Running With Scissors...

Cheers!

I finally did something I’ve been meaning to do for years – make some New Year’s cards.  It comes so close after Christmas… I guess I’m just not ready for another holiday yet, except in regard to having the day off work.

The first card uses an American Art Stamp couple with an Art Impressions sentiment.  Both stamps have been gathering dust for a few years – not because I don’t like them (quite the contrary), but I don’t have a lot of occasion to use them.  I generally look at them every year when I think about doing New Year’s cards, but that’s as far as it goes.

So… you’ve probably noticed the embossed and cut away card base.  That was done with a new-to-me product called Marianne Design Designable Folders.  I got mine here (in the UK), but you can find them elsewhere, too, if you do a Google search.  I was amazed with the speedy delivery from all the way over there.  I guess those planes fly pretty fast!  The price of these folders is a little scary, but they sure can help you do a cool card design in record time.  That can be important.  However, you can do a little or a lot.  Either way, they’re very fun to play with.

I decked out the couple in glittery party finery by stamping in Versafine Onyx black ink and embossing with sparkly Stardust embossing powder.  The sentiment was embossed with plain clear powder.  You can see the sparkle better in the next photo.  Even the gentleman’s moustache and hair have glitter in them.  Either he’s been nuzzling his lady friend or he’s been wiping his nose on his coat sleeve.  Maybe he’s no gentleman, after all.

I cut the image panel with Spellbinders Labels Sixteen S4-301, and added just a touch of color with Copic markers and a pink rhinestone.

The next card features an image from a retired Stampin’ Up! set called Along the Same Lines.  The sentiment is from A Muse and is cut with a Spellbinders Ribbon Banners S4-324 die.  I sponged with ink while the die was still in place.  The BasicGrey Euphoria designer paper looks all bubbly and floaty (like your head after a few glasses of champagne).

We have sparkling pink champagne for our New Year’s celebration.

I hope your plans for New Year’s Eve are as exciting as mine.  If I’m still awake at midnight maybe I’ll hear some distant fireworks…   Whatever you’re doing, stay safe and enjoy!  See you again soon!

Very Simple Christmas Cards

I hope you aren’t blinded by the white on these cards.  I was in a mood, I guess.  I sat down one day and made six cards along these lines thinking, “just get a few done and I’ll have time to do some of those warm, colorful cards later”.   Perhaps I won’t send out as many cards this year.  Perhaps I’ll even buy some cards (gasp!).  The only real plan I have this year is to not worry about it.

For both cards I’ve used glossy cardstock, though the gloss doesn’t show in the photos.  It embossed deeply and gave the cards a nice quality finish.  Very clean and simple.

Stamps:  Stampin’ Up! Heard From the Heart  Paper:  Glossy white  Ink:  Cherry Cobbler  Accessories:  Prima Poinsettia Flower, Petals A’Plenty Sizzix embossing folder (Stampin’ Up!)

I added a stamped border and ribbon to the second card.

Stamps:  Hero Arts greeting, Stampin’ Up! All in a Row (retired)  Paper:  Glossy white  Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke  Accessories:  Ribbon, Prima flower, Sizzix Petals A’Plenty embossing folder (Stampin’ Up!)

I think I’m going to have a very merry Christmas this year, and I hope you will, too.  Take care, and enjoy your weekend!

A Simple Masculine Birthday Card

I have another one of those very simple cards today.  Stamp the leaves up, down, four times -- up with a freshly inked stamp, down without reinking the stamp.  Add some designer paper, a sentiment, and some twill trim with a slide.  Very simple.

 

These retired Stampin' Up! Autumn Leaf Prints leaves are some of the best leaf stamps I own.  Very realistic and require no coloring.  I had this image idea on my mind, and when the time came for a masculine birthday card, I felt it was just what I needed.

