Running With Scissors...

Masculine Sympathy and Get Well

 

Hello, there!  Today I have a sympathy card and a get well card which I've made for my customer lady and will hopefully be suitable for a masculine recipient.  Both cards use BasicGrey Origins designer paper plus colored cardstock.  Dies on the first card are Memory Box Finnegan Fronds (bird and frond), and Impression Obsession With Sympathy.

 

 

Inside is a retired JustRite sympathy sentiment (Sympathy Nested Sentiments) and another frond from the Finnegan Fronds die set.

 

 

I have quite a few of the old JustRite sentiment stamps from back when they made them with the grooves to fit on the grooved stampers.  Remember those?  These days I don’t use the grooved stampers.  Rather, I trim down the stamp and use removable double sided tape to secure them to an acrylic block.  Works like a charm and they’re just like any other unmounted rubber stamp.

 

 

Pictured below is the second card.  The ovals in the center are Spellbinders Grand Ovals and Classic Ovals Large, left over when I cut the frames for the card I shared last Monday.  The smaller oval was a spare part I had tucked into my Origins paper pad.  The foliage is Poppystamps Sylvan Sprig.  Impression Obsession Get Well Soon and Memory Box Forest Bird.  The bird is rather plain – just a silhouette – so I cut it from patterned paper and gave it a little black eye dot with a Sakura glaze pen.

 

 

That’s it from me.  Now, back to the coloring…  See you again soon!

 

Celebrate Your Day!

 

Hello, friends!  This will be short today, but I hope you’ll find it sweet.  I have a hurt index finger which makes just about everything difficult, including coloring.  I’m hoping it will return to normal soon – bandaged to keep it immobilized and a daily dose of anti-inflammatory.  It has to get better.  How would that be to finally reach retirement and not be able to stamp?  I can’t even imagine!

 

I’ve made a card much different from the norm for me in that it includes no stamped or colored image. . . just a sentiment, and not a very large sentiment at that.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed the creating of it with some easy die cutting and layering. 

 

 

I’m using dies from a recent Dies R Us order where I keep a wish list which I add to and tweak and hem and haw over until I feel I’m making some wise and useful choices.  Ha!  Wouldn’t it be nice if everything in my stamp room was a wise and useful choice?  I’m trying to do better.  Really I am!  This time it worked out just right.

• Spellbinders Elegant Ovals, Grand Ovals, and Classic Ovals Large
• Sue Wilson Delicate Fronds.  This one appears to be not available now, but check out Memory Box Finnegan Fronds which includes a bird.  Hmm. . . thinking of a future order. . .  I will always use any kind of delicately cut foliage.
• Elizabeth Craft Bunch of Flowers 4

 

 

All tucked away for an upcoming birthday!  Come see us on the Dies R Us Inspiration Blog, and check the Challenge Blog, too, where you can play along and win!  Have a happy day!

 

Wings of Love

 

Hello, my stamping friends.  I hope this day finds you well.  It finds me happy to have finally settled down to the coloring of a gorgeous JustRite stamp called Wings of Love, which came to me by way of a blog candy win from Diane.  Thank you, Diane!  Yes, it was during that lucky streak I was experiencing a while back.  Imagine how excited I was to receive this beauty in the mail.

 

 

This large and lovely image doesn’t require much in the way of embellishment, and, indeed, I opted to keep it simple.  I cut the image down to 5 1/2” x 4 1/4”, then matted it on a layer and a card base just big enough to hold it.  The double row of stitching down the left side with the two antiqued copper brads are supposed to suggest a “bound” look.  It’s stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black on X-Press It Blending Card and colored with the following Copic markers:

 

 

I stamped a retired JustRite Birthday Centers sentiment on the postcard, but inside I stamped “Sent with love and remembrance”, thinking the two sentiments together go well with the postcard theme, and I believe this would make a very nice sympathy card.  Heaven forbid I should need it soon, but I’ll appreciate having it when the time comes.

 

 

One would not have to do such extreme coloring with this stamp, but you know me – a coloring fool.  It could be cut down, or more white space left.  If you click on the link I provided in the first paragraph you’ll see some very nice design team samples.

 

Thanks so much for your time today.  Wishing you all things wonderful.

