another card for Dad

Actually, this is grandpa's card. I used another retired stamp set that I just love because it's so vintage and masculine. The card is made to resemble a vintage photo album - it's a pretty neat design and I'm sure I copied it from somewhere but I can't remember where!

If you are local, our monthly GNO will be Friday night. It's just a great gathering of ladies who craft, or just want to get out of the house for a few hours. You can scrapbook, stamp, crochet, bead, sew (yes, some have brought their machines :), organize your coupons ... or just sit and chat. We have a nice time, and we'd love to have you join us. Message me for details ---> info in the side bar.

happy stampin'

So Simply Sweet!

As promised, the third simple card from the kit. I believe I purchased the kit at Michael's when scrapbook kits were on sale at 40%.

I really like the little heart that reads, "You are so sweet." I think it adds just the right amount of sparkle and pop to the card. It's also versatile since I am not restricted to using this card for a birthday.

I have a photo of all 3 cards together to share as well. There is a 4th card which has yet to be photographed, and more embellies and cardstock in the kit so I really need to finish making the cards. Maybe I can get that done next weekend.

happy stampin'

Party!

Another card from the 6x6" kit I purchased. And, yes, it's pink too. I have no idea why I thought I could get a few masculine cards from this kit. This card took probably 10 minutes and most of that time was spent trying to decide on the ribbon.

Again, the "Party" is all glittery, but it doesn't show well in my photo. Thanks for stopping by today. I'll have another card from this kit in the next post.

happy stampin'

Celebrate!

Today's post is a quick birthday card. I bought a 6x6" scrapbook kit with the intent of making cards instead. It was all glittery and sweet with cupcakes and such. For some reason I was thinking the kit would make cards for guys or gals, but when I started working with it I realized there was more pink than any other color! Oh well. At least I'll have a stash of girlie cards when I need them.

The cupcake and "Celebrate" are all glittered up. I didn't do a thing, but cut the cardstock, punch a circle and stick it all together. Nice.

happy stampin'

Make 'n Take Card

Our LSS offers a free make 'n take every week. Yes, I know ... we're spoiled! Today's share is a recent project from the m'nt, so I don't have a complete supply list. All I really know is that the die cut birdie is a Quickutz die and the cardstock is Bazzil. What I like best about the card is the color choice of green and purple. Those colors sing when put together. What do you think?



A nice little card project for free, don't you think?

happy stampin'

Simple Cards

You can't get any simpler than one-layer cards. The cards today are super simple, yet really pretty (esp. in person). A line image was simply stamped and colored in quickly.

For the first card, I used Copic markers and a clear Spica glitter pen. The color intensity is amazing, and this photo does not do the card justice! If I wanted to add a little ribbon before mailing, it could be easily tied on the side. I will wait to choose a sentiment when I actuallly need the card ... I learned that lesson slowly and I have an entire box of "thank you" and "thinking of you" cards to prove it! LOL.


The second card was colored with retired SU! Metallic pencils. I am sad these are no longer for sale, but at least I have them to use when I need them. On this card I did stamp a sentiment because it was the sample card for the Senior Center Fundraiser we held a few months ago. Again, a little ribbon tied on the side would be nice, but we'll see, I kind of like it plain too.

I really like the difference you can achieve by changing the coloring medium (or would it be media?). Using the same image, you can get an entirely different feeling simply by changing your coloring tools.

happy stampin'

Always

I have been attempting to share projects appropriate for Valentine's Day on the ol' bloggity. I can't avoid sharing one of my most favorite stamp sets, Always, by SU! I love this stamp set! Both the images and the sentiments.

This was a card from January's Girl's Night Out. The papers are Bella designer series paper - so yummie all by themselves ... but look at them paired with the heart image from Always:



The heart was stamped on ruby red in white craft ink and embossed with white ep, then trimmed and adhered to the card front. I like the chocolate cardstock because it gives some depth to the pinks/reds and grounds everything. My favorite touch (other than the embossing) is the little surprise of polka dots inder the main image! I hope you like today's share as well.

happy stampin'

Valentine Mousie

Today I have a quick notecard to share. The dimensions of the card are 3x3" which makes them perfect for Valentine cards produced in bulk!

