More Delicate Doilies

I am posting this card because I wanted to show the effects of breaking the graphic design rule about trapped white space. Generally, it should be avoided because the eye is immediately drawn to it. Also, the top doily looks like it is floating in space because it is not anchored to anything. And that is what is wrong with this card. It's one of those cards I made and was going to toss, but decided to post it because Rachael is always preaching to "keep it real" by showing our work warts and all. The color combination is okay--the two greens are complements of the red--but also does not thrill me probably because the Strawberry Slush overpowers the other two.  Here's what I used:

Inks: Strawberry Slush, Pistachio Pudding, and Coastal Cabana
Stamp Set: Delicate Doilies

Snappy Birthday

I thought we could take a break from "Summer Silhouettes" for a bit--don't worry, there are a ton more--and I could share another of my OWH cards.

I know the military personnel will be wanting to send birthday cards home to their kiddos, so I tried to make a few that would be fun for a child to receive. :o)

I inked half my "D" acrylic block with So Saffron, and half with Soft Sky and stamped it on my paper.  I then stamped Mr. Crab and colored him in using my blender pen and my Calypso Coral stamp pad.  

I stamped Mr. Clam on a sheet of scrap and added the party hat.  I colored them in (Sahara Sand for Mr. Clam and Soft Sky and Calypso Coral for his fiesta wear) using blender pens and stamp pads and fussy cut them out. They were mounted using a dimensional to make them "pop". 

And, because I had them lying around and thought them way too fun, Mr. Crab wound up with a pair of googly eyes. :o)

--Rach

This card uses:

*Stamp Set: "Crab and Company" (retired)
*Inks: Black Staz-On, So Saffron, Soft Sky, Calypso Coral, Sahara Sand
*Papers: Whisper White, Calypso Coral, small scrap of This and That DSP
*Accessories: Dimensionals, googly eyes

Delicate Doilies

 Rachael and I live fives hours from each other, but we Facetime most days of the week. If we can't make cards in the same room, we can do so electronically. This has been a big help to me because she is definitely the one with the most artistic talent. It is often that I ask her opinion on just how to add or delete something from a card I am making. And she always gives great advice. As I have evolved in my card making over the past six years, I have learned so much from Rachael, and she is truly one of my greatest inspirations. Quite a while ago she began to make minimalist cards while I was still stuck making the same-old, same-old cards I always had been. Rachael inspires me to take risks and to try new things so I finally came around to trying to make minimalist cards myself.

If you are a user of Stampin' Up supplies, you know that a couple of years back they redid their color families and eliminated quite a few colors that, apparently, didn't sell well. To this day I have mourned the loss of a few of those colors, but find that I am still drawn to them. Such is the case with Poppy Parade and Summer Sun. This card is one I cased from the Stampin' Up catalog, but changed it enough to make it my own. Here's what I used:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Old Olive
Stamp Sets: Delicate Doilies, Celebrate Everything
Inks: Summer Sun, Poppy Parade (one of my all-time favorite in-colors that has been retired), Old Olive
Dimensionsals to pop up the center of the Poppy Parade doily
Brads: In-color brads from a while back


--Lissie

Still Playing With White

Again I've been working with using a lot of white while creating a clean and simple card. I also wanted to play with my new scoring tool, which makes it easy to score perfectly spaced parallel lines. I decided to stagger the flowers rather than to put them all on the same row. I had to laugh because the finished piece made me think of musical notes on a staff. Here's what I used:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Pool Party
Ink: Bermuda Bay
Punch: Triple Flower
Stamp Set: Outlined Occasions
Candy Dots: Bermuda Bay

--Lissie

More Summer Silhouettes

So, have you ever made a card, been pleased with how it's going and then get a smudge of ink where you REALLY don't want it? 

Yup, that's what happened with this card.  I had stamped the focal square using Gumball Green, masked it off using some washi tape, and stamped the leaves from "Summer Silhouettes" and I'll be darned if the mask wasn't big enough and I didn't wind up with ink in the upper right hand corner.  ARGH!!

I had stamped these flowers in Raspberry Ripple (stamped off first) and fussy cut them out, and figured I could use them somehow to cover my mistake.  Perfect!

