Sometimes, you have to make it yourself... and last Sneak Peek

To complete today's card, I searched through all my stash of buttons and brads.  That's quite an accomplishment because I have tons of them!  I could not find the right kind of button that I needed for my card.  I needed to use one that I had a supply of on hand, so everyone could use the same for my Friday Night Cards class this Friday.  I did not have it, so I made my own.

I have been wanting to try our new Simply Pressed Clay and I was, pun intended, just simply pressed for time to get around to it.  My card was completely finished except for the final embellishment, so I dropped everything and got out my clay.  It was so fun and easy!!!  I made all the buttons and flowers from the molds, so I could have more for using later.  You get 2 molds in the package.  One makes 3 sizes of flowers and the other makes 3 sizes of buttons.  I will be making a lot more of these.  You can color them in a variety of ways but, for this card, I just wanted white.  Here's my card.

Isn't my clay flower cute?  I love it!  I attached it with Liquid Tombow Adhesive.  I've seen versions of this card here and there online, including on the Stampin' Up! site and really liked the bright and cheery look of it.  At my class, I'll share with you how I made the stamped, oval frame.

After I had the front layer totally finished, I thought it looked a little plain.  It was too late to emboss it because I didn't want the frame embossed, so I got out my new Gorgeous Grunge stamp set that I got at Convention and added some texture to it with stamping.  I love this set and look forward to using it a lot in the future.

So, now that I've shown you all the cards for my Friday Night Cards class (August 9), would you like to see them again - all together?  Here you go:

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

My Birthday Card from Sushi

Before July comes to a close, I want to share with you the birthday card I got from my good friend Sue.  (Sushi)  Isn't this great?

I really like this one a lot.

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

6 Minions for 6 Years Old

Yesterday was Aaron's birthday.  I gave him all kinds of pirate things for his new room in his new house.  He loves pirates!
He also loves the little minions in the Despicable Me movies.  We took the boys to see the new one last night.  It was cute.  Here's his card:

It was worth every effort to make it just to see his face when I gave it to him.  He really did like it.  It's not an easy thing to get a little boy to appreciate a card, you know, so I felt like I had a real hit.  It's all made with punches --- our retired dog-tag punch and 3 different circle punches.

For his presents, I have him a pirate octopus pillow, a quilt, pillow sham and sheets for his new bed, a pirate lamp and some wall decor --- pirate, of course.  I also found a skull coin bank --- not scary, but cute.  He loved it all.  He's never really had his own room, but just used hand-me-downs from Ben, so I wanted his new room to be really special.  Now, for me to adjust to the fact that he really is a big boy now.

Last night, 2 huge boxes came with all my pre-order from the upcoming Holiday Catalog.  Wow!  I can't wait to play with all my new goodies.  I have papers, textured CS, kits, dies, framelits, gift boxes, embossing folders, stamps, ribbons and more!!!  I love it all.

Right now, I'm working on planning for all my holiday classes.  I will share it all very soon.  I have a ton of fun in store for you, to help you get ready for the holidays.

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

One More Lucky Green Card

Lucky you!  I have one more lucky green card for you today.

This card follows the same template and uses the same technique as in yesterday's post.  If you missed it, the technique is called Faux Diamond Dust.

By changing the color and design of the DSP, you can see how it changes the mood of the card.

I have the coordinating envelope, as always.  I think, overall, it is a happy card and deserves to proudly enjoy the wearin' of the green.

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

Check out some great new classes!!!

I've added some super fun new classes for May and June.  Click the class schedule sign board on the left to see ALL classes.

Before we go any further, I wanted to show you an adorable card that my daughter made for me.  She used the Summer Smooches products.

Isn't this the cutest card ever!  I love the bright and cheery look of the Summer Smooches products.  She used the little oval frame embossing folder for the focal piece.

Here's a peek at new classes for May.

Retirement Party! MAY 4  6:00 PM - 8:30 PM (Central)
No, I'm not retiring from Stampin' Up! but a lot of great products are.  We will make 10 cards for $15. with soon to be retired products.  Some may be 3-D projects.   Please pay ($15.) to register at least 2 days prior to the class.  Class fee includes all materials except your adhesive.  Place an order with me of $25. (before tax and shipping) and take the class absolutely FREE!

