Tip Top Taupe and a Pretty Doily

Here's another favorite of mine from our last Scraps and Prayers class.  As in my previous post's card, this one has a tiny sliver of black CS.  It pulls the front and the inside all together and makes the dragonfly pop.

I love these little doilies, from our Spring Occasions Catalog.  They are white on one side and vanilla on the other.  Of course, you could certainly spritz (or sponge) on a bit of color to coordinate with anything you'd like.  You'll be hearing more about these doilies in another post ... very soon:)

I added Wink of Stella to the dragonfly's wings.

I didn't add a text of any kind ... yet.  Whenever I create a card like this one, I love keeping my options open.  If I need a quick card for almost any occasion at all, this one will work beautifully.

My next classes and events:
Saturday, March 18 -- Saturday Stampers / 1:00-4:00 / Using stencils creatively (on cards) / $20. / Pay to register at least 2 days prior to the class. 
CLASS FULL / REGISTRATION CLOSED
Sunday, March 26 -- 
Spring Open House Party / 2:00-5:00 / a 'no fee' event / RSVP by March 24 and I'll have a special gift just waiting for you.  Come and join us for an afternoon of creative fun! 

Special Reminders:
As always, you must pay to register at least 2 days prior to each class.  If you are using a coupon, you still need to register at least 2 days prior to the class and present the coupon at that time.  I need it for tax records, please.
See the left side of my blog for sneak peeks on upcoming classes and events.  Class schedules and descriptions can be found by clicking on 'my classes' at the top of my blog.

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

- Come  back often for more creative inspiration. 

Thankful for the Little Things

I'm thankful today for so many little things... sweet little children and furry babies encouraging me on to continue to regain my strength after being so sick.  I'm thankful that I can now stay up for at least 3 hours before becoming exhausted.  I'm thankful for a dental check-up today with no cavities.  And... I'm thankful for a little stamping.  When I say little, I really mean it.  These little guys were made as a 'just for fun' stamping project ... and they were truly fun.

These little guys are just 2" square.  

These would be great for gift enclosure cards.  I didn't make envelopes because I thought I'd slip them inside a wrapped gift, but you could use our Envelope Punch Board and make envelopes to coordinate with them.

- 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 look on the left for sneak peeks. 

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

You've Got This in Blues And Silver

I'm sharing a card with you today from a brand new stamp set that I just love.  This set is going to be versatile in using it for several different coloring techniques, so I'm sure you'll be seeing it again... and again.  Today's card is embossed with silver.

I stamped off before I stamped the background, so it wouldn't be too dark.  My color story is Lost Lagoon and Island Indigo, along with the silver EP for the flower (on a white background).  I added a paper lace doily and some silver thread for my finishing touches.

- 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.

A Bright Hello Card

Well, the sun did come out after my previous post and turned into a lovely day.  We seem to have rain and sun, in alternating goodness, so I hope my plants enjoy it all.  The puppies did really well at puppy class last night and now I'm ready to share another card with you.  This one is an example of a fairly easy card that has lots and lots of products used with it to bump it up several notches.

I've pulled not only my color story right from the DSP, but part of the actual design in the paper, as I turned it into a dimensional element, using punches and a little rhinestone.

Before I attached the heart, I felt like it needed a little something else, so I added a bit of lace doily behind it.  I like how the hello stands out against it all.  I'm really enjoying the die-cut words we have now... and there are 3 more words in our new catalog.  Yay!

This ended up being a really bright and cheerful card that you could send for many occasions.  I really like how it all came together.

- 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.

Mother's Day Card for 2015

A nice thing about living fairly close to my MIL and getting to visit her often is that I can make a Mother's Day card for her that is as full of layers and dimension as I want... because I can hand deliver it.  Because her flowers were delivered yesterday, I decided to go ahead and give her my card, too.  So, since she's seen it, I can go ahead and share it with you.  She really liked it, so I hope you will, too.

- 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. 

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

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

Lilly's Spring Card

With 3 furry babies roaming and playing in my studio, sometimes I have to change my plans.  They are my constant companions, but sometimes they cause me to mess up something.  That's what happened with today's card.  Other than the one little blob of ink where Lilly bumped me, wanting me to stop and hold her, the rest of the top layer was still too pretty to throw it away.  So... I turned it into a new look.

The ink blob was in the lower left corner of the top layer.  I've made cards with torn parts and pieces before, so I knew I could save this one easily.

I tried a little bit different color story on this one, too ... Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede, and Whisper White.  The butterfly is cut from Brushed Gold CS.  I like adding sponging on torn edges and even added some to the doily, to give a nice vintage look.

Are you in the mood yet to start on some Spring cards?
 