Mousie holding his heart was stamped in black, then the heart was stamped again on printed dot paper and cut out. A white gel pen adds a few highlights to the flower and his shirt, while his fur was colored with a SU! marker. The gingham ribbon is by Offray.

Easy peasy.

happy stampin'

Green snow?

Today's card is a gift card holder too - for double the fun! The colors are quite unexpected. I based the stamped image colors on the patterned paper, but I wasn't quite confident about adding green and orange to a snowflake image!

The card has a pocket fold on the inside bottom which holds a gift card perfectly. Since I didn't have an actual card, I just slipped in a paper for the photo, lol!



Here is a smaller photo showing the inside. I kept the card very simple, but you could definitely bling it up and add a ribbon too.

Guess I'll have to find a real gift card to insert inside. The best thing about this card is you can make it in a jiffy.

happy stampin'

supplies: Chocolate chip, sparkle and pattern paper; stamp image from Country Living Holiday kit and scallop punch by SU.

Winter Post

The weather this week is feeling more like winter ... or at least winter in the south! I have made zero preparations for Thanksgiving next week, but did manage to make a Christmas card!

This card uses my new favorite stamp set, Winter Post, from SU! I have several new sets that I hope to use making holiday cards, but this one tops my list {at the moment}. I can be a very fickle stamper for sure!

I used the sketch from CPS this week as my beginning point, but I didn't make a long card, I kept the card to an A2 size like usual. If you are planning to attend Girls Night Out on Friday - this will be one of our project cards.

happy stampin'

supplies: Winter Post, white, real red, bashful blue and pattern paper by SU; Snowflake embossing folder by Cuttlebug; red grosgrain by Offray.

Last of the series

You may be glad to know the series of card experiments are ending with today's post! Today's share is different from the others, it's not really an experiment with inks so much as it just uses the same image and I made it at the same time, so it was included with the group.

I can't remember where I found the color combo. It could have been a challenge, or I may have taken the colors from a color wheel. In any event, I like this color combo - it is brighter than colors I would normally choose.

When I inked the image, I selectively inked certain parts with the selected colors - spritzed the rubber stamp with water then stamped. By misting the rubber you are able to achieve a softer image. I then added glitter with a Spica clear glitter pen (yummie). Again, the scalloped oval was purchased from Paper Source.

happy stampin'

supplies: Butterflies (Inkadinkado), Scalloped Oval (Paper Source), Spica Glitter pen, cardstock, coral, turquoise and green inks.

Soft and Sweet

I love the way this card turned out! Continuing the experiments from last week, today's card is more like the first one I posted. The image was stamped in Versamark and clear embossed. I then spritzed pink and green inks diluted with water over the image. The one difference is that the image is stamped on ivory cardstock instead of patterned paper.

The scalloped oval was purchased from Paper Source in Georgetown. LOVE that store! I am totally psyched that a Paper Source is opening in Charlotte ... along with an IKEA. woo hoo! I am going to make a road trip once both stores are open! Anyone interested in riding along??

Oh sorry, I got sidetracked for a moment... excuse me. I thought I would also post a group shot of all the cards in this series. There is one more card to highlight - and I haven't shown it yet because it doesn't use the same technique of experimenting with clear embossing and inks. I will post it next. Until then ...

happy stampin'

supplies: Butterflies (Inkadinkado), Pattern paper (Basic Grey), Ivory scalloped oval (Paper Source), Sentiment and Pearls (Stampin' Up), cardstock, Versamark, pink and green inks, clear ep.

Butterflies in Pink!

