The Stamp-A-Stack Blues: 2 Beautiful Blues

No, I don't have the blues but I have beautiful shades of blues.
Let's take a look at the Stamp-A-Stack cards I've made with blues.  We'll be making these this afternoon at my Christmas Stamp-A-Stack.  Each one has something quite special.  First up is beautiful Island Indigo:

Are you wondering about the embossed silver paper on the right side of the card?  This is the new embossing technique I came up with previously. (Click here to see.)  I made it using our Stylish Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  (Yes, I know.  It's a long name!)  You simply emboss it 2 times, in opposite directions.  I think it really adds a lot of detail to the card.

This card is my WOW card of the day.  With the silver accents, it's a real winner.  The beautiful Frosted Finishes embellishment on the ornament is just the frosting on the cake.  Click here to see another card with the extended arm version of the swing card using our Thinlits Circle Card die.

Next up, gorgeous Bermuda Bay:

I've used our Window Framelits to create a window.  The lattice is suspended inside the window.
Tip:
When working with vellum, you have to have a plan to hide the adhesive.  Otherwise, it will always show through your vellum.  For my card, I simply placed another piece of Bermuda Bay behind the vellum.  This hides the adhesive and also helps to hide the inside layer (with the message) from showing through.

As you can see, every card has a special message stamped inside and a coordinating envelope.  With our gorgeous Christmas papers, you just cannot help but have a winner each and every time.

- 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.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Since Ben said I couldn't be 22 again and that he knew I had to be 23 this year, I'm celebrating 23 great years!  How fun!!!  I'll take that:)

Today's card is one I made for a special order.  Yes, I take special orders.  If you need something and don't have time to make it, I'm your person to call.  This last order called for cards for a variety of occasions.  Here's the one I made for the birthday card.

The order called for music on each card and some bling.  This stamp set was perfect for it.

So, I'm off to celebrate my birthday and wish you a good day, too.  In closing, here's a banner I wanted to share with you.  I made it to decorate my studio, above the (stamping) bar.  I thought my birthday was a good day to share a banner:)  I made it with our Epic Day DSP.

Have a great day and a great weekend.  Celebrate my birthday with me and go stamp something!

- 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.

Rain, Rain, Rain ... Go Away!

We have had so much rain!  Last night proved to us that the last repair in our skylight was not successful after all.  We are facing a replacement, for sure.  Our poor sump pump is working almost nonstop.  We need some sunshine!  Here's a card to maybe chase away the rain.  This is one of my all time favorites.  I love the crisp yellow/black/white color story.

Here's poor Toby Joe during the thunder.  He knows he's too big to hide under this table, but at least he can get his nose under it.  Poor baby.

Our big guy is not so big on bravery when it comes to thunder storms.  We were under a tornado watch last night.  We had everyone camped out in the basement.  In the midst of it all, my husband got back home.  I was so glad to have him safely back.  He drove through storms coming home from his uncle's funeral in Missouri.

Yesterday, before the storm, I finished the 5 cards for my July Stamp Club Color Camp.  I am almost ready to start sharing some sneak peeks.  I am waiting for my new order to get here so I can add some brand new embellishments to my creations.  I can't wait!

Hopefully, today will be a calmer day.  I'm putting the finishing touches on the cards for my June 14 Friday Night Cards class.  We will be making 6 cards --- all with the new In Colors + 1 with our new Smoky Slate.  I need some embellishments from my new order for these also and then I'll share some sneak peeks.

- 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.

Sketch Template Series, Part 2

Are you up for another great sketch template?  Here we go for today's sketch #2 of our Team project.

I have several cards today, using this template.  You may notice that we are keeping these simple.  Our goal is to share that you can make great cards without them being overly complicated.  While it's fun to make a super fancy card with all the bells and whistles, the reality is that we don't have time to make every card be this way.  You may also notice that it is incredibly fun to make a simple card that looks really great.  It is very rewarding.

Sketch #2 has a border down the front, rather than covering all the front of the card.  Notice how Jenn used a cute little scallop border tucked into one side of the card.  This card showcases the pinwheel die, which works so well with the Sunshine and Sprinkles DSP.

This is a card I made from the Dude, You're Welcome Kit.  I'll be sharing more of these cards soon.  I also used the little 'speckled' stamp from the Paper Pumpkin Welcome Kit.  I just love that stamp!

This card showcases the Tea for Two DSP and the Oh, Hello stamp set.  I stamped over the En Francais background and then cut the layers out with our framelits.

I cut the embossed layer a little shorter for this card, to show how you can vary the design.  You could also change the card to a landscape orientation. 

So there you have it.  Some great cards that look great and feel great to make!  Have you tried a template sketch yet to jump-start your creativity?  Get going now and have a super day!

Reason to Smile Layout / Chosen for 'My Crafty Picks'

I'm honored to be featured again on 'My Crafty Picks' by Tiffany.  This card was my favorite of all the ones I made with the Reason to Smile stamp set so far.
Here's the layout I made that was inspired by this card.

I used a square punch to punch out parts of the flower images.

Here's a close-up to show the piece I cut using our new window framelits.  I used the paper piercing templates to pierce around the edges.  It's a quick and super easy way to add some texture and detail to your project.

...and here's the card again.  It's made with soft suede, summer starfruit and midnight muse.

Here's another version I made of the card, to fit a note card set.

Even though this stamp set is no longer available, you can easily adapt the same design and use a different image.  Now go and stamp something and don't forget about my Friday 3-4-5 class coming up this Friday.  I have some great new designs ready for you!