Special words

I'm not big into using a lot of random sayings on my cards. If it doesn't apply to the situation for which the card is being sent, I just don't like it. However, when you happen to have a situation where the (random) saying fits, then it's like getting a home run! This beauty of a card is going out to a family member who I think will appreciate it. I can't believe how easy it is to use the Just Believe stamp set - it is so simple all on its own.

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)

Stamps: Just Believe, All occasions(?) (Level 3 hostess set)
Cardstock: Sahara sand, Early espresso, Very Vanilla
Ink: Marina Mist, Early espresso
Other Stuff: Beautiful wings embosslit, Basic pearls, Marina mist ribbon, mini glue dots, nestie (shhhh)

Summer's end

My creative mojo has decided to make a return visit after a few days off. I was upstairs working on so many different things I thought my head was going to explode! I actually ran out of time last night to blog because I didn't realize how late it had gotten. Sometimes the things that came out on paper didn't exactly fit the idea in my mind, but that's just the way things go sometimes, and it doesn't have to be a disaster if you don't let it (or so I keep telling myself). Tonight's card is my ode to the end of summer, since it seems like a lot of my Facebook friends kids went back to school today, which we all know is the true end of summer. My little ones started their fall semester of preschool last week, but it doesn't really do much to change their schedule - they just have to start adding a bit more learning in between their playing - what a life, right????
Anyway, back to today's card. I used Punched Posies since this will soon be in the 'retired' list as it is (was) a hostess set from the Summer Mini, which ends Tuesday August 31 (so if you still want something from the Summer mini, head over to my Stampin'Up! website and place an order pronto!) I LOVE this color combo - Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight and Pumpkin Pie: Indian Summer colors! This card sat on my desk for weeks and weeks until I finally figured out how to finish it - hope you like it!


Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Punched Posies, Printed Petals, Occasional Quotes (Level 3 hostess set), Whimsy Jumbo Wheel
Cardstock: Whisper white, Pumpkin pie, Daffodil delight, Cherry Cobbler
Ink:Pumpkin pie, Daffodil delight, Cherry Cobbler
Other Stuff: Curly label punch, Cherry cobbler marker, Sponge dauber

Trendy Christmas

My Christmas cards are usually handmade (I missed a year or two when I first had the kiddos) but they are always somewhat traditional, and not what you would call 'trendy.' But I always like the look of trendy colors for Christmas, even if I never have the guts to pull it off myself. Having this blog has given me the opportunity to try some new and different things on a small scale, since I make a new card almost every night. If I did the same old, same old every day, I don't think too many of you would stick around to read it! Tonight's card is my first real foray into the world of trendy Christmas stuff. It's an offshoot of one of my favorite Thank You cards using trendy trees, and I used the color palette that Stampin'Up! is using for it's 'Cute Christmas' line. I'm thinking that trendy might not be as hard as I thought!

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Trendy Trees, Little Christmas Builder Wheel
Cardstock: Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Baja Breeze
Ink: Real Red, Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride, Wild Wasabi, Early Espresso
Other Stuff: Petals-a-Plenty EF, Stamp-a-ma-jig

An oldie but goodie

Hee hee hee, I meant the title for the stamp set, but now that I think about it I suppose it could apply to the card recipient, my brother-in-law, as well. Loads of Love is one of those stamp sets that I hope they keep around forever because it always works for guys, which is not easy to do. I got my brand new watercolor pencils in this afternoon and I LOVE how easy they are to use with the aquapainter - no fuss and no mess! I may have to make a bunch of these in all different truck colors since I live in Texas and just about everyone has a pickup truck.

