baby booties

one of the guys I work with just found out that they are expecting a boy, and he is thrilled!  I wanted to make a card for them and found a great card by lynn starzl that I cased, changing the colors and just a little bit more.  I used certainly celery and pool party (my favorite new color), and added some mini pom poms to the bakers twine just for fun!  I cut one of the lacy pieces from the flirtatious dsp and flipped it to the white side as a background.

glimmer paper WOW

ok, I think it's a wow, I hope you do too.  I used permanent markers to color some glimmer paper and it turned out alright, but I wanted to make it work using only SU! products, so I tried something new (to me at least) and I think it's gorgeous!
first I cut glimmer paper and sprayed alcohol on it, then used reinker in drops randomly around the paper in different colors (you can use all one color too).

I started turning the paper and adding more alcohol to make it run more.

if I had too much of one color in an area, or if it was too dark or I didn't like that color, I just blotted it with paper towel, and added another drop of another color if I needed more in that area, adding alcohol as needed to keep it moving.

once I liked my paper, I dried it with the heat tool, but as it dries, the silver glimmer comes out more and the colors fade to the back, and the color still seemed to come off on my fingers.  so instead of drying it, I added a layer of clear embossing powder while it was still wet, then dried it with the heat tool, and the color popped right out.
I re-sprayed it with alcohol and added another layer of embossing powder and then heated it to melt the embossing powder (paper on left is dried with heat tool only, paper on right shown with embossing powder).

I found 3 layers made the whole surface smoother, spraying alcohol before adding the next layer of embossing powder, since it didn't stay warm long enough to do the normal reapplying and heating of embossing powder.
the added benefit is that you can spray the backing of the glimmer paper and peel it right off so you can use your new colored glimmer paper with punches, or leave it and use our dies.  on my card, I used both the intricate snowflake and the border punch (with the backing peeled off), and they cut very easily.

medallion wreath

 here's my take on the medallion wreaths that are popular now, and shown in the SU! holiday mini catalog.  I was inspired by cindee wilkinson's gorgeous wreath (www.justspongeit.blogspot.com), and she encouraged me to make a holiday one.   I used the holly berry bouquet dsp in the holiday mini and some first edition dsp, since they'd used that in the christmas box kit SU! gave to us if we had a recruit in july.  I have a few things that I need to share from that give away, but those will be in future posts.  all my medallions are scored in 1/2" increments, and I used the small cropadile hole punch and tied them off based on heather summers' brilliant video (www.stampwithheather.typepad.com) on how to keep them together with out having them "pop".   my strips were all various widths, 1/2", 1", 1 1/2" and 2".  most were snailed together to end up with a 24" long strip, but there are a few that I did as 12" strips.  those medallions end up more open, and you can see the paper more easily.

 I stacked the medallions and staggered them to cover the base more evenly, adding northern frost and snowflake #2 die cuts randomly, since that's what snowflakes do :)

for the base, I used the carboard that was in the flirtatious dsp pack.  it's thicker than the white cardboard, and was still easy to cut, but is definitely strong enough.  I added a piece of dsp to the cardboard with our anywhere glue stick to blend in with the rest of the wreath (in case there were "bald spots"), then cut it down to 10" x 12".  I made the frame 2 1/2" wide all around and cut the center out.  pretty easy!  the medallions take a little time, but the whole thing came together very quickly once that was done.

holiday mini swap

for the life of me I could NOT get a good photo of this card, but it's pretty darn cute in person if I do say so myself!  I used real red on the base and always artichoke for the next layer embossed with the new snow burst embossing folder available in the mini catalog.  I also embossed a separate red oval with polka dots for the center of the frame made with the GORGEOUS silver glimmer paper.  I stamped stitched stockings in always artichoke ink ON always artichoke cardstock, and then punched it out with the new stinkin' cute stocking builder punch, then re-punched holly berry bouquet dsp for the toe, heel and cuff.  I added bakers twine at the top and to give it a little EXTRA charm, jingle bells on the ends.  they are so cute!  I ripped a line of mini glue dots, about 10 at a time to be manageable, then put the bells on each glue dot individually.  when you pick up the strip to use them, they really jingle pretty well.  I had to smile while I made this card!!!  hope you enjoy it too!  now I have to figure out what to do with the silver glimmer paper left over ovals!  can't be a bad thing...

