Eek! A Monster Card!

Hey there everyone! I am back again with another fun Halloween card idea. The big day will be here before we know it and I want to have a stash of fun cards ready to give. Today's card uses a set that can be used throughout the year and can be found in the big catalog. I know there are plenty of fun things for Halloween in the new Mini but this set is a fav of mine and I have been planning a Halloween card to use it for a while now. Wanna see?

I used the fun, polka dot print from the Frightful Sight DSP and paired it with Old Olive and Cajun Craze CS. The images are from Make A Monster. This set is way too much fun! It includes 15 mix & match images that combine to create monsters that can be cute, scary, silly, or just plain weird. Here, I stamped them in Basic Black ink and colored them with markers but they are just as cute when you stamp them with colored inks and just leave them as outlines. This option works well if coloring is not your favorite past time.

The "eeek!" sentiment is from the set called Spooky Bingo Bits. This set coordinates beautifully with the Bingo Card background stamp or it can be used by itself with tons of cute little images for Halloween. There are 24 images in this set that are perfect for combining as a small scene or used separately on tags and cards. Some of them could be colored with markers or pencils but others are perfect for stamping in a single color. This is a very versatile set for the Halloween season. I can't wait to make some treat bag tags with this set.

The gray button (Neutrals Designer Buttons) is tied with a length of Whisper White Baker's Twine and backed with a paper button that I cut with the Buttons #5 Sizzlit die and my Big Shot. I embossed the black background with the Square Lattice Textured Impressions folder for a little texture behind the image panel and then one final touch is the tag that is "stitched" on by stamping just a bit of the In Stitches SA wheel. The tag is just a Decorative Label punch tucked behind the main panel of CS.

OK folks! I hope you like this card as much as I do and I hope that my use of the images inspires you to make some really spooky cards of your own this Halloween!

Grateful

Cool weather is on its way and I can't wait for all the sights and smells that come along with it. Today's card uses a stamp set that made me think of cool weather and Thanksgiving as soon as I saw it. I couldn't wait to order it!

I wanted to make a few basic note cards for the fall that used seasonal images. I have a stash of the basic florals and such but I love the rich colors and textures that fall brings. The set I used is called Always Thankful and it is brand new in the Holiday mini catalog. I love this set for lots of reasons. For one, it is so pretty! Harvest themed images are just gorgeous to me and this set includes 3 different ones plus 2 sentiments. I also love that this set is pre-shaded which makes it very easy to color. You don't have to think about shadows or shading because it is already done for you making it a very forgiving set for those that don't love their coloring skills. It lends itself to several coloring mediums including the Watercolor Wonder Crayons I used along with an Aqua Painter pen. I tend to neglect my crayons but every time I actually pull them out to use, I am amazed at the results I get. It is easy to look like a pro when you use these because they blend really well. They can be used sevral different ways too.

Another element I want to mention is the Jumbo Designer Button accent I used. These are new in the Mini too. They are giant, huh? They coordinate with the new Spice Cake DSP and come in an assortment of 4 delicious colors. Each button is 1 1/2" in diameter and you get 4 each of 4 colors which are shown on page 18 of the Holiday Mini. The one I used here is in More Mustard and the other colors are Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede, and Pool Party. I can't wait to use one as the middle for a flower or a paper rosette.

This is really a pretty straight forward card so that does it for me today. I will be back with another Halloween card tomorrow that I can't wait to show you. Hurry back soon!

Spooky Little Halloween Card!

Hi guys! I took the holiday weekend off to spend time with my family. The school year is already off to a speedy start and we felt like the long weekend needed to be just for rest and play. It was so nice to just BE. I am back with a great little card though. I actually made 2 new ones over the weekend so it was a toss up which one I would show first. I went with the Halloween one...

This card uses a new set from the Holiday Mini called Out on a Limb. Isn't that little witch cute? She reminds me of the daughter on Bewitched. I can't believe I have forgotten her name. Isn't it Sabrina? Oh well, it will come to me eventually. Back to my card...I punched a 1 3/4" circle from a scrap of paper and then used it as a reverse mask to sponge So Saffron ink onto my card panel. Next, I used the punched circle, along with some temporary adhesive, to mask off the "moon" and sponged a little Wisteria Wonder around it. Then, I was ready to stamp a little scene created with the images from Out on a Limb. For the witch and the cloud, I chose to stamp them onto a scrap piece of Whisper White and trim them out with my Paper Snips. You could certainly stamp both of these directly onto the card panel but I changed my mind about the direction of this card while I was working so this worked best for the look I wanted.