Leftover Party! MAY 11  6:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Central)
Get ready for a super fun evening!  This class will be totally unique from any you've ever taken with me!  This will be a 15-4-10 event!  You'll make 15 cards for just $10.  There's a twist to it, though.  You have to come up with your own designs for your cards.
I'll provide:
Leftover card stock, DSP, embellishments, ribbons, stamps AND the card bases with envelopes.
You'll provide:
Your own adhesive, ideas and designs.
I will have stations for cutting, punching and using the Big Shot.
But wait!  There's more!!!  There will be a contest judge here for the evening.  He will choose the winners from a series of categories.  At 8:30, I'll have you start wrapping up your work.  Then, we'll have each person set out the card they like the best from all they've made.  The judge will then come down and choose the winners!  There will be prizes, light snacks and loads of fun!  Come join us!!!
Even more fun!
Place an order with me of $25. or more (before tax and shipping) and take the class absolutely FREE!!!

Scrap Fest Extravaganza! MAY 19  9:30 AM - 5:00 PM (Central) With May being National Scrapbooking Month, I thought this would be a good time to add one big day of scrapbooking.  Kits will be $5.00 each!!!  Make as many as you would like! 

You must pay to register ($10.) at least 2 days in advance / minimum fee is $10.00. 
You may purchase additional kits when you're here.

Saturday Morning Brunch Bunch MAY 19  9:30 AM - 5:00 PM (Central) May is National Scrapbooking Month so, at this month's Brunch Bunch, we'll make 1 complete layout, a paper bag scrapbook and a mini album.  Class fee includes all materials to make your projects (except your adhesive). Pay ($22.) to register at least 2 days prior to each class.



As you can see, I'm combining 2 events in one day. You may sign up for BOTH events for just $30.00!!! You may stay and make additional layouts for just $5.00 each. It's nothing but fun!!!  Because of the slight change in the Brunch Bunch schedule, we'll have light snacks available all day instead of a brunch.
Get ready for a super fun day of scrapbooking!


SPECIAL NOTE:
Place an order with me of $25. or more (before tax and shipping) on May 19 and make 3 more layouts completely FREE!!!

SIGN UP FOR BRUNCH BUNCH PROJECTS AND SCRAP FEST PROJECTS --- DO IT ALL --- FOR JUST $30.
That's 3 layouts, 1 paper bag book and 1 mini album for $30.  You can still make additional layouts for just $5. each.

More Smooches, Please!

Here is another card I made with the Summer Smooches products.  I love the bold, vivid colors!  They are perfect for this time of year.  The card base if the gorgeous Lucky Limeade.

This card features a fabric covered brad (available in April only!!!) as an over-sized flower in the vase.  I thought it added a touch of drama and humor, because of its size.

I used markers (color, huff, stamp) to stamp the vase, stem and leaves.  The Island Indigo ribbon adds a nice touch to the card over the vivid DSP.  The Lucky Limeade ribbons are tied onto the Island Indigo ribbon.  It's a fun (and super easy) way to add touches of coordinating colors to your project.  There were no punches or dies used in this card and yet it was fun, quick and simple.

I'm off to create up a storm in my studio today.  I'm still playing 'catch-up' from enjoying a long visit from my boys and then having Olive Jane here Saturday.  Is there anything better than enjoying grandchildren?  Yes, actually there is!  I'll be sharing in a future post how the boys and I enjoyed some long sessions of together time AND stamping fun.  It's a hoot!

The Whole Thing

Remember the sneak peek I gave you of some of my cards for my Friday 3-4-5 class?  Would you like to see one of the entire cards?  I think this one is my favorite:

This one uses 2 embossing folders, a sizzlit, a bitty punch and a border punch.  Because there's nothing to cut by hand, it makes it go pretty quickly.  The flower is done with the huffing technique, using markers.  You saw this image on a previous post and, as you can see, I keep finding more ways to use it while still enjoying the Concord Crush.

Here's a closer look.  As you can see, it has a lot of dimension and texture to it.

We had so much fun at class last night.  I hope you'll try a Friday 3-4-5 class.  We had a full house.  A couple of people needed to make just the 3 cards and everyone else stayed to make 6 cards.  We all had a great time and everyone did a super job.

Gotta run now.  I have my Saturday Morning Brunch Bunch today.  Can't wait for more fun!

My Next classes:
Mar. 19:   Monday Morning Brunch Bunch  (9:30-1:00)
April 2:    Hostess Scrapbook Club  (6:00-8:30)
April 9:    Scraps and Prayers  (6:00-8:00)
April 16:  Monday Morning Brunch Bunch  (9:30-1:00)
April 20:  Friday 3-4-5  (6:00-8:00)
April 21:  Saturday Morning Brunch Bunch  (9:30-1:00)

You've Been Smooched!

Today, I'm going to give you a sneak peek at something that will be available for April only.  Can you guess how I made this?

Give up?  I used Blushing Bride Smooch Spritz and a stencil.   It was so easy...and fun!

