Baby Birthday Cards

This past weekend was a blast as I participated in splitcoaststampers "Virtual Stamp Night." This event happens a few times a year. Challenges are posted each hour for about 5 hours Friday night and 10 hours Saturday. Stampers are told to complete projects in 45 minutes or less (honor system, of course). The overall theme was the Winter Olympics. Good thing was I needed some baby birthday cards for a SCS swap I am hosting. Silly me, I completed my 2nd swap before my first. Good thing I don't have to mail these!! LOL!!

One challenge called for us to be inspired by Vancouver's waterfront. The sample was elegant, detailed...very involved. Well, I went another direction...the beloved CAS! (Clean & Simple) I pulled out Fox & Friends for that adorable whale,and used the scallop border punch. The sentiment is from On Your Birthday. The colors are night of navy and brocade blue.


The little girl card was for a "Sharpen your Blades" challenge. It called for the use of a score blade. I scored lines on the pink pirouette card stock, but you can't see it in the picture. I did score & fold a small panel for the bottom. I used the same stamp sets...but the colors are retired pink pirouette and riding hood red.

These will go to moms who graduate from the Bridges program at the ministry when their babies turn 1 year old. Lots of fun to make!!

Happy Stamping!!

More Challenges...

...from splitcoaststampers, of course!!

I decided to add catalog numbers for you. This makes it easy for you to create a wish list...who doesn't ave a wish list???

I have a Clean and Simple (CAS) card to show you first...

The card base is the retired Pink Pirouette...but you could easily replace it with Pretty in Pink (#100459 IBC). I used just one layer of Whisper White card stock (#100730), adding the small detail with the Ticket Corner Punch (#107214). The floral image and sentiment are both from Thoughts & Prayers (#113252) colored with markers so that I could have multiple colors on a single stamp. I used Stampin' Write markers in Pretty in Pink (#100036) and Certainly Celery (#105106). Since the Soft Subtle brads (#106954) are further from the edge than usual for me, I used my paper piercing tool (#116631) and Mat Pack (#105826) to make the holes. What else did I need...ummm, RIBBON!! My absolute favorite embellishment! Here I used 5/8 inch grosgrain ribbonin Certainly Celery (#109050).

This Thoughts & Prayers stamp set is a MUST-Have in my book! It is easy to use, makes great design with little effort, and the tree image included is great for masculine and/or femine cards. I could use it over and over!

Come to think of it...I do!!

I made this next card with a color challenge...Pale plum, Perfect Plum, and Soft Suede. Funny thing is, the challenge hostess loves soft suede, and "dreads" the plums...I am just the opposite! I don't have much soft suede card stock now, so I just used a little bit. (#115318)

The card base is in Pale Plum card stock (#101658) which I ran through my Big Shot (#113439) using the SU Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plates (#114512). I added a strip of Perfect Plum Patterns DSP (#112158) across the middle. The main image is from one of my favorite stamp sets, Embrace Life (#114958). I stamped the leaves and flower stem in soft suede (#115657) and the flower in Perfect Plum (#101437); using my blender pens (#102845) to color the flower with Perfect Plum and Pale Plum (#102732). The sentiment is from On Your Birthday (#111664) and I stamped both the image and sentiment on Whisper White card stock (#100730). Of course, I used my Ticket corner punch (#107214) and Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430), plus just a small tag of Soft Suede Polka-dot grosgrain ribbon (#115612).

I like this card so much, I am sending it in for a swap!!

Gotta run...there's more to create!! Happy Stamping!!

Which Valentine?? You can Vote!

So, I always have a tough time making a Valentine for my dear hubby Bruce. Guy cards are just a challenge for me period. So, I made 2 cards...and I may even try a third one tonight while he is at work. I set up a silly poll on the left...you can let me know what you think.

Here's the first one...this week's splitcoaststampers Ways to Use it challenge, "Odds are..." You had to use an odd number of each element...so I have 3 ribbon stripes, 3 brads, and 3 hearts. The colors are quite different for a Valentine, but Bruce has blue eyes. Blue is his favorite color too. Colors used are night of navy, kraft, soft suede and brocade blue.

The next card uses a more traditional color palette...and I had fun using my black satin ribbon in a different way. The main shape is the famous-how-did-I-stamp-without-it Top Note die. After I cut it out, I ran it through the Big Shot again with a texturz plate. That cute little verse is from Define Your Life set.

Again, all products used in these cards are available from Stampin Up...just click here.

So, what do you think??

Sketch It!

As you know, I spend a lot of time on splitcoaststampers...and I have learned a lot about this craft while hanging out there. One tool that has helped me is the daily challenge. I don't participate every day, but when I do it is a lot of fun.


On Wednesday's, they have a "sketch challenge." This doesn't mean you have to draw...thank goodness!! I can't draw at all, that's why I stamp! LOL!! I found out in card making "sketch" refers to the layout, such as using a square in the center, or a circle in the corner.


