2011 Christmas Cards--Scenic Season

There is nothing I love more than Night of Navy paired with Whisper White.  It has such a crisp, clean feel to it.  I knew it was the perfect combination for my last Christmas card. 

I had long admired the "Scenic Season" stamp set in the SU! catty and finally caved and got it.  It's such an elegant stamp set and so quick and easy to use.  These cards came together in no time. 

Or, what would have been "no time" had I not used VersaMark and shimmery/sparkly heat embossing powder and then hit them again with 2-way glue and Dazzling Diamonds... Of the four cards I made, these took the longest.  I inked my stamp with VersaMark and then Night of Navy ink and stamped the image.  I then sprinkled on the embossing powder and hit it with the heat gun.  I could only make them three and four at a time in this way.  Oh my. 

But, the effort was worth it.  These are sparklerific and lovely.  What more could I ask for? 

This card uses:
*Stamp Set: "Scenic Season"
*Ink: Night of Navy
*Paper: Whisper White, Night of Navy
*Accessories: Dazzling Diamonds, some sparkly non-SU! embossing powder

2011 Christmas Cards are Finished: Dasher

By George, I think I did it!  The cards, they're finished!  Now to address, write, etc...

I've already posted two of my Christmas cards below, those fun and funky Pool Party/Cherry Cobbler cards. 

Next, we have this little guy.  Oh how I do love "Dasher".  I fell in love with him the first time I saw him and simply had to have him.  At once.  ;o)

He came to live with me and we have made many beautiful Christmas cards together.  Because he's such a simple, yet elegant kind of guy, I wanted something simple yet elegant to compliment him. 

Add to that my love of red, kraft and white together, and we had a winner.  :o)

This card uses:
*Stamp Set: "Dasher"
*Ink: Crumb Cake
*Paper: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, silver glimmer paper (LOVE this stuff!)
*Accessories: Cuttle Bug Snowflake embossing folder, snowflake punch

Bitty's Birthday Cards

Lissie was busy on a cross-country trip for the past couple of weeks and knew she wouldn't be able to make Lil a birthday card and get it in the mail in time for it to arrive on her birthday.   So, she did what would any good grandmother do--ask their daughter to make the card. ;o)

I punched triangles using the Pennant punch and adhered Melon Mambo pom poms to them.  The stamp comes from the "Teeny Tiny Wishes" stamp set. 

This card is our card to Miss Lily.  It is over-the-top blingarific and she should love it.  We'll see. ;o)

I stamped the horse from "Pony Party" in black Staz-On and colored her using Melon Mambo ink and a blender pen.  I added two-way glue and Dazzling Diamonds to strands of the mane and tail.  Blender pens are great because you can layer on color for more intense or less intense looks.

I stamped the wing and horn on the silver glimmer paper using black Staz-On, and cut and glued them on.  To give the wing a bit of lift, I added a dimensional at the top and simply adhered it to the bottom.

This card gives me a tooth ache just looking at it, but I know my Bitty girl will looooove it. :o)  After all, a girl only turns six once. :o)

Christmas Card Time Again

I know it's making excuses, and that if I really wanted to, I suppose I could make it into the offudio more often to make cards, but the thing is, it's really REALLY hard to get in there with Ellie in the house.  She's just busy.  Really busy.  I mean a LOT.  I can't do it while she's awake because that is a disaster waiting to happen, and by the time nap time rolls around (hallelujah!) I have to clean up all the messes she has made while she was awake. 

Combine that with rolling into Christmas season and there are myriad things that must be done, such as, oh, I don't know, making all the Christmas candy and cookies for the family. Oh, and let's not forget, Christmas cards!  Ack!

How in the world did I get it all done when I was working? 

The thing is, I LOVE making cards.  I adore it, even.  It is a huge stress release for me to get in there and fiddle around with papers and stamps.  Methinks I just need to get in there and do it, and not stress about everything else so much.  I mean, the messes will still be there when I'm done, right? ;o)

Anyhow, enough rambling.  I typically make 20 cards each of four or five designs, thereby saving myself from the insanity of making 80-100 cards that are all the same.  I pulled out a couple of sets I've never used and decided to ink them up. 

See those lovely pieces of fleece up there?  I saw them next to each other in JoAnn and knew Miss Bean had to have a blanket made from them (Lil will be making it for her).   Inspired by the colors, I decided to make a retro-looking Christmas card.  Even better?  The Paper Players challenge this week is to create a Christmas card using non-traditional stamps and/or colors.  I do believe this fits the bill.

