Paper Share Groups Still Available

I have some DSP Paper Share groups left that I'd like to send to a good home! You can review the groups at this post. The cost is $15 for the first group, and then it decreases $1 for each subsequent group you order. Prices include shipping and tax. I accept payment via PayPal and can send you an invoice upon ordering. These are available on a first-come-first-serve basis:

[Sept. 9th 10pm - edited to show current status]

Group 2 - SOLD!
Group 3 - one left
Group 4 - SOLD!
Group 5 - SOLD!

Let me know if you are interested in any of these!

Another Apology

This was another version of a card I made for my friend whose little boy bit a little girl (read this post for the story). I gave her both of these to choose from and she chose the one in the earlier post, but I thought I'd show you this one anyway.

I do love the Pun Fun stamp set. And this little skunk is just so cute, but the sentiment is my favorite part! The flower in the background comes from Holiday Blitz - but it matches his little flower nicely!

Get off to a great week, everyone!

Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Pun Fun, Holiday Blitz
Ink: Black StazOn, Riding Hood Red
Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
Accessories: Black Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon
Tools: Word Window Punch, Horizontal Slot Punch, Stampin' Pastels, Stamping Sponge, Dimensionals

Cheers to Tiffany!

Okay, so I really like this set... that's become obvious! (See this post and this post to prove it.) And to think, I RARELY even drink! I think I just love the delicate lines of these drinks - they're really fun to watercolor! And maybe it's because I can be sort of a bartender of my own and make them whatever color I want to! Here's the birthday card I sent to my friend, Tiffany, over at My Crafty World:

Again, I don't normally use bright colors, but as you can see, I didn't let that stop me here! If I remember correctly (I really should write these recipes down before I mail the cards!), this is Summer Sun and Barely Banana paired up with Tempting Turquoise. Once again, I let the color of the drink pick my cardstock for me... isn't it fun?! And look how nicely the orange slice from Tart & Tangy acts as a lemon for the background! Here's a closer look at the drink:

Hmmm, so obviously this drink has some Blue Curacao in it, you think?! (okay, I admit, I had to Google that to get the name right. I don't drink, remember?!) I have no idea if you'd put a lemon on the side of it, or a cherry for that matter, but hey, this was MY creation. And the beauty of that is that I can add whatever I want to it!

So there, Tiffany, I designed this drink just for you! I'll even let you name it. Hope you had a dynamite birthday!

Drink Recipe (to the best of my recollection):
Stamp Sets: Cheers to You, Tart & Tangy, Heard from the Heart
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Summer Sun, Black StazOn
Cardstock: Summer Sun, Tempting Turquoise, Barely Banana, Confetti White
Accessories: Tempting Turquoise Narrow Grosgrain ribbon
Tools: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, Horizontal Slot punch, Dimensionals

Cheers to You!

I recently completed this card for my swap group, and it's in the mail. We were asked to choose a set to use that is brand new, and I chose Cheers to You. I look forward to seeing all the fantastic creations I will receive in return!

I don't normally use bright colors, but I think they're growing on me... this is Green Galore and Gable Green paired up with Basic Gray. I chose them based on the color I used for the yummy margarita! And speaking of which, take a closer look at this detail:

The salt across the top of the glass is actually some Chunky Essentials! I just made a thin line of glue with my Tombow Adhesive and then sprinkled on some of the crystals. Quick and easy, and really made a difference.

Hmmm... who's in the mood for a margarita? :)

Drink Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Cheers to You, Classic Stripes Background
Ink: Versamark, Black StazOn
Cardstock: Green Galore, Basic Gray, Gable Green, Confetti White
Accessories: Chunky Essentials, Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon
Tools: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, Photo Corners punch, Paper Piercer & Mat, Designer Label punch, Horizontal Slot punch, Tombow Adhesive

Updated Photo

Because my family will always come before my job (however fun it may be!), I decided to put them front and center here on my blog. The photo above was taken only yesterday. It will serve as a reminder to me every time I sit down to update this blog... have I hugged them today? Have I played with them today? Have I told them all how very much I love them? Only then can I be free to come share some love with all of you! I hope you won't tire of seeing their smiling faces... because I never will.

A Sorry Froggie

Happy September, everyone... Yes, it's the first of the month. And yes, that usually means a new batch of Stamp-a-Stack cards. But yes, this was a holiday weekend. And yes, I was out of town, again. So no, there are no Stamp-a-Stack cards to share this time. In fact, I am re-thinking my direction on Stamp-a-Stack and may not have them this month - at least not in the format you are used to. I'm still giving it some thought, so I will be letting you know the outcome as soon as I get it all figured out.

