Get a Hop on Easter Card Making!

Now don’t give me credit for having my Easter Decorations out yet! This project was one I did last year (pre-blog) and I just had to share it with you. I used the Paisley Background stamp (now retired from Stampin' Up!®...big sigh!) for tone on tone stamping in the background with So Saffron ink and paper. I also used the same stamp to create the patterned tie-dye egg. You can try this out with any background stamp you have. Using brush side of marker, color the stamp (rubber side up) in bands of color. Mist with spray bottle of water to give a fuzzy dyed look and stamp onto cardstock. Now stamp the outlined egg from the SU “A Good Egg” stamp set over top and trim out the egg shape. I used a pair of decorative edge scissors  to make the angled cracked edge across the egg. Stamp the chick in black ink also onto so saffron cardstock and trim out. Color beak in orange and set aside. Use scallop punch and Pretty in Pink cardstock to make small pink border and Gable green CS cut with a wavy edge line on top to make the grass panel. Run through paper crimper then use sharp pointed paper snips to make cuts closely together to create the blades of grass. Ruffle with fingers  for texture. Stamp happy easter verse in bashful blue on same colored cardstock, punch hole, tie pink gingham ribbon and attach all elements onto smaller white cardstock panel on card front.

Finally I can show you the projects!

Remember my post back in early January that showed some teasers of what I was working on? Well now, that Scrap & Stamp Arts April ' 09 issue is available for purchase with my favorite article...Dress Up Your Embellishments. If you are not already a subscriber, click here. In this article you will learn some cool ways to dress up ordinary supplies. Some of them are very simple to do and others may be some you haven't tried yet...such as tattering, altering or glazing. Since Spring is a time we think of sprucing up our houses, livening up our wardrobes, why not apply the same concept to your scrapping and stamping? 

Below is a slideshow of the projects featured in the issue. For details and information on techniques, see pgs. 38-41 of the magazine.

Birthday Sale-A-Brations!

With just two weeks left of Sale-A-Bration, I wanted to showcase another Birthday card made with the Sale-A-Bration Yummy stamp set. I call the top card Birthday Yum. It is another fast and easy to duplicate card using a wheeled background, hand colored stamp with hand colored verse. Selective coloring is a stamping technique shown in these two card samples where you choose portions of the stamp design to add different color(s). In the Birthday Yum card (top), I applied markers directly to the stamp to make a colorful cupcake. Since the sprinkles are reversed out, I added those marker colors in after the design was stamped. I used the same selective coloring technique to add emphasis to the word Yummy by making it red in the verse. The ribbon is red gingham threaded through a tiny slit in the seam!

In the second card, Candles and Sprinkles, I got a little bit trickier by coloring in the top of my cupcake in brown, using a versamarker (clear ink) on bottom, stamping and embossing the cupcake liner in silver EP. I then went back and added the color sprinkles afterwards. I used the same Illuminations wheel on each background. Instead of using the candle in the cupcake, I repeated it at the bottom of the card as a graphic pattern. I separated the color block panels with a white scallop edge border that I punched. All supplies available on my SU website for order! Don't wait because the S-A-B sets are only available for a limited time, until March 31st!

The birthday set used in both of the cards is my new Stampin' Up! favorite...Party Hearty!

Another momentous birthday- making light of turning 70!

You may remember the You Still Rock Bag I posted not long ago. Well that inspired me to make this cheeky 70th Birthday card for someone in my family who might not appreciate it if I divulged her age. Hopefully, she will get a big kick out of it when it arrives with her gift. It uses the brand new eyelet punch from Stampin' Up!® and the Just Jawing stamp set. For the numbers, once again, I used the Inque Boutique set Sharie Numbers. To give the shimmer to the bow & eyes, I used a Pixie Pink marker with two way glue and Dazzling Diamonds glitter over top. I used just the glue and Dazzling Diamonds to make the shiny teeth. The stars were embossed using silver embossing powder with Versamark ink. Cardstock is all from SU: Going Grey, Whisper White, Pixie Pink & Basic Black.

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.