Encre, papier, ciseaux

Mixed Bunch, Du fond du coeur: Summer Flower

I really liked this week's color challenge on the ColourQ blog and was inspired to give it a try. I paired it with the MFT sketch and had a really clear idea of which stamps I wanted to use. Once I started putting everything together, though, I could not get it to work at all. The sentiment was too big (I first used the other sentiment from the same set) and in order to not hide the text, I had to place the flower way over to the side, letting it hang outside of the card, making it unbalanced and too wide to fit in a regular envelope. Changing the sentiment helped some, but the mat seemed too wide for it and the flower was still hiding part of the wording. I finally solved my problem by placing the layers off-center. The card still seemed a little bare, but it finally came together once I thought of adding buttons. (Those are the new Designer buttons from the new SU! annual catalogue. Neat, huh?)

Another new item is the color dots that replace the brads. I am going to use those like there's no tomorrow, I can promise you that! I do like that there's no prongs on the back, which makes it easier to add them at the very end, like I did here, even after adhering everything in place, without getting prongs inside your card. You can also move them around on the project more easily until you find the perfect placement. And they come in every single colour we carry, so woo-hoo for that!

The background was created with the Mosaic embossing folder and a stamp from the Mixed Bunch stamp set, stamped in both Basic Grey and Summer Starfruit using the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig for perfect placement in the center of the embossed shapes. The center of the flower is a metal embellishment from the Artisan Kit we carried in the Spring mini, dotted with a pearl in the center.

I don't know that this is my favorite card I ever made, but since there's something for everyone, hopefully, some of you get inspired by it!

 

 

Color Combo: Summer Starfruit + Pool Party + Basic Grey + Orchid Opulence (Perfect Plum)

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Du fond du coeur (From My Heart)
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Summer Starfruit, Pool Party Core'dinations, Orchid Opulence, Whisper White
Ink: Summer Starfruit, Basic Grey, VersaMark
Accessories: Sweet Dots, Basic Grey ribbon, Scallop border die-cut (from Boutique Boxes kit),
Artisan Kit, Pearls, Designer Buttons, Label Collection Framelits dies, Pewter embossing powder,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Clear embossing powder, Mosaic embossing folder,
Papier piercer and piercing template, White envelope

 

Tonic Sol-Fa

Tonic Sol-Fa played at Convention two years in a row. I made sure to get a picture with the guys the second year. This page came together really quickly with papers and die-cuts from the same paper line, but I did add a music sheet vellum overlay over the back paper (which has been sitting in my stash for years, so I'm glad I finally found a use for it!)

 

 

Printer's Trey Picture Frames

What do you give people who have everything they need for Christmas as a gift? A frame with pictures of their favorite baby in the whole wide world. I used the extra printer's treys I was allowed to buy after last year's recruiting promo to make the frames. Even my sister, who's not really into scrapbooking projects much, got really excited to receive a frame with pictures of her beautiful daughter.

I should really make one for myself as well!

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Designer paper: More Amore (Spring Catalogue 2013)
Cardstock: Pool Party, Primrose Petal
Accessories: Bigz Alphabet Typeset, Dazzling Details, Baja Breeze seam binding

 

Feasturing Great Sport: #1 Dad

This is another masculine card submitted to Paper Crafts that did not make the cut. It was my favorite of the three. It uses the Great Sport stamp set (which is available in the current SU! catalogue), a great set for those evasive masculine cards that always seem so hard to put together. The sentiment was stamped using the retired Êtres chers stamp set.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Êtres chers, Great Sport
Cardstock: More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Midnight Muse, Whisper White
Patterned papers: Collection Recherche maison ou appartement (Kesi'art)
Ink: Midnight Muse, More Mustard, Cajun Craze
Accessories: Holiday Collection Framelits (star), Silver glimmer paper, Baker's twine,
Midnight Muse satin ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Circle punch, Bitty Banners Framelits,
Timeless Type Alphabet Sizzlits dies, White envelope

 

A New Committee

This is a scrapbook page that I put together during the Holidays. The design is simple, but I really like how it turned out. The muted colours of the papers are perfect to go with the picture of us in our 1920's get-ups, and I really like the frame made with clear chunky glitter - a last-minute addition which worked out great.