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Loads of Love, Loads of Love Accessories, Dotted lines jumbo wheel
Cardstock: Real red, Pacific Point, Pumpkin pie, Whisper white, watercolor paper
Ink: Stazon black, Real red jumbo cartridge
Other Stuff: Watercolor pencils, Aquapainter, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, Square lattice EF, Silver pencil (prisma)

Accordian fold birthday

Little girl is going to a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese on Sunday, so I decided to get ahead of the game and make a birthday card more than 5 minutes before we're set to leave for the party. In the back of my mind I've been wanting to try some of the accordian fold flowers that have been popping up lately, and I thought that this was the perfect opportunity. These flowers are super-simple to make and I think they make quite the statement. This card will probably get delivered on the package, and not in an envelope, because it is quite bulky, but for a little girl's birthday I think it's totally okay. These little flowers would be really cute on some birthday party favors . . . hmmmm, the wheels are turning . . .

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Birthday whimsy (retired), Punched posies, Itty bitty bits
Cardstock: Rose red, So Saffron, Island oasis DSP
Ink: Tempting turquoise, rose red
Other Stuff: Itty bitty punch pack, Itty bitty buttons, glue dots, crystal effects

Dressy birthday

Today I'm sharing a card that I received and think it's sooo cute! My mom made me this fancy dress birthday card, but she said to make sure that I mention that she didn't come up with the idea for the card, she saw it somewhere and copied it (although my mom always puts her own spin on cards, even if she sees the original idea somewhere). I LOVE IT!!! It's lovely even though I haven't dressed up in a little black dress in eons . . . maybe someday I will again, when I won't have little fingers and hands all over me, although that will be bittersweet.
Hubby and I went out to dinner, just the two of us, which was really a treat, but after I stuffed myself on crab legs (yum!) I was happy to get home to the kiddos and fam. AND, I'm getting a new Kindle, as soon as Amazon decides to ship it out - how exciting is that?????? If you have any good book recommendations, let me know so I can start a wish list! AND I think I'll be adding to my itty bitty (LOL!) Stampin'Up! collection with the help of some birthday cash as well - what a great birthday!!!!!!!!

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
I'm winging this tonight since I didn't make the card.
Stamps: None(?)
Cardstock: Creamy caramel (retired), Basic black
Ink: None (?)
Other Stuff: Scallop border punch, Cuttlebug embossing strip, Black ribbon, silver beaded trim, small silk flower, red jewel

A Blatant CASE

Well, my creative mojo has yet to return, so I had to resort to a blatant CASE (Copy And Steal Everything) from the new Holiday Mini that debuts September 1. This card is a copy of a picture frame that they used with decor elements, but it's pretty obvious that I stole their idea. That's okay though - it's a pretty cool idea, IMO! For some reason I'm really into Halloween stuff this year - we got a costume catalog in the mail and my kiddos can spend whole minutes going through the pictures, deciding what they want to be, changing their minds on almost every page. I guess their enthusiasm is contagious!

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Dark & Dreary, Baroque Motifs
Cardstock: Whisper white, Basic Black
Ink: Basic Black, Wild Wasabi, Pumpkin Pie
Other Stuff:

Have you seen my mojo?

I swear, I had it just a few days ago. All of a sudden - poof! - it's gone again. I think I had about half a dozen different card ideas tonight and couldn't get any of them onto paper. Nothing seemed right. Even this card isn't quite right - there are two stamp pads that I don't currently own, and of course I needed one of them tonight (Very Vanilla). I settled and used Whisper White but it just wasn't quite the same. My thought is that the Just Believe stamp set is so pretty I could do just about anything with it and it would be okay. I'm just hoping that my mojo only wanted the night off, and not more than that!


Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Just Believe
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Newsprint DSP
Ink: Whisper white, Basic Black
Other Stuff: Very vanilla & Basic black ribbon, 1 1/4" circle punch, sponge dauber

Workshop cards and LOL!