 

Stamps:  JustRite Wings of Love, JustRite Birthday Centers (retired)  Paper:  X-Press It Blending Card, green, Bazzill dark brown  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, caramel for sponging edges, Copic markers as pictured above  Accessories:  Copper brads

Wedding Card in a Box

 

I recently went shopping at The Stamp Simply Ribbon Store, and it was not impulse shopping, as is so often the case with crafty stuff – to which I say “why not?”, as long as you stay within a budget, and I do, despite appearances to the contrary.  I’m very strict about that.  You see,  I was all out of 1/4” silk ribbon, a necessity in my stamp room, so I restocked a few oft used colors.  Additionally, I have for a very long time been meaning to purchase some clear card boxes for those occasional times I make a card too bulky for an envelope.  When those cards happen I will generally make a box for it – pretty and not too difficult, but definitely extra bother.  Well, happy day, I now have pre-made boxes which I can decorate or leave plain, and I can bulk up those cards to my heart’s content.

 

So, I did.  I may not have chosen these particular papers, but I’m trying to use them up.  I fell out of love with the BasicGrey Eva collection after I used my few favorite sheets.  Waste not, want not.  I chose to make a wedding card, as those cards are often hand delivered, and with a gift certificate slipped inside it makes the card in the box rather like a gift, itself.  I frequently like to give both a gift and a gift certificate.

 

 

This photo is just to show you the bulk of the flowers.  They fit very comfortably in the box.

 

 

I used a JustRite sentiment from the Romantic Sentiments set, which I’m sure is retired, but I never give up a sentiment set.  I believe JustRite retired all these sets that require the grooved wooden stampers.  I have all the stampers, but these days I simply apply a piece of double-sided removable tape to the back of the stamp and stick it on a clear block.  Works like a charm.

 

The bird cage and birds are one of my new Die-Versions dies called “Beautiful Bird Cages”.  I let the birds loose and hung the cage from the flower cluster. 

 

 

Here’s the card inside one of the A2 boxes.  Quick and easy and a nice presentation.  I didn’t decorate the box as the card was plenty decorated enough, and that’s the beauty of a clear box – it shows off the card and protects it at the same time.  I tied it up with silver elastic cord just to make it a little more “gifty”.

 

 

Again, I’ve talked your eyes off through my compulsion to share information which some may find useful.  If you’ve skipped to the end but still want the basics, it’s all in the recipe below my signature.  Wishing you a happy day!

 

Stamps:  Retired JustRite Romantic Sentiments  Paper:  Pink Bazzill, Cougar Opaque White, black, BasicGrey Eva designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Pink Pirouette for sponging around sentiment  Accessories:  Silk ribbon, silver elastic cord, lace, Prima flowers, pearls, EK Success scallop edge punch, Die-Versions Beautiful Bird Cages, JustRite Custom Charms (heart shape for sentiment), Spellbinders Classic and Scalloped Heart dies, Spellbinders Floral Flourishes, A2 Crystal Clear Card Box

Sentiment Focus

 

Well, here we are in that beautiful, peaceful time after the Christmas rush is behind us.  The holidays are a lot of fun, but I can only handle so much fun and I’m happy for things to return to their normal state.  It’s even better that I’m enjoying a little vacation time till the 6th.  I could get used to this!

 

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions because resolutions are an ongoing thing for me, and my current resolution is that I’m going to try and commit myself to finish what I start in regard to stamping.  Unfinished projects are the main contributor to my stamp room disarray with this and that sitting around in piles, set aside and pushed around, more and larger and messier piles growing by the day.  Today’s card has been sitting around since summertime, waiting for me to finish the inside and photograph it.   I seem to not feel right about a card if it doesn’t have a colored image on it.  Silly, I know, since many cards these days are made with die cuts and sentiments only, and they are no less beautiful because of it.  It’s just me.  I like to color, but finally I’m sharing my no coloring, die cut, sentiment focus card:

 

 

The fancy oval was pressed into a Versamark ink pad, then heat embossed with white.  The original color of the die cut was pink.  A second coat of embossing powder would have given better coverage, but I settled for a mottled look with some of the pink showing through.

I layered an oval and a scalloped die atop the two fancy shapes, added some pearls and flourishes and a resin rose.  The sentiment is a JustRite Birthday Centers.  The resin rose was made with one of those molds and modeling compound from Stampin’ Up!.  I colored the rose with Stampin’ Up! markers and shaved off the back of it with a craft knife to make it skinnier.

 

 

The Spellbinders dies used are:

• Classic Ovals Small
• Scalloped Ovals Small
• Floral Ovals
• Labels Twenty

The designer paper is Prima Annalee, and the textured cardstock is Bazzill.