In the meantime, a good friend of mine needed my help. Her adorable little boy uncharacteristically bit one of his little friends. She wanted to send the little girl a card, and she admitted that I've ruined her from store-bought cards (yippee!!!)... but she didn't have the right supplies to make a cute little apology card herself, so I stepped in. This is what I made for her to send:

This is using one of our new sets, called A Flower For All Seasons. It has 4 cute little stamps, and I thought this was the perfect one for a little boy to send to a little girl, what with that cute little frog and all! I watercolored it with my Aquapainter and beloved Watercolor Wonder Crayons. Here is a closer look:

I normally don't use retired items in the cards I show you, but I must confess that I did use part of a sentiment from Unfrogettable ... "sorry" about that! The full recipe is below. A simple card for a very specific occasion... isn't it nice to be able to whip something up for circumstances like this?! A homemade card is often times the best way to sum up your feelings when a spoken apology just doesn't seem like enough.

Recipe for an Apology:
Stamp Sets: A Flower For All Seasons, Unfrogettable (retired)
Ink: Black StazOn
Cardstock: Apricot Appeal, Textured Pumpkin Pie, Confetti White
Accessories: Certainly Celery Wide Grosgrain ribbon
Tools: Scallop Edge punch, 1/16" Circle punch, Small Oval punch, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter

A Big Cupcake Thank You

This new giant cupcake stamp is just what I needed to make Maddox's thank you cards! I wanted to use the same basic colors as I did in his invitation, which you can see in this post. I was inspired by this card on Splitcoast, so here's my version:

I thought the crimping on the bottom was just perfect! And I need to use up all these eyelets I still have as we no longer carry them, so this was an ideal opportunity. I put the sentiment on the inside - which is so great because it saves you from having to write the same thing over and over!!

It'll be even better when Maddox can write them out himself! ...not that I'm rushing him. As promised, here is a photo of him on his birthday playing with the balloon bouquet.

He still melts my heart... but then again, so does his daddy. Life is good. ;)

Card Recipe:
Stamp Set: Simple Birthday Thanks, Family Phrases
Ink: Basic Black, Brilliant Blue
Cardstock: Brilliant Blue, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Real Red
Accessories: Real Red Narrow Grosgrain ribbon, Linen Thread, Bold Bright Eyelets (retired), Chunky Essentials glitter
Tools: Crop-a-Dile, Crimper, Small Oval Punch, Glue Pen

The Set I HAD to Have!

As soon as I turned the page in the catalog to the new Under the Stars set, I gasped and knew I HAD to have it! It was first on my list... so you'll be seeing more. (Edited to add: How could I forget to mention that this set is currently 15% off?! This is through September 30th - see this post for details. Thanks, Tabitha, for reminding me!) Here's the first thing I made with it:

This is a gate fold, where it opens from both directions. I think you normally see it vertical, but I did mine horizontal. The bear is only attached at the top and he comes down to rest on the bottom fold. You'll notice that I used the sentiment from Wild About You, which I thought was appropriate! And oh, those skeeters with the spray... just TOO CUTE!! Here is the inside with space for another sentiment or a hand-written note:

Brent Steele, Stampin' Up!'s VP of Creative Services, created a fabulous card for us at convention using this set - he had the bear's arms flapping up and down with a pull tab like in a children's book. He was swatting at all those skeeters! Perhaps I can duplicate it someday.

Thanks for visiting!

Card Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Under the Stars, Wild About You
Ink: More Mustard, Black StazOn
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Naturals Ivory, More Mustard
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Wide Grosgrain ribbon, Vintage brads
Tools: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, Large Oval punch

Simple Card Portfolio

Sorry for the late post today - I'm not feeling so hot... and I promised a photo of our little birthday boy, but it'll have to wait another day. The party was a blast, however, and he was so excited about all the people coming to his house! Ah, to be two again...

Here is a nice gift idea - and one that can be as detailed and extravagant as you'd like, or as simple and quick as you'd like. The one here is pretty simple, as I had my team make it at our meeting last weekend and we were short on time. It's a card portfolio, designed out of a single sheet of 8-1/2" x 11" cardstock.

Above you see the outside. It is held closed by a 2 feet strand of Whisper White narrow grosgrain ribbon.