So for the serious part of my post tonight, I'm sharing the two cards that we made at my workshop this afternoon. I thought that these cards were easy enough for beginning stampers but had enough interest to them to keep experienced stampers happy. They were well-received so I feel good about them.
Now, about the next two pictures . . . this just goes to show that cards really do make an impact, even if they're not (gasp!) handmade. My sister gave this card to my husband this weekend for his birthday, and the resemblence to my hubby is uncanny!!! He was the first one to realize that the picture looked just like him, and loved it! He and my sister have a good relationship that is based on a lot of teasing from both ends, so this was not only appropriate but appreciated and to some extent, expected. Hubby was a good sport and posed for this picture so y'all who don't know him could see the resemblence. I thought I was going to lose it at the restaurant I was laughing so hard!!!

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps:Watercolor trio, En Francais
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Old Olive, Whisper White
Ink:Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Old Olive
Other Stuff: Markers, Old Olive ribbon, Oval & Scalloped oval punches

Stamps: Just believe, Teeny tiny wishes
Cardstock: Soft suede, Pumpkin pie, So saffron, Whisper white
Ink:Soft suede, Pumpkin pie, So saffron
Other Stuff: Vintage wallpaper EF, word window punch, sponges

Shhh . . .

Tonight's card is hubby's birthday card, which he'll be getting in the morning. He doesn't read my blog, so I'm pretty sure my secret is safe here. Here's my confession: the stamp is not Stampin'Up! (Blasphemy, I know!) But here's the catch: I didn't buy it - it was given to me by a dear friend after I lost my best buddy Jake (a salt & pepper mini schnauzer) this January. Since SU! doesn't sell a mini schnauzer stamp and I didn't buy it, I absolve myself of this transgression. We are a schnauzer family and I know hubby will know that this card, more so than almost any other, was made with love.

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Schnauzer (Inky Antics)
Cardstock: Going gray (retired), Whisper White, Basic Gray DSP
Ink: Stazon black
Other Stuff: colored pencils and OMS, blending stump, Black Journaler marker, Modern label & Word Window punches

Thinking of a friend

Goshdarnit, I hate to make sympathy cards. I won't make them ahead of time, because every time I make one I hope it's the last one I have to make. Yes, I recognize that this is not the way life goes, but it's my story and I'm sticking to it. Thoughts and Prayers is such a comforting set - the tree is beautiful and elegant and somehow calming. The sentiments say exactly what I want to say to someone who is hurting. So even though I hate to do it, I think that I usually make a pretty card to let someone know that my thoughts and prayers are with them.
Now what I need to work on and get better at is sending cards to people to let them know I care during 'normal' times, and not just when they are mourning/hurt/sad.

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Thoughts & Prayers, Wonderfully worn
Cardstock: Crumb cake, Whisper white
Ink: Early espresso, Marina Mist, Old Olive, Crumb Cake
Other Stuff: Top note die, sponge dauber, brayer

Creative color combo

Tonight's card is something a bit out there for me. I saw a card in a gallery somewhere that used the Vintage wallpaper embossing folder and highlighted it with some ink, so I decided to try that too. Flipping through my color coach I came across this color combo (Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze, Old Olive) and I think it looks rich. I'm digging it for fall!
And on that note, let's hope that fall is at least thinking about showing up at some point here in North Texas. For the first time in 18 days (I think), we didn't hit 100 degrees today!!!! Let's celebrate!


Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Friends Never Fade
Cardstock: Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze
Ink: Old Olive, Not Quite Navy
Other Stuff: Vintage wallpaper EF, Old Olive ribbon, Scallop border punch, sponge dauber

Fall foliage

Ahhh, sweet relief! It finally rained tonight and I got to sit under the patio with the fam and watch. Sooo nice to sit outside once again and not feel like I'm going to pass out from the heat!
If you follow my blog (which hopefully you do!!), you may be wondering why I skipped from Halloween to Christmas with my Holiday Mini previews. Well, I don't quite have an answer for that, other than I guess I was just really really excited about the Halloween and Christmas stuff, and those stamps are only 'good' during their respective seasons. Tonight's card is a fall card but the stamp set is absolutely stunning and could be used for more than just Fall or Thanksgiving themed items. It would be a great set for masculine cards or heritage albums or thank you cards . . . the list goes on. As lovely as it is, Fireside Christmas just doesn't have the same versatility!
On a side note, I'm sooooo excited that I am going to attend the Stampin'Up! regional convention in Fort Worth on September 10 (had to take a day off work - didn't want to miss the Penn State-Alabama game on Saturday. Priorities, people!) Anyway, I'm trying to stockpile some cards for the blog, but I may miss a day here and there while I work on my first ever swaps. After convention is over I'll share my swaps with you. Thanks in advance for your patience!


Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps:French foliage
Cardstock: Cajun craze, More mustard, Cherry cobbler, Very vanilla, Cajun Craze DSP
Ink: Cajun craze, More mustard, Cherry cobbler, Always artichoke, Versamark
Other Stuff: Clear embossing powder, linen thread, gold paint pen (non SU!)

Feeling cozy

Okay, I'm not really feeling that cozy. I'm really sick of the heat and summer in general. I'm ready for the crisp-ness of fall and football! I'm living vicariously through my stamping right now with all of these Holiday Mini previews. Tonight's card is from yet another new set called Fireside Christmas (or something very close to that . . . I don't have the catalog right in front of me). It's another set that is perfect for those of us who like to color. The sentiment is from the Boughs and Bows (??? my brain is fried tonight) set. I don't know what's gotten into me with the Designer Series paper - now that I actually use it I just can't get enough of it!!!!! The Deck the Halls paper is so so so fabulous - I'm totally in love with it and I'm not even a 'vintage' girl.

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Fireside Christmas, Boughs & Bows
Cardstock: Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, Deck the Halls DSP
Ink: Black Stazon
Other Stuff: Markers, Blender pens, Scallop oval punch, Champagne mist shimmer spritz, gold paint pen (non SU!)

Christmas sneak peek

Here's another card using the Bells & Boughs stamp set from the upcoming Holiday Mini. If you like to color, this is a great set for you. I used a blender pen with Cherry cobbler for the flowers and mixed Old Olive and Always artichoke for the branches to try and give them some dimension. The Deck the Halls DSP is GORGEOUS and the best part is that some of it doesn't have to be holiday-ish if you don't want it to!

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Bells & Boughs
Cardstock: Very vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Always artichoke, Deck the Halls DSP
Ink: Black stazon
Other Stuff: Markers, blender pen, 5 petal flower punch, Scalloped edge border & corner punch, Champagne glass glitter

Scary spiders

Tonight we went to my mom's house for dinner and swimming - nothing new there. Then my husband notices a big spider on mom's back porch - a black widow!!!! Well . . . okay, mom says. I'll call the pest people on Monday and have them come out. Then she asks hubby to take an old lounge chair to the garage so it can be thrown out, and he finds TWO MORE black widow spiders!!!!!!! (The chair stayed where it was!)
So tonight's card is in 'honor' of my mom's black widow spiders, who seem to think that her back yard is the perfect place to live. And by the way, my mom's backyard is in no way creepy, other than the fact that poisonous spiders like to live there.

All supplies from Stampin'Up! unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Dark & Dreary, Medallion, Wonderfully worn
Cardstock: Basic Gray, Very Vanilla, Cherry cobbler
Ink: Basic black, White craft
Other Stuff: Black satin ribbon

Bring on the bling!

This card is definitely one that would stand out on someone's Christmas card display! Just about everything I used is from the new holiday mini, which debuts September 1. The stamp set is called Bells & Boughs and I used some of the divine champagne glass glitter with some brown waffle paper to make the big ruffled edge (sooo easy - no kidding!). I used the SNAIL adhesive to stick the glitter on and it seems to be holding pretty well. The background paper is also new, a very traditional pack of designer series paper called Deck the Halls. I colored the image with markers and then used an actual paint brush (when was the last time you dug one of those out?!?!?) to very carefully paint on some Champagne Mist shimmer paint to the bells and bows. Sparkly, shimmery, and even though the colors are very traditional, there's nothing understated about it!