About the birthday:  This birthday is a 90 year milestone.  Yes, that's a biggie!  My cyberfriend, Sue, is hoping to gather up 90 cards for her husband's 90th birthday.  It's a tall order, but we can do it!  Hey, we stamp.  It's what we do.  Do you have a boxful of cards and you feel like making somebody happy?  It'll just take a minute to click --->here, then scroll down just a bit to where Sue gives her email address so you can contact her to get her snail mail address.  If you're an SCS'r, you may know Sue as Stampinsusie.

I'm off and running again!  My days have been very busy and I'm longing to do some coloring and fussing with my cards, but for the time being my focus is elsewhere.  Thanks for bearing with me!  Have a wonderful day!

Stamps:  Autumn Leaf Prints, It's Your Birthday (both Stampin' Up!)  Paper:  Brown Bazzill textured, Whisper White, designer paper of forgotten origin  Ink:  Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip  Accessories:  Twill, ribbon slide

A Thank You for the Big Guy

I wonder if you can imagine how long it took me to decide whether or not to share this card?  It’s not a new stamp.  It’s not gorgeous flowers or fabulous fruit.  There’s nothing particularly clever about it at all.  I made it for a friend who wanted a thank you card.  She described the situation and then I borrowed this set and made the card.  It’s for a guy, and neither he nor she would be particularly “wowed” by intricate details, so it’s about as basic as it gets.  Why, then, do I like it?  Maybe because I felt no pressure, no bar to reach for, no hurry. . . or maybe just because I find it cute in spite of all the aforementioned shortcomings.  So here it is – practical stamping, a card that will be used and fits the recipient. 

Stampin’ Up! fans probably recognize the big guy, and perhaps you could help me out with the name of the set.  Is it Bon Appetit?  My friend’s set wasn’t labeled, and I didn’t see it in the new catalog, though I may have missed it.

I started with a Whisper White card base completely covered with the retired Paisley background in Brocade Blue (from my scrap basket).  Gee, I forgot how much I love that background stamp.  The chef was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black on Classic White cardstock and colored with Copics.  Since the occasion for which this thank you card was created was a casual outdoor affair, I gave him jeans by paper piecing his pants, using SU!’s retired Just Jeans background stamp.  Okay, I forgot how much I love that background stamp, too.  Brocade Blue ink on white seems to be the perfect faded jeans color.  I used a Sakura black glaze pen on his coat buttons to give them shine and dimension.  These pens are very easy to use.  Just press the tip on your project and hold in place until the desired amount of ink is delivered to the area.  It will grow into a little pearl shape as it flows from the pen.  Then simply lift the pen and allow the “pearl” to dry.

The sentiment is from the very old and retired A Greeting for All Reasons set.  Hey, if we discarded everything that was old and retired, some of us wouldn’t be here, would we?

I must run now.  I enjoyed today, and I hope you did, too.  See you soon!

Stamps:  Bon Appetit? (not sure of the name), Paisley background, Just Jeans background, A Greeting for All Reasons (all Stampin’ Up!)  Paper:  Whisper White, Classic White, Brocade Blue, Riding Hood Red  Ink:  Brocade Blue, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics for coloring  Accessories:  Brocade Blue brad, 1 /4” and 1 3/8” circle punches

Ruby Tuesday: Stella Revisited

Hello!  I’m so glad you could drop in to share another Ruby Tuesday!

I was feeling the need for sleek simplicity when I made this card.  Does that feel good to you sometimes, too?    Now, I’m all for layers and panels and bits overlapping or peeking from behind.  Fancy brads and pretty buttons, photo turns and opulent ribbons and trims will turn my head into the next century, as the overfilled drawers in my stamp room will testify.  The quest for ever more original and interesting designs is perpetual and mind boggling and ultimately I come to this place — where I need to rest…just ease down and take a slow, deep breath and fill myself with a fresh creative outlook.  In time I’ll wander away and lose sight of this tranquil place but I’ll always find my way back again.  I’ll remember how much I enjoyed my visit.

Today’s card, along with the previous paragraph, are from an August, 2007 blog post.  That was back when I had plenty of Stella to work with.  It was also from my old blog, which I’ve never been able to successfully import to this blog.  I’ve been thinking about simply copying some of the tutorials at least, into new posts here.

