Encre, papier, ciseaux

Succulent Mother's Day

The Oh So Succulent stamp set was given to us in our goodie bag at the On Stage event. While I'll admit this stamp set would not have made my personal shopping list, I'm sure I'll still end up using quite a bit, as is usually the case with stamp sets I get gifted. It does include some pretty neat sentiments, including a Mother's Day one, which I was in need of. It's the one I picked here for my card, which was also inspired by the Try Stampin' on Tuesday sketch #307. I swapped the heart for flowers, and I used the Stitched Shapes Framelits and Layering Squares Framelits dies for the two overlapping shapes. The beautiful patterned papers are part of the Carried Away Design Paper pack, offered as a free item during Sale-A-Bration. I picked the papers that did not have hot air balloon-related images and went fromt there.

To embellish the bottom of the card, I got the idea of pulling out another SAB item - the Delicate Details stamp set (one of my personal faves this year - borders are always great to embellish projects). I stamped the scallop border and handcut it, then I added a bit of lace at the bottom peeking out. (I believe some of the In Color lace trims from last year are still available in the Clearance Rack.) I stamped a second border on top of it, and I added pearls to each scallop. A metal-rimmed pearl was also added to the top of the ribbon on my main panel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Si succulent (Oh So Succulent)
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Mint Macaron, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Carried Away
Ink: Peekaboo Peach, Watermelon Wonder, Night of Navy
Accessories: Pearl Basic Jewels, Metal-Rimmed Pearls,
Layering Squares Framelits, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Envelope Punch Board, Mint Macaron Lace Trim

 

Life Tools

The Urban Underground suite from the 2017 Occasions Catalogue was one of the collection I was most looking forward to ordering and playing with. I think it might be the best masculine suite Stampin' Up! has ever come up with. I love the colors, the designs, the touches of silver, the awesome metal embellishments, the tool kit and dies... Pretty much all of it, really. I thought the Freshly Made Sketch #272 would lend itself to piling a few tools in the corner of the card. I wanted to make this card for my dad, and so I used a typewriter to type my own sentiment, which reads, "Thanks for all of the tools you've given me." I like the double meaning behind it, since my dad DID give me tools when I moved into my first apartment and more recently, when I bought my condo (we moved on to power tools).

By the way, I thought I'd point out this detail about the Urban Underground embellishments since it is not mentioned in the catalogue: they are already mounted on mini glue dots (like our rhinestones and pearls are). I was expecting loose embellishments in a little container, so I was totally surprised when I received my order and saw them mounted on a clear sheet. I guess it saves a step and adhesive, so it's a good surprise, really.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Les bons outils (Nailed It)
Cardstock: Delightful Dijon, Smoky Slate, Basic Black, Basic Grey
Ink: Basic Black, Basic Grey, Delightful Dijon
Accessories: Silver Paper, Build It Framelits Dies, Urban Underground Designer Washi Tape,
Vanilla Medium Envelope, Urban Underground Embellishments, Metallics Enamel Shapes, Typewriter

 

Sweet Pocket

I placed my Occasions catalogue and SAB order late this year, but I had received some stuff from OnStage, which tied me up for a while. When I received my box yesterday, I was looking at the new stuff, trying to decide where to start and the Pretty Pocket card kit was speaking to me, since kits are always an easy place to start. I was trying to decide whether to make one of the pocket cards as per the kit picture or step it up to make something else, and then I got inspired by the bright colours to pair the pocket with the Cool Treats stamp set. I also discovered that the two long sentiments fit really nicely into the opening of the pocket. This is perfect for Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - Anything Goes and the Naughty or Nice challenge #35 (to use something new).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Cool Treats
Card Kit: Pretty Pocket
Cardstock: Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Tasty Treats
Ink: Watermelon Wonder, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Tasty Treats Designer Washi Tape, Sprinkles Embellishments,
Circle Punch, Project Life Corner Punch, Urban Underground Embellishments

 

Beautiful Bouquet

The new Thankful Life hostess stamp set from the Occasions Catalogue is designed to help put together a full and colorful bouquet in just a few steps. You get three separate stamps for the bouquet which allow you to use different ink colours, and all of the images entertwine with great precision. This was my first try using it and everything lined up perfectly without me having to pull out my trusted Stamp-a-ma-jig (which I'll admit I still use even with photopolymer stamps). No need for it here, though, and my first try was lined up perfectly. The gorgeous color combo was inspired by Create with Connie and Mary challenge #442, and the design by CAS(E) This Sketch #206. For the ribbon bow, I used the Dapper Denim ruffled ribbon, and it matches with the Pacific Point colors quite nicely. A few Pacific Point enamel shapes were added to the bouquet as well.

