Inkin' up the Dogs!

Manhattan Mother's Day

One of my favorite accessories for card making is embossing folders.  I think they add such a nice dimension to a project! For this card, I used the "Manhattan Flower" embossing folder:

 

I used a sponge dauber to accent the embossed areas, and I also used it to accent the edges of the card.

For the greeting down at the bottom, I used the Extra Large Oval Punch and the Decorative Label Punch.  The Decorative Label Punch was featured in the Occasions Mini Catalog, and is still available to order.  It is item #120907.  Contact your friendly neighborhood Stampin' Up! demonstrator to order yours today!

To accent the greeting label, I used Basic Pearls.  Pearls come 150 to a pack, and have 3 different sizes in the package.  The cute little small size are all hooked together, so you can add them to your card all in a row---like I did here!

 

Thanks for visiting my blog today! I hope you enjoyed your time here!

Supplies:  All Holidays stamp set; Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Very Vanilla card stock; Pear Pizzaz, Baja Breeze classic ink; Extra Large Oval Punch and Decorative Label Punch; Basic Pearls; Manhattan Flower embossing folder and Big Shot; sponge dauber; White Organza Ribbon.

Elegant Bouquet Sympathy Card

Today I have a simple and elegant card to share with you:

 

I used several layers of Very Vanilla card stock to create this card.  I distressed each of the layers with my Crumb Cake ink pad.  I used the "Elegant Bouquet" embossing folder in my Big Shot for the middle layer.

The stamp set I used is Pocket Silhouettes.  Boy do I love that set.  It is so versatile, and I have used it many, many times!!

To finish the card off, I used a piece of Very Vanilla Taffeta ribbon. 

I hope you like today's card.  Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:  Very Vanilla card stock; Close as a Memory, Pocket Silhouettes stamp sets; Crumb Cake ink; Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon; Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder in Big Shot.

Punch Bunch Birthday Card

Sale-a-Bration is right around the corner!  Sale-a-Bration is the time of year where you get to pick a free stamp set or other merchandise with every $50 that you spend!  It's a great thing!  Sale-a-Bration will begin on January 25th. 

One of the stamp sets in this years Sale-a-Bration catalog is called "Punch Bunch" and it has a variety of stamps that can be used with many Stampin' Up! punches.  The card I made today uses the Happy Birthday stamp that punches out with the Scallop Square Punch:

 

This card was made for a 4 year old boy.  I stamped the Happy Birthday stamp with Craft White ink on More Mustard card stock, then punched it out.  I also punched a few coordinating stars with star punches, added some designer paper and some linen thread.  I wanted a little texture in my background, so I embossed it with the dots Texturz Plate. 

If you haven't received a Sale-a-Bration catalog yet, be sure to contact me for a copy.

 

Have a great day!

Supplies:  Punch Bunch stamp set; Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, More Mustard card stock; White Craft ink; Island Oasis designer paper (retired); Scallop Square Punch, Star Punches: Linen Thread; Big Shot with dots Texturz Plate.
 

Tall Tales Baby Quilt

Today I am sharing a baby shower card that I made.  The sex of the baby is a SURPRISE, but the nursery theme is animals.  I was trying to decide what to do for a card, and I happened to think that I had some of this Tall Tales paper left over from last year's catalog.  It is perfect because it has animals scattered throughout!  So I decided to make a quilt card:

 

Do you think it looks too "boy-ish"??  I kept looking at it thinking it did, but it does have a little hint of pink in it (and blue!)--so I think it's okay. 

Making a quilt card is very easy.  I used my 1-1/4" square punch to cut all the squares.  The first time I tried to make a card like this, I didn't have that punch, and I tried cutting the squares with my paper cutter.  It didn't work for me!  As much as I tried to get them all the same size, they just weren't!  And when they're not exactly the same size, they just don't line up right.  So a punch does a really nice job.  I cut a piece of card stock 5" x 3-3/4", and I lined up all of my squares on it how I wanted them.  Of course I used adhesive so they would stick.  Once I had that done, I just used the Top Note Die to cut the shape.  To add one more element of dimension, and make it more "quilt like", I ran it through my big shot again with the diamond Texturz Plate out of the Backgrounds 1 set. 

I added the ribbon, and used some oval punches to make a greeting piece.

 

On the Crumb Cake background layer of the card, I also added a little stamping with the branch stamp from "Great Friend" stamp set.  After I put it all together, I had a finished card! Try a quilt card soon if you haven't!

Supplies:  Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Whisper White card stock; Crumb Cake ink; Short & Sweet & Great Friend Stamp Sets; Tall Tales Designer Paper (retired); Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon; Oval Punches; Big Shot with Top Note Die and Texturz Plate.