For now, I’ll just share this card.  It’s simple, but I like it, and I didn’t have time to make a new Stella card this weekend.  I have other projects that need doing before I run out of time.  Hope you don’t mind!  If you’d like to see the full post which accompanies this card, you can find it here.  It includes more photos and information on creating a frame with a square punch, as well as a how-to on out of the box cutting (which probably everyone already knows how to do.  Cardmaking has become so sophisticated so quickly!).

I must run now!  I hope you’re having a good week!

Stamps:  Oh So Lovely, Itty Bitty Backgrounds, Garden Silhouettes (the word, “Lovely”) – All Stampin’ Up!  Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Very Vanilla, BasicGrey Stella Ruby DP  Ink:  Timber Brown Stazon, Creamy Caramel, markers:  Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery  Accessories:  1 3/8″ square punch, pink taffeta ribbon, Scotch brand dimensional mounting tape

Ruby Tuesday

Stella has been waiting a long time for me to finish this card.  Several months ago I made the copper frame from Spellbinders Classic Frame Frameabilities and created the filigree edges by cutting away all the embossed areas with a craft knife.  I know... who has time for that?  Not me!  I guess that's why it took me so long to finish the card -- once that was done, I felt I'd spent just about enough time on it!  Add to that, the whole reason for this card was to make use of another of Stella's papers which just doesn't speak to the oooooooh and ahhhhhh of my soul.  I didn't use very much of it but, oddly, I don't have much of this piece left, which tells me I must have liked it at one time.  Funny how a person's tastes change.

I thought I might bring out the prettier aspects of the paper by giving it a good dose of pink paired with burgundy, which is the deeper color in the paper.  Still, it looked cold to me and, once again, it was set off to the side on my stamp table.  Today I gave it a focal image, and that little bit of extra color in this exquisite stamp (retired Stampin' Up! Gentler Times) gave the card the life it needed.

A few more details:  The burgundy card base is embossed with the Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder.  It required that I reposition the folder and emboss a second time in order to cover the entire card front.  I positioned the paper under the frame so there's a flower in each corner.  The oval in the frame was cut after the paper was in place.  The image is colored with Copics, and the edges of the image oval were sponged with caramel ink while the die was still in place.  The ribbon is retired Stampin' Up!, and the pretty copper flower embellishment is one of Flourishes Finishing Touches brads.  I had one remaining Brenda Walton rhinestone in this color, and it was perfect!

I think that covers it.  My goodness, Stella has got some staying power!  I was reassessing the Stella situation again today and, though her stock is dwindling, I believe she'll still be with us for a while yet.

I'm glad you could drop in for another Ruby Tuesday.  Take care!

Ruby Tuesday: Stella's Punchy Flower & Tutorial

Hello, and welcome to another Ruby Tuesday!  Last week I used a piece of Stella which I mentioned was not one of my favorites, but I thought, perhaps, in small doses I could manage to use it up.  I'm determined to leave no Stella behind!  I used one of those prints again today -- the orangish paper that forms the largest of the flower petals.  I should probably apologize to Stella... it's not her, but me and my inept use of her paper that makes it less than desirable.  Today, it looks a little more interesting to me, if only for the good, old-fashioned fun I had in exploring Stella's possibilities.

I ended up with this big, funky punchy flower.  To make it even funkier and bring out Stella's rich colors, I gave each petal a double coat of Glassy Glaze (ultra-thick embossing powder).  I pressed each petal individually into a Versamark pad, sprinkled with Glassy Glaze, embossed, then repeated the process.  After each piece cooled, I bent them until the glaze cracked, then used a sponge dauber to rub on Chocolate ink.  The ink works into the cracks and creates a more aged appearance.  The ink won't stick to the glaze, itself, so excess was rubbed off with a tissue.  Please click for a close up.

 

Just thought I'd share how I made the flower.  It's not real complex or unusual, and certainly very quick to accomplish if you bypass the whole glazing process.  First, I'd like to give credit where credit is due... I got the idea for the flower from this pattern in BasicGrey's Urban Prairie collection:

I found it easiest to start with a 3 /2" square of plain copy paper on which to lay out my pieces.  Fold it in half and then again to quarter it. 