I made a second version placing the sentiment in a different location. 

I think both cards work, and like the white space in the one on the left, while the one on the right seems a bit more balanced.  Hm. 

Some other details.  While I stamped off to get the lighter colored flowers, I used the Raspberry Ripple again to add the centers to the flowers.  That's also RR on the small blossoms on the leaves.  I stamped them without using my Stamp-a-ma-jig and am thinking I would have been better off doing so.  Oh well.  Live and learn. 

--Rach

This card uses:

*Stamp Sets: "Sweet Essentials", "Summer Silhouettes"
*Papers: PTI's white card card stock, Raspberry Ripple
*Inks: Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green
*Accessories: dimensionals

For Dad

Dad turns 94 in a couple of weeks, and I wanted to make a special card to commemorate this momentous occasion. No one in our family has lived to be this old so it is quite an achievement!

I often struggle to make masculine cards, but think the paper I chose--To The Nines--works well. And lately I've seen quite a few cards with varied strips of paper (or washi tape) so I decided to try using that technique. Because the buttons will make the card difficult to mail, I will deliver it in person. 

Here's the supply list:

Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip
DSP: To The Nines
Ink: Always Artichoke
Buttons: Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla
Stamp Set: Happiest Birthday Wishes
Candy Dots: Always Artichoke
Dimensionals to pop up "Happiest Birthday Wishes"

--Lissie

More Playing with One Layer Cards

I have three cards for you today since they are all variations on the same theme.

Oh how I love "Summer Silhouettes".  Adore it.  Can't get enough of it.  At all.

This card started as a scrap where I was stamping for the fun of it.  Before I knew it, I liked what I saw and kept going, adding some reds and oranges and putting in the green leaves last of all.

I changed the sentiment here, but kept the idea behind the card the same.  I also substituted Daffodil Delight for the Summer Sun.  I prefer the brightness and intensity of Summer Sun and wish SU! hadn't retired it's "true" yellows...

And, here, I wanted to play with roses and raspberries. :o)

One layer cards can be very challenging, yet I've had a blast making them lately.

--Rach

These Cards Use:

*Stamp Sets: "Signature Greetings" (PTI), "Summer Silhouettes"
*Paper: PTI's white
*Inks: Gumball Green, Rose Red, Raspberry Ripple, Rich Razzleberry, Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Summer Sun (retired), Pumpkin Pie

Circle Circus

As soon as I saw this set in the catalog, I knew I had to have it. In fact, it was more than love at first sight; it was pure bliss. Rarely have I felt that way about a stamp set. I could not wait to get my hands on it! And then, I took possession of it. And I could not do a thing with it. It was one failure after another. Over the two years I've had Circle Circus, I've taken it out and played with it dozens of times. And I have always come up empty. I hate that. It was beyond frustrating. It got so bad I hid the set so I wouldn't have to see it sitting there forlornly waiting patiently for me to rise to the challenge. Finally, last week I decided that no matter how long it took me I was going to sit in my chair until I came up with something, anything. And this is the result. It ain't great, but at least I have now conquered the beast. :-) And it makes me wonder if others have had the same problem, that is, fall in love with a stamp set and then struggle to use it.

Cardstock: Whisper White, Night of Navy
Ink: Night of Navy
Stamp Set: Circle Circus
Buttons: Night of Navy
Dimensionals 

--Lissie

Focusing on White (Again)

I bought a pack of Quatrefancy DSP and was struck by how lush and vibrant the colors are. Last time I posted, I mentioned that too much of a good thing can just be too much. So, as I mulled over what to do with this paper that I love, I decided to use a lot of white to counterbalance the intense color. Again, this is a clean and simple card, but I think it packs a bit of a punch. Here's what I used:

Embossing Folder: Stripes
DSP: Quatrefancy
Cardstock: Whisper White
Nestabilities: Large Circle
Stamp Set: Celebrate Everything

After I cut the circle, I decided to lop off a bit of the right side. Before I cut it, however, I laid the circle on the cardstock and used a scrap to cover the right side that hung over the edge to see if I liked a cropped circle. I then decided to pop up both the circle from the card and the banner from the circle using dimensionals.