The picture was taken a few years ago, when a new committee took over for the planning of the corporate Christmas party. We hired a photographer the night of the event and he took this picture of all three together.

 

 

Featuring Stampin' Up'!'s You're Amazing: A Ticket for Dad

This Father's Day card was submitted to Paper Crafts for their Masculine Cards publication, but it didn't make the cut, so I can share it with you. The tickets embellishment was made using the Ticket wheel, which I rolled on Vanilla cardstock in VersaMark and embossed with Early Espresso embossing powder. I then colored the tickets with Stampin' Markers and handcut it out.

The hot air balloon image comes from the You're Amazing stamp set and it was inked with markers, then embellished with a Designer button. The sentiment comes from the versatile Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Tu es incroyable (You're Amazing), Voeux mignons (Teeny Tiny Wishes)
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo
Designer paper: World Spectacular
Ink: Island Indigo, VersaMark
Accessories: Stampin' Markers, Designer button, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Early Espresso embossing powder, Vanilla envelope, Modern Label punch,
Word Window punch, Designer brads, Ticker Corner punch

 

Flying High

I made this card a while ago, with the goal of having a masculine card on hand. I found a sketch somewhere (on Page Maps in the card sketches section, possible) and put this together with the square grid. I was in a fancy mood and decided to add hand stitching around the four corner squares, which added nice detailing (but took a while to finish!). The "C'est la fête" sentiment came from the Jacadi a dit stamp set and was die-cut using the Bitty Banners Framelits.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Take Off (The Cat's Pajamas), Jacadi a dit (SU!)
Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla
Designer paper:
Ink: Basic Black, Cajun Craze, Soft Suede
Accessories: Clouds CutUp die, buttons, markers, Stampin' Dimensionals, Square envelope,
Needlepoint floss, Bitty Banners Framelits, Corner Rounder punch

 

A Cupcake on Your Special Day

Isn't this card fun and cheery? I figure it'd be hard to stay in a bad mood after receiving such a bright card - even if you're turning a number you don't wanna be! *wink*

This card was made after I was done unpacking my stamping stuff after my move (and hadn't been posted until now). Trying to catch up!

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Faites vos voeux ! (Wacky Wishes - SU!), Cupcakeabella (Stamping Bella)
Cardstock: Pool Party, Whisper White
Patterned papers: Hello Summer (Echo Park_
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Stampin' Markers, White envelope, Stampin' Dimensionals, Rhinestones, Washi tape,
Designer brads, Peach Parfait ribbon, baker's twine, Stickles, Nestabilities dies

 

Always There for You, Rain or Shine

My aunt's health hasn't been great lately and I wanted to send her a note to cheer her up and let her know I was thinking about her. This is the card I sent her. My sister and I went to our hometown a couple of weeks ago to visit her and the first thing she said when she saw me was thank you for the card. She's been probably my most loyal card fan since I started card making and told me repeatedly she kept all of the cards I've ever sent her, and I love her for it.

By the way, the sentiment comes from the Petite Pair stamp set (Quelques lignes) and it is currently offered on sale at 25% off by SU! It's a very versatile set that I've used a lot since it came out, so it's a nice addition to a sentiment collection.

Promo Exprimez vos souhaits

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Quelques lignes (Petite Pairs - SU!), Holly with her Brolly (Stamping Bella)
Cardstock: Barely Banana, Whisper White
Designer paper: My Mind's Eye (Moments)
Ink: Basic Black, Midnight Muse, So Saffron
Accessories: Lace border punch (Martha Stewart), White envelope, markers,
buttons, Designer brad, blue baker's twine (Doodlebug Design), Nestabilities die,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Curly Label punch (SU!), Stickles

 

Itty Bitty Wishes

Those 3 x 3 cards might be small, but they're adorable enough to pack a punch! Those are some of the cards I prepared to slip into customers' bags to thank them for their order. This stamp set (Hearts a Flutter) and matching Framelits set are still available in the new catalogue. So is the Pool Party embossing powder I used on the smaller heart! I found this set to be very versatile and useful for way more than Valentine projects. Be sure to check it out!