More of the same ... the technique is the same as yesterdays: clear embossed stamped image, brayered over with a darker ink. On this card I stamped and clear embossed the same image on the cardstock background. If you read yesterday's post, you know all the details! I can't think of anything to add.

The scalloped rectangle was punched with a Marvy punch. I do like the differences in the appearance of the image. It's fun to play around with stamps and supplies when I have time! Here is a closer look at the embossed image:

happy stampin'

supplies: Butterflies (Inkadinkado), Patterned Paper (Basic Grey), cardstock, Versamark, clear ep, Marvy Scalloped Rectangle punch.

Butterflies

This card takes the same idea from Thursdays post, but instead of spritzing ink onto the embossed image, I brayered a darker ink over the image which gives more contrast resutling in a bolder image and keeps most of the patterned paper from showing through. This is the same image as in the last post.

I added a Cuttlebugged background, lightly swiping ink over it to bring out the leaves.

happy stampin'

supplies: Butterflies (Inkadinkado), Pattern paper (Basic Grey), Cardstock, Cuttlebug, Versamark and Night of Navy inks, clear ep, brayer.

Because I Care

Today's card - and a couple of more to be posted soon - are a result of experimenting with my supplies. I wanted to use patterned paper, clear embossing powder and a mister.

This card was difficult to photograph. It is pastel, so the color is not rich and the embossing effect is sooo subtle ...


I stamped the image with Versamark and clear embossed it. Then I misted diluted ink over the image, wiping any excess ink from the embossing. In person, the effect is subtle and very soft. However to get the image to show up in a photograph I had to catch the light, and therefore some of the softness is lost. But I hope you get the idea!

happy stampin'

supplies: Butterfly image (Inkadinkado), Sentiment (Stampin' Up), Pattern paper (Basic Grey), Versamark, Chocolate Chip and Pretty in Pink inks, Nestabilities, cardstock, grosgrain ribbon.

Santa

October was a busy month! The biggest challenge was a change in my work schedule ... I may be getting used to the changes after 4 weeks - but I'm not totally sure! I did have some projects going on, but didn't have much time to photograph and post anything new! I hope the posts that have made it on the blog have been ok until I get back into a routine.

Today's card is from last week's Copic challenge that Keri and I are doing. Keri was good and got her card posted on time, me ... well ... I'm a week late but at least I'm posting it now. Our challenge was to use the Copic Airbrush System (ABS) on a card. Keri's is HERE and it's gorgeous! Another quick congratulations to Keri on being selected to the Spellbinder's blog team. Keri is very talented and has already posted a great tutorial on using the Nestability dies to their fullest potential!

I worked, reworked and reworked some more until I felt it was passable. I'm still not happy with it, but it's ok and I did learn a few things along the way. I just bought a few new colors of Ranger's Distress embossing powders, and I wanted to use them. Probably not the best idea for this image. First lesson: Pay attention to your image and really think about how to best treat it before you start.

I over stamped the image after I didn't get the effect I was seeking with the distress powders and embossed again, this time in clear. Hum ... didn't make much change. Second lesson: You can't correct some things, just move on!

Next I airbrushed. And airbrushed, and airbrushed! Everything on the card except the twill is airbrushed! I kept adding more color, taking some out with the blender pen, then adding more. There is actually a little girl's face to the right of Santa's ... but you can't see it because nothing I did made her look realistic! She actually started looking scary at one point. When an element just doesn't work what else can you do but cover it with an embellishment! So I gave up and stamped "Believe", airbrushed some color over it, cut and embossed with Oval Nestabilities and stuck it down! Third lesson: If it doesn't work, cover it up!

Funny story about this card. As I worked, I struggled to keep the face clear ... my son took the card to my husband and asked him what he thought it was. My husband said, and I quote, "Well, I think I can see a face in that rock." Oh my goodness! It was obviously worse than I thought!

