Here's to Longevity...it runs in the family!

I tease Dan, my husband, all the time about not getting rid of me anytime soon. You see longevity runs in the family on both parents’ sides. My grandpa Fred is in his mid 90's and his sister, Cecilia, just turned 90! So in honor of her SPECIAL birthday, I made this card for her.

It can be adapted for any special birthday. 

Supplies: (Stampin’ Up!®) Pink Pirouette, Basic Black, Whisper White & Pretty in Pink CS; Medium White Envelope; Pretty in Pink Classic Ink; Black Gingham Ribbon; Pretties Kit pearl; Square Scallop Punch; Circle Scallop Punch; VersaMark™ ink pad; Black Embossing Powder; Embossing Buddy; Heat Tool and verse on inside left from retired Birthday set - which can be typeset on computer! (Inkadinkado®) Flourishes/Arabesque clear stamp set; (Prima) Black flower; (Darice/Inque Boutique) Sharie Numbers; (Glue Arts) Glue Glider™ Pro with Perma Tac adhesive, Crop & Glue™ Ribbon Adhesive and Crop & Glue™ Permanent Micro Adhesive Squares

Naturally Masculine

When trying to plan a card for a guy, it is often easy to create a good look by using elements from nature. In this card example, I used the Botanical Blooms Sale-A-Bration set with a verse from Sincere Salutations set along with the Sanded background stamp to add some texture. Color comination used on this is Ivory Naturals, Kiwi Kiss, Always Artichoke and Night of Navy cardstock. Inks used were Creamy Carmel, Old Olive and Night of Navy. For the border strip, I used repetition stamping to create the varied tones. The Ivory Natural cardstock was laid on top of the scratches background stamp inked with Creamy Carmel ink. The verse and leaf patterns were then stamped on top. I used a square punch to create the window on the front panel and glued the stamped leaf to the back side of the front panel. You can also mount on the inside left panel and leave as a true window.

This design can easily be used to create a wonderful Father's Day card. Here it is shown as a masculine birthday or get well card.

The KISS Method

Although the original KISS theory is meant to stand for Keep it Simple Stupid, I prefer for it to stand for Keep it Super Simple...and simple is just what these two cards are. You, your kids and even your husbands could create these designs!

But just because they are super simple, doesn't make them uninteresting. Just look at what rounding the corners, tearing a paper layer and tying a ribbon does to the Get Well Card. And on the Quickie Quacker card, I intentionally colored him in under 10 seconds to show you that you don't always have to pull out the aqua painter and color like an artist to have something look cute. Just think — you can do the stamping and your kids can do the coloring to send out this adorable Easter card. The set used is A Good Egg from Stampin’ Up! The Get Well Greeting features the Baroque wheel with pretty in pink ink, a verse from Sincere Salutations set and the outlined flower stem and leave stamps from the limited time only, Sale-A-Bration set named Botanical Blooms which you can earn FREE with any $50 purchase during Sale-A-Bration.

Bold & Yummy Birthday Cards

Here are two more cards that are fast and fun to make. I love using high contrast colors with a bright splash of color to create some eye-popping drama, as shown on the Pop Floral Birthday card. It features a floral rubber stamp from the Sale-A-Bration Botanical Blooms set stamped repetitively in alternating colors along with the Brithday Wishes verse from Sincere Salutations set. Try colorizing the cupcake & candle stamps (Party Hearty Set) with markers, pairing with a swirled framed verse (Yummy S-A-B limited time only set), tied ribbon and a wheeled border to make this cheerful Cupcake Yum card. Use these ideas to make your next birthday card creation bold & yummy! These cards can be duplicated in 10 minutes or less.

Simple Sale-A-Bration!

Who says every card has to be a masterpiece that you slave over for hours. Just take a peek at these three different cards featuring stamps from the Polka Dot Punches Sale-A-Bration set that you can earn for FREE! See my Stampin’ Up! website for details. Just pair up with some verses sets, a background stamp or punches for added wow, as shown in the top two examples, or use the image as a repetitive tone-on-tone background element with the same design matted and done in a 2-tone color on top, as I did on the Warm Wishes card. These are a sneak peek at some of the cards we will be making at my Stamp-A-Stack night on March 6th.

Tell Your Valentine...You Rock!

Here is a fun Valentine's Treat Bag for your daughter, mom or wife. Wanna make it more manly? Change the colors to red & black and add a bandana to the skull to make more dude appropriate! (Challenge: If you try this, send me an email so I can post on the blog! Also, send me your spin on this girl version. All products available for purchase on my SU website. Plus get a FREE catalog while supplies last!)

This project uses pretty in pink, basic black, going grey and whisper white CS from Stampin’ Up.!® For the pink glitter elements, I used a marker to handcolor the hearts and as my ink for stamping the bow. I used some 2-way glue on top of those and the teeth along with dazzling diamonds to rock out this gift bag. The stamp set is Just Jawing (not just for Halloween use!!!) and Scary Skulls, both from Stampin’ Up!®. The wide ribbon is 5/8" striped Pink Pirouette and the skinnier is 1/4" pretty in pink grosgrain, also from SU. The box template is my original design. Email me if you are interested in the pattern.

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.