Here's what the stencil looks like:  Oops!  I forgot, I can't show you until April.  You can also use the stencil for sponging or even using stencil paint.  Each method will achieve a unique look for your project.

As you can see, I ran the 'smooched' piece (allowing drying time first) through the Big Shot to achieve the little frame (Designer Frames embossing folder), then stamped the rabbit (from the Heaven Blessed stamp set) onto white CS and punched him out with our largest oval punch.

After attaching the pink layer to a little note card, I added a tied knot of ribbon.  And there you have it, a quick and cute card that's tons of fun to create.  I wish you could see better in the photo how much sparkle it has, but I just couldn't get it to show up well.  I guess you'll have to trust me and try it for yourself:)  Sparkle is almost impossible to capture in a photo.

Since these little note cards come in a set of 20 with envelopes included, I always add something to the envelope to make it coordinate with the card.  For this one, I stamped the little bunny in the bottom corner of the envelope.  It's a fun way to give the recipient a hint of the fun awaiting when they open the envelope.

So... now, you've been smooched!

A SPRING CARD WITH CHIPBOARD

Here's a fun card I made for Spring, using a recycled piece of chipboard for an accent.  This also fits a sketch challenge for a Spring card and, as you know, Spring has been calling my name!
I've used our S-A-B Everyday Enchantment DSP for the card and to cover the chipboard accent.  If you're like me, it's easy to come across odds and ends of left-over embellishments, like my chipboard and so fun to put it to use in a new project.

This is a 5 1/4" square card.  It's fun to use this larger size when you want to include larger accent pieces.  I've added Pool Party ruffled ribbon for an accent across the front.  I used the Decorative Label punch for the sentiment (from the Sincere Salutations stamp set) and sponged around the edges, to add more dimension.

As you can see, this card has lots of green (very Spring!!!) and lots of dimension.  I used the Fun Flowers die to cut the layers of the flower and added one of our In Color brads to the center.  I finished off the card with a spritzing of my Frost White Shimmer Paint/alcohol mixture to give it lots of sparkle.

So, here's to green (another fun challenge) and to going green (with reusing old chipboard) and to Spring!

Beautiful Wings

Today, I'm back with trying another sketch challenge.  This one is for a new blog I discovered that looks like a lot of fun.  I missed the deadline to link it, but had fun trying the sketch anyway.  Here's my creation:

I used Marina Mist for my card base, added a torn layer of textured Soft Suede CS and topped that with a layer of Beau Chateau DSP, trimmed out with pleated satin ribbon.  The butterflies are from the Beautiful Wings embosslit.  I love that it cuts and embosses, all in one easy step.  I mounted them on punched pieces of Soft Suede, punched with the Modern Label punch.  The text, from the Heaven Blessed stamp set is also punch with the Modern Label punch.  My color story is based on the colors in the Beau Chateau DSP, an easy way to plan out your project.

Here's a little close-up.  I tied two pieces of ribbon into a knot and attached it to the corner of the card.

I hope this inspires you to try some spring projects.  Spring is in the air!

The Fun of Three!

Today, I had sooooo much fun --- playing with mustaches!  I also came up with a new color combo that I really, really like:  Basic Black, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, and Basic Gray ---
     --- perfect for this card.

The mustaches are from the cute little a la carte stamp:  Many Mustaches.  The text is from Creative Elements.  I stamped everything with VersaMark ink and embossed with black EP.  A little twist of dotted Cherry Cobbler ribbon adds a cute touch to the corner of the card.

I used a lot of punches:  Modern Label, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, and the Lace Ribbon Border Punch.

I popped up the mustaches and the punched pieces under the text with dimensionals, to create a lot of texture and interest.  My most favorite part of all (besides the adorable mustaches, of course) was adding some random diagonal lines across the black base of the card and across the white layer.  It gives a lot of sophistication to the card and was so much fun to do.  These were created with the new diagonal scoring plate that fits into our Simply Scored Scoring Tool.

These are the two sketches that inspired my work today:

VERTICAL SKETCH CHALLENGE:

HORIZONTAL SKETCH INSPIRATION:

Leave me a comment and tell me what you think.  I'd love to hear from you!
Now, go stamp something ... and do it THREE times:)

A Gorgeous Color Combo / Vintage Cards

Would you like to try a gorgeous color combo?  Try Marina Mist, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede and a touch of Very Vanilla.  It's a winning combo!
Today's sketch was inspired by another sketch challenge.  I want to show you why I get my creative juices flowing by starting with a good design.