 

I’ll see you again soon with coloring.  I have an unbelievable number of stamps and digital images waiting to be used for the first time.  I’m so good at collecting, and my dreams are bigger than the amount of time I have.  It’s good to dream, though, yes?  Have a happy day!

It’s a Topsy Turvy World

Hello!  I’m still working on children’s birthday cards and that’s all I’m going to do until they’re done.  Five more to go.  I hope these will be okay for 11 and 12 year olds.  I’m not sharing all the cards because I’m beginning to feel like this is The Blog for Children’s Birthday Cards, but since this is a new set, I thought I’d go ahead with these.

I’ve used JustRite’s Topsy Turvy Cakes for both cards.  Both are colored with Copic markers.  The first card has a sentiment which was originally part of an oval sentiment frame – more words on the bottom with candles and swirlies in between.  However, I cut it into four pieces so I could more easily use only part of it, yet I can still piece it back together for the full frame.  These are clear stamps, so the cutting was easy.

The second card has all that clean white space I’m loving these days.  I used another of my Designables cut and emboss folders.  This one is #DS0907.

Shown below are the Copics I used for coloring – same colors on both cakes, but mixed up a little bit.  I did not use E50 and E51 on the second card.  Those were used only for shading around the image on the first card.

By the way, the camera I lost is gone for good.  It was not turned into lost and found.  I checked with all the usual sources and no one has seen it.  It was a Nikon Cool Pix, which I loved because it took great pictures and was very compact.  I could slip it into my pocket and hardly notice it was there.  Great for when we were out with Wally and LuLu.  Tsk, tsk.  Well, hello Canon Elph!

I’ve already ordered it.  In the meantime, I do have two other cameras I can use and, thankfully, there weren’t many pictures on the Cool Pix.  I always put them on my computer and then clear the card.  Later they’re uploaded to Shutterfly and saved to disc.

I’ll leave you with the recipes for today’s cards and wish you a happy day.  Take care!

Card #1 --  Stamps:  JustRite Topsy Turvey Cakes  Paper:  Classic White, Crystal Blue, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, BasicGrey Phoebe designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers for coloring  Accessories:  Ribbon, rhinestones, Prima flowers, Stickles Stardust glitter glue, Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder, Spellbinders Classic Ovals Small,  Classic Ovals Large, and Big Scalloped Ovals Large, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Card #2 – Stamps:  JustRite Topsy Turvey Cakes  Paper:  Classic White, Citrus Leaf, Bubblegum Pink  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers for coloring  Accessories:  Ribbon, Stickles Stardust glitter glue, Marianne Designs Designables cut and emboss folder #DS0907, Spellbinders Nested Pennants, Classic Ovals Small, Classic Ovals Large Scalloped Ovals Small, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

One Last Christmas Card

I’ve sent off the last of the Christmas cards and I’ll probably not do anymore stamping till after the holiday, so I’m wrapping things up this week with just one more card.

I brought out my much neglected Tsukineko glue pad for stamping this pretty ornament (JustRite Deck the Halls).  I tapped the stamp into the glue pad until it was well coated then stamped the image onto the die cut circle and sprinkled it with Art Institute glitter.  I was surprised with the quality of the detail.

With an image this finely detailed one little brush of the finger can displace the glitter enough to lose some of that detail, so I sprayed it with a gloss sealer.  Doesn’t matter whether it’s gloss or matte, the sealer does not diminish the sparkle of the glitter.  It’s still possible to brush off a few flakes of glitter, but an accidental touch or simple handling won’t hurt it.  I love how it turned out and wish I’d thought of this earlier in the season.

The white punched branches are coated with Stickles Stardust glitter glue.

I image you all are just as busy as I am so I’ll keep this brief.  I’m at work today but looking forward to some time off to spend with my family, including, of course, Wally and LuLu.  They’ll be popping in to greet you on Christmas Eve.  I wish you a lovely and happy day!