- 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. 

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

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

Happy First Day of Autumn and Exciting News

It's the first day of Autumn, my absolute favorite time of the year.  Let's celebrate with a Fall card!  I also have some exciting news, so be sure you read the entire post!

One thing I love about living in Illinois is seeing the beauty of the seasons as they change.  OK, I could do without so much winter, but a little is fine.  Autumn is my absolute favorite season and my favorite seasonal cards to make... because of the rich colors.

I stamped with Cajun Craze and Encore Metallic Gold Inks.  The design in the DSP kind of reminds me of Indian Corn.
If you look very closely, you can see the gold shimmer on my card, for my finishing touch.

I added a little stamping on the inside and on the envelope.  In my future posts, I'll be sharing more Fall cards, using a variety of stamps and papers so be sure to come back and see them all.

And now, before I go, I'd like to share some other exciting news with you.  We are getting ready for some puppy love in our home.  We got to meet the entire family Saturday... the mom, the dad and all 5 babies.  The breeder is keeping 1 of the boys, so I took photos of the other 2 boys and the 2 girls.  How will we ever choose who gets to come home with us on October 6?  Here's a peek at these adorable Cocker Spaniels.

Here are the 2 girls:

Here are the 2 boys:

another shot of the 2 girls:

1 of the boys:

We've been wanting a Cocker Spaniel for several years now and, when it didn't work out to adopt sweet little Sammy, we went back to our original plan of finding Cocker Spaniel puppies.  I'll keep you updated on further puppy love soon.

- 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.

Coloring Techniques, Part 1

Are you ready to take some time to work on coloring techniques?  Then you're in the right place.  I'm going to share my entire Coloring Techniques Album with you, along with several cards made using these techniques.  Before we get started, I have to say what a great day I had yesterday... having lunch and visiting with my sweet MIL and then spending the evening stamping with great friends... wonderful day, wonderful class... life is good.  Then, I got up and weighed in today at a new loss of 22 pounds.  Yay!  So, back to stamping:)

I've divided my album into 3 sections...
- inks
- markers
- special techniques
These are all wonderful ways to add color to a project.

I've divided my technique journal into 3 sections:
- inks
- markers
- special techniques
Today, let's get started with section 1, INKS.

The first way I've shown to add color is by stamping onto a contrasting color of card stock that is slightly lighter than your ink.

Here's the coordinating card made using this technique.

We made this card last night at my class.  It was a big hit!

Keep checking back for more techniques.  I have 14 more to 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.

Cards Using Coloring Techniques, Part 2

Today, let's look at the second of our 4 cards using coloring techniques.

This card features adding color by stamping onto a color of CS with a coordinating ink.  I love how this one turned out, using Sahara Sand.  I hadn't used this color for quite a while and find that it looks fabulous with our new Mossy Meadow.
For this card, I used Calypso Coral ink on Crisp Cantaloup CS for the flower, stamped and punched 2 of them, curled the edges and attached them offset, so you see all the petals.  I then used Mossy Meadow ink on Pear Pizzazz CS, cutting this 'flower' to make into the leaves.  The center of the flower is Crushed Curry ink on Daffodil Delight CS and, after punching, it is attached with dimensionals.  With all the punching involved, it makes this a fairly quick card, in spite of all the pretty details.  

Remember, I am featuring a different look for each envelope used with my 4 cards.  This one features adding DSP to the outside flap of the envelope, to coordinate with the card.  Notice that I've added an extra layer of Sahara Sand for the top layer of the card.  This adds so much to the elegance of a card.

Again, here are all 4 of the cards for our Friday Night Cards class.  Come back soon for my next 2 close-ups.

- 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 Party Prizes are Finished!

Today, I want to share my Party Prizes with you... for my Summer Stamping Party this Sunday (July 27).  It's from 2:00-5:00 and the first 16 guests to arrive will get one of these cute little bags.

Aren't they cute?  I made them in 3 different styles... just for fun.  Here are some close-ups.

Tags:
1.  from our Tag a Bag Accessory Kit... along with the cute little clips.
2.  from our Celebration Basics Kit.
3.  from our Celebration Basics Kit.
The adorable little clothespins are some of our new In Color accessories.  I love them.
The text on the first bag is from Regarding Dahlias.

The stamp set I used on the 2nd and 3rd bags is World of Dreams.  It's one of my favorites.  The wonderful 'leaf sprig' is from our Flower Frenzy Bigz Die.  I will be using this one a LOT!

I hope you'll contact me that you'd like to join us at the party this Sunday and I hope you're one of the lucky winners!  There's something special in each bag and they're not all the same, but I'm not telling what it is!  So... Who wants to party???

- 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.