In today's post, I will show you 2 cards -- both inspired by the same sketch design.  The first card is has a feminine, vintage look.  The second card is all guy.  I decided to stay with the same exact color scheme, so you can readily see just how easy it is to follow a good sketch design and go most any direction that you'd like to try.

The first card uses the Elements of Style stamp set, along with snips of ribbon, seam binding and crochet lace trim.  I added lots of texture by using textured CS on the Soft Suede layer, using one of the framelits dies (1/2 on each side of the focal piece), and embossing the Crumb Cake layer with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder.  An embossed image from the Notably Ornate stamp set adds even more texture to the Soft Suede background.  The text is punched out with the Modern Label punch.  The circle punches are 1" and 1 1/4" circles -- for the little accent piece.  I actually used Stampin' Write Markers to color all the stamps, except for the embossed image in the background.  I love the look of this technique in stamping.

The second card is all guy --- a cowboy!  I started with all the same colors / same layers, including the embossed image from the Notably Ornate stamp set.  I used only 1/2 the piece cut from the framelits die this time and added embossed horseshoes to go with the cowboy theme.  The cowboy and horseshoes are from the Out West stamp set.

I tied a few knots along the hemp, to give the look of barbed wire.  One horseshoe is 'hanging' on the 'barbed wire' and the other 2 are hooked together.  I don't know if my arrangement is lucky or unlucky.  I'll hope for the best:)

Both cards have lots of layers, lots of texture and lots of dimensionals. 

I've never really had any trouble coming up with my own designs, but I just love the challenge of trying to follow a given sketch.  I think it's always good to push yourself to try new challenges, new color combinations, new styles, new everything --- just to keep yourself motivated and constantly growing as an artist ... and to keep your designs fresh and alive.

I hope this post inspires you to really jump in and try creating cards using design sketches for a good place to start.  Plan out your colors and choose your stamp sets.  You can plan out embellishments to compliment your design as you work through your project.

Green, Green and Neil Diamond

I wanted to show you a card today that will get some music flowing through your mind.  My card design is inspired by a sketch challenge and I chose to do it in a monochromatic color story -- thus, the Green, Green song in my head.
I used the stamp set My Friend and, because it contains text stamps for 'hello' and 'my friend,' my daughter calls this stamp set our Neil Diamond stamp set -- thus putting yet another tune in my head.  I do love this stamp set.  It's surprisingly versatile and a lot of fun to use.

I used 2 of our In Color brads and made a double layer of my text strip, to create added interest.  I sponged the edges of both of the strips, to give extra texture.  The little knotted bit of ribbon is created by tying a knot around a tiny sprig of our crochet lace trim.

I used the Big Shot to cut a circle for stamping and then cut a larger scalloped circle to layer behind it.  My colors are Lucky Limeade, Always Artichoke and a bit of Pear Pizzazz.  The vertical strip is created using a technique called Mother of Pearl.

Here's how you do the Mother of Pearl technique:

• Place a bit of Frost White Shimmer Paint in a small container.
• Wad up a small piece of plastic wrap.
• Dip the plastic wrap into the paint and dab randomly over a piece of glossy white CS.
• Set aside to dry.
• Once the paint is dry, lightly sponge over the piece with Lucky Limeade ink, using a circular motion.
• Tissue off excess ink, as desired.

So today, I challenge you to go try this fun technique on a creation of your own.  Enjoy!

Gnome Fun

I didn't need to do an extra post today, but was inspired by a color challenge I saw while blogging.  I had to rise to the challenge because I love Cherry Cobbler and Daffodil Delight together and the challenge included these 2 yummy colors AND Lucky Limeade working together in vivid, perfect harmony.  I earned the Gnome Sweet Gnome stamp set with some free Hostess Dollars and wanted to play around with it.   My design was inspired by a quirky little sketch challenge that I thought lends itself to some whimsical fun.  Here's my little yard ornament:

I used some Lucky Limeade DSP scraps for the 2 strips in the background.  The diagonal strip is textured Lucky Limeade CS.  I wanted to add the flowers to the strip for some extra fun and texture.  The Daffodil Delight flowers are from the Fruit and Flowers stamp set.

I stamped an extra hat for my little fellow and attached it with glue dots, for added dimension.  I did the same for the 2 mushrooms.  My little guy is holding a punched glimmer paper flower ('painted' with Lucky Limeade reinker).  I added a clear button over the sparkling flower and then added touches of clear Dazzling Details sparkle to the flowers, my gnome's belt buckle, the frog's eyes, and the polka dots on the mushrooms.  The card front is framed with the Framed Tulips embossing folder.  I finished off the project with a little knotted bow of Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon.

So, once again...