Inkin' up the Dog!

Farewell to striped grosgrain ribbon!

I have sure enjoyed the yummy striped in-color ribbon that we've had available for the last year.  I have used this ribbon on the majority of my cards I think.  I decided to use it again today on this card:

 

I have seen several of these "Bakery Window" cards floating around on various blogs and websites, and had it on my list of "things to do" to try one.   The patterned paper I used for the striped "awning" is retired "Love You Much" paper.  I thought the stripes worked perfectly for an awning, and I loved the colors.  There are many current striped papers that would work great as well.  I finished the edge  of the awning with the Scallop Edge Punch (on sale for $10.99 starting TOMORROW July 1st for five days only!!  Email me for details!) I put a few Stampin' Dimensionals on the underside of the awning to keep it popped up a little bit.   

I finished the card off by adding a knot with Pink Pirouette striped grosgrain ribbon. 

As much as I will miss it, the new polka dot ribbon in the new in-colors is beautiful too, and it will be my new favorite I'm sure!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  As the card says....Hope your day is the sweetest ever!!

Supplies:  Regal Rose, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White card stock; Crazy for Cupcakes stamp set; Love You Much patterned paper (retired); Basic Brown, Close to Cocoa classic ink; Pretty in Pink, Creamy Caramel, Ruby Red markers; Scallop Edge Punch; Stampin' Dimensionals. 

 

Branch Out!

I made this birthday card for a special friend of mine using the Branch Out stamp set.   

 

I used Certainly Celery card stock for the base, and Pink Pirouette for the bottom layer.  I wanted to give the swing a 3-D look, so I used a pewter Jumbo Brad and linen thread.  I stamped a few butterflies in the upper corner of the card. 

I think this makes a nice summer card and I hope you do too!

Supplies:  Branch Out stamp set; Certainly Celery, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White card stock; Close to Cocoa, Certainly Celery, Pink Pirouette, Rose Red Classic Ink; Jumbo Pewter Brad, Linen Thread.

Patriotic Good Friend

I used the big flower stamp from the Good Friend stamp set to make a red, white and blue card for the 4th of July! 

 

I created the medallion by using the Scallop Circle punch and punching it twice.  After you punch it out the first time, you need to put a little bit of adhesive on the back of it and attach it to a scrap piece of plain typing paper.  Then insert it back into the punch and turn it just a little bit so it will punch off each scallop to a point.  I hope that makes sense! 

 

I used the Daisies texture plate for the embossing in the background.  It sort of reminded me of fireworks too! 

 

Thanks for stopping by today!!  I hope this inspires you to make a patriotic card even if you don't have a specific patriotic themed stamp!!  A special thanks goes to Aimee Millard for the idea of using this flower stamp for fireworks!! You can see her card here.   I thought this was such a cute idea, and I couldn't wait to make a red, white and blue card with it!

Supplies:  Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Real Red, Whisper White card stock; Good Friend & Independence Day Stamp Sets; Baja Breeze, Real Red, Pacific Point Classic Ink; Daisies Texture Plate; Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" punch; Pacific Point striped grosgrain ribbon.

Inspired by Nature in plum........

I pulled out my Inspired By Nature set today to make this square card because I haven't used it in a while. 

 

I have some purple coneflowers in my garden that bloom later in the year, and I thought of them for the color inspiration.  My purple coneflowers are really more of a pink than a purple.......but I won't tell if you won't!  I inked the stamp using sponge daubers, and then stamped it on Kraft card stock. 

I've had these Library Clips for a long time now, and this is the first time I've ever used one on a card!  I think it's about time!  I also used the chocolate polka dot ribbon from the Valet Ribbon Originals.  I love polka dot ribbon, and if you haven't heard the news yet, there is a lot of new polka dot ribbon in the upcoming catalog!!

 

Thanks for stopping by to check out my project today!  Happy Stamping!

Supplies:  Pale Plum, Chocolate Chip, Kraft card stock; Inspired By Nature stamp set; Old Olive, Perfect Plum, Close to Cocoa Classic Ink; Old Olive Library Clip; Valet Ribbon Originals; sponge dauber.

Color Inspiration by HGTV (also some pics from my garden)

I watch a lot of HGTV when my husband isn't watching ESPN.  There is a show that uses the colors of this card as part of it's intro.  Don't ask me what show it is, because I have no idea!  Every time I see the intro though, I think "I need to make a card with those colors!"  Since Baja Breeze will be retiring soon---I figured I better hop to it!!

 

I didn't start out with the intention of making this a sympathy card---but after I had it about finished, I remembered that Brian had asked me for one.  I looked in my stash, and I had NONE.  So---a sympathy card it became!!  Certainly Celery may have been a more appropriate green for a sympathy card rather than green galore,but the green part is so minimal- I think it's okay.

I stamped the image in Baja Breeze classic ink, and then used a blender pen to remove color from the stems and a few flowers.  I then used my markers to color in with the Green Galore and Close to Cocoa. 

The pretty ribbon is from the Valet Ribbon Originals----which are currently on sale on the Retiring Accessories List!!  There are still some available, so scoop them up while you can. 

 

Supplies: Upsy Daisy & Close as a Memory stamp sets; Baja Breeze, Green Galore, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla card stock; Baja Breeze & Close to Cocoa Classic Ink; Green Galore & Close to Cocoa markers; Wide Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch; Valet Ribbon Originals.

