Heartfelt Thanks

I guess I am in a thank you note mood lately. It seems that every card I make ends up being a thank you note. It may be time to pull out some trusty cupcakes and stamp a few birthday cards! As you can probably tell, today's card is a thank you note too. I went the square route again. I am loving large, square cards lately. They just look so substantial. The only thing I hate is that the envelopes for them are so expensive! So, take a look so I can tell you more about it.


For papers, I used SU's Delicate Dots series. I will be very sad when I finish these papers. They all look so good together, in any combination, and they are so versatile! They work well for a variety of card themes and look good with all sorts of stamp images. My card arrangement just sorta evolved in my head. I had a sketch out to copy but it just wasn't working so I played with it and ended up with a final result that looks nothing like the idea I was CASEing so I will take credit for this one.

I have found that I turn to sketches so much more since I have been blogging than I did when I was making cards just to make them. I think when the pressure is on to create within a certain time frame, my creativity takes a bit of a nose dive. The other reason is that since I have been blogging, I do a lot more blog surfing and see so many more ideas that are "copy worthy." You just would not believe all of my idea journals! I have one for actual photos of cards I like and one for card sketches and then another 2 for scrapbook page sketches and actual photos. I can't forget all my quote and title notebooks either. If I see a phrase that would work for a sentiment or a cute pun, I jot it down for future use. Sometimes, they are the only way to get those creative juices flowing.

So, enough about creativity or the lack there of :-)...I will leave you today with my supply list and a sincere wish for a lovely day. Stop back by this week for some birthday cards and maybe a wedding card too. I have some ideas running around in my head and I think I feel an all nighter coming on! Ciao!

Papers- Colormates Med Belgium Blue CS; SU Delicate Dots DSP; Colobok taupe CS; lt yellow by Bazzill (name ?). Stamps- Verve Heartfelt Thanks Plain Jane; Stampabilities Fresh Flowers; Sandylion clear borders. Inks- Memento Tuxedo Black; Colorbox Frost White. Tools- Fiskars apron lace edge punch; corner rounder; Coluzzle oval templates. Pens- SU Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Sahara Sand.

A Great Big Thanks

Hello, hello! Long time, no see! I have been terribly busy and time just got away from me. Here it is Tuesday morning and I have not blogged since Friday! I had several large orders, right in a row, for my little Lunch Box Love Notes and I had to scurry to make more sets to even fill the existing orders, nevermind have enough stashed for future orders. So, I have been frantically stamping and coloring with no time for making new cards. I finally got enough lunch notes made so that I could play a little and today's card is the result. I was looking for a little inspiration in my sketch/idea journal and came across a photo of a card made by Amy Sheffer of Pickled Paper Designs. As I have mentioned before, her cards are simply AMAZING. I still need to search her blog and find the exact card that I CASEd but until then, just know that my idea came from her brilliant gallery of work. I will update this post with a link asap.

I changed her arrangement slightly to accomodate my image but I loved how she tilted the paper panels in relation to the side border so my card includes those elements. I just ordered Happy Heart Day from SU so I knew I would ink it up this time. When I thought about what color my elephant should be, I decided on SU Sahara Sand so of course, my new SU Delicate Dots DSP from SAB'09 came to mind too. I really love this paper and will be sorry to see it gone. I suppose I need to come up with another $50 order to earn another pack.

I stamped my image on Gina K's Pure Luxury 80# cardstock. This stuff is a dream for stamping! I have decided that I love it most when used with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and my Copics. I used my SU markers for this card though, simply because of the easy color matching to my papers. Without running my mouth anymore, let me show you the card!

I used a little clear Glossy Accents on the flowers. For the outer sentiment, I typed it in MS Word and then printed it on white cardstock. The picture below is a shot of the inside of the card. The little "love you" butterfly included in the stamp set is way too cute not to include somewhere on my card.

I'll list my supplies below but if you have any further questions, drop me a line and I will be glad to tell you more. I'll be listing this card along with many others in my Etsy shop very soon if you are interested in purchasing it for your very own. For the stampers and card makers among us, make yer own! :D Thanks for stopping by and waiting patiently while I was away. I missed being here!

Papers- SU Delicate Dots DSP; SU Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, & So Saffron CS; misc pale taupe CS; Gina K Pure Luxury Cardstock (80#). Stamps- SU Happy Heart Day. Inks- Memento Tuxedo Black. Tools- Martha Stewart embossed zig zag edge punch; EK (1 11/16, 1 1/2in) circ punches; Coluzzle oval and companion oval templates. Embellishments- Ranger Glossy Accents; Doodlebug limeade sugar coating. Pens- SU bashful Blue, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Sahara Sand markers. Font- tweed 20pt Bold.

Update: The link to the card for today is below. I decided to go to the source and ask Amy herself. It was originally posted back in October 2008 and she also told me that the original layout idea came from Jen Del Muro's Sketch For You To Try so she gets credit for this awesome idea as well. -KRS

http://pickledpaperdesigns.blogspot.com/2008/10/here-i-come-wassailing.html

http://iheart2stamp.com/2008/10/25/hooray-for-saturday-2/

Dots and Doodles

Good Morning! I can't wait to show you my card for today. I am really happy with how it turned out. I cased my card from one of my favorite blogs, Me My Stamps and I but I changed the arrangement slightly to accommodate my image. I used some of my new DSP from Stampin Up's Sale-A-Bration promotion and one of my favorite stamps from Hero Arts to make a card for the Add a Doodle Challenge over at Our Creative Corner. I didn't have any ribbon to match this project (will wonders never cease!) so I dyed my own with Copic markers. If you try this, make sure you use a marker color that you own a refill for because it really drains your pen. The stamp I used is an oldie but goodie! I have used the Doodle Leaf Flower by Hero Arts so many times including for a contest card at Happy N' Scrappin. It is so much fun to color!

If you haven't jumped in on one of the many challenges offered on the net, what is stopping you? It is so much fun to join in and I have found that working with a guideline is making me a better card maker. It not only gives you a starting point when you are in a creative slump but it also encourages you to try new techniques and use materials that may be out of your comfort zone.

So, on with my card. It is an upright A2, top fold card, with a base of GA Pacific white. Hope ya like it! If you are interested in purchasing this card, please visit my Etsy shop. It will be listed very soon. If you are a stamper yourself, my supply list is below the card. Thanks for stopping by!


Papers- SU Delicate Dots (SAB), Bashful Blue, & Certainly Celery; pale taupe misc CS. Stamps- Hero Arts Doodle Leaf Flower; Inkadinkadoo thank you so much. Inks- SU Sahara Sand; Tsukineko Graphite Black Brilliance. Tools- Paper Piercer and SU Mat Pack. Embellishments- 1/4in white grosgrain ribbon. Pens- Copic Y21; SU Sahara Sand, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, So Saffron.

Edited to Add: Before straightening up my scrap desk, I decided to see if I could whip up another card with my scraps. I came up with this little get well note without cutting into any new cardstock or DSP! It uses only scraps. Yay! I love it when I can use my materials efficiently. The 2nd photo is of the inner message.