Fabulous Cupcake!

Happy New Year!  As much as I love the holidays, there is something to be said for getting things "back to normal" if you know what I mean!  I haven't stamped in weeks.  Probably longer!  But yesterday I sat down to play with my new Occasions Mini Catalog goodies!!  I made this card:

 

This is a 4"x4" card.  I love making square cards!! Square cards do cost more to mail (in case you didn't know!), however, a card this size will fit in a standard size card envelope, which is rectangular.  It's just a little trickery that I like to play on the USPS!

This card uses some fun new stuff!  The stamp set is called "Create a Cupcake" and there is a coordinating punch called "Build a Cupcake Punch".  Love them both!!!

 

The little flower accent on my cupcake, as well as the greeting on the card are both part of this new stamp set.  I cut the flower out by hand and glued it to the cupcake top.  I only used part of the greeting on the front of the card.  There is actually a 3rd line that says "must be you", but I wanted that to go on the inside of my card, so I split it up.  Here is a view of the inside of my card:

 

I really enjoyed making this card, and I hope you like it! 

Supplies:  Create a Cupcake stamp set; Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Crumb Cake, Whisper White card stock; Melon Mambo, Regal Rose, Crumb Cake classic ink pads; Stampin' Write Markers; Old Olive Satin Ribbon; Modern Label Punch & Build a Cupcake Punch; Sponge Daubers; Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder w/ Big Shot. 

Holiday Door

This card was one of my Stamp Club projects for November:

 

I saw this idea on Sherri Barron's blog and absolutely fell in love with it.  I did not have a wreath stamp, so I had to make a wreath of my own.

The base of my card and the door panels are all made from Crumb Cake card stock.  I distressed all of the pieces with Crumb Cake ink.  To create my wreath, I embossed a piece of Old Olive card stock using the Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder.  For the wreath shape, I first punched a hole with my 1-1/4" circle punch.  That created the center hole for the wreath.  Then I used my 2-1/2" circle punch to create the outer edge of the wreath.  I turned my punch upside down and made sure the center hole was lined up evenly before I punched.  After that, I just snipped a few edge pieces from the outside of the wreath to make it more natural looking.  You can barely tell this in my photo.  I cut out very tiny snippets.  I just didn't want it so perfectly round.

 

For the flower, I used the Boho Blossoms Punch, the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, and a brad.  I also used the Jewelry Tag Punch to create the tag.  The tag is attached with linen thread, and then I used a red marker to color my berries.

The door handle was also punched with a punch from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack. 

I just love the way this card turned out, and I would like to thank Sherri Barron for sharing this idea.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Supplies:  Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set; Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Riding Hood Red, Bravo Burgundy, Chocolate Chip card stock; Riding Hood Red, Crumb Cake classic ink; Marker; 1-1/4" & 2-1/2" circle punches, Jewelry Tag Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack; Linen Thread; Brad; Petals-A-Plenty embossing folder with Big Shot; Dimensionals.

 

 

Wicked Cool Halloween card!

I love the new "Wicked Cool" stamp set and couldn't wait to play with it! I know that Halloween is 2-1/2 months away, but there is no time like the present!!  So I recently made this card:

I started by using my NEW Spider Web embossing folder from the Holiday Mini Catalog.  The Holiday Mini Catalog starts on September 1st.  I love being a demonstartor so I can get things early!!

I embossed my web using Basic Black card stock.  Then I used a sponge dauber to dab on some Frost White Shimmer Paint.  Shimmer Paint is in the big Idea Book & Catalog this year.  It is very easy to use.  I just put the Shimmer Paint directly onto the sponge dauber and lightly applied it to the web. 

 

There are MANY new punches in the Holiday Mini Catalog, and one of them is the 2-1/2" circle punch.  I used it in this layer for the focal point at the bottom of the card.  The Old Olive card stock was punched with that new punch.  The witches shoes are stamped on a piece of card stock punched with the 1-3/4" circle punch.   

I hand cut the hat, and used some 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon in Black for an accent.  I also used a sponge dauber and some Basic Black ink to distess the edges of the circle pieces. 

Isn't this card just Wicked Cool?? I love it!  Here is what it looks like on the inside:

 

Thanks for popping in today to check out my Halloween card!  It was a lot of fun to make and I hope you like it!

Supplies:  Wicked Cool stamp set; Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Whisper White card stock; Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive classic ink; Rich Razzleberry marker; Frost White Shimmer Paint; sponge dauber; Spider Web embossing folder w/ Big Shot;  2-1/2" circle punch, 1-3/4" circle punch; 1/8" Black Taffeta ribbon.