--Lissie

More Summer Silhouettes

So, my obsession with this stamp set continues.  I just ADORE it and find it incredibly versatile.  I may have said that already...

Anyhow, I was giving some thought to Lissie's post yesterday and thinking about how far I've come as a stamper and card maker.  Sure, my style has evolved and become more "sophisticated" (for lack of a better word), but I'm not embarrassed by my earlier attempts. I think there's always something to be learned from cards we've made--whether it is how that particular technique didn't work or, wow, "I LOVE that card and want to make more of it, I'll just change this one thing". 

You aren't born knowing how to walk and talk and feed yourself--it takes practice, lots of it.  I think card making is like that.  The more you do it, the better you are and the better you feel about what you have created. 

I'll often start with an idea and create something I think is merely "okay".  I'll then look at it and stew over it (and ask my extra set of eyeballs known as "Brien" what he thinks) and make improvements.  I refer to those as "mock-ups" or "rough draft".  I've ruined many a sheet of card stock in my attempts to get something just right. 

Other times, I'll love what I've created and just make a tweak here or there to see how I feel about those changes.  This card (and the next) are perfect examples of that. 

I created this card first.  Of late, I've really enjoyed creating white-on-white cards.  I stamped the flowers first, masked them, and stamped the leaves. 

An aside here: When trying to determine color combinations, I'll use my markers to draw lines on a piece of scrap card stock to decide which I like best.  In this case, I had about four different color combos going on, and finally settled on Strawberry Slush, Raspberry Ripple and Gumball Green.  They were rich and delicious and definitely what I was going for. 

But, back to that card.  I thought it was lovely, but could maybe use just a little something more.  I decided to add the same Raspberry Ripple base that I had to the sentiment and a few more leaves to the center.  It really did finish it off.

Here they are side by side.  Both cards are just lovely, but the one on left is (to my mind), just that much more. 

(Oh, and under that sentiment layer?  A great big ol' mess that is well hidden. ;oP)

See, there's always something new to learn, and always improvements to be made.  No need to be embarrassed, you're just showing growth and development.  :o)

--Rach

This card uses:

*Stamp Sets: "Signature Greetings" (PTI), "Summer Silhouettes"
*Inks: Gumball Green, Strawberry Slush, Raspberry Ripple
*Papers: PTI's white card stock, Raspberry Ripple

Working With White

Learning how to make cards is a process. My first attempts in 2007 were so amateurish and pitiful that I cannot bear to look at them. As time has passed, I've learned so many new techniques, and promptly forgotten half of them. My style is mostly "clean & simple" because I prefer the uncluttered look. With the smattering of knowledge I have about graphic design, I always remind myself that as a general rule, less is more. A card also needs a focal point, and it needs to be balanced. More than three colors and too many elements distract the brain. Lately, I've been creating clean and simple cards with a focus on using an abundance of white. I guess I'm on a bit of a jag with this minimalist approach, and it's led me to create cards vastly different from what I have made in the past. This card is an example of my latest work. While the card looks clean, and surely is simple, it required the use of several tools:

Stamp Set: Tagtastic
Framelit: Chalk Talk
Satin Ribbon: Whisper White
Cardstock: Whisper White
Embossing Folder: Stripes
Ink: Strawberry Slush
Embellishments: Pearls

--Lissie

One Layer Summer Silhouettes for PP159

I'm still working on cards for that OWH card drive, and still having a blast.  I have discovered something about myself, I become obsessed with stamp sets and colors and will use them and use them and use them.  Often, I'll finally get enough and move on. 

However, I can't say that for this stamp set.  I cannot stop using it!  I'll put it away.  I'll stash it at the bottom of a pile.  It's out of sight.  And yet, it's NOT out of mind, and before I know it, I have yet another idea I just have to try!

This was especially true when I saw the Paper Players challenge this week.  I had already created a number of fairly simple yet (in my opinion) elegant cards using it, and knew it was my go-to set. 

I used my "D" acrylic block to create a focal point/grounding point for the leaves by inking in Soft Sky, stamping off, and then stamping it on the base.  I then inked up the leaves from "Summer Silhouettes" in Gumball Green (which, I have to say has really grown on me this past week--I really wasn't a fan at first) and stamped them. 