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Hearts a Flutter
Cardstock: Pool Party, Very Vanilla, Primrose Petal
Designer papers: More Amore
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: Pool Party embossing powder, Primrose Petal satin ribbon,
Pool Party ruffled ribbon, Hearts a Flutter Framelits dies, Pool Party baker's twine,
Simply Scored and diagonal plate (for envelopes)

 

Handmade

I was in scrapbooking mode during the Holidays and now I'm catching up on posting pages that never made it on the blog up until now.

This picture was taken at our corporate Christmas party a couple of years ago. If you look closely at my hat, you'll notice the snowflake on it was die-cut out of sparly foam with the Big Shot! But more impressive than that is the fact that my colleague's costume was entirely sewn by hand. He even made his hat himself. How impressive is that?! He always has the best costumes ever year.

 

 

Proud Upline

Those pictures were taken at a Quebec City Regionals a few years ago. Out of three presenters that day, two were part of my downline, so I was a really proud upline that day!

The page was created using the divided protectors (which I can't believe SU! has taken away from the catalogue so soon - those were awesome!). All of the Designer papers come from the Patio Party DSP pack and the peacock image comes from the Merveilles du monde set. The title was created using the Bigz Alphabet Typeset and the retired Spencerian Alphabet.

The first panel at left was decorated with the Doily die, Scallop Circle punch and Vintage brads. At right, I created a frame using the Apothecary Accents Framelits and a journaling block inside with a stamped image from the Everything Eleanor stamp set. Finished it off with a In Color dahlia accent.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Merveilles du Monde, Spencerian Alphabet Upper, Everything Eleanor
Cardstock: Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Midnight Muse
Designer paper: Patio Party
Ink: Baja Breez, Midnight Muse
Accessories: My Way punch (Arrow), Doily Sizzlit L die, Vintage brads, In Color Dahlias,
Pool Party ruffled ribbon, White baker's twine, Circle punch, Stampin' Markers,
Bigz Alphabet Typeset dies, Rhinestones, Scallop Border punch,
Apothecary Accents Framelits dies, Stampin' Dimensionals, Divided page protector,
Pearls, Primrose Petal satin ribbon, 7/8 Scallop Circle punch

 

1-2-3 je m'en vais au bois...

I made this 8x8 double-page layout a little while ago. It took a while to get completed because I knew exactly which picture I wanted to add on it and I couldn't get my home printer to print correctly, so I had to send my pictures to be printed elsewhere and I put the half-completed page aside until I received the pictures.

The journaling is the lyrics of a song that works wonder on my niece. She loves it when we sing to her in general, but I call this the "magic song" because she instantly reacts to it every - single - time. Who knows why this song more than any other... The first line always grabs her attention and she breaks down in a huge smile at the second line. It just cracks me up! It even works when she's starting to cry! Hence the "magic song" name.

I used a mix of old and new on this page. I really wanted to use the retired Rockabilly papers because of the cherry pattern, which works with the lyrics of the songs ("4-5-6 gathering cherries"). The heart-shaped doily comes from the Artisan Embellishments kit (Spring catalogue) and the numbers from the Moments mémorables stamp set were white-embossed on black cardstock, then die-cut using the heart-shaped Hearts a Flutter Framelits die. The rest of the title was stamped using the adorable Notable Alphabet set. The chevron pattern was stamped with the Oh, Hello stamp set.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Moments mémorables, Oh Hello, Notable Alphabet, Loopy Letters Alphabet
Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White
Designer papers: Rockabilly
Ink: Versamark, Riding Hood Red, Basic Black
Accessories: Hearts a Flutter Framelits, Labels Collection Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Brads, Designer brads, Kiwi Kiss Corduroy brads, White embossing powder,
Artisan Embellishments kit, Small Scallop Circle punch, Oval Framelits

