Valentine swap

This Valentine was my swap for a RemARKable Team meeting held by Janet Wakeland a few months ago. The theme was Valentines so I decided to try out the new Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler embossing powder. My base card is Whisper White as is the paper I embossed the heart on. I then cut the heart shape and placed it on the Cherry Cobbler layer that is embossed with the Framed Tulips folder. It's finished with a simple Organza ribbon. The stamp set You Are Loved is one of Shelli's Signature Collection sets and is perfect for not only Valentine's cards but any card that you want to give a loved one.

New Year ..Fresh start !

While it is still January, I am hoping to get a fresh start with posting again. The past several have not been the easiest for me due to increasing leg pain and difficulty walking. When I finally saw the orthopedic specialist, I learned that the pain was sciatica due to stenosis of the lower spine. I had this sciatica before many years ago but not to this extent, apparently the degenerative discs had narrowed to the point that the nerves were severely pinched. Anyway, I am feeling much better and hoping to do a better job of making cards and posting. Thank you for following my blog and hopefully I will give you cards worth looking at!

The theme for our Team meeting in January was to use something from the new Occasions Mini or the Sale-a-bration catalog. Of the 5 who attended 4 used the same theme for the Shoebox Swap...like minds...hmm! We all used the same paper collection from the SAB called Everyday Enchantment which is so pretty with all it's soft colors and patterns.

My card is a CASE of SU demo Kay Kalthoff changing the color scheme slightly. I used Pool Party cs for my base and frame, Fresh Vintage stamp set, Calypso Coral, Lucky Lime and Pool Party markers on the stamp and the Calypso Coral organdy ribblon from the Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack. All the items are featured in the annual Sale-a-bration Promotion on going until March 31. Any item can be yours with each purchase of $50. in Stampin' Up product.

Thanks for stopping by and may you be blessed in 2012!

Celebrate Today!

I am finally getting this posted even though I should have done so long ago. This is a wonderful card designed by Kathy Seals a very talented Stampin'Up demo and friend. We made this at a Shoebox Swap and I just love the soft colors and lacey look. This is the card I decided to give to Rebecca for her 18th birthday with the verse 'Today is God's gift to you..Each day you are God's gift to me' inside. She is my oldest grandchild and we share a special bond since I was her daycare provider until she was almost 6. Then when her family moved away to various Navy bases the bond continued,  she has lived with us for her last year of high school and is going to college locally as her family moved back to this area when she started high school and then moved again last year. I love having her here and although our relationship has changed over the years, she is still my beloved granddaughter.

All of the card supplies are Stampin' Up:
card stock:Whisper White, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder & Island Indigo
Ink: Pool Party & Island Indigo
Stamps: Perfectly Penned & Medallion
Accessories: Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch, Lace Ribbon Border Punch and Rhinestones.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!
Blessings!

Peter Cottontail

This card design comes from Ruth Murphy's Stamp Camp on Saturday. I made this CASE later in the day.  It uses the Blossom Petal Punch and Build a Blossom stamp set to make the bunny and the cabbages. This was a fun & easy card to make. The card stock is Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue and Pretty in Pink,  Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding Ribbon, Oval punch for paw, black marker & Easter Blossoms stamp.

My son's birthday card this year

Some of my son's many interests are grilling, smoking meats and using his own blends for bar-b-que flavoring and rubs.  Along with other firefighters, he has entered contests and competitions. Last year I used the same stamp set for my son-in-law's birthday because he also smokes meats and grills a lot also.

For Mark's birthday card I chose a little different approach by using watercolor pencils, a medium I rarely use. I really like this paper from the Travel Journal Designer Series Collection, so I paired it with Naturals Ivory card stock and watercolor paper. Other supplies include Basic Black and Chocolate Chip inks, Vintage brad, red twine, red button from Button bouquet, and oval punches.

I know this will bring a smile to Mark's face when he sees it.

Blessings to you!

Build-A-Bear Baby card

I recently ordered the Bear Hugs stamp which is part of the Stampin'Up Build-A-Bear Workshop collection thinking it would be especially nice for baby boy cards. I paired it with the Pawsitivily Print designer series paper that was part of the original offering last year. The plaid was perfect for a baby boy card. The base card is Confetti White layered with retired Ballet Blue (a favorite that I miss), the DSP and watercolor paper. My little bear is colored in ret. Creamy Caramel, Ballet Blue, Barely Banana and the In-Colors of Pear Pizzazz, Poppy Parade and Peach Parfait. Other products are Only Orange (ret.) ribbon, oval punches, dimensionals, sponge & blender pens.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!
Blessings,
Barb

Variations of a base card

I had to prepare a card for a Shoebox Swap for Ruth Murphy's quarterly team meeting and it had to be made with products from either the Occasions Mini catalog or the Sale-a-Bration catalog. I chose to use some of the paper from the Ice Cream Parlor Designer Series Paper & Quick Accent Pack, ribbon from the Ribbon & Button Pack and the round scallop stamp For You from the Punch Bunch set. My base card is Confetti White with Wild Wasabi cs. I wanted to make it a Clean and Simple design for the sake of time. The ink is Poppy Parade  which brings a bright pop to the card.

I had left over materials which I brought home to use myself. Always needing cards to send out quickly, I decided to make some birthday and get well cards to have on hand...these can be for male or female. The 2nd card is done in Pacific Point with the 3rd using the birthday stamp coming from the Fun & Fast Notes set. Additional supplies are the regular scallop punch, the large scallop punch and dimensionals.