The sentiment, which reads "A little hi in passing," comes from the second hostess set from the 2017 Occasions Catalogue, Iconic Occasions. I embossed it in white embossing powder on 2016-2018 Envelope Paper in Emerald Envy.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Thankful Life, Expressions imagées (Iconic Occasions)
Cardstock: Crushed Curry, Pacific Point, Whisper White
Envelope Paper: 2016-2018 In Color
Ink: Crushed Curry, Pacific Point, Emerald Envy
Cardstock: Brights Enamel Shapes, Stampin' Dimensionals, Dapper Denim Ruffled Ribbon,
White Stampin' Emboss Powder, White Medium Envelope, Gold Wink of Stella Brush

 

May Hope be your Guide

I couldn't resist pairing my new High Tide stamp set with the Seaglass paper pad I had in my craft supplies. I want to make more cards using this great new stamp set because I need masculine birthday cards, but for this one, I wanted to use one of the sentiments included in the set. None of them are birthday-related, so I picked the one that says, "Let hope be your lighthouse, beckoning you through stormy seas." I think it's a lovely encouragement.

I also pulled out the Cable Knit embossing folder to use as a nautical knot border. (I can't take credit for that idea - it's something I spotted on Pinterest, but I thought it was genius! And a great way to use my new favorite embossing folder throughout the year.) Three enamel shape stars for various packs were added to finish the look. The sentiment was embossed in copper powder over the image to make it stand out, and I added a dab of Gold Wink of Stella over the ray of light (only the part that is closest to the lighthouse, to darken it out and give it shine).

Design was based on Match the Sketch challenge #161.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Marée haute (High Tide - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Lost Lagoon, Midnight Muse, Pear Pizzazz, Very Vanilla
Patterned Papers: Seaglass (Craft Smith)
Ink: Midnight Muse, Night of Navy, So Saffron, Soft Suede, Sahara Sand, Pear Pizzazz, VersaMark
Accessories: Envelope Punch Board, Wonky Stitches Square Die-namics (My Favorite Things),
Stampin' Dimensionals, Cable Knit Embossing Folder, Enamel Shapes (2016-2018 In Color, Regals, Metallics),
Baked Brown Sugar Thick Baker's Twine, Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder

 

Keep Calm Santa is Coming

Merry Monday challenge #232 showcases an inspiration picture. The Santa sleigh in the background caught my eye and reminded me of a Cat's Pajamas image I hadn't used yet from the Santa is Coming set. I paired the first challenge with the Mojo Monday sketch #481 and came up with this card, using paper scraps from old Jovial Basic Grey papers I had in my stash. This card also fits the Cat's Pajamas challenge #330, with the sentiment in the rectangle and the circle shape on the side of the card.

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Santa is Coming (The Cat's Pajamas)
Cardstock: Marigold Morning, Whisper White
Patterned Papers: Jovial (Basic Grey)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, VersaMark
Accessories: Pewter Stampin' Emboss Powder, Gold Metallic Thread, Envelope Punch Board,
Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals, Markers, Riding Hood Red Ruffle Satin Ribbon,
Wonky Stitches Oval Die-namics (My Favorite Things), Stitched Hillsides Dies (Lawn Fawn)

 

Fast Asleep

It was love at first sight with the Moon Baby stamp set from the Occasions catalogue. Too bad it's not translated to French, but the silver lining is that it allowed me to get this stamp set in wood-mount. I drew inspiration from the Hand Stamped Sentiments Sketch #256 and paired the stamp set with the Carried Away Designer Series Paper offered as a free item during Sale-A-Bration. The cloud pattern was perfect to go with the baby sleepingon the moon, and that image fit perfectly in the biggest stitched circle die from the Stitched Shapes Framelits.

For the colour combo, I started with Mint Macaron, which was the sky colour on the patterned paper I have selected. I looked at past ColourQ combos for inspiration and #331 caught my eye, so I picked current colours to create a similar look. The two bottom strips of cardstock were stamped with Delicate Details, a stamp set also offered during Sale-A-Bration (I expect I'll be using this one a lot).

I stamped the three stars image from the stamp set and colored them with Gold Wink of Stella, before cutting them out and adding them around the main image. The stamp set includes great sentiment, but I wanted something in French so I selected "Congratulations" from the Iconic Occasions hostess stamp set (2017 Occasions Catalogue). And that adorable frame? It's part of the Build It Framelits collection (the one with the tools). It cuts out a tag with a frame. It you handle the frame carefully, the outside will stay on the piece and you have a tag with an impressed border. But you can also tear the two pieces apart, so I was able to create an outer frame in Bermuda Bay cardstock and glue it over the first piece. The Mint Macaron cardstock was covered with Clear Wink of Stella to make it shimmery. Gold enamel shape stars were also added to the background.