control freak pre-order swap

this was a swap I did awhile ago when we were allowed to pre-order certain items from the new IB&C. I used ALL new in colors (love them!) lucky limeade, pool party (I think my favorite, I missed cool caribbean a lot), and island indigo.  I stamped delicate doilies in white craft ink and scattered them around, and used the BACK side of the flirtatious dsp doilies, cutting each one individually.  being a control freak swap I also used an embossing  folder, pearls, punches and ribbon.  the quality that those ladies put out is amazing.  I got a lot of beautiful swaps in return!

matchbook style album

 I made this darling matchbook album in about 10 minutes (maybe even less).

 the tutorial is available on the sudsol site and there are great step by step instructions and photos.  the project was made by jen clendineng (thanks for sharing, jen).

 I made it super simple by using beyond the garden dsp instead of stamping anything.

I used crumb cake cardstock on the inside, but I think in the future I'd use white, I think it would coordinate better.  I chose not to stamp anything on the inside, figuring when you fill the album, you could do it then, and in the meantime, if you did it in a class, it would be a fast, easy project.  it's not going to hold much, but a fun day out with friends could easily be documented and then given to show how special the day was.  fun, quick project!!!

aloha

tonight I was playing with the small oval punch (I think it's the one that retired) and the owl punch, and I came up with this hawaiian inspired card.  I stacked the small oval halves in early espresso and chocolate chip to make the trunk of the tree, and cut snippets out of the always artichoke ovals for fronds.  I punched a 1 3/4" circle in so saffron and sponged it with pumpkin pie for the setting sun.  the card is daffodil, pool party and sahara sand.  I used beyond the garden dsp for the bra (cut from the largest circle in the owl punch) and I used the flower trio punch (also retired, but you could use the itty bitty flower shape) for the lei.  I randomly snipped fringe for the skirt.  instead of trying to glue those tiny pieces for the pupils of the eyes, I used a permanent black marker on some pearls and added those.  hope you like it.  I miss hawaii, so whenever I can take myself back there, it's always a good memory!

ella turns 8!!!

ella is 8 today, and I made this super quick card to commemorate the day. I used a sheet from big top birthday dsp to make the background and accent and the big top birthday quick accents for the tag, and used the happiest birthday wishes hostess set for the sentiment.  I'm not very good at making the whirlygig things, I'll have to practice!  I used a 2" square of dsp and cut from each corner in to close to the center, then added holes for the rhinestone brad with the pokey tool.  putting the brad through the holes and then through the center is where I had trouble.  everyone else has really nice looking results.  I really need to practice!  after I made ella her card, I made her birthday "cake" with meatloaf and mashed potatoes, with crumbled bacon on the sides.  she loved it.  I have many more pictures of the "party" on my puppy blog www.thedogshonesttruth.blogspot.com if you're interested!

gerbera daisy

while I was on a roll with valita's flowers, I put together some gerbera daisies from the in color 6x6 hostess dsp pack. I used the same background technique as I did with the other flower cards, and added a couple of pearls to the center that I had colored with a brown permanent marker. the center isn't very accurate, but it's fun! the daisy was made with the daisies #2 sizzix die.

open sea

here's a new card I did for a recent "summer mini" swap using the open sea stamp set, nautical expedition dsp, and the cherry cobbler/white baker's twine. I took the cardstock choices directly from the dsp, using cherry cobbler, not quite navy and early espresso. it was pretty bland looking initially, then I added the pearls on the compass and bottom side and added the happy birthday (again with pearls) using the modern label punch. I would have made it a father's day card in general, since the nautical theme lends itself to a more masculine card, but the happy father's day stamp I had didn't fit in the word window punch, so "happy birthday" it was! sometimes necessity
IS the mother of invention.