Bird Punch Daisy

Check out this daisy made with the wing from the Two-Step Bird Punch:

 

I've seen several different flowers made with the wing from this punch, and I think it is a great idea! I love using my punches for things other than what they were intended!! 

I punched out seven wings.  I have a thing for odd numbers.  From a design standpoint, I was always told odd numbers work better.  Five petals didn't seem like enough, so seven it was!  

I sponged each petal with a sponge dauber and So Saffron ink.  I used the 1/2 inch circle punch for the flower center, and I cut the stem by hand.  The flower center is attached with a dimensional (of course!)

 
Do you like?

I think it turned out pretty cute. 

At the bottom, I used two oval punches for the greeting.  The greeting is from the "Teeny Tiny Wishes" set, and I stamped the little daisy from the "Short & Sweet" stamp set in the background.  

 

Thanks for checking in today! I hope you like my bird punch daisy!  I'm working on something "Wicked Cool" for my next blog post.  Stay tuned.....

Supplies:  Teeny Tiny Wishes, Short & Sweet stamp sets; So Saffron, Marina Mist, Old Olive & Whisper White card stock; Marina Mist, So Saffron classic ink; Two Step Bird Punch, Small Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, 1/2 inch circle punch; Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder w/ Big Shot; Whisper White Organza Ribbon; Sponge Dauber; Stampin' Dimensionals.
  

 

Beautiful Wings

I have seen some beautiful cards made with the "Beautiful Wings" embosslit.  Embosslits work double duty---they cut AND emboss your pieces at the same time!  I ordered this embosslit a while back, but finally just got a chance to use it:

 

When you use the embosslit, you actually get 5 butterflies of different sizes and designs.  I ran my embosslit through 3 times with 3 different colors of card stock, and then used the butterflies that I wanted.  I had enough butterflies to make several cards (and then some!)

As you can see, I popped the butterflies up using dimensionals.  I cut my dimensionals in half for the smaller butterflies, or I used those scrap pieces that you find around the edges!  I always save those for times when I need smaller pieces.

I used the Top Note Die and Crumb Cake card stock for the background piece, and stamped it with the grass from "Inspired by Nature".  

The ribbon is 5/8" Grosgrain in Regal Rose.   This particular color of ribbon is not available anymore, but you could easily substitute a different color instead.  Daffodil Delight would be pretty on this card. 

The "get well" stamp is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set, which is so versatile!  There is a stamp for every occasion in that set!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed my Beautiful Wings card!  It was fun to make.  If you haven't tried embosslits yet, you really should!

Supplies:  Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo card stock; Old Olive & Early Espresso classic ink; Beautiful Wings embosslit, Top Note Die, Big Shot; Regal Rose 5/8" grosgrain ribbon (retired); Inspired by Nature & Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets.

 

Elegant Bouquet Wedding Card

I designed this wedding card using the Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder.  I also used my new Vanilla Smooch Spritz!  I love the effect it gives:

I had a really hard time capturing the sparkle in a photo. For a week I've been taking this card outside trying to get a good pic---but I think you can finally see it in this one--even though the lighting isn't the greatest.

I used Basic Black card stock for the base of the card.  I embossed a piece of Whisper White card stock with the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder.  I used Black Stazon to stamp the sentiment on the front.  This sentiment is from the "Everything Nice" stamp set, which I just love! 

After I did all that, I used my bottle of Smooch Spritz to just add a little sparkle to the front of the white layer.  A few spritzes is all you need!  A little really does go a LONG way!  

A few tips I have learned about using Smooch Spritz:

- Hold your bottle upright at all times.  Store it upright as well.

- Shake it up before each use.  It is important that the little "particles" get mixed well with the liquid, otherwise it can clog.

- A Smooch Spritz "Color Catcher" is available to spray into (so you don't spray your entire room!)  However, I find that a cardboard box works just as well!  Just be sure to cut your box and stand it up so you can spray with your bottle upright.  I find that if you spray with the bottle in a downward position (parallel to the floor), it tends to run and clog more. 

When I made this card, I wasn't sure what kind of ribbon I wanted to use.  I actually made several different cards using different ribbons:

 

The card on the left uses Whisper White Taffeta.  The card in the middle uses Black Taffeta.  The card on the right uses Black Satin. I definitely like either one of the blacks the best.  The white just doesn't have enough "pop" in my opinion.

Thanks for stopping by today to check out my wedding cards!  I hope you are able to try some Smooch Spritz soon!

Supplies:  Basic Black, Whisper White card stock; Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder & Big Shot; Vanilla Smooch Spritz; Everything Nice stamp set; Taffeta & Satin Ribbons; Black Stazon.