Using my Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, I added the little flowers in Cherry Cobbler.  I have a photo I took of a trillium that was that luscious deep red against the green leaves and knew I wanted to go with that color combo here. 

I wanted to give a sense of movement, so I had a couple of the flowers "falling" below the focal square, stamping them in a triangle, with the bottom one falling "off" the page. 

I then inked the sentiment from "Signature Greetings" (PTI), stamped it, and sat back to see what else the card needed.

It looked almost finished to me.  I mentioned my obsessive behavior, right?  My other recent obsession is pearls.  I just had to use those teeny little pearls in the flower centers.

I added this one so you could see the focal blue square just a bit better.  This card is just lovely in person.

Now it was finished. ;oP

--Rach

This card uses:

*Stamp Sets: "Summer Silhouettes", "Signature Greetings" (PTI)
*Paper: PTI's white card stock
*Inks: Gumball Green, Cherry Cobbler
*Accessories: pearls

Cute by the Inch

This week's Paper Players' challenge was to create a one-layer, clean and simple card. I decided to use a stamp set I've had for a while but never inked. It is Cute by the Inch and has nine small square stamps. Of the nine, I selected four and played with them in various positions until I came up with the square. To make the card, I affixed the four separate stamps onto a clear block and then colored the images using markers. I then stamped all four images at once. It took a while and was a bit tricky, but it worked! 

Inks: Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun, and Old Olive
Stamp Sets: Cute by the Inch and a set of sentiments by Hero Arts
Cardstock: Whisper White

--Lissie

Get Well Lady Bugs for Hadley

My cousin's baby is sick and has been hospitalized for quite some time, and I wanted to create a cheery card to send to brighten up her room a bit.  I found a fun sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches and thought it would be perfect!

I had already settled on using the ladybugs from "Darling Dots" (I do so love red and black as a color combo) and colored them with markers and fussy cut them so I could mount them on the circles using dimensionals.

I continued the dots theme throughout the card using the dotted DSP and the Swiss dots embossing folder. 

All I need to do now is write my message to sweet Hadley on the inside and ship it off. 

--Rach

This card uses:
*Stamp Sets: "Darling Dots" (retired hostess), "Teeny Tiny Wishes"
*Papers: Cerise (retired DSP), Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red
*Inks: Real Red, Basic Black
*Accessories: dimensionals, 1" and 1.25" circle punches, Itty Bitty Banners framelits, Swiss dots embossing folder

The Color Challenge Colors Continue

Oh my goodness!! I'm so excited I can't stand it!  This card was selected as the Headliner over at the Paper Players!  Thank you SO much, Sandy!! :o)  I'm honored!

And, speaking of that color challenge, I may have mentioned I found it very inspiring.  I may have even submitted a couple of cards.  I may have also mentioned I was playing around with scraps on my desktop. 

But, did I mention I couldn't stop making cards in Crisp Cantaloupe, Strawberry Slush and Pear Pizzazz?  I think I have a problem...;o)

As I may have previously mentioned, I had stamped and die cut quite a few flowers (and leaves!) from the "Secret Garden" stamp set, and I was determined to use them!  I picked up the flower and leaves, fussed with it for a bit, and voila! another card was born. :oP

I ran a piece of card stock through my Big Shot using a swirly Cuttlebug embossing folder, mounted it on the Crisp Cantaloupe, stamped the sentiment and created a banner, and used a scrap of the Pear Pizzazz I had already embossed for another banner.  I got everything placed where I wanted it and adhered it. 

There's nothing quite like a card that just comes together in a snap. :o)  Sometimes it's a struggle (I have a few of those I'll be sharing in the coming days), and other times it almost seems they make themselves.