 

 

 

 

 

   

Colour Combo: Smoky Slate + Dapper Denim + bermuda Bay + Mint Macaron + White

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Moon Baby, Expressions imagées (Iconic Occasions), Delicate Details
Cardstock: Smoky Slate, Dapper Denim, Mint Macaron, Bermuda Bay, Watercolor Paper
Patterned Paper: Carried Away
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, So Saffron, Delightful Dijon, Bermuda Bay, Dapper Denim, Blush Blossom, Soft Suede
Accessories: Metallic Enamel Shapes, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Layering Circle Framelits,
Wink of Stella Brush (Gold, Clear), 1/8" Silver Ribbon, White Square Envelope, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Build It Framelits, Aqua Painter Brush

 

Sweets for my Little Bunny

I had this idea of lining up three bunnies colored in different shades and have him hold something different from the Basket Bunch stamp set. I was loving the Fab Friday #104 and the In[k]spire Me #284 color scheme so much that I went for it again with this new card. Everything was stamped directly on the card base, except the accessories, which were die-cut with the matching Framelits and popped up on Dimensionals. I used ink and an Aquapainter brush to color the images.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamos: Panier de Pâques (Basket Bunch)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla
Ink: Basic Grey, Soft Sky, Sahara Sand, Sweet Sugarplum, Peekaboo Peach
Accessories: Basket Builder Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals, Project Life Corner Punch

 

Getting Younger

I really liked the color combo challenge suggested by Fab Friday #104 and In[k]spire Me #284 (the same one, coincidentally). I was looking at stamp sets to use it with and settled on Beautiful You.The Sweet Sugarplum cardstock was embossed using the Large Polka Dot embossing folder, and I used the Mini Treat Bag Framelits for both the sentiment and the dot line at the bottom of my main panel.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Resplendissante (Beautiful You)
Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Sweet Sugarplum, Soft Sky
Ink: Sweet Sugarplum, Soft Sky, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Lace Trim, Designer Washi Tape, Large Polka Dot Embossing Folder,
Mini Treat Bag Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals, 3/8" Glitter Ribbon, Pearl Basic Jewels,
Classy Designer Buttons, Very Vanilla 1/4" Satin Ribbon, Vanilla Medium Envelope

 

A Friend Like You

This week's Stamping Bella challenge was an inspiration picture showing a frame. I knew I wanted to use Uptown Girl Curly Clara Needs Your Address because it was in the pile of things I had put aside to use shortly. I also wanted to incorporate the brick wall aspect of the inspiration image but for the life of me, I couldn't find my grit paste anywhere so I just had to put that idea aside for now. The colors were inspired by MFT Color Challenge #61 and the design by CAS(E) This Sketch #205. The image was colored with Prismacolor pencils and the corners were punched with the Curvy Corner Trio Punch, then accented with Candy Dots. The sentiment comes from my new favorite sentiment set, Suite Sentiments (Occasions Catalogue, p. 54), which you've seen appear on all of my recent cards. This sentiment reads, "Everyone needs a friend like you." I wanted to stamp a little something to embellish the side of the card base, so I pulled out an old unmounted wheel called Bouquet to stamp the edge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Uptown Girl Curly Clara Needs Your Address (Stamping Bella),
Mots coordonnés (Suite Sentiments - Stampin' Up!), Bouquet Wheel (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Bazzill
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Lost Lagoon, Basic Grey
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Pink Satin Ribbon, Envelope Punch Board,
Subtles Candy Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Curvy Corner Trio Punch

 

Enjoy Life

This card was inspired by Freshly Made Sketch #271 and Hand Stamped Sentiments #255. I wanted to find a large sentiment for the top block and spotted one in the Suite Sentiments stamp set (new in the Occasions Catalogue, p. 54). The English version says "Enjoy life and have fun," but the translated expression means something like "Take a bite out of life", which links nicely with the Fresh Fruit stamp set (Annual Catalogue, p. 149). I made my own background on a piece of Whisper White cardstock, stamping the strawberries in Flirty Flamingo and the top in Emerald Envy. Then, I went back over the strawberries with VersaMark and embossed them in clear embossing powder, for a fun shiny finish. I also added little dots from the same stamp set to fill out the space, in Watercolor Wonder ink.

The sentiment was embossed in white embossing powder on Watermelon Wonder cardstock, and I added two Flirty Flamingo enamel shapes from the 2016-2018 In Color set on each side. A piece of white baker's twine was wrapped at the top to embellish a bit.