Stamps:  JustRite Deck the Halls  Paper:  Flourishes Classic White  Ink: None  Accessories:  Ribbon, snowflake brad, tiny silver brads, Stampendous Class A’Peel snowflake border stickers, Art Institute glitter, Stickles Stardust glitter glue, Cuttlebug candy cane stripe and snowflake embossing folders, Martha Stewart branch punch, Spellbinders Labels Thirteen S4-248  and Standard Circle dies (cannot remember whether large or small circle set), Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Two For Christmas

I chose to play with my JustRite Deck the Halls set this weekend and (hooray!) got two more Christmas cards done.  The first is all copper, gold, and ivory…

I’ve used copper and gold brushed metallic cardstock.  The ribbon has gold thread running through it, and I’ve added gold thread across the middle panel.  Goldenrod Stickles glitter glue dot the ornament, and the center oval is brushed with Encore Metallic Gold ink after embossing with the Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder.

The ornament, itself, is colored with Copic markers on shimmery ivory cardstock – not the best paper for blending, but, frankly, I just wanted to try it.

Spellbinders dies used are:

• Twisted Metal Tags and Accents S5-071
• Classic Ovals Large S4-110

The next card is a switch to white and red with little touches of silver…

I worried that it might look top heavy and almost cut it apart for a square card but decided I lacked the luxury of time.  The ornament is topped with glittered branches and a snowflake embellishment.  The sentiment is from the JustRite Christmas Nested Sentiments set which, I believe, is retired.

Spellbinders dies used are:

• Ironwork Accents S5-058
• Labels Thirteen S4-248

Have I mentioned how much I love my Spellbinders?  Playing with the layering is one of my favorite stamp room activities.

Thanks so much for visiting today.  Happy holidays!

Christmas Card Progress

I’m crawling forward on my Christmas card production little by little.  I’m not pushing myself to handcraft all my cards this year, but if it happens I’ll be pleased.  I’m more focused on trying to use all the new Christmas stamps I’ve acquired recently because once the season passes I won’t see them again for a year.  There’s no sense kidding myself about starting on Christmas cards in the middle of summer.  It’s just not likely to happen.

So today I’ve brought out one of the sets JustRite released this year.  It’s called Warmest Wishes.

I’ve used Tombow Markers for watercoloring on 90 lb hot press watercolor paper.  A resin brad holds a glittery gold sprig in place – my only embellishment as I was trying to minimize bulk.  The designer papers are from the BasicGrey Jovial collection, but I also worked a little more of my sheet music into the design.  This time I smudged it with Adirondack Sandal ink to tone down the white.

These are the markers I used for coloring:

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  I’ll catch you back here next week.  Take care!

Stamps:  JustRite Warmest Wishes  Paper:  Red, cream Bazzill textured, 90 lb hot press watercolor, BasicGrey Jovial designer paper, old sheet music  Ink:  Palette Noir, Adirondack Sandal, Tombow Markers for watercoloring  Accessories:  Imaginisce resin brad, gold glitter branch, Spellbinders Labels Eighteen (S4-310), Classic Ovals Small and Large, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

A JustRite Kind of Day

I love summer weekends just hanging around home.  Grilling on the patio, neighborhood walks with Wally, a little gardening, a little stamping.  We had no sun this weekend, odd summer that it is, but it was warm and I felt I had the option to be in or out, whereas when the sun shines I’m outside, and that’s all there is to it.   Sunday was a day for taking care of a few household chores, but I also made time to stamp just for fun.  You know what they say about all work and no play…

The stamp set I chose to play with is called Butterfly Gardens, by JustRite.  I love the perfect balance of whimsy and beauty in these images.  So fun to color and design with.  I watercolored this one with Tombow Markers on 140 lb hot press watercolor paper.  I layered the image on Spellbinders Standard and Scalloped Circles, large and small, and then onto a doily. 

 

I brayered celery ink onto the doily and was pleased to see how it highlighted the raised pattern and left the debossed areas untouched.  I’m thinking it might have been prettier in pink, but there’s always a next time, and I have lots of doilies.

I’ve also used one of the diminutive sentiments from JustRite’s Just Because sentiment set and hung it like a tag after cutting out with Nested Frame Custom Dies which were created specially for JustRite sentiments, but which, of course, have many other uses, as well.

So, I guess you could say it was a JustRite kind of day – a nice way to wrap up the weekend.  Now, back to the work week…  Hope it’s a good one for you!

Stamps:  JustRite Butterfly Gardens and Just Because Mini Sentiment Set  Paper:  Celery textured, pink, white, Arches 140 lb hot press watercolor, Prima Fairy Flora designer paper  Ink:  Palette Noir, Pomegranate  Accessories:  Ribbon, rhinestones, Spellbinders Standard and Scalloped Large and Small Circle Nestabilities, Nested Frame Custom Dies, doily, Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape