Just For You

Hi guys! Today is going to be really quick. I have to race off to a day of appointments and errands because tomorrow...WE WORK. Well, not we...just me but you know what I mean. Around here it means that Mommy is not very good at juggling work and home because she is out of practice doing the work thing. Oy Vey. Anyhow, how about a card?
And from another angle...
This card is heavily inspired by a Stampin' Up! project I saw online. They had done it in a journal but I made some changes to make it work better as a card. I love the little bird image. That frame for the sentiment is from the Four Frames set and the print paper is from the Paisley Petals DSP. These 2 items, as I have mentioned many times before, are available for a limited time (until April 30th) and they go away until July when the new catalog comes out. I won't bore you with the details of this promo, since I have shared them at least 10 times. If you are new to the blog, click on the left hand side button that says, "Spring is Blossoming" to learn more.

I used chalk to color the bird because the Early Espresso ink that he is stamped in is not waterproof and I didn't want it to run. A Paper Daisy and an Antique Brad finish this card. For more details, please contact me and I will fill you in. I have to run now. Have a wonderful day!

Blossoming Thank You Note

Hi guys! I hope your Easter was absolutely wonderful. It sure was a hot one here. Just a few minutes outside and I was ready to melt. So, how about a card? I have another little ditty using the new Paisley Petals DSP and the coordinating Four Frames stamp set. These are both part of the soon to be over Spring is Blossoming promo. Until April 30th, spend $20 and you can order both of these great items that will be part of the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog. After the 30th, they go back in the big SU closet to wait until the new catalog premieres in July. All DSP packs will go up in price this summer so now is your chance to order the paper at a lower rate.Don't miss out! Ummm...didn't I mention a card? Here ya go...
Do you need a detail shot too?
This card is heavily inspired by an idea I saw on the SU demonstrator website. I adapted it to use materials and tools I had on hand and voila! Another thank you note for my always dwindling stash. All materials used are current SU product except for the cute little flowers on the pennants. Those are punched with the retired punch called Spring Blossoms. However, when that one retired, they introduced a very similar punch called Boho Blossoms which can easily be used here instead.

The printed papers are from the Paisley Petals DSP and the sentiment is from the Level 1 Hostess set, Because I Care. The pennants are stamped with Marina Mist ink and the Four Frames stamp set. They are made by stamping one of the frame images from Four Frames and then folding them in half. Once folded, place a length of Linen Thread in the crease and stick the 2 sides together with adhesive so the tag hangs, as if on a clothesline. The Linen Thread is secured with 2 Antique Brads.

That about does it for today. I have another Paisley Petals card for tomorrow and I hope you like it as much as I do. Since the Spring is Blossoming promo is almost over, I have to hurry and show you all the cards I made with these gorgeous materials. See you tomorrow!

Happy Easter!

Hello folks! I just wanted to pop in really quick and wish everyone a very happy Easter. I have a card for you and since it has been a whole week since I checked in here, I wanted to share it today and not wait any longer. It isn't an Easter themed card but I like it a lot anyway. Take a look...
And a detail shot...
This is one of those cards that looks a lot more complicated than it really is to make. I used an image from the new set called On the Grow from the Summer Mini Catalog which goes live next Sunday, on May 1st. It includes 2 images and 2 sentiments. The sentiment on this card is also part of the set.

The hydrangea image is colored with Blender Pens and ink pads. After the image was completely dry, I highlighted parts with my markers to give a little more definition. This image is very easy to color because the shadowing and highlights are drawn into the artwork itself. Easy peasy!

I accented the darling vase image with a rich, patterned DSP from the Paisley Petals DSP collection. Time is running out to get this gorgeous paper pack as a catalog pre-order. The Spring is Blossoming promo runs until April 30th and it gives you the opportunity to buy items from the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog 3 months early. For more info, click on the Spring is Blossoming promo button to the left of my blog.

Since it is a holiday, I am cutting it short to get back to my family. Have a wonderful holiday and eat some Peeps for me! Happy Easter!

I distressed the edges of the papers and tore a few pieces out to expose more DSP underneath. The word print is part of the First Edition DSP which is in the Occasions Mini catalog, which ends on April 30th. A little Linen Thread, Striped 1 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, and a couple Designer Buttons finish the card.