A white envelope was stamped to match.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Fresh Fruit, Mots coordonnés (Suite Sentiments)
Cardstock: Flirty Flamingo, Emerald Envy, Watercolor Wonder, Whisper White
Ink: Flirty Flamingo, Emerald Envy, Watercolor Wonder
Accessories: White Bakers' Twine, Stampin' Emboss Powder (Clear, White),
2016-2018 In Color Enamel Shapes, White Medium Envelope, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Vintage Deer

This week's Merry Monday challenge #231 calls for a reindeer. I was going to use my reindeer dies and was looking for patterned papers to use with them when the retired Home for Christmas Designer Paper pack caught my eye and I remembered that one of the page had some adorable reindeers printed on it, so I switched gears and decided to cut out a reindeer instead. I was also inspired by the MFT sketch #316, which worked perfectly for the supplies I was using. I cut the front of the card a little narrower, so that the inside of the card shows, and I embellished it with a strip of patterned paper. I stamped the card front with the Snowfall background stamp from My Favorite Things in VersaMark and embossed it with Iridescent Ice powder.

I punched a circle out of the green paper and glued the circle on the front of the card making it sure it hung a little outside of the front part. Before doing that, I added a strip of Very Vanilla 1/4" Satin Ribbon (Occasions Catalogue, p. 51) that I had leftover from my Make 'n Take supplies from OnStage. If Stampin' Up! hopes to make us fall in love with the supplies when we get to use them, they are correct - although I need more ribbon like I need a hole in the head, I am really loving the shine of the satin ribbon and the narrower size.

For the sentiment, I was going to cut a little strip of cardstock and stamp a sentiment on it but when I reached for my background stamp, I spotted the Fa La La Border die from Lawn Fawn and thought it would work great on the design. Because I wanted the end of the word to hang over the side of the card as well, I made sure to back the Designer Series Paper with cardstock before die-cutting it to make it sturdier.

The corners were rounded with the Project Life Corner punch and a couple of Home for Christmas enamel dots were added to finish the card off.

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Snowfall Background (My Favorite Things)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla
Designer Series Paper: Home for ChristmasInk: VersaMark
Accessories: Home for Christmas Enamel Dots, Project Life Corner Punch,
Envelope Punch Board, Nestabilities Dies, Fa La La Border Die (Lawn Fawn),
Iridescent Ice Stampin' Emboss Powder

 

Easter Garden

I wanted to use the Basket Bunch stamp set to create a little Spring scene, which seemed a good idea to pair with the Global Design Project challenge #70. It kinda, sorta worked like I was envisioning. Not quite, but a good enough first try with this stamp set. I also wanted to pair it with the Easter sentiment from the Suite Sayings stamp set, which I stamped at top and embossed with Copper embossing powder. The little scene was stamped in Early Espresso and colored with Stampin' Write Markers. I stamped the grass in Pear Pizzazz to ground everything, and I cut the edge of a piece of Pear Pizzazz cardstock using the Fringe Scissors to create a patch of grass. I tied a piece of 5/8" Burlap Ribbon underneath the scene (cut in half to make it narrower). My card base was also stamped with the Watercolor Wash background stamp to fill out the background a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Panier de Pâques (Basket Bunch), Mots coordonnés (Suite Sayings)
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron, Primrose Petals, Shimmery White
Ink: Early Espresso, So Saffron, Pear Pizzazz, VersaMark
Accessories: Stampin' Write Markers, 5/8" Burlap Ribbon, Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder,
White Medium Envelope, Fringe Scissors, Foam Adhesive Strips

 

Christmas Deer

I just finished putting together my Hello December 2016 mini album and I wanted to use the few pieces I had left to make a card. The Mojo Monday sketch was perfect to put my remaining pieces to work. The deer image, tree patterned card and sentiment (punched from 3" x 4" card with the 2-1/2" Circle punch), as well as the silver enamel shapes and wooden tree embellishment, all came from the Hello December 2016 card and accessories kits. I added Thick White cardstock that was embossed with the Cable Knit embossing folder, a piece of Candycane Lane Designer washi tape, and an enamel shape star from the 2016-2018 In Color collection. The bottom patterned paper (Emerald Envy) came from the 2016-2018 Envelope Paper pack. A bit of Clear Wink of Stella was applied to the center of the wreath over the sentiment and on the tree embellishment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Cardstock: Emerald Envy, Real Red, Thick Whisper White
Envelope Paper: 2016-2018 In Color
Project Life Cards and Accessories: Hello December 2016
Accessories: Candycane Lane Designer Washi Tape, Crumb Cake Medium Envelope,
Clear Wink of Stella Brush, Stampin' Dimensionals, 2-1/2" Circle Punch

 

Some More Modified Make 'n Takes

Still using the Make 'n Takes supplies I found in my stash. There were three 3" x 3" mini love notes, which was not a format that would have been useful to me at this moment, so I transformed them into full-sized cards instead, adding a bit of cardstock from my supplies.