more gorgeous florals

here's another picture of those gorgeous flowers all together (not being vain, they are gorgeous and it's thanks to valita, not me), and since I always make things and give them away instead of saving one for me, I made a "sample" card that had ALL of the flowers on it too! it's a little overwhelming to give as a gift, but it's nice for me to look at and know that I can go back to those and make more if the right occasion comes up.

stack and store caddy

I think these things are brilliant and I have 4 of them, mainly because I don't get rid of anything and I think 2 of them are full of retired items, like brads and eyelets. also when I buy multiple packs of something, I tend to separate them out so I can use all of one thing when I'm doing a swap. anyway, I love them, but I spend an awful lot of time spinning that thing around trying to find what I need and sometimes have more than one of the same thing in 2 different places so I order more when I still have a bunch (sound like anybody else out there?). the other day I thought to myself "I could use that flat space next to the container to mount one of each thing". now I'm guessing that SU! already thought of that, and probably everyone else already does it, but it finally just came to me. I used the retired pop up glue dots since they're "meatier" and super sticky, and I'm really happy with how they turned out. I've already utilized it since completing it, and did inventory at the same time, combining containers when I could. hope this helps someone else, I know it will keep me from being totally frustrated!

more florals

these were the other cards I made for the luv2stamp group birthday celebration. valita's blog, www.valitasfreshfolds.blogspot.com showed how to make the easter lilies, then I adapted it with pumpkin pie cardstock, tangerine tango sponged in the center and smooch spritz in log cabin to make the "freckles" of a tiger lily. I know they usually aren't so random in real tiger lilies, but I liked how it turned out on my interpretation. I cut 2 pieces of cardstock down to 9 3/4 x 8 1/2 and scored it at 2" all the way around to make a box with a lid to hold the card 1/4" larger than the card size so it was easy to get in and out, and 2" high to accommodate the height of the flowers on all the cards.

floral birthdays

several ladies from our luv2stamp group are having lunch today to celebrate 4 birthdays. unfortunately, I have to work, but I wanted to recognize everyone's great achievement (I mean really, consider the option) in making it through another year, and wanted to do something special. I wandered upon this amazing blog, www.valitasfreshfolds.blogspot.com, and had to try several of the flowers that she has video's on. she does amazing work, and explains things really well, so even I can make them! the fuchsia was a little time consuming, but was pretty straight forward. I made several at one time. the large heart punch was used for the leaves, and the 5 petal flower punch was used for most of the fuchsia, along with the large scallop circle (for the center). valita has some amazing tips for doing the stamen, you should definitely check out her video's. the rose was made with the owl punch - the hardest part was cutting off his legs! once again, the video was very helpful in putting the whole thing together. I added some ribbon roses that I colored with reinkers and an aqua painter. I hope they'll like their cards. thankfully, they'll be hand delivered today, since they'd never make it through the mail. tomorrow I'll show you the other 2. I used the hostess pack of 6x6 in color dsp prints to make the top notes, and you can get one whole and more than half of another out of each piece, so I cut several of the pear pizazz and mixed the prints for a fun background. hope you enjoy! now go visit that other blog, you'll see what I mean!

trying new things

I decided to try a couple of things I'd seen lately. an easel card, and the punch technique framing the front of this card. I really like how the frame turns out. it starts with a 3" square, and then you take the dotted scallop ribbon border punch and center it on each side (I hope SU! adds more of these to the new catalog). it allows a small piece to stay intact and act as the background layer for your center piece. I used the fabulous florets stamp and added crystal effects and dazzling diamonds glitter (lousy picture, sorry) and rhinestones (can't get enough of those). I got the instructions for the easel card from sandy hancocks blog (thanks sandy). love this beyond the garden dsp. my sister and I sat down and made several cards with all the different patterns.