So - whether you see a Santa, or a rock, at least I posted my challenge card! lol. I hope you like it! It is loosely based on the CPS Sketch Challenge from last week too!

happy stampin'

supplies: Santa (Inkadinkadoo), "Believe" Cornish Heritage Farms, Ranger embossing powders, Copic markers and ABS, Nestabilities, twill, Versamark, Memento inks, Stampin' Up cardstock.

Serenity Song

This is a new stamp I just received from Artistic Outpost. AO has some really great images - which is not a good thing for me! I ended up ordering {cough} sets from them last week, and they arrived on my doorstep in just a few days. So far, this is the only one I have inked up - but I do have plans for the others!

I wanted to play around with the Colorless Blender solution from Copic this week. It's a neat liquid, but doesn't do what I would expect. As an artist (in my earlier years), I would expect a blender to meld colors and blend them together - instead the Copic blender solution actually pushes color away. The blender (solution or pen) can also remove color! Keri will be posting a card using Color Blender techniques on her blog soon. Check out Keri's blog post here.

Serenity UM Stamp set

To make this card I stamped the image in Paris Dusk Memento ink and heat set it. I colored randomly with R11, Y11 and G12 Copics. Then I spritzed the entire piece with colorless blender. After it dried (only a few seconds), I went back in with the blender pen and continued to push color or remove color from strategic spots. I colored the vanilla taffeta ribbon with BV17 to match the Making Memories pattern paper.

The reason you see my fingers in this photo is because the card opens from the top and every photo I took looked distored because the flap didn't lie completely flat. So where you see my thumb, is actually where the card opens. The ribbon below is simply decorative.

happy stampin'

knit 1, purl 2

I don't knit, but think I know someone who will like this card ...
This is an image from the Copic class I took recently - I believe someone said it was Lockhart? If not, please comment here so I can give the appropriate credit.

I colored the image with Copics (what did you expect?) and the paper is Cosmo Cricket. Yum, yum. I love me some Cosmo. You are probably expecting a list of the colors used but ... I'm not sure, so I hate to guess and list something incorrectly! The reason I am not sure is because I colored this in the car on the way home from Charleston and I didn't write it down as I was using them.


I can tell you the punch is from Martha Stewart, the ribbon is Vanilla taffeta from Stampin' Up and the rectangles were cut with Nestabilities. The edges were distressed using a sponge and Chocolate Chip ink from SU.

If I do not post again before the weekend it's because I am busy, busy, busy. I work a couple of days this week, and have a Fundraiser coming up on Friday - check out the sidebar ---> and send an email if you want more details!

happy stampin'
Susan

Happy WCMD!

Today is World Cardmaking Day! What a great day to steal away time to craft (but I have to work, poo)! So to compensate, I am hosting an event next Friday (Oct. 10) for WCMD. The event is in my sidebar ---> and will be a fundraiser for our local Senior Center. I hope we have a good turnout. Everyone who attends will leave with 8 cards - but the best part is that 100% of the money will go to the Sr. Center. All the card making supplies are donated!

Today's card uses a technique JanTink calls "moonlighting". It is a nice effect which can be used to highlight an element of your image too.

all images © SU! 1990-2008

The images were colored with rockin' Copics and the background was sponged (just wait until my air brush arrives!!). Everything else is from SU! I hope you like them because I love to read your comments (hint, hint).

happy stampin'

Susan

Finally a card to share

I've been so swamped with things lately I haven't had time to post a card. No worries ... today I have a card for you. I made this card for JanTink's Wicked Challenge waaaay back in August! Oh my, how embarrassing.

This card satisfies the Wicked Color Combo Challenge: Tangerine Tango, Perfect Plum, Kiwi Kiss, So Saffron. BTW, it's really hard to make a card that doesn't look like halloween using these colors, just in case you wanted to know that!

all images © SU! 1990-2008

I'll have another card posting tomorrow for World Cardmaking Day!

edited to add: This card's little bitty flower is totally colored with Copics!

happy stampin'
Susan