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps:Bells & Boughs
Cardstock:Whisper white, Crumb cake, Deck the halls DSP
Ink: Black stazon
Other Stuff: Markers (Cherry cobbler, Old Olive, River Rock), Champagne mist shimmer paint, Champagne glass glitter, Brown waffle paper, dimensionals, SNAIL

Omigosh!

I got my Holiday Mini preorder stuff in the other day (well, the first shipment) and once again I got paralyzed. So much new AWESOME stuff, and it always freaks me out just a little bit. I put it all together and put it aside. I've learned . . . the mojo will come. Well, I feel like it's been pouring out of me today. I brought the mini with me to work today and sat down at lunch with it, and the ideas just started coming. Luckily I had my Idea Book with me and I started writing stuff down - a couple pages worth! Of course tonight was also the season finale for 'So You Think You Can Dance' so I didn't get started on anything until after 9, but that's okay. I've got it all written down and I think I'll be set for at least a few days and I'll be showing you some cool new stuff from the new catty (you're gonna love it!!!)
Tonight's card is from the new Halloween set, Dark & Dreary. The amazing Michelle Zindorf talked about turning a regular stamp into a silhouette the other day on her blog, and a lightbulb went on for me. She is such a creative thinker and I love that she gives you ideas on how to use stamps in unique ways. Thus, I took the raven and colored him in to be a silhouette, which works quite well with the brayered background, I think. And another trick - I took the pinking hearts border punch and covered up the hearts!!! How cool is that????? (Saw that somewhere too - don't go thinking I came up with that on my own)

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Dark & Dreary, Wonderfully worn BG
Cardstock: Pumpkin pie, Basic Black, Daffodil delight, Whisper white
Ink: Basic black, Early espresso, Daffodil delight, Pumpkin pie
Other Stuff: Pinking hearts border punch, brayer, sponge dauber

Monochromatic

Honestly, most of the time I don't have the discipline I think it takes to make a monochromatic card. It takes a lot of restraint for me to not add in another color for some pop. But the Just Believe stamp set is soooo gorgeous that I just needed to leave it alone and let that focal image be the star. There's something very elegant about the monochromatic look, so hopefully I got that across tonight.

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Just Believe, En Francais
Cardstock: Early espresso, Crumb cake, Soft suede, whisper white
Ink: White craft, Crumb cake (stamped off once on circle image), Early espresso (marker), Soft suede
Other Stuff: White embossing powder, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, basic pearls

Birthday blues

My birthday is coming up in a few weeks, and for one of the first times, I'm not so happy about it. I'm going to be closer to 40 than 30, and for some reason it's bothering me. So tonight's card is a blue birthday card, 'cause that's how I feel: blue. But it is a cute card - I got to use my new Sizzlit alphabet, Billboard. The big brads are retired but just worked so well I couldn't resist.

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Punched posies
Cardstock: Not quite navy, Not quite navy DSP, Whisper white
Ink: Not quite navy, Marina mist
Other Stuff: Billboard sizzlit decorative strip die, Scalloped circle punch, white gel pen, circle brads (retired), dimensionals

Pretty in Pink

I'm a serial killer of hydrangeas. I LOVE them. They beckon to me every year at the garden center and I fall for their big beautiful gaudiness every time. I bring it home and swear that I will put it in a better spot and take better care of it this time. It's just not meant to be. And the plant never just limps along for a while, not looking good. Nope. It just croaks almost immediately and becomes a big brown eyesore in my yard - a beacon of my failings. But all that is in the past now: no more live hydrangeas for me. Now I have the absolutely lovely and un-killable stamp set Because I Care. Because I DO care. I care not to kill any more hydrangeas and waste $9.95 a pop, or whatever the going rate is. Whenever I get tempted I will just pull out this beautiful card in tonight's post and gaze at it, and try to convince myself that just maybe this time . . .

