, my two girls, my niece Lauren, our sweetie Wheatie Bella, our family picture from my parent’s 50th anniversary party and a great group shot with my parents, my gang, my aunt, my cousins and their kids from our summer reunion in Orlando...always a fun time for all. All the digital goodies and papers are from Scrapgirls.com, my favorite digital scrapbooking site. 

I am happy to announce one great benefit of Kylie’s food allergies and our dietary changes has been meeting and exceeding my weight goal set in January. Yay, me! Also, some career changes have allowed me to spend more time with my girls which is priceless to me. Although 2008 has been filled with heartache over illness of family members, friends and my immediate family, we have all pulled through and are looking forward to happier times in 2009! I am ever grateful for the support of my family and friends who lifted me up when the going got tough. I just can't imagine a life not being close to one’s family, not having a closeness with God or not having friends to lean on. So if I count up those things that have graced my life this past year, I feel very well blessed! For all my blog friends who I have yet to get to know, may you have a very Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with many blessings, too!