 

 

 

Modified Make 'n Take

While organizing my stamp room, I found the Make 'n Take kits from the OnStage event in Ottawa. Some of them were still unassembled, so I used the supplies meant for a card and changed it up a bit. The beautiful Bokeh patterned paper is part of the Falling in Love Designer Series Paper pack, and the lacy overlay is a die-cut from the So Detailed Thinlits Dies.

For the center I used a sentiment from the Suite Sayings stamp set. I tied a bit of Very Vanilla 1/4" Satin Ribbon (Occasions catalogue, p. 51) on both ends, added pearls on the flowers of the die-cut, and a bit of Very Vanilla 1/2" Lace Trim (Annual Catalogue, p. 179) at the top and bottom of the patterned paper.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Mots coordonnés (Suite Sayings)
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Very Vanilla
Designer Series Paper: Falling in Love
Ink: Crumb Cake
Accessories: So Detailed Thinlits, Pearl Basic Jewels, Very Vanilla 1/4" Satin Ribbon,
Very Vanilla 1/2" Lace Trim, Oval Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Vanilla Medium Envelope

 

Gypsy

Those pictures were taken at our Christmas office party in 2014. It took me a while to add them to my scrapbook because I wasn't sure which papers to pair them with. I finally found something that matched the colours I had in mind for the Gypsy theme.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Patterned Papers: Summer Dream (Craft Smith)
Stamps: Project Life Une Date (Project Life Date It - Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Basic Grey
Accessories: Project Life Cards and Labels Framelits Dies (Stampin' Up!), Stampin' Dimensionals, Circle Punch,
Mini Stapler, Designer Buttons, Cotton Twine, Designer Washi Tape, Washi Tape Punch, Project Life Corner Punch,
Felt Flower, Ribbon, Alphabet Stickers (Making Memories, EK Success, Creative Imaginations)

 

Love Ya Love Note

I'm still going on my Valentine's cards. I used the Sweetheart Treat Bags I have found in my stash once again, this time paired with the Flirty Frames stamp set. I really love this fun, whimsical set because the frames totally remind me of the yellow frame that used to be hung around the peephole behind the door of the girls' apartment in Friends. Remember it?

The "love ya" sentiment came from the same stamp set. Adorable! If only Lawn Fawn was making stamps in French! I wanted to stamp a heart behind so I went shopping through my stamps and found one I liked in Perfect Pennants (retired). A cute red Enamel Shape heart was added as well.

I created the insert out of Sahara Sand cardstock and used the lined up hearts die from the Mini Treat Bag Framelits set (a personal favorite that has seen a lot of use because of the awesome embellishment dies in it). I put a strip of red glimmer paper underneath and lined the back of the insert with a piece of matching Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper (sadly retired - I'm very fond of this one). Two more scraps from the same DSP were used to decorate the front of the bag, as well as a piece of baker's twine that came directly from the kit.

The design was inspired by Try Stamping on Tuesday challenge #304.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Flirty Frames (Lawn Fawn), Parfaits fanions (Perfect Pennants - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper Stack: Fresh Prints
Ink: VersaMark, Basic Grey, Pool Party
Accessories: Sweetheart Treat Bags Kit, Stampin' Dimensionals, Flirty Frames Dies,
Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder, Brights Enamel Shapes, Mini Treat Bag Framelits Dies,
Red Glimmer Paper, Project Life Corner Punch, Crumb Cake Medium Envelope

 

I Like You as Much as the Sky is Big

While taking inventory of my envelopes, I found some red bags with little white hearts I had leftover from an old Sale-A-Bration promotion. Since I was planning to make a few love cards before Valentine's Day, I pulled them out and they inspired my latest card. I based the design on the Create with Connie and Mary sketch #439. I used the Lift Me Up stamp set and matching Up & Away Thinlits dies. I made an insert for the envelope with Soft Sky cardstock and punched the top corners with the Curvy Corner Trio punch (retired). I added a stamped heart at the top, and backed it with patterned paper to make a pull for the insert. The Envelope Punch Board allowed me to make a matching envelope for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Gentil remontant (Lift Me Up)
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Fresh Prints, In Color Stack
Ink: Real Red, Coastal Cabana, Baked Brown Sugar, VersaMark
Accessories: Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder, Up & Away Thinlits Dies,
Heart-patterned Red Mini Treat Bag and Baker's Twine (from kit), Stampin' Dimensionals,
Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Envelope Punch Board, Curvy Corner Trio Punch

 

Celebrate Big Time

After finishing my last card, which was square, I was left with a narrow piece of cardstock that I thought could make an interesting card size. So I folded it in half and used the Paper Craft Crew Sketch #225 to make a new card. I used a new stamp set from the Occasions Catalogue (p. 13) called Birthday Bright. It was not something that was originally on my wish list, but it was one of the sets I received as a gift when I attended the OnStage event in Ottawa. As if often the case with sets I get gifted, I end up using them more than I thought I would have thought. I would say that after making this card, I'm thinking this might be the case with this set as well. Lots of sentiment possibilities with various words that can be paired, and the accompanying images are pretty darn cute.