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Because I Care
Cardstock: Whisper white, Old Olive, Pretty in Pink
Ink:(Markers) Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Perfect Plum, Old Olive, Certainly Celery,
Other Stuff: Vintage wallpaper EF, Oval Scallop Frame (Sizzix die), Basic pearls, White taffeta ribbon

Posh baby

Tonight's card is one of those cards that is an interpretation of a style and a look that I appreciate and like, but don't think I could ever actually pull off for something like a nursery, for example. When I was pregnant with my daughter and dreaming of nurseries and pink, I thought long and hard about a pink & black nursery. It looked so posh and chic and dramatic. But when it came down to it, that's just not me (or my daughter - although she's got the drama part down pat). But I like the look, and I wanted to try it on a small scale with this card. I used the new in-color Blushing Bride with basic black (I've been dying to try the pleated ribbon look!). If you get the chance, get the In-color paper pack that is a level 1 hostess gift - it's awesome!!!!!

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Animal Stories
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Whisper White, Basic Black, Blushing bride DSP (hostess)
Ink: Blushing bride
Other Stuff: Black satin ribbon, Scallop trim border & scallop trim corner punches, Perfect details texturz plate, dimensionals

Woo hoo!!!!

Well folks, here it is: Blog Post #100!!!! Can you believe it?!?!?!? Today is just a milestone day all the way around: my 100th blog post AND my first in-home workshop. Whew. I'm beat. But in a good way. Despite all the activity today, I still have a card for you (I cheated though - I made this a few days ago, figuring I wouldn't have a lot of time today to make my own cards)
This design is not really unique - I've seen several permutations of this type of design, but I think it's pretty and worth sharing. The rose is from 5th avenue floral and I used Riding hood red & cherry cobbler with my aquapainter to fill in the color. The colors are pretty dramatic, especially for me, but today was a big day deserving of a little drama!

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps:5th Avenue Floral, En Francais, Wonderfully worn
Cardstock: Whisper white, Basic Black, Basic Gray
Ink: Riding hood red, Cherry cobbler, Basic Gray
Other Stuff: White embossing powder, Aquapainter, little leaves sizzlit, Silver foil smooch spritz

Thankful

Spent a good portion of this evening prepping for my VERY FIRST WORKSHOP!!!!! Woo hoo!!! I'm excited and nervous. And thankful. Very thankful. I'm a lucky lady to be able to do something that I love in my spare time, and I'm so excited to meet some new people who might catch the stamping bug like me. I felt that a Thank you card was in order for tonight's post. Since I made the decision to make a conscious effort to USE what I buy, I find that I make so many really beautiful projects that are really quite simple. The Greenhouse Garden paper is absolutely beautiful, but I do think that it's even more gorgeous when it's paired together actually on a card! In the past, I would 'save' this type of paper for 'special occasions.' But now I say to myself, 'Karla, it's paper. Use it. Let it fulfill its paper destiny and become something even more beautiful.' And so I do. For all of you 'collectors' out there, let yourself use some of that special {fill in the blank.} It feels good to use what you've got!!!!
Think good thoughts for me Saturday afternoon - let's hope there are no big disasters or major screwups from me at my first workshop!

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Friends never fade, Sincere Salutations
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Chocolate chip, Greenhouse garden DSP, whisper white
Ink: Baja Breeze, Chocolate chip
Other Stuff: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Chocolate chip ribbon, Silver brads, paper piercer, dimensionals