The sentiment came from an older set called Wicked Cool and the DSP is from a series in the regular catalog called Frightful Sight. Something on the card that is rather new is the paper rosette with a pumpkin face. You can make that fun little accent with the brand new Simply Scored Scoring Tool. I am very excited about this new product! Scoring has never been easier than with this new tool. You can score cards, make designs on your card stock, or even use it to score larger 3D projects. It comes with a fabulous metal tipped stylus and handy place markers that are a snap to use. The base has non skid feet that keep it in place while you work too.

I added the pumpkin face to the rosette for a little Halloween fun but you could personalize rosettes for any project. Brads, buttons, flowers, or just contrasting punched circles work really well too. The face was made with the Pumpkin Faces Sizzlit die and my Big Shot. For the ruffled edges, I punched my paper strip before scoring using the Eyelet Edge Border punch.

For more details about the new Simply Scored Scoring Tool you can visit my online store or the SU website for more info. It is also featured on pgs 6-7 in the new Holiday Mini catalog too. There will be lots more projects from me that use it. I love the look that scoring gives and this tool is marked in handy 1/8" markings for precise measuring. Check it out!

Check back tomorrow for another card with a little fall flavor. I have a pretty one that uses the new Spice Cake DSP and another new stamp set. I hope to see you here!

Hope You're Back on Your Feet Soon!

Hello everyone! I have a card to show you today and it is one that I made the very same day that my first box of goodies arrived for the new catalog back in July. I couldn't wait to ink the image up and get it down on paper. I even had a color scheme in mind when I ordered the set! Wanna see?

I have always loved these 3 colors together. When I saw the new Wisteria Wonder for the first time, I immediately thought, "Oooohhhh! I am going to pair that with Concord Crush and some Celery and Saffron too!" These colors didn't disappoint me either. I love how they look together.

That precious little turtle is from the newer set called Turtle & Co. This is a special set because it helps support families with children who have serious illnesses. How, you ask? Well, every year, SU! designs an exclusive stamp set to help raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). When you purchase this set, SU will donate $3 to RMHC. It isn't every day that we get to help out while doing something we love so don't miss your chance!

I think the card itself is pretty straightforward. I stamped the image on scrap CS and trimmed it out again so that I could give it dimension as well as change the orientation of the turtle's head in the shell. The circle he is sitting on top of was punched with the 2 1/2" Circle Punch. That lovely little panel of Wisteria Wonder is a print paper from the Cheerful Treat DSP. I stamped the sentiment and then punched it out with the Modern Label punch. To accent it, I added a strip of punched Concord Crush (Scalloped Ribbon Border punch) and a circle of So Saffron. I wanted some sort of a "fastener" to anchor the sentiment but didn't want to take up too much space on the tag ends so I punched 1/8" circles (non-SU) and then topped them each with a dab of Crystal Effects. A scrap off the edge of a Bigz Top Note die in So Saffron finishes the card. This makes a great get well soon card or just a pick me up for a friend or loved one having a rough time.

Hope ya like it!

New Holiday Mini Catalog is Here!

Hi everyone! Today is a big day in the SU world. The Holiday Mini catalog goes live and I get to show you all of the yummy things that are available from SU this season. There are some really cute stamps and accessories for fall and winter. Today's card uses one of the new DSP packs called Frostwood Lodge (which coordinates beautifully with several products in the Frostwood Lodge Suite) and I hope you love it as much as I do. Take a look...

 And a close up for the flowers...

This card uses a stamp set from the main catalog called Easy Events. It really delivers in the versatility department with 8 cute images that are perfect for cards throughout the year. I stamped the image in Basic Black and then colored it with markers.The berries are accented with a little Crystal Effects to give a bit of shine. I punched the whole image out with the 2 1/2" Circle Punch and then trimmed it with a scalloped circle from the Sizzix Scalloped Circles die and my Big Shot.

To accent the stamped focal point image, I punched a few 5 Petal Flowers from Cherry Cobbler CS and then inked the edges with the same color ink to add depth. The centers are made with the Itty Bitty Punch Pack Flower and the smallest size of pearls in the Basic Jewels Pearl pack. I was shooting for something to resemble a poinsettia while using punches from my stash. The greenery was made by punching several snowflakes with the Snowflake punch and then trimming just the "arms" off of all of them. I then glued the branches together to make them look longer.

As I mentioned above, both of the print papers used on this card are from the Frostwood Lodge DSP. It is a collection of outdoorsy plaids and wood grains that are perfect for the holidays as well as masculine themed cards throughout the year.

I hope you like this card. I had a lot of fun making it and getting my holiday card stash started. Every year I promise myself that I will make holiday cards early but I never do. Maybe this one will be just the beginning for me to get them done ahead. We'll see, right?

Crazy for Crumb Cake

Hey guys! I have 2 cards to show you today. maybe that will make up for the fact that I was so busy yesterday that I didn't make it here. They are similar but one is an all occasion card and the other is a Christmas card. Wanna see?