oops

I just made these bookmarks from the new flower fest stamp set (available in the summer mini) and they were fun to put together. of course when I was finished I realized I had made them all upside down, since you should view them when they are hanging out of the book and not looking at them straight on! oops... thankfully the control freak swap group has a bunch of classy ladies who haven't pointed that out to me (or, my pink slip is in the mail LOL). this is what I was working on when I realized we could make similar things that the fun flowers die made while waiting for it (on backorder). I added vintage tags, buttons from the regals, brights and subtles collections, the twine (which was knotting up until I made the holder), and rhinestones as dew drops on the lattice embossed leaves. I never seem to go for the in colors as much, so it was good to use pear pizzazz (sponged with old olive to tie it in with the olive grosgrain ribbon) on the leaves, and for the flowers I used blushing bride, peach parfait and poppy parade. I had to mix up the colors a little (instead of all one color for the whole swap) so I could get as many button combinations out of what I ordered, rather than having to order 20 containers of the same thing (I still ordered 7). plus I think it looks pretty as a whole "meadow" of flowers! I decorated both sides, with the buttons and tag on one side and the button and twine bow on the other. I just thought it looked unfinished otherwise, but practically speaking, if you were using it for a bookmark, being flatter would make more sense. SO, the next thing is to figure out what a double sided, upside down bookmark can really be used for, except just something pretty to look at! hope you enjoy, and learn from my mistakes.

recycled button containers

we decorated some plastic containers at one of patty's classes, and the other day when I was making a bunch of things for a swap, I was using the hemp twine, but it was getting all twisted and took on a life of its own, so I punched a hole in the side of one of our decorated containers, added a grommet/eyelet, then rewound the twine on my fingers. I pulled the inside end (the end I started winding) through the grommet, put the lid on, and could pull out just what I needed to cut. it kept everything clean and orderly, and recycled!

birthday card

using the flowers I made up the other day, I created a birthday card for someone at work who saves all the cards I give her (pretty sweet). I used a big button for the center (from the occasions mini), with hemp twine for the bow and one of the amazing key charms (which I hope make it into the new ib&c). I had the leaf sitting on the table from another swap I was working on, and the happy birthday left over from yet another swap, and they somehow managed to "work" with this card. she loved it! I think I'll make a few more with the extra flowers I have, just so I have some cards on hand. I can always leave the sentiment last, so I can customize it for a thanks, sorry or birthday card. I think this design works for all of those occasions.

fun flowers die waitlist

there are a lot of people waiting for the fun flowers die in the SU! occasions mini catalog (backordered until may), but in the meantime, you can use the 2 3/8" scallop circle, fancy flower and 5 petal punches to create something similar.I used the springtime vintage dsp (one of my favorites, also from the occasions mini) and made a whole bunch of these in nothing flat! I love this paper, it doesn't look like everything goes together, but when you start mixing them up, there isn't a bad match up in the bunch! I punched a few of each out of each of the prints, then just started stacking. I curled the edges with my bone folder to give them a little life, and now I can put together a whole collection of cards. I used a variety of centers - buttons, ribbon roses, rose adornments, ribbon. it was a lot of fun and really fast. I have to make a couple of birthday cards, and I'm pretty sure I know what I'm using:)

patty's cupcake bracelet

so the gift in the brown box is none other than patty bennett's bracelet I made with the cupcake punch and create a cupcake stamp set. I showed you the cupcakes I made earlier with shrink plastic, and now I've added the keys and charms to fill out the bracelet. I'm giving it to patty early so she can take it with her on her cruise (her birthday is in may). the center heart is punched out of the red glitter paper and then glued back to back so it's pretty on both sides. it floats around nicely in the charm. in addition to the keys, I added our simply adorned charms in clear, black, pink and pearl. these are a lot nicer than I expected. it's so hard to tell in a catalog. they are also pretty big. I sure hope she likes it. I love the way it turned out!

