A week until Christmas!

One week to go!  I can hardly believe it.  Its been a busy season (a busy few months as you can tell by the lack of posts....) and so I have some catching up to do.

I rediscovered some leftover poinsettia blooms from last year's cards (Poinsetta Joy) and whipped this one up pretty quickly today.  A remnant of holiday paper past run through the big shot and topped off with a sweet sentiment and a poinsettia flower.

My colleague and I put these together the other night as gifts for our direct reports.  I "borrowed" this idea from SplitCoast stampers (and I cannot find the link now, much to my aggravation).  Turn the little battery powered tea light on and enjoy the soft glow.  Its hard to tell in this light but the little tag in front of it has some sparkly accents on the trees and rests on a white sparkle background.

Last but not least, one of the gifts we will be giving this year is a magazine subscription to an RV magazine.  Magazines are one of my favorite gifts because the are the gift that keeps giving all year long (to quote Eddie from Christmas Vacation).   I picked up this acrylic set for a steal last year (I do not endorse acrylic stamps at all but they will work with certain inks) and have used it a few times already.  It was fun to use a white gel pen to give some snowy effects.

Merry Christmas to everyone! 

Simple medallion

You really can't get much simpler than this.  Two stamps, two colors, one punch and you're done!  I stamped the medallion on the card, stamped it an the same kind of paper but punched out the middle and popped it out over the middle.  Apply sentiment and you're done!

Bookmarks

You all know my love of the Big Shot machine.  I was playing with the Two Tags die the other day and came up with these cards.

This one was kind of fun.  I really like the realistic nature stamps but haven't had much time to play with them.  I thought this library-card-ish tag needed a little ribbon to finish it off.  The background to the card is embossed (with the Big Shot again!) to give a little texture.

This card is a little more simple.  Just a few flower stamps over a tone-on-tone background of flowers.

Fun fold!

This was a card that was featured at my upline's stamp camp. Not only do I love the color combination, but I love the fold and design.

Untie the cute little bow and see what's inside...

 

This card happened to be for my sweet niece who graduated from high school this year.  Have fun with the fold!

Butterfly Baby

I caved and got the butterfly punch from Stampin' Up! which I thought coordinated really well with the sentiment, resembling the path of a butterfly.   The alphabet butterfly stamp made for a sweet baby card.

Happy Father's Day (Late)

I'm a little late. 

That's been  my story lately so its no surprise that I'm just getting around to posting Matt's father's day card.  He's a biker (bicycle-biker, not Harley) so the background paper was appropriate.  I found the boombox stamp on clearance at Ollie's and even though its an acrylic stamp, I took a chance and it came out great!  The cog punch-outs are from a Stampin' Up! punch.  I'm happy to report that Matt was very pleased with his card this year and I hope you like it too.

Happy Traveling!

This is an exciting time of year!  Many people are getting ready for summer travel just as I did back in high school preparing for an jaunt to Europe.  My European adventure inspired this card which features a background map and a few travel-themed images (Eiffel Tower, Rose Window, airplane, etc) plus the map icons.  Finally an oval with the definition of "Adventure".  Happy Traveling everyone! Time for an adventure.

Happy Father's Day

Its not quite Father's Day (ok - its about a month out...) but never too soon to think about how to honor dear old dad.  I thought a red power tie would be appropriate for this stamp set.  The embossed background mimics some of the stripes and the grey helps with the overall masculine feel.

Nouveau Birthday

I fell in love with this designer paper and always thought that the color combinations were unusual but fun.  The art deco images on the paper go well with the bird silhouette and the curly sentiment.  A metal brad finishes the card.

Bon Voyage!

Along the lines of yesterday's gift cards, summer is the time when people you know and love are heading out on little adventures of their own.  Its nice to know that you are thinking of them with a personalized card.  Below are some ideas to send off your loved ones in style.

The colorful card above features a post card background with a stylized airplane popped out over the other stamps and images.

The card to the right uses the same stylized images of the previous picture and also features a natural twill ribbon to say "Bon Voyage!".

Gift Cards...a fun few fold!

I noticed in this month's issue of PaperCrafts magazine a fun way to fold paper and use rivets to create a pocket for money or gift cards.  I was so pleased with how it turned out!  The orange and teal card above is clean and simple.  The card below has a little more embellishment with a fun brad flower and weaving ribbon into the rivets.