This card (as well as so many of the others I have recently posted) will be joining a stack of others on their way to Jaydee for her OWH card drive.  I don't know about you guys, but I typically create two of any card I make (I figure I'm already cutting the card stock so I might as well), meaning this way I can keep one and send one.  Or, in the case of OWH, I'll just send them all. :o)

And, because I believe in keeping it real, I had just cleaned up the desktop (I've been crafting like a fiend for days), and found my paper worktop is just a wee smidge uh...used.  That's the word for it, right?  Can you identify the stamp sets I've been working with? ;o)

--Rach

This card uses:

*Stamp Sets: "Secret Garden", "Curly Cute"
*Inks: Crisp Cantaloupe, Pear Pizzazz, Strawberry Slush
*Papers: Whisper White, Strawberry Slush, Pear Pizzazz, Crisp Cantaloupe
*Accessories: swirly embossing folder, Woodgrain embossing folder, "Secret Garden" framelits

Sweet Summer

After playing all week with the colors in the Paper Players challenge, I decided to post this card. I popped up the image using dimensionals. To make it I used these supplies:

Stamp Sets: Sweet Summer and A Little Birthday Cheer
Inks: Crisp Cantaloupe and Pear Pizzazz
Cardstock: Whisper White and Crisp Cantaloupe
Ribbon: Strawberry Slush
Embellishment: Pearls
Punch: Corner Rounder
Framelit: Scallop Edge

Another Challenge Card for PP158

I cannot get enough of these colors!  This is the most fun I have had with a color challenge in a long time!  I had scraps and bits of flotsam littering my desk and decided to use them to create yet another card for The Paper Players color challenge. 

I love the "Secret Garden" stamp set and coordinating framelits and thought they would make a lovely birthday card for my friend. 

I stamped them in Strawberry Slush and Crisp Cantaloupe and then colored them using the same colors and blender pens. 

I ran a piece Pear Pizzazz card stock through the Big Shot using the Woodgrain embossing folder and created a banner using it.  It just needed a bit of texture and I wanted to mimic the more natural element of the flowers.

Because I wanted to create dimension and staggered height, I adhered the bottom flower flat, the next one using one dimensional, and then stacked two dimensionals high on the top flower. 

I then ran a piece of white card stock through my Fancy Fan embossing folder and hit it with vanilla Smooch Spritz.  Can you see the shimmer in the photo?  It's hard to capture it's so subtle--yet beautiful. 

I added a banner backed by Crisp Cantaloupe and the sentiment stamped in Pear Pizzazz and finished it off with a small pearl.  Boy I've been running through pearls of late...;o)

Now to address it and get it mailed off. 

--Rach

This card uses:

*Stamp Sets: "Secret Garden", "Sweet Essentials"
*Papers: PTI's white card stock, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe
*Inks: Crisp Cantaloupe, Pear Pizzazz, Strawberry Slush
*Accessories: blender pens, pearls, Secret Garden framelits, vanilla smooch spritz, Woodgrain embossing folder, Fancy Fan embossing folder, dimensionals

Paper Players Challenge #158

I decided to join the Paper Players' challenge this week and loved the color combination in the challenge: Pear Pizzazz, Crisp Cantaloupe, and Strawberry Slush. It took me several days and a few false starts to figure out what I wanted to do. I opted for making a clean and simple card with a central focus--a butterfly--and the card finally came together. Phew! I used Pear Pizzazz as the background color, Strawberry Slush for the butterfly, and Crisp Cantaloupe for the sentiment. I popped up the sentiment and the stamped piece with dimensionals.
 
Supply List:

Stamp Sets: A Little Birthday Cheer; Stem Silhouettes
Inks: Pear Pizzazz and Crisp Cantaloupe
Embellishments: Pearls
Embosslit: Beautiful Wings

--Lissie

A Flourishing Color Challenge

Do you ever sit and look at color challenges and think, "What in the world am I going to do with this?!?" 

This was NOT the case when I saw Sandy's color challenge over at The Paper Players.  I saw those gorgeous colors (Crisp Cantaloupe, Strawberry Slush, Pear Pizzazz) and knew at once it was time to get out a set that had yet to see ink.

I pulled out my markers, inked it up and stamped it a couple of times on the paper and then sat and looked at it.

And looked at it.

And looked at it. 

It was gorgeous, but what in the world was I going to do with it now that I had created it?? I HATE that!

Hm.  Maybe a bit of shimmering Smooch Spritz would help inspire me...