Isn't it fabulous?  I've been in love with Cherry Cobbler since it was released, and knew I wanted to use it on my cards this year.  It is such a deep, rich and luscious red I couldn't resist.  Then, there was Pool Party, my most favorite of the In Colors this year.  Paired with a funky stamp, my Stamp-a-Ma-Jig and a straight line, I was golden.  :o)  This is design one for the year.  I haven't done anything with the inside yet, but will.

My card making endeavors always include a number of mock-ups.  I play around until a design looks good to me.  Sometimes I wind up with more than one and others I have to scrap the entire idea. 

Well, yesterday I had another card come together using the same stamp sets and colors.  Score!  Card number two is a go.  :o)  I was worried I might become numb using the same colors over and over, but given my love of these two colors, I don't think that will be a problem at all. 

I still have at least two more designs to come up with, but hey, I'm half way there! 

These cards use:
Stamp Sets: "Snow Burst", "Four the Holidays"
Paper: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Pool Party, Silver Glimmer
Inks: Cherry Cobbler, Pool Party
Accessories: snowflake punch (non-SU!), Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

I suppose I had better be off to the offuido once more...
--Rach

Two Posts in ONE DAY?!? Best Wishes

Okay, so I really did this all wrong.  I suppose I should have been working on the Paper Players challenge FIRST since the deadline is TONIGHT.  Oops.  So, instead, I'll do two posts in one day.  I'm sure nobody minds. ;o)

The challenge the Paper Players have going on is:

Well, my sweet cousin, Emily is being married next month and I needed a card to send.  The music that has been cruising through my head since the invitation arrived is, "Going to the Chapel", hence, my card. :o)

Is my stamping drought coming to an end?  Oh, I certainly hope so!

This card uses:
Stamps: "Short and Sweet"
Paper: Whisper White, Sahara Sand
Ink: Sahara Sand
Accessories: Basic Pearls, Elegant Lines embossing folder

I wanted something clean, simple and elegant and I do believe this fits the bill.  :o)

--Rach

Trying to Find the Groove with "Just Believe"

Lissie is here and when get together, card making usually ensues.  However, (as I posted over on my personal blog), when I haven't made cards in a while, I find the mojo has deserted me and I struggle to get going.  This card took me an hour and a half to pull together--sheesh!

GG's birthday was Monday and I needed a card to send (that's me, right on top of birthdays...).  She loves pink and butterflies and I wanted to pull those two elements together. 

I follow Jaydee religiously, and found a new challenge site through her.  This one is Freshly Made Sketches, a site dedicated to " clean-lined creations but unlike Clean and Simple challenges, we encourage lots of detail and embellishments as long as they maintain a "clean" look to your card."  Okay, I can get behind that.  I needed a sketch, they had one that looked promising so I decided to see what I could come up with.  


I'm pretty pleased with how it all came together, from the Blushing Bride and Crumb Cake color combination to the double butterfly I mounted just to the left below the focal image, to the little pearls I used as accents.  It's a pretty little card and it makes me smile.  Let's just hope it does the same for GG. :o)


This card uses: 
Stamps: "Just Believe", "Sincere Salutations"
Papers: Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla (Whisper White was just too harsh)
Inks: Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake 
Accessories: Beautiful Wings embosslit, Lace Ribbon Border punch


Subtle techniques used:
*Instead of mounting the circle on a piece of Crumb Cake, I instead used the marker to color around the outside.  
*Because both the Blushing Bride and Crumb Cake butterflies got lost when used individually, I mounted the CC butterfly on the bottom and the BB on top of it.  It was perfect and nearly impossible to see in the photo due to the shadow.  Oh well.  

--Rach

An Apple for the Teacher

 Poor neglected blog.  Poor thing.  I'm so sorry I've left you with nothing new.  I've been busy.  That's my excuse. 

But, with school starting tomorrow, I wanted to send in a couple of cards to Lil's teacher and assistant and quickly threw something together. 

This first card is for Mrs. W.  I used a sketch from Stamping 411 and pulled out "Greeting Card Kids" because, let's face it, they're perfect!  They go wonderfully with the "Summer Picnic" DSP (that I have hoarded...) and I think it is a sweet little card.