Congratulations Spinner Card

Hello ladies! And gentlemen if there are any of those among us! I have a simple card for you today and it is probably one of the last featuring goodies from the Occasions Mini Catalog. Don't miss your chance to order some of the fun new items from this soon-to-be-gone collection. I had to pull out my Take a Spin set just one more time to use here. I LOVE this set. The Spinner Hands make the cards so much fun too. I have sent a few cards using these to younger children and they went over really big. Actually they have been a hit with everyone that has seen or gotten one. Wanna see?
Isn't that fun? I used the "good job/way to go! " spinner face for this card and it makes a great all purpose "congrats" card to have on hand. I was thinking something like this might be good after the week of standardized testing that my kids have coming up. The sentiment is from the Something to Celebrate hostess set in the Occasions Mini. I added a little DSP (Brights Patterns Pack) and some 5/8" Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon and I'm done. Easy peasy!

All items used on this card are available until at least April 30th so don't miss your chance to order from the retiring mini collection! Have a great Sunday!

Celebrate the 4th in the Land of the Free!

Hi guys! Today's card is jumpin' the gun a little but it is never too early to be prepared. One of the new single stamp sets, Land of the Free, in the upcoming Summer Mini Catalog was just too cute not to ink up right away. Take a look...
Isn't that gorgeous? I mean the stamp...not the card. I colored the image with markers which was easy because the parts of the flag are spaced really well. Paired with a few embossed star punches and some DSP from Love Letter and we have a card that is perfect for summer. The sentiment is from Something to Celebrate in the Occasions Mini Hostess sets (Level 2). I tied the buttons on the stars with a little bit of the new Baker's Twine too.

Well, it's off to the weekend. We have plans in several directions today. I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Wishing You a Wonderful Day

Is there a better wish for someone you care about? It doesn't matter what day it is, when it is wonderful, you have to be happy about it. Well, today's card is one of those that you send for no special reason other than to wish "wonderfulness." Wanna see?
And a close up...
These adorable little kids whose only job is to share the wonderful, are from the delightful new set called, Sunny Fun. It will be available in the upcoming Summer Mini catalog. I chose to color the image in detail but if coloring is not your thing, never fear! It looks good in a solid color or just enhanced in tiny places with a color or 2. I just love to color and those little faces had me giggling right along with them.

I wanted to let the image speak for itself so the rest of my card is relatively simple. I used the 5 Petal Flower punch to create a sunshine and then embossed the sentiment in White Stampin' Emboss Powder. The sentiment comes from the set called Bring on the Cake which is in the Occasions Mini Catalog. Time is almost up to order from this collection so don't miss your chance. After April 30th, it is gone forever. Gasp!

I think I touched on all the major points today. As always, if I missed something let me know and I would be glad to answer. Have a great day!

Dyed Rosettes and Seed Pearls, Oh MY!

Hi girlies! I have something new to show you today and I love it. I hope you will too so let's get to it. First, a photo of the card itself...
And a close up so you can see the main attraction...
Do you see those yummy little flowers? Well, those started out as plain ole Vanilla and I colored them with markers. Yep! Regular markers! These are the Rosettes featured on page 16 of the Occasions Mini catalog. I will admit when I first saw them, I thought they were cute but I didn't order right away because I was not particularly inspired by little cream colored flowers. Well, I started seeing them used more and more and then I saw someone dye them with reinker to match her card stock. Hmmmmm...I wondered immediately if they would absorb ink from a marker just as easily. They do!

These Rosettes come in 3 sizes, with self adhesive backing. All I had to do was lightly color the layers with my (Not Quite Navy) marker and the ribbon with which these are made just wicks the ink like a charm. This means that we now have Rosettes to match ANY PAPER AND PROJECT. I certainly hope this product gets carried over to the new catty in July but just in case they don't, get yours while you can until they disappear at the end of this month. I promise they were SO EASY to dye. No fuss, no muss.