 

Polka Dot PJs

This is my latest scrapbooking creation. I had some pictures I had set aside on my desk and every time this one caught my eye, it reminded me of the More Amore suite from the Spring catalogue. The colours just match so well! I decided to just give it a go. Looking at how much space I needed for my design, I decided to go with a 8½ x 11 page, which I hadn't done in forever (and when I slipped the page in my current 8½ x 11 album, I realized I only have two other pages in there!). I also used a lot of embellishments from the Artisan Embellishments kit. It was easier to splurge on using those on a page, knowing they'd remain in my album. haha! Do you ever feel like that, that if you use a more expensive embellishment on a card, that card has to go out to someone who'll REALLY appreciate it?

I want to point out that the title was created with two brand-new alphabet sets that coordinate with one another. They're called ABC-123 OUtline Alphabet & Numbers and ABC-123 Sketch Alphabet & Numbers. The first one is an outline alphabet and the second is a full one, so they can be used independently or layered to fill out of the letters. (Check it out on page 131 of the annual catalogue, you'll see what I'm talking about.) I got it during the preorder and I'm already in love with it. The size is PERFECT!  For cards OR for scrapbooking. It's just small enough that I can spell longer words, but still substantial enough that it doesn't get lost on a page. I can tell I'm going to be using this one a lot. My only peeve is, Why doesn't it come in wood-mount? I didn't even realize that when I placed my order and thought I had messed up with the ordering when I received my order. A quick leaf through the catalogue let me know there was only clear-mount available. Oh, well... I still love this alphabet enough to overlook the fact that it only comes in clear. I truthfully just prefer wood-mount for alphabet sets because it makes it easier to use with the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig (which is a must for me).

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: ABC-123 OUtline Alphabet & Numbers, ABC-123 Sketch Alphabet & Numbers
Cardstock: Pool Party Core'dinations, Primrose Petal Core'dinations, Very Vanilla
Designer papers: More Amore
Ink: Pool Party
Accessories: Artisan Embellishments kit, Lace border punch (non-SU!),
Paper Doily, Classic Jewels Pearls

Purple Bridal Party

It's always good to have cards on hand ahead of time and since I sold my last wedding card at work last week, I decided to make a new one to add to my stash. I picked a cute Stamping Bella image, colored it, die-cut it with the Big Shot and my favorite part of the card is that I added a row of white sequins all arond the image. It was a last-minute idea and I really like how it frames the image. What I didn't like, though, was the overlap where the sequins ended, so I used a rose I made using the new molds and paper clay Stampin' Up! added to its new catalogue. Now, you can create accents in any color you wish using reinkers or markers, but here I left mine white.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Brdalpartybellas (Stamping Bella), Notes de saison (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Opulent Orchid (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry
Patterned Papers: Basic Grey
Accessories: White sequin trim, Nestabilities dies, White envelope, markers,
Stickles, Paper clay and flower mold

 

MDS - Our Best Christmas Gift

This digital page was made months ago. It was made with the use of a MDS CD I had received. This picture of my niece was taken by my sister, for Megan's first Christmas.

 

 

 

Stampin' Up!'s Four Seasons: Lacy Nest

This card was done with the adorable Four Seasons hostess set. Seems like  whatever I create with this set always turns out cute.I thought the scallop circle image would work great in the center of one of our paper doilies - and it does! I paired it with a sentiment from the Bitty Banners set, embossed it in white on Baja Breeze paper and die-cut it with the matching Bitty Banners Framelits die. I added jumbo pearls on the doily. Fast and cute!

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Four Seasons, Bannières Bitty (Bitty Banners)
Cardstock: Calypso Coral, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
Designer papers: Floral District
Ink: Lucky Limeade, VersaMark
Accessories: Stampin' Makers, Circle punches, Scallop Circle punch, Stampin' Dimensionals,
White embossing powder, Bitty Banner Framelits, Paper doily, Jumbo pearls, Envelope template

Merry Monday #65 - Guest Stamper

I am happy to report that the Merry Monday team liked the last card I shared with them enough to ask me if I would like to be a Guest Stamper for them this week, which I was happy to be!