Nope.  Now it was extra beautiful and feminine, but I was still clueless.  I really hate that!

Then, I decided, why not just leave it be, let it stand on its own?

Perfect!

I mounted it on a piece of Strawberry Slush, added the sentiment from "Sweet Essentials" (LOVE this set!), backed that with a piece of Crisp Cantaloupe, and finished the whole thing off by adding some pearls.  

Sometimes, I guess you just need to sit and look at something for a couple of days and then inspiration will strike.  :oP

--Rach

************************
This card uses:

*Inks: Crisp Cantaloupe, Strawberry Slush, Pear Pizzazz
*Papers: Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe
*Stamp Sets: "Flowering Flourishes", "Sweet Essentials"
*Accessories: pearls, Smooch Spritz

Lemonade, Anyone?

One of my all time favorite stamp sets is "Tart and Tangy".  I'm not sure why, it may be my love of all things tart and tangy and citrusy.  It may be because it's such an easy set for me to use.  It may be because I simply adore bright sunny yellow and retired Yo Yo Yellow is perfect for lemons.  Who knows?

What I do know is I recently made an Atlantic Beach pie and it made me think of this card, all tart and tangy and slightly sweet and delicious.  :o)

This was another card I made while dropping Lil at Lissie's for Lissie Camp.  I stamped random lemons all over the base.  On a piece of scrap I stamped still more lemons, "sugared" them using glue and glitter, and punched them using a 1.25" circle punch. 

I then cut a couple of those lemon slices into pieces and popped them up on dimensionals. I was thinking of lemonade and Country Time came to mind and I decided the sentiment was perfect in Lucky Limeade. ;o)

Isn't glitter fabulous? 

Alas, this card will not be shipped with the OWH cards due to the glitter.  No glitter allowed.  But, it's still a fun card. :o)

I had leftover lemon slices and wedges and began playing around with a blank card base.  I figured why waste 'em and stuck 'em down.  The top looked a bit nakey, so I hit it with some Gingham Garden washi tape. 

And, hey, why not do one in a vertical as well? ;o)

--Rach

*****************************
This card uses:

*Ink: Yo Yo Yellow (retired)
*Paper: Whisper White, PTI's white for the card base
*Stamp Sets: "Perfectly Penned", "Tart and Tangy" (retired)
*Accessories: dimensionals, glitter, glue

Masculine Birthday Card

I have a pack of DSP that I've been hoarding because I love it so much. Yesterday, when I was culling paper I know I'll never use again, I found this pack--To the Nines--and decided it was time I used it to make a card. My father's 94th birthday is coming up, so I wanted to make a masculine card. I've noticed lots of cards in the past month that use strips of DSP and decided I could play with that idea. I'm happy with the result. Here's what I used:

Stamp Set: Happiest Birthday Wishes
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip and Sahara Sand
Buttons: Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, and Very Vanilla
Framelits: Label Collection
Candy Dots: Always Artichoke
Ink: Always Artichoke

--Lissie

Washi Tape Pennants

When we dropped Lil off with Lissie last week, I spent some time making cards with Liss.  As I mentioned before, she'll tell me techniques she wants to work on, or give me ideas of items she'd like to play with and I work from there.

Well, it seems Liss has fallen into the washi wagon just as full as I have and she wanted to play with the Gingham Garden washi tape. 

Hey, I'm good with that!  I stretched it out on a piece of Whisper White card stock and then used the pennant punch, turning it first one way and then the other to get cute little pennants. :o)

They looked too plain on the card front by themselves, so I punched out and mounted them on Melon Mambo. 

I stretched a couple of strips of washi across the bottom of the card front, cut a banner and adhered the sentiment, and punched holes in the pennants and threaded baker's twine through them and put it all together. 

I simply love that piece of Melon Mambo gingham and decided to incorporate it into the card and love how it balances out the pennants on the top. 