The card below goes one step further by using embossed paper for the pocket which really adds neat dimension and interest to the card.

So many holidays coming up like Mother's and Father's Day.  Plus we have graduation and what grad doesn't need a little extra cash?  Enjoy!

Mother's Day Flower

Mother's Day is right around the corner (don't forget!).  This card features a very deep, rich purple ribbon on a fun, textured cardstock with flecks of purple within.  The flower is 4 separate layers, sponged with the purple ink and stacked to give depth.  The flower paper is fun - it is printed word designer paper.  A brad keeps all the flower layers together.

This card and the pink Easter card are designs from my Stampin' Up! demonstrator.  Thanks, Denise!

Happy Easta'!

The Easter Bunny is almost here! This is a card we did at my upline's monthly stamp camp. Sweet, delicate pink background with a chocolate brown accen, the card features a cherry blossom (I think) branch with hand colored leaves. The Tulip frame embossing folder is perfect for spring.

Happy Easter...or as my sister-in-law from New York says...Happy Easta'!

Spring pictures

Taking a small break from cards to post some pictures from a lovely day.  I wanted to update the banner at the top of the blog and enlisted the help of my boys.  I think they have a good eye... 


It was just nice to spend some fun, outdoor time with the boys after a long day of work.

You Rule

I've always thought of my self as a bit of an Anglophile so when I saw this stamp set, I had to have it.  Not only do I love Queen Elizabeth but the "You Rule" is just perfect.  I thought this card might make an unconventional Mother's Day card with the background "Queen for the Day" as a setting.  And pink is such a nice girly color...

EAHS Craft Fair

I spent my morning and afternoon with my partner-in-crime, Lauri (pictured below), at the Easton Area High School Craft Fair, her alma mater. 

A big thank you to everyone who stopped by to check out our cards.  We met so many great people today!  Before we knew it, it was 2 o'clock and time to pack up and head out into the pouring rain.  Boo... 

So if you happen to be one of the many stampers we met today looking for ideas, please take time to browse through my archives and see if anything inspires.  Send me an email (link to the side) and let me know if I can do anything for you!

Splat car

For some reason, masculine birthday cards provide a real challenge.  I think all the elements in this card indicate that this is a guy's card.  The ledger embossed background, the stylized car on the splat background, to the striped designer paper complete with hardware. 

Clearly for You

This is a repeat design for me but the stamp set is new.  Rather than use designer paper, I created my own using a new stamp set: "clearly for you".  I love this natural style and Marina Mist blue is my new favorite color.  The pearls are a great finishing touch to this clean and simple design.

Just Believe Spring is around the Corner...

Another appeal for Spring!  I love the combination of blue and green anyways but this really reminds me of spring.  I can't wait for its ultimate arrival...  This particular card uses a bright green ink with hand colored blue flowers which match the background cardstock and dry-embossed stripe.  The bright white and green ribbon help move your eyes across the card.  Come on, Spring!

Thinking of Pink Butterflies

On this first week of Spring, we got 4 slushy inches of snow.  Yuck!  So I thought it would be nice to showcase a pretty, springy card like this one with bright greens & pinks.  Set on a clean background, the patterned paper, ribbon, and cardstock really stand out.  Happy Spring!

Butterfly Toile

I'd like to take the credit for this beautiful card but I borrowed some elements from this lovely card http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1911328.  I love the combination of black and white - it reminds me of toile.  The plaque is die cut and so is the butterfly.  There's a black grosgrain held together with a black brad to finish the whole card off.

Pink & Blue Cards

I love the alphabet block stamp, used in the background of this card, and I thought it would be perfect for a baby card.  "Baby" is stamped out to look like building blocks.  I think it makes for a sweet baby card.

Cute as a Bug

You might recognize some of the elements from the puzzle valentines. I love this stamp set.  Not only does it come with two sentiments, "bugs & kisses" which is just as sweet as "cute as a bug", but also has a ton of bugs, worms, and other crawly stuff to use.  Perfect for boys, but also very usable for girls too (lovely lady bug!),  I've used this card to make birthday cards or baby cards.

