Turquoise Birthday

I am SO not a fan of the Bold Brights! However, turquoise is "hot," right? (Please tell me this will appeal to someone!)

Once again, I recycled an old card here. The original (wish I'd taken a before picture ... hey, I should do a regular "card makeover" feature here on this blog, that would be fun!) had the random circle stamped strip with some ribbon tied around it and a "hello" sentiment in the bottom corner. Very basic.

To update it, I shortened and repositioned the original strip, then started adding layers and various elements. I also cuttlebugged the background with that new Swiss Dot folder (again).

To get the rounded end on the sentiment strip, I cut a 3/8" strip, stamped the greeting on it, then threaded just one end through the opening in the word window punch. This little tip for lengthening a punched shape circulated a few years ago. I haven't seen instructions lately, so here's a picture that shows exactly what I did. You can do this with a lot of punches (key tag, tag, word window, etc.).

Stamps: Simply Circles, Simple Sayings II (both retired), and Seeing Spots (current SU!)
Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Ink: Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: pretties kit, word window punch, dimensionals, "swiss dots" cuttlebug embossing folder

A Recycled Easter Card

This is my "non-religious" Easter card for my rapidly approaching card-selling venture. (The excitement has turned into panic ... so much to do!) The focal image panel (including the trio of ribbon knots and torn edge) came from this card that I had CASEd for a set sampler a few years ago. (I see now that the card I CASEd is also a CASE, so I have no idea where it originally came from!) Anyway, after I take the samplers apart, I try to take components of the cards and repurpose them into totally new cards. It's a fun little 'recycling' exercise.

The dry embossed dot pattern was done with a new Cuttlebug folder called "Swiss Dots." I have a feeling I'll be using this one A LOT. I got mine from Eclectic Paperie. This was my first shopping experience with them, and it was fantastic! I pretty much placed my order, then walked to my mailbox, where the new folders were waiting ;) No, but they were super fast, only a couple of days max. They also included a handful of stamped images, ready for me to color and use on a project. I thought that was a really neat touch!

The scallop was made with the corner rounder. The photo corner has faux eyelets on it, which I think I first saw on Kendra Giles's blog, Inkin' It Up. (White gel pen dot with hole pierced in center.) The sentiment was done on the computer.

Stamps: Festive Four
Paper: Bashful Blue, Green Galore, Apricot Appeal, Regal Rose, Whisper White, watercolor paper
Ink: Jet Black Staz-On, Apricot Appeal, Regal Rose, Green Galore, Bashful Blue
Accessories: celery grosgrain, apricot grosgain, rose grosgrain, dimensionas, aqua painter, corner rounder, 1/16" punch, photo corner punch, white gel pen

Jennifer Meyer RAK

I saw this card on Jennifer Meyer's blog (Jennifer's Sweet Designs) last week. Imagine my pure delight when it came in the mail to ME and I got to feast my eyes on the real deal. Isn't it a beauty?! Jennifer is such a sweetie. I first "met" her from all the super encouraging and friendly comments she left in my SCS gallery and on my blog. Check out all her other fantastic creations on her blog or in her SCS gallery (lovetostamp6).

She is also a design team member for Mothers & Daughters Creations. They have a bunch of challenges (with prizes) running right now, plus an opportunity to try for a guest designer spot. Be sure to scroll down a few posts on Jennifer's blog for details if you're interested! Looks like February 13 is the deadline.

Easter Comes Early

Time flies enough on its own, without us always looking and working ahead, you know? Sorry to rush into Easter so soon, but I needed to make this for the shop I'll start selling in soon (in only a week! I'm excited!).

This one uses the retired Renewed Faith Stampin' Up set. I stamped the cross in Perfect Plum craft ink onto a block of Enchante designer paper, then the Bible verse in black over top. The flowers come from the Pretties kit. I dyed the larger one with a Perfect Plum reinker using the Aqua Painter.

Stamps: Renewed Faith (retired)
Paper: Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Enchante designer paper (retired)
Ink: Perfect Plum craft ink, Black Staz-On
Accessories: ticket corner punch, dimensionals, pretties kit, aqua painter, 1/4" circle punch, silver brad

Featured Stamper Challenge

I made this card this morning for this week's SCS Featured Stamper challenge. I loved looking through Renee's (aka prchvs) gallery. She has an awesome style. The way the challenge works is that you pick a card to CASE, but you make at least two changes from the original.

I copied this card of Renee's. I kept her layout, but changed the stamps and the colors. I also added and removed layers and changed the bottom word window punch to a pair of flowers. The layered flower has dimensionals between each layer, and each petal is outlined with a Stardust glitter pen. Scalloped rectangle is done with nestabilities.

Bear with me this week, as I may be a little sporadic with my posts. Last week, I finalized an arrangement to begin selling cards in a local boutique-y type consignment shop. I'm really excited to see how it will go. It could be the perfect opportunity for me because the store is open only one weekend a month. I get a chance to test the market without getting in over my head. My starting inventory will be a little different than I expected, so I have a lot of stamping to do between now and next Tuesday!

Stamps: Paint Prints (retired, I don't know why I pulled this one out!), Paisley (large chocolate chip background ... hard to see, even IRL)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Celery prints dp
Ink: Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: celery ribbon, polka dot sheer (Really Reasonable Ribbon), Three for You punch, 1/4" circle punch, "limeade" jewels (doodlebug designs), rectangle plain and scallop nestabilities (spellbinders), paper piercer, slot punch, dimensionals, stardust glitter pen

Every Day is a Gift

There must be something wrong with me. The simpler the card, the more time it takes me. Would you believe I spent two hours arranging and rearranging, stamping and restamping, tying and untying, poking and trimming for THIS!? It was a fun two hours, but sheesh, could it be any more simple?



Stamps: Out on a Limb (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, River Rock, Soft Sky, vellum card stock
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Cranberry Crisp (retired)
Accessories: 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, paper piercer, River Rock double-stitched ribbon, dimensionals, clear spica pen
Size: 4" square

For the Beauty of the Earth

I'm taking a page out of Shannan's book with my music-related title, but just for today. My music repertoire is much too limited to do that every day (prelude, etude, concerto, repeat, ha ha). However, as I look out on the beautiful ice-covered trees and shrubs, it's this hymn that comes into my head. Take a look:







Makes me want to run turn up the heat. Except for the $1800 (!!!!) propane bill that came yesterday. Ouch. That really put a damper on my plans for a big Stampin' Up order today. Other than the pre-order in December, can you believe I haven't even placed an order from the new catty yet?

Enough blab. I do have stamping for you. I made this card a few days ago, but then the Out on a Limb set from Papertrey arrived and butted this one right outta line. The stamp comes from Garden Silhouettes (retired hostess set). I colored it with markers so I could "shorten" it to fit inside the rectangle nestabilities. You won't be able to see it in the pic, but I colored over the blossoms with a clear Spica pen. I stamped the Linen background in River Rock across the image to add a little texture. Other than that, pretty straightforward.



Off to play a little Wii with my oldest son. We were literally sending him out the door to meet the bus this morning when dh got the alert on his blackberry that schools are closed due to the ice. So glad that came when it did. Can I tell you how many times a neighbor has had to call to tell me schools are closed because they see my kid standing out at the end of the driveway? And then I feel like a complete idiot! Doh!

Stamps: Garden Silhouettes, Linen
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Certainly Celery, Enchante dp
Ink: River Rock, Chocolate Chip, Blush Blossom, Certainly Celery
Accessories: brown satin ribbon, rectangle regular and scallop nestabilities (Spellbinders)
Size: 4 1/4" square