On today's card, I added a tiny pearl, from the Basic Pearls assortment, to the center of each flower. Since the pearls are self adhesive, they don't require glue to adhere. For these tiny ones, I like to use tweezers to handle them because my clumsy hands tend to drop them a lot. The cluster of flowers is on top of a tiny faux bow of Baja Breeze Seam Binding. As I have mentioned before I love the Seam Binding because it is very silky and flexible. This adds less bulk to your cards and projects. It ties and drapes very well. I love that it comes in so many colors too. Some of the color offerings are different from the regular ribbon color line up too so it gives us an opportunity to use "ribbon" in various colors without having to dye it ourselves.

You may recognize the print paper from the Springtime Vintage DSP. I paired it with Old Olive and Not Quite Navy here. The stamped image is from Herb Expressions. This set is just a gorgeous set. It works very well for so many types of cards. With Mother's Day and Easter coming up, I will be turning to this set. It is also one of those very versatile sets that can be colored in detail when fussy coloring floats your boat or just lightly enhanced with maybe Stampin' Pastels, or just stamped in one color when you want a simpler approach.

My sentiment is from Thank You Kindly. This set is a great set to have around. It offers 4 unique images that make thank you notes a breeze. If you are like me, you struggle with the pairing of the right font with the mood of the card. I don't want some cheery, child like print on a more serious card, right? Well, this stamp set includes a little variety so no matter the mood of the card, the sentiment coordinates perfectly.

That's it folks. Tomorrow's card uses another image from a new set featured in the soon-to-be current Summer Mini catalog. The card makes me yearn for the smell of sunscreen and the splash of pool water so please pop back in to check it out!

Paisley Petals Thinking of You Card

Hey folks! This may be some sort of a record for me lately...being here 3 days in a row! It is amazing how busy a springtime can be now that we have kids with lives of their own. They go back to school today after a very busy spring break and I am pooped. That week is always a taste of what summer will be in just a short time when school is over for another year. Oh my gosh! There is just never enough time to finish everything! But today, I have another card...finished, I am happy to say. Wanna see?
And a detail shot from the side...
This little number uses another gorgeous print from the new DSP called, Paisley Petals. This paper will be featured in the upcoming 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog in July. We get just a little taste of the goodies yet to come. If you spend just $20 on SU product this month, you earn the privilege of buying both this series of patterned paper or the new stamp set called Four Frames which coordinates with the Decorative Label Punch. For more info about this exciting offer, click on the Spring is Blossoming button to the left of my blog. After April 30th, you will have to wait until the new catalog to purchase these 2 items. The price of all DSP paper packs will go up then too so buy this one now to save a little money!

Now, back to my card for today. Both print papers are part of the assortment. That center strip of delicious green was stamped with a row of faux stitching ( using the In Stitches wheel featured in the Occasions Mini Catalog) and then trimmed with a strip of Always Artichoke that I punched with the Pinking Hearts border punch. My sentiment comes from the Level 1 Hostess set called Silhouette Sentiments. I punched it with the Small Oval punch and then trimmed with a little Early Espresso CS. That gorgeous flower was die cut with my Big Shot and the (SU exclusive) Sizzix Blossom Party die . Before cutting, I did a little something to my card stock. I took a scrap of Whisper White and crumbled it up tightly. Then, I smoothed the paper and lightly misted it with water before crumpling again. You smooth it out one more time and then run it through the Big Shot for a yummy distressed look that can be enhanced with ink for even more texture. A large button and a bit of Linen Thread finish off the center of the flower.

The larger print papers in this assortment work better for cards than I think they do typically. Sometimes, I feel that the larger prints are better suited to scrapbook pages and home decor projects but I have been able to use several of these new ones in ways that are new to me. So, if you avoid larger prints as a card maker, don't fret because these are fun too!

I think that'll do it for today. I have a great new thank you note up tomorrow. It is a little "old school" because I used, gasp, papers and materials from the current Occasions Mini catalog. Bet you thought I was done with those goodies! Well, I tried something new with one of the embellishments and I can't wait to show you so check back. Ciao!

Best Dad Ever!

Hello everyone! Back today with more Summer Mini catalog previews. Today's card uses a new set that is perfect for those hard to make masculine cards that we all struggle to create. Take a look...
This new set is called Best Dad Ever. I paired the images with a few prints from the Elegant Soiree DSP which can be found in the regular catalog until June 30th. I have never looked at that paper as necessarily masculine but the prints without florals actually work very well. This series of paper coordinates with Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, and Very Vanilla so I used those colors on my stamps too. I used markers to ink up the stamps which is much easier when using several colors at once.

