Strawberry Inspiration

Aren't these little guys cute? I will periodically make a couple of these little boxes of cards to have on hand to give as a little "thank you" gift. They also make excellent stocking stuffers. :o)

But, why strawberries and black and vanilla? Because of this:

This is the inspiration photo for the challenge over at the Paper Players this week. I was immediately struck with the strawberries and their juxtaposition with the blackberries. I LOVE black and red as a combination. I picked up that light vanilla color from the cheese in the bottom right corner and that was it! I instantly knew I wanted to make a couple of little boxes of cards. :o)

Each box holds four 3"x3" cards and envelopes.

I put two red and two black cards in each box. See how I used the polka-dotted paper to pick up the polka-dotty look of the blackberries? :o)

I also got to play with my "Rockabilly" paper, which I've been squirreling away for a special occasion. :o)

I used my Crop-a-Dile to punch the holes for the ribbon to pass through.

And, of course, I lined the inside of the cards as well. :o)

This project uses:
Stamp Sets: "Tart and Tangy", "Warm Words"
Inks: Wild Wasabi, Real Red
Paper: Real Red, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, "Rockabilly" DSP, and Real Red DSP from a hostess pack
Accessories: 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punch, Crop-A-Dile, 1/4" red and black gingham ribbons, white gel pen, dimensionals

Now, to whom do I give the boxes...? :o)

--Rach

School Daze

It's that time of year again--the back-to-school sales are on and there is excitement in the air. Teachers are scurrying to get their rooms ready in between all the mandatory meetings and school division professional development requirements (trust me, there is VERY little time to get that room ready!). But, it's all worth it, for the day after Labor Day (around here, anyway--don't ask about the "King's Dominion Law"...) we are greeted with shiny, smiling faces in brand new clothes, ready to embark on a new year. I confess, I'm going to miss that.

I borrowed the spiral punch idea from Lissie and the card came together. :o) Those kiddies are just too stinkin' cute!

And, the inside. I thought that sentiment went well with the kiddos on the front. :o)

This card uses:
Stamp Sets: "Greeting Card Kids", "Teeny Tiny Wishes", "Warm Words", "Heard From the Heart", "Tart and Tangy"
Inks: Oh, dear, let's see, Soft Suede, Cajun Craze, Real Red, More Mustard, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, Sahara Sand, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Night of Navy, Chocolate Chip (Whew!)
Paper: Real Red, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Watercolor, Summer Picnic DSP (which I have hoarded), Newsprint DSP
Accessories: Eyelet border punch, spiral notebook punch

Goodness I'm enjoying watercoloring!! :o)

--Rach

So Sweet!

So, did I mention I played around with "Darling Dots" quite a bit this weekend?? :oP Once I finished the ladybug card, I saw the cupcakes and thought they could be something very cute. I had been wanting to play with Blushing Bride and thought it would look amazing with Early Espresso (thanks, Liss!). Unfortunately, I keep ordering Basic Black satin ribbon, and NOT Early Espresso, so I dropped back and went with Chocolate Chip instead. Then, when I found this sentiment, I knew it was a perfect compliment to the cupcakes. :o)

In case you can't tell, I really like the clean and simple style. :o) I decided to make these cards simply for fun, and then I found another challenge for which they would be PERFECT. Stampin' Royalty's challenge this week is KISS or Keep it Simple, Sweetie. For me, these fit the bill! :o)

Isn't it funny how piercing the paper made the card just that much more sophisticated? Same card, just pierced.

This one was simply the Stamping 411 sketch--what started me down this road with "Darling Dots" in the first place.

Finally, I couldn't decide if I wanted to do a Chocolate Chip card base or Blushing Bride. So, I did both. ;o)

These cards use (all SU! unless otherwise noted):
Stamp Sets: "Darling Dots", PTI's Signature Greetings, Warm Words
Paper: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Blushing Bride
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Blushing Bride, Real Red, Certainly Celery
Accessories: 5/8" Chocolate Chip satin ribbon, piercing kit

Same cupcakes, same layout, four different cards. Pretty nifty! :o)

--Rach

Ladybug Happiness

First, let me say I'm sorry for the photo quality. We've had a number of cloudy days and I just can't get the light right in the studio to get any truly decent photos. Anyhow, in my quest to try a few more challenges, I came across Stamping 411. They had a sketch challenge as well as a color inspiration challenge. I took on the sketch challenge first.

I was trying to decide which stamp set to use when I spied "Darling Dots" lying out on my workspace. I had just finished the purple card and was pretty pleased with the results and decided to give another stamp from the set a go.

I have to say, I had NO idea this little hostess set was so versatile! I'm beyond pleased I got it.

This card uses (all SU! unless otherwise noted):
Stamp Sets: "Darling Dots", "Warm Words"
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black
Ink: Real Red, Basic Black
Accessories: 5/8" black satin ribbon

And, because I can't help but play around with my ideas, I made this card as well--kind of a take on the purple card:

Additional stamp set: PTI's "Signature Greetings"

And, I have to say, those ladybugs do indeed make me smile. :o)

--Rach