We had a great time at the meeting making the various cards and projects and sharing ideas, not to mention the good food. A project we did was to stamp a design on a small domino and make a necklace with it...something I had never done before...what a cool idea it was!

Thanks for stopping by, have a blessed day!

Make & Take #2

Using the stamp set "Dreams du Jour" the butterfly and 'Love you' sentiment were stamped in Early Espresso on Very Vanilla card stock.  The flower was colored with  an Aqua Pen dipped in Regal Rose and Crumb Cake and cut out before mounting the flower on Early Espresso punched with the Curly Label punch. A strip of Early Espresso is covered with Chantilly Lace before adhereing to Regal Rose card stock which has a torn edge. Sahara Sand Patterns DSP covers the bottom of the Soft Suede card stock base on which the sentiment is stamped in Early Espresso. The design is similar to the one on page 101 in the 2010-2011 Stampin'Up! Idea Book & Catalog.

Valentine Make & Take

This was one of two Make & Takes we made at Ruth Murphy's Team meeting. My scanner doesn't show the 3 dimensional heart that adds depth to the design. We stamped the heart stamp from "Love You Much" 3 times with Rose Red ink on Whisper White card stock then used the Heart Punch to make the shapes which were sponged and glued together to pop up the heart. The paper is Patterns DSP, Rose Red card stock on which the large flower from "Razzle Dazzle" was stamped in Rose Red ink, pearls and ribbon finish the card. I can always add a sentiment to the card when I decide to whom I will send the card. This is a quick and easy card.

School Day Friends

Yesterday I attended our team post SU convention meeting, an event that is always fun. For the 'Shoebox Swap' I decided to use this stamp which is in the Greeting Card Kids set. I just love the images of cute children and couldn't wait to make a card with one of the stamps.

Do you remember your first day of school each year with the excitement of seeing friends and meeting new kids? There were always new shoes, new dresses in my case, a new bookbag & lunchbox...dating myself?...you bet! Yes, those were the 'good old days'. Now school starts in August or sooner, kids (boys & girls) wear shorts and sandles but the excitement remains the same from generation to generation. There are friends to see, so much to learn and hopefully a good year for all kids!

Products are all Stampin'Up:
Stamps: Greeting Card Kids, Fundamental Phrases
cardstock: Naturals Ivory, Night of Navy, Cherry Cobbler and watercolor paper
Ink: Basic Black, various markers
Accessories: Spiral Border Punch, Aqua Pen, Paper Piercing Tool, Crystal Effects for the apple

I hope this card has evoked some memories for you as it has for me. Thanks for stopping by! Until next time....Have a blessed day!

Sympathy card

I really like "Thoughts and Prayers" stamp set from Stampin'Up because it is so versatile. This time I am using it in soft pastels. I have paired it with reitred Barely Banana textured paper, scraps of dsp from a few years agao and Very Vanilla. I colored the tree with markers using the 'huffing' method to stamp on the cs. Then I accented the leaves with Pretty in Pink marker. The tree inks are retired Mellow Moss and Close to Cocoa. I sponged the background in Mellow Moss.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Water spritzed floral

This is another card from yesterday's class, one that came from the SU Convention that Denise attended. Using watercolor paper the image was stamped by inking the stamp with SU Markers, then spritzing the stamp with a mist of water to give a muted look to the image. Bashful Blue cs was added then torn with the watercolor paper to give a ragged look. Pear Pizzazz ribbon and a Not Quite Navy button were added to the cardstock then mounted on Not Quite Navy. The Spritzer tool was use with NQN marker to add dimension. I have not added a sentiment leaving it to be added when I decide on how I will use this card. The stamp set is Just Believe a brand new set from the current 2010-2011 Stampin'Up! Ideabook and Catalog.

Soft smudged background

This card was made at a class yesterday. We took Soft Suede reinker smudging it onto Whisper White cardstock with a wet sponge giving the paper a variety of shades. The Medallion was stamped with Versa Mark. Craft White was used to accent the center of the medallion and for the words which come from a Level 1 Hostess Set called Afterthoughts. Whisper White cs and Soft Suede cs provide the framing.
The techinque of sponging the ink on the cs gives an unusual background for the stamp making your card a one of a kind look.

Easter Blessings

He Lives! Christ Jesus lives in our hearts and directs us to live as He wants us to! As we celebrate Easter may your heart be filled with the love of Jesus knowing that Salvation is ours through His sacrifice for us. My prayer is that each of you will open your heart to Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

My card is certainly not an original design, but one I'm sure many of you have used with other stamp sets. I chose Wild Wasabi and Barely Banana card stock because they remind me of Spring. The stamp set is a new Stampin'Up set called Abundant Hope which I colored in Wild Wasabi and various markers on the the daffodils. The background is textured with the Polka Dot embossing folder and sheer organdy ribbon finishes the card. All material is Stampin'Up.

May you all have a wonderful and meaningful Easter!

Swap for SU team meeting

This is the swap card front I made for this month's meeting. I wanted to focus on the new punches and Embosslits dies featured in the current Stampin'up Occasions Mini Catalog. My base cs is Melon Mambo, next is Pretty in Pink which I edged with the new Scallop Trim Corner. I used Certainly Celery for the stems/leaves and butterflies. The flower is made with the Flower Burst Embosslit, butterflies from Beautiful Wings Embosslit and the stems are made with part of the 2 Step Bird punch. I accented the flower center with a Clear Rhinestone brad and used Dazzling Diamonds Glitter for sparkle. Any sentiment can be added when I decide how I will use this and the whole front can be mounted on a regular 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" card base.