I used the apple from "Tart and Tangy" to VersaMark the vanilla base behind the image--I know it's hard to see.  

Then, there's this card I pulled together for Mrs. S.  I had meant to make a horizontal fold card, but somehow managed to cut the card stock for a vertical fold.  OOPS!  This is making lemons from lemonade. ;o)

I love love love "Tart and Tangy" and haven't pulled it out nearly enough recently.  I used it to not only make the focal image, but also VersaMarked the lower right corner behind the sentiment, and along the red strip on the inside.

I hope the ladies enjoy their cards.  I certainly enjoyed getting back in my stamping space! :o)

Variations on a Theme

Not only did I need a birthday card, I'm also trying to get some cards together for my bloggy friend Jaydee's Operation Write Home card drive. 

I confess, I've not had much time to stamp of late, but am going to get together as many cards as I can--one is better than none, right? 

So, I pulled out my new "Pennant Parade" stamp set and matching punch and got to work.  I liked it so much I made two other versions, and, not as pleased with the last one as I thought I would be, I'm going to create yet another version. :o)

This card uses:
*Stamp Sets: "Pennant Parade", "Curly Cute", "So Happy for You"
*Papers: Melon Mambo, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
*Inks: Melon Mambo, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette
*Accessories: Baker's Twine

Same card, only I used the new In-Colors "Pool Party" and "Island Indigo"

And, here I used Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Pacific Point, and Rich Razzleberry. 

I think these are just delightful and will make wonderful cards for soldiers to send to their children. :o)

Brien's Father's Day Card 2011

 

Brien, is by trade, a map maker.  Okay, so it's something that is actually far more complicated than that, but he tells people he makes maps for a living.  So, when I saw "The Open Sea" stamp set, I knew I had to have it, if only for the map image.  

I don't know about anyone else, but I have a dreadful time with masculine cards.  This set lends itself to masculine cards beautifully.  I complimented the set with the "Nautical Expedition" DSP and was ready to roll. :o)  

I'm not a fan of snipping (I believe I may have mentioned that once or twice), but still snipped out the anchor and the needle for the compass.  I adhered the needle using a piece of the "Vintage Trinkets".  

I couldn't have been more pleased with how well the card turned out, and I can tell you B really seemed to like it.  :o)

This card uses:

*Stamp Set: "The Open Sea"

*Papers: "Nautical Expedition" DSP, Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla

*Inks: Crumb Cake (I still want to call it "Kraft"!), Not Quite Navy, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso

*Accessories: "Vintage Trinkets" brad, dimensionals

--Rach

Birthday Wishes Color Challenge

 As much as I may long to get into my offudio to stamp and create, life (in the form of a Bit and a Bean) get in the way.  I finally MADE time to get in there (something I must do more often!) and managed to get a few cards made.  The first was a birthday card, the colors inspired by the color challenge over at the Paper Players.

The more I stamp, the more I realize my style definitely runs towards the clean and simple.  I adore looking at and admiring those cards that are more elaborate, but, alas, I can't seem to make them work for me.  :sigh:

So, I once more looked towards my CAS ways and a card was born. ;o)  As a SU! demo, I have the privilege of pre-ordering certain items, and this stamp set, "Pennant Parade" was one of those items.  I had a vision of birthday hats in my head, remembered I had some pom pom trim, and voila!

I'm absolutely tickled with how the card turned out.  :o)

This card uses:
*Stamp Sets: "Pennant Parade", "So Happy for You"
*Papers: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo
*Inks: Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Wild Wasabi
*Accessories: Daffodil Delight pom pom trim

--Rach

An Egg is Quiet

One of the most beautifully illustrated children's books I've seen in a long time is entitled, An Egg is Quiet.  The story is simple, peaceful, and the illustrations are GORGEOUS.  So, when I saw the "Nature Walk" stamp set in the Occasions Mini, I was struck by the eggs.

I've seen many many beautiful cards created with this set, but nothing CAS (clean and simple).  While I was with her, Lissie challenged me to use the set to make a CAS card, and this is what I came up with.  I wanted to highlight those beautiful eggs, but still use some of the other images as well.

This card uses:
*Stamp Set: "Nature Walk"
*Inks: Um, I can't remember the colors I used on the eggs--sorry!--and VersaMark for the body
*Paper: Crumb Cake, watercolor paper

I know it seems astounding that it should be so, but this card took me hours to create.  I just kept sitting there, staring at those eggs, trying to figure out what in the world I was going to do with them.  Sheesh. 