The slim rectangle at the right of the sketch reminded me of a card with a shorter edge, and the wide rectangle reminded of a belly band, so using an Edgelits die, I created a fancy border on the right side of the card and on each sides of the belly band.

The fun sentiment comes from a retired set from last year's Holidays catalogue called Joie des fêtes. I embossed it with gold powder on patterned paper and colored the images with Stampin' Markers. The last word (Noël) was stamped with the Simply Serif Mini Alphabet and punched with the Jewelry Tag punch. The gold dots were created with Gold Liquid Pearl, and the gold border on the card is gold polka dot washi tape (isn't it cute?). The fun patterned papers come from Echo Park's Season's Greetings collection.

Make sure to go to Merry Monday's blog to enter the cards you create with this sketch. I look forward to seeing what it inspires you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Joie des fêtes, Simply Serif Mini Alphabet
Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Handsome Hunter
Patterned papers: Echo Park (Season's Greetings)
Ink: VersaMark, Garden Green
Accessories: Stampin' Markers, Vanilla envelope, Jewelry Tag punch,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Gold Liquid Pearls, Adorning Accents Edgelits
and embossing folders, Gold polka dot washi tape

 

Featuring Stampin' Up!'s Dress Up Framelits

I made this card a few weeks ago after seeing a one-layer card challenge online. I used one of the Dress Up Framelits die to create a mask for my card and I sponged Baja Breeze ink inside the dress form. Leaving the mask in place, I then stamped the houndstooth pattern from the Beyond Plaid set in Not Quite Navy. I created a belt for the dress using Rich Razzleberry cardstock and a Silver Basic Designer button (from the Spring catalogue). I glued a hanger piece from the Hung Up Cute Clips set using Crystal Effects as glue.

The sentiment stamped at the bottom in More Mustard is from the From my Heart stamp set and I added an oval pierced frame using the piercing template and paper piercer. Then, to add the banner pieces on each side, I created a mask with the Bitty Banners Framelits dies and inked the inside of the mask with Rich Razzleberry ink, then added Mustard brads on each of them.

 

Retiring items:

• Beyond Plaid stamp set (Spring Catalogue)
• Silver Basic Designer buttons (Spring Catalogue)
• More Mustard cardstock and ink
• Not Quite Navy cardstock and ink
• Baja Breeze cardstock and ink
• Regals Designer brads

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Beyond Plaid, Du fond du coeur (From My Heart)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry
Ink: More Mustard, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Dress Up Framelits dies, Bitty Banners Framelits dies, Regals Designer brads,
Crystal Effects, Hung Up Cute Clips, White envelope, Silver Basic Designer buttons

 

Featuring the retiring In Colors 2011-2013

This quick card was copied from a design I saw in a Paper Crafts magazine. It was easy to reproduce with SU! supplies since we have baker's twine in all of the In Colors and the matching polka dots brads. The nice, ornate sentiment comes from the From my heart stamp set. This card would be super easy to put together when you need a card in a flash, and you can simply switch the sentiment depending on what kind of card you need. The white space leaves you plenty of options for bigger or smaller sentiments.

I'll keep this post short because the weather has finally turned hot at the end of the week and I don't have A/C at home so I'll leave the computer and go hang out by the fridge for a minute. (Just kidding! But at least by the window where I can feel a bit of wind coming in.)

Don't forget that Monday (JUne 3rd) is the last day to order from the 2012-2013 catalogue. If you are having last-minute regrets on not getting certain retiring items, now is the time to act before it's gone for good! (Hint: Like those cute polka dot brads...)

Hope you are having a great summer day as well!

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Du fond du coeur (From My Heart)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Calypso Coral
Ink: Lucky Limeade
Accessories: In Color Baker's Twine, In Color polka dot Designer brads,
Corner Rounder punch, Stampin' Dimensionals