This week's sketch can be found here. I made 2 cards, one horizontal, one vertical. Both also use color challenges. This first one uses chocolate chip, pretty in pink, and rich razzleberry, with very vanilla as my neutral. The colors are dark, but maybe you can see the scallop trim border on the center layer. Made that with the Sale-a-bration punch, of course! The hearts are punch out of Sending Love designer series paper, and the verse is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, punched out with the modern label punch on dimensionals. I added ribbon on top...of course!!







The next one uses a totally different color palette...chocolate chip (ok, that's the same!) dusty durango and sage shadow. Kinda funky colors, dontcha think? Note the center layers and three images again...same sketch. I'm tellin' ya, these sketch challenges are fantastic! I used my scalloped circle punch and the retired (boohoo) stem silhouette stamp. I added the greeting from the set On Your Birthday. Grosgrain ribbon on top, and I ran the center layers through my Big Shot with an embossing folder. Cool, huh?


If you get stuck on how to design a card, jut look to the sketch challenges...they are a big help!!


All products used in these cards are from Stampin' Up. Wanna get some?? Click here to my business website to order online!!




Happy Stamping!

Batch of Valentines

I ususally don't get into Valentine's Day cards, except for my hubby and my mom. But this year, I made several...prompted by the workshop I had last week. I made a few more very simple cards so I can send them to some card-making friends and family.

This first one was for a splitcoaststampers color challenge: basic gray, bravo burgundy, and crushed curry. Tough combo, but I kinda like the results. The designer series paper is Razzleberry Lemonade, and I used my new Sale-a-Bration punch. Stamps are from I {heart} Hearts and Fundamental Phrases.

I made a couple of cards for a "Stamp-a-Stack" event at my house. Friends order a certain number of card kits that I design...I prepare the materials...then they come over and stamp! It's great for people who like a hand-crafted card, but who don't have room for all of the supplies. I made this card using Melon Mambo, Whisper White, and Razzleberry Lemonade dsp. I {heart} Hearts was used again, with rich razzleberry, crushed curry, and melon mambo ink. The white layer was cut out on my Big Shot with the Top Note die...and I added just a bit of melon mambo ribbon. Cute, huh?

Then I made a super-duper CAS (Clean and Simple) Card. With the right punches...like this heart and the modern label punch...you can create something so quickly! I used the adorable Sending Love specialty designer paper...it's got sparkle!! Real red and very vanilla card stock and a pretty in pink grosgrain ribbon finish it off.


There's more...but right now, I want to stamp! Catch you another day!!

My NEW Space!!

(Actually, you get to see the "old" first!) Well, after a month of chaos in my home, I finally have an organized craft room!! Anyone who is into crafting, whether it's card making, quilting, or jewelry making, knows how quickly things can pile up! For me, it is ribbon and scraps of card stock that get out of hand. My full sheets are ok...even my stamps were, well, kind of organized. I just had no room left.

So, prompted by the need to re-do things for my Valentine stampin' workshops, my hubby agreed to help me redecorate! Of course, this was a set-up, because with my disability, MOST of the project was done by someone other than me!

There were the occasions of drama...like the fact that the first friend who was going to paint had to bow out due to severe health reasons...and then there was the episode of my new countertop coming off of the wall, yanking out the wall brackets, just TWO days before my workshop...

...but hey, my motto has always been "never a dull moment!"

As promised to a few of my cyber friends, I am posting before during and after pictures...how fun, right?? The before pics include my post-Christmas mess, and demonstrates how much stuff I stashed on my exercise/therapy table. My wall display of Stampin' Up cards that I made or received from other Stampin' Up demos wasn't too bad...but shucks, I LOVE my new arrangement!!

2 college guys from church helped Bruce empty the room, then run some wiring. We added (ok, dear hubby added) track lighing in the ceiling, and got rid of the old red white & blue color scheme. Those 2 changes alone made a HUGE difference!! (By the way, the r/w/b colors date back to the time Bruce & I were foster parents.) Another church friend did the painting and put the Definitely Decorative items on the wall. She also helped me move things back in and organize...thanks Pam!!!!

I chose a slat board panel to display items, instead of the old poster board and kite string!! I also went through my old Stampin' Up sets...and I am actually getting rid of a lot of them. I can't even remember which ones...and I refuse to look in my big box in the den, lest I try to rescue some of them! My new, smaller cabinet is already full...but the bottom shelf has a basket full of ribbon. I want to use that up so I have room for more stamps! LOL!!

I chose the Manhattan Flowers decor elements, adding a touch of red & black. I decided to keep red because of the color of my therapy table...now available and ready for workouts! Frankly, I am so happy with this room, that I may spend loads more time in there and less time sleeping!!

Thank goodness my workshop was this week. You see my hubby is an Indianapolis Colts fan. They will be in the Super Bowl this weekend. If my events were next week, or if the game was last weekend, my countertop may have stayed on the floor! Instead, he'll have time to relax and watch Peyton Manning, and I'll have time to play with my Sale-a-Bration freebie stamps!!

Life IS good!!!