• Open the paper flat on your table. The creases aren't very evident in this photo, but in real life they'll act as a placement guide for your petals.
• First punch a 2" (or larger) circle on which to build the flower. Spellbinders circle Nesties could be used, also. The scallops aren't necessary.
• Use repositionable double-stick tape on the back of the large circle to temporarily hold it in place in the center of the paper where the folds intersect.
• Apply adhesive to the circle edges, as shown. I used very sticky double-sided tape.

Punch 5 - 1 3/8" circles and lay them out as shown, adhered to the center circle.

Punch 5 - 1" circles in a contrasting color.  Apply adhesive to the inner edge of each and arrange as shown.

Punch 5 - 1/2" circles and adhere as shown.  See card photo for colors and appearance on finished flower.

The leaves are made from a heart punch.

For flower center, punch 1 1/4" and 1" circles.  Results:  Big, fun, funky flower.

The size could be changed by using different punches or, as I mentioned before, Spellbinders Circle Nesties would work, but the punches are quicker.

I finished the card off with a little Stella Ruby and River Rock textured on a chocolate base.  All together I used seven punches on this card.  I've always had a weaknes for punches... sigh...  

Hope you enjoyed!  Thanks for spending a little of your time with me and Stella today.  Have a happy day!
 

Stamps:  Retired SU! sentiment  Paper:  PTI chocolate, SU! River Rock textured, BasicGrey Stella Ruby designer paper  Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Versamark  Accessories:  PTI ribbon, rhinestones, Glassy Glaze, Scotch brand foam mounting tape, punches as mentioned in instructions

Ruby Tuesday: Stella Can Do Clean & Simple, Too

Stella had to leave the house in a hurry today, so she threw her outfit together rather quickly.  When in doubt, keep it simple, but don't forget the ribbon and pearls!

To tell you the truth, there are two of Stella's papers I'm not that fond of -- this is one of them.  The other is slightly less appealing to me.  Sorry Stella!  I hope to try to make them work, though, perhaps in small doses, but then they just go on and on.

To keep this clean and simple I resisted coloring the image or stamping a background.  Plenty of white space (or in this case, vanilla space), a rust monotone, and Spellbinders Nesties to fit the image made a wedding card that literally went together in a matter of minutes.  That doesn't happen often for me.  I hope it's okay... I'm not a very good judge when it comes to my own CAS cards.

Stella and I are dashing off now.  We have lots to do to ready ourselves for the rest of the week.  See you again soon with all new stamps from Flourishes!

Stamps:  Gentler Times (retired Stampin' Up!), Tag Lines (Flourishes)  Paper:  Very Vanilla, BasicGrey Stella Ruby designer paper  Ink:  Really Rust  Accessories:  Ribbon, Kaiser pearls, Spellbinders Labels Four Nestabilities, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Ruby Tuesday: Toile Blossoms

When I sorted my SU! sets recently, there were a good many boxed up to make room for all the new stamps I hope to purchase (all in good time).  A few special or particularly useful sets remained on the shelves, and Toile Blossoms was one of them.

Stella's card is relatively unadorned today, save for the ribbon and stitching -- just soft and sweet, like Stella, herself.  I watercolored the image with Stampin' Up! inks.  The oval was stamped with the SU! Sanded background before adding the Flourishes sentiment in Chocolate Chip.

It's a short post today, but I hope you enjoy the card.  Thank you so much for your time.  Take care, and have a very Ruby Tuesday!

Stamps:  Toile Blossoms, Sanded (both SU!), Thinking of You (Flourishes) Paper:  Prism Suede Brown Light, So Saffron, watercolor, Neenah Classic Solar White, BasicGrey Stella Ruby designer paper  Ink:  Palette Umber, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Sage Shadow, Handsome Hunter  Accessories:  Ribbon, SU! large oval punch, Scotch brand foam mounting tape