--Rach

Oops! A Forgotten Easter Card

So, I had this, I meant to post it, and then, somehow, I didn't.  Crud. 

When I went to visit Lissie, oh so very long ago now, I fell in love with Baja Breeze.  I'm not sure what happened, but something about it just really began to call to me and I couldn't seem to stop using it.  :o)

I wanted to make a quick, CAS Easter card using the pretty little egg from the "Easter Blossoms" set and this is what I came up with.  I had wanted to play around with the colors and design more when I returned home, but then, I got wrapped up in Easter, Initiation, visits from friends from Germany, home improvement projects and so much more that my poor offudio is gathering dust.  :sniff sniff:  I left a DVD in the machine, awaiting my return.  Poor Lizzie, how she suffers Mr. Darcy's pride...

I'm hoping to get back in there soon.  Forget that.  I'm GOING to get back in there and get to work.  :o)

This card uses:
*Stamp Set: "Easter Blossoms"
*Inks: Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride, Pale Plum
*Papers: White (non-SU! cardstock), Baja Breeze

--Rach

The One's For Lily

Dear little Lily loves kitties, so I made this card for her. I love the Sweet & Sour paper, so decided to use it. Somewhere, sometime I saw a card with a circle backed by a square and thought I'd try that. This card requires very little in the way of supplies:

DSP--Sweet & Sour
Cardstock--Rose Red and Pumpkin Pie
Inks--Basic Gray, Black, Pumpkin Pie, and Rose Red
Nesties--Circles

--Lissie

Miss Beanie's First Birthday

My sweet Ellie Bean is a year old today. I can't stand it!  Where oh where has the time gone?!? 

A first birthday deserves a pretty special card, and seeing the layout the Paper Players had for a challenge this week, an idea immediately jumped into my head.

I adore the "Crazy For Cupcakes" stamp set and envisioned the big cupcake cut out and mounted on the decorative strip.  Lucky for me, it worked out. ;o)  I love CAS cards, so this challenge was right up my alley.

I found a hidden stash of "Rockabilly" DSP and decided the cherries would work well with the cupcake.  I really like the embossed look of the DSP and thought it added some nice texture to the card.

As I may have mentioned once or twice before :ahem:, I'm not too keen on snipping and cutting (again, I blame years of laminating cutting...).  But, I knew it would be the perfect touch for the card.  I wanted to give the cupcake a cute wrapper and this piece fit the bill.  I also thought a good cupcake should have sugary 'prinkles on top, so I used my two way glue and Dazzling Diamonds to give it some sparkle.

I finished it off with a piece of Whisper White satin ribbon, and a little tag from the "Tiny Tags" set. 

And, of course, I simply had to finish off the inside.  :o)  Anyone else miss Kiwi Kiss?  :sigh:

This card uses (all SU! unless otherwise noted):
*Stamp Sets: "Crazy for Cupcakes", "Happy Everything", "Tiny Tags"
*Paper: Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, "Rockabilly" DSP (retired)
*Ink: Black Staz-On, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight
*Accessories: Scallop Trim punch, paper piercer, Whisper White satin ribbon

Sure, the card didn't make much of an impact with her now, but I'm putting it away in her baby book.  Maybe years from now, she'll look at it and think it's pretty special... Here's hoping!

--Rach

P.S.  A quick shout-out to the Paper Players--thank you SO much for selecting my Poppy Kids card as a "Cut Above"!  I always get such a small thrill when something I've created is chosen. :o)

Playing With A New Idea

I decided to see if I could make a card with a hole cut into the top layer with the stamped image peeking through from the inside of the card. I chose a cute bunny from the set called Merry Crittermas. I still love the old DSP called Razzleberry Lemonade, so used it on the front of the card. Here are the other supplies I used:

• Nesties to cut the circle, the scallop border, and the white butterfly
  
• Rich Razzleberry and white card stock
• Rich Razzleberry buttons
• Inks--Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, and Rich Razzleberry

--Lissie

Choo Choo

My father has been a train buff since he was a little boy and it seems that my grandson, Gabriel, has inherited this love. So, I ordered the stamp set, Choo Choo, to make cards for these fellows. While the set has four different train cars, the only way I could fit three of them on a card was to expand the card width to 6.5". Rachael loves things in Roy G. Biv order, so I asked her which colors to use that would give a rainbow effect. She chose Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, and Wild Wasabi. I used my new Die-namics to cut scallops for the border and added Tangerine Tango rick rack at the bottom. Sadly, I cannot remember the name of the striped paper. I think it is from the recent Sale-A-Bration catalog.