I mirrored the inside on the outside, and now have a sweet little (much belated...) birthday card to send out to my niece. :o)

--Rach

*******************************
This card uses:

*Papers: Gingham Garden DSP, Whisper White, Melon Mambo
*Inks: Melon Mambo
*Stamp Set: (I can't remember!! Liss, a little help, please!)
*Accessories: dimensionals, Gingham Garden washi tape, baker's twine

Another Clean and Simple Card

Another stamp set I bought and have trouble using is House and Home. The elements of the set are so darn cute, but even paired with the Domestic Goddess DSP, I have struggled. I got it out a while back determined to use it. It was then that I spied the square gingham stamp. I have so many memories of gingham from my childhood and that includes red and white gingham tablecloths. And because I'm on a clean and simple jag, I figured it would work well for a thank-you card. I used another tool I have that too often I forget about and that's the butterflies embosslit folder. I finished the card using Strawberry Slush ribbon.

Stamp Sets:  House and Home; Outlined Occasions
Ink: Strawberry Slush
Ribbon: Strawberry Slush 
Cardstock: Whisper White
Emblosslit Folder: Beautiful Wings

--Lissie 

Delicate Doilies

Too often I fall in love with a stamp set and then cannot figure out what to do with it. A few years ago I couldn't resist purchasing Circle Circus and I've yet to make a card with it even though I've played with it numerous times. I feared the same thing would happen with this stamp set, Delicate Doilies, another one I just had to have. There is something about those doilies that are appealing. I figured it would be best to make a C & S card, and I ended up making three different ones. This is the first; I'll post the others another time. Here's what I used:

Cardstock: Whisper White
Stamp Set: Delicate Doilies
Inks: Strawberry Slush, Pistachio Pudding, and Coastal Cabana

--Lissie

Mouthwatering Summer

I really have been trying to challenge myself to use "virgin" rubber, inking up sets that I simply had to have and then floundered when it came time to use them.  You think a set will be oh so versatile and fun and then your mojo runs away from home.  :sigh:

So, I pulled out my "Mouthwatering" set and determined I would use it, no matter what!

I inked the watermelon using Strawberry Slush and Garden Green and stamped about ten slices.  I then fussy cut them out and tried to figure out what in the world I was going to do with them...

I thought about watermelon and that led to thoughts of picnics, and picnics led to thoughts of picnic tables and tablecloths which in turn led me to "Domestic Goddess" DSP. 

It's a simple little card, but mounting that big ol' honkin' slice of watermelon on that little rectangle of a table really made me happy. 

I finished it off by stamping the "hello" from "Four You" and added a tiny little bling.  I can't help it.  Bling is a good thing. ;o)

This card uses:

*Papers: PTI's white card stock, whisper white, "Domestic Goddess" DSP
*Inks: Strawberry Slush, Garden Green, Pool Party
*Stamp Sets: "Mouthwatering", "Four You"
*Accessories: rhinestones, dimensionals

--Rach

Of Crafting with DSP

Sometimes when I'm making cards, the Designer Series Paper (DSP) calls to me more than a stamp.  There is a stamp that coordinates with this gorgeous DSP, but I was more interested in using the paper. 

Okay, time for the truth here: Lissie and I had been crafting all day and into the evening and we were both fatiguing.  However, we knew our time to make cards together was dwindling, so we were determined to keep going.  When we get together, I ask what she wants to work on/with, and we had a list a mile long.  We were both utterly in love with the "Eastern Elegance" DSP and decided we wanted to make cards showcasing it.  Since we were both on overload at this point in the evening, and since the paper really is so beautiful, I decided we would let the paper do all the work for us.  I created three cards using the DSP and am so happy every time I look at them. :o)

There are so many different ways to use DSP and to highlight it.   With this last card, I very carefully used my 3/4" square punch, centering the parts of the paper I wanted.  I assure, this was NOT a random punching. ;o)

(Obviously I must have been in a hurry when I snapped the photos since they aren't even straight...:sigh:)

There are so many different ways to us DSP, I'm so glad we were tired that evening that I couldn't think of anything else to do.  ;o)
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These cards use:

*Papers: "Eastern Elegance" DSP, Whisper White, Smoky Slate, Coastal Cabana
*Inks: Smoky Slate, Coastal Cabana
*Stamp Sets: "Sweet Essentials", "Curly Cute"
*Accessories: pearls, square punch, scalloped edge punch

--Rach