On the inside, you can see that the ribbon helps to hold the cards in place. This would also look lovely with the pockets wheeled in a coordinating design. Again, this one is very simple, but I'd like to make another more involved one... ah, if I only had time to create all the things in my head! *sigh*

And here are the matching cards. We only made two, but this portfolio would easily hold a few more, depending on how many layers you put on them. ...and don't forget! You should always include matching stamped envelopes, as shown here!

The recipe for this particular project is below, but here are some general directions to make the portfolio: Again, it is a regular 8-1/2" x 11" piece of cardstock that is scored in half at 5-1/2" and then down the long side at 2-1/4". You then cut an upside-down "V" shape out of the center up to the 2-1/4" score line so you can fold the pockets up and the portfolio still closes nicely. Put some Sticky Strip along the outside edges of the pockets to hold them secure - leave the inside edges open. With the portfolio closed, use a Crop-a-Dile to poke a hole through the whole thing about 1" above the pocket on each side (see the first photo above for a visual). Then open it back up and weave the ribbon through so the long pieces are above the pockets on the inside. Voila! Simple portfolio. Now dress it up, and enjoy!

Project Recipe:
Stamp Set: Happiness Always (Hostess Level III)
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, Pacific Point
Cardstock: Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Ruby Red
Accessories: Whisper White narrow grosgrain ribbon
Tools: Key Tag punch, Crop-a-Dile, Sticky Strip, Dimensionals

A Quilter's Birthday

I made this card for my step-mother-in-law... she has many talents, and one of them is quilting. I wanted to try and mimic a quilt using our gorgeous new Bella Rose DSP... but any of our DSPs would work great like this as you get to showcase several patterns all from the same pack... and what a perfect opportunity for me to remind you about my Paper Share that's currently going on! :) It ends on Monday, so this weekend is your last opportunity to jump on board! Anyway, this card was inspired by a convention swap I saw that was made by Jan McClurg. I don't know who she is, but I sure liked this idea!

Obviously, this card is a different size - one I don't do too often - but it's 6" x 6". The envelopes we have for our Carousel Notes work perfectly, so that's what it got mailed in with just a bit of extra postage. The effect I was going for apparently worked, because when she received it, even her husband (my father-in-law) said, "Look! It's a quilt!" Good job, Dad!! Who says our guys can't appreciate this craft?

To get more dimension, I used the Textured cardstock for the base. Since that's a little thinner than our regular cardstock, I added some bulk to the inside with a couple layers - which also gave me a neutral writing surface instead of the dark Chocolate Chip. You can see a peek of it at the top of the photo.

Fun card to make... and I'll leave you for the weekend with this one as we have a little birthday party of our own on Sunday when Maddox turns 2! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Card Recipe:
Stamp Set: Sweet Celebrations
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss
Cardstock: Textured Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Bella Rose DSP
Accessories: Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain ribbon
Tools: Photo Corner punch, Scallop Circle punch, 1-3/8", 1-1/4", 3/4", and 1/16" Circle punches

Cheers to Mark!

My brother, Mark, just got a great new job and I wanted to send him a card to congratulate him. Nothing suits the occasion better than a nice, cold mug of beer!!

This card was made with a couple new things - the Classic Stripes background stamp and the new Cheers to You stamp set! Love it! Not only can you make masculine cards like this, you also have some girl-y martini glasses, tropical drink glasses, and some elegant champaign glasses! I can see this for invitations for girls night out, luaus, wedding cards, New Years cards, and more! What a fun set. Just knew I had to have it!

If you notice the old Print Pattern in the background on the Night of Navy, it's only because I stamped like 50 of those a while back for a project that never panned out... I'm still trying to use them up!

Card Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Classic Stripes background, Cheers to You
Ink: Black StazOn, Versamark, Night of Navy
Cardstock: Night of Navy, More Mustard, Bordering Blue, Confetti White
Accessories: Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, More Mustard Narrow Grosgrain ribbon
Tools: Designer Label Punch, Photo Corners Punch, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, Stamping Sponge

Tags Long Overdue!

I have been tagged several times lately (well, some of them were not-so-lately), but I'm just now taking the time to acknowledge them!

I was tagged by Holly over at Hog Wild About Stamping, Regina over at Stamps Alot and Kim over at Kim's Creative Stamping.

And I've received blogging awards from Michelle at Paper, Ink, & Glitter, Pam at Creative Inking, and Julie at One Crazy Stampin' Mama.