--Lissie

Tiny Teacup Hello

And, here we have yet another card using that fabulous color combo from the Paper Players' challenge--Poppy Parade, So Saffron, Baja Breeze. 

I loved that teacup so much, and determined it needed a very CAS card to showcase it.  I used the Stamp-A-Majig to get the teacups straight and evenly spaced.  And, I'm falling in love with Baja Breeze (thank you, Jaydee!).  It took me a while to really warm up to the color, but once I did, wow.  It is such a lovely blue and so soothing. 

This card uses:
*Stamp Set: "Tiny Teacups"
*Paper: Whisper White, non-SU! linen white card
*Ink: Poppy Parade, So Saffron, Baja Breeze
*Accessories: Baja Breeze seam binding ribbon

--Rah

Tiny Teacups Color Challenge

Remember how I said the color challenge at the Paper Players really got my juices flowing?  Well, here's another one using that color combo, and I couldn't resist submitting it as well. ;oP 

I'd been wanting to play with the teacups for some time and inspiration struck.  I'm not one to enjoy cutting out and snipping of images (I think it stems from all the laminating I've cut out over the years...) but I just had to do it with these guys.  This card does indeed make me happy. :o)

This card uses:
*Stamp Sets: "So Many Sayings", "Tiny Teacup"
*Inks: Baja Breeze, Poppy Parade, So Saffron
*Paper: Whisper White, Baja Breeze

--Rach

Poppy Kids

 It was so wonderful to play around with stamps and paper again.  I have really been blocked for the past couple of months, and getting to Lissie's, and seeing the color challenge the Paper Players had going on, my mojo returned.  I haven't created a card, let alone participated in a challenge in forever.  I pulled out a stamp set I've always loved, but never purchased, and got to work.

Let me tell you, there is some heavy duty coloring on that card!  Not that I minded, though, since I find coloring so very soothing. :o)

I found the lanterns were a bit hard to see using Versamark alone, so I stamped in Versamark, then Poppy Parade, then hit it with the clear embossing powder and the heat gun.  I'm pretty pleased with the results. :o)

I have loved Poppy Parade since it debuted, but have had a much more difficult time using it than I thought I would.  It's just so stinkin' intense.

At any rate, the challenge really got me motivated, and I wound up creating two other cards using the colors as well!

This card uses:
*Stamp Sets: "Kimono Kids", "So Many Sayings"
*Paper: Poppy Parade, So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
*Ink: Black Staz-On, Poppy Parade, So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Pear Pizazz, Versamark

I'll post another one of the cards tomorrow--it is very different, quite CAS.

--Rach

A Third Stationery Box ... For Father's Day

Rachael convinced me I should make one of these stationery sets, and I'm glad she did. "To the Nines" is only heavy paper I have, so I used it. Because the look ended up being so masculine, I decided to give it to my father for Father's Day. I'll tuck a book of postage stamps in the little holder next to the note pad. I used antique brads on the note pad.
I included gift tags he can use.

And I added in 3" x 3" cards that he can use for gift enclosures or whatever.

Dad is a prolific letter writer, and he writes long, long letters. So, I decided to make thank-you cards so he won't have to buy any. I used the stamp, "Elegant Thank You" because it complements the paper.




Rachael has taught me that it is important to make the inside of the card elegant, too.

Best of all, everything folds up into this box.

--Lissie

Another Stationery Box

 Well, I had such fun with the first box, I had to make another.  Looking through Lissie's DSP, I found "Storybook" and decided I could do something with it.  Lissie had not intentionally purchased it, and had no idea what in the world she could do with it.  I figured it out. ;oP

 I made a stationery kit for a little girl, and think it is pretty cute. :o)

 I wanted to make cards a little girl or boy could color and add something of themselves to and then send. 

This kit uses:

*Paper: "Storybook" DSP (retired), Ruby Red (retired), Summer Sun (retired), Taken with Teal (retired)
*Accessories: large and small tag punches, scallop border punch, some retired So Saffron ribbon and I have no idea where it came from

So, what do you think, birthday present for Ella?  :o)

--Rach