 And the Christmas one...

 Lately, I just can't seem to pick a neutral other than Crumb Cake. It just looks great with so many colors. I paired it here with some of the Specialty DSP called First Edition. They are a little different so I'll start with the butterflies first.

For this card, I used several different background stamps on scraps of 3 in colors before punching out 3 butterflies with the Butterfly Punch. I stamped in the same color ink as each scrap of paper for a little texture with out making them too busy to stand out against the background DSP. The colors and stamps are as follows:
     -Calypso Coral with Dot, Dot, Dot
     -Lucky Limeade with A to Z
     -Pool Party with Solid Stripes

The sentiment for this card is from the Friendly Phrases set. As I have mentioned before, I LOVE this set. It is really versatile and I can see myself using this set for years to come. I stamped it on Very Vanilla and then cut it out using the Lots of Tags Sizzlit die set and my Big Shot. This particular tag ( in the 4pc die set) has a neat perforation line so by cutting it in 2 colors you end up with a nice frame for your sentiment with just a little snip snip.Two Designer Buttons (Neutrals- Crumb Cake) tied with White Baker's Twine finish it off.

On to the Christmas card! This card was so easy it felt like cheating. I stamped the tree image ( from Polar Party which is brand new this year) first onto my card base of First Edition DSP and then again onto a scrap of Very Vanilla. I used my Paper Snips to trim just the main parts of the 3 trees that were stamped onto the Vanilla CS. We don't have to mess with the tinier parts because those are ready for us on the DSP copy. Adhere these onto your card, directly over the same trees on the card base. I colored them with markers before sticking them down but it can be done before or after. I used a nice dark Early Espresso marker to color the trunks so the newsprint is less prominent. Next, I topped the stars with a little bit of Smooch ink in Gold Lame. Smooch is opaque so it completely fills the stars in, making them really stand out.

The sentiment is from an oldie but goodie called Punch Pals. I think that these 2 stamp sets coordinate really well. They have similar styles so the wording and images are perfectly interchangeable. I accented the sentiment with a Modern Label punch in Lucky Limeade and 2 little Cherry Cobbler brads from the Regals family). Done!

I hope you like these cards. I wanted to show the versatility of the First Edition DSP. It can be fun all year round!

Just Because

Do you ever have one of those times that you want to send a card to someone special but it isn't one of those traditional occasions that we typically do so? I like to keep a collection of general sentiments for card making that are both positive and fun. I also find these types of sentiments handy when I am making cards for my stash. If the wording is a bit more general, it is easier to pick just the perfect card out of the pile. Well, today's card uses one of these sentiments. I made it for my stash but I really can't wait to share it with someone.

The card itself was inspired by another card I saw in a magazine. I loved the sketch and the colors so it quickly made it's way into my inspiration file. Once again, I struggled with lighting when I photographed the card so all I can hope for is that you can imagine the Perfect Plum and Always Artichoke along with a little So Saffron in a much truer light.

The floral images are from 2 different sets. The main focal point flower is from the hostess set called Array of Sunshine. I stamped it 3 times and then hand trimmed the layers and popped them up on Stampin' Dimensionals. This sounds hard but it is really super simple because the layers of the flower are well defined. I accented the center of the flower with a few dabs of Gold Lame Smooch ink for a little sparkle too.

I wanted a floral DSP that combined the 3 colors I loved together but alas, there was no such animal. I had to make my own! So, that patterned panel in the middle of the card is made by stamping the images in the 3 colors randomly all over the paper. I wanted a slightly muted look too so I stamped each one off onto scrap first and then put it onto the project piece. These images are from both Array of Sunshine and another set called Best of Everything.

A few last details are the stamped border along the bottom Artichoke panel and the tag sentiment. The border was created with Very Vanilla Craft ink and one of the lines of "stitching" from the In Stitches Stampin' Around Jumbo Wheel. You can still buy craft ink pads from SU! but you just have to do it differently. We still carry all of the craft refills and empty craft stamp pads so you can make your own. Easy peasy! Both of these can be ordered from me or from my 24/7 website store. The tag was cut with my Big Shot and the Lots of Tags Sizzlit die set. I cut it twice from both Very Vanilla and Perfect Plum CS and then trimmed the Vanilla layer to fit exactly inside the perforation that is part of the die. Then, I stamped the wording which is from It's Your Day. This is a set which could easily be overlooked. It is wayyyy in the back of the catalog with the Simply Sent projects. It is inexpensive because it has just 2 images included. They are both simple and perfect for the types of cards I discussed above so check it out!

I hope you like today's card as much as I do. I had a lot of fun making it. So, go make a fun card for yourself!