Obviously, my favorite embellishment choices of ribbon, bows, flowers, etc don't work on cards for men so 2 simple buttons finish the card. After I finished, I realized that I could have used a little of the new Baker's Twine or even an Antique Brad to jazz it up too. Maybe next time, I guess!

The new Summer Mini catalog has several new stamps and accessories that will work really well for masculine cards. I can't wait to play with a few and make up some new cards for my stash that can be given to the guys in my life. These types of cards always stump me!

Have a great rest of the weekend! Pop back in tomorrow because I have a new card that features the delicious new Paisley Petals DSP. Buh-bye!

Ooooooooh....More New Stuff for Spring!

Hi guys! I have some really cute stuff to show you over the next week. I ordered a few new items from the upcoming Summer Mini catalog to preview for you and they arrived. I whipped up a few new cards with the delicious new goodies and wow! These things are fun to play with and I hope you feel the same when you see the samples I have made. I chose a simple but fun card to show first simply because I LOVE the color combo and the image makes me feel happy. (I need a little happy after being at home with 2 bored preteens for spring break as we waited around for furniture deliveries and AC repairmen all week. Oy Vey!)

Take a look!
And a detail shot...
I know I have said this before but this little catalog may just be my favorite ever! Today's card uses the super cute new set called Sunny Fun. It is a surprisingly versatile set featuring 5 images that bring us the best parts of summer. I chose to color this image with markers but they would be just as cute as border images done in only one color or just highlighted with 1 or 2 colors for a little zing. So, if detail coloring work is not your thing, don't fret! Stay tuned for another sample using another image from this set. Lots of fun!

I want to mention a few components of this card too. The button is tied on with another new product debuting from SU this season. Baker's twine! If you surf blogland at all, you have seen this great new product out there lately. Cool colors and a thin, flexible texture make it great for cards and paper crafting projects. It adds very little weight or bulk to cards so it is a great way to attach tags, buttons, etc or as a substitute for ribbon. SU is offering it in Cherry Cobbler/White, Early Espresso/White, and plain Whisper White which can be colored and dyed to match any ink. I really like it and can't wait to order some plain white and experiment with dying.

Another point I want to bring up is the green DSP used on the left side of my card. It may not be new to you but it was new to me as I flipped through the Level 1 Hostess goodie, In Color DSP pack. Every time I flip through this pad of paper, I see a print I have never noticed. They are all different from the regular Patterns DSP pads. Consider this little treat the next time you earn a hostess gift. Or better yet, host your own workshop for friends and family and get it free right now. It is so versatile!

I think that does it for today. I will be back tomorrow with another card using some new Summer Catty goodies. I also have another card using the gorgeous new Paisley Petals DSP along with the preview set called Four Frames to show soon. These are both part of the Spring is Blossoming promo going on until April 31st. Spend $20 on SU product and earn the privilege of buying these new products which will be part of the 2011-2012 Idea Book and catalog in July. The price of paper packs will go up in the new catalog so getting this paper now will be a savings...which can in turn be used on more goodies!

New Promo and New Samples!

Hi guys! I have lots of news for you and just a little time so I will be quick. As you may know, Sale A Bration ended on Thursday, March 31st and April 1st kicks off the new Spring is Blossoming Promotion. This is a great opportunity for you to be able to order products from the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog which comes out in July. Spend at least $20 on SU product and you earn the privilege of ordering the new Four Frames Stamp set and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper. The cards I have today use these exciting new products. The Four Frames set coordinates with the decorative label punch for limitless combinations this spring. The SU Promo handout can be seen here.

Now, how about a couple of cards using these fantastic new goodies? Take a look!
And one more...

I am so excited by these new papers and images! As I often think, the papers are much better in person than in the flyer too. They coordinate with tons of SU colors as well as accessories so creating great cards and projects is a snap.

I have to hurry off for now but if you have any specific questions about the materials used, just let me know. I would be glad to share! Have a great weekend!