Here, I used the scallops, border and banner images to create the center panel. I added a strip of patterned paper from the Tasty Treats Designer Series Paper pack. And here's the reason why the sketch has been switched sides. I was not being careful when I glued the paper strip down... and realized that I had the popsicles going one way and the banners going the other way. If I had wanted to keep the strip on the right, something would have been upside down. So I carefully lifted up the paper strip and glued it down the correct way, but then the strip had to stay on the left. No biggie - I simple moved the embellishments (washi tape and stamped balloons - to that side as well.

My sentiment goes something like "Celebrate Big Time." I'm fairly sure the word "grande" is meant to be paired with the word "fête," but by seeing the word "Célébrons" included in the set, I kept thinking of the expression "célébrer en grande" and it gave me a great opportunity to make a card that's different and unique. The second word was not included, though, so I pulled out the Brushstrokes Alphabet to make it myself. Since I was already using the Bunch of Banners Framelits for the banner included in the stamp set, it was easy to simple use two other Framelits from the same kit for the rest of the sentiment.

Little In Color enamel shapes were added to the middle banner, and I used the Envelope Punch Board to make a matching envelope in the right size, using the 2016-2108 In Color Envelope Paper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Brillant anniversaire (Birthday Bright)
Cardstock: Peekaboo Peach, Pool Party, Flirty Flamingo, Whisper White
Patterned Papers: Tasty Treats, 2016-2018 In Color Envelope Paper
Ink: Basic Grey, Pool party, Flirty Flamingo, Peekaboo Peach
Accessories: Bunch of Banners Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals, 2016-2018 In Color Enamel Shapes,
Envelope Punch Board, Designer Washi Tape

 

Sweet Treat Thanks

This card is inspired by Viva la Verve December 2016 Sketch, Simon Says Stamp Monday (Be Square) and TGIF #89. I'm really happy with how this card turned out. This is the kind of cards that I feel brings a smile to your face when you are looking at it. Using the new Suite Sentiments stamp set, I made it a Thank You card because I needed to add one to my stash. The fun thing is that the set includes two thanks sentiment. I inked the first one with markers to make it three different colours. Then, for the one that has thank you repeated in various fonts, I used Sahara Sand ink and stamped it in full ink and stamped off ink in the background to fill out the space. I'm pretty pleased with the result.

The adorable chicks were colored with Prismacolor pencils. The nice thing about the latest Stamping Bella packaging is that it includes a colored picture of the stamped image on the front, so I was able to draw inspiration from it to add my shadowing, and that really helped. Practice makes better, and my coloring skills are still improving.

I used the Stitched Shapes Framelits to cut out the four background patterned paper squares to make it a bit more interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Chicks with a Sprinkle on Top (Stamping Bella), Mots coordonnés (Suite Sentiments - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Peekaboo Peach, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Tasty Treats
Ink: Peekaboo Peach, Sahara Sand, Tuxedo Black Memento, Peekaboo Peach Ombre Pad
Accessories: Decorative Brads, Prismacolor Pencils, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Stitched Shapes Framelits, Stampin' Write Markers, White Square Envelope

 

Framed Birthday Pic

This card was inspired by the Stamping Bella challenge (sketch #25) and the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge (New Something). The new stamps I used are called Gingerbread Chicks. Judging by the name and the sentiment included, it's probably meant to be a Holiday set, but I can't help but think birthday when I look at the images because of the party hats. I discovered the chick image fitted nicely in one of the frames from Flirty Frames, which incidentally worked well with the sketch, so the card came together pretty quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Gingerbread Chicks (Stamping Bella), Flirty Frames (Lawn Fawn), Silhouettes en script (Silhouettes & Script - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Bermuda Bay, Whisper White
Patterned Papers: Life in Color (Simple Stories)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Bermuda Bay
Accessories: Designer Washi Tape, White Medium Envelope, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Markers, Crystal Effects, Nuvo Crystal Drops, Ranger Enamel Accents, Flirty Frames Dies (Lawn Fawn),
Neutrals Candy Dots, Brights Enamel Shapes, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Life in Color Stickers (Simple Stories)

 