gift

I made a simple belly band with rich razzleberry satin ribbon for a gift using the brown boxes our bracelets and charms come in. I added a button and a ribbon rose to fancy it up (both from the SU! occasions mini). stay tuned to see what's inside the box!

birthday

I did this swap awhile back for a luv2stamp group meeting swap. I used the party this way stamp set and it came together pretty easily with the addition of the celebrations dsp and quick accents. the scallop border and 2 sizes of scallop circles made it super fast and easy. what a good way to make invitations quickly when adding dsp and accents.

cutest cupcake EVER

as I've said before, I LOVE shrink plastic, so I had to find a way to use the absolutely adorable cupcake punch with shrink plastic, and I think I found it. I stamped the cupcake images onto frosted shrink plastic with the create a cupcake set and our classic ink, then punched them out. I punched a hole in the cupcake base and 2 in the cupcake top with the smaller of the 2 holes in the cropadile, then shrunk the pieces down one at a time with my heat gun. I added 7mm jump rings to connect the top and bottom of the cupcake, and then the top to the lobster claw. I made these to be bracelet charms, but you could also connect them to wires and make earrings. I added a colored rhinestone (with permanent marker) to each cupcake to simulate a cherry. I think they turned out really well. LOVE them!!!

christmas in march?

ok, I'm a little behind, all these things were in the holiday mini, aren't currently available and have no business being here, but I wanted to post it anyway. I really liked how the monochromatic look added so much to the simple card. it could be easily adapted to a spring layout. maybe I'll challenge myself to that too. stay tuned...

sentimental journey

I loved this set that was in a previous mini. it's been so long, I don't remember when. obviously it's not currently available, but wouldn't it be great if it were in the new big catalog that comes out in july! I don't usually have great luck with picking sets that carry over, but I buy what I like and that makes it ok for me. this was also a control freak swap! I'm glad that for the most part, when I go back and look at what I've done, I'm pretty happy with how things have turned out. the control freaks are such a hugely talented group of women, that I feel added pressure to do my very best when we have swaps (and feel totally unworthy of belonging, but as long as they'll have me, I'm staying!). I've had a few clunkers that don't work, no matter how many times I tweak it, but regardless, usually I hear encouraging words from these ladies. that's the other very cool thing, no matter how busy they get, they take the time to encourage and appreciate each other. the blog tours they have every month are absolutely amazing, and you should definitely take the time to take the tour! I get so many ideas from them. I probably won't be on a tour, I can't imagine being able to link to anyone (computer delinquent here), but once you find one blog, you can get through the entire tour, they're that good at setting the whole thing up.

artistic etchings and thoughts

this is another card for a control freak swap I did awhile back. I was looking at the photos on my memory card, thought about posting this, then had to go through the catalog to remember the right name for this set. I don't know if you're like me or not, but when I get the new SU! catalog, I go to the back first, where all the embellishments are, where all my money will have to go initially, then I go through from front to back. while I was looking through the catalog today, I realized there are so MANY sets I have that I either have never used, or haven't used in ages. I must admit, with the addition of the clear sets, I haven't bought anything in wood that I didn't have to buy in wood, and since the clear sets work in such a nice amount of space, I usually go right to those when I want to stamp something. plus the added bonus is that our clear blocks are SO comfortable and feel SO nice to stamp with. I've stamped for a long time and had other blocks, but these are SO worth having. I haven't used the old ones since I got ours. with the addition of mini catalogs, I will also go to all the new stuff, rather than using something I have. don't get me wrong, I will still buy everything I can!!!, but I'd like to challenge myself to not only start blogging more frequently, but also to using sets that I've forgotten about. I figure if I post that, I'll feel a need to not let myself, or anyone who comes to check in on me, down. so, back to this card! I LOVE shrink plastic, wish we sold it, because I'd be happy to buy it from myself rather than having to get in the car and drive somewhere to see if they might have it in stock. I stamped the key image on tan shrink plastic, then cut it out and shrunk it down to add to the heart with a mini glue dot.