Puzzle Valentine

Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to photograph these unspoiled and in better light.  These blank puzzle cards were found in Big Lots.  I bought them a while ago and stashed them away for a special occasion.  Both of our boys love jigsaw puzzles so this seemed like the perfect Valentine for them.  They've enjoyed putting these together, taking them apart, drooling chocolate on them, etc.  The stamp sets I used seemed perfect for two little boys - Monkey Business and Bugs & Kisses.

Blue & White

Having fun with the Big Shot again.  I love this Tim Holtz notebook page and felt that it needed something bookish to set it off.  So I turned to a cheap book that I bought specifically to tear apart and use for stamping.  I love how the leaf turned out and thought that it went really well with the solid embossed flower.  A simple pearl sits in the middle and is the perfect finishing part.  The only trouble I had was choosing the bext background for the card.  I love the monochromatic white-on-white.  But when I put the same Marina Mist blue as the card, I loved that too! 

Which one do you like better?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!  This bright red and deep, deep purple make a royal background to the crown and fairytale sentiment.  Even though this was specifically made to be a Valentine, it wouldn't necessarily have to be...it could be tweaked slightly to make a wedding card or anniversary card.

I've been really busy lately, hence the 10 day lapse from a new posting.  This past week I've had two stamping parties and got a new (day) job!  But things will be quieting now and I'll be able to post some new exciting things again soon.  Stay tuned!

And a parting Valentine shot...this is what I came home to last week after one of my stamping parties.  The boys were busy and make cookies, including personalized ones for everyone in the house, including the cat  :-)

Hand Colored Tree

Happy Groundhog's Day!  I'm happy to report that Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow and we should expect an early spring.  That is welcome news especially with all this snow and ice we've had this winter.  Also celebrated on Groundhog's day is my big brother, Michael's, birthday and this is the card I sent to him.  I thought it was masculine with colors, tree theme, and the do-it-yourself brad button.  I hand colored the tree, a very subtle effect, which give the tree an aged feel (no pun intended as he turned 50 today!).

Love Letter

I love the color combination of red, black, and creamy vanilla.  I embossed the background on this card to give some subtle texture.  The sides of each piece of paper is sanded and sponged to age and distress it.  The paper flower to the side is accented with a red rhinestone.

Postcard

Finally!  I've been holding on to these papers, stamps, and accessories waiting for inspiration.  And tonight I think I came up with something pretty cool.  I love the overall vintage feel of this card, complete with age stains around the wallpaper-ish paper in the background.  There are definite French themes with the Eiffel tower, Paris postmark, and French script.  To top it all off, there are the embellishments such as the library clip and the faded yellow flower with pearl center.

Memory ticket

This card has several layers of cardstock, designer paper, tags, colors, etc.  I found several separate stamps and papers with similar designs that work really well together.  The sentiment on the ticket tag is about memories but you could just about anything else in its stead.  There is sponging with a sepia tone to make the card feel vintage.

Gift cards for Boys & Girls

Just happened to need a birthday card for a 10 year old boy and a 9 year old girl, so I've borrowed a card design from my Stampin' Up! demonstrator.  There is a double cardstock back and the inside is an folded envelope.  The boy's card has a bright orange and turquoise color scheme and fun graphics.  I've put a library clip on the card to keep it shut.

The girl card is hot pink and turquoise and decorated with flower stamps.  A coordinating blue ribbon helps keep this card closed.














The inside of the card has a pocket perfect for a gift card or special coupons.

Love You Forever

 

This is a sweet card about love, featuring flowers and hearts, as well as dictionary definition of “XOXO” and an actual dictionary page on Love.  There is a fun flower made out of graph paper and mesh on the right to give a little dimension.  Another fun Valentine...

Love Tree

There's nothing subtle about Love. The bright purple, red, green, embossed cardstocks make a bold statement of love, perfect for Valentine's Day or a special anniversary.

Purple Love

This is a card oozing with different textures. There's the warmth of yarn, sophistication of pearls, and soft swirls. The shade of purple is a muted hue which goes nicely with the creamy vanilla cardstock. “Love you” could be perfect for a Valentine or anniversary or a just-because.

Thinking of You Flower

This is a simply embossed card featuring a background of leaves and branches with a apricot blossom.  The sentiment flag features a similar flower stamped in apricot.  Sometimes the most simple cards say the most.