Bounce Back Quickly

There's a lot of "use something new" challenges floating around this week - including Just Us Girls challenge #375, which is great timing because I'm pulling out stamps I had neglected to use while I was on my Christmas card kick. One of those stamp sets was Bounce Back from The Cat's Pajamas, and I used yet again some older My Mind's Eye papers I had put aside to go with it. I was looking at my Mojo Monday sketch catch-up sheet and spotted sketch #405, which happens to look like bed sheets! It was perfect for my little sick bunny, so the design came together quickly. For the sentiment, I looked at my sentiment binder and spotted "get well soon" in the retired Tag It stamp set from Stampin' Up!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Bounce Back (The Cat's Pajamas), Étiquetage (Tag It - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Delightful Dijon, Very Vanilla
Patterned Papers: Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Basic Grey
Accessories: 2" Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Victoria Lace Trim,
Robin's Egg, Metallic Enamel Shapes, Markers, Project Life Corner Punch, Vanilla Medium Envelope

 

Baby Dragon

I needed to add baby cards to my stash and spotted a baby dragon in the Magical Dragons stamp set, so I got inspired to use this image for a non-traditional baby card. The design came from MFT Sketch #314 and the colors from Stampin' Royalty #360. Again, I had some MME papers put aside for a baby card, and one of the sheets had polaroid frames on it, so I handcut one and used it for my main image. I stamped the dragon and puff in Tuxedo Black Memento ink and colored the image with my Prismacolor pencils.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Magical Dragons (My Favorite Things), Du coq à l'âne (And Many More - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Emerald Envy, Real Red
Patterned Papers: Follow Your Heart (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Emerald Envy, Basic Grey
Accessories: Metallic Enamel Shapes, Classy Designer Buttons, Silver Cord Trim,
Designer Washi Tape, Prismacolor Pencils, White Medium Envelope

 

Season to Be Jolly

This is another fun card that was born out of some older My Mind's Eye papers I found in my stash. I liked the darker, vintage colours and I paired it with an older Mojo Monday Sketch (#413) that allowed me to showcase three of the cute images from the J*lly H*liday stamp set. I wanted to do a tall, narrow card as per the sketch, but my usual tall size was too narrow, so I looked at the envelope punch board for ideas of alternative sizes and picked 4" x 5-1/2", which allowed me to fit the sentiment I was hoping to use.

This was also inspired by Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge (New Something), as I inked this stamp set for the first time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: J*lly H*liday (The Cat's Pajamas)
Cardstock: Mossy Meadow, Very Vanilla, Lost Lagoon, More Mustard
Patterned Papers: Vintage Christmas (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Basic Grey, Mossy Meadow, Real Red, Tuxedo Black Memento
Accessories: Red Glimmer Paper, Envelope Punch Board, Circle Punches,
Markers, Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

May Your Day Be Perfect

I'm still playing with stamps I had put aside to use when I had a minute. For this card, I picked the Friendship set from The Cat's Pajamas. I've had requests for masculine birthday cards, so this is what I had in mind when I started this card, and the My Mind's Eye papers I had put aside seemed like a good match to the fishing image. Looking at sentiment options, I found "May your day be perfect" in the new Suite Sentiments stamp set (p. 54 of 2017 Occasions Catalogue). It's a great all-occasion sentiment set, with words of all sizes and varied fonts. Definitely something I can see myself reaching for often over the years.

For the card design, I had a look at past Mojo Monday sketches and used #425, and combined it with the Stamp Ink Paper challenge #80 (Cardmaker's choice).

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Friendship (The Cat's Pajamas), Mots coordonnés (Suite Sentiments - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Tangelo Twist
Patterned Papers: Collectable (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Denim Dandy
Accessories: Enamel Shapes (Brights & Regals), Markers, Decorative Brads (My Mind's Eye),
Stampin' Dimensionals, Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Project Life Corner Punch,
Ribbon (Basic Grey), Envelope Punch Board, Circle Punches, White Gel Pen

 

Feelin' Cupidy

This card was directly inspired by a sheet of love-themed paper I found in my My Mind's Eye folder. It had a swanky pattern in the corner with the words "J'adore" written in red glitter. I thought it would look awesome paired with the Feelin' Cupidy stamp set from The Cat's Pajamas, and timing is good with Valentine's Day coming up. Based on the Freshly Made Sketch #269 (turned 90 degres left), I added a piece of red satin ribbon and some love tickets leftover from a retired Artisan Embellishments kit, both lying on my desk.