Oh, and my friend, Tiffany, at My Crafty World, actually tagged me TWICE, at two separate times! (she must really like me *blush*) Hee hee! Thanks, Tiffany!!

Whew! I think that's it for now. I am so honored to have been listed so many times. Thank you, ladies!

PS: Oh yeah, I was supposed to list 7 random facts about myself and display those awards... well, let's just say it took me THIS long to just list these wonderful people! If we waited for me to come up with 7 new things I haven't told you, or for me to upload these images that you've all seen before, well, then it'd be Christmas before I got these tags acknowledged!!

Ribbon Flowers

At convention, I was inspired to use ribbon in a different way. You may remember this post, which uses the flower we actually made during the make-and-takes at convention, only I left off the glitz and brought it home plain to make my own card. That card uses the new 1-1/4" Pink Pirouette Grosgrain ribbon, which is super simple to use when making flowers like that! Well, since I'm still waiting on my new ribbon to arrive (Mr. Brown should be bringing it TODAY!), I decided to try it with the 5/8" Wide Grosgrain. And it works! The flower is obviously smaller, but still just as cute! Here's the first card I made - and this is also in honor of Skool Teacher (whom I've still not heard from... who would leave a comment for blog candy and then never return to see if they've won?!), who stated that she has a hard time using More Mustard.

And here's a close-up of the flower. To attach mine to the card, I punched two small 1/16" circles into the card front and then threaded the Linen Thread through those holes, up through the center of the flower, through the button, and tied a knot. Holds it nice and secure without any chance of falling off!

Here's another little card I made with a ribbon flower - this was one of the little projects we completed at my Team Meeting this past weekend. It's a 4"x4" card - perfect for tucking into a gift bag. To get the three poinsettias red, I inked up the entire stamp with Kiwi Kiss, then used a Q-tip to wipe off the flowers and then used a Real Red Stampin' Write marker to color them.

The full recipes for both of these cards is below, including instructions on how to make a ribbon flower of your own! Have fun!

To make a ribbon flower:
Take a length of ribbon (about 5-6" for the 5/8" Grosgrain, or 10-11" for the 1-1/4" Grosgrain) and do a simple running stitch along the length of it about 1/8" away from the edge using the needle from the Crafter's Toolkit and some Linen Thread. Be sure you start and end on the same side of the ribbon. Holding one end of the thread so it doesn't pull out, scrunch the ribbon onto the thread to make it gather. Bring the ends of the thread around to meet each other and tie a knot. (8/21/08 - edited the wording to make more clear)

1st Card Recipe:
Stamp Sets: En Francais background, Sincere Salutations
Ink: More Mustard, Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: More Mustard, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain ribbon, Button, Linen Thread
Tools: Crafter's Tool Kit

2nd Card Recipe:
Stamp Set: Season of Joy
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Real Red
Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Real Red, Whisper White
Accessories: Real Red wide grosgrain ribbon, Real Red button, Linen Thread
Tools: Crafter's Tool Kit

Maddox is Turning Two!

I can't believe it myself... just yesterday he was trying to walk. But our little guy will be two this Sunday! You may know that there is a 7 year gap between our second son and baby Maddox (he was planned, I assure you!), so having a little one around again has been both a challenge AND a true joy! He's an easy kid... and just the cutest darn thing.

I knew I wanted to do a cupcake invitation for him, because I'm dying to use the new Simple Birthday Thanks stamp after the party! (I like my invitations and thank you's to coordinate). And I WANTED to use the new Crazy for Cupcakes set for the invitation, but I'm still waiting on Mr. Brown to bring it to me! So, I had to use another fun cupcake found in Big Bold Birthday. I am pleased with how it turned out - I wanted green and blue, and that's what I got!

No real tricks here - other than stamping the cupcake base and the candles onto the Whisper White first (with some blank space between), and then cut the icing out separately and added it with Dimensionals. I also glitzed the icing up a bit with a Glue Pen and some Dazzling Diamonds. Full recipe is below.

I'll share a photo of our sweet baby Maddox after his party on Sunday... just cuz I like to show him off a bit! :)

Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Big Bold Birthday, Family Phrases
Ink: Brilliant Blue, Kiwi Kiss, Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue, Old Olive
Cardstock: Brilliant Blue, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White
Accessories: Pumpkin Pie narrow grosgrain ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds
Tools: Key Tag punch, Two Way Glue Pen, Dimensionals