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my lovely mother's birthday! I will not tell you how old she is, because if you met her, you would never believe she is the age her drivers license says she is. The woman looks good!!!! Of course I had to make my mamacita a lovely and perfect and intricate birthday card, right??? Well, it is lovely (IMHO), but I just don't have the knack for making things as intricate as she does. Her cards have so much more to them.
I saw an ad today for a new card magazine that's coming out, and they categorized the cards by 'style.' I have to say, especially since I'm trying out this whole 'business' side of stamping with the Stampin'Up! demo-ship, that this intrigued me. I spend a lot of time thinking about my (to-this-point-mostly-imaginary) customers and what kind of cards would they like. This magazine (which I honestly can't remember the name of but it will probably be on newstands soon) came up with 4 different styles, which I wrote down because I liked them: Classy & elegant, Shabby Chic/Vintage, Fun & cute, and Clean & Graphic. Looking back through my work, even though I like to think I'm Clean & Simple, I'm really not. I like the simple, graphic look when other people do it, but I never seem to like anything I do in that style. By process of elimination, I think I'm a Classy & Elegant type girl, and I like that. I'd love to know what category you'd put yourself in to, if you had to pick just one!


Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Watercolor trio
Cardstock: Rich razzleberry CS & DSP, Whisper white
Ink: Rich razzleberry, Sahara sand
Other Stuff: Oval scallop frame die, white taffeta ribbon

Funky fresh flowers

For tonight's card I broke out a new stamp set, Printed Petals, and the Itty Bitty Buttons that have been mocking me all summer. The inspiration fairy was not with me this evening, so to jolt myself into action as I stared helplessly at all my schtuff, I pulled out my trusty color coach to give me some much needed guidance. I literally closed my eyes, picked a card and looked at the color combo on the back. It gave me Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, and So Saffron. Hmmmmm. I'm gonna say that I don't hate it. I used some Basic Gray as my neutral and colored up that big flower with some markers and went with it. I used my new white taffeta ribbon and colored it So Saffron, although I think I may have gone a bit overboard and made it a little too dark. Still, a great way to get colors of ribbon that Stampin'Up! doesn't offer (although I do wish they would have added Cherry Cobbler Satin ribbon - it would have been so luscious!). The more I look at this card, the more I think I may take it back upstairs for a makeover for another day. Well, can't win'em all.

PS. Happy Birthday Mom!!! Don't worry, this isn't your birthday card!


Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Printed Petals
Cardstock: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red DSP
Ink: Basic Gray
Other Stuff: Markers, Itty bitty buttons, Crystal effects, taffeta ribbon, dimensionals

On the green

The ladybug invites are done (yay!) so I got to play for a little bit tonight. I brought out one of my new single stamps, On the Green. It's been so hot for the past couple weeks that my poor hubby hasn't been able to get out on the golf course lately (shhhh . . . but I think it's made him kind of crabby). This card was super-simple to make - just a little coloring with my markers. I was looking through some of the old sketch challenges on Splitcoast when I was trying to put this card together, and I see a lot of different possibilities for this one stamp . . .

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: On the Green
Cardstock: Whisper white, Night of navy, Garden green, Cherry cobbler
Ink: None
Other Stuff: Markers (Not quite navy, Garden green, Cherry cobbler, Basic Black), Metallic brads, mat pack, Perfect Details texturz plate

Solitary tree

I'm back once again, and boy did I miss this blog!! I spent this weekend getting ready for and having my open house, which was not quite what I had hoped for. At least I found out that no one in my neighborhood is very interested in stamping or scrapbooking, which is a shame. But all is not lost - I've converted 2 friends and my mom to crafty stampers already, so I'm sure there are more converts out there just waiting to be found, just not in my neighborhood!
Tonight's card once again uses my 'heat trio' of colors: Daffodil delight, Tangerine tango & Cherry cobbler. The tree is a bonsai tree stamp that comes in a dish, but I used markers and just didn't color the dish - I liked it better sitting on this cliff. It reminds me of cypress trees that you might see on a golf course in California (which just tells me I watch too much golf with my husband, but if it gives me good inspiration, I guess I'll keep doing it!)

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Plant hope
Cardstock: Whisper white, Basic Black, Tangerine tango
Ink: Daffodil delight, Tangerine tango, Cherry cobbler, Basic black
Other Stuff: Modern label punch, Black satin ribbon, 1/8" black ribbon, square lattice embossing folder, brayer