Sorry my blogging has been so sporadic.  We did some major overhaul in our yard this year, and it has been taking up a lot of my time.  The shrubs and plants were in and the mulch was down a long time ago---however, now all that stuff needs lots of water!!  We have a new patio too, and I find that I really enjoy just sitting out there enjoying the beautiful weather!  The "project of the week" this week was trying to repair bare spots in the lawn.  More watering!!!  You catch my drift?

I did take some pictures recently of some of my plants, so I will share a few with you.  (Click on them to see them close up.)  I really enjoy taking care of things outside.  Ask me again in August when it's 100 degrees outside, and I might feel differently!! But for now, it's fun!!

 

Anemone........... Blue Hosta.......... Cornflower

 

Dahlia.................Shasta Daisies.............Coleus

 

 

Labrador Retriever!

 

Thanks for stopping by today!!!  My new catalog arrived today, so I am going to go look through it (again!)  Customer catalogs will not arrive for about 3 more weeks.  Everyone is going to love it.  I think there is a great variety of stamps in it, and a lot of fun papers and accessories. 

See you soon!

Custom Frame

My Mom sent me this cute frame for my birthday earlier this year.  (She knows how much I love my dog!!)

  

Colby's name was not on the frame when I got it, but I decided to personalize it with some rub-ons.  I had the Chit-Chat rub-ons laying around, so I just cut the letters I wanted out of a few of the words. 

A tip for adding rub-ons and getting them centered:  start with the letter in the middle, and work your way out on both sides.  It works great!!! 

Thanks for stopping by today, and here's a few more pics of Colby for you to enjoy!!!!

  

Great Friend

I love this "Great Friend" set from the Occasions Mini Catalog!  There is just something about the pretty butterfly!  Today I had a chance to ink it up and make a card. 

 

In addition to using this new stamp set, I used some colors that I haven't used in a long time!  I tend to use the same colors over and over again, while I have some neglected colors that rarely get used.  Until now Pale Plum and Perfect Plum fell into that "rarely used" category, but don't they look great with Old Olive and the Kraft card stock? 

This card is very simple and straight-forward, so no special instructions necessary!  I did cut the butterfly out by hand with my Paper Snips........but other than that it's just simple stamping!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend!  We are cooking out on the grill with friends and neighbors.  The weather is beautiful here in NW Ohio this weekend.  I hope it's nice where you are too!

Supplies:  Great Friend stamp set; Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Old Olive Classic Ink; Kraft, Pale Plum, Whisper White card stock; Old Olive wide grosgrain ribbon.

Scallop Circle Dress Card

I have been seeing these Scallop Circle Dress cards all over the place!!  I decided to try one out myself.  I started by cutting a Scallop Circle with the Bigz Scallop Circle die.  Then I used a template from Patty Bennett's blog to cut out the sides of the dress.   I used a scrap left over from my cutting to add the second layer behind the top of the dress.

 

I used Bella Rose designer paper for my dress.  The belt is made with Red Riding Hood Taffeta Ribbon and a Filigree Flower brad. 

I used Kiwi Kiss for my base card stock color, and added a layer of Regal Rose.  I stamped the Regal Rose card stock with a flower from the "Sweet Stems" stamp set.  The sentiment is from one of my favorite sets "Absolutely Fabulous". 

 

Thanks for stopping by today, and thanks for being patient with me while I worked outside in my yard this week!!  It sure is a good feeling to get that all behind me.

Have a great week!

Taking a blogging break.....

I'm taking a little break while I get some work done in my yard.  I have a LOT to do, so I won't be stamping for the next week or so.  See you next weekend!!!

Top Note Quilt Card..........

I have seen several of these Top Note Quilt cards, and I have fallen in love with them!  They are SO easy to make, yet I think the results are so WOW!  I used Raspberry Tart designer series paper to create my card:

  

I will give you step-by-step instructions for how to make this:

1) Cut 12 squares of different papers using a 1-1/4" square punch.  (You can try to cut them with your paper cutter--but take my word for it---it doesn't work very well!  You really need the square punch for them all to be the same size.)

2) Cut a piece of base paper (I used Whisper White) 5" x 3-3/4".  Arrange your squares of designer paper to fit on this base piece in a pattern that you like.  You will have 4 across and 3 down.  Adhere to the base paper. 

3) Run the piece through your Big Shot using the Top Note die, being careful to match the four points up to the center of each side (on the long sides the point will be between squares 2 & 3, and on the short side the points will be in the center of the middle square). 

4) Run the piece back through your Big Shot using the Texturz Plate of your choice to add some "quilting" dimension. 

5) Tie a ribbon around if desired, and add to the card base of your choice.

I had this card finished in 10 minutes!  I don't know about you, but I think sometimes those are the best kind of cards!

  

Stampin' Up! Designer Series Papers are PERFECT for quilt cards because they come with different coordinating designs, which takes all the guesswork out of matching up papers. 

Since Designer Series Papers are Buy Three Get One Free for the month of May, this is the perfect opportunity to stock up on your favorites!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed my quilt card.  I might be making some more of these!! 

Supplies used:  Kiwi Kiss, Cameo Coral, Whisper White card stock; Sweet Stemps & Very Versatile stamp sets; Cameo Coral, Rose Red Classic Ink; Raspberry Tart Designer Paper; Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon; Big Shot, Top Note Die, Texturz Plate; Small & Large oval punches.