The corner was punched with the Curvy Corner Trio punch and I added a silver glitter Nuvo drop. The Cupid image was colored and handcut. This is where I had to improvise before putting the card together. I wanted the words "J'adore" to be readable and I couldn't fit the Cupid comfortably without the card feeling cramped, so I decided to cut the card shorter as well as the patterned paper so the words would move slightly to the left, and then I added the Cupid to the right side of the card, slightly hanging out. By doing this, the card still fits into a regular-sized envelope. The card also looks really cool and the design is more dynamic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Feelin' Cupidy (The Cat's Pajamas)
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Very Vanilla
Patterned Paper: Lost & Found Record It! (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Real Red Satin Ribbon, Artisan Embellishments Kit,
Envelope Punch Board, Curvy Corner Trio Punch, Glitter Nuvo Crystal Drops, Markers

 

Pony and Flower Wishes

Inspired by Mojo Monday #478 and Simon Says Stamp Monday (Start Afresh), I pulled out my Mini Pony Party stamp set. It was an exclusive set released during the Stampember promotion from Simon Says Stamp last fall. Since I love the adorable ponies from The Greeting Farm so much, I couldn't resist, but I was in the middle of Christmas cards when I received my order, so the stamp set got pulled aside. Until today, when I was finally able to ink it. After pulling out some My Mind's Eye papers for my previous card, I found some candy-colored sparkly ones that I thought would make a nice pair with my Little Pony. The images didn't work for any themes I have on my "to-do" stamping list, but my colleagues mentioned they sometimes are looking for cards they can all sign and give as a group, so I decided to stamp "All Our Wishes" to make it a group or family card for a change. The word "wishes" was die-cut three times out of Lost Lagoon cardstock and layered, then covered with Crystal Effects for a glossy look.

The pony was stamped on Whisper White cardstock, colored and die-cut with the Stitched Shapes Framelits Stampin' Up! is currently offering as a preview release. The flowers from the same stamp set were also colored and die-cut using the matching dies, then popped on the left side of the image. I had recently found in my stash a leftover from an Artisan Accents kit SU! had a couple of years ago and decided to use one of the roses with the stamped flowers. I had also found at the same time some older flower sequins in the same box, so I used some of those on the card as well. It was nice to get some mileage out of older supplies by combining them with newer items.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Mini Pony Party (The Greeting Farm), Souhaits et voeux (Sunshine Sayings - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Coastal Cabana, Ruby Red, Whisper White
Patterned Papers: Laundry (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Lost Lagoon, Ruby Red
Accessories: Artisan Embellishments Kit, Markers, Voeux ensoleillés Thinlits (Sunshine Wishes),
Envelope Punch Board, Victoria Lace Trim, Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Mini Pony Party Dies,
Flower Sequins and Brads (Queen & Co), Crystal Effects, Stampin' Dimensionals, Black Pen

 

Snail Mail Thank You

This card is inspired by the Anything Goes challenge from Stamping Bella and the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge (Start Afresh - I used a new stamp and papers I hadn't used before). I was looking for patterned papers that would work well with the chick and found the Jubilee collection from My Mind's Eye. I think it worked out better than I could have hoped and the resutl is veru cheerful. The "Thank You" sentiment comes from the Fresh Fruit stamp set (Stampin' Up'! Annual Catalogue, p. 149) and it was embossed with Tango Tangerine embossing powder to make it stand out. Despite using the Embossing Buddy before stamping, I still wound up with a bit of speckles, but I decided to just run with it. All part of the handmade charm, right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Fresh Fruit (Stampin' Up!), Mail Chick (Stamping Bella)
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Tango Tangerine, Whisper White
Patterned Papers: Jubilee (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, VersaMark
Accessories: Brads, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Markers,
Tango Tangerine Grosgrain Ribbon, Tango Tangerine Stampin' Emboss Powder,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Triple Banner Punch, Envelope Punch Board

 

Birthday Wishes for Someone Unique

This card was inspired by the January Greeting Farm challenge (Anything Goes). I hadn't had the chance to ink the Trishell stamp because I got it during the Christmas cards season. While looking through my patterned paper stash, I found the Under the Sea collection from Doodlebug Design, which was a perfect fit for the mermaid image. For the design, I picked an older Mojo Monday sketch I hadn't used yet (#408).

As I was trying to find a French sentiment for my card, I spotted (Happy birthday to someone unique" in the new So Succulent stamp set from the 2017 Occasions Catalogue (which is getting released this week). Perfect to go with a mermaid! A bit of Clear Wink of Stella was added to the mermaid's tail to make her more magical.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Trishell (The Greeting Farm)
Cardstock: Lucky Limeade, Whisper White
Patterned Papers: Under the Sea (Doodlebug Design)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, VersaMark
Accessories: White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Markers, Buttons, Envelope Punch Board, Nestabilities Dies, Clear Wink of Stella,
Glitter Tape, Under the Sea Border Stickers (Doodlebug Design)